When Chen Wanqing returned to the room, she found her mother sitting in her spot, grinding a fragrant herb into powder.
The incense Chen Wanqing was making was called Dream Spirit Fragrance. This particular scent soothed the nerves and aided sleep, and it was wonderfully effective for those who suffered from insomnia and excessive dreams.
Years ago, this incense had found its market in Yungui County. Now, its sales were booming. It had even become an essential gift for many wealthy families to bring when visiting friends and relatives.
Besides Dream Spirit Fragrance, there was also another blend, Moonlight Fragrance, which was just as popular in Yungui County.
Chen Wanqing had developed and perfected this scent on a night bathed in moonlight.
The scholars who used it all said the fragrance was clear and serene, helping to focus the mind and leading to torrents of literary inspiration and moments of sudden enlightenment.
Furthermore, because the name "Moonlight" subtly alluded to the idea of winning the top prize in the imperial examinations, it usually sold briskly. On the eve of any exam, demand would far outstrip supply.
And now, with the eleventh month fast approaching, the new year was just around the corner, followed by the Child Examination. As a result, both Dream Spirit Fragrance and Moonlight Fragrance were being ordered in large quantities.
The orders were so large that Chen Wanqing had been forced to work through the night. She hadn't been to the shop in seven days.
Since her mother had taken over grinding the fragrant herb, Chen Wanqing picked up a small brass Balance Scale.
The Balance Scale was small and exquisite. Held in her slender, pale hand, it looked all the more delicate and intricate.
She casually used a copper spoon to scoop up some nightshade powder, placing it on the scale and adjusting the amount as needed. Once she had a satisfactory weight, she weighed out some Fushen Powder and set it aside.
Both the nightshade powder and the Fushen Powder were ground to a fine dust but had not yet been sifted. They had to wait until the yuanzhi was dried, ground, and then sifted together with them.
Speaking of which, Xu Su Ying couldn't help but admire her daughter's cleverness.
This was because while dried yuanzhi was brittle and snapped easily, it was also very oily. When ground, it formed damp clumps that were impossible to sift.
But Wanqing, with her ingenious mind, had figured out to mix it with a specific ratio of nightshade powder and Fushen Powder. This made the mixture dry and easy to sift.
'Wanqing was born to do this,' Xu Su Ying thought. As she mulled over the old matriarch's words, she brought up the reason for her visit.
"She's taken a liking to Li Cun and wants to snatch your engagement so Wanyue can marry him instead."
She said it casually, but Xu Su Ying's nerves were stretched taut.
She subtly watched her daughter's expression from the corner of her eye, trying to discern her true feelings.
When she first heard the matriarch's proposal, Xu Su Ying had found it utterly absurd. But after a moment's thought, her heart had begun to race with excitement.
That was Zhao Jing, after all—the very son-in-law she and her husband had first chosen for their daughter.
Unfortunately, they had been a step too late, and someone else had gotten to him first.
Now an opportunity had presented itself, but under such circumstances, it was an incredibly difficult choice to make.
Chen Wanqing couldn't stay idle. She was now processing nanmu branches, preparing to make nanmu adhesive powder.
Nanmu has its own woody aroma, good adhesiveness, and is a natural preservative, making it an indispensable ingredient in the incense-making process.
As she worked, she let out a casual "Oh," her tone extremely dismissive.
Seeing this, Xu Su Ying was so exasperated she had to laugh. "Your mother nearly got into a fight with that old woman to stop her from stirring up trouble, and you can't even be bothered to ask a single question. Is this your engagement or mine?"
Hearing this, an expression of someone who didn't know whether to laugh or cry appeared on Chen Wanqing's bright face.
"Mother, what are you saying? How could I not care? I just know that you are completely on my side and will surely stand up for me."
"What's the use in standing up for you? As the old saying goes, the timid fear the bold, and the bold fear the reckless. Your grandmother isn't reckless, but Wanyue is a scoundrel. I'm afraid she's the one stirring up this trouble. That girl has had a wicked streak since she was a child. If she's really set her sights on Li Cun, she might just risk her life to fight you for him."
'He's just a man, what's there to fight over?' If the timing weren't so inappropriate, Xu Su Ying would have blurted out.
'A three-legged toad is hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere.'
But then she reconsidered. The matter with Zhao Jing was far from certain, and besides him, there truly weren't many young men in all of Yungui County who were of a similar age and appearance to her daughter, had promising futures, and were also of good character. The words reached the tip of her tongue, but Xu Su Ying had to swallow them back down.
But the matter truly unsettled her. Xu Su Ying said, "Back when Li Cun was studying at Mr. Zhao's private school, I never saw Grandmother take any interest in him. Instead, she was fixated on latching onto Zhao Jing. Now Mr. Zhao is gone, but Li Cun's own successful father has also passed away. I don't know what Grandmother is trying to achieve by insisting on this fight."
