Yu Tang was listening intently to Ma Xiuniang when someone came over to greet Chen Shi: “You’re quite the rare guest! On such a hot day, I thought you wouldn’t go out, but I never expected you’d come to pay respects to the Old Master.”

Chen Shi and Scholar Ma’s wife both stood up and politely exchanged pleasantries with the newcomer: “Madam Tang, you’ve also come to pay respects to the Old Master!”

Yu Tang looked up and saw a woman’s face full of shrewd calculation.

Her gaze turned cold.

Madam Tang, wife of Scholar Tang from this city.

The very person who, in her previous life, had been entrusted by the Li family to privately pass her a message—if she agreed to the marriage proposal from the Li family, the Li family would be willing to lend five thousand taels of silver to the Yu family.

In her previous life, she had treated Madam Tang as a benefactor, thinking her warmhearted and charitable.

Later, as her experience grew, she realized that this Madam Tang, who had bypassed her aunt to privately encourage her, a young girl, to agree to the Li family’s marriage proposal, clearly harbored ulterior motives and concealed evil intentions.

Madam Tang returned the greeting to Chen Shi and Madam Ma, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe away nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes. With a somewhat sorrowful expression, she said: “Indeed! The Old Master’s passing is truly a major event in our Lin’an City! The Prefect’s wife has also come. In fact, I’ve been accompanying her the whole time, resting in the small courtyard over there, so I didn’t notice you had arrived as well.”

Chen Shi and Madam Ma didn’t particularly want to deal with this Madam Tang. The truth was that this Madam Tang was extremely fond of socializing and currying favor with the powerful, and on top of that, she loved to boast and show off.

Because Prefect Tang shared a surname with Scholar Tang, she had somehow managed to forcibly make Prefect Tang—who was actually two years younger than Scholar Tang—into Scholar Tang’s paternal uncle from the same clan. She constantly fawned over and flattered Madam Tang, with enthusiasm so excessive that sometimes even Madam Tang couldn’t stand it.

Hearing her showing off again here, Chen Shi and Madam Ma, who didn’t much care for her, exchanged a few dry words with her, preparing to send her away.

Who would have known that Madam Tang, who on ordinary days would have eyes for no one else when she saw Madam Tang, acted as if she’d taken the wrong medicine today. Not only did she not leave, but she also smiled broadly as she looked over Yu Tang and Ma Xiuniang, saying: “It’s only been a few days, and Miss Yu and Miss Ma have both grown into young ladies. So beautiful and gentle. If I ran into you on the street, I definitely wouldn’t recognize you.”

Chen Shi and Madam Ma had no choice but to have their daughters pay respects to Madam Tang, and they offered a few modest words.

Madam Tang acted as if she couldn’t see Chen Shi and Madam Ma’s perfunctory attitude and said warmly: “That’s why I told Madam Tang that among all the scholars’ wives in this entire city, you two are the most virtuous and gentle. You don’t casually let people see such pretty young girls from your families. If I had such a face-giving daughter, I’d have taken her everywhere long ago.”

The two women didn’t want to talk with her much and only responded with a sound of acknowledgment.

Yu Tang didn’t know if she was overthinking it, but she felt that although Madam Tang seemed to be looking over both her and Ma Xiuniang on the surface, in reality, she was more focused on her.

She imperceptibly edged closer behind her mother.

Madam Tang had already reached out with a smile and grasped the hand of Ma Xiuniang, who was sitting near her, and asked Madam Ma: “I remember your young lady came of age with the hairpin ceremony last March. Has an engagement been arranged? We have such an outstanding young lady here—we can’t just casually marry her off to anyone.”

Ma Xiuniang lowered her head in embarrassment.

Madam Ma frowned.

In such a public setting, for Madam Tang to discuss Ma Xiuniang’s marriage so directly in front of Ma Xiuniang herself was extremely impolite.

Madam Ma said with displeasure: “Madam Tang has misremembered. The one who had her hairpin ceremony in March was Miss Yu. Our daughter had her hairpin ceremony in May.”

