Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Wang Ying, as if he'd never seen the world, pressed his face against the carriage window, constantly gazing outside. Chen Qingyan, meanwhile, shielded his head with a hand, fearing the bumpy ride might cause an injury.

Uncle Chen, having accompanied the master to Third Aunt's home a few times in earlier years, was quite familiar with the Lin family. He drove the cart directly to Que'er Hutong in the east of the city.

"Tell me about Third Aunt's family so I know how to address everyone when we arrive."

Chen Qingyan explained, "Third Uncle's surname is Lin. He was also a scholar and used to run a private school, but he's no longer doing that. Now he works as an accountant in a pawnshop. The two cousins are Lin Qiu, who is a year younger than me, and Lin Sui, who is the same age as Qing Yun."

Wang Ying committed it all to memory. After about half an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the Lin family's doorstep.

Before they even entered, they could hear arguing from inside.

"How could the Fang family be a suitable match? This is pushing my Qiu'er into a fire pit! Are you so poor you can't put food on the table, or so hungry you can't afford a meal, that you'd stoop to selling your own children?"

"Don't put it so harshly. What's wrong with Fang Erlang? His looks and family background are both decent. It could be a good match for Qiu'er."

"I spit on that! Drinking and whoring around—how is that a good match? How can you say such things? And you call yourself a scholar—have you read all your books only to fill your head with nonsense!"

"Chen Rong, don't be ungrateful when I'm giving you respect!"

Wang Ying couldn't listen any longer. He jumped off the carriage and stepped forward to knock on the door. "Knock, knock, knock. Is Third Aunt home?"

The courtyard fell silent for a moment before the gate opened. Third Aunt Chen looked at Wang Ying, not quite recognizing him at first, and asked hesitantly, "Who are you?"

Chen Qingyan stepped forward and said, "Aunt, it's me."

Third Aunt's eyes lit up. "Qing Yan? Wang Ying, what brings you here!"

"It's almost the New Year, so we came to visit you and Third Uncle."

"Oh my goodness, you've come all this way! Come in, come in!"

The Lin family's courtyard was small, with only three main rooms and two annexes. With few people in the household, it was still spacious enough.

Third Uncle looked somewhat ill at ease upon seeing them. After greeting them, he left the house.

Third Aunt ignored him and led the two inside.

The room was warmed by a stove, filled with the distinct smell of firewood, making it cozy and inviting.

"Qiu'er, Sui'er, come out and see who's here!"

Two young men, quite similar in appearance, emerged from the west room. The elder, Lin Qiu, had slightly reddened eyes, while the younger, Lin Sui, looked at the two visitors with curiosity.

Third Aunt pulled her sons forward and said, "This is your cousin Qing Yan and his husband. Greet them properly."

"Cousin, brother-in-law."

"Hello," Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan responded promptly.

The last time they had met was a year ago, when Chen Qingyan had come to take the county examinations and stayed at Third Aunt's home for a few days. Now, everyone had changed.

Third Aunt looked Chen Qingyan up and down and said, "When I left, you hadn't fully recovered your health, but now you look completely well and full of energy!"

Chen Qingyan nodded.

"You don't know how I felt when I heard we were returning for what we thought was your funeral last time..." Chen Rong's voice choked up a little.

Wang Ying comforted her, "Third Aunt, don't dwell on those thoughts. He's perfectly fine now."

"Right, let's not talk about it. Were you cold on the journey? Tired? You haven't eaten yet, have you? Qiu'er, go to the street and buy some meat, and buy some wine. I'll make dumplings for you."

Chen Qingyan said, "There's no need to go to all that trouble."

"It's no trouble. You rarely visit. Listen to your aunt—while you're here, make yourselves at home."

Lin Qiu took the money and went to buy groceries, while Lin Sui looked curiously at the mule-drawn cart in the courtyard.

Wang Ying called Uncle Chen and Dun Zi to unload the New Year gifts they had prepared for Third Aunt from the cart. They were packed in bamboo baskets, six full baskets in total.

"Why did you bring so much? You shouldn't have spent so much."

"They're just some inexpensive things. I hope Third Aunt doesn't mind."

Chen Rong said with a light laugh, "You're too polite, child. We're family—even if you came empty-handed, I wouldn't mind."

