In the Wang family's old residence, when the Old Master first heard the reason for Li Wu's visit, he couldn't believe that he actually intended to marry his daughter, who had been sent home after a divorce. Then, upon hearing that the man was prepared to offer thirty taels of silver as a bride price, his first thought was: is this man making fun of me? After all, his daughter had been sent back by her former in-laws; ordinarily, finding a decent husband for her would be extremely difficult. Given that Li Wu was a man of decent standing, the fact that he not only wanted to marry his daughter but was also willing to pay thirty taels—the Old Master simply could not fathom it.

Yet, when the Old Master looked at Li Wu, he saw an expression of genuine sincerity, clearly indicating this was no joke. But this only made the situation stranger. Why would Li Wu, who had remained unmarried for so many years, now be willing to pay such a high price to marry a divorced woman? Who would believe such a story? However, this doubt was difficult to voice directly. He couldn't very well ask, "My daughter is currently divorced; what exactly have you seen in her?" That would surely signal weakness.

Thus, the Old Master found himself torn. What was he to do? A man of good standing wanted to marry his daughter—naturally, they should accept. But this was so sudden, and there were so many unknowns. If they agreed rashly, they might only be pushing their daughter into another pit of despair. Yet, refusing might mean missing this rare opportunity. Caught between these two difficult choices, the Old Master wrestled internally.

Seeing her husband’s indecision, the Old Madam knew he couldn't make up his mind. She turned to Li Wu and asked, "Are you truly set on marrying my daughter? You must think this through carefully, for you must know she was sent away by her previous husband’s family."

Li Wu met the Old Madam’s serious gaze and nodded with firm conviction. "Yes, I wish to take your daughter as my wife. As for her past, I know it all, but it does not concern me."

The others in the room, though perhaps suspecting as much, felt a surprising touch of emotion upon hearing Li Wu’s response.

It was at this moment that Tian Shi finally understood why Li Wu had been standing at the entrance of their old house that other day. It was all for her little sister-in-law! Simultaneously, Tian Shi considered how fortunate her sister-in-law truly was. Even after being cast out, a man of good prospects was willing to take her. It was well known that Li Wu had never married before, meaning the sister-in-law would not have to contend with any existing children. Furthermore, Li Wu’s declaration of a thirty-tael bride price was a grand gesture! Tian Shi recalled that the price paid for Qingyun's bride had only been fifteen taels, and even fifteen taels was considered an exceptional sum among farming families. Who could possibly rival a thirty-tael offering?

When Luo Yin heard the mention of the bride price, she too reflected. Her own bride price had been fifteen taels. At the time, she had heard talk of how high that figure was, how few farming families could match it. To think that this man would offer thirty taels to marry a divorced woman—it left one truly speechless about how to feel.

The Old Madam was inwardly satisfied by Li Wu’s answer, but such a matter could not be settled so quickly. She stated, "We still need to ask our daughter her own feelings on the matter. We will give you an answer in a few days!"

Hearing that the Wang family had not flatly refused, Li Wu felt a surge of happiness; as long as there was no refusal, there was hope. After exchanging a few more courtesies with the Wang family, Li Wu took his leave.

After Li Wu departed, the Old Madam dismissed Tian Shi and Luo Yin and began to discuss Li Wu’s proposal for Wang Guifang with the Old Master in private.

"Old Master, what do you think of this man?" the Old Madam inquired, inwardly quite pleased with Li Wu.

The Old Master pondered for a moment before nodding. "His family's circumstances are indeed quite good. He has no parents above him, and since he never married before, he has no children. Fang'er can take charge of the household when she marries in. Moreover, Li Wu is a hard worker who can support a family. And let us not forget, he is willing to offer thirty taels as a bride price—that is certainly to my liking!"

After these words, the Old Master continued, "However, what puzzles me is why he would offer such an exorbitant bride price? And why has he never married until now? I recall someone mentioning he was cursed to bring misfortune to his wives, did they not? If he truly carried such a curse, then his unmarried status makes sense, and offering thirty taels to marry a divorced woman becomes understandable. But if that is the case, I truly hesitate to marry my daughter to him. Who knows if this 'curse' is real!"