“Oh my! Look at my memory!” Madam Tang laughed and turned her gaze toward Chen Shi and her daughter, saying: “Has Miss Yu discussed a marriage proposal yet? Would you like me to help pay attention? Guess who I just ran into? Madam Yang, the sister-in-law from the Pei family’s Grand Madam’s natal family. And Madam Yang didn’t come alone this time—she brought her natal family’s nephew! Moreover, I heard that Madam Yang’s husband serves as the Minister of Communication in the Court of Imperial Transmission! A proper third-rank official. Otherwise, why would Madam Tang have been accompanying her over there all this time!”

What was the meaning of saying this?

What did it matter to them or to Yu Tang whoever Madam Yang brought?

Did she want to dangle the Yang family’s power and influence to whet the Yu family’s appetite?

Chen Shi became slightly annoyed and said in a stiff tone: “Then we won’t delay Madam Tang’s socializing. Our daughter is being kept to recruit a son-in-law.”

Madam Tang was dumbfounded.

Chen Shi’s frail body blocked in front of her daughter without moving an inch.

Madam Tang forced out a smile and said: “Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll go over there to accompany Madam Yang. When I have time, I’ll come visit your home.”

“We won’t see you out!” Chen Shi said coldly.

Madam Tang walked away somewhat resentfully.

Madam Ma let out a long breath, making no effort to hide her distaste for Madam Tang: “Good thing she had the sense to leave. If she’d said two more sentences, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back.” After speaking, she called Yu Tang and Ma Xiuniang to sit down and said to them with a stern face: “Young ladies, if you encounter this kind of thing again in the future, you should neither listen nor pay attention, and avoid it. Understood?”

Ma Xiuniang protested aggrievedly in a loud voice: “It’s not like I wanted to listen…”

“When adults speak, children listen.” Madam Ma interrupted her before she could finish, then paid her daughter no more mind. She turned to speak with Chen Shi: “What do you think is going through this Madam Tang’s head? Whether it’s Madam Tang or Madam Yang, no matter how good other people’s families are, they’re still other people’s families. She climbs up the pole like this, but I haven’t seen her gain anything good from it!”

Gains?!

Yu Tang froze.

Chen Shi agreed and began quietly discussing Madam Tang with Madam Ma. Ma Xiuniang also pulled Yu Tang close and whispered: “Let me tell you, someone has already come to our house to propose a match for me. However, that family has no mother, and there are several younger brothers and sisters below. My mother is still hesitating, so she hasn’t spread the news publicly.”

Discussing a marriage proposal?

Was this when the marriage discussions began?

Was it that童生 surnamed Zhang童生 surnamed Zhang?

Yu Tang was drawn in by Ma Xiuniang’s words and didn’t have the mental energy to ponder Madam Tang’s words. She curiously asked about the person who had come to propose to Ma Xiuniang.

Ma Xiuniang, both shy and unable to resist showing off a little, said: “It’s Senior Scholar Zhang, who studies under my father. He’s very nice, honest and dutiful. He never goes out drinking and carousing with those people, and he’s diligent in his studies. My father says he should at least be able to pass the scholar examination. It’s just that if this match is settled, I’ll probably have to marry soon.”

Yu Tang felt somewhat guilty in her heart.

In her previous life, Ma Xiuniang had cared about her very much, but she had been immersed in the grief of losing her parents and hadn’t paid much attention to Ma Xiuniang. She didn’t know when Ma Xiuniang had become engaged to Scholar Zhang or when she had married. If it weren’t for that silver bracelet weighing five taels, she probably wouldn’t have much impression of Ma Xiuniang at all.

Her treatment of Ma Xiuniang hadn’t been as pure or attentive as Ma Xiuniang’s treatment of her.

“Then you must do well!” Yu Tang didn’t know whether she had lived well after marrying, so she could only offer this bland blessing.

Yet Ma Xiuniang nodded vigorously, as if such a blessing from Yu Tang was already enough for her.

Yu Tang gripped Ma Xiuniang’s hand tightly.

In the hall, they began serving food.

Yu Tang thought of her mother-in-law from her previous life, Lin Shi.

