With Wang Qingchen having sorted out his thoughts, the former anxiety vanished, and he settled down to prepare for the courtyard examination.

After Madam He returned, though she had resolved on the road that she absolutely could not reveal her father-in-law’s secret—fearing that not only would her mother-in-law not be grateful, but her father-in-law might also resent her—she decided that since she was living separately now, it was best to avoid meddling in their affairs. Nevertheless, despite this resolve, Madam He still felt a pang of guilt towards Wang Qingshan, causing her to carry a heavy, preoccupied air these past few days.

Wang Qingshan, having been married to Madam He for so many years, naturally noticed her odd behavior. However, when he questioned her, she simply insisted everything was fine, clearly unwilling to confide in him.

Wang Qingshan felt helpless and could only urge her to tell him if anything was bothering her, rather than worrying alone. Madam He merely nodded in agreement, leaving Wang Qingshan deeply frustrated.

Although Madam He appeared calm and unaffected in front of Wang Qingshan, inside her mind, the arguments for speaking versus remaining silent were locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle, leaving her unable to make a decision for some time. Consequently, Madam He decided to seek outside counsel, and the obvious choice was her sister-in-law, Wang Guifang. Besides having the closest relationship with her sister-in-law, Guifang’s nature was such that she wouldn't gossip about such matters.

This thought struck Madam He suddenly: since the day she went to town, she hadn't seen her sister-in-law visit. While Guifang hadn't visited daily in the past, she certainly used to come by every other day. Why hadn't she shown up even once these past few days? Realizing this, Madam He felt a surge of self-reproach. She had been so consumed by the secret she discovered that she missed her sister-in-law’s abnormality. What if something had happened to Guifang? Anxious, Madam He hurried toward the house where Wang Guifang was currently staying.

As for Wang Guifang, she sat motionless on the heated brick bed (kang), neither embroidering nor engaging in any other activity, simply staring blankly, lost in thought.

It wasn't surprising that Madam He was unaware of what had caused Wang Guifang's condition. On the day Madam He had gone to town, not long after she left, Li Wu from the village arrived at the Wang family's old residence, bearing a gift.

The old residence was thoroughly puzzled by Li Wu’s visit. After inviting him in, the old man inquired about his purpose, as he couldn't fathom any existing ties with Li Wu. The only connection he could recall was Li Wu being injured in the eye by Liu Song outside their gate; beyond that, he truly couldn't think of anything.

Facing the confusion of the elderly couple, along with Tian Shi and Luo Yin who were present, Li Wu stated his purpose: he wished to marry Wang Guifang.

Li Wu’s declaration dropped like a bomb in the old residence. The old man disbelievingly demanded, "You—what did you just say you want to do?"

Li Wu repeated himself clearly, "I wish to take your daughter as my wife; I hope you will grant my request."

"Why would you want to marry my daughter?" the old man blurted out instinctively.

Li Wu seemed to hesitate for a moment. He had always wanted to marry Wang Guifang. When had this desire first taken root? He remembered being barely a teenager then.

He recalled that even before Wang Guifang had been formally promised to anyone, many young men in Wangjia Village already admired her. In farming households, unlike noble families, rules were looser; children often played together regardless of gender when they were young. Wang Guifang had been beautiful since childhood and possessed a generous spirit, naturally attracting many admirers, Li Wu among them. Later, as they grew up and the peers near Wang Guifang’s age began arranging marriages, many naturally wished to form an alliance with the Wang family. However, the Wang family’s standing in the village was quite respectable then, and coupled with their daughter being exceptional in every way, the Wangs had high standards for a son-in-law. Unfortunately, because Li Wu’s family was not well-off at the time, he fell outside the scope of the Wang family’s selection criteria.

Yet, even if Li Wu's family wasn't on the preferred list, that didn't mean Li Wu would give up on his own. He pleaded with his parents to approach the Wang family to propose marriage. Li Wu’s parents strongly disagreed; they knew precisely the kind of match the Wangs sought for their daughter, and their own family’s situation made it impossible. Thus, the couple directly rejected Li Wu, telling him to abandon the idea.

A teenager is not so easily persuaded by adults. Li Wu began an intractable battle with his parents, insisting they at least make the attempt. Finally, worn down by his persistence, Li Wu's parents reluctantly agreed to try, but only on one condition: if the Wangs refused, Li Wu must permanently drop any thought of marrying Wang Guifang and must instead abide by his parents’ wishes and find a girl from another family.

