When Zhang Laotai saw that Lin Yu clearly didn’t want to entertain her, her face cooled, and she got up to leave.

She had thought she was doing Zhao Yueniang a favor, but Lin Yu actually looked down on her family? He was merely a countryman renting a shop to do business, while her family had been running a sesame oil shop in town for two generations already. Their courtyard and shop were ancestral property. What right did Lin Yu have to look down on them?

Normally, Zhang Laotai had never dared to offend Lin Yu, only because Lin Yu ran a bun shop and often came to her house to buy sesame oil. Naturally, she hadn’t dared to offend him.

Zhang Laotai returned home with an unhappy face. In the courtyard, the eldest daughter-in-law was coaxing a child. Feeling annoyed, Zhang Laotai scolded, “She’s not even crying, what are you holding her for? Can’t you see how much housework there is left to do?”

Her shout startled the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, who immediately began crying and wouldn’t stop. The eldest daughter-in-law hurriedly carried the baby aside.

From her mother-in-law’s expression, she could tell that she must have hit a wall at Lin Fulang’s place. How could she not guess the reason?

It was nothing but jealousy — jealous of how well the bun shop was doing. She wanted her second son to marry that ger’s younger sister because she thought Lin Yu would surely teach his sister how to make bun fillings. Then, when her second son married her, their family could open a bun shop too.

Zhang Laotai was still fuming. She had thought that marrying a country girl into her family would be an easy matter. Who knew Lin Yu would be so ungrateful? Hmph, if it weren’t for the bun-making skills, she wouldn’t even consider letting her second son marry a country girl.

Her second son had even studied for a few years, and their family was from the town — what kind of girl couldn’t they find?

Lin Yu, supported by Madam Wu, went back into the house. Madam Wu didn’t know what Zhang Laotai and Lin Yu had talked about; she had been busy rolling out dough and making buns just now.

“Lin Fulang, don’t mind her.”

“Mm, I know. Madam Wu, chop those wild vegetables and feed them to the livestock.”

“Alright.”

When Madam Wu took the wild vegetables and looked at them, she frowned — what was this? A handful of greens, all wilted. How could someone even have the nerve to bring this over as a gift? Madam Wu chopped them up and threw them into the chicken coop.

At noon, while resting in the house, Lin Yu told Wei Qingshan about what had happened. Lin Yu was a bit unhappy. “I don’t care whether her family is rich or dressed in silks and satin — with a family like hers, no one who marries into it will have a good life. And she even dares to set her sights on Yueniang? Hmph.”

“Don’t bother with her. Why waste your temper on that kind of person?”

“I’m not angry at her, it’s just that she keeps implying that her family are town folk and looks down on us for being country bumpkins. Who would even look up to her family?”

His little Fulang was puffing his cheeks in anger. Wei Qingshan had a faint smile at the corners of his lips — his little Fulang had such a good temper and rarely got angry, but when he did, his pouting and sulking look was truly adorable.

Wei Qingshan gave a soft hum. “Yueniang is still young. You can take your time to choose.”

“I must find a good one for Yueniang. I don’t care if they’re from the countryside or the town — as long as the family gets along and they don’t have to worry about food or clothing, that’s enough.”

“All right, rest for a while. There’s nothing much to do this afternoon. I’ll go to the silver shop later and pick up the longevity lock.”

Lin Yu immediately brightened up. “It’s already finished so soon?”

“Mm, the shop clerk came this morning to tell me.”

“Then go quickly and bring it back, I want to see what it looks like.”

“Go sleep for a bit first. By the time you wake up, I’ll be back.”

Lin Yu nodded repeatedly, no longer thinking about Zhang Laotai’s matter. The baby would be born in another month, and when that little one came, their home would be even livelier.

Since Lin Yu was already heavily pregnant, he often grew sleepy. He had intended to wait for Wei Qingshan to return so he could see what the silver lock looked like, but after lying down on the bed for just a short while, he fell asleep.

From the courtyard came the sound of Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu talking. After his nap, Lin Yu felt much more refreshed. When he opened his eyes, he saw a small red cloth pouch beside his pillow.

He hurriedly opened it, and sure enough, inside was a small silver lock. Wei Qingshan had had a longevity lock made, engraved with a “blessing” character and a fish pattern. Below hung a row of small bells, and it was tied with a red string, looking very lovely.

Inside the red cloth were also a pair of small silver bracelets, each with little bells attached. Lin Yu held them up and shook them, the tiny bells giving off a crisp sound. Lin Yu was delighted — he had thought Wei Qingshan had only ordered the longevity lock, but hadn’t expected there to be a pair of silver bracelets too.

Hearing movement inside the room, Wei Qingshan walked in. “You’re awake.”

“There are little silver bracelets too — they’re so pretty.”

“They’re for the little one, for peace and safety.”

“The little one isn’t even born yet, and you’re already being such a good father. What if the child turns out to be mischievous in the future?”

“If I can’t bear to discipline him, then I’ll leave it to you, the little father, to teach him.”