Upon hearing this, the Old Madam felt a pang of guilt. The two points the Old Master worried about were hardly major concerns in her mind, precisely because they both related back to her own actions. Take the thirty tael bride price, for example: that was the very amount she had mockingly thrown out years ago when criticizing Li Wu’s parents. It seemed the Li family had taken her words to heart. As for the rumor of Li Wu bringing misfortune to his wives, after their families had parted on bad terms, the Old Madam’s resentment toward the Li family grew. When their son’s betrothed died before the wedding could even take place, she had quietly spread the rumor of Li Wu's ill-fated luck throughout the village. At the time, it was merely an act of petty revenge; who could have foreseen the severe consequences that followed, directly leading to Li Wu’s prolonged bachelorhood? Thinking of this, the Old Madam felt a wave of guilt. Of course, the Old Madam was unaware that Li Wu’s own unwillingness to marry played a part in this outcome.

"It might not be exactly as you imagine," the Old Madam argued. "His previous fiancée died before the wedding; it’s not necessarily his fault. Perhaps the girl was frail to begin with! Besides, there are cases where a wife dies after marriage, and no one accuses the husband of being ill-fated; they simply remarry, do they not?" she countered.

The Old Master nodded slowly. "What you say has some merit; some men have lost wives and remarried without issue. But if Li Wu is truly blameless, then why the massive thirty taels as a bride price?" Clearly, the Old Master still harbored doubts.

The Old Madam could only inwardly curse her past self for opening her mouth unnecessarily. Look now—because of something she said years ago, the Old Master was stuck in this quandary. It could take ages for him to figure things out!

So, the Old Madam finally revealed to the Old Master the entire story of her earlier remark. When the Old Master learned the truth, he realized that Li Wu's family had indeed approached them years ago seeking to arrange a marriage with their Fang'er, only to be rebuffed by his wife, who stipulated a thirty-tael bride price. No wonder Li Wu mentioned thirty taels this time when seeking to marry Fang'er—there was a history behind it!

The Old Master was initially displeased with his wife’s actions back then, but considering that they had been earnestly seeking a good match for their daughter and perhaps looked down on the Li family at the time, he couldn't bring himself to scold the Old Madam too harshly.

However, once the reason was clear, the Old Master became even more satisfied with Li Wu’s standing. He instructed the Old Madam to find a time to speak with their daughter. If she agreed, they could finalize the match. Then, Li Wu could send a matchmaker to formally propose, and the marriage would be settled.

Although the Old Madam had once looked down on the Li family, she was now entirely pleased with them. After discussing the matter with her husband, she went to speak with her daughter about the proposal.

Wang Guifang had already resigned herself to living out the rest of her life as she was; she never imagined remarrying. Therefore, when the Old Madam brought up the matter, she felt a deep sense of confusion, unsure whether she should accept. According to her mother, Li Wu was a man of good standing, and she couldn't possibly remain alone forever. While her parents were alive, they could protect her, but what would happen after they passed away and she had no one to rely on? Perhaps it would be better to marry into a good family now and have someone to depend on later. The Old Madam had even said that regardless of what others thought, what mattered was that the marriage made her life better.

After speaking, the Old Madam did not pressure her, merely advising her to think it over carefully. Consequently, Wang Guifang spent most of the following days confined to her room, pondering this single issue. Her mother was right, wasn't she? If her parents were gone and she had no support, she would have to yield to the whims of her elder brothers and sisters-in-law. Considering her eldest brother and, especially, her eldest sister-in-law, would they tolerate her staying in their home, eating and living off them indefinitely? Certainly not. Once she lost her protectors, dealing with her would not be difficult for them. Or what if they forced her into a marriage later? Would she have the power to resist then? Better to choose a decent husband while her parents were still here to give their blessing than to be forced into something later!

But since being sent home, her initial grief had faded into a resolve to live alone from now on—a quiet, simple life free from worry. Yet, she had overlooked one thing: this peaceful existence was predicated on her parents being alive, on having their backing. If that support vanished one day, what awaited her? Likely the same dreary existence she endured in the Liu family. It seemed maintaining this leisure was truly impossible. Did she really have to marry, as her mother suggested, into a good home? Her mother's tone suggested that both parents were very pleased with this Li Wu. Should she agree? Yet, the memory of her previous marriage made her hesitate.

Just as Wang Guifang remained undecided, He Shi came calling.