Chen Wanyue shook the old lady’s hand, swaying it back and forth. “Grandmother, please help me secure the marriage with the Li family. Li Cun has a bright future ahead. If I marry him, I can support my second brother. Then our family might produce a Xiucai, bringing honor to our ancestors. Even when you pass on, you’ll be the most distinguished in front of my great-grandparents.”
The old lady’s heart was in turmoil. “Is Li Cun really that good? But his marriage with your eldest sister is almost settled. You’re snatching…”
“Almost settled means it’s not settled yet! They haven’t even exchanged the Eight Characters! How can you call it snatching? Between us sisters, the word ‘snatch’ doesn’t apply. Grandmother, my dear grandmother, please agree to this. Am I stealing my sister’s marriage? No, I’m saving my eldest sister from misery. You know how formidable Li Cun’s mother is—everything in the household, from daily expenses to whether her sons and daughters-in-law step out with their left or right foot, requires her approval.”
“My eldest sister, taught by my aunt, has a strong will. She won’t let herself be pushed around. If she marries into that family, she and her mother-in-law will clash constantly. What if she falls ill from anger? Would that be worth it?”
“As for me, I can endure anything as long as I live well. I don’t mind being submissive. If I can become an official’s wife, I’d even wash my mother-in-law’s feet every day.”
Chen Wanyue was eloquent, turning the act of snatching a marriage into a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The old lady, already biased toward her and eager to outshine Chen Dachang’s first wife to show off her own and her descendants’ abilities in front of her deceased in-laws, licked her lips and said with a hint of excitement, “Then should I help you with this matter again?”
“Oh, I’m troubling my dearest grandmother once more. Only you would sincerely take on this difficulty for me. My parents are so obsessed with money they’ve forgotten who I am. Grandmother, my dear grandmother, if I ever rise to prominence, I will bring you to live with me and care for you personally.”
The old lady couldn’t stop smiling but tried to suppress her grin and maintain her composure. “I raised you—who else would I care for if not you? There’s no need to bring me to live with you. I have sons and grandsons; if an married granddaughter supports me, people will criticize your father and brothers…”
The old lady then spoke of her hardships—how Chen Wanyue’s parents were so money-minded that they left her, just a few months old, to be raised by an old woman. Without milk, the old lady had to swallow her pride and seek nursing mothers in the village. Later, she even bought a milk goat just to feed Chen Wanyue.
She only spoke of her kindness, never mentioning how she would throw the child onto the bed in fits of anger, or leave her alone at home for an entire afternoon while playing cards. Nor did she mention that when she bought the milk goat, her third daughter-in-law was pregnant, and the midwife had confirmed it was a grandson. It was for this grandson that she finally decided to buy a freshly delivered nanny goat.
But the old lady would never tell Chen Wanyue these things, just as she would never explain that her third son and his wife were not merely greedy for money.
She wished for her granddaughter to be close only to her, to treat her better in the future than her own parents.
Just for the sake of the future Juren master, who could help her own grandson, the old lady grew even more tempted by the idea of exchanging marriages.
Actually, if it were just "snatching a marriage," it would be easier to handle.
Unfortunately, the Zhao family's marriage proposal truly could not be abandoned.
They lived in Zhao Village, and offending the Zhao family was one reason; the second was that the troublemaker she gave birth to had also married into Zhao Village and, after many years of marriage, had only given birth to three daughters.
The old lady worried for her daughter, fearing she might be divorced.
At this critical moment, if her granddaughter insisted on breaking off the engagement with Zhao Jing, it simply could not be allowed!
Chen Wanyue had also recognized this point, which was why she wanted to offer Zhao Jing a seemingly better marriage proposal to silence the Zhao family.
But accomplishing this was not easy either, and the old lady, troubled, drank another cup of tea.
"I’m confident I can persuade the Li family. As for Zhao Jing’s family, Scholar Zhao is stubborn, and Madam Zhao isn’t very bright either. They pride themselves on being a scholarly family, valuing rules and etiquette the most, so they likely won’t agree to this easily."
And then there’s the eldest branch of the family… ah, better not think about it, the more I do, the more it hurts my head.
Seeing that the old lady was now completely convinced by her, Chen Wanyue felt a surge of energy and grew more spirited.
She then took a yellowed piece of paper from her sleeve. "The Zhao family is the easiest to handle, Grandmother. Look at this."
The old lady took the paper, glanced at it, and tossed it back to Chen Wanyue, muttering, "Why show me this? You know I’m illiterate."
