While Shaoshang hurried along, she inwardly grumbled—

Did being a bad girl also require keeping one’s word? Did she think this was filming a movie playing some loyal underworld gangster? At the time, she had casually agreed just to escape, like when robbers shout “don’t move, hand over your money”—surely you wouldn’t actually stay still!

Besides, her half-baked bad girl credentials were insufficient to begin with! After her hometown reaped the first wave of reform and opening-up dividends, a quarter of the townspeople became nouveau riche, and the rest either became government workers or worked for the nouveau riche—the employment rate in Yu Town had soared to unprecedented heights! Who had time to seriously mess around on the streets when everyone was seriously getting rich instead! Moreover, with such effective grassroots control, the petty hoodlums and bad girls were mostly the product of grandparents unable to effectively supervise after parents went out to work. Their daily activities were nothing more than loitering around game rooms, pool halls, and watered-down bars.

Now Shaoshang’s mood was no longer gloomy. She obediently returned to the banquet. When Cheng Yang saw her, she was overjoyed beyond measure, immediately pressing her down into the seat beside herself while chattering: “Aunt came to see us just now, and I said you went to freshen up. The banquet is about to start—if you didn’t come back and Aunt found out, she’d scold you again…”

Cheng Yang was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead. She was truly afraid of this mother-daughter battle now.

Shaoshang took off her fur jacket and handed it to the maid, while glancing at the group of young girls sitting opposite, asking curiously: “They didn’t say anything about me?”

Cheng Yang bit her lip and said in a low voice: “Would they dare?! I threatened to spread the word about how they drove you away with their mockery!”

Sure enough, those girls no longer dared to coldly mock Shaoshang. The banquet atmosphere became unprecedentedly harmonious, with everyone pretending the earlier unpleasantness had never happened, discussing some innocuous boudoir gossip.

Gu Long once said that a group of men together not talking about women is as impossible as a group of women together not talking about men. No one knew who started it first, but the girls indeed began discussing the “Young Master Shangjian” from earlier. This one blushed saying “how talented and brilliant Young Master Shangjian is,” that one’s eyes glazed over saying “how thoroughly courteous and graceful Young Master Shangjian is”…

“That Yuan Shangjian came to the side hall?” Shaoshang was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected this fellow to be so frivolous, specifically drilling into piles of girls.

Cheng Yang pursed her lips: “Listen to their nonsense—we didn’t even catch a glimpse of Young Master Shangjian’s robe hem.”

It turned out that after Yuan Shen paid respects to Mother Cheng, he slipped back to the male guests without even a sideways glance. Forget about the young girls in the side hall—even the middle-aged and elderly women didn’t get a chance to say a word. However, this fellow did leave behind several seven or eight-year-old boys who carried newly-brewed fruit wine from the Yuan residence to pour for the female guests all around, even reaching the side hall.

“Who invited him? Does our family have past connections with the Yuan family?” Shaoshang whispered.

Cheng Yang shook her head: “There should be no friendship. However, Young Master Yuan said that eldest cousin’s Master Shangguan and his father once studied under the same master.”

This relationship sounded about as close as the distance from the Crystal Palace to the Moon Palace! Shaoshang’s mind quickly grasped the situation.

That fellow used the excuse of having young boys pour wine to find out where she was. Upon discovering she had just left the side hall, with a bit of inquiry he learned she had gone to the west side, then this fellow chased after to “ask someone for help.” Based on age estimation, that fellow should be delivering a message for some elder. If she hadn’t guessed wrong, it was most likely Third Aunt’s old rotten peach blossom.

Thinking of this, Shaoshang hurriedly grabbed Cheng Yang’s sleeve and asked softly: “…Um, elder sister, let me ask you about something scholarly…” She was somewhat embarrassed. “Is there such a rhapsody, something about the Orchid Terrace, something about palaces south of the city…”

Before she finished speaking, Cheng Yang smiled: “Isn’t that Master Sima’s famous rhapsody ‘Changmen’? So Niaoniao ran out just now to contemplate scholarly matters—Aunt would certainly be pleased to know.”

Shaoshang fake-laughed several times, then asked: “Is this rhapsody… very famous…?”

