Of course this matter wasn’t spread by Pei Yan.

Although he had dug a pit for Gu Chang to jump into, once Gu Chang had jumped in, he paid it no more attention.

This matter was actually spread by Gu Xi herself.

Because her father had embezzled her mother’s dowry, she had been gossiped about by clan elders since childhood. She had long since had enough of it.

This time, for the sake of her dowry, her father had even resorted to acting like a scoundrel.

She had long since stopped counting on her father, so naturally she wasn’t particularly heartbroken. But when her brother’s marriage with the Yin family was finalized and her father, angry that her brother had contradicted him, actually wanted to repeat his old trick—using her brother’s marriage to the Yin family as an opportunity to misappropriate the Yin family’s dowry to save his own face—and then, after discovering the agreement between her brother and the Yin family, he cursed their deceased mother behind closed doors…

Although doing this resulted in harming the enemy a thousand while damaging herself eight hundred, she felt satisfaction in her heart. She actually felt that even if there were consequences, she was willing to bear them. However, her personal maid He Xiang was very worried and said, “What if your husband’s family…”

Gu Xi curled her lips and said, “Do you think the Pei family is like the Li family, those nouveau riche? The Pei family cares about dignity. Even if my virtue is damaged and the engagement is broken off, that kind of family would keep it completely secret and wouldn’t say a single bad word about me in front of outsiders.”

Wasn’t this exactly taking advantage of a gentleman’s propriety?

He Xiang was dumbfounded.

Gu Xi smiled with pursed lips and said, “So you see, when marrying into any family, one must keep one’s eyes wide open.”

He Xiang lowered her head and said nothing.

On Yu Tang’s side, she finally managed to see off the two Pei family young ladies and checked two more account books. By then it was already time to light the lamps.

Shuang Tao felt sorry for her and together with Qing Yuan stewed ginseng chicken soup for her.

As Yu Tang was drinking her soup, Miss Yang and Second Miss Pei came over, bringing her some capital city pastries. Yu Tang naturally invited them to have some soup. The two were somewhat surprised and politely declined. Only then did Yu Tang learn that Miss Yang and the others were going to visit Ku’an Temple nearby tomorrow and were inviting her to go along.

She looked with some difficulty at the account books piled high on her desk and could only politely decline.

The two didn’t insist and after chatting with Yu Tang for a bit about the Buddhist incense at Ku’an Temple, they took their leave.

Yu Tang felt that the two hadn’t come merely to invite her to Ku’an Temple—otherwise, when Fourth Miss Pei and Fifth Miss Pei had come over in the afternoon, they would have asked her.

She couldn’t help but ask Qing Yuan, “Can we find out what they came for?”

Qing Yuan smiled and agreed. Before long, she had gathered the information: “Tomorrow Miss Yang is going to view a potential match, arranged at Ku’an Temple. She probably wanted to invite Miss to go along. With more people, this matter wouldn’t be so conspicuous.”

Yu Tang became interested and asked about the person Miss Yang was going to marry.

Qing Yuan was indeed worthy of being a maid from Pei Yan’s household. She knew to look two steps ahead while walking one, and had thoroughly investigated all the questions Yu Tang might possibly ask, so when Yu Tang did ask, she wouldn’t be unable to answer.

This was probably the difference between an ordinary maid and a first-class maid.

“His surname is Yan. They say he’s a scholar, but his family background is quite substantial.” Qing Yuan explained slowly, “He was originally beyond the fifth degree of kinship with Old Lady Yi’s side, but after passing the scholar examination and possibly wanting to establish himself in an official career, he found ways to curry favor with Old Lady Yi and has been visiting Old Lady Yi’s maternal family quite intimately. The Yang family agreed to the Yan family’s marriage proposal this time also out of consideration for Old Master Yi’s face. The Yang family entrusted this viewing to Old Lady Yi. Old Lady Yi doesn’t much like matchmaking, and hearing that our Old Lady had come over, she entrusted it again to our Old Lady. That’s how the viewing at Ku’an Temple came about.”

Yu Tang kept nodding.

Qing Yuan smiled and reminded her, “If everything goes smoothly tomorrow, Miss Yang will set out to return to the capital in another couple of days. Would you like to send something for Miss Xu?”

Yu Tang hadn’t realized that Miss Yang and Miss Xu had a good relationship.

But Qing Yuan smiled and said, “Miss Yang and Miss Xu can only be considered acquaintances. However, the Yang family and our Pei family will be in-laws in the future, and between in-laws helping each other out with favors and such, I think Miss Yang would certainly be very willing.”

Yu Tang also missed Miss Xu a bit. She excitedly discussed with Qing Yuan what would be good to send to Miss Xu.

When Miss Yang and Second Miss Pei left Yu Tang’s courtyard, they couldn’t help but look back at the red-lacquered auspicious gate before smiling and saying, “I didn’t expect the cook in Miss Yu’s courtyard to have such good skills. That chicken soup was so rich and fresh, I almost bit my tongue. And the fruit that was served—not only arranged in the pattern of a magpie on a plum branch, but it was especially sweet. Was this made by someone Miss Yu brought with her, or by your family’s people?”

The Pei family’s villa was very large, and several guest courtyards came with small kitchens.

Miss Yang’s courtyard also had one, but using the kitchen women required informing the Pei family’s stewards. However, doing so inevitably meant greasing palms up and down the hierarchy. She was only staying here for a few days, and although the Yang family didn’t lack the silver, she didn’t want to be so conspicuous.

