“Right, right, right.” Yu Bo hurriedly said, feeling it was better to handle their own family matters first before anything else.
Shen Fang watched Li Jun acting so righteous and proper, but could only shake his head.
He was truly afraid Li Jun would say something even more irretrievable.
He grabbed Li Jun’s arm and said firmly to Yu Wen, “Master Yu, this is a serious matter that came suddenly. I think Ah Jun needs to go back and think it through carefully. We’ll take our leave first. We can discuss this further when there’s news.”
Yu Wen felt too embarrassed to keep Li Jun there and personally escorted the two out.
Yu Yuan immediately pulled Yu Tang aside to talk: “Could this matter be related to that painting?”
Yu Tang was secretly surprised by Yu Yuan’s perceptiveness, but he still had to go on a matchmaking meeting this afternoon, and she couldn’t delay his marriage prospects.
“I don’t know!” she said. “The thing has already happened. More speculation is pointless—better to wait patiently.”
The main issue was not knowing where Seventh Uncle had gone.
Yu Yuan nodded somewhat absent-mindedly.
Yu Tang could only try to encourage him, saying, “No matter what, those people didn’t succeed, and the ones they sent to catch me ended up in prison instead. When they hear the news, they’ll definitely be furious. Their fury is our joy. We should be happy about this.”
Yu Yuan laughed at Yu Tang’s twisted logic.
Yu Tang breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Elder Brother, good people have Heaven’s protection. Look, I encountered such a thing but ran into Third Master Pei, and Li Jun and Shen Fang also rushed to my rescue. You, Eldest Uncle, and Father all came too. I feel I have good fortune ahead of me.”
“Let’s hope so,” Yu Yuan said. Thinking it over carefully, he felt Yu Tang’s words actually made some sense. He couldn’t help but laugh, his mood lightening considerably. “You should go out less in the future. It’s too unsafe outside.”
Yu Tang smiled and said, “Then you should hurry and marry my sister-in-law. Once I have someone to keep me company, naturally I won’t always be running outside.”
Yu Yuan chuckled sheepishly, looking quite embarrassed.
Although there had been this disturbance, the matter with the Wei family couldn’t be postponed. Though Seventh Uncle still hadn’t been found, they had no choice but to leave.
Yu Wen worried that Yu Tang had been frightened and asked if she wanted to return to the city first.
Yu Tang said, “The Wei family already knows I’m coming. If I don’t show up, when they ask about it, what will you say?”
Yu Wen was about to say something else when Yu Tang pushed him toward the door, saying, “Father, I’m fine. Don’t I have all of you protecting me? I’m not someone who can’t handle things.” As she spoke, she called to Chen Shi: “Mother, when are we leaving? It’s getting late.”
Chen Shi and Wang Shi were having a private conversation. Hearing the call, both came out smiling, but when they saw Yu Tang’s disheveled appearance, they were badly startled.
Yu Tang only said she had gone flower-picking with Seventh Uncle and had fallen. Seventh Uncle had been injured as a result and had gone to the city to see a physician.
Chen Shi felt this didn’t seem quite right, but Yu Wen was helping Yu Tang explain, so Chen Shi assumed Yu Tang had gotten into trouble like when she was little and Yu Wen was covering for her. She pulled Yu Tang close and looked her up and down carefully. Seeing she wasn’t injured, and since they had brought a change of clothes before leaving, she turned a blind eye and pretended not to know, letting them be.
Yu Tang went to wash and change, and the group went to the Wei family home.
The ones who came out to greet them from the Wei family were Master and Mrs. Wei along with their eldest son and daughter-in-law. They heard that the other children had all gone to Mrs. Wei’s maiden family to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.
Yu Tang rather suspected Mrs. Wei was worried that too many people at home would be noisy and chaotic, not solemn enough.
Apart from Wang Shi, everyone from the Yu family had dealt with the Wei family before, and they all had good impressions of each other. When they met and introduced themselves, they were naturally warm and friendly, chatting and laughing in a lively atmosphere. Only Yu Yuan—perhaps because his status had changed—kept his head lowered with a flushed face, shrinking behind Yu Bo, completely lacking his usual calm and composed demeanor, as if he had become a different person.