The silver lock and bracelets were exquisitely made and must have cost quite a bit of silver. Country children rarely had silver locks or bracelets when they were born. Lin Yu carefully put them away. The baby hadn’t even been born yet, and Wei Qingshan was already spoiling him like this. In the future, with the two of them together, their child would certainly not suffer.

Lin Yu now couldn’t wait for the little one to be born. He wanted to see what the child would look like. He had held Dong-ger’s baby before — children were soft and warm, utterly lovable. He wondered whether his baby would be a little Fulang or a little boy.

Lin Yu thought that since he had rejected Zhang Laotai, she would give up that idea, but unexpectedly, she was still scheming about Zhao Yueniang.

His family was busy in the mornings, so buying vegetables and such was left to Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu, who would go out in the afternoons. That day, the two went to the market to buy vegetables.

At the market, they ran into Zhang Laotai, who was buying needles and thread. Zhang Laotai warmly took Zhao Yueniang’s hand. “Yueniang, out buying vegetables, are you? I just bought some malt sugar. Here, take a piece to eat.”

Zhao Yueniang, unable to refuse, accepted it. She was a little puzzled — her family and the Zhangs weren’t particularly close, so why was Zhang Laotai suddenly being so warm? Holding the malt sugar in her hand, she didn’t eat it and simply put it in her vegetable basket.

If this had been back when she was still living in Dali Village, if someone had given her a bit of malt sugar, she would have been overjoyed, hiding it away and reluctant to eat it.

But ever since she began living with her brother, their household had never been short of malt sugar, fruits, or pastries. Her brother’s husband even bought fresh pears and sweet melons for them. Their family didn’t lack good food.

Shi Xiaoliu thought something was off seeing Zhang Laotai act so eagerly. Zhang Laotai was notoriously stingy — how could she be generous enough to give malt sugar to an outsider? She probably wouldn’t even let her own granddaughter have a bite. Offering kindness without cause was either treachery or theft.

The two of them bought vegetables and went home together. Shi Xiaoliu thought it best to tell Lin Ama. As soon as they returned, he told Lin Yu, “Lin Ama, when Yue-jie and I went to buy vegetables just now, Zhang Laotai gave Yue-jie a piece of malt sugar.”

Zhao Yueniang set the vegetable basket down. “Why did she give me malt sugar? Xiaoliu was right there, too, but she only gave one piece.”

Lin Yu’s face darkened. “Yueniang, from now on, if Zhang Laotai gives you anything, don’t take it.”

“I know, Brother. Our family doesn’t lack food. Zhang Laotai insisted on shoving it into my hand.”

Later, whenever Zhao Yueniang passed by the sesame oil shop, Zhang Laotai would still try to call her over to sit for a bit. Zhao Yueniang said she was going to buy vegetables, but didn’t go. Shi Xiaoliu pulled Zhao Yueniang away quickly.

Zhang Laotai tried to cozy up to Zhao Yueniang, but Zhao Yueniang kept ignoring her. Zhang Laotai couldn’t save face, but if she hadn’t been eyeing the bun shop next door, she would never have humbled herself before a country girl.

After marrying Zhao Yueniang, her family would also be able to open a bun shop. They could just rent a shopfront for the second son; there was no need to buy any shop or house. Daring to treat her like that — once Zhao Yueniang married into their family, wouldn’t she be completely at their mercy? She was just a little girl after all.

Shi Xiaoliu pulled Zhao Yueniang along and left. “Yue-jie, that old woman seems to have bad intentions. From now on, I’ll just go out to buy vegetables by myself.”

“It’s fine. I can’t just stay inside because of her. We’ll just avoid passing by her house and take the back street instead.”

Zhang Laotai called over her second son. Zhang Erhe came over. “Ma, what is it?”

“What do you think of Zhao Yueniang from the bun shop next door?”

“She’s pretty nice.”

“I think so too. Her family also has good skills. If you’re willing, I’ll help you match with her. If you two get together, you can open a bun shop in town in the future.”

Zhang Erhe’s face turned a little red. He had seen Zhao Yueniang before. The young girl was quite nice, gentle, and soft-spoken.

“Don’t just stand there being silly. Go talk to her when you have time. If there’s something you can give her, give it.”

“Ma, that’s not proper. She’s an unmarried girl; if people talk, her reputation will suffer.”

Zhang Laotai glared at him. “You really are stupid. Who cares about her reputation? As long as you like her, that’s all that matters. Isn’t our family better than hers? Zhao Yueniang has no father or mother, and Lin Fulang is only her cousin. Even if she wants to get married, could he really decide for her?”

Zhang Laotai’s abacus was clattering in her mind. She had heard that Zhao Yueniang earned wages for working in the bun shop. If she married into their family and brought her skills with her, perhaps she could even save the rent for opening a bun shop. And since Zhao Yueniang had no parents, she would be easier to control.

Knowing that Zhao Yueniang came out to buy vegetables every few days, Zhang Laotai told Zhang Erhe to go to the street to talk to her. Zhang Erhe had quite a good impression of Zhao Yueniang, so he did as his mother said.

