After Yang Shi's minor confinement ended, Wang Youfu took her to the town's clinic to see Doctor Lin for a follow-up. Upon feeling her pulse, the doctor confirmed Yang Shi had recovered very well, finally easing the couple's worries—their thirty taels of silver had not been spent in vain.

Of course, now that Yang Shi was better, she hadn't forgotten the clothes she promised her mother-in-law. Yang Shi visited the Brocade Workshop and picked out several bolts of fabric to make an outfit for her mother-in-law. After some thought, she also bought some larger scraps, planning to take them home to teach her daughter needlework; after all, her daughter was already five and old enough to start learning.

Since Yang Shi often brought her embroidery to the Brocade Workshop with Auntie Gui, most of the shopkeepers knew her. They greeted her and inquired about the embroidery she had taken home last time, noting she hadn't brought new pieces in a while. Upon learning she had been recovering, they felt too awkward to press the matter further.

After shopping, Wang Youfu took Yang Shi to see the shop they had purchased. Looking at the three storefronts before her, Yang Shi was deeply moved. Although Wang Qingchen had described the shops to her back home, knowing something was vastly different from seeing it in person.

Seeing Yang Shi’s excitement filled Wang Youfu with immense pride. Being able to buy this property was already a huge achievement for a farming family, and combined with the fifteen mu of paddy fields, it was something many people never attained in their lifetime.

Wang Youfu and Yang Shi waited until their moods settled before preparing to head back. However, shortly after leaving, they spotted Wang Youliang standing at the mouth of an alley, repeatedly peering inside. The couple exchanged a puzzled look—what was their elder brother doing?

They approached. "Brother, what are you doing here?"

Wang Youliang was startled by the sudden voices and realized his second brother's family was right in front of him. After a brief pause, he chuckled, "Heh heh... nothing much. Oh, wait, no, I’m waiting for someone here."

"Waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for, Brother?" Wang Youfu asked, confused.

Wang Youliang's eyes darted around. "Uh... I met him when I ran my own shop before. Since you're going to lend me your shop later, I definitely need to conduct business, so I came to ask him for some pointers."

Hearing Wang Youliang speak, Wang Youfu and Yang Shi felt a sharp discomfort. He was already planning what to do with the shop before they had even agreed to lend it to him. It felt like raising a pig only to have someone nearby start talking about enjoying braised pig trotters before it was even ready for slaughter.

Feeling displeased, the couple had little desire to engage with Wang Youliang. Fortunately, Wang Youliang also didn't intend to linger; he was eager for them to leave. Both parties wanted the conversation to end quickly, so after a few words, they parted ways. Wang Youfu, preoccupied with the unsettling thought of lending out the shop, didn't dwell on why Wang Youliang had been lurking by the alley.

At the schoolhouse, Wang Qingchen was currently receiving praise from the tutor. In truth, Wang Qingchen didn't think much of it. Consider this: in his class, only Wang Qingbi was a year older, and he was not keen on studying. The rest were much younger, many unable to focus on their lessons yet. If he couldn't outperform them, he might as well go back to selling radishes. But the tutor saw things differently. He considered that Wang Qingchen had joined mid-term, yet outperformed boys who had been studying for half a year already, and he remained humble and composed when praised—truly a promising student. Wang Qingchen, however, was unaware that the tutor had already marked him for special cultivation.

Wang Qingtong, seated next to Wang Qingchen, used to have a decent relationship with him. However, ever since learning that he was forced to attend school because of Wang Qingchen, he refused to speak to him. Wang Qingchen simply believed he was throwing a childish tantrum and paid him no mind, which only made Wang Qingtong feel more awkward.

Wang Qingtong felt his days were dragging on interminably. He couldn't play with the other children in the class, stubbornly refused to speak to Wang Qingchen, and had to listen to the tutor drone on about these tedious subjects daily. If he couldn't recite passages, he’d get his hand slapped. He deeply missed the days before school started, days that Wang Qingchen had ruined. Thinking this, Wang Qingtong shot Wang Qingchen another glare. After staring for a while and noticing Wang Qingchen hadn't registered his hostile gaze at all, he became even angrier internally.

At noon, Wang Qingchen, Li Yuntai, and Wang Qingyi went for lunch. Wang Qingtong felt it inappropriate to tag along, which made him angry all over again, quickly morphing into resentment. He felt that his current miserable situation was entirely Wang Qingchen's fault, yet not only did Wang Qingchen fail to offer soothing words, he completely ignored him. The more Wang Qingtong stewed over his grievances, the more wronged he felt. Too proud to voice his sorrow, he ended up finding a quiet corner and weeping for a while, resulting in his eyes being red for the entire afternoon.

Seeing Wang Qingtong’s red eyes, Wang Qingchen felt a pang of guilt. After all, he was an adult; how could he bicker with a child?

So, after school, Wang Qingchen took Wang Qingtong aside and placated him for quite some time, giving the younger boy ample face. Wang Qingtong felt Wang Qingchen’s attitude of admission was quite sincere, at least making him feel less distressed, and so he begrudgingly agreed to "forgive" Wang Qingchen. Wang Qingtong was also quite embarrassed by his own display of weeping in frustration. Fortunately, Li Yuntai and Wang Qingyi were thoughtful enough not to mention the incident, saving him the awkwardness and allowing Wang Qingtong to breathe a sigh of relief.

