Wang Qingchen certainly hadn't considered that someone would compare the two betrothals involving the Wang and Luo families in this manner, and what surprised him even more was the attitude of the eldest son's wife from the Luo family. When Wang Qingyun was engaged to the Luo family's eldest daughter, the Wang Youfu family was quite poor. At that time, everyone thought it would be very difficult for Wang Qinghua to find a match, and the Luo family’s eldest branch would hardly have looked favorably upon the Wang Youfu household. Only later did no one expect their family to prosper so rapidly, accumulating a substantial estate by the standards of farming households. Now, the Luo eldest son’s wife regretted not marrying into their family; wasn't that rather mercenary? Regardless, Wang Qingchen felt a distinct sense of unease.

And Wang Qingchen wasn't the only one feeling uneasy; He Shi’s feeling today was also extremely unpleasant, or perhaps, it was the persistent ache in her heart: the lack of a child. He Shi had been married into the Wang family for several years but remained childless. Although taking concubines was not customary in farming families, she still bore the pressure from both her mother-in-law and the elderly matriarch. Consequently, she trod cautiously at home, careful not to offend anyone.

It had been slightly better when He Shi was the only daughter-in-law among the grandchildren; her mother-in-law and the old matriarch rarely chided her. But now that there were two daughters-in-law among the grandchildren, would her mother-in-law and the old matriarch treat her the same way? Clearly not. He Shi knew the tempers of her mother-in-law and the old matriarch well. If Luo Shi also failed to conceive, that would be one thing, but if, by some misfortune, Luo Shi did become pregnant, He Shi would have no standing left in this household.

Perhaps when a person becomes fixated on a certain idea, everything that happens seems to relate back to that fixation. He Shi watched the old matriarch and Tian Shi cheerfully greeting guests, both radiating smiles, and immediately concluded that her mother-in-law and the old matriarch must hold the newly arrived Luo Shi in high regard, eagerly anticipating that she would soon bear a male heir. This assumption made He Shi believe her future days would certainly be difficult. Coupled with her husband's weak nature—never daring to oppose his elders—what hope did she have left?

The more He Shi thought about it, the sadder she became, her eyes growing slightly moist. But she also knew that on this joyous day, if she did anything inappropriate, she would surely face the censure of the elders. Thus, she quickly retreated to a less crowded area.

Before long, He Shi arrived at Wang Guifang’s doorway and found the door slightly ajar. She presumed Wang Guifang must be inside, as, given her status as a divorced woman, she certainly could not attend such a happy celebration. Thinking that it was only when spending time with her that she didn't have to be so cautious and could speak her mind freely, He Shi pushed the door open and entered.

Wang Guifang was engaged in embroidery. Although it was her nephew's wedding day, as a repudiated wife, it was improper for her to participate in such a grand celebration, so she had closed her door to work on her needlepoint. She hadn't expected her grand-niece-in-law to seek her out.

“Xiujuan, why aren't you outside helping instead of coming over here?” Wang Guifang asked, confused. Xiujuan was He Shi’s given name.

“Aunty, my heart feels heavy; I just wanted to come and talk with you,” He Shi confessed, distressed.

“Come, sit down quickly. What’s wrong?” Wang Guifang urged anxiously.

He Shi walked over and sat beside Wang Guifang. “Aunty, what should I do if I never have a child?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Guifang didn't know what to say. Should she comfort her by saying not to rush? That was clearly impossible; the elders in the family were all hoping He Shi would conceive. But should she suggest that the couple needed to try harder? That was even less feasible; they had been married for several years already. If simply trying harder would suffice, they would already have many children by now.

Seeing Wang Guifang’s expression, He Shi understood her thoughts. She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Aunty, you also think I can’t have children, don’t you? It’s true; so many years have passed without anything. If it were going to happen, it would have happened already.” As she spoke, tears streamed down He Shi’s face. “But I still desperately want a child, even if it’s a daughter instead of a son. Why won't heaven grant me this one wish?”

When Wang Guifang saw He Shi crying, she hurried over and bolted the door shut. After all, if people found out He Shi was crying on this joyous day, it would be a major incident.

After securing the door, Wang Guifang returned to sit beside He Shi. “Xiujuan, honestly, your aunt doesn't know how to comfort you. You know, I was the same as you once. Although I gave birth to a daughter, she didn't please my in-laws either. I was frequently criticized by my mother-in-law about that when I was in their household.” Wang Guifang sighed at the memory. “But thankfully, you and your husband are still young. Some things become harder the more you rush them; maybe if you stop being so anxious, it will happen.”

“Aunty, you were different from me then. Your mother-in-law had only one son, and you were the only daughter-in-law of your generation in their household. But now there is a second one in this family. If... if she conceives before me, won't the entire family side with her? What will become of me then!” He Shi lamented sadly.

“How do you know she will conceive before you? Maybe she will conceive after you?” Wang Guifang offered.

“Aunty, you know how difficult it is for me to conceive. There hasn't been any sign for so many years; how could I possibly conceive before her? As long as she doesn't get pregnant too soon, heaven would be treating me kindly,” He Shi replied blankly.

