By the time Old Madam found her way to the locust tree alley where the Li family lived in the county town, following the directions Wanyue had given her, it was already late afternoon.
Accustomed to being treated like an empress dowager at home and always traveling by oxcart, Old Madam’s legs were nearly worn out from the walk.
Exhausted, panting, thirsty, and hungry, she leaned against the wall, barely able to stand, as she feebly knocked on the Li family’s wooden door.
After seven or eight knocks, there was still no response from inside.
Just as Old Madam began to wonder if she had come at an unlucky time and the Li family was out, the gate of the neighboring courtyard creaked open from within, and an elderly woman around her own age stepped out.
Old Madam hurriedly inquired, “Sister, is there no one home at the Li family?”
“There is. The mother and her two sons are all home. But at this hour, the eldest son of the Li family is studying. To prevent anyone from disturbing his progress, Mrs. Li won’t easily open the door to let visitors in.”
Old Madam was dumbfounded.
For the first time in her life, she had heard of such a way of dealing with the world.
Even farming families, who were often criticized for lacking manners, understood the principle that visitors were guests and should be treated well.
But this county town family… and this from a woman who had once been an official’s wife, the mother of a scholar—what kind of behavior was this?
The neighbor looked at Old Madam curiously. “Elder sister, where are you from, and what brings you here?”
Old Madam stammered, “My grandson studies with Li Cun…”
“Are you here to look for your grandson? No outsiders have visited the Li family these past few days.”
“No, I’m here to…”
“You’re not here to borrow Li Cun’s annotated books for your grandson, are you? Then you’ve come to the wrong place. Mrs. Li is a formidable woman, especially strict about anything related to her son’s studies. She’s terrified someone might steal or copy them, affecting her son’s chances of passing the Xiucai exam.”
Suddenly, the old woman caught a whiff of something burning and exclaimed, “Oh dear, I’ve got meat frying on the stove for my son’s soup…”
With a bang, she shut the courtyard gate and disappeared, leaving Old Madam alone in the alley.
She glanced at the sky, then at the tightly closed elmwood door before her. Gritting her teeth, she finally raised her voice and knocked loudly.
“Mrs. Li, open the door! I’m from Zhao Family Village…”
After several shouts, just as Old Madam’s hands were turning red from knocking, the imposing wooden door finally opened from within.
Inside stood a woman wearing a dark blue straight-collar jacket with floral patterns and a brown horse-face skirt. Her hair was neatly combed, her figure tall and slender, but her expression was stern and rigid.
Without a doubt, this was Mrs. Li.
Mrs. Li’s eyes were icy cold, and her tall stature gave her a naturally condescending air when she looked at others.
Her expression was indifferent, the corners of her mouth set in a severe line, and deep nasolabial folds marked her face. A timid young girl would likely burst into tears three times a day at the sight of such a mother-in-law.
At that moment, Old Madam couldn’t help but doubt Wanyue’s calculations.
Li Cun’s mother clearly didn’t seem like an easy person to deal with. Could Wanyue really handle her?
Wanyue had said she’d even be willing to fetch her mother-in-law’s foot-washing water every night if it meant living a good life, but if a mother-in-law dared to torment her like that, Old Madam believed Wanyue would eventually turn the world upside down.
She had ill intentions but a fiery temper; if she ended up in a scuffle with this Mrs. Li, it would be far too unsightly.
While Old Madam was lost in her thoughts, Mrs. Li had already sized her up from head to toe.
She was certain she had never seen this old woman before, yet the woman kept insisting she came from Zhao Family Village. Could she be an elder sent by the eldest branch of the Chen family to discuss the marriage proposal?
This was improper!
Even if they intended to agree to the marriage, they should have sent a matchmaker to handle it.
Truly, country folk lack knowledge and manners, with no sense of decorum.
Mrs. Li’s tone was stiff and unyielding. “Who are you? What brings you to my home?”
Suppressing the discomfort in her heart, Old Madam once again introduced herself, emphasizing that she was the matriarch of the Chen family—Chen Song’s mother!
Mrs. Li naturally knew who Chen Song was. One of the reasons she had her eye on Chen Wanqing as a daughter-in-law was precisely because her father worked in the county magistrate’s office.
Having a man in the yamen brought countless hidden benefits. If it weren’t for her late husband, who had worked as a prison warden earlier, their family would never have been able to build the fortune they now possessed.
Mrs. Li’s expression immediately softened. A smile spread across her features as she politely invited Old Madam into the house.
Even though she was still puzzled—she had vaguely heard that this old woman was a stepmother and didn’t get along with the eldest branch—why would Chen Song and his wife involve her in such an important matter as their daughter’s marriage?
With a flicker in her eyes, Mrs. Li spoke courteously, “Had I known it was you knocking at the door, I would have opened it much sooner. I would never have kept you waiting like this—it’s truly too disrespectful.”
“It’s no trouble. This house is close to the main street, so anyone could wander by. With only you and your children at home, it’s only right to be cautious.”
As she replied, Old Madam’s eyes swept across the courtyard.
To be honest, she was deeply disappointed.
From the outside, the courtyard looked quite impressive. The fine elmwood gate was coated with a glossy layer of tung oil paint, making it seem like the residence of some wealthy gentleman to the uninformed.
But once inside the courtyard, the contrast was stark.
At most, there were only three main rooms and a kitchen in the courtyard. There was no well, and the space was cramped, feeling terribly confined—as if one could walk from one end to the other in just a few steps.
This was it?
This was it!
Wanyue had spoken so highly of the Li family’s wealth and prosperity, but upon entering, it was clear they were nothing more than a gilded facade—like donkey dung polished to a shine.
A glance inside the house revealed it was only slightly tidier than a typical farmhouse. Fine porcelain tea sets had replaced the coarse clay bowls common in small villages, and there were a few decorative items of uncertain origin. Beyond that, it was nothing special.
Old Madam’s heart immediately sank halfway.
“Mother, Qiaoxin said someone from Zhao Family Village has come. Has the Chen family agreed to the marriage proposal between me and the eldest daughter?”
Li Cun pushed the door open, dressed in a sapphire-blue robe. As he finished speaking, he noticed Old Madam sitting at the table. Assuming she was the matchmaker working on his marriage, Li Cun bowed respectfully to her, his eyes burning with anticipation.
“You’ve come from Zhao Family Village—has the Chen family agreed to our proposal? When do you think would be appropriate for us to visit? What betrothal gifts would be most suitable and respectable?”
“Eldest Son!”
Mrs. Li trembled with anger but forced herself to restrain it, not wanting to embarrass her son in front of an outsider.
Yet her son’s behavior filled her, as a mother, with profound disappointment.
She was deeply, profoundly dissatisfied with her son's behavior.
It was just a girl who had been engaged and broken off twice, yet her normally steady and intelligent son seemed bewitched, stubbornly fixated on her.
Year after year, her son had pleaded with her to marry the Chen family's daughter, ever since he began studying under Scholar Zhao at the age of ten, and even now he hadn't given up that desire.
And as fate would have it, the Chen girl's own marriage prospects had been fraught with setbacks—engaged and broken off, engaged and broken off again—repeatedly fueling her son's hopes.
Now that her husband had passed away, her son had grown bold, challenging his own mother and insisting on bringing the Chen girl into their home.