Wang Qingchen caught the sound of his uncle’s voice and, suspecting his elder relative was about to cause trouble again, decided to be less than honorable for a moment and eavesdrop on their conversation.

Wang Qingchen crept around to the back of the house. He remembered there was a small window back there. He approached it cautiously. Thankfully, the window wasn't latched shut, and through the gap, he could make out the two figures inside. What he saw shocked him: the unfamiliar voice belonged to someone he knew—none other than Zhang Wenbing, the same man who had come begging for money the last time he visited home!

He heard Zhang Wenbing sneer, "No one said you weren't allowed down that path. But I happened to be carelessly passing by that day and saw exactly which house you came out of!"

Wang Youliang’s face tightened. "I was merely visiting an acquaintance from my old shop days. Don't speak as if I’ve done something shameful."

"Oh... an old acquaintance from your shop days, is that so? But I inquired later. That place only houses a widow and her child. Could it be you were acquainted with a widow back when you ran your business?" Zhang Wenbing mocked.

Wang Youliang panicked and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. "You... you mustn't talk nonsense..."

Outside, Wang Qingchen was equally startled. So, Wang Youliang was having an affair, sneaking all the way into town to do it, and Zhang Wenbing had caught him. But then again, Zhang Wenbing spent all his time lurking around the market town; it wasn't surprising he’d notice something.

Zhang Wenbing shook off Wang Youliang’s hand. "You know in your heart whether it’s nonsense or not. Tell me, what if I were to tell people about this..."

"Stop... please, don't. Just tell me what you want," Wang Youliang conceded helplessly.

"Uncle, don't blame me. If I had seen this before, I certainly wouldn't have breathed a word; I might have even helped you keep it quiet. But my parents cut off my allowance a few days ago, and I'm terribly short on cash right now. I won't ask for much—just ten taels of silver for my silence. I'll pretend I never saw anything. How about that?" Zhang Wenbing finished, making a satisfied smacking sound, clearly pleased with his own thoughtfulness.

Wang Youliang erupted in anger upon hearing this. "You audacious brat! You really know how to ask for the moon! Do you believe me if I say I won't give you a single copper coin? Say whatever you want to whomever you wish."

Zhang Wenbing didn't take offense. "Uncle, don't get angry yet. I swear to you, as long as you pay, I will act as if I know nothing. No matter who asks me, I will keep quiet. What do you say?"

Wang Youliang still refused, adopting a devil-may-care attitude. "No way. Say what you want. When the time comes, I'll just claim she seduced me first. Nobody can touch me."

"Uncle, you are truly heartless. She was with you for a time, and now you’re pushing her toward ruin."

Wang Qingchen, listening outside, was speechless. How could a person be so base? He showed absolutely no sense of responsibility. What a pity for the young widow who was involved with him.

Wang Youliang considered it, unwilling to completely let go of the charming widow. "Fine, fine. I only have five taels of silver on me right now. If you take that, keep quiet about this. If you think it’s too little, forget it; I have ways to clear myself of this anyway."

Zhang Wenbing thought for a moment. "Deal, five taels it is. But if someone else happens to witness this business, that's not my responsibility."

"I know. But you have to swear not to tell anyone," Wang Youliang insisted.

"Fine! I, Zhang Wenbing, swear here today: if I ever speak of this matter concerning you, may Heaven strike me down with lightning and may I die a wretched death. Is that sufficient?" Zhang Wenbing declared.

Wang Youliang seemed satisfied and pulled out five taels of silver. But just as Zhang Wenbing reached for it, he yanked his hand back. "You also have to swear that this money is the only payment I’ll ever give you for this. You won't come looking for more money later."

"Tch, such a bother. I am a man of my word," Zhang Wenbing said impatiently.

Wang Qingchen, outside the window, quickly covered his mouth, afraid he might laugh out loud unintentionally. Good grief, even blackmailers these days claim to have integrity.

Perhaps seeing Wang Youliang’s insistence, Zhang Wenbing had no choice but to grit his teeth and swear an oath once more. Only then did Wang Youliang reluctantly hand over the silver.

These ancient people really valued oaths. To trust a blackmailer without even getting a written agreement—Wang Qingchen shook his head inwardly. If it were him, he would certainly have demanded a written contract.

Once the deal was struck, the two men left soon after without further exchange. Only then did Wang Qingchen dare to emerge. Having overheard this, Wang Qingchen genuinely didn't know what to do. Logically, since he was so close to the main family branch, it would be better to inform them. Moreover, he got along reasonably well with Wang Qingtong. But the impression the main family had left on him was overwhelmingly negative. He truly feared that if he handled things poorly, instead of accomplishing any good, he might end up getting caught in the mire himself, which would be disastrous.

After thinking it over, he couldn't decide on a course of action. Wang Qingchen resolved to set the matter aside for now and only act once he had a more secure plan.

Wang Qingchen waited a while longer, then left the empty room and returned to his fishing spot.

"Qingchen, where did you wander off to? You didn't sneak off to play again, did you, only to come back with a massive catch?" Wang Qingtong said cheerfully.

Wang Qingchen glanced at the grinning Wang Qingtong and was immediately reminded of his father Wang Youliang’s disgraceful actions, which soured his mood completely.

"No way, Uncle. I just wasn't catching anything, and standing there got boring, so I wandered a bit," Wang Qingchen replied with a smile too.