What none of them expected was running into Zhang Wenbing on the way home. Though Zhang Wenbing also attended the schoolhouse, he frequently skipped classes, making him a rare sight there. Moreover, hadn't he rented a room in town? Why was he heading home after school today? Wang Qingchen, distracted for a moment, voiced the doubt in his mind.

"He usually stays in town and rarely comes home, unless he’s run out of money. He probably ran out of funds again and is heading home for more," Li Yuntai commented with clear disdain for Zhang Wenbing’s lifestyle, with whom he generally avoided associating.

"My mother said their family has quite a bit of surplus money. His father and mother sold his three older sisters for a large sum of money," Wang Qingtong added from the side.

Wang Qingchen nodded upon hearing this. He had heard rumors about it too. How little regard this family must have for their own daughters to sell three of them.

Over there, Zhang Wenbing seemed not to have noticed them. That wasn't surprising; he was older than them and they didn't usually mingle, so Zhang Wenbing might not even recognize them. However, Wang Qingchen couldn't comprehend Zhang Wenbing's parents. Zhang Wenbing couldn't apply himself to his studies, making scholarly success impossible, and he spent his days causing trouble in town. Under these circumstances, why would they waste money funding his education?

What Wang Qingchen didn't know was that Zhang Wenbing’s parents were also weary of this endless financial drain. They had discussed him dropping out of school many times, but Zhang Wenbing refused. Furthermore, he was already fifteen this year, and his parents could no longer control him, especially since they were counting on this son to support them in their old age.

Not long after Wang Qingchen returned, Auntie Gui came to chat with Yang Shi. It turned out she had heard from villagers that Zhang Wenbing had argued with his parents right after returning home.

Wang Qingchen, overhearing the conversation, couldn't help but marvel at the speed of gossip circulation in the village.

"Zhang Yunzhu's family is truly cursed. They sold off the first three daughters, and now they send this only son to study and rent a place in town, only for him to turn out useless, mixing with all the riff-raff in town," Auntie Gui lamented.

"Indeed. A person cherishes their own flesh and blood; how could they bear to sell their daughters?" Yang Shi shook her head, unable to understand.

"Do you think Zhang Yunzhu's wife has a heart as soft as yours? She didn't shed a single tear when she sold three girls, only ever mindful of her son," Auntie Gui remarked with great disdain.

"I hope they were sold to good families! But with Wenbing mixing with bad company now, and his family unable to control him, who knows what trouble he might cause later," Yang Shi worried.

"Exactly. I heard Zhang Yunzhu and his wife have stopped giving him money. When he has none left, and he won't do honest labor, won't he resort to underhanded ways?" Auntie Gui agreed wholeheartedly. In a way, Auntie Gui had hit the nail on the head; before long, Zhang Wenbing was indeed involved in an incident.

After chatting for a while longer and arranging when to deliver the next batch of embroidery, Auntie Gui departed.

After Auntie Gui left, Yang Shi sighed briefly before letting the matter go. After all, the family was now buying fields and acquiring shops, and Wang Youfu had discussed with her that after finding a wife for their elder son, they would build a new house. Life was prosperous enough; there was no need to dwell on other people's affairs. The most pressing matter now was finding a suitable wife for their eldest son.

Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua went to inspect the newly acquired fifteen mu of paddy fields. Upon their return, Yang Shi pulled Wang Qinghua aside and asked what kind of girl he fancied. Wang Qinghua stammered for a long time, unable to articulate anything specific, his face growing redder as he spoke. Wang Qingchen, watching from the side, felt anxious on his behalf.

Yang Shi, not getting a clear answer, also felt a bit rushed. But judging by Wang Qinghua's demeanor, he likely wouldn't offer any useful input. She decided to start searching based on her own criteria first.

However, before Yang Shi could begin her search, news arrived via Zhang Shi's maternal uncle that a good match had been found for Wang Caixia in town.

These past few days, Zhang Shi had been beaming. Her maternal uncle had secured a fine match for her daughter in town, making numerous villagers envious. This joyous mood meant that even when encountering jealous or sour remarks, Zhang Shi didn't bother retorting, knowing that those who couldn't have the grapes often just called them sour.

It wasn't hard to see why Zhang Shi was so happy. Her brother had arranged for Wang Caixia to marry into the Zhao family, a very affluent household. They owned a three-courtyard residence in town, operated two shops, possessed thirty mu of paddy fields and fifteen mu of dry land, and even had maids attending them—they were considered a wealthy family in town. Most crucially, the Zhao family had only one son, who was studying at the town school and performed well academically, suggesting he might one day attain official status.

Wang Qingchen heard from Yang Shi that Zhang Shi’s brother was very close to the Zhao family. Initially, the two families had intended to arrange a marriage alliance between their children, but since the brother’s own daughter was still too young, he offered the match to Wang Caixia instead. After all, Zhang Shi had maintained an excellent relationship with her maternal brother before she married, and he would naturally remember to look out for her when good fortune arose.

After the two families exchanged birth dates for divination, Zhang Shi immediately began preparing for the betrothal feast scheduled in a few days.