He happened to meet Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu carrying vegetable baskets, so he went over and offered to help them carry the baskets. The two — one being a woman and the other a ger — were startled by the sudden appearance of Zhang Erhe. Shi Xiaoliu immediately shouted at him, “What are you doing!?”

Zhang Erhe waved his hands quickly. “No, no, I just wanted to help you carry your baskets.”

“As if we need you to.” Shi Xiaoliu pulled Zhao Yueniang away. Zhao Yueniang was quite frightened; anyone would be scared if they were suddenly stopped on the street like that.

When they got home, they told Wei Qingshan and Lin Yu what had happened. This time, Lin Yu was truly angry. “If we run out of sesame oil, just buy it elsewhere. It’s fine to go a bit farther.”

The bun shop of Lin Yu’s family had always bought sesame oil from Zhang Laotai’s oil shop all year round, but from now on, they would no longer buy from her. Zhao Yueniang was just a young woman, and Zhang Laotai’s second son actually blocked her on the street. What would people think if they saw that? What would happen to Yueniang’s reputation?

Wei Qingshan comforted Lin Yu not to get angry. “In a few days, we’ll go back to the countryside. Just take Yueniang with us.”

Originally, they had planned to wait until Lin Yu was close to giving birth before taking Zhao Yueniang back with them. Once Lin Yu returned home, Sang Niang would take care of her, and since the shop would be busy, there was no rush to bring Zhao Yueniang back. But since the Zhang family had behaved this way, it was better for everyone to leave together and avoid the gossip.

Lin Yu nodded. “Mm, that Zhang family is truly despicable.”

The first couple of times Zhang Laotai had been overly friendly, Zhao Yueniang hadn’t known why. But later she realized that the woman had set her sights on her, wanting her to marry into their family. Zhao Yueniang knew about the Zhang family — even the eldest daughter-in-law was tormented by Zhang Laotai. That was no good household. She looked down on them. She would rather marry into a peaceful village family than covet some so-called town family.

When they went to buy vegetables again, Lin Yu had Shunzi accompany Shi Xiaoliu. Shi Xiaoliu was a ger, and if they ran into Zhang Erhe again, Shunzi could help to step in.

Sure enough, that day when Shi Xiaoliu went to buy vegetables, he ran into Zhang Erhe again. This time, he didn’t see Zhao Yueniang, only Shi Xiaoliu, and ran over to ask, “Shi Xiaoliu, didn’t Yueniang come out with you today?”

Shunzi stepped between them. “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know to keep your distance from unmarried women and gers?”

Though Shunzi was a bit thin, he was still a man. Zhang Erhe’s face turned red and pale alternately after being scolded by him. “I just wanted to see Yueniang.”

Shi Xiaoliu wasn’t polite either. “What kind of person are you? Blocking people on the street like that, no manners at all. If you dare to do it again, just see if Uncle Wei won’t come knocking at your door, hmph.”

Shi Xiaoliu scolded Zhang Erhe a few times before leaving. Really, now, he had never seen such a family that would do something like that.

Zhang Erhe returned home dejectedly and told Zhang Laotai that it didn’t work out.

Zhang Laotai snorted. “She looks down on our family, does she? What kind of people does she think she can find in town? She’s just a peasant girl from the countryside, an orphan one at that, and yet she dares to be so picky.”

Zhang Erhe lowered his head. “Ma, maybe we should just forget it. There are plenty of women and gers in town. Zhao Yueniang may be good, but it’s not as if she’s the only one.”

Zhang Laotai glared at him. “What do you know? Zhao Yueniang definitely knows the bun-making craft. Her family has been running that shop for so long — do you think Lin Yu wouldn’t have taught her? If you marry her, she’ll bring some silver with her, and the two of you can open your own bun shop in town. Are you stupid or what?”

Zhang Dahe’s wife was inside, coaxing the child, and sighed softly when she heard her mother-in-law say that. This mother-in-law of hers wanted to calculate and squeeze others until there was nothing left.

Zhang Laotai thought for a while and continued, “You keep waiting on the street for Zhao Yueniang. I’ll spread the word around town that you’re deeply in love with her and that the two of you are mutually devoted. Hmph, I’ll see who dares to propose to her then.”

Zhang Dahe’s wife was frightened when she heard that. Her mother-in-law had actually come up with such a malicious idea. If they truly did this, it would become difficult for Yueniang to find another match in town.

The eldest daughter-in-law called her own eldest daughter over and told her to sneak over to the bun shop and tell them what Zhang Laotai had just said.

The eldest daughter of the Zhang family was already three or four years old. The eldest daughter-in-law had told her several times not to tell anyone else, and the little girl, being quite clever, nodded repeatedly and then ran off to play.

She ran to the back door of the bun shop and knocked. When someone inside asked who it was, she didn’t say anything. When Shi Xiaoliu opened the door, she darted inside like a little streak of smoke.