Though Li Wu was unwilling in his heart, he knew this required his parents' intervention. Since they had finally consented, he couldn't let the opportunity slip by, so he nodded in agreement.

Li Wu’s parents were relieved. In their view, the Wangs would certainly refuse them, leaving their son free to choose a girl as they directed. Furthermore, to be honest, even if the Wangs had agreed, Li Wu’s parents weren't particularly fond of the idea of Wang Guifang as a daughter-in-law. Not only was their family’s standing lower than the Wangs', but if Wang Guifang married into their house, wouldn't she dominate and suppress their family? There was another reason: their son was already defying them for the sake of this girl; if he actually married her, wouldn't he side with his wife if she manipulated him? Clearly not. Thus, the couple was loath to welcome such a potentially disruptive figure into their home. They certainly didn't want to raise a son only to lose him!

As expected, after Li Wu’s parents briefly broached the subject of marriage, the Wang family rejected them. It was laughable—their daughter was so wonderful; how could they bear to see her marry into poverty to suffer? The Li family was truly audacious; not only was their condition poor, but they lacked any self-awareness, presuming to marry into their daughter's family. This was nothing less than a toad dreaming of eating swan meat!

Consequently, the Old Madam Wang felt the Li family's proposal was ill-intentioned. Not only did she refuse them, but she also mocked them: "Our daughter is cherished and raised delicately; we can’t bear to see her marry into hardship in a poor family. Come back when your family can present a betrothal gift of thirty taels of silver!"

Li Wu’s parents were instantly displeased. If they had been satisfied with the Wang girl, they might have merely taken offense at such words. But as things stood, they were highly dissatisfied with the Wang girl and absolutely did not want her as their son's wife. They had only approached the Wangs out of obligation to their son's request; how could they tolerate the Wangs speaking to them like this? Therefore, upon hearing the Old Madam Wang’s remarks, the couple ceased restraining themselves.

Li Wu’s parents immediately confronted the Old Madam Wang. Since she claimed their family was poor yet dared to aspire to marry their daughter, they retorted that the Wang family was merely trying to use their daughter to climb the social ladder.

The Old Madam Wang naturally took umbrage. She had set such high standards for a future son-in-law purely for her daughter's well-being. To be accused in such a manner filled her with anger. What began as a tentative proposal soon devolved into a shouting match between both sides, ending, predictably, in mutual dissatisfaction.

Li Wu, waiting at home, naturally received the news of the Wang family’s refusal. Furthermore, Li Wu’s parents recounted precisely how the Old Madam Wang had ridiculed their family.

Li Wu was somewhat devastated. Knowing hope was lost, he even fell ill for a time. When he recovered, he yielded to his parents' wishes and allowed them to arrange a marriage with a girl from a neighboring village.

Li Wu knew this was a promise he had made to his parents. Although he was reluctant, he didn't voice his refusal, but rather kept finding various excuses to delay the wedding after the engagement was settled. It wasn't until the news of Wang Guifang’s engagement arrived that Li Wu finally let go of his desire, agreeing to marry the girl from the neighboring village as his parents wished. However, for some inexplicable reason, shortly after the wedding date was set but before the ceremony, the fiancée died suddenly from an acute illness.

Later, when the Li family attempted to find another wife for their son, rumors began to circulate in the village that Li Wu was cursed to kill his wives. Farming communities put stock in such superstitions, and suddenly no one dared to promise their daughter to Li Wu, driving his parents to distraction. Strangely, Li Wu, upon hearing these rumors, felt not worry, but a sense of profound relief. Now, his parents couldn't force him to marry anyone else.

Due to this ill reputation and his own resistance, Li Wu remained unmarried until his parents passed away.

During this time, Li Wu heard reports of how poorly Wang Guifang was faring at the Liu household. But she was now another man's wife; he couldn't interfere, and furthermore, helping her would only make her future harder. Thus, Li Wu felt compelled to refuse any news concerning Wang Guifang’s life with her in-laws. It wasn't until later that he heard Wang Guifang had been divorced by the Liu family. Initially, he felt furious at the Liu family for treating her so poorly, followed by a secret wave of elation—did this mean he finally had a chance? However, Li Wu had not forgotten the Old Madam Wang’s comment about the thirty taels of silver betrothal gift. Therefore, he didn't rashly rush to the Wang family immediately, deciding instead to wait until he had saved up the required sum.

Now that Li Wu had saved enough for the bride price, he had finally come to the Old Residence of the Wang family.