The old man and the old woman, though furious after hearing all these matters, felt an urge to summon Old Madam Tian immediately and give her a severe dressing-down, considering the consequences of letting her continue. However, they were wise enough to know that bringing their daughter-in-law in at this very moment would only cause their daughter to resent them. Thus, once their daughter left, the old couple immediately called Old Madam Tian over. After severely reprimanding her, they ordered her to stop immediately looking for a wife for Wang Qingtong and to postpone the matter for a while.

Although Old Madam Tian had been scolded by the old man and the old woman, she was still deeply unwilling to cease her efforts in finding a wife for her son. So, she whispered, "Father, Mother, your daughter-in-law has already found some leads. I have located several suitable young women for Qingtong. Wouldn't it be a waste to stop now? Perhaps we could wait until I’ve settled Qingtong’s marriage, and then we can discuss it!"

The old woman, seeing that Old Madam Tian still didn't seem to grasp where she had gone wrong, grew even angrier. "Nonsense! Use your brain and think—how much resentment will your current methods invite? If you keep going like this, the families you approach for Qingtong won't be future in-laws, but sworn enemies! Do you understand that?"

Having finished speaking, the old woman glared at Old Madam Tian a few times, then continued, "Let me ask you: which family would be happy to have their daughter openly inquired about like this? Even if it were you, would you like it? Aren't you ruining the reputation of those young women? You inquire about a girl’s situation, but then you don't settle on her—people will naturally begin to suspect that there was something wrong with that girl that made you pass her over. You should be thankful those families haven't come here demanding an explanation! You’ve already married off two sons, and I never saw you act like this before. What is wrong with you now? Have you completely lost the ability to think things through properly?"

Hearing the old woman's words, Old Madam Tian, though she didn't believe she was at fault, dared not press the issue of continuing when she saw how enraged the old woman was. She could only agree to put the matter aside for now.

The old woman sighed inwardly when she saw that Old Madam Tian had agreed verbally but still looked unconvinced. Why had she ever thought her maternal niece was a good match? Look at what she was doing now—what kind of behavior was this?

Fortunately, the old woman kept comforting herself that her niece was quite attentive in caring for her, and she had given birth to three grandsons, which counted as merit. Thinking this way, the old woman’s anger finally subsided.

After Old Madam Tian’s activities ground to a halt, the villagers who enjoyed gossip were quite disappointed. Based on how things had been developing, there was surely going to be some good drama to watch. Stopping now meant there was nothing left to talk about.

Wang Qingtong remained completely unaware of the things his mother had been doing. While he knew his mother was helping him look for a wife, he hadn't inquired about the specifics of how she went about it. Part of the reason was that Wang Qingtong had originally intended to find someone he liked himself, but now the old man and the old woman weren't supportive, pushing him to let his mother handle the search. He knew whatever his mother found would be different from what he wanted, so he had paid no attention to Old Madam Tian’s matchmaking efforts lately—out of sight, out of mind.

As for Old Madam Tian suddenly ceasing her frantic efforts regarding his marriage, while he felt a touch of confusion, he was mostly pleased. Though he felt slightly guilty toward Old Madam Tian for thinking this way, he also feared that the person she ultimately chose would be someone he disliked, which would make married life difficult. Therefore, Wang Qingtong decided he would be extra filial to his mother in other matters from now on, as a form of compensation for this.

Old Madam Zhang and Old Madam Yang had anticipated this outcome, so they were not surprised.

"See? Once the old man and the old woman made their move, Big Sister-in-law immediately stopped looking for a wife for Qingtong," Old Madam Zhang said with malicious glee.

"It’s good that she stopped, otherwise, if this continued, who knows if she would ever find a wife for Qingtong!" Old Madam Yang replied.

"Ah, let me ask you, your Qingtong is only a year younger than Qingtong. Since the main house is so anxious about Qingtong’s marriage, aren't you worried about Qingtong's marriage? I heard that a few families sent matchmakers to ask for your and your husband's opinion before, but it seems you didn't agree?" Old Madam Zhang inquired.

Old Madam Yang hadn't expected this matter to leak. She had always thought that revealing it would harm the reputation of the young women's families, so she had kept quiet. Now that Old Madam Zhang knew, did this mean the news was widespread?

Seeing Old Madam Yang’s bewildered look, Old Madam Zhang explained, "No need to guess wildly; not many people know about this. It's just that one family wanting to arrange a marriage with you has some distant connection to my maternal uncle’s family, so they wanted my uncle to try to mediate! My uncle felt it was awkward for him to bring it up, so he asked me to check in with you."

