Zhenniang was unaware of Manager Zheng’s scheming. The hundred oil lamps, plus stands and porcelain bowls, along with twenty jin of tung oil – these weren’t items she could carry home alone. Fortunately, Sun Yue Juan’s family lived nearby, so she borrowed their handcart to transport everything home, promising to have her elder brother return it the next day.

Soon after arriving home, she called Xi’er to help carry everything into the woodshed, which would become her workshop from now on.

After finishing the work, Zhenniang stretched her aching back and led Xi’er out, only to hear her mother’s high-pitched voice from the courtyard: “What did you say? Is this true?”

What now? Zhenniang hurried out to check.

She saw that Madam Feng, Sun Yue Juan’s mother, had arrived at some point and was sitting in the courtyard chatting with her mother, with two woven thermos containers beside her feet. Looking at the shelter on one side of the courtyard, there was a large stack of straw – apparently, her elder brother had brought the straw back while she was out collecting materials.

“She’s here to mooch again. Last time I just ate a few peanuts at her house, and she chased me down several streets scolding me,” Xi’er frowned, looking somewhat pitifully at the two thermos containers beside Madam Feng.

“Don’t talk like that. Sister Yue Juan has been good to you, and besides, Uncle Sun helped me get the materials this time. Two thermos containers are nothing,” Zhenniang glared at Xi’er and gave him a light pat. This boy was being a bit stingy.

Seeing Xi’er’s sulking face and knowing he was holding a grudge, she cheerfully said, “Alright, Second Sister will roast peanuts for you in the future.”

Xi’er finally smiled happily but didn’t forget to remind her, “And scallion pancakes too.”

“Yes, and scallion pancakes,” Zhenniang readily agreed.

While the siblings were whispering, they heard Madam Feng reply, “Of course it’s true! The Tian family’s eldest young master didn’t die at all – he came out of the mountains early this morning. He just injured his leg. I heard that the Tian family deliberately spread the news of Young Master Tian’s death just to break off the engagement.”

Zhenniang was stunned upon hearing this. She hadn’t expected Madam Feng to come gossiping about this matter. That day, to escape her predicament, she had mentioned that Tian Benchang wasn’t dead. Though she had said it as a strategy, it wasn’t entirely baseless. During her first few days after migrating, perhaps due to replacing the original owner’s soul, her mental state had been unstable, especially at night. She had dreams every night, seeing fragments of the original owner’s memories, and Tian Benchang’s survival was one of them.

To be honest, she hadn’t taken it seriously before, but now Tian Benchang wasn’t dead. Could those dreams have been showing events that happened to the original owner?

While Zhenniang was pondering this, Zhao Shi had already jumped up asking, “That’s impossible! Who would curse their son dead just to break off an engagement? That makes no sense!”

“Sister-in-law Jingfu, you don’t know! The Tian family wants to form a marriage alliance with the Luo family. Everyone’s talking about it now. The Tian family wants to enter the ink-making business, and the Luo family controls the tribute ink and leads the industry. How could the Tian family not try to curry favor with them? I heard the Tian family prepared a mountain of pine forest as betrothal gifts for the Luo family – they’re investing heavily. Tsk tsk, compare that to the measly betrothal gifts they gave Zhenniang back then,” Madam Feng clicked her tongue as she spoke.

The Huizhou Luo family’s patriarch, Luo Longwen, currently held the position of Zhongshu Sheren. He had initially become Yan Shifen’s advisor due to his ink-making skills and had since controlled the tribute ink production. He was now the leading figure in Huizhou’s ink industry, at the height of his power.

By now, Zhao Shi’s eyes were red with anger from Madam Feng’s words, and she started shouting about going to settle accounts with the Tian family.

“Daughter-in-law, stop making things up. Go get Dalang, and let’s ask some people from Chengmen Dong to help us confront the Tian family. We won’t rest until we’ve ruined their reputation!” Then she turned to Madam Feng: “Sister-in-law Dahe, don’t leave yet. Who did you hear this from? Bring them too, let’s all go confront the Tian family together. I won’t be named Zhao if we don’t expose them thoroughly!”

