Chen’er picked up the clothes she had made, looked at them, and set them down with a sigh of disappointment. In truth, she knew all too well the reality of the situation. Perhaps Eldest Sister was right; it was time for her to grow up, too. Everyone had their own responsibilities to shoulder.

Uncharacteristically, Chen’er spent an entire afternoon confined to her room, pondering these matters. She didn't go out to play. Xiao Bao came by several times to ask her out, but she refused. After thinking deeply all afternoon, she finally reached a resolution. She walked out of her room and told Lin He, "Eldest Sister, I’ve made up my mind. From now on, I will set aside two shichen every day to learn what you want me to learn. I might not master it quickly, but I promise to put my whole heart into it."

Lin He looked at Chen’er and nodded with a smile, saying that Chen’er had finally grown up. The person happiest about Chen’er’s decision was Mother Huang. Among the many children in the family, excluding the two youngest, Chen’er was the one she worried about the most. If she had been a boy, it would have been somewhat easier; at least he would remain under her watchful eye, and she could offer support. But being a girl meant she would eventually marry and leave their side. Mother Huang desperately hoped her daughter would be capable and sensible.

Furthermore, today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which made Mother Huang especially joyful. The whole family was gathered, a rare occurrence. Mother Huang directed the maids to prepare a great deal of festive food, announcing they would celebrate properly that evening.

The evening was rare in its liveliness. After dinner, the family gathered in the courtyard to chat. Even Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong were, unusually, not forced to bed early by Mother Huang, instead running around the yard after eating. Lin He also instructed the household maids to clean up the dishes, then dismissed them, saying that since it was a festival, they needn't serve anymore tonight and should rest well.

Only Lin He’s immediate family remained in the courtyard, engaging in casual conversation about everything. Mother Huang, while chatting, brought up Madam Zhou’s situation again, starting, "Once this festival is over tomorrow, Mother fears she will have to address this matter again. Husband, what should we do about this? How should we handle it?"

"Handle what, Mother already said she won't allow Li Ping and Third Brother's wife to be together. Li Ping sent someone to inquire, but nothing is settled; it doesn't count. Even though Mother scolded fiercely, if Third Brother’s wife doesn’t remarry, she’ll drop the matter once things cool down in a few days. Why worry so much?" Er Niu didn't see it as a major issue.

"Husband, I disagree. Firstly, I don't think Mother will let Third Brother's wife off so easily, because this matter involves Hong Xia. Li Ping was originally someone Mother had picked out for Hong Xia. Mother said she had already started preparing things for Hong Xia; to have it turn out like this will likely be difficult. Secondly, I think Li Ping is a fine person, as you all say. If he’s good enough for Hong Xia, why isn't he good enough for Third Brother’s wife? Although Third Brother’s wife isn't your sister, she has been part of our family for so many years; she is practically kin. We wish her well, too. Do all of you intend to keep her here in the Lin family for her entire life? That seems excessive," Mother Huang voiced her true thoughts.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Should we just go to Mother and say, let's just push for Li Ping and Third Brother’s wife to get together? You need to think—if we dared suggest that, Mother would probably blame us too," Er Niu retorted.

Hearing Er Niu, Mother Huang fell silent. Though she disagreed with his sentiment, she had to admit his words held weight. At this moment, if anyone in the family spoke up, they would incur the wrath of the matriarch. Even defending Zhou Shi would earn the matriarch's enmity, and no one dared challenge her authority.

Lin He watched her parents, about to speak, when Da Bao interrupted, "Father, I don't think we should handle it this way. Grandmother is being too overbearing. Setting aside whether Third Sister-in-law initiated this or not, even if she and Li Ping genuinely desired to be together, we have no right to object. Does Grandmother intend to keep Third Sister-in-law at home for a while? For her whole life? They are both women. If our little aunt can remarry, so can Third Sister-in-law. If you find it difficult to speak up, I will do so when Grandmother causes a scene tomorrow."

Er Niu looked at Da Bao and said, "But what about your Third Uncle..."

"What about Third Uncle? Hasn't Third Uncle been dead for a long time? Since he’s gone, why should we still worry about him?" Da Bao spoke with hidden meaning.

Naturally, only Er Niu and Lin He understood the true implications of the statement, though others grasped the general meaning, albeit with a different weight. Er Niu, hearing Da Bao, understood his point and said no more.

Lin He felt Da Bao was absolutely right and voiced her agreement. "Yes, Father, Eldest Brother speaks correctly. If Grandmother causes trouble tomorrow, it will be her fault. If you can't manage it, let Eldest Brother speak. Surely Grandmother won't take her anger out on Eldest Brother? If Grandmother drops the matter, then we'll let it be whatever they choose. However, I do want to ask: what is Little Aunt’s opinion on all this? What has she said?"

"Your Little Aunt, she hasn't seemed to say anything. When we were there yesterday, your Little Aunt didn't utter a single word; it was only your grandmother making a fuss. Now that you mention it, I realize this affects Hong Xia the most. We were so overwhelmed by Grandmother’s outburst yesterday that we forgot to check on how Little Aunt was doing," Mother Huang said with slight frustration.

"Yes, Mother, let's go see Little Aunt tomorrow. If Little Aunt truly intends to remarry, it doesn't necessarily have to be this Li Ping; there are always other suitable people," Lin He suggested.

Mother Huang nodded, agreeing to visit Hong Xia tomorrow, and the topic was concluded. After a pause, Lin He went inside and brought out a box of mooncakes she had brought from the shop, explaining that she reserved this box made at her establishment for the family to taste. Since Lin He had also brought back some unpackaged ones, and they had eaten mooncakes before, it wasn't overly novel, but looking at the mooncake box, Mother Huang gasped in admiration, "This box is so beautiful! The box alone is far prettier than the mooncakes inside."

"Heh heh, Mother, let’s taste these mooncakes. These taste different from the ones we brought back. You try one," Da Bao said with a smile.

There were ten mooncakes in the box; everyone took one. After tasting, Mother Huang commented, "How much do these mooncakes cost? They are much tastier than the loose ones you brought back. The one I'm eating has an egg yolk in it. These must cost a lot, right?"

"Mother, this box costs fifteen taels of silver; that’s one and a half taels per mooncake. The loose ones we brought back sell for two hundred qian each. Of course, these are better," Da Bao replied.

Mother Huang and Er Niu were stunned by Da Bao’s words. "One and a half taels each? We just ate that much money? You sell them so expensively—does anyone actually buy them? I suspect not many sell."

"Why wouldn't they sell? We only sold a limited run of two hundred boxes, and they were all ordered within a few days. Plenty of people didn't manage to buy any," Da Bao stated.