Yu Tang and the others didn’t want Chen Shi to worry. One by one, they quickly changed to smiling faces and greeted Chen Shi casually: “We’re coming now!”

Yu Wen even said, “What dishes did you make today? A’Yuan is staying for dinner. Did you make a few extra dishes?”

“Don’t worry!” Chen Shi smiled. “I had A’Tiao go buy some braised dishes, and I also got two taels of wine. You uncle and nephew can have a good drink together.”

Yu Wen thought for a moment and said, “Have Shuang Tao call Elder Brother over too! He’s been busy with shop matters these days. It’s been quite some time since we brothers have had a drink together.”

Especially since such a thing had happened at home, and it was all because he had dragged his brother into it, yet he had no way to explain it clearly to his elder brother—Yu Wen felt extremely distressed inside.

Chen Shi didn’t think much of it.

The two families originally lived right next to each other. When either family made something delicious, if they didn’t invite the other over to eat, they would at least send a bowl over.

She took some loose silver and had A’Tiao take it to buy some wine, then instructed Shuang Tao to invite Yu Bo and Wang Shi over.

The two came over very quickly.

The Yu family didn’t have so many rules. The whole family sat around the table, eating while chatting.

Yu Bo wanted to make a trip to Jiangxi: “Many of the molds and printing blocks at home were burned. Some were even our family’s heirloom patterns. This isn’t something that can be replaced in a short time. That shop that sold us lacquerware last time seemed quite good. I want to see if I can talk to the owner about introducing us to a few master craftsmen for our shop. Also, you’re a scholar and know quite a few other scholars. See if you can help the family find someone who can paint. We need to recreate those molds and printing blocks.”

Yu Wen’s painting skills were quite good, and he had several close friends in this area. He said, “I’ll start inquiring tomorrow.” Then he mentioned Yu Yuan’s matter: “I’m having him make a trip to Hangzhou for me.”

Yu Bo not only agreed but also instructed Yu Yuan to do a good job helping Yu Wen.

Wang Shi pulled Chen Shi aside to discuss Yu Tang’s matter: “That child from the Wei family has passed his twenty-first day memorial too. Shouldn’t A’Tang’s marriage be brought up again? Although A’Tang isn’t very old yet, if we keep delaying like this, we’re afraid her age will become too advanced!”

“I know.” Chen Shi said in a low voice, “I’ve already arranged to meet with the official matchmaker. Once the Wei family’s forty-ninth day memorial has passed, we’ll officially begin helping A’Tang look at prospects.”

Yu Tang sat there as if on pins and needles.

If Wei Xiaoshan’s death was related to the Li family, then discussing marriage with any family at this time would be harming others.

Yu Tang felt she needed to find Wei Xiaochuan as soon as possible.

That very night, she had A’Tiao deliver a message to Wei Xiaochuan.

Wei Xiaochuan originally didn’t want to see Yu Tang, but when Yu Tang said she wanted to ask about Wei Xiaoshan, he thought that when his second brother was alive, he had valued Yu Tang so much, and the Yu family, for the sake of his second brother, hadn’t gone to look at other prospects within the forty-nine days—this could be considered as showing care for his second brother. So he agreed.

Since Wei Xiaochuan still had to attend classes, they agreed to meet at noon in a small restaurant near the county school and have lunch together.

Yu Tang borrowed Ma Xiuniang’s name to meet Wei Xiaochuan.

The location was arranged by Wei Xiaochuan, and the time was also chosen by Wei Xiaochuan.

Yu Tang hadn’t expected Wei Xiaochuan to be so thoughtful.

Though the small restaurant was small, it was clean and tidy. Wei Xiaochuan asked the owner for a small room in the back kitchen. It looked like the place where the owner’s family ate their own meals. Next to the small room was the restaurant’s back door. Going out the back door led to a quiet little alley that went directly to the bustling riverfront houses by Little Plum Creek. Once out of the Little Plum Creek riverfront area, a person could disappear like a water droplet into the ocean, immediately blending in and quickly vanishing without a trace.

A child’s character is determined by age three. No wonder the Wei family all felt he was the most promising among the brothers.

When Yu Tang arrived, Wei Xiaochuan was already sitting at the table waiting for her. After she removed her veiled hat, he said to Yu Tang with a straight face, “I’m a poor student and still rely on my family for expenses. I can only invite Miss Yu to this small restaurant. Please forgive me, Miss Yu.” After speaking, he beckoned and called the waiter over, saying, “Bring us one serving each of your signature stir-fried pork and stir-fried vegetables.” He then explained to Yu Tang in a matter-of-fact way, “We’ll keep this brief. I still need to return to the classroom to review my books afterward.”

Not only was he tight on money yet still insisting on playing the gentleman and treating her to a meal, but he only ordered one meat and one vegetable dish and still called them the restaurant’s signature dishes.

How adorably endearing!

