The matchmaker said there was a family fifty kilometers away with no sons, only a daughter. Fearing their daughter would be bullied after marriage and not wanting to deal with a lot of troublesome relatives, they wanted to find a family with simple members to marry her into.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianguo and Zhang Lian's eyes lit up.
It was great that the family had no sons. In their region, and even the entire province, betrothal gifts were substantial, starting at no less than two hundred thousand.
For parents, marrying a son could be a devastating ordeal.
If they married a daughter from a family without sons, the betrothal gift money given out could be returned as dowry, brought back home, and wouldn't have to be used for marrying a wife for the bride's brothers. What a good deal!
Looking at the girl's photo, with her round face and prominent backside, she appeared to be a woman who would bring prosperity to her husband and family and be fertile. They eagerly finalized the marriage.
Little did Jiang Jianguo and Zhang Lian know that this girl, despite her seemingly good appearance, was an absolute shrew.
As the only daughter in her family, she had been spoiled by her parents since childhood, making her lawless. Her temper was like a lit firecracker, exploding at the slightest provocation. If displeased, her eyes would glare, and she'd start cursing.
Such a shrew was avoided by all the young men in the surrounding villages, who feared getting entangled with her and bringing misfortune upon themselves.
Due to the intervening mountains separating the two places and poor information flow, coupled with the simple folk of the village, no one online slandered her, despite disliking her character.
Therefore, Jiang Jianguo's family was deceived by her superficial appearance. Only after she actually married them did they realize they had been tricked.
She wasn't a good wife at all; she was a reincarnation of a virago, a veritable "Eastern Sea Lion."
But with the rice already cooked, there was no turning back.
Jiang Ling would never have imagined that her donations to her hometown, which indirectly harmed Jiang Jianguo's family, would unintentionally lead to Jiang Tianbao marrying a shrew.
For the next decade and more, the Jiang family suffered immensely, their entire household shrouded in the shadow of the shrew.
Let alone Jiang Ling not knowing, even if she did, she would only clap her hands and exclaim, "The heavens cycle, retribution is swift!"
So what if you favored sons? You got your comeuppance!
...
The troubles of Jiang Jianguo's family were merely a minor interlude in Jiang Ling's life.
With Jiang Tianbao's attempt at moral blackmail failing, Jiang Ling's life returned to peace.
At this time, Jiang Ling accidentally stumbled upon a Weibo post by Jiang Yu Shuang. The post stated that she had successfully given birth to her first child at 11:52 PM last night, and both mother and child were safe. She thanked her fans and friends for their concern.
Seeing this Weibo post, Jiang Ling was also very happy for her.
Although Jian Fan was deeply in love with Jiang Yu Shuang, having a child or not would not affect their relationship.
However, as the eldest daughter-in-law of a prominent family, Jiang Yu Shuang inevitably had to bear pressure.
With a child, whether a boy or a girl, a blood tie was established with her in-laws, which would make her life easier.
Jiang Ling went to the hospital immediately to visit, to see the newborn baby and ask her best friend how painful childbirth was.
Jiang Yu Shuang smiled and said, "It was a little painful, but not too bad. This child wasn't fussy; giving birth to him was like using the toilet after a big meal, a quick release."
Jiang Ling: "..."
Not long after returning from the hospital, Jiang Ling received a full moon banquet invitation from Jian Fan.
This invitation should have been sent by Jiang Yu Shuang herself, but since she was in her confinement period, Jian Fan, as the father, had to send it on her behalf.
The invitation was printed on bright red cardstock with gilded edges. The invitation content was written in a formal, elegant prose style.