Crossing Over to Yamada Love

Mo Lan focused on moving her waist and body. Unlike other newlyweds who sit stiffly without moving, she couldn't sit still.

She heard soft breathing from inside the room; there were people inside, and more than one. She wondered who it was; they were probably just annoyed by her moving around.

Mo Lan heard hushed voices inside the room, but because the voices were so low, she couldn't make out what they were saying. They might be talking about her, but Mo Lan didn't care.

Outside, everyone must be enjoying a feast, a lively and cheerful scene, while she can't move. She wonders if Xue Lingfeng will be forced to drink too much. But judging from his aloof demeanor, probably not. Mo Lan ignored the people inside, lost in thought.

I heard that Xue Lingyun has returned from the capital, but the chubby boy didn't make it back. Apparently, he had an urgent mission and couldn't get leave.

The old Marquis didn't come either. It seems the court is quite busy, and he couldn't get away. The letter said that he asked the Second Master to bring the congratulatory gifts. The Second Master was delayed because of other matters, and the messenger said that they would probably arrive today.

It seems there's going to be a war, otherwise the capital wouldn't be so busy. Hopefully, a war won't break out, otherwise it's the common people who will suffer.

Mo Lan waited patiently for each second. In the late afternoon, the matchmaker accompanied Xue Lingfeng into the house. Surprisingly, none of his companions came to make a ruckus or clamor to see the bride. It seems his cold face really works.

Mo Lan listened to the matchmaker's long explanation. Xue Lingfeng lifted the veil, and Mo Lan squinted. Having always been covered by the veil, her eyes felt a little uncomfortable when it was suddenly lifted.

Mo Lan was helped to the table and drank the auspicious wine with Xue Lingfeng. Before the two could exchange a single word, Xue Lingfeng was called out again.

With the veil no longer covering her face, Mo Lan could see clearly inside the room. She had been to this room before and even slept in the bed there one night. It had just been decorated and turned into a bridal chamber.

Mo Lan looked around the room. There were four people inside, two sitting and two standing.

The two sitting there were both quite young, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, and were probably the sisters-in-law of Xue Lingfeng from the Xue family.

When Xue Lingfeng came in first, they all hid behind the screen. Only after Xue Lingfeng left did they come out and sit down.

The other two standing there were maids, whom Mo Lan did not recognize. She did not know whether they were Xue Lingfeng's maids or brought by these two sisters-in-law.

When Mo Lan saw the two women looking her up and down, she smiled at them as a gesture of goodwill.

Both of them returned Mo Lan's smile, and didn't seem like mean or troublemakers.

However, they didn't say anything, presumably because they didn't know what to say.

Mo Lan looked at the snacks on the table. She was so hungry. When her sister got married, she served her some snacks. When Erlang got married, she served her some snacks too. Now that it was her turn, who would serve her snacks? She couldn't very well walk up to the table and pick them up herself, could she? That would scare the people sitting in the room.

When can we eat? Mo Lan wailed inwardly.

Instead of the food, she summoned several guests.

Hearing the voices, Mo Lan sized up the people who entered her room. The leader was a woman around twenty years old, dressed appropriately, and clearly from a good family.

Behind her were three young women dressed in their finest attire. The oldest was around fifteen years old, and the youngest was eleven or twelve. They were all quite pretty, and judging from their clothes, they were probably young ladies from the Xue family.

Several maids followed behind, none of whom Mo Lan recognized. She merely smiled slightly and did not rise, for she did not know the identities of the newcomers.

Upon seeing them enter, the two women who had been sitting on stools quickly stood up, bowed to the woman who had entered first, and said, "Greetings, Fourth Madam."

Fourth Grandma quickly reached out to help the two women up, and said with a smile, "Sisters-in-law, I've said it so many times, we're all family, there's no need for so much formality. Isn't this politeness too distant?"

The two women laughed, not taking Fourth Madam's words seriously. They were just a branch of the Xue family, and their status was naturally not as high as that of the main family.

One of the women said, “Fourth Madam is too kind. Fourth Master is an official, and Fourth Madam is from an official family. How can we compare to them? We are honored that Fourth Madam calls us sister-in-law, but we must not overstep our bounds.”

Seeing the polite formalities and the insincerity in their words, Mo Lan felt a headache coming on. What they said and what they thought were completely different things. This kind of life was really tiring.

They chatted for a while, and then Fourth Grandmother slapped her forehead and said, "Look how confused I am. I've been talking nonstop since I met my two sisters-in-law. I've forgotten that my younger sisters are clamoring to see their Fifth Sister-in-law. They've heard that she's incredibly beautiful and they want us to see what this fairy descended from heaven looks like."

She spoke quite loudly, clearly intending to let Mo Lan hear her. Mo Lan wasn't angry; that's how it is in a large family. It's normal for sisters-in-law to compare and fight with each other, especially since they don't share the same parents, so they're even less likely to get along. She wasn't surprised that her words were barbed.

