Lin Chan covered her face as tears streamed down freely.

She didn’t want to cry, but overwhelming emotions surged up all at once, completely beyond her control.

Seeing her daughter cry, Lin Shi hurriedly said: “Chan’er, don’t cry. Our family doesn’t follow that arranged marriage nonsense—if you’re unwilling, we’ll simply decline.”

Lin Chan’s sobbing caught, her voice urgent: “Mother—”

Lin Shi smiled: “Don’t worry, Grandmother and Mother won’t force you.”

Lin Chan bit her lip, wanting to say she was willing, but her naturally reserved character made it impossible to open her mouth. It was the Old Madam who discerned some meaning and said gently: “Chan’er, speak freely about whatever thoughts you have—this is your lifelong happiness.”

Red clouds climbed Lin Chan’s cheeks. Too embarrassed to look at her grandmother’s wise eyes, she said: “Granddaughter will abide entirely by Grandmother’s decision.”

Having said this, she turned and ran off.

“Chan’er—” Lin Shi called once toward her daughter’s retreating back, then looked at the Old Madam. “That girl—running off without even speaking clearly.”

The Old Madam gave her a look: “Don’t you find those words familiar?”

Lin Shi blinked, then remembered: “When Prince Jing’s mansion came to propose to A’Hao, A’Hao said the same thing.”

“Exactly. Allowing the elders to decide means she’s willing. If she weren’t pleased, she would have said she wanted to stay home and accompany her elders for another two years.”

Lin Shi shook her head.

Neither girl took after her at all. Back in her day, she had told her parents directly she would marry no one but Wen Rugui—thinking of the past, Lin Shi’s heart tensed: it was better they didn’t take after her. She only hoped her two daughters had eyes a hundred times better than hers for judging people.

Knowing Lin Chan’s wishes, the General’s mansion soon sent word to the Han family, and the two households began marriage negotiations.

Lin Hao ran to Jiaoyue Residence to congratulate Lin Chan.

“A’Hao, let’s sleep together tonight.”

“Alright.”

That night, the two sisters squeezed onto one canopy bed, whispering to each other.

“The old saying goes ‘light appears through dark willows and bright flowers, the path turns at the peak’—only now do I truly understand it.” As Lin Chan spoke these words, joy flashed in her eyes, though her tone held some emotion.

From the initial stirring when marriage was discussed with Young Master Han, to later disappointment at being selected as Princess Consort of Wei, then relief after breaking the engagement with the Prince of Wei—she had thought accompanying her doting grandmother and mother would be a fine outcome, never expecting that after all the twists and turns, her destined good match was still Young Master Han.

That Young Master Han who, after she “fell gravely ill” and broke the engagement, had his cousin relay that he still wanted to marry her.

Just thinking of this, Lin Chan couldn’t help smiling with pursed lips.

Seeing her elder sister’s joy, Lin Hao was also genuinely happy: “Tomorrow I won’t go to the flower dew shop—if I hurry, I can still embroider a pair of pillow scarves for Elder Sister.”

Originally when Lin Chan claimed illness to the outside world it was one thing, but now that Lin Chan and Han Baocheng were betrothed, it wouldn’t be proper for the younger sister to marry before the elder. Thus Lin Chan’s wedding date was set for the end of September, before Lin Hao’s marriage.

Though the wedding date was somewhat tight, both the Lin and Han families had long prepared everything needed for the marriage since the children were not young—there would be no scrambling about.

“This short time would be rather tight for Second Sister to embroider a pair of pillow scarves. Second Sister can just embroider two handkerchiefs for me.”

“Elder Sister!” Insulted about her needlework, Lin Hao reached out to tickle her.

Laughter soon emerged from within the smoke-like gauze curtains.

In the following days Lin Hao went out less, leaving more time to accompany her sister. One day Baozhu brought something over: “Miss, look what this servant found at the base of the garden wall.”

What Baozhu held in her hands was a grass-woven grasshopper.

It was already late autumn now. The grasshopper woven from yellowed grass blades was lifelike—at first glance you might think it was real.