Zhao Shi spoke with absolute determination.

Zhenniang, listening to her mother’s words, anxiously pulled at her sleeve, but with Madam Feng present, she couldn’t speak freely.

Having spent time with Sun Yue Juan, Zhenniang understood Madam Feng’s character well – she was someone who loved stirring up trouble. Her words were mostly baseless rumors meant to fan the flames. The bearer of gossip is often the source of trouble.

If her mother went to confront the Tian family, they would become an even bigger laughingstock.

The Tian family could silence her mother with just one sentence: “Tian Benchang was lucky and was rescued by someone. Does Li Zhenniang insist on him dying to prove she’s unlucky?”

How could her mother respond to that?

As for the matter of the Tian family’s alleged marriage alliance with the Luo family…

The Luo family’s current status was prestigious, with their patriarch regularly stationed in the capital. Though the Luo family’s young master managed the ink business in Huizhou, the Tian family had just caused a scene with their family, which was still the talk of the town.

Even if the Luo family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Tian family, they wouldn’t arrange it now – they would at least wait for the situation to calm down.

Therefore, the marriage alliance was groundless, let alone Madam Feng’s claims about betrothal gifts. It was all mere speculation.

Now that Tian Benchang wasn’t dead, the label of being an unlucky bride should naturally disappear. But if her mother went to make a scene, it would only create another spectacle for others to watch, inevitably attracting more gossip.

It would only harm her.

Better to wait and see. Zhenniang looked forward to a marriage alliance between the Tian and Luo families. It was now the end of the Jiajing era, not far from Yan Hao’s downfall, and historically, the Luo family had vanished along with him. In later generations, only the “Spring Green Pool” ink stored in the Beijing Palace Museum would remain as testimony to the Luo family’s ink-making glory.

When Madam Feng heard Zhao Shi say she wanted her to be a witness, she was startled. She didn’t dare offend the Tian family, especially since everything she’d said was just hearsay. She stood up awkwardly and said, “I have things to do at home, I must go now.”

Then she turned to Zhenniang and said, “Zhenniang, are you done with the handcart? I’ll take it back.”

“Ah, yes, thank you, Aunt. Let me help you take it back,” Zhenniang quickly replied, finally understanding why Madam Feng had arrived right after she got home – she had been watching for the handcart.

“No need, I’ll take it myself,” Madam Feng said as she pulled the cart out of the Li family compound.

Watching Madam Feng’s figure disappear, Sister-in-law Du also stood up to go call Li Dalang. Zhenniang quickly grabbed her and said to her mother, “Mother, we can’t make a scene about this.”

Zhao Shi was completely calm now as if her earlier fury had never existed. She just gave Zhenniang a look: “Do you think your mother is a fool? I know what’s important here. Your Aunt Feng is just a gossip, and she’ll spread what I just said. I just wanted to make the Tian family uncomfortable. They’ll think I’m going to cause trouble, but I won’t go at all. If anyone asks, I’ll say, ‘Young Master Tian was lucky to survive, but my Zhenniang suffered greatly and almost died with him. Being the Tian family’s fiancée was truly dangerous.'”

Zhao Shi raised her eyebrows as she looked at her daughter.

Zhenniang squinted and gave her mother a thumbs up. Her mother’s words were like lifting a thousand pounds with four ounces.

In the future, anyone considering becoming a Tian family bride would have to think carefully about Zhenniang’s case.

Sister-in-law Du watched the mother and daughter’s wordplay, and though she didn’t fully understand, she realized they weren’t going to confront the Tian family, so she sat back down and continued weaving the thermos container.

Zhenniang returned to the woodshed, closed the door, and began the lamp-lighting process to extract materials.

A hundred oil lamps with porcelain bowls on their stands crowded the woodshed floor. Soon the room became as hot as a kitchen, truly uncomfortable – and this was just spring. In summer, staying inside would be like taking a steam bath. This showed why ink-making was such hard work.

But as they say, only by tasting the bitterest of bitterness can one become supreme among men.