Cheng Yang felt a pang of pain in her heart. She suddenly realized she had always lived in such a safe and warm place that she saw nothing and asked about nothing. She forced herself to say gently: “Not very famous, but many people love its magnificent and elegant diction. Since it doesn’t involve political affairs, it’s often read to women in their chambers for amusement.”

Shaoshang nodded. Cheng Yong had mentioned this before. In the late years of the previous dynasty, the tyrannical emperor deeply feared people would allude to his evil deeds and used bloody methods to prevent this—the aftereffects remained to this day. So that’s it—that Yuan Shen fellow was probably laughing at her in his belly.

“…Cousin,” Shaoshang asked with a smile, “what do you think of that Young Master Shangjian?” Comparing the infatuated manner of those girls before her eyes with Cheng Yang’s calm composure, she developed a few points of respect.

Cheng Yang smiled bitterly: “From beginning to end, I never even saw this Young Master Yuan. What is there to think about?”

Shaoshang was taken aback. True enough—even infatuation must follow basic principles. Cheng Yang had only been in the capital for a few months, unlike those girls who grew up in the capital and had already seen that fellow’s person from near or far.

However, though Cheng Yang had no thoughts, this didn’t mean others had no thoughts. Madam Xiao had very definite thoughts indeed.

Although the Yuan family’s background and power were higher than the Cheng family’s, they weren’t so high as to be unreachable. Moreover, for a lower family taking a wife, the gap between the two families hadn’t reached the point of her wishful thinking. The next day she grabbed Cheng Yong to inquire carefully about Yuan Shen’s character. Cheng Yong was completely baffled.

“Master Shangguan’s teaching master was Senior Brother to the Immortal Yan. That old gentleman loved nothing more than hosting banquets to teach students—who knows how many hundreds or thousands have listened to his teachings. This Lord Yuan… perhaps also listened…?”

Madam Xiao hurriedly asked about the Yuan family’s situation and whether he was married. Learning he was unmarried, she wondered: “Since he’s an only son and already twenty-one, why hasn’t he married yet?”

Cheng Yong’s head grew as large as a bushel. He said with difficulty: “This… your son also doesn’t know. I only heard that Madam Yuan is famously unconcerned with worldly matters and devoted to cultivating the Dao. Lord Yuan is stationed away from home—perhaps no one is managing the marriage arrangements? However…” He remembered something and hurriedly said, “Wasn’t there recently a gathering of scholars to discuss the classics? At the banquet, a great scholar greatly admired him and wanted to betroth his daughter or niece or something…”

“And then?” Madam Xiao pressed.

Cheng Yong said: “Yuan Shangjian then said that the clan elders in his family already had intentions for his marriage, so he couldn’t privately make promises. That great scholar was displeased. Relying on his high talent and position, he persisted in asking which young lady had been chosen. Yuan Shangjian’s face immediately turned cold. He took three or four errors from that great scholar’s writings and said, ‘If sir spent more thought on scholarship and less pointing fingers at others’ marriage matters, there wouldn’t be such oversights.’ That great scholar was furious and left the palace to return to his native place that very day.”

Hearing this, Madam Xiao felt half pleased and half worried—pleased that this Yuan Shen was indeed outstanding, worried that this marriage wouldn’t be easy. She asked her son again: “Do you think Yangyang would be a good match for him? I want to find someone virtuous to act as matchmaker.” With her eldest son being tight-lipped, she wasn’t afraid to speak.

Cheng Yong shook his head, disagreeing in his heart: “This is hard to say. This Yuan Shangjian is warm on the surface but cold at heart—he seems easygoing but actually has extremely strong opinions. Unless he himself is willing, no amount of persuasion from others will work. Didn’t that great scholar boast about his daughter’s virtue and worthiness? Didn’t he still hit a wall?” Arranging marriages was all about matchmakers praising virtues, after all.

Madam Xiao hesitated. She still trusted her eldest son’s judgment quite a bit. After pausing for a long while, she sighed: “What a pity yesterday we didn’t have Yuan Shen meet Yangyang.” In truth, she herself wasn’t very skilled at marriage matters either.

Cheng Yong looked at his mother with a strange expression. He held back and held back, then said quietly: “Does Mother think… that upon seeing Yangyang once, Yuan Shangjian would be willing…?” Did Mother think cousin’s appearance could make someone fall in love at first sight?