After the gifts were moved into the annex, Chen Rong noticed there were quite a few vegetables and asked in surprise, "Where did these come from? Who sells vegetables in such cold weather?"

"They were grown on our estate. There's a hot spring there, so the area doesn't get cold in winter, and we grow some vegetables."

"Well then, I'll use these to prepare you something to eat later, so we don't need to buy more."

Third Aunt settled Uncle Chen and Dun Zi in the annex to rest, while the others went into the main room. Third Aunt asked Lin Sui to boil water and make tea.

"How is your mother's health?"

Chen Qingyan said, "She's doing well, but she often thinks of you."

"Ah, I miss your mother too. It's just that there's been so much to handle at home over the years, and the distance is great. It's not easy to make the trip back."

Wang Ying remembered what he had overheard outside but felt it inappropriate to ask since Third Aunt hadn't brought it up.

It was Chen Qingyan who broached the subject. "Earlier, outside the door, we heard you and Uncle arguing. Did something happen?"

Mentioning this made Chen Rong sigh. "Sui'er, go play in the west room for a bit. I need to talk to your brother and his husband."

"Okay," Lin Sui said, putting down the water kettle and leaving.

"Since you already heard, I won't hide it from you. Your cousin Lin Qiu will be seventeen after the New Year, old enough to discuss marriage. Back when our family's matriarch was still alive, she arranged an engagement for him with a family named Zhang in the county, waiting for both children to come of age to marry.

Who would have thought that the Zhang family's son fell ill and died last year? Qiu'er's marriage plans were suddenly left uncertain.

We originally planned to find another match for him, but then his father suddenly came home one day saying he had found a good family for Qiu'er. When I asked which family, he wouldn't tell me, only saying that Qiu'er would live in luxury after marrying into that family.

The more I thought about it, the more something felt off. Marriage is about matching social status. As you can see, our family relies on me and the two children weaving cloth, and him working as an accountant in a pawnshop to get by. Although we're not struggling, we're certainly not wealthy enough to marry into a rich family.

After I pressed him repeatedly, he finally admitted that the match he had in mind for Qiu'er was with the Fang family in the city—to be a second spouse for their second son."

Just then, Lin Qiu returned from outside. Hearing his mother's words, he put down what he was carrying and ran crying to the west room.

Third Aunt's eyes also reddened. She took a handkerchief from her collar and wiped her eyes. "What kind of decent family is the Fang family? They're involved in every bad habit—drinking, gambling, and visiting brothels. Fang Erlang was married once before. Some say his wife died of illness, others say she was beaten to death. That's why he hasn't been able to find a wife since.

I suspect he must have pawned some things at the shop and struck up a conversation with your uncle, sweet-talked him into agreeing to betroth Qiu'er to him."

Chen Qingyan's expression darkened. "Uncle is being shortsighted! Marriage is a serious matter. How could he agree so carelessly? If he's not a good man, it'll be too late for regrets!"

"Exactly, I've argued with him for days, but he's fixated on Fang Erlang, even saying they'll set the engagement right after the New Year."

In ancient times, women and unmarried men had no say in their own marriages, having to obey parental arrangements and matchmakers' words. Fortunately, Third Aunt is a sensible person; otherwise, my cousin would be in for a hard time ahead.

Third Aunt dried her tears and forced a smile, "Let's not dwell on these upsetting matters. I'll go prepare the meal first; you two rest for a while."

Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan offered to help, but Third Aunt stopped them, "You've come such a long way; don't trouble yourselves. Just relax and stay put."

After she left, Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat helpless.

"Brother, what should we do about this?"

Wang Ying: "Maybe we should try to persuade Third Uncle. If there are any difficulties, he can speak up; we might be able to help if we can."

"Alright."

As evening approached, Third Uncle Lin Zhangbin returned home, carrying a smoked chicken wrapped in oiled paper.

"Haven't eaten yet, right? Qiu'er, chop this chicken and bring it to the table to add a dish for your older cousin."

Lin Qiu reluctantly got up, took the smoked chicken, and went to the kitchen. Lin Zhangbin washed his hands, removed his cotton hat, and sat down.

He was in his early forties, thin with hollow cheeks accentuating his high cheekbones, giving him a somewhat harsh appearance.

Perhaps due to the dietary habits of ancient times, people had relatively low average lifespans and aged quickly, with many already having gray hair in their forties.