If Yu Tang’s mind hadn’t been so troubled, she probably would have laughed out loud.

“I originally came to talk with you. What we eat doesn’t matter.” Mindful of his self-respect, Yu Tang said in a gentle tone, “In the future when there’s an opportunity and you’re not in school, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

Wei Xiaochuan pursed his lips dismissively. While the waiter was serving them tea and no one else was present, he said, “What did you want to ask me?”

Yu Tang didn’t want to discuss this matter in front of outsiders. After the waiter served the tea and withdrew, only then did she say, “Eat first. We’ll talk after you’ve finished eating.”

She was afraid that if she asked something upsetting, Wei Xiaochuan wouldn’t be able to eat. Wei Xiaochuan, on the other hand, had been taught from childhood the principle “don’t speak while eating, don’t talk while sleeping,” and didn’t speak during meals.

One wasn’t in the mood, the other was pressed for time—the two of them quickly finished eating.

The waiter cleared the plates and brought in two cups of tea.

Yu Tang got straight to the point without being polite, directly saying, “I heard you say before that your second brother was very good at swimming and wasn’t the kind of person who didn’t know his limits. So the night before your second brother passed away, who was with him?”

“Me!” Wei Xiaochuan said nonchalantly, “I’m the youngest in the family. My eldest brother has to help Father with work. Since I was small, I was raised by my second and third brothers.”

Therefore, their relationship was very good!

Yu Tang said, “What kind of person was your second brother?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiaochuan immediately showed a guarded expression and said, “Why are you asking this?”

Yu Tang said, “I just wanted to ask.”

The day before the matchmaking meeting, the two Wei brothers had gotten into a fight. Wei Xiaochuan already had a bad impression of Yu Tang and wanted to see what kind of woman could cause discord in his family. As a result, when he got there, Wei Xiaoshan had fallen for her, but Yu Tang was indifferent. Wei Xiaochuan felt his brother was worthless and was very angry.

Wei Xiaochuan figured, could it be that Miss Yu had actually taken a liking to his second brother too? Just that it wasn’t apparent at the time?

If that was the case, he’d take pity on Miss Yu and tell her about his second brother.

Wei Xiaochuan thought for a moment and said, “My second brother was a really good person, both filial and obedient. When we brothers would play together, my second brother would either be helping my mother cook or going down to the river to catch fish to add a dish for the family…”

“You also told me last time that your second brother was very good at swimming. Was it because he often went to the river to catch fish?” Yu Tang suddenly interrupted him and said, “Then your second brother must have been very familiar with the nearby small rivers and streams?”

Wei Xiaochuan felt Yu Tang’s behavior was a bit strange, but he didn’t think too much about it and said, “Yes. Years ago when our family was competing with others over water sources, my second brother even led us to secretly dig a small channel from the mountains to our family’s farmland. And we never lacked small fish and shrimp to eat. My second brother’s skill at cooking fish and shrimp even became better than my mother’s…”

Yu Tang’s heart began beating wildly beyond her control, as if it would leap out of her chest at any moment.

She couldn’t help but cover her chest and said, “You said your second brother was very obedient. Then wherever he went, he should have told the family, right? If your mother told him not to go catch fish, would he listen?”

“Of course he would listen!” Wei Xiaochuan said without hesitation, “Everyone in our family tells the elders when we go out. This is the most basic etiquette. Don’t you tell your family when you go out?”

He felt Yu Tang was questioning his family’s upbringing. His cheeks puffed out, looking very angry.

“I was just asking casually.” Yu Tang’s smile was somewhat forced as she said, “I always thought boys were more mischievous than girls and might not be so rule-abiding.”

Wei Xiaochuan said dismissively, “Do you think my second brother got to go on the matchmaking date with you simply because he beat my third brother? It was because my second brother was the most honest and rule-abiding person. My mother said that if someone’s mind was too active, they couldn’t become a live-in son-in-law. If people said a few idle words and resentment grew in his heart, how could the marriage work out well? If the marriage didn’t work out well, the other family would still say our family failed to raise our son properly. That wouldn’t be forming an alliance—that would be creating enmity.”

Yu Tang froze, wave after wave of bitterness washing over her heart.

If only there hadn’t been this accident!

Although she had been confused at first, living together day by day over time, she definitely would have grown to love Wei Xiaoshan.

The corners of Yu Tang’s eyes immediately became moist.

She lowered her head and said softly, “Then why didn’t any of you follow along when your second brother went out in the middle of the night to catch fish?”

Wei Xiaochuan said indignantly upon hearing this, “That’s why all those old women say that when a man gets a wife, he forgets his mother. It’s all your fault! Otherwise, how would my second brother have had the audacity to run out without telling anyone?”

Yu Tang’s face turned pale as she said, “You can’t wrongly accuse me like this. I didn’t tell your second brother to go catch fish. Besides, what does my marriage have to do with catching fish? Marriage proposals require wild geese. If anything, he should have gone into the mountains to catch wild geese, not fish!”

