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Ju Geer saw the logic in that and skipped off to play on his own.

Over there, Wei Pozi paid thirty coppers to have Old Xu drive them to Shibalipu in his cart.

Coincidentally, Wei Pozi had recently made a new set of clothes for Yu Siyang, which he wore that day, which made him look extra sharp.

Xingxing was also dressed in the little skirt Bai Xiaofeng had specially made for her, with a golden little apricot embroidered at the hem—absolutely precious.

The grandmother, son, and granddaughter sat in the mule cart, and Old Xu just had to tease Xingxing some more, chuckling, “Little Xingxing, what’s taking you to Shibalipu?”

Xingxing answered brightly, “Grandpa Xu, we’re going to visit relatives!”

Wei Pozi suppressed a smile.

Seeing he couldn’t get anything out of Xingxing, Old Xu let out a belly laugh, “What relatives? Is it your future Fourth Aunt?”

Xingxing tilted her head. There was no Fourth Aunt at home—what was Grandpa Xu talking about?

Old Xu then turned to tease Yu Siyang, “Siyang, is your future wife pretty?”

Yu Siyang turned beet red.

His mother had told him they were going to meet a girl this time.

If things went well, she would be his future wife…

But nothing was settled yet!

Yu Siyang was at a complete loss how to respond to Old Xu’s teasing, his face flaming red.

Wei Pozi glared fiercely at Old Xu, “Mind the road! First teasing my granddaughter, now my son—keep it up, and I’ll mix laxatives into your mule’s feed when we get back!”

“Aiyo, no, no, I’ll stop, I’ll stop,” Old Xu backed down right away.

For the rest of the mountain road, Old Xu kept mostly to himself.

When they reached the hollow at Shibalipu, Old Xu drew up the reins, “I’ll wait here for you. Come back early—don’t wait till dark. The mountain road gets tricky after dark.”

Wei Pozi carried the cut of meat, Yu Siyang held Xingxing, and the three of them entered Shibalipu.

The relative Wei Pozi had in Shibalipu was quite senior in the family.

The old lady was already in her sixties, and Wei Pozi called her “Auntie.”

Wei Pozi brought meat and her descendants to visit the old lady, whose family was delighted and insisted they stay for a meal.

After the meal, Wei Pozi casually asked about the family Zhou Wuniang had mentioned.

The family’s surname was Xun. Aside from their seventeen-year-old eldest daughter, who had a limp and was still unmarried, they had a fifteen-year-old second son and an eight-year-old third son—a straightforward family situation.

Otherwise, it lined up pretty well with Zhou Wuniang’s description.

Wei Pozi couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

The relatives put two and two together—this was likely an arranged meeting.

They helped guide the way, showing Wei Pozi’s family the way.

At the Xun household, Old Mrs. Xun was doing laundry in the yard when Wei Pozi knocked on the half-open gate and called out cautiously, "Is anyone home?"

Old Mrs. Xun looked up and recognized Wei Pozi.

She had previously seen Wei Pozi’s authoritative manner and no-nonsense attitude, and her protective nature toward her relatives, which had made her consider a match between their families.

"Oh, it’s Auntie Wei, isn’t it?" Old Mrs. Xun wiped her hands on her apron and hurriedly stepped forward.

Her gaze lingered on Yu Siyang, looking him over, and she seemed somewhat satisfied.

What she had heard in Nantuo Village was that Yu Siyang had fallen ill with a high fever as a child, and now, in his teens, his mental capacity wasn't quite like other folks.

But Yu Siyang was handsome, sturdy, and well-mannered.

He didn’t seem like one of those who had been turned simple by fever.

Old Mrs. Xun quickly showed Wei Pozi in and called her children out to greet the guests.

The two Xun boys came running, greeted Wei Pozi, and then ran off to play.

The Xun girl brought up the rear, walking slowly, but her limp didn’t appear too severe.

"This is my eldest daughter," Old Mrs. Xun said, watching Wei Pozi’s expression closely. Seeing no sign of disdain or dissatisfaction, she relaxed slightly.

The Xun girl had likely been prepped by her mother. She glanced at Yu Siyang, then lowered her eyes and greeted Wei Pozi politely.

After exchanging a few more words, Old Mrs. Xun suggested letting the two young people talk privately.

But Wei Pozi felt this might look bad for the Xun girl. After a moment’s thought, she smiled and said, "Xingxing is very close to her fourth uncle. Let her stay with them."

Old Mrs. Xun found Wei Pozi even more reliable and beamed and nodded eagerly.

Old Mrs. Xun and Wei Pozi then went outside to chat, leaving the door wide open so that any loud conversation would be heard clearly.

With Xingxing present, it wasn’t as if a man and woman were left alone together.

For a moment, only the Xun girl, Yu Siyang, and Xingxing remained in the room.

As the host, the Xun girl sat silently, and Yu Siyang, unsure of what to say, simply sat there as well.

The Xun girl glanced at Yu Siyang, noting how he sat primly with his hands folded in his lap, looking a bit slow. She pressed her lips together, clearly unhappy.

She hadn’t wanted to be set up with someone simple.

But her mother had insisted this family was reliable, and though this fellow wasn't quite right, he wasn’t a fool… So she'd gone along with it.

He was good-looking, but… if he really was a fool, she still wouldn’t be willing.

Xingxing looked between her fourth uncle and the Xun girl. Both sat frozen, neither speaking, leaving her confused.

But she was quite thirsty by now and piped up timidly, "Sister, may I pour myself a bowl of water?"

The Xun girl jerked her chin in assent.

Xingxing hopped up on a stool to pour the water herself.

Chapter 74: My Fourth Uncle Isn’t a Fool

The Xun girl snuck another look at Yu Siyang. Seeing he still hadn’t spoken, she hissed at Xingxing, "Psst!" then gestured toward Yu Siyang with her chin. "Little girl, is your fourth uncle really a fool?"