Zhou Er and his wife hired a mule cart to go to town. By the time they arrived at the county seat, it was already dark. Just as Shen Linchuan and the others were having dinner, there was a knock at the courtyard gate. They looked up to see Zhou Er and his wife standing outside.

“Why are you here at this hour?” Zhou Ning muttered, sounding a bit annoyed. They were in the middle of dinner, and seeing the two who’d been watching the house put a damper on his appetite—the food just didn’t taste as good anymore.

Zhou Er didn’t even step into the courtyard; he simply called out, “Fang’er, Father’s here to take you home.”

Zhou Fang put down her bowl and chopsticks and ran out, pretending to wipe the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. “Father and Mother, you’re finally here! That Zhou Youcheng actually tried to use me as a pawn!”

“Go on, pack your things. We’re going home.”

“Okay!”

Zhou Fang dashed back into the house like a whirlwind to pack her things. Zhou Da remained seated, silently finishing the rice in his bowl. A niece was a niece, and a brother was a brother—as far as he was concerned, his brotherly bond with Zhou Er had run its course.

Zhou Fang came out cheerfully after packing her things. “Uncle, Ning-ger, Shen Linchuan, I’m leaving. Thank you all for taking such good care of me these past few days.”

Zhou Da looked up. “Hey, Fang, if there’s anything, just let your Uncle know.” 

“I know, Uncle. I’m leaving now.”

Zhou Er and his wife escorted Zhou Fang out, and the courtyard returned to its usual tranquility. Shen Linchuan served Zhou Ning a portion of food with his chopsticks. “Ning-ger, eat up.”

He’d been eating absentmindedly, but Zhou Ning gave a brief reply and went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

Shen Linchuan’s lips curled into a smile. His Fulang was indeed easy to take care of; just watching him eat was enough to whet anyone else’s appetite.

Shen Linchuan continued reading by candlelight until midnight. When he heard the night watchman’s gong, he blew out the candle and went to bed. Zhou Ning was still awake; seeing that Shen Linchuan had stopped reading, he rolled over and whispered to him, “Shen Linchuan, do you think Sister Fang’s engagement can be called off?”

“She’s their own daughter—they can’t just push her into the fire, can they?” 

“You’re right.”

Shen Linchuan gave his Fulang a quick peck on the lips. “It’s getting late. Let’s get some sleep.”

The matter at Zhou Er’s house had nothing to do with his own family. His father was quite fond of Zhou Fang, and she was just a young girl. Setting aside everything else, if anything were to happen to Zhou Fang, his father—being a man of honor—would certainly step in.

Zhou Er and his wife led Zhou Fang out of the courtyard. There were quite a few inns on Jinshui Street. It was already dark, and Zhou Fang didn’t feel like walking any further. She’d been staying here for a while and was familiar with the area, so she casually pointed to one. “Dad, let’s stay here.”

“Let’s walk a little further—it’s expensive over here.”

Zhou Fang fell silent. She’d eaten and slept well during her stay in the county seat. Not only had her eldest uncle and Ning-ger bought her snacks every single day, but her eldest uncle’s family had been especially generous.

As they walked, Zhou Fang kept complaining, “Mom and Dad, just look at that bastard Zhou Youcheng—he actually dared to use me as a favor to give away. Beating him up last time was too lenient; I should’ve broken his legs. Hmph!”

Hu Caiyun let out a shriek. “What did you say? You hit your brother!”

Zhou Fang shrugged indifferently. “So what? Beating him up was too lenient. Mom and Dad, call Zhou Youcheng over and ask him—he must know about the Huang family business!”

Hu Caiyun hesitated for a moment before saying, “Maybe—maybe your brother doesn’t know about this.” 

“How could he not know! He’s the one who arranged this marriage!”

Zhou Er listened with growing irritation. “All right, all right. Let’s wait until tomorrow and call your brother over to talk about it.”

Zhou Fang was still furious, muttering under her breath that Zhou Youcheng was a bastard. Hu Caiyun tugged at her, “All right, don’t make your father upset.”