The first person Lin Hao thought of was Qi Shuo.

Come to think of it, it seemed some days since she’d seen him.

Lin Hao took the grasshopper to the garden, climbed the wall top with practiced ease, and sure enough saw the young man quietly reading under a tree.

She nimbly jumped down, walked before Qi Shuo and held up the grasshopper: “A’Shuo, did you weave this?”

Qi Shuo set his book aside and nodded with a smile: “Yes.”

“I didn’t know you had this skill.” Lin Hao looked at the grass-woven grasshopper with great fondness. “A’Shuo, weave me another one—it would be so interesting to have a pair on the windowsill.”

Qi Shuo looked at her deeply. His tone was clearly very mild, yet inexplicably carried a note of grievance: “I won’t.”

Lin Hao was shocked.

Over such a small matter, A’Shuo was actually refusing her!

Then she heard the young man with profound eyes say mildly: “Do grass-woven grasshoppers need to come in pairs? I’m alone every day too.”

“A’Shuo!” Lin Hao tugged at his sleeve, heartbroken. “You’ve changed.”

After just a few days of not seeing each other, he was actually throwing tantrums—even ten years ago she wouldn’t have been like this.

Qi Shuo took advantage to hold her hand, laughing softly.

The grievance was fake, but wanting to see her was real. Fortunately their wedding date was also drawing near.

On the way back, Lin Hao still gained possession of a pair of grass-woven grasshoppers, which she placed on her windowsill to bask in the warm but not fierce autumn sun.

The Lin and Han families’ wedding preparations proceeded smoothly and quietly. The households receiving wedding invitations were uniformly shocked.

The young master of Minister Han’s household and the eldest daughter of the General’s household were marrying?

Had Minister Han become senile? Considering the Crown Prince and Miss Lin’s past, many couldn’t help thinking this.

What, the guarantor was Chen Fuli, Scholar Chen?

Hearing this news, people were dumbstruck and immediately understood the Minister’s household’s actions.

No wonder they dared marry Miss Lin—not only would they not offend the Crown Prince, they had the Crown Prince’s support. Tsk tsk, from this perspective, the Minister’s household need not worry about lacking successors.

Realizing the Crown Prince’s appreciation for Han Baocheng, households receiving invitations all prepared generous gifts to attend the wedding feast. Those who hadn’t received invitations also actively prepared lavish gifts hoping to forge connections.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Lin Chan and Han Baocheng’s wedding arrived. A ten-li bridal procession wound through most of the capital to the Minister’s household, and the wedding feast was extraordinarily lively with guests gathering like clouds.

The General’s mansion hung lanterns and decorations everywhere. Exploded red firecracker casings accumulated in thick layers on the ground. The bride’s family’s wedding banquet was set for noon, but though it was now dusk, the wine fumes had not yet dispersed.

Lin Shi looked around. This usually thick-nerved person suddenly reddened around the eyes and choked out: “Raised a daughter for nineteen years, and now I won’t be able to see her every day.”

“Chan’er finding a good match is fortunate, and she’s marrying within the capital—seeing her in the future will be convenient.” Though she said this, the Old Madam also felt somewhat melancholy.

Once married it would be different after all. However magnanimous the in-laws’ family, it couldn’t be as comfortable as in one’s own home.

Lin Hao took Lin Shi’s hand and consoled her gently: “Mother, Grandmother is right. When we miss Elder Sister in the future, we’ll just send someone to the Minister’s household to say so.”

Lin Shi nodded. Her emotions came quickly and left just as fast: “A’Hao, the other day I saw a pair of grass-woven grasshoppers on your windowsill that were quite interesting. Where did they come from?”

“Baozhu wove them,” Lin Hao said casually.

Lin Shi glanced at Baozhu standing behind Lin Hao, not stinting with praise: “I didn’t know the girl Baozhu had such skillful hands. Make me a pair later too—they’d be perfect to place in a potted landscape for viewing.”

Lin Hao: !