While Lin He’s household was busy with these matters, trouble brewed once more over at the He family’s place. One afternoon, as Huang Shi and the two little ones were playing in the courtyard, and everyone was amusing themselves with the boys, a maid rushed in to announce that someone had arrived at the He residence to propose marriage; the matchmaker was already inside the house.

Lin He and Huang Shi were initially puzzled. Wasn’t Yu’er still unmarried? How could someone be proposing marriage today? Lin He suddenly recalled what her little sister-in-law had mentioned about that scholar, and she turned to Huang Shi, saying, “Mother, Eldest Aunt isn’t going to ignore Grandma’s wishes and try to marry Yu’er off to that scholar, is she?”

Upon hearing this, Huang Shi’s heart skipped a beat. She thought about the conversation she’d had with Er Niu yesterday about this matter and wondered if Er Niu had spoken to Da Jiang. If he had, it would be better, but if he hadn't, Huang Shi felt a pang of guilt. He’er’s guess was likely correct; otherwise, why would a proposal come so swiftly? If it truly was that scholar proposing, the family would descend into chaos again. Zhao Shi would surely object. But if He Shi insisted, it would only be Yu’er who suffered the consequences.

Huang Shi called for a maid, instructing her to sneak over to the He residence to gather intelligence—to find out what was truly happening. If the report of a proposal was confirmed, she was to return immediately. Little did she know, the maid ran right into Zhao Shi halfway there. Zhao Shi was rushing towards Huang Shi’s house, exclaiming, “Second daughter-in-law, send someone to fetch Er Niu and Da Jiang back, and call Hongxia and the others too. I want to see if this He Shi thinks she can turn the world upside down, actually letting people come to propose marriage!”

Hearing this, Huang Shi handed the children over to Lin He and the others to watch and accompanied Zhao Shi. The houses weren't far apart, so the group moved quickly. Before long, they arrived at the He residence. Upon entering He Shi’s courtyard, they indeed saw several items laid out, and hearty laughter echoed from inside the room, along with the voices of several other people.

Zhao Shi’s expression grew sour. Entering the room, she saw several women seated, chatting and laughing. Seeing Zhao Shi and her party arrive, He Shi’s face flickered, but she quickly stood up, calling out, “Mother, Second Sister-in-law, you’ve arrived. Come in and sit.”

A woman resembling a matchmaker stood up in the center and said with a smile, “Oh, Aunt Lin and Er Niu’s wife have arrived. Come, come in and sit with us.” This matchmaker was from Lin Village, someone they all knew. Seeing them arrive, she gestured them in.

She then reached out to help Zhao Shi sit down. After all, there were outsiders present, so Zhao Shi couldn’t directly rebuke He Shi, and she took the opportunity to sit, saying, “Such high spirits. What are you all discussing? And which aunties are you? I don’t recall meeting you before?”

Besides He Shi and the matchmaker in the room were two other women: the mother of the prospective groom and his aunt. Hearing Zhao Shi’s words, the women looked a bit perplexed. It seemed as if the grandmother knew nothing about this proposal that was supposedly taking place today. They had assumed the grandmother had come specifically because of this matter. Fortunately, the matchmaker, noticing the slightly stiff atmosphere in the room, smiled and said, “Aunt Lin, you must be too busy for words. Today is your Yu’er’s auspicious day; you’ve forgotten! Come, look, this is Yu’er’s future mother-in-law, and this is her aunt.”

The matchmaker pointed to the two women seated across the table. Neither of them stood up to greet the newcomers, merely pursing their lips in slight smiles. Zhao Shi was already unwilling to consent to this match, and hearing the matchmaker speak like that, she cut in, “When was this engagement settled? How come I know nothing about it? Da Jiang isn't even home. Have the rules for proposing marriage changed? Do they propose without even needing the child’s father present? Is it settled if only you, He Shi, agree to it?”

Zhao Shi was displeased, and naturally, her words were sharp. Hearing Zhao Shi’s tone, the two women’s faces immediately darkened. They thought to themselves, How can this family be so ill-mannered, speaking like this in front of guests? He Shi was also slightly annoyed, but she quickly replied, “The child’s father will be back shortly. I’ve already sent someone to fetch him.”

“That’s right, we sent someone to call him. The three of us ladies are just chatting here,” the matchmaker interjected, smoothing things over.

In truth, at this stage, although one could theoretically retract the proposal, there was practically no room for backing out. The arrival for the formal proposal indicated that previous meetings and interviews had already concluded; this step was just to finalize matters further.

Although Zhao Shi was reluctant, it was still her granddaughter's supposed happy occasion, so she couldn't afford to be overly aggressive, and she sat down with a stern face. After Zhao Shi arrived, the atmosphere in the room lost its earlier lightness. After a period of silence, the matchmaker finally spoke, “Aunt Lin, the young man we are here to propose for has the surname Zhao, and his name is Zhao Yu. The Zhao family’s circumstances are quite excellent in our ten-mile radius. Although the young master Zhao’s father passed away several years ago, and the household relies entirely on Aunt Zhao managing everything, their wealth is far superior to that of ordinary families. Your Yu’er will truly be blessed to marry into their home.”

Following this, the matchmaker launched into a long, rambling speech, detailing how prosperous the Zhao family was, how Zhao Yu was a scholar who might become an official, and how capable Yu’er’s prospective mother-in-law, Aunt Zhao, was—all praises of this nature.

Zhao Shi listened to the matchmaker without immediately commenting, only saying, “Matchmaker Lin, the child’s father hasn’t returned yet, and this marriage isn't settled. You keep calling her 'mother-in-law'; isn't that a bit improper?”

The matchmaker remained silent upon hearing Zhao Shi’s words, but Zhao Yu’s mother, seated nearby, spoke up. “Aunt Lin, is it? We arrived early this morning, clearly showing our sincerity to finalize this marriage. While our family may not be quite as grand as the matchmaker described, we are certainly better off than most. No matter who marries into our home, they will live well. I sense from your tone that you might be dissatisfied, Aunt. Are you unhappy with this proposed match?”

Hearing Zhao Yu’s mother speak, He Shi inwardly chafed at her mother-in-law. She had known Grandma wouldn't agree to this match, which was why she had kept the previous two meetings secret from Zhao Shi. She hadn’t expected her mother-in-law to show up today.

He Shi’s original plan was that since the groom's family was making the formal proposal today, only the parents needed to be present according to custom. In fact, all the specifics had been settled during the prior meetings; today was merely a formality. He Shi had told Da Jiang that Hongxia had arranged for a matchmaker for this marriage, and that Grandma and the others knew and had agreed to it. Furthermore, He Shi had exaggerated to Da Jiang how wonderful the young man and his family were. Da Jiang, being a man primarily concerned with other matters, hadn't asked many questions. Hearing that his wife said his mother and the others agreed, and that Hongxia arranged it, he figured it couldn't be bad and consented without further ado.