Second Miss Pei had also noticed earlier, but her relationship with Yu Tang was only ordinary, and she didn’t understand Yu Tang’s affairs very well. Miss Yang was Young Master Yang’s stepsister, and their relationship wasn’t particularly good. She was afraid that being too nice to Miss Yang would displease Young Master Yang, so her answer was somewhat perfunctory: “It should be people she brought herself, right? With such skills, even in our household, they would be serving the main mistresses in charge. Even our own households don’t have such people.”

Miss Yang was somewhat skeptical.

Since she had come to visit the Pei residence, she wouldn’t be completely unprepared.

She had also inquired about Yu Tang.

The Yu family was not a family with such capabilities.

The next day at Ku’an Temple, while idly strolling and waiting for someone, Miss Yang brought up this matter again and invited the several Pei family young ladies: “When we return, let’s go to Miss Yu’s place to beg a bowl of chicken soup, shall we?”

Fourth Miss clapped her hands in approval and asked Fifth Miss in confusion, “Why did Great-grandmother think to have Sister Yu help her check account books? It’s made it so Sister Yu can’t really play with us much.”

Fifth Miss guessed randomly, “It should be because Sister Yu is good at arithmetic. Isn’t her family in business? People in business all seem quite good at arithmetic.”

Fourth Miss nodded along as she listened.

Third Miss looked on, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She pulled Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss’s hands and said, “Stop talking nonsense. Today’s sun is really strong—let’s go to the pavilion ahead and rest our feet.”

Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss had their attention diverted and ran off with giggles.

However, Miss Yang looked thoughtful.

Today’s sun was indeed quite scorching.

Yu Tang sat in her room with Qing Yuan specially calling over two young maids to fan her. After using the abacus for a while, her undershirt would start to sweat, making her very uncomfortable.

She simply stood up and pushed open the window to catch the breeze.

Pei Yan walked in.

He wore a moon-white plain fine cloth Daoist robe with nothing but a green bamboo hairpin on his head throughout. His face was pale and sweat-free, looking refreshingly cool just at a glance.

When he drew closer, his body even carried a faint, unknown elegant fragrance, giving an impression of spotless purity.

How could someone be this clean?

Yu Tang thought somewhat enviously, then saw Pei Yan raise the bamboo basket he was carrying and say, “Want to go fishing together?”

“Huh?!” Yu Tang’s eyes widened.

Just two days ago, Old Lady Pei had told them not to approach the river water, fearing they wouldn’t know the depth and would fall in.

Pei Yan laughed lowly near her ear, tempting and luring her: “Don’t be afraid—I can swim!”

That low voice seemed to carry a hook, tugging at her heartstrings.

It took Yu Tang quite a while to react to what he had said. She said somewhat hesitantly, “Is that okay?”

“What’s not okay about it?” Pei Yan smiled at her cunningly. “You’ve already looked at more than half of these account books.”

Yu Tang looked at the blazing sun outside and suddenly remembered something. She quickly said, “It’s already this hot before the Dragon Boat Festival has even arrived. Will this summer be exceptionally hot? Will there be drought conditions or something?”

In her previous life at this time, she had just married into the Li family. Lin Shi had suddenly turned hostile, and she was dealing with various difficulties, busy every day coping with the Li family’s interpersonal matters. She paid little attention to outside affairs. She vaguely remembered that some counties had severe drought, and many people came to Lin’an as refugees.

The Pei family had a lot of land—who knew which estates might suffer disaster.

Hearing this, Pei Yan laughed and said, “I didn’t expect you could also read the weather. That’s right—this year the Purple Palace Star has migrated west, governing fire. The west should be on guard against disasters. I’ll have the estate managers pay attention.”

Yu Tang hadn’t understood a single word and said awkwardly, “I was just saying it casually.”

“It shows your intuition is quite sharp.” Pei Yan continued praising her and stuffed the bamboo basket into her hands, saying, “Hold this—we’ll be counting on you later.”

Yu Tang had only seen others fishing from afar a few times when she went out with Yu Wen as a child, and then in paintings and calligraphy. She looked at the quite new bamboo basket, which emanated the fragrance of green bamboo. She couldn’t help but hold it in her arms and said, “Why count on me? Are we going to use this bamboo basket to catch fish? I don’t know how!”

And she wasn’t willing either.

In paintings, those holding bamboo baskets were all barefoot standing in small streams.

Paintings and reality were two different things.

The streams in paintings were clear and clean, but streams in reality would have many water plants or small fish and insects she didn’t recognize. She had been afraid of these things since childhood.

Pei Yan looked at her face that seemed to say “I won’t do it” and found it especially interesting. He laughed heartily and produced a bamboo hat from who knows where, placing it on her head. “I’ll be responsible for fishing, you’ll be responsible for carrying the fish. That’s fair, isn’t it? How many fish we can get depends on how many times you can carry them back!”

But she didn’t want to carry fish.

Fish were fishy and slimy.

Wasn’t he quite particular about cleanliness? How come he wasn’t being particular now?

Yu Tang followed grievously behind Pei Yan, racking her brains trying to think of a way to escape.

But by the time they had walked along the tree-shaded corridor to a pavilion by a small river, she still hadn’t thought of an escape plan. Yet Pei Yan’s heart was nearly laughing itself over.

He had always found Yu Tang interesting—not like ordinary girls who were all the same. But truly interacting with her, he discovered this little girl was even more interesting than he had known.

Just this look of daring to be angry but not daring to speak, with her face puffed up like a bun but her eyes darting around—that was enough to make him laugh for half a year.

“Right here!” He pretended to put on a stern face and said casually, “There are more mosquitoes here, so there must be lots of fish too!”

Then he saw Yu Tang quietly glare at him and fearfully touch her own arm.

Really very interesting!

Pei Yan instructed A’Ming, who had followed them out: “Take out the earthworms and hang them on the hooks.”