Lu Chi stood stunned for a moment, then hugged her tightly.

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t have anything you’re hiding from me, do you?”

“…Mm.”

Lu Chi suddenly felt a bit guilty.

It seemed like… there was still one particularly, particularly, particularly important matter he hadn’t told her.

Shi Fa Ke comforted Second Brother Lu, who had gotten a bit carried away from finally getting a wife, and went home.

Because when she returned home, she had a tough battle to fight. First, she had to help the disgraced Second Brother Lu restore his reputation, and then she had to properly comfort her old father, who might be devastated by his daughter’s eagerness to marry…

Thus, the Shi family’s dinner that day was particularly eventful.

“Third Brother, you understand best how rumors stop with the wise, right?” This was Shi Fa Ke’s opening line.

She first found someone who could easily empathize with her to raise this question. After all, Third Brother was someone deeply troubled by rumors of impotence… he should understand such feelings well.

Third Brother Shi looked at her strangely. “What are you trying to say?”

“Ahem, the rumor that’s been spreading most sensationally lately, overshadowing your rumors… what is it?” Shi Fa Ke hinted.

“Scholar Lu wants to marry a courtesan?” Sure enough, Third Brother Shi was very perceptive, but then he curved his lips in a mischievous smile. “But… are you sure this is just a rumor?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Shi Fa Ke said righteously. “Lu Chi was just acting on someone’s request. That Miss Yun Ge’s beloved is someone else—it’s just inconvenient for him to appear publicly. By now, Miss Yun Ge has already left Tongluo Town with her beloved.”

Once these words were spoken, everyone at the dinner table was attracted, showing how widespread the recent rumors had been.

“Really?” Second Brother Shi asked curiously.

“Of course it’s true. I saw Yun Ge with her beloved with my own eyes,” Shi Fa Ke said, looking at her two sisters-in-law. “At today’s temple fair, when I got separated from my two sisters-in-law, it was actually because I saw Yun Ge.”

“But didn’t that Miss Yun Ge come to our door earlier to ask you to arrange a match, saying Scholar Lu wanted to marry her?” Jiao Jiao blinked in confusion.

He Ke Tian’s eyes flashed as she chimed in: “Yes, A Ke, you can’t tell such a big lie just to protect that Scholar Lu.”

Although Shi Fa Ke didn’t know why her two sisters-in-law inexplicably had it out for Lu Chi… she still had to explain this matter clearly.

“…Well, Miss Yun Ge coming to request matchmaking was actually just to provoke me.”

“What do you mean?” Father Shi Chang Huai, who had been silently observing, suddenly felt something was wrong.

“Father, Mother.” Shi Fa Ke suddenly put down her chopsticks and sat up straight. “Actually, when I was arranging the match for the Zhu family’s young lady, I already thought about it. Being a matchmaker is indeed more convenient after getting married. A girl like me who’s enthusiastic about matchmaking before even getting married… if it weren’t for Father and Mother’s protection, I’d probably be ridiculed.”

“A Ke… what exactly are you trying to say?” Shi Chang Huai asked with a trembling voice.

“Father, Mother, I want to get married.” Shi Fa Ke announced solemnly.

Everyone at the table was stunned.

Shi Chang Huai burst into tears with a “wah”…

Tao Shi twitched her lips and quickly dragged him away to prevent him from continuing to embarrass himself.

That night, it was said that Tao Shi showed mercy and allowed Shi Chang Huai to drink two cups of wine.

And with just those two cups, Shi Chang Huai got completely drunk.

Meanwhile, He Ke Tian returned to her maternal home again…

Then, Shi Fa Ke was once again cornered by He Ke Xian.

At that time, Shi Fa Ke was planning to go to Sheng Xing Restaurant to buy some wine and food to visit Lu Chi. After all, once they officially began discussing marriage, it would be even harder to meet. Better to see each other more now and discuss the specific arrangements for their wedding. Being a matchmaker had this advantage—when it came to arranging her own marriage, she was truly skilled.

Of course, a girl who became a matchmaker before getting married was absolutely unique.

“One pot of plum wine, one serving of lotus leaf chicken, um… do you have fish?” Shi Fa Ke remembered that Lu Chi seemed to like eating fish.

“Yes, yes, yes.” The waiter’s eyes lit up as he said very attentively: “Miss Shi, the kitchen received a batch of fresh carp today. Why don’t you personally go to the back kitchen to pick one?”

Shi Fa Ke was tempted and thus ignored the waiter’s overly attentive attitude, following him to the back kitchen.

Indeed, there was a large basin in the back kitchen filled with lively jumping carp that looked very festive and auspicious. Shi Fa Ke squatted by the basin for a while, then pointed to the largest carp with yellow scales on its belly: “I’ll take this biggest one!”

