Su Shuanzi and Liu Erni were called over.
They both had zodiac conflicts with the new daughter-in-law and had hidden themselves early on, completely unaware of what had happened outside. They were somewhat confused when they were called out.
Anning smiled as she walked over to Liu Erni: "Madam, under normal circumstances we shouldn't nitpick on such a day, but our Lin Family won't be bullied by just anyone. My sister is marrying into your Su family as the eldest daughter-in-law. No matter how you look at it, she should be the first to enter the door, right?"
Liu Erni forced a laugh.
Anning glanced back at Wang Min: "There must be order in everything, after all. You're marrying Su Lao San, if you entered the door first, what would others think? Who could understand who you married? Could it be that you also wish to marry Su Zhiqiang?"
Wang Min's face changed color at that remark.
Xue Jinsan had shown no mercy to her before, filling Wang Min with anger. Now, Anning was picking a fight, and Wang Min could hardly bear it.
"What business is it of yours? Busybody meddling in things that don't concern you. It's not your wedding, so stop babbling."
Anning was unfazed: "Too much talk isn't good for a bride. Look at my sister, she has hardly spoken from beginning to end. That's the proper demeanor for a bride. Moreover, it's my sister getting married, how could it not concern me? If I find your behavior unacceptable, can't I make a few comments about it?"
By this time, Lin Anping had also come over and stood beside Anning, protectively putting his arm around her for fear of any dispute with the Wang family: "My second sister is right. Today, my eldest sister is getting married, and as her maternal family, we can make decisions for her. What, can we not even speak now?"
Seeing the situation worsen, Su Shuanzi quickly intervened: "Enough, enough. This was my oversight; I was too busy hiding and forgot to mention the order of entering. An Jie, as the wife of the eldest, must enter first, followed by the wives of the second and third sons. Let that be settled."
He quickly pulled Liu Erni and rushed away.
Wang Min was still upset, but since Su Shuanzi had spoken, she couldn't make any more fuss.
If she continued to make trouble, it would be akin to refusing the marriage. The Wang family had received a substantial dowry from the Su family. If the marriage fell through, the dowry would have to be returned. It wasn't just the Wang family that was reluctant—Wang Min herself couldn't bear the thought.
Seeing the matter settled, someone lit the firecrackers again, and Anning glanced at Su Zhiqiang: "Brother-in-law, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and carry my sister inside."
Su Zhiqiang blushed, murmured an acknowledgment, and rushed inside carrying Lin Anjie.
Once he started, Su Zhijian and Su Zhikang also carried their respective brides into the home.
Anning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She, Lin Anping, and others from the Lin Family who had come for the escort slowly made their way into the house.
It was particularly cold outside, and after having stood for so long, everyone's hands and feet were freezing, and their bodies were starting to go numb.
Once inside, they sat by the stove for a while to warm up.
The new daughter-in-law had to be greeted with a fine banquet.
The Su family side had prepared everything in advance, and soon the food was brought out.
Anning ate a few bites of food and a bowl of noodles then stood up and said to Lin Anjie: "Sister, I'm going back for a bit. I'll come back for the kowtowing ceremony later."
Lin Anjie nodded: "Go ahead, you go first."
Anning instructed a few aunties and madams before heading home.
When she got back, the Lin Family was in a bustle. Anning hurried to help Wang Cuihua entertain the guests, busily serving tea and pouring water.
It wasn't until noon that Anning went back to the Su family's place.
Then came the ritual of recognizing relatives and performing kowtows.
In Xiaogou Village, there were still some ancient customs; on the wedding day, the bride had to recognize the groom's relatives.
The way to recognize the relatives was to have the bride kowtow to the elders, and in return, the elders would give her some money as a token for changing her form of address.
During the kowtowing, the three new daughters-in-law went through another round of calculations, and by the time they finished, it was already two or three in the afternoon.
Anning waited for Lin Anjie to change into another set of clothes and packed everything up before heading home.
After a busy day, Anning felt quite tired. After she got home, she ate something and then went to sleep.
Anning had a particularly sweet sleep. By the time she came to, it was already dark outside.
Wang Cuixhua knocked on the door and came in with a bowl of egg noodles in hand: "We called you for dinner, but you didn't wake up. You must be famished now; hurry up and eat something."
Anning smiled as she sat up, took a few bites of noodles, and felt more like herself.
"Mom, have you eaten yet?"
Wang Cuixhua laughed: "I ate earlier. Hurry up and eat. After that, you can go back to sleep."
Anning agreed and quickly finished the noodles, emptying the large bowl in no time.
She got off the bed, put her shoes on, went out to wash the bowl, and then came back.
Wang Cuixhua was still sitting in Anning's room. Seeing Anning return, she smiled and pulled her to sit down: "How's school going? Can you understand everything the teacher says? Do we have hope for university next year?"
Anning knew that Lin Aiguo and his wife had high hopes for her.
The Lin family had been poor farmers for eight generations, and they revered and aspired to be scholars; they always wanted to send someone to university. Unfortunately, Anning's older male cousins, Lin Anyue and Lin Anyi, weren't good at studying, and neither was Lin Anjie. Only Lin Anning had been an excellent student all along. From elementary to high school, she consistently ranked first or second, which led Lin Aiguo and his siblings to place all their hopes on her.
Even Wang Cuixhua was always hopeful that Anning could attend university and frequently inquired about her studies.
Anning smiled: "I'm doing well in school. I've already finished the high school curriculum, and I even borrowed some college textbooks to start studying. There's definitely no problem with me getting into university next year."
She wrapped her arm around Wang Cuixhua's, rested her head on her shoulder, and whispered, "I want to go to a university in the Capital."
"A university in the Capital?"
Wang Cuixhua was surprised at first, then delighted: "Are you confident? That's the Capital we're talking about..."
Anning nodded firmly: "I'm sure I can get in."
Wang Cuixhua's joy was so great her mouth stretched into a wide grin. Just as she was about to say something, they heard Lin Anping's voice.
"Mom, Second Sis, hurry up and come out. There's trouble at the Su family's place."
Wang Cuixhua immediately forgot about the university matter and rushed out with Anning, asking as they ran, "Where's your father?"
Lin Anping said, "My dad went to call my uncles."
Wang Cuixhua felt somewhat relieved.
When the three of them arrived at the Su family's home, they saw the courtyard was full of people.
Wang Min sat on the ground, disheveled and crying bitterly, while her maternal family members were deeply engaged in a fight with the Su family.
An old madam wearing a traditional Chinese jacket was physically confronting Liu Erni. Several young men were holding down the Su brothers, and Su Shuanzi was being attacked by two middle-aged men.
But Lin Anjie wasn't hiding in the bridal room; she held a brick in her hand, sneaking around looking for an opportunity to strike at one of the men hitting Su Zhiqiang.
Seeing the scene, Lin Anping became anxious. With a shout, he ran over and grabbed the two young men attacking Su Zhiqiang, shouting, "What's this about? Do you think Xiaogou Village has no one to stand up? Bullying by numbers in the dead of night..."