Baihe Town was thirty li away from Pingshan County. By the time Xie Yuduo and his family arrived at the residence just before sunset, the Shen Family’s thread shop had already closed for the day.
The Shen father and son locked up the shop and returned home for dinner.
Today, Yunhua had bought a fish, so Shen Qi cooked a pot of fragrant fish soup. For her younger brother Shen Ji, who disliked fish, she steamed a tender and smooth egg custard.
Sister-in-law stir-fried a dish of chives with dried tofu, a favorite of Father and Mother, along with three or four small plates of pickled vegetables and a large pot of thick rice porridge, making for a rather sumptuous evening meal.
“Oh, we have fish today!”
Eldest Brother washed his hands and came over. Seeing the fragrant fish soup on the table, he was delighted and his appetite was instantly whetted.
“Hmph, I hate fish the most. It’s so troublesome and full of bones,” Younger Brother pouted.
Sister-in-law brought over the golden-yellow egg custard and placed it in front of Younger Brother, casually saying, “Look, isn’t this your favorite egg custard? It’s all yours—no one’s going to fight you for it.”
Younger Brother’s pout immediately turned into a wide grin as he said cheerfully, “Thank you, Sister-in-law!”
Qiao Shi patted his head and said with a smile, “Don’t thank me. It was Little Yue’er who steamed this for you. If you want to thank someone, thank your sister!”
Eldest Brother ladled fish soup for everyone one by one.
“I knew it was Little Yue’er’s handiwork. Only the fish soup she makes can be this fragrant.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly added, “And I also guessed that this fish must have been bought by my Wife herself. Only the fish you buy can be this plump and tender!”
With Father, Mother, and Younger Brother and Sister present, everyone couldn’t help but laugh at his words. Although Sister-in-law also laughed, she was still a bit embarrassed and playfully punched him on the back.
Eldest Brother put down the soup bowl with a grin and said, “Too light—didn’t hurt at all!”
This provoked another round of laughter from everyone.
In the countryside, there were fewer formalities, and there was never any custom of “no talking during meals or before sleep.” Dinner was always an occasion for the family to chat and laugh together.
Father and Mother would always tally up the day’s earnings, Eldest Brother would share stories about difficult customers he encountered that day, and Sister-in-law and Little Yue’er would ask everyone what they wanted to eat the next day.
Today’s dinner conversation naturally revolved around the Xie family, who had come for the matchmaking visit that afternoon.
Zhang Shi spoke while serving Little Yue’er some food.
“Speaking of which, they are considered a prominent family in Pingshan County. They run an herbal medicine shop, and I heard it has five storefronts! And look at the two big black horses they rode over today—so plump and sturdy.”
“They also seem capable. Judging by that young man’s demeanor and behavior, he’s clearly someone who has seen the world,” Father Shen nodded in agreement.
“It’s just that he’s a bit older—five or six years older than Little Yue’er. With such a large family business, how did they delay until now?” Zhang Shi quietly voiced her concern. What she didn’t say aloud was, “Could there be some hidden ailment? I hope it doesn’t ruin my Little Yue’er’s life.”
Eldest Brother said, “His father mentioned that he’s been handling the procurement of medicinal herbs for the shop these past few years, so he’s often away from home. That’s why it was delayed.”
“That’s what they say…” Zhang Shi was still worried.
“It’s probably true. Just before the shop closed today, the Lu family’s second son came to buy thread. I know he often goes to the county town, so I pulled him aside and asked him about it. He said he often sees their eldest son in the county town—the cousin from the Second Branch who came today. As for this second son of the main branch, he hasn’t seen him. The shop assistants all say that this Second Master is often away purchasing medicinal herbs and really isn’t home much.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi felt somewhat reassured and added, "There's another advantage: the family runs an herbal medicine shop. If anyone suffers from a headache or fever, it would be convenient to seek treatment at home…"
These words weighed heavily on Shen Qi's heart.
Originally, when the engagement with the Xu family was arranged five years ago, her mother had said the same thing.
"The family runs a medical clinic. For everyday ailments like headaches or fevers, it's convenient to have a pulse diagnosis and medicine prepared at home. That's an advantage…"
This advantage was mentioned for three years, until two years ago when the Xu family called off the engagement. After that, her mother never spoke of it again.
No one else paid much attention to these words, but Sister-in-law noticed the change in Shen Qi's expression and discreetly signaled with her eyes. Only then did Zhang Shi realize she had said the wrong thing and quickly stopped herself, shifting to another topic.
