Lin He knew her mother was blaming herself again over Yu’er’s marriage. Looking back, her father bore some responsibility too; if he had spoken to their elder uncle sooner, the uncle wouldn't have so readily believed their elder aunt’s words. Now that Yu’er was suffering, her parents must not be feeling well either.

But in truth, the greatest fault lay with the He family. Now that the He family was so anxious over Yu’er, they had brought it upon themselves. However, the most innocent party was Yu’er. Looking at the Zhao family’s current situation, what the grandmother had said was likely correct; Yu’er’s life would probably only grow harder.

“Mother, blaming yourself now is useless. Sister Yu’er is already married, and there’s no changing it. Don’t dwell on it too much. If Sister Yu’er needs our help in the future, we should offer what we can,” Lin He advised.

“Yes, daughter speaks the truth. Don’t think about it,” Er Niu chimed in to persuade her.

Huang Shi nodded, gazing into the distance. After a moment, she spoke again, “He’er, what are you planning to do about you and the Second Young Master? Have his parents agreed to this matter? I cannot let you walk down Yu’er’s old path again.”

“What are you saying, woman? How could He’er follow Yu’er’s old path? Boss Wen is not like Zhao Yu’s mother, and the Second Young Master is not like Zhao Yu. Why compare He’er and Yu’er?” Er Niu said with some disapproval.

“They are different, but people from grand households are often harder to deal with. I truly worry for He’er. Sometimes I think our family doesn't covet other people’s wealth; it would be better to marry both our daughters off nearby so I can see them whenever I wish. Once married into a grand house, I fear I won’t even see my daughters,” Huang Shi suddenly grew sentimental.

“Mother, why worry so much? We’ll deal with future matters when they come. I am still young; there is no rush with this,” Lin He replied.

“Yes, no rush, no rush.” Huang Shi muttered to herself, clearly lost in thought. Lin He let them be and called the maids to set the table for dinner.

After the family finished eating, He’er went to check on the family’s ointment workshop. Now, Uncle Wen required increasingly large supplies, and the household staff was basically working full shifts every day. Usually, Lin He only made occasional visits to the ointment workshop and rarely participated in the mixing herself anymore. Moreover, the range of products was substantial enough; if she wanted to research something new, there was no space for it right now. Lin He herself felt the need to rest. For the past few years, Lin He had been constantly busy, either managing the family’s ointment workshop or the pastry shop, leaving little time for relaxation. Now that these family enterprises had stabilized their scale, Lin He wanted to take a break first.

Lin He sat down to rest beneath a tree in the small courtyard near her own wing room. It was around the fifth or sixth month, and the weather wasn’t too hot yet, making sitting under the tree the coolest spot. Because Lin He’s home was very large, the courtyards were divided into distinct sections. In the courtyard by the main hall, the family members usually gathered to chat when they had nothing else to do, and the maids sat there doing embroidery or similar needlework. There were also small sections partitioned off to store some of the family’s harvested crops, like dried corn cobs. The main rear courtyard was generally used by the maids from the ointment workshop. Additionally, there were several quieter side courtyards that usually remained empty. Seeing that they served no real purpose, Lin He had planted some flowers and set out a small stone table, stools, and a few chairs under the trees for when she desired solitude.

While Lin He was sitting under the tree, she heard voices from the main courtyard: “Zihuan, where is your young mistress?”

Lin He sent Ziyu, who was nearby, to check who it was. Ziyu returned, reporting that it was Er Gouzi from Uncle Li’s household, looking for the Second Young Mistress to play. Lin He then recalled the sound of Er Gouzi’s voice. Er Gouzi was one year older than Chen’er but one year younger than Lin He. They often played at Lin He’s house when they were small, but for the past couple of years, he had been learning a trade with Uncle Li and visited less frequently. It was surprising that he had come today, but since he was looking for Chen’er, Lin He didn’t get up.

However, Lin He could hear their conversation from her courtyard. Presumably, Zihuan had fetched Chen’er. Chen’er asked cheerfully, “Er Gouzi, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be working with Uncle Li?”

“Dad said today is a rest day, and there’s nowhere to put the things we finished making, so everyone is resting for a day,” Er Gouzi’s voice replied.

“Is working with your father very busy? Why don’t you come to our house to play anymore? Xiao Bao said he hasn’t seen you in ages; if you don’t come soon, Xiao Bao will almost forget you.”

“Where is Xiao Bao? Isn’t he back from school yet? I haven’t seen Xiao Bao in a long time either. Why don’t you come to my house to play?”

“My sister said you have a lot of work to do at home, and she won’t let us come over and bother you; she said we shouldn't just drop by.”

“Oh, it’s actually fine.”

As they spoke, their voices lowered, discussing only the trivial matters of children. After chatting for a while, it seemed Er Gouzi was preparing to leave. Lin He heard Er Gouzi say, “Chen’er, this is for you. Didn’t you say you wanted a box like this? I stole a piece of wood from my dad to make this myself. This box smells wonderful, and I made it myself.”

“You made this yourself? It’s beautiful, thank you, Er Gouzi.” Chen’er accepted it without ceremony.

From her vantage point, Lin He could see Er Gouzi leaving. As he reached the gate, he couldn’t help but glance back in Chen’er’s direction, his expression clearly showing that seeing her happy made him even happier.

Lin He smiled silently. These two truly were childhood sweethearts. But her sister hadn’t understood romantic feelings yet; she was still like a child. She probably accepted the gift without considering that the boy might have other intentions.

Lin He thought that if Chen’er could end up with Er Gouzi, that would be quite good. Uncle Li and Aunt Xu were good-natured people. Just two years ago, Aunt Xu had given birth to another younger sister for Er Gouzi, who was still small; he was the only son in the family. Over the years, Uncle Li’s family had also built a new house, dedicating the old structure entirely to carpentry work, even hiring help. Their life was getting better and better. Although not as prosperous as Lin He’s family, their circumstances could certainly be considered comfortable. More importantly, Er Gouzi’s entire family was kind; any girl who married into such a family would live comfortably.