The day for Wang Qingyun's betrothal to the Luo family's daughter was fast approaching. At the old residence, Madam Tian had already engaged the matchmaker in advance, patiently awaiting Wang Qingyun's engagement banquet. On the day of the betrothal ceremony, the residents of the Second and Third branches arrived at the old residence early. Madam Tian wore a brand-new outfit today, beaming with joy, and Wang Qingchen, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Wang Qingyun was also dressed in new clothes. Once everyone had gathered, Old Master Wang and the Old Madam led the Wang family's entire Third Branch contingent to the Luo family's home in Matián Village.

The Luo family's circumstances were far from ideal; they relied on only a dozen or so acres of land and had five children to support, making their life quite challenging. However, the eldest daughter of the Luo family was quite renowned in Matián Village. Not only was she filial and well-mannered, but she was also beautiful and hardworking, attracting numerous suitors. The Luo couple likely intended to profit from their daughter, as they still had two sons who needed to secure wives, which was why the bride price demanded remained high—the very reason the eldest Luo daughter, already fifteen, was still unmarried.

As the group arrived at the Luo residence, the couple greeted them with effusive warmth, ushering everyone inside. As soon as they were seated, Madam Tian signaled the matchmaker to present the betrothal gifts: two silver hairpins, a pair of silver bracelets, and two fine bolts of cloth—a respectable offering among farming families. Upon seeing the gifts, the smiles on the Luo couple's faces deepened.

Wang Qingchen noticed that ever since entering the house, Wang Qingyun had been continuously glancing toward the doorway, which he found amusing. In those times, propriety demanded subtlety and indirection; no one would brazenly state, "I wish to see so-and-so." It was the Luo couple who observed this and went to summon the eldest Luo daughter to serve tea to the guests.

Moments later, the eldest Luo daughter entered carrying the tea, pouring it for everyone with a bright smile. It had to be admitted that the young woman was indeed attractive, particularly her fair complexion, a rarity among farming folk. Moreover, she carried herself with natural grace, no wonder she had captivated Wang Qingyun. From the moment she entered, Wang Qingyun's eyes were fixed on her, never wavering. The onlookers teased them good-naturedly for quite some time, causing both youngsters to blush deeply.

After mutual introductions, most relatives from both sides became acquainted. The Luo family, for this engagement, was the eldest branch in their lineage, with two younger brothers whose families lived in the same village. Because of the eldest daughter’s engagement, they had all come to accompany the event.

At the feast, Wang Qingchen and Wang Qingtong were seated at the children’s table. Wang Qingtong proudly boasted about how beautiful and capable his future second sister-in-law was, claiming no one in Wang Family Village could compare. He only stopped talking when the dishes were finally served, focusing his attention on eating.

The Luo family’s spread couldn't be called lavish, but it certainly offered nothing worth complaining about. However, clearly, someone disagreed.

“Oh my, the meal they’ve put on! This is an engagement banquet, after all. Those who know the family’s tight circumstances might understand, but those who don’t might think the hostess is stingy—to host her own daughter’s engagement dinner like this! The banquet my maternal niece had the other day, one table alone rivaled these entire spreads! Tsk, tsk…” remarked a middle-aged woman during the meal. Based on the introductions just made by the Luo couple, this woman was likely the eldest Luo daughter’s Second Aunt.

Since the middle-aged woman had deliberately raised her voice, a hush fell over the surrounding tables when she finished speaking. The woman clearly paid it no mind, seeming rather pleased with herself. Meanwhile, the Luo family members serving drinks turned visibly ashen-faced.

The Wang family members’ expressions also soured. After all, an engagement banquet reflected on both families; the Wang family's reputation was just as important. Seeing Madam Tian momentarily stunned, Madam Zhang quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Heh heh… Second Aunt, you truly have a way with jokes. I think this spread looks quite fine; it has everything it needs. We farming folk value practicality above all else. In fact, I plan to ask Sister-in-law Luo for tips! We aren’t like those wealthy families who fuss over ceremony; as long as everyone is full, that’s enough, wouldn't you agree?”

The Luo family’s expressions brightened slightly, but at that moment, they were all itching to kick the Luo Second Daughter-in-law, that trouble-making wretch, out.

“Indeed, we farming people don't care about showmanship; what matters is living a good life together,” Madam Tian quickly chimed in, following the cue, and shot a grateful look toward Madam Zhang.

“In our village, we dress according to our means. I think this meal is perfectly acceptable,” someone from the crowd immediately added, helping to ease the tension.

Those who knew others present began praising Madam Zhang, the Third Daughter-in-law of Old Master Wang, for being sensible and understanding propriety, unlike the Luo Second Daughter-in-law, who dared to spoil her own niece’s engagement party. They whispered that if the family married off such a troublemaker, who knew what disasters she might cause later! Upon learning that the Luo Second Daughter-in-law also had a daughter nearing marriageable age, many started inquiring about the girl’s age, already plotting matches for their own sons or relatives' sons. As the conversation drifted, someone mentioned that the Luo Second Daughter-in-law had a daughter who was also of marrying age, prompting several people to shake their heads—with a mother like that, what kind of daughter could she raise?

Although the discussions were kept to hushed tones, a few comments inevitably escaped at a volume meant to be private. Luo the Second Elder's already grim face turned charcoal-dark upon hearing the murmurs. He began mentally plotting how he would deal with his wife once they returned home—she was utterly devoid of manners. She thought she was merely disgracing the eldest branch of the Luo family, but she had, in fact, disgraced the entire Third Branch, and with such a mother, what chance would her own daughter have of finding a good match?

