Lin He watched Er Niu become completely flustered with joy over Chen'er's matter, feeling a strange amusement, yet deliberately speaking with a touch of sourness, "Father, now I see it clearly. You favor Chen'er the most among the children in this house. When Big Brother and I got married, you weren't this ecstatic. We were the eldest children in the family; it was your first time being a father-in-law and your first time being a father receiving a bride. You weren't this happy then."

Er Niu, hearing this, knew his daughter was teasing him and playfully tapped Lin He’s head. "You child, why are you starting to joke with your old man?"

However, Er Niu had calmed down somewhat by this point. He sat down next to Lin He again and began, "He'er, I won't hide it from you. Your mother and I have been quite anxious lately about Chen'er's marriage prospects. Ever since we heard Li Zheng was planning to propose, your mother has been nagging me about it day in and day out. I haven't slept properly. Your mother says that such an excellent son-in-law is slipping away before our eyes, and we don't know what will become of our Chen'er then."

"Your mother nags a bit, but her worries aren't entirely unfounded. Look at the children we have. Putting aside the two youngest, let's look at the older ones. Da Bao, while not the most capable person, at least manages the family’s pastry shop quite well. Xiao Bao is cut out for studying; now that our family's circumstances have improved, we can afford his education, so I don't worry about him either. The two younger ones are still small, so we won't concern ourselves with them now. As for you, I worry even less. You are capable, and Ning Xuan treats you well. Although the Wen family's background is complicated, with your and your husband's intelligence, you won't fare too badly."

"It's only Chen'er we worry about. She is willful and stubborn, burdened with a mountain of bad habits. She looks clever on the surface, but she is actually quite slow-witted inside. If we marry her off to a very poor family later, I fear she will suffer. If we marry her to a slightly better family, I fear she will be bullied. If we marry her too far away, there are even more things to worry about. That's why your mother and I have always felt that marrying her to Li Zheng would be the very best outcome."

"It's for no other reason than the regard Li Zheng holds for Chen'er. Though I don't usually say much, I have lived long enough. When a girl is finding a husband, nothing else is as important as finding someone who cherishes you, who holds you as the apple of his eye. Because only when he values you can he tolerate all your flaws, and he will willingly do anything for you."

"I think, in this world, the only one who could treat Chen'er like that is Li Zheng. That's why I was truly happy to hear this news, Father."

Listening to Er Niu’s words, Lin He found them simple yet profoundly true. It was like the bruise on Li Zheng’s brow from earlier. Chen'er had clearly caused it, yet during dinner, when Aunt Xu deliberately asked Li Zheng how he got it, Li Zheng, fully aware that his mother was merely joking, immediately claimed he had bumped into something accidentally, specifically mentioning it happened that morning, as if to shield Chen'er from any blame.

Seeing Li Zheng then, Lin He knew that if Chen'er hadn't come back this time, she might truly have missed out on the happiness of a lifetime.

And for Chen'er, Lin He couldn't imagine who else could provide the doting affection and indulgence she needed if Li Zheng were gone, especially in an era where men were held superior to women.

Yet, Lin He also believed that in every woman's life, she would encounter such a person. It was just that some were luckier, meeting the right person at the right time, and they cherished that person, thus ensuring a lifetime of happiness. Perhaps both her current self and the current Chen'er belonged to this category.

Seeing Lin He silent, Er Niu took a few puffs from his pipe and sighed. "He'er, among all the children, your mother and I have wronged you the most. When you were little, the family was poor, and you all suffered quite a bit. Later, it was thanks to you that our circumstances improved. But you are already married, and you haven't had many peaceful days when staying at your parents' home. He'er, you mustn't blame your parents, okay?"

Lin He smiled upon hearing this. "Father, I was just teasing you. Why bring up such heavy matters? We are all family. If we calculated everything so precisely, how could we ever sort things out? I understand all of this; let's not talk about it anymore."

Er Niu nodded at Lin He and fell silent. After a long while, Lin He suddenly recalled the incident on the street and asked softly, "Father, did you notice anything about Zeng Weiliang after I sent Ziqing back that time to tell you about him?"

"Your Big Brother and I walked the streets several times those few days, but we didn't see him. He'er, perhaps you saw wrong that time? Logically, Third Brother... no, Zeng Weiliang wouldn't come here. He was terrified we would recognize him back then; why would he come near this area? I don't think it was him." Er Niu mused.

"It wasn't a mistake, Father. Besides me seeing him, Ning Xuan saw him too. If I wasn't certain, I wouldn't have sent Ziqing back specifically to warn you." Lin He stated with certainty.

Hearing Lin He's insistence, Er Niu pondered again. "Then why do you think he came here? I probed Mother and Mother Zhou, and he definitely hasn't returned home. So what was he doing in town? Didn't you mention they also have shops here? Is he perhaps checking on the stores?"

Lin He replied, "I can't figure it out either, but for now, there's no need to worry too much. I only wanted to give you a heads-up. Since he refused to acknowledge us back then, if he ever comes back looking for us, he must have an ulterior motive. Father, so if he comes to you, treat him as you did last time—refuse to acknowledge him. We've already considered him dead anyway."

Er Niu knew that the business Zeng Weiliang's family ran competed directly with the Wen family's, so he understood the implications and nodded, assuring Lin He he knew what to do.

"Good, that settles it. Don't dwell too much on other things. Oh, right, Father, Uncle Li said..." Lin He then told Er Niu about Uncle Li's plan to open a shop in Tianxin Town.

Er Niu listened, thoughtful for a moment, and then said, "He'er, Uncle Li's family is essentially part of our own now, and they will be even more so in the future. Since you think it's viable, help them as much as you can. They have helped us quite a bit in the past. Try your best to find them a shop that is both cheap and good."

Cheap and good—where could such a shop be found? Lin He was about to laugh and say so when a sudden thought struck her. "Father, why don't we do this: didn't you purchase a few shops in Tianxin Town as part of Chen'er's dowry? I think two of them are connected. We could have them knocked through to make one large space, which should be sufficient. Why not just let them use those shops? They will be Chen'er's eventually anyway."