"This must be Qing Yan's spouse, right? We didn't get any news when you got married; we had no idea you were wed."

Wang Ying quickly stood up to greet him, "Hello, Third Uncle. At the time of our marriage, Qing Yan was unwell, and the wedding was rushed. We didn't send word, and Fourth Uncle didn't return either."

"Don't worry about it, sit, sit."

Soon, Third Aunt and Lin Qiu brought dumplings to the table. Besides meat dumplings, there were stir-fried cucumber with eggs, celery with cured meat, and the smoked chicken—dishes perfectly respectable for guests.

Lin Zhangbin picked up a piece of cucumber and asked, "Did you buy this from a greengrocer's in town?"

"No, Qing Yan brought it from back home."

"Your hometown has fresh vegetables too?"

"There's a warm spring on the estate, so we grow some nearby."

"Remarkable. These days, the county town has started selling fresh vegetables. Guess how much a cucumber costs? Thirty-five copper coins! Who can afford that?"

Wang Ying was astonished, figuring the vegetables sold in town were likely supplied by Cao Bin from his own stock. It seemed selling them at twenty copper coins per catty wasn't too expensive after all.

"Do you grow a lot of vegetables on your estate? If so, you could bring them to town to sell."

"Not much, just enough for the family to eat."

Hearing this, Lin Zhangbin dropped the idea. After a few drinks, he became more talkative, "How are your studies going, Qing Yan? Will you try the county exam again next spring?"

"My knowledge isn't sufficient; I'm afraid I won't achieve anything. I've already started a village school at home to bring in some extra income."

"That's the right move. Don't waste time on useless pursuits. Look at me—I took the exam over ten times and never passed. The provincial exams are full of wealthy, influential scholars. How they study is beyond our reach."

Third Aunt snorted, "Then how did Fourth Brother pass? It's just that you're not capable."

"Your Fourth Brother just got lucky. How can everyone have such good fortune? Listen to your uncle, focus on earning a living. These days, only with money can you stand tall."

Chen Qingyan responded with noncommittal murmurs.

"Your father didn't listen to my advice back then—I told him to invest in opening a few shops in town, and now he'd be counting money with his eyes closed. Ten years ago, a shop on Changping Street cost only seventy taels of silver. Look how much it's risen now!"

Chen Qingyan smiled without answering. Seventy taels of silver might not sound like much, but the cost of opening a shop was far more than that. Besides, his father was unfamiliar with the town and had no business experience, so he wouldn't dare invest money so easily.

"Also, when the old master divided the family assets, he gave your married-off aunt so little—after all, she's a married daughter…"

Third Aunt stepped on his foot under the table, "Why bring that up? Can't the meat shut your mouth!"

Lin Zhangbin was about to lose his temper but remembered there were guests present. He snorted and downed his cup of wine in one gulp.

Wang Ying glanced at Chen Qingyan, noticing he was clearly upset, and nudged him with his leg.

"I heard our cousin is getting engaged?" Chen Qingyan brought up the topic.

Lin Zhangbin grunted in affirmation and glanced at his wife, "It's a good family. But your aunt listens to outsiders' nonsense and refuses to let Qiu'er marry into it. I'm his father; would I harm him?"

"The Fang family owns six shops—they're well-off. Fang Erlang isn't as bad as people say; I've interacted with him a few times, and his words and actions are impeccable. It's just because finding a second wife is difficult; otherwise, Qiu'er wouldn't have this opportunity."

Lin Qiu, sitting nearby, put down his chopsticks, "I'm full." With that, he got up and returned to his room.

Lin Sui also wanted to leave but couldn't bear to part with the food on the table. He grabbed a few pieces of meat, quickly finished the rice in his bowl, and also went back to the west room.

With the children gone, Third Aunt finally spoke up, "Has he bewitched you? The other day, I sent someone to inquire and heard he spends all his time in brothels and doesn't even return home. How could such a person be a good match in your eyes?"

Lin Zhangbin said dismissively, "All men are like that. He'll settle down after marriage."

"Bullshit! If you'd been like that before marriage, would my father have betrothed me to you? Now, when it comes to our son, you have no standards. You're determined to push my child into a living hell. What good will it do you if Qiu'er suffers later?"

"Watch your language. What do you mean, 'push him into a living hell'?"

As the two were about to come to blows, Wang Ying quickly pulled Third Aunt into the adjacent room.