Wei Xiaochuan was rendered speechless, then said angrily in embarrassment, “It is your fault, it is your fault. If not for you, why would my second brother have secretly gone out? My third brother is also good at swimming. If he had told us, my third brother definitely would have gone with him. Even if he hadn’t gone with him, if he hadn’t come back that late, Father would have woken us brothers up to look for him…” As he spoke, his eyes also grew moist: “My second brother only changed because he met you. Before meeting you, he wasn’t like this at all…”

Yu Tang’s hands trembled: “How can you say that? Don’t people from your farmland also usually go catch fish? Didn’t anyone see your second brother out and about?”

Wei Xiaochuan froze, murmuring, “That’s right! How come no one saw him? Although the farmland belongs to our family, we’re not the kind of family that treats others harshly. The tenant farmers all have hard lives. The fish and shrimp in the small rivers and ditches are theirs to catch and take home as a dish for festivals. We don’t know when my second brother went out, but didn’t those catching fish in the farmland see him either? But my second brother drowned in the small river he usually frequented, didn’t he?”

Yu Tang couldn’t hold back. She closed her eyes and let the tears flow freely in her eye sockets.

Wei Xiaochuan said in surprise, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying?”

Yu Tang finally managed to open her eyes. Pretending as if nothing was wrong, she took out her handkerchief to wipe her eyes and said, “I’ve been making hair ornaments at home these past few days. I probably strained my eyes.”

Wei Xiaochuan looked at her doubtfully.

But Yu Tang could no longer continue the pretense.

If Wei Xiaoshan had been implicated because of her, how could she explain this to the Wei family? How could she face her own conscience?

Such a good person, because he went on a matchmaking date with her, because he was too outstanding, was harmed and lost his life.

How could she still have the face to live in this world?

Yu Tang sat across from Wei Xiaochuan, not daring to raise her head to look at him even once. She didn’t even know how she walked back home.

“Miss!” Chen Pozi supported her through the door, scolding Shuang Tao who had followed along, “How are you serving the young miss? Is this any way to do things? It’s fortunate there are only these few people in this household. If there were more people, you probably wouldn’t even be able to tell east from west!”

Yu Tang listened to Chen Pozi scolding as she stumbled back to her room with unsteady steps, then told Shuang Tao to find A’Tiao.

Chen Pozi quickly said, “Whatever matters there are can wait until you’ve caught your breath. You rest properly now. I saw that there are still several nests of the bird’s nest someone gave Madam last time. I’ll go stew one for you right now. After you eat it, just rest well for a while and you’ll be fine.”

Because Chen Shi was chronically ill, Chen Pozi was especially skilled at making medicinal dishes and handling supplements like bird’s nest and abalone.

Yu Tang was anxious and afraid that delay would bring change. She insisted that Shuang Tao fetch A’Tiao, saying, “I’m just having him buy something for me. How much effort does that take? If you let me get what I want, I’ll lie down quickly—that’s what matters.”

Chen Pozi had no choice but to call A’Tiao in.

Yu Tang finally got rid of Chen Pozi and Shuang Tao. She instructed A’Tiao to investigate Wei Xiaoshan’s matter: “Find out who discovered Wei Xiaoshan first? Which river did Wei Xiaoshan drown in? Who was the last person in the farmland to see Wei Xiaoshan? Did anyone encounter Wei Xiaoshan going out to catch fish in the middle of the night?” She also made A’Tiao swear: “You can’t tell anyone. If anyone asks, just say I wasn’t feeling well and you went to the temple to offer incense for me. Understand?”

A’Tiao nodded repeatedly and went to the Wei family’s farmland.

On Yu Tang’s side, she tossed and turned, never sleeping well. When she got up in the morning to look in the mirror, she discovered that despite her young age, she already had dark circles under her eyes.

Chen Shi asked her, “What’s wrong with your father? He stays in the study all day staring at that painting Scholar Lu sold to our family. Isn’t that a fake painting?”

Yu Tang said, “Shopkeeper Tong said it was copied very authentically and is also worth a few taels of silver. You know Father likes painting. Perhaps Father is comparing this painting to find some differences?”

Chen Shi didn’t understand these things. She scolded them to take care of their health, saying, “There are many good things in this world. Don’t get so fixated that you can’t move your feet.”

Yu Tang smiled and agreed, ingratiatingly helping Chen Shi massage her arms.

A’Tiao returned in the afternoon.

He also sensed something unusual about this and said quietly to Yu Tang, “The first person to discover the Wei family’s second young master’s body was one of the women servants who attends to Mrs. Wei. Early in the morning, she went to empty the night soil and discovered the Wei family’s second young master floating in the small river not far from the Wei home. As for when the Wei family’s second young master went to catch fish, when exactly the incident occurred—no one knows, no one saw anything.”

He repeated “don’t know” and “didn’t see” twice.