Wang Shi was anxious inside. Taking advantage of when the Wei family wasn’t paying attention, she gave her son a hard slap on the back and said in a low voice, “Stand up straight! Don’t ruin things for me at the critical moment.”
Yu Yuan did straighten his spine, but his face turned even redder.
Fortunately, Mrs. Wei felt this was normal and looked at Yu Yuan even more favorably. After everyone sat down, she instructed a maid, “The Yu family’s eldest miss has also come. Have cousin miss come over to meet them.”
This was the meaning of Yu Tang’s presence here.
Yu Tang couldn’t help but widen her eyes and look around.
Before long, the maid led in a young woman who appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old. She was tall and slender, her glossy black hair styled in a spiral bun. She had honey-colored skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. She wore a plain goose-egg blue Hangzhou silk short robe and a pair of lotus-seed-sized pearl earrings. When she looked at people, her gaze was bright and sincere, her smile cheerful—very generous in manner.
Though she wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, Yu Tang immediately took a liking to her.
Miss Xiang came forward with a smile and paid her respects to the Yu family members.
Yu Tang saw Yu Yuan quickly glance at Miss Xiang once, then never dared raise his head again. Looking at Miss Xiang’s gracious and composed manner, she suddenly found this very amusing.
In Eldest Uncle’s family, Eldest Uncle greatly respected Eldest Aunt. Not only would he tell Eldest Aunt about everything, he also liked to hear her opinions on matters. It looked like Eldest Uncle was the head of the household, but in reality, Eldest Aunt had the final say.
If Eldest Cousin and Miss Xiang got together, perhaps their mode of interaction would be the same as Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt’s?
This truly matched the old saying “birds of a feather flock together.”
When Yu Tang returned Miss Xiang’s curtsy, she discovered Miss Xiang was half a head taller than her.
In other words, Miss Xiang was about the same height as Yu Yuan.
The two exchanged polite small talk for a few sentences, then Miss Xiang withdrew.
Today’s matchmaking meeting was now officially concluded.
The next step would be for the matchmaker to act as intermediary, conveying messages between the two families.
Yu Tang was somewhat worried Yu Yuan might dislike Miss Xiang’s height. On the way back, Yu Tang quietly asked Yu Yuan, “Did you see clearly what Miss Xiang looks like? What do you think?”
Yu Yuan said sheepishly, “You’re just a younger sister—why are you meddling in so many things?”
Seeing that Yu Yuan didn’t seem disappointed or unhappy, Yu Tang couldn’t help but say, “I’m just afraid Eldest Aunt and Mother will have worked in vain!” She added, “If you don’t want to tell me, fine. Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt will ask you anyway. I’ll just ask Eldest Aunt or Eldest Uncle later.”
“Why do you talk so much?” Yu Yuan said with disdain. After holding back for a long while, he managed to say, “Every family’s children have their marriages arranged by their parents. I’ll just listen to my parents.”
Listening to Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt meant he was willing!
Yet he still said it so indirectly.
Yu Tang secretly smiled. When she returned home, she followed Chen Shi around like a little tail, going wherever Chen Shi went.
Chen Shi laughed and said, “What are you trying to do?”
Yu Tang chuckled and said, “When you discuss Elder Brother’s marriage later, let me listen in too!”
Chen Shi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “How is it that a perfectly good young lady like you only likes to listen to such things?”
Yu Tang said righteously, “This isn’t someone else’s family business—it’s my elder brother. What’s wrong with me caring about it?”
Chen Shi laughed and said, “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll take you along. Even if I don’t take you, you’ll find a way to eavesdrop or inquire about it.”
Yu Tang smiled with pursed lips.
Yu Wen walked over. First he gave Yu Tang a meaningful look, then said to Chen Shi, “I have to go out for something. As for Ah Yuan’s matter, I think as long as the Wei family agrees, that’s fine. I might come back a bit late tonight, so don’t wait up for me.”
Chen Shi said worriedly, “Today’s meeting concerns Ah Yuan’s lifelong happiness. It wouldn’t be good for you not to go, would it? When Eldest Brother asks about it later, what should I say?”