"My dear grandmother, even if you can’t read, can’t you recognize this as temple paper? It’s written clearly here that my Eight Characters and Zhao Jing’s are incompatible. If we marry, we’ll lose both people and wealth."
To be honest, the master’s reading was quite accurate.
After she married Zhao Jing, his mother passed away within a few days. The family held a funeral, spending what little money they had left.
Then, her sister-in-law fell seriously ill, nearly dying. After that, she took the family’s silver and ran off with someone…
The old lady glanced sideways at Chen Wanyue. "You just said a blind fortune-teller read your fortune. How did it become a temple master now?"
"It’s because I didn’t trust the blind man’s words, so I went to the temple specifically to have a master calculate our Eight Characters. And as luck would have it, the two readings were exactly the same."
"Grandmother, just show this yellow paper to Madam Zhao. She only has Zhao Jing as her son. Even for his sake, she’ll agree to exchange the marriage."
Speaking of which, because De’an and Zhao Jing were close in age and got along well, they had always been close. As a result, even Zhao Jing’s family was closer to the eldest branch.
Living in the same village, she had heard plenty of gossip from the aunties and neighbors.
They said Madam Zhao often praised her cousin, saying her cooking skills were excellent—whether it was stewing soup, making dishes, or baking pancakes, she was unmatched.
They also said her cousin excelled at needlework. When De’an tore Zhao Jing’s clothes, she mended them so neatly that unless you looked closely, you couldn’t even tell they were damaged.
Since Madam Zhao was so fond of her cousin, wouldn’t she be overjoyed to have her cousin marry Zhao Jing instead?
The old lady took the yellow paper, feeling reassured. "I’ll go to the Zhao family later."
"Then, after you visit the Zhao family, please also go to the Li family. Try to settle this matter within the day."
Upon hearing this, the old lady frowned deeply. "I've been running around for your sake since early morning. Your grandmother's legs have grown thin from all this running."
"Who told you to be my dearest grandmother? Please bear the burden a little longer and help me with this."
"But what if the Li family…"
"My cousin and I each have our own strengths. I am gentle by nature, while she is tough; I don't enjoy casual banter, whereas she often engages with others; I rarely step out of the house, but she runs outside day after day… As long as you make these points clear, if Madam Li truly cares for her son, she'll know how to choose."
"But no matter how many good qualities you have, your looks aren't as striking as your cousin's, and your dowry isn't as generous as hers. These are undeniable flaws."
Chen Wanyue was displeased upon hearing this. "How are my looks not as good as my cousin's? If she is as radiant as a peony, I possess the grace of a magnolia… Even if we set that aside, isn't it said that one marries for character, not wealth, and chooses a wife for virtue, not beauty? Someone like me would never lead a gentleman astray. On the other hand, with looks like my cousin's, what man could resist? If his health were ruined, how could he possibly take the Imperial Examinations?"
"As for the dowry, it's still uncertain how much my cousin will actually receive. My aunt once said she would give her two acres of fertile land, but with brothers in the family, can fertile land truly be given to a daughter? Besides, I have grandparents and my own parents—can't you all contribute more for me? It's not as if I won't repay the family. Once Li Cun succeeds, I will surely ensure the Chen family prospers as well."
With all sorts of sweet words, Chen Wanyue stirred the old lady's heart, making her feel that everything was possible, one way or another.
Thus, after resting for a while, the old lady indeed toddled out again on her bound feet.
Only after watching the old lady walk far away did Chen Wanyue close the courtyard gate and pick up the clothes from the basin to hang them out to dry.
Outwardly composed, she was inwardly sweating with anxiety.
The easier she made things sound, the less confident she truly felt.
Because after opening her eyes once more, the events of her past life were happening all over again.
For instance, the family with the buckteeth had indeed extorted a hundred copper coins from her household; her parents had quarreled for some unknown reason when they returned home yesterday, and her mother had been slapped by her father once again; and Baoshan had indeed taken a liking to Chunyue, the neighbor of Zhao Can, and eagerly brought boiled eggs to curry favor with the girl…
But Chen Wanyue also thought, it wasn't that she couldn't change fate—it was that she didn't want to, wasn't willing to, and couldn't do so for now.
If she truly wanted to, if she truly willed it, she could make everything go according to her wishes.
So, she would give it her all and try.
If she could truly avoid the fate of her past life and walk a different, broad path, perhaps that would be the meaning of her rebirth.