“What’s wrong with speaking my mind? Honestly, I almost got myself into a mess—and I’m not even allowed to say anything about him?”

Zhou Er had walked a long way just to get away from Zhou Da’s family, but that pesky girl had stirred up trouble again. Unwilling to spend any silver, he’d found a run-down inn where the three of them had to share a single room. Zhou Fang was even more displeased—if she’d known it would be this shabby, she would’ve stayed with her eldest uncle instead.

Early the next morning, Zhou Er set off for Bailu Academy with his hands behind his back. He’d gotten up early specifically to avoid the students at the academy. That girl Fang was really something—she’d even caused a scene there. He hoped his son wouldn’t get into any trouble because of her.

Zhou Er didn’t know the way, so he asked for directions as he went. When he arrived at the gate of the Bailu Academy, he happened to run into students on their way to class. The students of the Bailu Academy all wore uniform blue-collared robes, so Zhou Er, in his plain attire, stood out like a sore thumb.

Shen Linchuan also spotted Zhou Er, and Zhou Er noticed him too, but he merely snorted and turned his head away.

Before long, Zhou Youcheng emerged, and the two set off down the mountain together. Along the way, however, every student they passed on their way up couldn’t help but give them a second look. “Youcheng, do you know anything about your sister’s marriage?”

“Father, let’s talk about it once we’re down the mountain.”

Zhou Youcheng didn’t want to say much; the path was full of students right now, and if they overheard, it would only cause more trouble. Just a few days ago, Zhou Fang had come up and caused a scene, and he still hadn’t been able to attend classes since!

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhou Youcheng finally told Zhou Er about his sister’s outburst. “Father, because of her, I’m on the verge of being expelled from the academy. What are we going to do?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Er grew anxious. “That won’t do. Bailu Academy has such a great reputation—you’ll be able to find a good marriage partner there.”

The two discussed it all the way back. The marriage must go ahead. When the time came, Zhou Youcheng would explain that his sister was aware of the situation—they’d simply had a minor disagreement, which was why she’d gone up the mountain to cause a scene. It was all just a misunderstanding.

Zhou Youcheng followed them to the inn. As soon as Zhou Fang saw him, she flew into a rage and raised her hand to strike him, but Hu Caiyun stopped her. “Fang, let your brother explain what happened.”

“Little sister, I really didn’t know about the Huang family. If I’d known, how could I have found such a family for you?” 

“Bullshit! How could you not know? I think you’re just trying to climb your way up through them!”

On the way, Zhou Youcheng told Zhou Er about the Huang family. Zhou Er had originally thought the Huangs were just an ordinary merchant family in the county seat, but to his surprise, it turned out they were the Chief Clerk—a government official. Now, this marriage could no longer be called off.

With an official as an in-law, he, Zhou Er, would be considered powerful and influential. Not to mention the tiny town of Qinghe—even if he went to Kaiping County Seat, people would have to give him some respect. Who knows, maybe the whole family could even move to the county seat someday.

Zhou Er sat quietly to the side, saying nothing, as the two began to argue.

The brother and sister were arguing so fiercely that if Hu Caiyun hadn’t stepped in to stop her, Zhou Fang would have already started hitting her brother!

“All right, all right. If we’re not going to go through with this marriage, then so be it. Fang’er, we’ll go home tomorrow, and we’ll return the betrothal gifts to them.”

Zhou Er finally spoke up, and only then was Zhou Fang satisfied. “I’m definitely not going through with it. Father, it’s still early—you and Mother should go to the Huang family’s house to call off the engagement.” “All right, all right. Let your mother go with you. I’ll go with your brother to call off the engagement.”

Zhou Er and his brother stepped out the door, while Zhou Fang—still fuming—sat on the edge of the bed, her face flushed red.

Of course, Zhou Er wasn’t really going to call off the engagement. He and Zhou Youcheng went out and didn’t return until noon, merely saying they’d called off the engagement and would be heading home tomorrow.