Yu Wen said, “Elder Brother knows about this. I’ve already discussed it with him. You just go ahead—Elder Brother won’t ask anything.”
Yu Tang suspected Yu Wen was going to the magistrate’s office to inquire about news.
She quickly said, “Father, I’ll see you out.”
The magistrate’s office was in the city center. From Green Bamboo Lane, one could only go east.
She wanted to know what Yu Wen was going to do so late in the day.
Yu Wen hadn’t planned to hide it from her either. Once outside, he said to her, “You stay home and wait for me to return.” Then he went east.
Yu Tang went with Chen Shi to Eldest Uncle’s house.
Eldest Uncle wasn’t home either, supposedly having business at the shop. Eldest Aunt was still complaining: “Why couldn’t he go some other time? Why did he have to rush over at this moment? It’s already evening—can’t it wait one night? He’s too unconcerned about Ah Yuan’s matters. I asked him if he looked carefully at Miss Xiang and wasn’t satisfied, but he said he was satisfied. He even said Miss Xiang is tall, so maybe the grandson she gives birth to in the future will inherit her height.”
Yu Tang suspected Eldest Uncle had gone to the magistrate’s office with her father. Usually, her father was rather proud of his scholar status and put on airs when dealing with people. Eldest Uncle was different—being a merchant, he smiled before speaking and was willing to humble himself. In places like the magistrate’s office, where minor officials were always difficult to deal with, having Eldest Uncle handle things would make matters much easier.
Chen Shi didn’t think too much about it. Instead, she took Wang Shi’s hand and said, “I thought Miss Xiang was good before, and seeing her today, I’m even more satisfied. I just don’t know what Ah Yuan thinks, and also whether Miss Xiang has taken a liking to Ah Yuan. Ah Yuan seems to be about the same height as Miss Xiang.”
Wang Shi smiled and said, “You don’t need to worry about that. As soon as we got back, I asked Ah Yuan. He said it’s entirely up to his parents to decide. His father said he was quite pleased that Miss Xiang is tall. Now it just depends on what the Wei family thinks.”
Chen Shi said, “As the saying goes, ‘look up when marrying off a daughter, look down when taking in a daughter-in-law.’ Since everyone thinks it’s good, our family should be proactive. Not only should we quickly invite a matchmaker to propose marriage, we should also do our best to make this happen—whatever Mrs. Wei is dissatisfied with, we’ll just do whatever makes them satisfied, won’t we?”
Wang Shi smiled and said, “You’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking. If this match succeeds, Miss Xiang is not young anymore, and our Ah Yuan has also been delayed to this age. I’d like them to marry soon. I was looking at the side room where Ah Yuan lives—it won’t do. It needs to be renovated. Then there’s the betrothal gifts, clothes, jewelry, and such. But the shop also needs money… This really isn’t good timing.”
Chen Shi laughed and said, “What are you worried about? With our two families together, can’t we get Ah Yuan a wife? Though Ah Tang has also reached marriageable age, there’s an order to these things. Since Ah Yuan’s matter is showing promise, naturally we’ll attend to Ah Yuan first. Ah Tang’s matter can be discussed later.”
Wang Shi felt very embarrassed and kept saying “How can we do that?”
Chen Shi was rarely so decisive, saying, “This matter is decided. Even when Hui Li returns, he’ll definitely agree with what I’m doing.”
Wang Shi was about to say something else, but Yu Tang knew Eldest Aunt was being considerate of her. So she deliberately sighed nearby and said, “Who did I offend? The dowry my family prepared for me has just become Elder Brother’s betrothal gifts like this!”
Hearing this, Chen Shi smiled and scolded, “What, do you dare have an opinion?”
“No, no.” Yu Tang quickly said. “I just have a small request—after Elder Brother gets married, he can’t forget his little sister just because he has a wife. He has to treat me as well as he does now.”
Chen Shi and Wang Shi laughed heartily. Wang Shi even hugged her and said, “Don’t worry. If your elder brother doesn’t treat you well, watch how I’ll deal with him.”
Yu Tang also started laughing.