Chapter 1256: The New Daughter-in-Law Serves Tea

The servants brought over the teacups, and Yun Zhe Hao and his wife sat in the seats of honor, watching their son and daughter-in-law with beaming smiles.

Shi Ran picked up a cup of tea from the tray, held it with both hands, and offered it to Yun Zhe Hao: "Father, please have some tea."

He took the teacup, took a sip, set it down, and took a large red envelope out of his pocket to hand to her: "This is for you."

Shi Ran was a bit surprised, surprised that the red envelope was so large.

It was almost as big as a document folder; what was inside?

She had never seen one this big.

But she still took it and expressed her thanks: "Thank you, Father."

Yun Qitian couldn't help but ask: "Dad, what did you put in the red envelope? Why is it so big?"

His father shot him a glare: "Stop prying."

After saying that, he also instructed his daughter-in-law: "Ranran, keep the things in here safe yourself; don't give them to him."

"... Ah? Oh!"

Shi Ran hesitated, but still agreed.

After serving the father-in-law, she served the mother-in-law.

Although Ma Ling'er did not bring a mysterious or strange red envelope, the items she brought out were not light in weight.

Four exquisite jewelry boxes, all made of red sandalwood.

The boxes alone were worth a fortune, let alone the jewelry inside.

Shi Ran had lived a life of abundance since childhood and was accustomed to seeing fine things; the red sandalwood material of the jewelry boxes alone could not move her, but the quality and craftsmanship of the boxes did.

The craftsmanship was exceptionally exquisite, and the boxes were carved with all kinds of auspicious patterns.

There were patterns of a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons, blooming flowers for wealth, dragons and phoenixes bringing auspiciousness... but the carving on the bottom-most box was a bit strange!

The box was carved with the scene of Nüwa patching the sky; although it was grand and magnificent, this type of pattern on a jewelry box always felt a bit strange.

She opened the box and gasped.

She couldn't help but exclaim: "The Star of the Ocean, it's actually here with you?"

It was said that the Star of the Ocean was in the hands of a major collector in the United States; so it had been in the Yun Family all along!

Ma Ling'er looked proud: "Didn't expect that, did you? Now it's yours."

"Mother, your gift is too precious; I cannot accept it," Shi Ran refused.

These few jewelry boxes looked like they had some age to them.

Shi Ran knew her goods and could tell that they were likely Ma Ling'er's dowry.

But "dowry" wasn't quite accurate; looking at the quality of the boxes, they should have been passed down for several generations of ancestors.

Generally, when serving tea, the father-in-law gives a red envelope, and the mother-in-law gives the daughter-in-law a piece of jewelry!

But the gifts her parents-in-law gave were all... very special.

A huge red envelope and wholesale jewelry!

"Wholesale" would be one thing, but this was heirloom-level wholesale; it was too precious, she couldn't accept it.

Ma Ling'er was displeased: "What's precious about it? Once you marry in, we are one family. In a family, we don't stand on ceremony. Your father and I only have one son, Qi Tian; the family assets will be yours sooner or later, so the difference between giving them early or late is not significant."

Yun Zhe Hao added from the side: "Just accept what we give you. You cannot refuse gifts from elders; it is impolite to refuse."

Shi Ran:...

This wasn't a matter of politeness; it was truly too precious.

But since the elders had already spoken to this extent, she really couldn't refuse anymore. She thought to herself that she would accept them for now, and if her mother-in-law needed them back, she could return them.

"Thank you, Mother."

The young couple finished breakfast at the Yun Family home and took the items back to their own small home.

After arriving home, the first thing Shi Ran did was to hand all the gifts from her parents-in-law to Yun Qitian: "You keep them; I cannot accept them."

The gifts were simply too precious.

She had originally thought the most precious items were the jewelry her mother-in-law gave her, but she had misjudged!

The most precious gift was the special red envelope her father-in-law gave her.

Inside the red envelope was not money, but the insignia of the head of the Yun Family and stock certificates.

Whoever possessed these items held the Yun Family in their hands.

Yun Qitian: "Why can't you accept them? Once they are given to you, they are yours."

Shi Ran felt that some things needed to be made clear.

"Qi Tian, we are not a normal couple, and our marriage is not a normal marriage; it is an expedient measure, do you understand?"

Yun Qitian: "I understand, so what?"

Shi Ran:...

She was just about to explain further, but her husband did not give her the chance.

He asked: "Ranran, are you planning never to marry again in your life? You won't have any more entanglements with that person, right?"

Shi Ran did not expect that this topic, which should have been a taboo between the two of them, would be brought up so bluntly by Yun Qitian.

So she nodded and admitted: "Yes."

"Then isn't that fine?"

Yun Qitian still had his usual cheeky expression: "If you don't intend to marry anyone else, but married me because you wanted to save me, and you don't want to have any more entanglements with that person, then our marriage will be very stable."

"Since our marriage is stable, you are a member of the Yun Family, so you should accept the Yun Family's things with confidence..."

He was like a logic genius; regardless of whether things were reasonable or not, everything sounded particularly reasonable when it came out of Yun Qitian's mouth.

It sounded fine at first listen.

But it couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Shi Ran said, "No, that wouldn't be fair to you."

"Once this period passes, we will go handle the divorce procedures. By then, if you find a woman who is truly suitable for you to marry and have children with, you can be truly happy and not let the elders' expectations for you go to waste."

The better the Yun Family treated her, the more guilty she felt inside.

Yun Qitian wore a hurt expression and said aggrievedly, "You want to divorce me that much?"

Shi Ran: "I don't want to hold you back."

Yun Qitian: "I'm not afraid of being held back by you; I'm willing to be held back by you for a lifetime."

Shi Ran: "I'm not willing."

Yun Qitian: "Does it matter if you're willing or not?"

"Shi Ran, let me tell you, don't think that just because you're good-looking and outstanding that I will spoil you forever. I can't do that! I am a person with a bottom line, and my bottom line is no divorce—I won't divorce even if you kill me!"

"You said get married, so we got married. Hey! Now you say you want a divorce? That's not happening. I don't agree, so you can't get one. Stop talking nonsense, let's talk about something serious—what are we having for lunch?"

Shi Ran:...

It was like this every time.

She wanted to discuss serious topics, but in the end, it always concluded very unseriously.

"Oil-splashed noodles."

"You got it!"

Yun Qitian's face changed in an instant; his previously pitiful look immediately turned into a bright, sunny smile.

"Wife, you were too tense just now, your shoulders must be sore. Let me knead them for you."

He ingratiatingly massaged Shi Ran, and he was actually quite good at it; the pressure was neither too light nor too heavy, making one feel completely comfortable and relaxed.

When a person is relaxed, their thoughts also slow down.

Shi Ran thought to herself: What was I about to say just now?

She couldn't remember, so she simply let it go.

The third day of marriage is the day for the bride's return visit to her parents' home.

Early this morning, Zichen snuck into the kitchen; the first meal for his sister's return visit must be grand!

Zihan stood at the main gate waiting to welcome them; he felt anxious about his eldest brother's intelligence.

Why go to the kitchen?

Standing at the main gate is much better; it's the new brother-in-law's first visit, and the brother-in-law waiting at the door gets red envelopes.

Zihan usually liked to play at being clever more than his other brothers and often reaped little surprises, but today he miscalculated.

The bright sun hung in the sky, becoming increasingly scorching.

Having waited from morning until now, it was almost noon, and his sister and brother-in-law still hadn't arrived.