Only then was Zhou Fang satisfied, though she kept cursing Zhou Youcheng under her breath.

Zhou Fang twirled a handkerchief around her finger. “Mother, why didn’t you and Father bring the betrothal gifts with you when you came? Honestly, now we’ll have to go back and ask someone to send them over.”

Hu Caiyun felt a twinge of guilt. “Your father and I came in such a hurry that we forgot to bring it—we simply forgot. We’ll have it sent to the Huang family as soon as we get back.” 

“Mother, you two go home first. I’m not going back yet—I want to find work at the county government office.”

After visiting the county seat, Zhou Fang had grown even more convinced that life there was better. There were plenty of gers and women working in the restaurants and inns. She was quite strong, so she thought she could find a job at a restaurant or somewhere similar—even washing dishes would do. Earning thirty or forty wen a day would certainly be better than going back to the countryside.

Zhou Er, of course, disagreed. “No way. Go home. You’re at the age where you should be looking for a husband—what kind of example are you setting by staying out here?” 

“I don’t care. I’m not going back.”

Hu Caiyun also tried to persuade her: “My dear, be a good girl. Let’s go home. Why should we suffer like this out here?”                

“Your mother’s right. We’ll go home first thing tomorrow morning. You nearly got your brother stuck in the academy waiting to be reassigned, and you still want to keep causing trouble here!” 

Zhou Fang was still in a daze; she simply stopped stirring the handkerchief. “Mom and Dad, I want to go for a walk in the street.”

Zhou Fang stood up and walked toward the door, but Zhou Er grabbed her by the arm. “Come back!”

“Help! Waaah…”

Before Zhou Fang could even cry out, Zhou Youcheng clamped his hand over her mouth. She struggled desperately, but with two grown men holding her down, she couldn’t break free. Hu Caiyun let out a cry of alarm, “What on earth are you doing? What on earth are you doing?!”

Zhou Fang bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth. Zhou Youcheng let out a cry of “Ah!” and let go. “Help!” Just as Zhou Fang cried out, Zhou Er clamped his hand over her mouth again. “What are you standing there for? Go get a cloth!”

Hu Caiyun let out a couple of “Oohs” and spun around in place. She found a washcloth on the basin rack and handed it over. “Husband, what are you doing? Just talk it out properly.”

Zhou Fang was no pushover—as a country girl who’d spent years doing manual labor, she had quite a bit of strength. It took both Zhou Er and Zhou Youcheng, two grown men, nearly all their might to pin her down; they covered her mouth and then used his belt to tie her up.

Zhou Fang let out a couple of muffled “Mmm”s, unable to break free. She was both shocked and terrified—after all, she was just a seventeen-year-old girl—and tears began streaming down her face.

Hu Caiyun was heartbroken; she took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. “It’s all right, it’s all right. Don’t cry. Your father is only looking out for you.” Zhou Fang turned her head away in anger; she knew full well that her father hadn’t called off the engagement for her sake.

Just moments ago, she’d said she wanted to stay at the county government office to work. Under normal circumstances, her parents would have been overjoyed—she’d be earning silver out there, and surely they’d be thinking of taking some of that silver from her.

But now they were saying that working outside the home was too hard. Only then did Zhou Fang realize something was wrong—it turned out her parents had never intended to call off the engagement from the moment they arrived!

If they’d intended to call off the engagement, why hadn’t they brought the silver and cloth with them? And why hadn’t her father stayed on Jinshui Street, choosing instead to stay at an inn this far away? By the time Zhou Fang realized this, it was already too late.

Zhou Er was a sly old fox. When Zhou Fang said she wanted to go out in the middle of their conversation, he saw right through her, and that’s why she couldn’t slip away.

Hu Caiyun was still sitting by the bed, trying to comfort her: “Fang, this is for your own good. The Huang family are officials—high-ranking officials at that. If you go there, you’ll live the high life. Surely you don’t want to spend your whole life as a peasant in the countryside like your mother?”