"The family isn't too large. In this generation, there are only two boys…"
"Three."
Shen Qi's father interjected abruptly. "His second uncle has another son."
"Oh, how do you know? You must have misheard. His second aunt only mentioned having one son and one daughter."
"I didn't mishear. His second uncle said the family's concubine also raised a young son."
At this, everyone fell silent for a moment.
In rural towns, it was rare for families to keep concubines. Even if a wife passed away, it was uncommon for older men to remarry, let alone take a concubine.
It seemed the Xie family truly was a prominent household in the county.
However, if the family had a tradition of keeping concubines, and if little Yue'er were to marry into such a family…
"Does the child of his concubine count as part of the family?"
The youngest brother, who had been focused on eating, suddenly asked when he noticed everyone had fallen silent.
He only knew that his mother's sisters were his aunts and had no other understanding of the term.
His question lightened the mood, and everyone laughed.
"Little ones shouldn't speak out of turn," Eldest Brother gently patted his younger brother's head, urging him to continue eating his egg.
After swallowing a mouthful of egg, the youngest brother couldn't resist adding, "I like that man. He's tall, strong, and looks powerful. If I ever fight with Er Mao from West Street, he could definitely help me win!"
Amidst the laughter, Shen Qi blushed and stood up. Reaching across half the table, she stuffed an egg from the soup into his mouth.
"With a family like that, you might not be worthy of them! Better eat a few more bites yourself and fight your own battles!"
As night fell, Shen Qi's parents, who usually went to bed early, remained awake longer than usual.
Watching the light from her parents' room, Shen Qi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Unbidden, the image of the Xie family men she had encountered earlier that day surfaced in her mind.
She counted them on her fingers.
Five members of the Xie family had visited today.
The only female guest was Second Aunt, who had spoken with her mother. Shen Qi found her features somewhat sharp, her eyes carrying a hint of arrogance, and disliked her shrewd, scrutinizing gaze. Still, she wore a smile and maintained a polite demeanor.
The two male guests walking ahead and speaking with her father appeared to be around his age—likely the Xie family's father and second uncle, the elders.
Walking behind them, two young men chatted with Eldest Brother. At first glance, they looked somewhat similar—both tall and upright in stature.
One was slightly thinner, his complexion paler than most, with a delicate, almost feminine elegance.
The other was even taller and broader, with wide shoulders and a narrow waist. His steps were steady, exuding an inexplicably sharp and imposing aura.
At that time, she had only glanced at him before being forced to flee hurriedly with Little Si, leaving no chance to take a closer look.
As for what his eyebrows and eyes looked like…
She turned over and pondered for a while longer, but truly couldn't recall.
"Cough, cough…"
From afar, Father's loud coughing in his room startled Shen Qi out of her reverie.
Ah, why was she trying to recall his eyebrows and eyes anyway…
Over the past two years, the Shen Family had met with so many potential matches, only to receive polite rejections the very next day.
For a prominent family like the Xie Family in the county, news would likely spread even faster.
After tomorrow, she would never encounter this person again in her lifetime, yet here she was, lost in thought about his nose and eyes—truly a futile source of distress.
Reflecting on all the families she had met, Shen Qi felt at ease. Clearly, it was those families who lacked fortune, swayed by rumors of her being a "husband-killer." Such families, she reasoned, must lack decisiveness and clarity of mind.
Marrying into such a household would only bring a lifetime of troubles.
But if she truly remained at home forever, even though her brother and sister-in-law claimed they wouldn't mind, once her parents passed away, would she truly become the burden others spoke of?
Shen Qi sighed, feeling a sense of unrecognized talent.
After sighing for a while, she noticed the lights in her parents' room had finally gone out. She turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Shen Qi rose. Her parents and brother had risen even earlier and were already busy at the shop. Only her sister-in-law and younger brother could afford to sleep in.
Shen Qi first set the rice porridge to boil, then walked near the back door and reached out to feel the chicken coop. Sure enough, there were three warm eggs.
She calculated in her mind: there were still a few scallions at home, and she could buy a basket of bean sprouts from the front street…
Tap! Tap!
The door knocker on the Shen Family's back door sounded.
"Coming, coming!"
Shen Qi responded, casually placing the eggs by the window before hurrying over to open the door.
The door opened to reveal Auntie Xue, who had just visited yesterday.
Seeing the lovely young girl before her, Auntie Xue smiled so widely her eyes nearly disappeared.
"Miss Shen, congratulations!"