Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

chapter 19

“Old man, someone is trying to push my wife to death. People say stepmothers are hard to please, but my stepmother doesn’t even respect you, let alone me!”

Seeing that Elderly Mr. Di had returned, Ms. Zhao took the initiative and threw herself at his legs, crying as if her heart was broken.

Elderly Mr. Di did not speak, his gaze sweeping over everyone around, taking in the lively Second daughter-in-law, his sniveling and tearful wife clinging to him, the plucked wild pheasant lying on the ground, and lastly, Liu Sisi, who was being guarded closely by Di Yelei.

He said nothing, gently but firmly pried Ms. Zhao’s hands off and walked a few steps before bending down to pick up the wild pheasant that everyone had ignored. He then turned to look at Di Yelei and Sisi.

Di Yelei continued to guard Liu Sisi closely, remaining silent even when his father looked over.

Unlike Ms. Zhao and Ms. Wang’s nagging, Elderly Mr. Di’s face showed a gentle smile: “You must be the new bride of Ye Lei? Come, sit inside.” As he spoke, he stepped into the room.

Di Yelei wanted to refuse, instinctively saying, “Dad, it’s not necessary, we were planning on leaving…”

“Ye Lei…”

Liu Sisi softly called out, shaking her head at Di Yelei’s questioning gaze.

Following Elderly Mr. Di, everyone entered the hall. Sisi pushed away the arm that guarded her and stepped forward. She came to Elderly Mr. Di and, following the etiquette of this era, bowed deeply to him.

“Daughter-in-law Liu Sisi pays respects to father-in-law. I apologize for the delay in visiting due to my ill health. Please forgive me, father-in-law.”

“Get up, get up! Third Child, help your wife up quickly.”

Di Yelei’s face lit up with happiness. He looked at the wild pheasant in the basket: “Life hasn’t been easy for you two. From now on, don’t bring food to the old house every two or three days. As long as you two live earnestly, even if I eat a bit less, I’ll be happy.”

“Dad, I…”

Di Yelei began to speak, but could not continue. Only the tears in his eyes revealed his feelings at the moment.

Liu Sisi also took the opportunity to examine Elderly Mr. Di. Di Yelei and his father had similar features; both were tall and had chiseled features combined with bronze-colored skin, giving a sense of strong stability and security at first glance.

“Father-in-law, rest assured, since I married into the Di family, I am now a part of it.”

Liu Sisi spoke calmly, realizing that although her stepmother, Ms. Zhao, was troublesome, her father-in-law was in charge.

She adjusted her mood and smiled, “Sisi had a high fever recently and lost all her past memories during the illness. But Sisi knows that taking care of the two children, looking after the home, and respecting father-in-law, without giving Yelei any worries, is what I should do as a wife.”

That’s right, this father-in-law deserved respect. As for the others… she didn’t run a charity!

Elderly Mr. Di nodded. He understood what the bride had just said. Respecting father-in-law did not include Ms. Zhao. Remembering the nonsense Ms. Zhao had said outside the door and then seeing her attack her new daughter-in-law, he understood why Sisi spoke that way.

“You’ve lost your past memories? But that’s fine! It’s fine!”

With a sigh, whether his daughter-in-law’s words were true or false, her attitude showed that she wanted to live a serious life with Third Child, which was enough. Elderly Mr. Di didn’t say more.

“Come, you two kowtow in front of the ancestral tablets, and you’ll officially become a daughter-in-law of the Di family.”

Only then did Liu Sisi notice the mural and the incense burner in front of it with fragrant incense smoke rising from it in the hall.

Ms. Zhao wanted to interrupt but was stopped by a glare from Elderly Mr. Di. She muttered inaudible words and eventually didn’t speak. As for Ms. Wang, who had been hiding since Elderly Mr. Di entered the house, there was no sign of her.

“Thank you, father.”

Liu Sisi, following Di Yelei’s movements, each took three sticks of incense. They bowed thrice in front of the painting, then inserted the incense into the incense burner. Turning back, they bowed thrice to Elderly Mr. Di and then to Ms. Zhao and Ms. Wang. After going through the formalities, Liu Sisi became an official member of the Di family.

Elderly Mr. Di’s weathered face broke into a smile. He pulled out his dry pipe from his pocket, with difficulty lit it, and took several puffs. Finally, he addressed Ms. Zhao with a frown, “What are you still waiting for? Where are your prepared meeting gifts? Hurry up and bring them out.”