Madam Zhang, while chatting pleasantly with those beside her, also mused privately whether the Luo Second Daughter-in-law had pudding for brains. Causing a scene at her own niece's engagement party—what good could she possibly gain? Others might mock the meager spread of the eldest Luo branch, but they would certainly mock her for her lack of etiquette and propriety as well.

Through the mediation of a few individuals and the compliance of the general assembly, the atmosphere at the banquet finally returned to lively conversation. The event concluded without further incident.

Only after all the guests had departed did the eldest Luo daughter, upon hearing of her Second Aunt's disruption, burst into tears from anger. The Luo elder and his wife were also deeply displeased.

“Husband, that Second Daughter-in-law is too much! I usually overlook her behavior, but didn't she see what day this was? What on earth was she saying? What good could come from her saying those things?” the eldest Luo wife exclaimed angrily.

“It’s a good thing the in-laws smoothed things over today, or the entire engagement banquet would have been ruined by her meddling,” the eldest Luo agreed, equally furious about the day’s events.

“It’s all because her maternal nephew didn't get to marry our daughter; she’s still bitter. Is her goal only to ruin my daughter’s engagement banquet so that her in-laws will dislike her after marriage? But she doesn't consider that her nephew is a wastrel who gambles and carouses—how could I possibly marry my daughter to him? Besides, I’ve heard about this Wang family; the elders favor the eldest branch, and the eldest daughter-in-law has been unable to conceive. Once our daughter marries in and bears a son, our family’s future will be secure,” the eldest Luo wife continued.

“Her outburst today disgraced the entire Luo family. The Second Brother’s face was terrible at the banquet; who knows how he’ll punish her when they get home. Next time she thinks of causing trouble, she’ll have to think twice,” the eldest Luo stated.

“Her Second Uncle should give her a stern talking-to. This time she caused trouble at a family event. Who knows if she’ll lose her sense of propriety next time and cause trouble at someone else’s banquet? That would be much harder to fix; they would end up hating our entire Luo family,” the eldest Luo wife concurred.

“I’m not worried about that; the Second Brother will certainly set her straight. What concerns me is that Qingyun is perhaps too honest. What if he ends up siding entirely with his mother?” the eldest Luo worried.

“Ah, that’s true. I need to go speak with my daughter; she’d best get a firm hold on that Wang family boy the moment she steps inside, or she’ll suffer for it later,” the eldest Luo wife said, heading to her daughter’s room for a heart-to-heart.

Meanwhile, the Luo Second Elder, having suppressed a bellyful of anger throughout the banquet, gave his wife a severe dressing-down and a beating as soon as they returned home, finally calming his temper.

After Wang Qingyun’s engagement banquet, the family busied themselves preparing for the rice seedling cultivation. Yang Shi began soaking the rice seeds. At night, Wang Qingchen secretly took a small handful of seeds and scattered them in his space when no one was looking. Though the quantity was small, the seeds in the space grew remarkably fast.

While Yang Shi soaked the seeds, Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua carted some manure fertilizer to the nursery field. Typically, farming families set aside a specific plot for raising seedlings, which was called the yangtian (nursery field). Of course, the yangtian wasn't entirely used for seedlings; only a section needed preparation, leaving the rest empty. Wang Youfu used a harrow to uniformly mix the hauled manure with the fine soil.

Once all preparations were complete, the family began the actual seeding. They watered the prepared yangtian, scattered the soaked rice seeds over it, and then covered the surface with a layer of rice straw saved from the previous year. Within a few days, the seeds began to sprout. Wang Youfu would lift the straw in the morning and replace it in the evening, diligently watering and weeding every day.

At this time, the common talk among farming families revolved around questions like, "How is your seedling patch coming along? Is the grass bad? Are the seedlings turning yellow?"

As the seedlings grew, the wheat harvest was visibly approaching. Naturally, before reaping the wheat, some preparatory work was required, starting with leveling the threshing ground (zha chang). The threshing ground used by the Wang family was shared by the three brothers, so when it came to leveling, all three households mobilized together. The women and children first cleared weeds, stones, and debris from the threshing ground. Then, they sprinkled water over the area, followed by a layer of plant ash, while the three brothers took turns hauling the stone roller (shilu zhuo) to flatten the ground. The shilu zhuo was a cylindrical farming tool made of stone, fitted with ropes, used for smoothing the ground or crushing grain kernels.

Leveling the threshing ground was a favorite activity for the children. Since the ground had been sprinkled with water and ash, it became soft after the stone roller passed over it. Children loved to run barefoot, using their heels to poke little hollows into the smoothed surface, a behavior that often drew the chasing adults. Caiyun, uncharacteristically brave around Wang Youfu at this moment, nimbly used her small feet to poke a string of holes, swiftly fleeing whenever an adult approached.

Once the threshing ground was flat, the next urgent task was harvesting the wheat. Because the weather at this time of year changed rapidly, with rain liable to strike at any moment, harvesting quickly was crucial. If rain fell before the grain could be separated from the stalks, the kernels might sprout right on the straw, rendering an entire season's hard work worthless.

Since the threshing ground was only so large, the three families couldn't harvest simultaneously, necessitating a decision about whose turn it was to use the space first. Madam Tian considered that the past few days had been clear, suggesting no rain was imminent, so she decided her branch would harvest first. During the busy farming season, tasks were heavy and numerous, so everyone customarily helped one another. Thus, the Second and Third branches began by assisting the Eldest Branch with their reaping.