Madam Xiao glared at her son: “Don’t speak such shallow words. When taking a wife, shouldn’t one look at character?”

Seeing his mother playing unreasonable, Cheng Yong immediately shut his mouth.

When Cheng Shi drank and became spirited, he would laughingly tell his sons about his and his wife’s romantic history. According to the story, when he first saw Madam Xiao from afar, he was like a man who’d lost his soul for several days. Of course, after marriage, discovering his wife was exceptionally intelligent and capable, plus decades of shared life and death, naturally love turned to respect and affection deepened even more.

Cheng Yong was a man and knew what was in young men’s hearts. Moreover, no matter how good one’s character and ability, what could come from just one meeting? Unless she was a famous talented woman who could inspire mutual admiration—but Cheng Yang hadn’t reached that level yet.

In fact, in his view, it would be better to let his younger sister come out to meet him. He didn’t dare boast of devastating beauty, but at least she was distinctive and unforgettable at a glance. However, he wouldn’t say this. After all, they should marry off Yangyang first before raising Niaoniao’s marriage prospects—this was called respecting age order. Besides, Niaoniao was still young, no rush.

Madam Xiao could easily guess her son’s thoughts from his expression. In truth, her earlier words were also just stubbornness. If the groom’s mother came to evaluate, she had great confidence in Cheng Yang. But based on what she’d just heard, though this Yuan Shen had parents and elders above him, he was already faintly supporting the family gate himself. Marriage matters couldn’t be accomplished simply by persuading his parents.

But how to make Yuan Shen himself seek to marry Yangyang? Madam Xiao couldn’t help but think hard.

She knew how to accumulate grain and provisions, how to arrange military camps, and how to spy out enemy weaknesses and assess situations. But this matter of marriages between men and women—she truly wasn’t skilled at it. Her own two marriages were both the result of the other party’s earnest pleading. Sang Shi was chosen by Cheng Zhi after staying at White Deer Mountain for several years. Ge Shi was arranged by parental command. Cheng Yang had none of these three!

Madam Xiao couldn’t help but secretly complain about why Ge Shi wasn’t born more beautiful. But thinking of how both Duke Ge and his wife had honest appearances, she couldn’t demand much. She sighed deeply, thinking of her deceased parents who were both of exceptional beauty. She herself resembled Duke Xiao, while her daughter resembled Old Madam Xiao.

Thinking of her daughter Shaoshang, Madam Xiao felt even more inclined to sigh. These past days she had completely let her daughter alone without managing her, yet Shaoshang showed no panic whatsoever and conducted herself in an orderly and proper manner.

Every morning she paid respects to her elders. Regardless of whether Mother Cheng’s expression was pleasant or unpleasant, her words kind or harsh, Shaoshang maintained the same expression sitting upright, performed the same gestures of respect, then left at precisely the same time. Next came daily reading and practicing calligraphy, or begging her brothers to take her out for a stroll.

The places she visited were quite peculiar—mostly shops, marketplaces, fields, and estates. She would tirelessly inquire about grain prices, cloth prices, and daily necessities, carefully asking farmers about matters like grafting, livestock, and animal husbandry.

Taking advantage of the clear weather these past days, she also learned a set of Five Animal Frolics from Young Palace Lady. A few days ago, she even obtained some vegetable seeds, kept them warm indoors, and cultivated them with water and soil by the incense burner, actually sprouting several dozen seedlings—which the whole family then finished eating in one meal.

—Very well, even if Mother held her in low regard, life remained colorful and varied.

Madam Xiao admitted her previous views of her daughter were mistaken, but her husband was also completely wrong! What nonsense about her being too self-important—clearly their daughter was the most self-important person in the entire household, simply doing whatever she pleased.

The sons had advised Shaoshang countless times to attend Mother Cheng longer, to say a few more flattering words to display filial piety—it took no effort at all. Yet that fine daughter of hers still only said what should be said and only did what should be done, not giving a single extra glance otherwise.

This left Mother Cheng without any recourse. Whether she coldly mocked and pressured, or spoke warmly trying to mend relations with her granddaughter, it all sank like stones in the sea. She had once said resentfully to Cheng Shi, “Does Niaoniao still secretly resent me?”