Her father-in-law from her previous life, Li Yi, was currently serving as Prefect in Rizhao, Shandong. Lin Shi often boasted that her own family was from an official household, not placing ordinary families in her eyes at all. In her eyes, those scholars’ wives were even more so “impoverished pedants who haven’t even washed the mud off their legs yet.” When she usually encountered them, she would most likely turn her nose up in the air and pretend not to see them. This was also why, even though they were all neighbors from the same district, Yu Tang wasn’t afraid of running into her.

Looking across the entire Lin’an Prefecture, there really weren’t many wives of presented scholars.

Madam Tang and Lin Shi therefore frequently visited each other and had a fairly good relationship.

Since Madam Yang had come and Madam Tang would be accompanying her, Lin Shi was undoubtedly among them as well.

Madam Tang had inexplicably run over to exchange pleasantries with them—surely she wouldn’t also inexplicably run into Lin Shi?

Yu Tang lowered her head to eat, deciding to avoid those noble ladies—it wasn’t that she was afraid of Lin Shi; she was afraid she couldn’t control herself from splashing a face full of tea at her without having a reasonable explanation, which would embarrass her mother.

But sometimes the very thing you most don’t want to happen is exactly what happens.

Yu Tang had peacefully enjoyed a meal of vegetarian food at the Pei residence. Seeing that the sun was getting increasingly harsh and everyone was growing drowsy, Chen Shi and Madam Ma prepared to take their daughters home. Upon leaving the hall, they unexpectedly came face to face with Madam Tang and Yu Tang’s mother-in-law from her previous life, Lin Shi.

Lin Shi was just as annoying to Yu Tang as she had been in her previous life. Her jet-black hair was meticulously arranged in a round bun, adorned with two white velvet camellia flowers. She wore a moon-white Hangzhou silk jacket and a dark horse-face skirt, with her face set in a stern expression, serious and carrying a touch of arrogance.

From a distance, Yu Tang could feel her gaze falling on herself. After Madam Tang leaned in and said something to her, her gaze on Yu Tang became even more focused.

What did this mean?

Yu Tang knew she was good-looking and was often stared at because of it, but she wasn’t so conceited as to think that someone as sour and mean as Lin Shi would pay attention to her, or even focus on her, just because she was pretty.

Some thought flashed through her mind—she wanted to grasp it, but it suddenly disappeared without a trace.

“Madam Yu, Madam Ma!” Madam Tang walked over with a loud laugh, saying: “What a fateful meeting this is.” As she spoke, she introduced Lin Shi beside her to Chen Shi and Madam Ma: “This is Madam Li from the Li Residence in the southern part of the city, the wife of Magistrate Li who was a successful candidate in the same year as the Second Master and currently serves as Prefect in Rizhao.”

Chen Shi and Madam Ma had no choice but to stop and greet them.

Lin Shi looked at Yu Tang several more times.

Yu Tang could now be certain that her intuition hadn’t been wrong.

Whether it was Madam Tang or Lin Shi, both had come for her.

But what was there about her that deserved such attention from them?

At this time, Li Jun hadn’t even met her yet!

Lin Shi gracefully exchanged greetings with Chen Shi and Madam Ma, speaking to them warmly and gently: “I’ve long heard of both of your virtuous reputations, but due to chance and circumstance, I never had the opportunity to meet you. Today we’re fortunate to have this chance encounter here.”

Chen Shi and Madam Ma repeatedly demurred.

Yet Lin Shi’s gaze kept drifting toward Yu Tang, whether intentionally or not.

Yu Tang sneered inwardly and let her look.

Although her skin was extremely fair, smooth and delicate without a single blemish, her cheeks were like a child’s, always carrying a bit of plumpness. Her body was the same—round and lustrous like pearls and jade. Though she was dainty, she was also full-figured, unlike many young ladies of great families nowadays who, when they extended their hands, were so thin you could see their bones. For this reason, Lin Shi had often criticized her for being fat, saying that only her complexion was worth looking at.

In her previous life, she had felt self-conscious for a period of time and hadn’t dared to eat much.

It wasn’t until her sister-in-law from her previous life—Li Duan’s wife, Gu Shi—had enviously said that her appearance was good for childbearing that she suddenly realized Lin Shi was completely nitpicking and finding fault, believing she had brought bad luck that killed Li Jun, and simply detesting her.