However, there was no response from behind.

When Shi Fa Ke turned around, she got a big fright.

The waiter had disappeared at some point, and standing behind her was He Ke Xian, who had arrived at some unknown time.

“Big Brother He, how did you get here? Standing behind me so silently really startled me,” Shi Fa Ke complained.

“I was startled too,” He Ke Xian looked at her and smiled coolly. “I heard you’re getting married?”

“How did you know? Did Third Sister-in-law tell you?” Shi Fa Ke was surprised.

“Are you really going to marry that stinking scholar?” He Ke Xian ignored her question and continued staring at her, asking.

Shi Fa Ke frowned in displeasure. “Lu Chi has no grievances with you. Why are you cursing at people?”

“Ha?” He Ke Xian seemed to have heard some joke and laughed exaggeratedly. “No grievances?”

“…Then what grievances do you actually have?”

“The grudge of stealing one’s wife—does that count?” He Ke Xian stared at Shi Fa Ke and asked.

…What grudge of stealing one’s wife!

Seeing Shi Fa Ke’s expression as if she were looking at a madman, He Ke Xian suddenly wanted to laugh, and he really did laugh, laughing until he was doubled over as if it were truly hilarious.

Shi Fa Ke was frightened by his hysterical laughter and backed away, looking at him cautiously. “Big Brother He… what’s wrong with you?”

His laughter stopped abruptly.

At some point, only the two of them remained in the back kitchen. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, and Shi Fa Ke suddenly had the urge to turn and flee.

“You promised to marry me, A Ke,” He Ke Xian looked at her and said.

“When did I…” Shi Fa Ke instinctively wanted to refute, but after meeting his gaze, she suddenly remembered what he had said last time at Jin Man Lou, and couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Big Brother He, I was only a few years old then, and I was drunk at the time…”

“So, you can just renege on your promise?” He Ke Xian asked coldly.

“This isn’t about reneging! There’s no need to honor it at all… ah, what promise do I even have to honor!” Shi Fa Ke was almost dizzy from the confusion.

She was dying of injustice!

If not for the inappropriate setting and lack of mood, He Ke Xian would have been amused by her. She was always so cute and capable of making people laugh, but now she was single-mindedly wanting to marry someone else…

He Ke Xian felt his heart sinking deeper and deeper, almost into a bottomless abyss.

“Are you sure Lu Chi will marry you?” he slowly asked.

Shi Fa Ke was of course certain—she couldn’t be more certain! When Lu Chi heard she was willing to marry him, he was so overjoyed he didn’t know what to do with himself! Just thinking of how he spun around in joy at that time, she couldn’t help but smile.

Her expression deeply hurt He Ke Xian’s eyes.

“Foolish girl, do you know why the Chu family was so hasty in arranging a marriage for Chu Yi Zhi? They look down on matchmakers as lowly, that’s true, but do you know where the main problem lies?” He Ke Xian suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.

Shi Fa Ke was puzzled. She had never thought about marrying Chu Yi Zhi from beginning to end… What did Chu Yi Zhi’s arranged marriage have to do with her?

But He Ke Xian didn’t need her answer. He quickly answered himself: “The main problem lies with your eldest brother. Your eldest brother is a constable, and being a constable is considered a base occupation. The law stipulates that their descendants cannot take the imperial examinations, and even their children and grandchildren must wait three generations before they can participate. At that time, Chu Yi Zhi was already a scholar, so his mother was anxious to have him marry the teacher’s daughter.”

“…What does Chu Yi Zhi marrying anyone have to do with me?” Shi Fa Ke finally couldn’t help but interrupt him.

“Lu Chi is also a scholar,” He Ke Xian’s eyes turned cold. “If he marries you, he’ll cut off his path to the imperial examinations. Are you sure he’ll really marry you?”

Unlike him, He Ke Xian, whose family had been merchants for generations. Merchant families were prohibited from participating in scholarly pursuits, and he had already given up the path of imperial examinations long ago—he was her perfect match!

Shi Fa Ke was silent for a moment before saying: “Do you know my third brother is preparing for the examinations? His teacher instructed him to first cultivate his heart, then his studies. After returning from this educational journey, his teacher said he could try taking the examinations next year.”

He Ke Xian was stunned.

His brother-in-law was preparing for examinations? Didn’t that mean…

“My eldest brother isn’t of base status. He’s a captain who passed the military examinations,” Shi Fa Ke said quietly, then quickly walked out of the back kitchen.

He Ke Xian stood dazed in the back kitchen for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears almost came out.

“So it turns out, I’m just as pitiful a fool kept in the dark as you are, Chu Yi Zhi.”