Of course, Cheng Shi’s mouth held only praise for his daughter.

Thus Mother Cheng became depressed. She had spent the previous decade-plus hearing Cheng Shi defend “Mother, you’ve misunderstood Yuan Yi,” and now she was to begin hearing “Mother, you’ve misunderstood Niaoniao”?

However, this time Madam Xiao inexplicably understood her daughter. Shaoshang’s behavior wasn’t due to arrogance or self-importance—she simply refused to forgive, that’s all.

Madam Xiao vaguely had a feeling that her daughter didn’t need a mother at all. Even a few days ago when her moon water first came, she calmly directed A’Zhu to handle everything. But how could there be a young girl in this world who didn’t need a mother? Even someone as tough as Madam Xiao herself had deep expectations and reliance on Old Madam Xiao in her youth, though in the end there was only disappointment.

This feeling was very uncomfortable, even somewhat at a loss.

However, at this moment, Shaoshang also felt very much at a loss.

In this world, for a person to be self-reliant, there were essentially three paths: either have money, or have fame, or have power. That is, either engage in commerce and invention, or pursue scholarship and learning, or enter court to become an official.

Now that it was no longer a time of chaos, for her as a woman to become an official was obviously too difficult (besides, even in chaotic times she had no confidence in becoming a female general). Pursuing scholarship also didn’t seem very easy—after all, she’d been a science student for many years. Suddenly switching to liberal arts, without ten or twenty years of effort, scholarly results wouldn’t emerge. That left only doing business and creating inventions.

Many inventions weren’t things she couldn’t create, but rather couldn’t promote widely.

For example, she could brew rice wine more mellow and pure than what was currently on the market, but the great chaos had just passed and the Emperor was vigorously advocating frugality—he’d nearly issued a prohibition on alcohol. How could she use so much grain to make wine?

Another example: she wasn’t incapable of figuring out greenhouse cultivation technology, but with small quantities and high costs, even the Cheng family could barely afford it. Unless one’s family owned a mine, it could probably only serve as a luxury item in the future.

Yet another example: she could also make soap, perfume, and tooth-cleaning salt, but common people who could barely achieve subsistence—who would buy these things? And some items, without sufficient combustion heat and heat-resistant vessels, she couldn’t produce them either!

Professor Herring had said in class that the greatest value of Edison’s story of testing tungsten filaments wasn’t some touching inspirational tale, but rather to tell us that scientific inventions incapable of industrial mass production and civilian popularization would not be accepted by the times.

So could she only take the niche high-luxury route? Shaoshang pondered bitterly. Though she’d done well in studies in her previous life, she hadn’t yet entered the workforce after all. She vaguely felt that dealing with the top privileged elite class wasn’t so simple.

However, taking smaller steps, there were still some gains.

Regarding improving grain cultivation, Shaoshang had some clues now. She also felt she could improve those cumbersome waterwheels and farming tools… Then, for the one hundred and first time, she sighed—why couldn’t they have let her transmigrate into a male body? Look at how spirited and lively that Yuan Shen fellow was!

Thinking of this, Shaoshang suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Why did she feel Yuan Shen’s voice was familiar? Because she’d heard it before! The revolving lantern was so far away, and he hadn’t even spoken. So Yuan Shen was that Bamboo Embroidered Ball fellow!

However, she still wouldn’t do anything for Bamboo Embroidered Ball.

This day, Cheng Yang was ordered by Madam Xiao to go to the Cheng family warehouse to inventory things. She brought along the listless Shaoshang, who thought going for a stroll would be good, so she led Lian Fang, A’Mei, and several strong maids out.

Lady Qing Cong laughingly reported this matter: “What are you working yourself up for, fearing this one will be wronged or that one will be domineering? You truly play the villain for nothing! Those young sisters don’t know how harmonious and affectionate they are—when they boarded the carriage, they were arm in arm.”

Hearing this, Cheng Shi, who was wiping armor nearby, immediately broke into smiles and was about to speak. Madam Xiao extended one finger, glared at him and said: “You shut up!” Then she turned back to speak with Qing Cong resentfully, “Fine, it’s all my fault. Satisfied?”