Shangjiang Village remained unchanged, its brick and tile houses and rustic courtyards still standing.
At the moment, Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan stood at the entrance to the courtyard, their faces etched with anxiety as they repeatedly scanned the village road.
"Honey, do you think this outfit will embarrass our Ning'er?" Ye Shulan asked, tugging at her hem and smoothing her clothes.
"Not at all, my dear. You look decades younger today," Jiang Haichuan replied with a fawning smile.
Ye Shulan glared at him. "Get lost. You're being ridiculous. When Ning'er, our daughter-in-law, and granddaughter get back, you need to behave. No acting like a pompous elder, understand?"
Jiang Haichuan said nervously, "I know, I know. How could I not? But I'm just worried our daughter-in-law might look down on us as farmers."
"She... she shouldn't, right? We have to trust Ning'er's judgment," Ye Shulan said, her voice lacking conviction.
In rural families, such anxieties were common. A deep-seated inferiority complex often persisted, with farmers feeling inferior to city dwellers. The poorer the farmer, the more acutely they felt this shame.
Even though Jiang Ning had already graduated from university, this inferiority complex persisted.
During his college years, he often ran out of money and had to borrow from classmates.
In the cafeteria, he only chose the cheapest dishes, and sometimes, to avoid being seen by classmates, he simply took his meals back to the dormitory to eat.
People from rural areas always felt unsophisticated, and most city dwellers looked down on farmers.
Especially in today's age of widespread internet access, rural residents were often exposed to news that highlighted these disparities.
Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan, simple and honest as they were, were no exception. When their son married a city girl and brought his new daughter-in-law home for the first time, they were both excited and nervous, fearing that their daughter-in-law would look down on them or find them wanting.
Videos on Huayin Video often depicted similar scenarios, and the couple had watched many of them.
The Jiang Teng family in the village was a prime example. After their son married a city girl, the elderly couple eagerly visited him and his wife in the city, only to return home in disgrace after a miserable experience.
Though they didn't voice their feelings aloud, their expressions told the whole story.
Worse still, the women washing clothes by the river became the village's news hub, spreading vicious rumors about Jiang Teng's daughter-in-law and portraying the elderly couple as mere servants.
After the son and daughter-in-law finished their meal, the parents were forced to eat leftovers in the kitchen and were not allowed to stay at their son's home, instead having to book cheap hotels outside the city.
There were various accounts of what happened, but one thing was certain: Jiang Teng and his wife had an unpleasant experience when they visited their son in the city.
City girls often looked down on rural farmers as dirty, and they also considered the fruits and vegetables they brought to be dirty. Some even threw away the carefully prepared gifts from their rural relatives.
This was why Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan were so nervous, fearing their daughter-in-law might be the same. They didn't know how to greet her.
*Beep beep.*
Soon, a BMW X5 pulled up in front of Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan.
"They're here, they're here!"
Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan's faces lit up with excitement as they hurried forward.
"Dad, Mom, why are you standing at the door?" Jiang Ning said as he got out of the car.
Jiang Haichuan cleared his throat. "Ahem, your mother was eager to see our daughter-in-law and granddaughter!"
"Don't blame me, dear," Ye Shulan retorted, giving Jiang Haichuan a playful glare. "You were just as anxious!"
Su Meng also got out of the car.
When Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan saw their daughter-in-law, Su Meng, their eyes widened. Such a beautiful girl, even more stunning than a movie star—and she was their daughter-in-law?
They could barely believe it. They had only spoken on the phone before; they had never seen her on video.
"Dad, Mom, why are you just standing there? This is your daughter-in-law, Su Meng. Mengmeng, these are my parents."
Su Meng shot Jiang Ning a glare. "What do you mean 'your parents'? They're *our* parents, okay?"
"Mom, Dad, I'm your daughter-in-law. My name is Su Meng."
Jiang Haichuan responded excitedly, "Ah, child, you've been through so much. Ning'er didn't bully you, did she?"
They hadn't expected their daughter-in-law to be so warm and respectful from the moment they met, without any pretense or insincerity. It was completely different from what they had imagined.
"Ahem," Ye Shulan said, placing her hand under her nose as a signal.
"Oh, right, child, here—this is the 'change of address' gift."
Hearing his wife's hint, Jiang Haichuan hurriedly pulled a thick red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Su Meng.
Su Meng hesitated, unsure whether to accept. She glanced at Jiang Ning for guidance.
He nodded.
Only then did Su Meng accept the red envelope with both hands, bowing slightly. "Thank you, Dad."
"Ah, you're a good girl."
"And me too."
Ye Shulan also produced a large red envelope and offered it to Su Meng.
Su Meng respectfully accepted it with both hands and bowed. "Thank you, Mom."
"Ah, child, you've had a long journey."
Ye Shulan couldn't help but step forward and take Su Meng's hand.
Seeing that her daughter-in-law didn't look down on rural people as the village rumors had suggested, her heart finally relaxed.
"Grandpa! Grandma! What about me?"
Mengmeng, now three years old, had scrambled out of the back seat and piped up in her childish voice.
Seeing Mengmeng, who was clearly three years old, Jiang Haichuan and Ye Shulan froze.
*She must be three!* they thought. *So our son... he was fooling around with this girl back in college?*
Their gazes, filled with murderous intent, turned to Jiang Ning.
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Jiang Ning forced an awkward laugh. "Dad, Mom, Mengmeng's calling you."
Jiang Haichuan glared at his son, jabbing a finger at him. "We'll settle this later, you little schemer."
"Come here, sweetie. Come to Grandpa. Grandpa will give you a hug," Jiang Haichuan said, squatting down and opening his arms.
Ye Shulan, standing nearby, smiled as she studied Mengmeng. "You know, her mouth and nose really do resemble Ning'er's when she was little."
Ye Shulan's remark made Jiang Ning extremely awkward.
*What kind of eyesight does my mother have? Mengmeng isn't even her biological daughter!*
Su Meng, standing nearby, also cast a scrutinizing glance at Jiang Ning, then at Mengmeng.
*Come to think of it, there are indeed some similarities.*
Jiang Ning quickly and awkwardly fled to the trunk.
He opened it and began unloading the luggage. The trunk was completely filled with gifts: clothes from the mall, as well as Su Meng's carefully prepared cigarettes, fine wines, and health supplements.
Ye Shulan smiled and took Su Meng's hand. "Xiao Meng, let's go inside. Mother and daughter-in-law can chat."
After glancing at Jiang Ning, Su Meng nodded obediently at Ye Shulan. "Okay."
Jiang Haichuan, holding Mengmeng, said, "Mengmeng, let's go inside with Grandpa. I bought you lots of candy and toys!"
"Really? Thank you, Grandpa!" Mengmeng gave Jiang Haichuan a big kiss on his cheek.
"Hahaha, my sweet granddaughter!"
The kiss from his adorable and well-behaved granddaughter put Jiang Haichuan in a great mood.
The only one left was the miserable Jiang Ning, who had to haul the heavy bags of gifts back and forth several times.
-----------------------
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