“Sanzhuang, what are your thoughts on this?” Madam Zhen felt it was best to hear her son’s own perspective.
“I have already turned him down,” Sanzhuang said, lowering his head.
“You turned him down? Who are you trying to fool!” Grandmother Bai pointed out the crux of the matter with needle-like precision. “If you hadn’t shown some interest before, why would Manager Xu have shown up at our door so boldly with all those gifts?”
“I did have that thought before… but then, later…” Sanzhuang stammered, his words trailing off.
Bai Sanzhuang had been an apprentice at the lacquerware shop for two years. With his cleverness, diligence, and capability, he had earned Manager Xu’s deep appreciation. Manager Xu had struggled to have children and only had one daughter in his fifties, whom he cherished like the apple of his eye. Unwilling to let his family business fall into the hands of distant kinsmen, he wanted to recruit a son-in-law to live with them.
After searching for years, he found that Bai Sanzhuang was the perfect candidate. The boy came from a poor family with many brothers, but more importantly, he was of noble character, sharp-witted, and had a head for business. Manager Xu knew he could trust Sanzhuang with both his shop and his daughter.
Even though his daughter was three years older than Sanzhuang, what did that matter? As the saying goes, ‘A wife three years older is like holding a golden brick.’
Manager Xu had previously tested the waters with Sanzhuang.
Just as Madam Zhen had suspected, Bai Sanzhuang had been tempted. Considering the family’s current situation, Erlang’s illness, and his fourth brother’s future, he had wavered. If he truly became a matrilocal son-in-law for the Xu family, he could manage the shop well, and the money for Erlang’s treatment and Sizhuang’s studies would be secured.
He had met the Xu family’s daughter at the shop. Her skin was a bit dark, her build was sturdy, and she had a loud voice. Though she was somewhat pampered and arrogant due to her father’s doting, she was quite generous to the workers. She was especially kind to Sanzhuang; once, during a heavy snowstorm, she had quietly given him a thick, warm quilt.
Sanzhuang couldn’t say he liked or disliked her. He didn’t feel he had the right to be picky. With so many workers at the Xu shop lining up for the chance to marry into the family, being chosen by the boss was the best career path an apprentice could hope for.
What did it matter if his future children didn’t carry the Bai name? What did it matter if he couldn’t be buried in the Bai ancestral tomb after he died? As long as he could improve his family’s life, it was enough. Besides, the Bai family had plenty of brothers and nephews; the family line wouldn’t end just because his branch stopped.
Sanzhuang had originally planned to discuss this slowly with his grandmother and parents, but Manager Xu was impatient. