Li Cun stood at the door. He was a gentle, handsome young man with a refined air. With his fair complexion and slender build, he looked even more cultured than the average scholar, and thus all the more presentable and proper.
He appeared mild-tempered, but only his mother knew how infuriatingly stubborn her seemingly shy son could be when he dug his heels in.
Even a mother as strong-willed and formidable as Mr. Li had no choice but to back down when faced with a son so stubbornly obstinate.
This was why she had hired a matchmaker to go to the Zhao Village and help arrange the marriage between Li Cun and Chen Wanqing.
'But the matter isn't even settled, and my son is already this desperate. If he really brings a new bride into this house, will there still be a place for me?'
In that instant, Mr. Li clenched her jaw, having made a decision. 'In this family, it's either me or Chen Wanqing. If Chen Wanqing is here, I won't be... I absolutely will not allow Chen Wanqing to step through the Li family's gates—not unless I'm dead!'
"My son, as for your marriage, Mother will arrange everything. You want to marry the girl from the Chen family, and I have already sent a matchmaker to propose on your behalf. What you need to do now is study hard and earn an official title as soon as possible so that Miss Chen can have a good life with you. Now, my son, go back to your studies. I will tell you about the other matters after I've discussed them."
Li Cun then realized that his actions had been too impulsive and presumptuous.
A blush instantly spread across the young man's handsome, fair cheeks. Still, he bowed politely to the old madam and apologized for the disturbance before reluctantly leaving the main room.
After Li Cun left, Mr. Li sat down at the table and said to the old madam, "Grandmother, my apologies for that display. That is my disappointing son..."
It seemed Mr. Li had a thousand things to say, but in the end, she couldn't even let out a single, weary sigh.
'Her son was interested, and she had already sent a matchmaker to the Zhao Village. If the Chen family actually agreed to the marriage, how was she supposed to sabotage it?'
Mr. Li then suddenly remembered that she had yet to ask the old madam the reason for her visit.
She picked up the teapot from the table and personally poured the old madam a cup. "I haven't had a chance to ask, venerable lady, but why have you come all this way yourself? The Zhao Village may not be far from Qingshui County, but it isn't exactly close, either. Did you walk here, or did someone escort you? If your family is indeed interested in a marriage alliance with ours, you could have simply sent the matchmaker. Why trouble yourself to come in person?"
The old madam accepted the tea and slowly drank half a cup, only then feeling as if she had come back to life.
'As if I wanted to come all the way to the county seat!' The old madam was used to a comfortable life. She had gotten blisters on her feet from the long walk.
Of course, the old madam wouldn't mention this to Mr. Li. It was too undignified.
She was vague, hemming and hawing, and ignored many of Mr. Li's questions. When she absolutely couldn't dodge one, she would give an evasive answer, resolutely refusing to state the purpose of her visit.
Mr. Li took one look at her and thought, 'Something's definitely up. What could it be?'
Just then, a thought struck Mr. Li. 'If the Chen family had truly consented to the marriage,' she realized, 'they would be on the bride's side. They should be posturing, waiting for us to arrive at their door with betrothal gifts. Why on earth would they send the family's most senior elder to stand out in the cold at my doorstep?'
'So if she's not here to accept the proposal, what is her purpose?'
Mr. Li thought of a possibility, and her heart began to race. Her gaze upon the old madam grew even more fervent.
"We're about to be family, so is there anything you can't speak of? Please, if something is on your mind, just say it. It will go from your mouth to my ears, and I guarantee no third person will ever know."
The old madam was startled by Mr. Li's intense gaze. 'What's she up to?' she wondered.
But soon enough, the old madam, made shrewd by her long years, had a guess.
'Never mind Mr. Li; if she were in her shoes, with a son who defied her at every turn just to marry some woman, she wouldn't be happy either.'
'It wasn't just Li Cun. Take her own son, Chen Song, for example.'
'Years ago, she had delayed Chen Song's marriage, refusing to let him take a wife. Privately, she had wanted to find a meek, easily bullied girl for him to marry so the couple would continue to be the family's workhorses.'
'But Chen Song was devilishly clever. He had rescued Xu Su Ying from who-knows-where and had even persuaded her to marry him.'
'By the time she found out, Chen Song had already invited the respected village elders to witness the marriage, which had infuriated her to no end.'
'Although the nature of her own situation was different from Mr. Li's, was it not even more vexing to watch a son with a promising future create such a rift with his own mother, all over a woman?'
'It was obvious that Mr. Li didn't want Wanqing as a daughter-in-law. Yet, she had agreed to Li Cun's demand to marry a girl from the Chen family. This was Wanyue's chance!'
'Initially, the old madam had worried about what she would do if, after ruining things between Wanqing and Li Cun, Mr. Li still refused to let Wanyue marry into the family.'
'That Li Cun was handsome and well-educated; plenty of fine young women would want to marry him. Wanyue wasn't so exceptional that he would settle for no one else.'
'But now, it seemed even the heavens were on her side.'
The old madam carefully mulled over her words, and only when she felt she had considered every angle did she open her mouth. "To be honest, I haven't come today as a friendly matchmaker, but as an unwelcome guest."
Mr. Li's face tensed as she struggled to keep the corners of her mouth from curling into a smile. "Unwelcome guest? Anyone who graces my home is an honored guest. There is no such thing as an unwelcome one here."
"Alas, you are a charitable soul. If our eldest granddaughter were to have you as a mother-in-law, it would be the blessing of a lifetime... In truth, our family is quite pleased with your son's character and abilities, and we would like for our girl to marry him. However, there are two matters I must make clear to you beforehand."
"What matters might those be? Please, speak freely. I'm listening."
And so the old madam began.
"First, Wanqing is accustomed to doing business. If she were to marry into your family, she would not be able to simply stay at home to serve her husband and raise children like an ordinary woman. She intends to open a shop and run a business with her mother. Furthermore, she will need to travel with her mother from time to time to other villages and counties to procure flowers and medicinal herbs."
Mr. Li knew that the Chen family ran a fragrance shop.
She even knew that while the shop's facade was small, its business was booming. It was said that no one who entered ever left empty-handed, and that their trade was incredibly successful.
But she also knew that the business belonged to the Chen family. 'Even if they taught their daughter the craft, they certainly wouldn't teach her everything,' she thought. 'And to protect their own business, they might even forbid Chen Wanqing from making any fragrances after she's married.'
'Forbidden from making her own fragrances, yet still expected to run all over the place... At this rate, she won't even have time to care for her husband and children. What sort of behavior is that?'
Mr. Li's face fell instantly. She was not pleased.
She had seen Chen Wanqing a few times. Her beauty was undeniable; even in all of Qingshui County, she was one of the most stunning.
'A woman of such beauty might be able to maintain her virtue if she were kept hidden away at home. But if she's constantly out and about, even if she herself has no improper thoughts, she's bound to be taken advantage of by the scoundrels of the world.'
The old madam observed Mr. Li's expression, felt her resolve settle, and opened her mouth to add more fuel to the fire.
"And there is one more thing. My daughter-in-law boasted some time ago that when Wanqing married, she would have a dowry of two mu of fertile land... Well, it's impossible for her to have that land as a dowry. Wanqing's two younger brothers are still studying at the private school in the county seat, and the expenses are considerable. That claim about the land was just empty words, so you shouldn't take it seriously."