Wang Guifang felt helpless. Conceiving a child wasn't something she could command into existence; it depended entirely on what the Child-Giving Guanyin decided. Right, the Child-Giving Guanyin! Wang Guifang’s eyes suddenly brightened. “When should we go to the temple to pray to the Child-Giving Guanyin? I heard that one particular Child-Giving Guanyin is incredibly efficacious.”

“The Child-Giving Guanyin... Really, Aunty? You aren’t tricking me, are you?” He Shi asked, a flicker of excitement in her tone.

“Of course, I’m not tricking you. Although I heard this a while ago, everyone says that particular one is effective,” Wang Guifang affirmed.

He Shi wiped away her tears and smiled. “Aunty, that’s wonderful! Will you accompany me when I go?”

Wang Guifang looked at He Shi’s expectant face and couldn't bear to refuse. “Agreed. Let me know when you plan to go.”

“Thank you, Aunty, you are so kind.” He Shi brightened, as if merely praying to the Child-Giving Guanyin guaranteed she would have a child.

While the two were discussing visiting the Guanyin, Tian Shi, having searched everywhere, couldn't find He Shi and grumbled, “Honestly, where has she run off to hide and be lazy!”

“What’s wrong?” Wang Youliang asked.

“It’s the eldest son’s wife. Really, today is so busy, and I can’t see a shadow of her. I don’t know where she’s hidden off to. If she’s useless at having children, fine, but she’s lazy to boot,” Tian Shi cursed.

“Enough, what kind of day is it? Say a little less. Perhaps your daughter-in-law has something important to attend to. Go look again; I’ll go attend to things over there.” With that, Wang Youliang walked toward the more crowded area.

“Really, where has she hidden herself? I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find her,” Tian Shi muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, “Mother, are you looking for me…”

“Oh, my heavens, you scared me to death! Where were you hiding that made me search for so long?” Tian Shi jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of He Shi. No wonder the ancients said one shouldn't speak ill of people behind their backs!

“Mother, my stomach suddenly hurt, so I went to the privy,” He Shi replied sheepishly.

“Forget it, forget it. The food will be served soon; go supervise things in the kitchen for me,” Tian Shi waved her hand, figuring He Shi was usually quite sensible and unlikely to lie to her.

“Yes, Mother, I’ll go right away.” He Shi headed toward the kitchen, secretly relieved that she had cooled her eyes at her aunt’s place before coming out; otherwise, people might have noticed.

This day soon drew to a close. What frustrated Wang Qingchen was that until the very end, he never witnessed the 'teasing the newlyweds' ritual, and he sighed with regret.

“Qingchen, what’s wrong with you?” Wang Qinghua asked.

Today, after welcoming the bride with the groom, Wang Qinghua had gone around the village borrowing items from various households. Because more people showed up than expected, they ran short of stools, bowls, and chopsticks, forcing him and Wang Qingshan to borrow more, as everyone else was assigned other tasks.

“Nothing, just that I didn’t get to see what ‘teasing the newlyweds’ is like,” Wang Qingchen said with regret.

Wang Qinghua chuckled. “You little boy, how old are you to be concerned with teasing the newlyweds? Wait until you’re old enough to marry a wife yourself.”

“Uh…” Wang Qingchen suddenly recalled something he had completely overlooked: he was only ten years old, still a child. It seemed a bit odd for a child to regret missing out on teasing the newlyweds. So, Wang Qingchen quickly tried to cover up: “Hehe… Big Brother, I just heard others say teasing the newlyweds is a lot of fun, so I wanted to go see what it was like.”

“Who told you that? Next time, don’t just believe whatever people say; maybe they were just fooling you?” Wang Qinghua said seriously, thinking some unreliable person must have been teasing Wang Qingchen.

“Hehe… Big Brother, I don’t remember who said it, but whoever said it was definitely one of the guests here today,” Wang Qingchen asserted confidently.

Guests here today? That covered a wide range of people; it seemed impossible to trace. Wang Qinghua expressed regret. “Then forget it. But you mustn't act like this again, understood?”

“Understood, Big Brother.” Wang Qingchen replied, secretly relieved that his older brother hadn't suspected him.

The next morning, Wang Qingyun and the newly wedded Luo Shi were due to kowtow and serve tea to the elders. Everyone from the Wang Youfu and Wang Youtian families, except for the children attending school, arrived at the old house early.

In the old house, Wang Qingyun and Luo Yin were also up early. Judging by Wang Qingyun’s demeanor, he seemed extremely satisfied with his new bride.

Once the members of the third branch were all assembled, Wang Qingyun and Luo Yin first kowtowed and served tea to the Old Master and the Old Matriarch. The elderly couple smiled benevolently and presented the new bride with a red envelope—the newcomers’ introductory gift.

Then, the young couple successively kowtowed and served tea to the elders of the third branch, receiving three more introductory gifts. Following that came the introductions to their peers; no gifts were expected for this, but Luo Yin had prepared some sweets to distribute, immediately winning general favor and making people feel the new daughter-in-law knew how to conduct herself.

He Shi accepted Luo Yin’s candy, and though she smiled outwardly, in her heart, she cursed Luo Yin thoroughly. This newcomer already knew how to win hearts right after entering the household—where did that leave her, the eldest sister-in-law? Perhaps from this very beginning, it was predetermined that the two would not get along well.