"No way. When those families sent matchmakers before, my husband and I had already refused. Do they still want to ask again?" Old Madam Yang was astonished.

Old Madam Zhang smiled upon seeing Old Madam Yang’s surprise. "Isn't that right? Now Qingtong is not only a Xiucai (scholar), but he is also participating in the County Examination this year! If he passes, he will be a Juren (recommended scholar)! Many more people will want to marry into your family then! So these people are trying to speak with you early. If they can secure an engagement now, whether Qingtong passes the County Examination or not, they won't lose out."

"How could they not lose out? If Qingtong doesn't pass the Juren exam this time, won't they regret it?" Old Madam Yang was puzzled.

Old Madam Zhang found this amusingly frustrating. "Oh dear, Second Sister-in-law, have you forgotten something? Your family is not the same as before. Even if Qingtong doesn't pass the Juren exam, you still have the family assets! The daughters from those families marrying in won't suffer! Moreover, Qingtong is still young; even if he fails this time, there's always next time, right? Their calculations are precise; they certainly won't suffer any loss!"

Old Madam Yang was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly, "I see why they sent matchmakers around at this time!"

"Second Sister-in-law, have you and Second Brother picked out anyone suitable?" Old Madam Zhang asked.

Old Madam Yang shook her head. "Alas, it’s not that we haven't found anyone suitable; it’s just that we feel Qingtong is still young, so there’s no rush. If Qingtong happens to pass the Juren exam this time, the pool of eligible matches will be much larger. Besides, my husband and I feel we must ask our son his opinion first. Otherwise, what if we agree, but our son refuses?"

Old Madam Zhang nodded. "That’s true. These matters require the consent of the children themselves. Otherwise, you might alienate the child and also harm the reputation of the young woman."

"That’s exactly right. That’s why my husband and I refused those families who sent matchmakers before," Old Madam Yang stated.

Once Old Madam Zhang understood the intentions of Old Madam Yang and Wang Youfu, she stopped pressing the matter her maternal uncle had asked her about. After all, they had just explained their reasoning; if she continued to push, it would show a lack of tact.

As for all this, Wang Qingchen was completely oblivious. When the matchmakers came to sound them out, Wang Youfu and Old Madam Yang had considered asking their son what kind of person he liked, but they refrained, worried it might distract Wang Qingchen. After all, their son was preparing for the County Examination, and he couldn't afford any distractions.

Wang Qingchen, unaware, continued with his own affairs. However, there was another matter that gave him cause to tease Li Yuntai for quite some time.

Li Yuntai had previously been engaged. Both families had planned for Li Yuntai to marry that young woman last year, but unexpectedly, she fell seriously ill, startling both families. As the girl’s health grew weaker, both families assumed she wouldn't make it through. Li Yuntai was naturally devastated then. Who knew that after meeting Li Yuntai once, the girl gradually began to recover, causing everyone who knew the story to exclaim at the miracle. Now that the girl’s health had mostly returned to normal, both families were planning to resume the marriage arrangements. However, since Li Yuntai was also scheduled for the County Examination this year, both families decided to postpone the wedding date so as not to affect his studies.

Ever since Wang Qingchen learned of this, he firmly believed that the girl, having been deeply captivated by Li Yuntai’s noble demeanor, found the courage to fight the illness and ultimately survived through sheer fortitude. Consequently, Wang Qingchen constantly teased Li Yuntai about this whenever he had the chance. Now that Wang Qingchen learned Li Yuntai’s wedding was set for next year, he recalled the incident again and began his usual teasing.

Li Yuntai, hearing Wang Qingchen's jests, showed little reaction, instead saying mournfully, "Stop teasing me here. To tell the truth, you’re not young anymore either. Your father and mother should also be preparing these matters for you."

Hearing this, Wang Qingchen, who had been laughing and joking moments before, nearly choked on his own saliva. "Hold on, can you not speak so frighteningly? How old am I that you're talking about arranging these things?"

Li Yuntai retorted with a smirk, "Why don't you write home and ask? See if your mother and father have already found a wife for you!"

This truly frightened Wang Qingchen. What if, just as Li Yuntai suggested, his family had already arranged a wife for him? The more Wang Qingchen worried, the more anxious he became, so he quickly wrote a letter home to inquire.