The carriage continued for another half an hour. It was already noon, and the sun was scorching.
The coachman let out a "whoa" and pleaded, "Master Jiang, Madam Jiang, it's noon. Why don't we take a break, drink some water, and have some food?"
Madam Chen's impatient voice came from the carriage, "Alright, let's take a break then."
The coachman wiped his sweat and bowed in thanks, quickly running to rest under a large tree.
Madam Chen and Jiang Yuanfa also came out of the carriage. Rongyue got out first, then went forward to help the
Madam Chen glared at her, slapping away Rongyue's hand, and scolded, "I'm not that old yet! You really have no sense!"
Rongyue retracted her pained hand, lowered her head, and whispered, "It's this daughter-in-law's fault."
There happened to be a tea stall there, with a few tables set up under several large trees, specifically selling tea and snacks to passersby.
Madam Chen went to the tea stall and sat down, ordering a pot of Sour Plum Soup from the waiter.
Soon, the ice-cold Sour Plum Soup was served. Madam Chen glanced at Rongyue unpleasantly. Rongyue quickly poured her a bowl, and another for her father-in-law, then stood quietly behind Madam Chen.
The sweet, sour, and icy Sour Plum Soup was the perfect refreshment. After drinking two bowls, Madam Chen finally calmed down a bit.
She looked around and found that whether it was the passersby or the people resting at the stall, they were all secretly glancing at her daughter-in-law behind her.
Madam Chen turned her head and gave Rongyue a disgusted look, scoffing sarcastically, "Such a Vixen, always trying to seduce men! So good at attracting men, yet you can't even bear an egg!"
Madam Chen glared jealously at her daughter-in-law's beautiful face, which could put the moon to shame, and was dissatisfied in every way.
She had originally taken a liking to the county magistrate's daughter, who was fair and plump, and looked like she could bear sons!
But her darling son had taken a liking to Scholar Li's daughter. She didn't agree, but her usually obedient son went against her, threatening to end his life.
The Jiang Family had been a single-generation family for three generations. Jiang Yuanfa had always been indecisive, and Madam Chen could only yield to her son's wishes.
After seeing Rongyue, she became even more displeased, her face as gloomy as could be.
No wonder her son was determined to marry her. She looked like a vixen! Able to steal a man's soul!
Jiang Yuanfa saw Rongyue's tears of grievance, frowned, and lowered his voice, "Be quiet, why are you talking so badly? Our Jiang Family is somewhat respectable. So many people are watching, don't let others laugh at us."
Madam Chen took a sip of Sour Plum Soup and sneered, "What, embarrassed? You haven't even laid an egg after being married for over a year, and you think the Jiang Family is glorious? The neighbors are all laughing that the Jiang Family is going to become extinct!"
Jiang Yuanfa sighed and said no more.
He was also dissatisfied with this point. This daughter-in-law was good in every other way, except that she had never conceived.
He himself was the only son, and he only had one son. How could they thrive without expanding their family?
Rongyue held back her tears, not daring to cry out loud, just lowering her head, trying not to let others see her face.
Rongyue was a beauty since she was a child, like her mother. Her father loved her, but he often sighed, saying that such a face might bring trouble.
Fortunately, her home was remote, and her father never let her go out. She rarely even saw her neighbors. Since then, she had been safe and sound until she was fourteen years old.
Her father-in-law, Jiang Yuanfa, was her father's classmate. One time, he brought his son to her home to ask her father for advice on writing. Not long after they left, Jiang Yuanfa came to propose marriage.
After her mother died, her father's health was not very good.
She knew her father missed her mother. Her father had been gentle and affectionate all his life, loving only her mother.
Her mother had hurt her body after giving birth to her. Others advised her father to take a concubine, but her father refused.
For this reason, he completely severed ties with the clan and came to Changle County to live alone.
It was a pity that her mother was not blessed and passed away when she was nine years old.
Her father had been sad ever since, but he never lessened his love for her, spending almost all his spare time teaching her to read and write.
Originally, her father thought that Jiang Yuanfa was, after all, an old acquaintance, and his son was an only son, so she wouldn't be wronged if she married into the Jiang Family.
Although Jiang Yuanfa's wife had a somewhat fierce reputation, her daughter was gentle and virtuous, with a soft nature, and would surely be loved by her mother-in-law. So, without much thought, he agreed to the marriage.
Rongyue saw that Jiang Wencheng had clear features and was a scholar, and she was secretly pleased.
It was just that she didn't expect it to be such a state after she got married.
Her father passed away half a year after her wedding, and her mother-in-law became even more unrestrained.
All the money her father had accumulated in his life was made into her dowry, but it was forcibly taken away by her mother-in-law.
Now, her food, clothing, and daily necessities were not as good as the maids around her mother-in-law.
Her mother-in-law had a total of four maids and two servants, and her husband, Jiang Wencheng, also had two maids and one servant.
She didn't even have a maid, and she had to do everything herself.
Madam Chen finished her Sour Plum Soup, cursing and grumbling.
She got up and left, and Jiang Yuanfa also got up. Seeing that Rongyue's lips were dry, he quietly said, "Rongyue, you drink some too."
Rongyue was naturally very thirsty. She curtsied and said, "Thank you, Father."
She poured the remaining Sour Plum Soup into a bowl, less than half a bowl left. She quickly drank it down, and her parched throat was finally moistened; she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and quickly followed her mother-in-law.
The carriage took a full two hours to arrive in Qingzhou. After entering the city and traveling for about a quarter of an hour, the coachman stopped the carriage and refused to go any further. Jiang Yuanfa got out of the carriage first.
Madam Chen was about to open her mouth to scold, when the coachman bowed and begged Jiang Yuanfa, "Master Jiang, it's getting late, and I still have to go back. I haven't had a break all the way here, and the horse is really tired. Please be kind, Master Jiang."
Jiang Yuanfa glanced around embarrassedly, cleared his throat, and said to Madam Chen, "Alright, let's stop here. We'll walk a few steps ourselves, and the madam can also stretch her legs."