Chapter 9: Generous Actions

Mrs. Wang only then realized that the handkerchief she was clutching had fallen out at some point. Her face grew even more embarrassed. After causing such a fuss, who couldn't guess the reason behind it? Fortunately, she hadn't hurried to present the handkerchief as evidence earlier, or else things would be even less clear now. Damn it, wasn't it said that obtaining this embroidered handkerchief had taken a great deal of effort from the eldest son, Han Yu? How could it be something that Su Wenyue's servant girl had embroidered!

Mrs. Yang had always liked Mrs. Wang as a daughter-in-law and thought she was filial and sensible, and she got along well with her sisters-in law. Little did she expect that the Third Daughter-in-law would harbor ill intentions. If it weren't for her prior desire to make things difficult for the Fourth Daughter-in-law, why would she have stolen the servant girl's handkerchief? It was precisely because of the stolen servant girl's handkerchief that today's events had unfolded, completely messing up the good tea ceremony!

"Third Daughter-in-law, do you have anything else to say?" Mrs. Yang looked at Mrs. Wang, making no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction.

"Mother, I—I didn't mean to. I was merely misled by what others said and misunderstood my Fourth younger sibling. I hope she won't take this matter to heart, and that we, as sisters-in-law, can get along well in the future." Mrs. Wang's acting wasn't bad. Knowing that her mother-in-law was displeased with her, she immediately put on an expression of grievance and righteous anger at being decieved, shifting all the responsibility onto others.

"Although I don't know why Third Sister-in-law is dissatisfied with me and targets me, she is right in what she says. We are sisters-in-law and should get along harmoniously. Mother, let's just forget about this incident. I had no intention of targeting Eldest Sister-in-law or Third Sister-in-law. I merely wanted to prove that I am not as unbearable as rumors suggest. I hope Mother will not mind," Su Wenyue said, smiling amiably and appearing magnanimous. She showed no intention of clinging to Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang's faults. After all, she had won today's battle and had successfully tarnished Mrs. Wang's good image in the eyes of their mother-in-law, Mrs. Yang. It wouldn't be easy for Mrs. Wang to plot against her behind her back. And it wasn't about life or death after all. Having spent a long time in that large house, she had grown accustomed to the dark, underhanded schemes and felt much more tolerant towards certain issues. Mrs. Wang was inconsequential; even if she had some cunning plans, it was only to lower Su Wenyue's status in Mrs. Yang's eyes, which was hardly significant.

Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang were both very pleased with Su Wenyue's behavior. Who wouldn't appreciate a daughter-in-law who was so forgiving? Even Mrs. Yang herself might not have been able to be so generous had she been in the same situation. Yet the Fourth Daughter-in-law, once she said she would not bear a grudge, truly held no grudge and maintained a cheerful demeanor, which showed a generous heart.

Now that everything had been brought into the open, there was not much left to say. Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang were now behaving themselves and had no thoughts of playing any tricks. The tea ceremony had to continue. Han Yu was the fourth son and the youngest among the brothers. Su Wenyue still had to offer tea to her elder brothers and sisters-in-law. Correspondingly, the brothers and their wives had also prepared gifts for the newlyweds.

Although Eldest Sister-in-law, Mrs. Liu, wasn't particularly likable, Big brother Han Hu was an honest man who valued family ties deeply, especially towards Han Yu, whom he had taken care of since childhood. Therefore, he was generous, and Su Wenyue felt the weight of the red envelope in her hands was substantial.

Han Hu might have been nearing thirty but only had two daughters. The elder one was already twelve, named Han Xiaofeng, and the younger one was seven, named Han Xiaohua. Su Wenyue brought out the gifts she had prepared in advance for the younger generation, giving each of them a pair of silver floral hairpins. Not just Mrs. Wang, even Mrs. Li felt envious— the Fourth Daughter-in-law was too generous.

Mrs. Yang noticed Su Wenyue's actions and, although she was pleased with her generosity, felt that the Fourth Daughter-in-law was too naive. A token gift for the younger members of the family would have sufficed, but she had gone overboard. Even though the Fourth Daughter-in-law's mother's family was wealthy and she had a substantial dowry, she couldn't afford to be so extravagant. Particularly since Eldest Daughter-in-law was greedy, Mrs. Yang decided she would later need to instruct the Fourth Daughter-in-law to be more careful, so her sisters-in-law wouldn't trick her out of her valuables. She needed to keep a tighter hold on her things.

Mrs. Yang was biased towards her youngest son, which was an unchangeable fact, and she naturally kept a close watch over her daughter-in-law. Besides, her daughter-in-law was going to spend a lifetime with her son; all those things would eventually belong to her grandson.

When it came to Second Brother Han Ping, he was just as straightforward. Both he and his wife were down-to-earth, feeling that bringing Su Wenyue, with her wealthy background, into the Han Family was a slight to her. Therefore, they couldn't be stingy and let others make a mockery of their family, so the red envelope given to Su Wenyue was hardly lighter than the one from the eldest brother.

Han Ping was indeed fortunate, with a son and a daughter. His elder son, named Han Baofu, was already nine years old, and his younger daughter, named Han Xiaocao, was six. Su Wenyue gave Han Baofu a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and Han Xiaocao, like her sisters, received a pair of silver floral hairpins.

Seeing that Su Wenyue's gifts were so substantial, Second Brother and his wife felt it would be embarrassing to accept them. They had thought that the welcome gift they prepared, although generous, was the extent of their means and couldn't compare to what the Fourth Daughter-in-law gave their two children—not even a fraction.

"Fourth Daughter-in-law, these gifts are too generous. They are both too young to need such fine things. Besides, Baofu can't even read yet. That brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are quite expensive; don't let the boy waste them. Fourth younger sister-in-law, being learned as you are, you should keep these possessions for yourself."

"Yes, indeed, Fourth younger sibling, you should keep these fine pieces for yourself."

Han Ping repeatedly waved his hands, Mrs. Li voicing her agreement alongside him. Although she, too, wished for her son to learn to write and read—who doesn't want their son to achieve great things?—the gifts were indeed too lavish. She had secretly visited the shop before and saw that just the paper alone cost several coins for a single sheet. It was clear that the quality of the paper the Fourth Daughter-in-law had given was far superior to what the shop offered, and the price must be even higher, not to mention the expensive brush, ink, and inkstone, which could not be bought without spending several taels of silver.

"Second Brother and Sister-in-law, don't decline it any further. Not to mention that Baofu is now the only male heir of our Han Family, and our family's future hope should already be learning to recognize characters and read. Even for a girl, being able to recognize a few more characters is good. I'm not speaking of pursuing official titles or scholarly honors, but reading can enlighten one's reason and broaden one's perspective, preventing others from taking advantage," reasoned Su Wenyue.

Su Wenyue's gifts had indeed reached the hearts of Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang. In most families, there tends to be a preference for males over females. With Han Baofu being the sole male descendant, both Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang had the previous intention to send Han Baofu to a private school to begin his education, but with the increasing chaos in the world and tightening finances, they had discarded the thought.

"Second child, Second Daughter-in-law, since Fourth Daughter-in-law is giving it with such sincerity, don't refuse. Accept it," Old Man Han said, speaking up as the Second Brother and his wife continued to demur.