Afraid her granddaughter wasn't taking her words to heart, Old Mrs. Xu felt she had to give an example—one she'd rather not mention.
—Her eldest granddaughter.
Outsiders only saw the large package arrive and assumed her eldest granddaughter had married well. But she could see right through it. It was all for show—gilded on the outside, but worthless within.
The package looked full, but there was nothing of value inside. If his family truly valued their daughter-in-law who had come from so far away, even a family with a modicum of decency wouldn't have sent back such a paltry return gift.
Were they looking down on them, thinking they were just ignorant country folk? Did they think all those sacks of local produce she brought with her weren't worth more than a few extra boxes of Beijing pastries?
"This just goes to show, no matter how much she praises them in her letters, her husband's family is completely unreliable. Your sister is in for a lifetime of hardship."