However, this time, the god of luck did not favor Wang Qingchen’s fishing trip. Until it was time to head home, he didn't land any big fish like last time. He only caught three grass carp. The others had caught more than him, teasing him that he must have used up all his luck previously. Still, those three grass carp would be enough for one decent meal.

After fishing, Wang Qingchen returned his rod to Li Yuntai and headed home carrying the three grass carp.

Upon reaching home, Wang Qingchen first went to Lady Yang’s room, where he found his Third Aunt, Zhang Shi, as well, both engaged in embroidery. Wang Qingchen greeted Zhang Shi, fetched a wooden basin, filled it with water, and placed the three grass carp inside.

Only Lady Yang and Zhang Shi were home. Caiyun and Hongying were presumably off playing somewhere else. Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua should still be in the fields, not back yet.

The window to Lady Yang’s room was open, allowing him to hear their conversation from the courtyard. Well, he thought, what luck he was having today; Heaven seemed determined to provide him with opportunities to eavesdrop.

With that thought, he heard Lady Yang trying to soothe Zhang Shi from inside the room: "Don't be angry, dear. Mother and Father always regretted the marriage arrangement for your aunt back then. Since your aunt married into the Liu family, she probably hasn't had a single peaceful day. They feel sorry for her."

"I know my aunt lives a hard life, but my Caixia’s match was arranged with the help of my brother. How could I possibly find such a good match on my own? You didn't hear what the Old Mistress said today—that because my maternal brother is wealthy, finding a good match for your aunt's daughter is easy. She wants me to take full responsibility for arranging the marriage of my aunt's daughter! She doesn't stop to think that I have no ability to arrange a good match for my aunt’s daughter; she’s depending entirely on my brother, isn't she? But she also forgets that I’ve already troubled my brother over my own daughter's marriage. How could I have the face to ask him for another favor? My brother has supported us for years; how could I possibly ask him to do favors for my husband's side of the family again! Furthermore, the Old Mistress’s expectations are so high; if anything goes wrong, we’ll still end up with a bad reputation." Zhang Shi complained.

From the courtyard, Wang Qingchen could easily surmise the situation based on Zhang Shi’s complaint. The Old Mistress probably saw the good match Zhang Shi's family secured for her daughter and now wanted Zhang Shi's family to arrange an equally good match for her own younger sister’s daughter.

Speaking of Wang Qingchen’s aunt, she was reportedly very doted upon when she was young and quite beautiful. Many suitors came asking for her hand, but the Old Mistress kept rejecting them, determined to keep her until she was an old maid. Eventually, out of necessity, she married into the Liu family, only to discover that they treated her with extreme harshness. Her husband was lazy, forcing her to shoulder all the household burdens. In the three years since her marriage, she had aged by more than a decade due to the strain.

The Old Master and Mistress had intervened once, but afterward, her life became even harder. Most crucially, the aunt had only given birth to a daughter, not a son, so her maternal family stopped getting involved.

Now, the Old Mistress likely saw Wang Caixia’s good match and was reminded of her youngest daughter's misfortune, seeking to compensate her granddaughter. While the Old Mistress’s intentions might have been good, her method was flawed.

"While we all know how pitiful your aunt is, you are correct. We cannot make decisions about her daughter's marriage. If things go awry, won't she end up blaming us later? Your aunt might be forgiving, but my mother-in-law..." Lady Yang agreed.

"Exactly! It will be thankless labor that only earns us trouble," Zhang Shi pursed her lips, then sighed. "You should have seen her; my aunt was so thin I almost didn't recognize her. She was such a beautiful girl before she married! That Liu family has truly tormented her into this state."

"Alas, a woman must find a good in-law family. If she doesn't, she suffers a lifetime of hardship," Lady Yang remarked thoughtfully.

Wang Qingchen in the courtyard felt a pang of sorrow listening to Lady Yang and Zhang Shi. It seemed his aunt was a good person who was suffering terribly because of a bad match. But what could he do now? His own power was still too limited; he couldn't involve himself in such matters.

In his opinion, since his aunt was living such a hard life, she should just seek a separation. However, people of this era would likely find such an idea unacceptable. Most believed that an unmarried woman would face a lonely life; it was better to endure misery as a married woman than to divorce. Furthermore, a divorced woman would find it extremely difficult to remarry.

Zhang Shi and Lady Yang chatted for a while longer before Zhang Shi left, as she needed to prepare dinner.

After dinner, Wang Qingchen finally saw his aunt, Wang Guifang. She was terribly thin and dark-skinned, likely from constant manual labor, making her look several years older than Lady Yang.

Wang Guifang had been reluctant to come out at all, but she couldn't defy her parents' urging—"Your second brother is wealthy now; you need to socialize more with their family." Since she refused to come out during the day, she only arrived at Wang Youfu's home in the evening.

As soon as Lady Yang saw Wang Guifang, tears sprang to her eyes. Her sister-in-law must have suffered so much more; she was even thinner than Zhang Shi had described that afternoon. At first, Lady Yang hadn't quite believed the extent of it, but seeing her now, she realized it was worse than described.

Wang Guifang was somewhat reserved, but Lady Yang’s gentle nature soon helped the sisters-in-law open up to each other. Wang Youfu, watching his sister, felt a pang of heartache. How could a fine woman be worn down to this state? Anyone would feel the same.

Wang Guifang spoke with Lady Yang for a short while before returning to the main house. After she left, Wang Youfu remained deep in thought, his mind clearly occupied by something.