"Grandmother, it’s not that I'm unwilling to help Sister Yu'er find someone, but truly, there aren't any suitable candidates in town. I feel a marriage is a lifelong matter, and what truly matters is whether Sister Yu'er will live well afterward; whether the person is from town is not so important," Lin He remarked.

"Yes, Mother, you're just like Big Sister-in-law. Why insist on marrying into town? People in town aren't necessarily all rich. Look at my second brother's family; they live in the countryside, yet their home is no worse than anyone else's—they have everything they need. How nice," Hongxia said, referring to Madam Zhao.

"Hongxia, what you’re saying about my home—it’s nowhere near that good; we certainly don't have everything. My Da Bao still hasn't found a suitable girl. Da Bao is only a few months older than Yu'er, and I’m already worried," Madam Huang said, her brow furrowed.

Hongxia smiled and replied, "Big Sister-in-law, why worry? Da Bao is a boy, and besides, Da Bao is the one who doesn't want to look. If Da Bao wanted to search, girls from ten li around would line up at our door. Who wouldn't want to marry into your family? She’d get to live the life of a young mistress."

Hearing Da Bao mentioned, Madam Zhao also smiled broadly and said, "Yes, I'm not worried about my Da Bao finding a wife. Da Bao has looks and his family standing is better than average. I’m genuinely worried he’ll become too picky with so many options. Besides, it’s fine for a boy to marry a bit later; it’s Yu'er that worries me."

Madam Huang, hearing Madam Zhao bring up Yu'er again, knew Madam Zhao was genuinely concerned for her, but Yu'er’s marriage was a delicate topic for them to discuss. If they said the wrong thing, He Shi might come around causing trouble again. Madam Huang just sighed along with Madam Zhao and remained silent.

Suddenly, Hongxia blurted out, "Mother, actually, I might have a candidate in mind, I just don't know if it’s suitable."

"You have someone in mind and didn't say sooner? Quick, tell us, what kind of family is it?" Madam Zhao asked anxiously.

"This young man is of an appropriate age for Yu'er, but he’s not from town. I was afraid Big Sister-in-law wouldn't approve, so I hesitated to mention it," Hongxia said hesitantly.

"Aunt, why don't you tell us? As long as the person is good, the rest shouldn't matter too much." Lin He felt that Hongxia discussing Yu'er's marriage might be better than their own attempts, as Hongxia was, after all, Yu'er's aunt.

"Yes, Hongxia, tell us. If it works out, I'll speak to the eldest daughter-in-law and say I was the one who arranged it," Madam Zhao offered.

Hearing her mother, Hongxia lost some of her hesitation and began to speak: "It’s like this: when I was at Da Fa's house before, I had a close friend in the same village. She came to visit me a few days ago and mentioned she has a distant relative. Their village isn't far from here, and their family’s circumstances are passable; they own some land. They don't have many family members, just this one son. The young man is a xiucai [scholar] and still intends to continue his studies. However, the difficult part is that the young man’s father passed away several years ago, and he lives only with his mother. Because there is no father in the house, the boy's mother has become rather selective, insisting on finding a girl who is good-looking and capable of managing a household. Because of this, many otherwise suitable girls have been turned away by the boy's mother. She has looked at so many people, but none were acceptable, as the rumor is that a wife married in there will have a difficult life. Because of this, the young man is already nineteen this year and still unmarried."

Madam Zhao fell silent after hearing Hongxia’s description. Although the family's situation was decent and they had some land, this young man was a scholar—he probably wouldn't be skilled at farm work. Furthermore, there was no father-in-law; if Yu'er married in, she would definitely have to manage the household alone. Moreover, the young man himself was a xiucai; logically, finding a wife shouldn't be an issue. The fact that he remained unmarried at this age was due to his overly critical mother. A mother-in-law like that meant the daughter-in-law’s life would surely be tough.

Lin He, listening nearby, felt this match was highly inappropriate. Lin He didn't necessarily think Yu'er would suffer from hardship, but rather because of the mother-in-law. Since the young man was a scholar, the mother likely ran the household now. With no other children, the boy's mother would certainly pour all her focus and energy into him alone. Furthermore, mothers in such families often possess a very strong sense of possession over their sons. Lin He always felt such families were the most difficult to coexist with. And since the young man was a scholar while Yu'er was just an ordinary village girl, Lin He worried about how the mother-in-law would view her.

Lin He observed her grandmother's expression, which seemed to indicate disapproval too. As expected, it wasn't long before Madam Zhao spoke up: "Hongxia, I think this is inappropriate. Scholars have high expectations, and our Yu'er might not be able to reach that level. Besides, Yu'er might not be able to endure that kind of hardship. Although Yu'er is a child from a farming family, her mother never made her do much farm work from a young age. While this young man’s family conditions are decent, he and Yu'er aren't a good match."

Hearing Madam Zhao, Hongxia nodded and replied, "Yes, Mother is right. I didn't consider things thoroughly. I just mentioned it casually. If this one doesn't work, we'll look for others."

"What 'others'? What are you all talking about? Are you discussing my Yu'er’s marriage?" Before Hongxia could finish, He Shi’s voice drifted in.

Moreover, He Shi had a smile plastered on her face, as if some good news had arrived. When He Shi came in, those in the courtyard didn't show any particular displeasure. The maid beside Lin He brought a stool over for He Shi to sit.

"Mother, what were you just discussing? I thought I heard someone mention a young man with good prospects, something about Yu'er. Do you perhaps have a suitable person to introduce to our Yu'er?" He Shi asked, fixing her gaze on Madam Zhao.

It seemed He Shi had overheard their conversation. Madam Zhao replied, "Yes, there is such a person, introduced by Hongxia's old friend. But I didn't think it was suitable, so let's not discuss it further."

Hearing this, He Shi turned to Hongxia and asked, "Hongxia, what's the situation? Tell me about it."

Hongxia glanced at Madam Zhao; seeing no particular signal from her, Hongxia recounted the young man's family situation. Madam Huang and the others didn't pay much mind, assuming that given He Shi's high standards, she surely wouldn't agree either. But unexpectedly, after hearing Hongxia, He Shi seemed highly intrigued and asked, "Hongxia, you said this young man is a xiucai and is still studying? He has some land, and no other brothers or sisters, just him, correct?"

Hongxia nodded hesitantly. Lin He noticed a glint in He Shi's eyes and felt a sudden jolt in her heart. Not good, she thought, it seems this He Shi has a completely different perspective from us. The things we see as flaws, she sees as advantages. They had forgotten that He Shi was not like ordinary people.

Presumably, Madam Zhao also noticed He Shi’s reaction and said, "Eldest Daughter-in-law, don't let the bit of land they own cloud your judgment. A family like that is difficult to deal with."

"Mother, what are you saying? How could I be so short-sighted?" He Shi replied with a smile.