Chen Wanqing acted as if she hadn't heard, focusing only on her work.
She had a placid nature, and when she was doing something she loved and was skilled at, she seemed even more at ease and in her element.
A flicker of joy or a flash of insight would occasionally cross her pearlescent cheeks. Just watching her bright, gentle appearance was enough to calm a restless heart.
Xu Su Ying's heart grew calm as well. But when she thought of another possibility in this affair, she couldn't help but continue, "Your grandmother wants you to give Li Cun to Wanyue, and then have Wanyue give Zhao Jing to you..."
BANG! CLANG! With two soft sounds, Chen Wanqing flinched, and the small knife and nanmu branch in her hands fell to the floor.
The moment they landed, the two items bounced a few times, then struck the small stone mill Xu Su Ying was using.
For a moment, the room, usually so quiet, was filled with a CLINGING and CLATTERING.
"Oh, my dear, be careful! Don't hurt your feet."
"It's nothing, I'm fine. Don't worry, Mother, I won't get hurt."
As Chen Wanqing picked up the items, she lowered her voice and asked, "Why would she think of a marriage swap? I thought it was as simple as me giving up Li Cun and Wanyue marrying him."
"Of course not. If it were that simple, your grandmother wouldn't have come. In the end, her visit today was to persuade me to betroth you to Zhao Jing."
At this, Xu Su Ying thought of the young man still helping De'an with his studies, and her tone became hard to read.
"That boy, Zhao Jing... I truly like everything about him. If your grandmother hadn't forced the issue all those years ago and solidified Wanyue's engagement to him, your father and I were planning to find a matchmaker to sound out Mr. Zhao and his wife."
"Mother, what are you saying? Wanyue and Jing are engaged now."
"It looks like this engagement is about to fall apart... Jing is such a fine young man. His handsome looks are his least remarkable quality. That boy's character and abilities are both top-notch. If you married him, your father and I would be completely at ease. A pity..."
'What a pity we were one step too late!'
Every time she thought about it, Xu Su Ying would beat her chest and stomp her feet in regret.
But who would have thought that after all these years, things would take such a turn?
Xu Su Ying spoke, her voice laced with a probing tone. "Let's just suppose, Mother is just supposing... if your grandmother really found a way to ruin your engagement with Li Cun and had Wanyue marry him instead, leaving Jing available... would you marry him or not?"
"Mother, hypotheticals can't be trusted. Please don't let your imagination run wild. Besides, my situation with Li Cun is just that our two families have expressed an intention to form a marriage alliance. We haven't even exchanged our birth dates. What right do I have to 'give him away'? If Wanyue really snatches this engagement... then anything that can be snatched away was clearly not fated to be mine. Having it taken might even be a blessing in disguise. Please don't worry about me."
"As for marrying Jing, Mother, Grandmother is treating marriage like a child's game. How have you become muddled as well? This matter doesn't just involve our family and the Li family; it concerns the Zhao family too. Grandmother can barely make decisions for our own family, so how could she possibly dictate things for the Li and Zhao families? It's not as if everyone has to bend to her will. Once she faces a setback, this matter will naturally resolve itself."
A faint smile still played on Chen Wanqing's lips. She appeared unhurried, so steady and refined. Her demeanor and bearing truly didn't resemble those of a girl raised in the countryside.
Whenever Xu Su Ying saw this, she would feel a pang of regret. 'How did she end up being born from my womb?'
'If she had been more discerning in her reincarnation and been born into a better family, her future prospects would be unimaginable.'
But her daughter didn't like to hear such things, so Xu Su Ying kept it to herself.
She just pushed the small stone mill with renewed vigor, grinding the fragrant herbs inside to dust.
"You're grown now, and you have your own ideas. Fine, I won't overthink this anymore. What's meant to be ours can't be taken away, and what isn't meant to be can't be obtained, no matter how much we beg."
She said it with a carefree air, but through the open window, she could hear the young man's calm and steady voice explaining something from the eastern room. Xu Su Ying couldn't help but think with stubborn hope, 'Jing is fated to be a part of our family!'
'He's supposed to be our son-in-law!'
'Someone else snatched him up before, but this time, I'd say there's a good chance it will work out!'
'After all, Grandmother certainly wouldn't dare to offend the Zhao family. If she dared to cast Zhao Jing aside, the Zhao clansmen would dare to come and smash down the Chen family's door!'
'Even Grandmother's own daughter, my sister-in-law who married into Mr. Zhao's branch of the family, wouldn't be spared.'
'Even for the sake of that sister-in-law, when Wanyue decides to back out, Grandmother will have no choice but to push Wanqing forward.'