Zhou Fang turned her head away, refusing to listen. Back when Zhou Youcheng was heading off to take the imperial exams, her mother had asked her for the two liang of silver her eldest uncle had given her. When she refused, she ran out shouting that her parents were trying to sell their daughter—little did she know those words would turn out to be a prophecy. Now her parents were actually going to sell her—and for a hefty price at that!

Her entire family was pushing her into the fire just to secure a better future for themselves. Now, the only ones who could save her were her eldest uncle’s family. Tied to the bed and unable to move, Zhou Fang clenched her teeth so hard she felt as if she might shatter them.

Zhou Er also tried to persuade her: “When you were little, a blind fortune-teller read your fortune and said you were destined for wealth and honor. I thought he was joking, but it turns out he was right. My daughter, this is your fate.”

“That’s right, that’s right. What’s so great about marrying into the countryside? Having kids and spending your whole life with your face in the dirt and your back to the sky—who wouldn’t want to live a life of wealth and privilege? Once you’re married into the Huang family, you’ll see how good they are.”

Although Hu Caiyun felt sorry for her daughter, she couldn’t bear to give up the wealth and prestige that were within her grasp. After all, this was the family of a government official—how could ordinary folk like them ever hope to associate with such a family?

Zhou Youcheng clutched his aching hand; that little brat had bitten down hard, leaving his hand covered in blood. “So many people would kill to have a match like this, yet they can’t get it. What more do you want?”

Zhou Youcheng instructed Zhou Er and another man to keep an eye on her, then headed back to the academy. Now that the two families had agreed to the marriage, he just needed to smooth things over a bit—his position at Bailu Academy would be secure.

As soon as Zhou Youcheng returned to the academy, he sought out Huang Dan. Huang Dan was now doing his best to avoid him; as soon as he saw Zhou Youcheng approaching, he tried to run away, but Zhou Youcheng stopped him. “Brother Huang, if your family is still willing, my parents have arrived. We’ll have a palanquin ready to carry them over tomorrow—my sister is willing.”

Huang Dan waved his hands frantically. “Now that everyone knows about this, how can we possibly get married? I’ll go back and tell my mother—this match is off, it’s off.”

Huang Dan hurried away. Zhou Youcheng let out a sigh, “Brother Huang!”

Zhou Youcheng gritted his teeth—how could this sure thing slip through his fingers! Refusing to give up, he went with his father to the Huang household. As soon as the matriarch of the Huang family heard her eldest son say the marriage wouldn’t go through, she was so furious she slammed her hand on the table. “Who says it’s off? It’s happening!”

Zhou Youcheng breathed a sigh of relief. The Huang family’s willingness to proceed with the marriage stemmed from their approval of his younger sister’s birth chart; the fortune-teller had predicted that if Sister Fang were to marry into the Huang family, the second young master’s illness would surely be cured. Although a commotion had broken out, the Huang family did not bring up the matter of calling off the engagement.

The Huang family gave some more gold and silver and decided on the spot to have her carried over the very next day to bring good luck to their second son. As for Zhou Youcheng’s education, the Huang family would naturally take care of it; they assured him that once he returned, he could resume his studies, and they would speak to the Chancellor on his behalf.

When Zhou Er returned, he had gold and silver tucked into his robe and a bundle slung over his shoulder. Hu Caiyun took the bundle from him. “What did you buy with this?” 

“It’s the wedding gown the Huang family sent. The wedding is tomorrow.”

“Oh, so soon?” 

“The longer we wait, the more complications arise.”

Zhou Fang’s heart sank as she listened. Her parents were determined to push her into the fire!

Zhou Fang let out a couple of muffled sounds. Hu Caiyun came over to ask her what was wrong. Zhou Fang tilted her head toward the table. After all, she was her own flesh and blood, so Hu Caiyun hesitated for a moment before saying, “Don’t cry, and I’ll pour you some water.”