Seeing that everyone in the room was looking her up and down, Mo Lan wasn't ashamed at all. Let them look if they want; it wouldn't hurt her to be looked at anyway.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, I heard people praising our new Fifth Sister-in-law to the skies, saying she's one of a kind, but now it seems she's just so-so. I think she's not as pretty as Fourth Sister-in-law."

The young lady from the Xue family, who was about thirteen or fourteen years old, spoke up.

Mo Lan chuckled upon hearing this. This was clearly flattery of their fourth sister-in-law. Not to boast, but this fourth sister-in-law was merely beautiful; her looks were nowhere near as striking as her own, and even in the same attire, she couldn't compare to her older sister, Mo Mei. She was only slightly higher in status.

Fourth Grandmother's eyes lit up with satisfaction. She knew she couldn't compare to Mo Lan, but she was still happy to be praised like this, especially in front of Mo Lan. She felt proud of herself.

"Ninth Sister, what are you saying? How can your sister-in-law's appearance compare to your Fifth Sister-in-law? Sister, you've offended your Fifth Sister-in-law with your words. Go and apologize quickly. Your Fifth Brother cherishes her dearly. We must be careful with our words, or we'll be sued. What will we do then?" Fourth Madam was ostensibly talking about Ninth Miss, but her words were actually aimed at Mo Lan.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, what Ninth Sister said is the truth. What crime is there to atone for? I think so too. Fourth Sister-in-law not only comes from a good family, but she also treats us exceptionally well. It is a blessing for the Xue family to have her married. Unlike... hehe." The eldest young lady also spoke up. She didn't finish her sentence, but Mo Lan understood what she meant. She looked down on her.

"Seventh Sister, you're the same. Ninth Sister was talking nonsense, and you're just repeating it. How could your sister-in-law be as good as you say?" Fourth Madam said politely, glancing at Mo Lan out of the corner of her eye with a smug look. The implication was that all the young ladies in the manor were on her side, and that Mo Lan, who had entered the manor later, should know the rules and respect her as her elder, just like them.

“Sister-in-law, we’re not talking nonsense. Everyone in the manor knows that you are generous and virtuous. You will be the one to run the household in the future. Ninth Sister, Eleventh Sister, don’t you agree?” the Seventh Miss asked for their opinions.

Miss Ninth nodded repeatedly, while Miss Eleven gave a shy smile and remained silent.

Fourth Madam was secretly pleased, hoping that, as they said, she would be the one in charge of the Xue family in the future, provided that Fifth Madam did not compete with her. However, she had married into the family earlier and had a better background than Fifth Madam, so she had all the advantages of being born first and Fifth Madam should not be able to compete with her.

Mo Lan didn't respond or say a word, nor did she get angry. She was too lazy to get up and argue. If she did, she would have to bow to the other party and waste her breath, which wasn't worth it.

She was already hungry, so she should save her energy. Besides, she had even more physically demanding work to do tonight. Why waste her energy on these people? They love to gossip, so let them do what they want.

Seeing that Mo Lan sat on the bed as if she hadn't heard them at all, remaining silent, Fourth Grandmother felt somewhat discouraged. It seemed that all their talking had been in vain.

She gave the Seventh and Ninth Misses a meaningful look. The Eleventh Miss was useless and she couldn't count on her. She wanted the Seventh and Ninth Misses to speak up and ridicule Mo Lan again.

Mo Lan saw it clearly. Before the two young ladies could speak, she stood up and walked towards their location.

Fourth Madam and the Seventh and Ninth Misses were secretly delighted. She couldn't hold back any longer and was going to argue with them. They hoped that Mo Lan would speak up, preferably make a scene, so that everyone would know that the Fifth Young Master had married an ignorant wife. Such a wife could not accomplish anything, and no one would support her.

Mo Lan took a few steps and arrived at the table. She gave the group a shy smile, then sat down, picked up a pastry, and started eating.

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded. What was going on? Were they seeing things? Was a newlywed bride eating so recklessly?

Ignoring the astonishment of others and the gaping mouths of those around her, Mo Lan simply ate a couple of bites and drank a cup of tea.

She breathed a satisfied sigh of relief; finally, there was something in her stomach, and it stopped rebelling.

She glanced at the two maids who were already in the room and said her first words upon entering the bridal chamber: "Is there any hot water? I'm not used to drinking tea, could you please bring me some hot water instead?"

The two maids were stunned; they truly hadn't expected their new mistress to be like this.

One of the maids bowed slightly and said, "Fifth Madam, today is the auspicious day of your wedding with the Master. The main kitchen must be very busy and may not be able to get hot water. This tea is the Master's favorite. Please make do with this for now. I will ask you for it when things calm down."

Mo Lan smiled at her and said thank you for your trouble, but in her heart she was thinking: Judging from her tone, this maid is Xue Lingfeng's. I didn't see her when I came last time. I don't know if she was the original maid or if she came to work in this courtyard later.

She didn't take her words to heart, and when Fourth Grandmother and the others came in to ridicule her, she didn't speak up to protect her. It seems that they looked down on her.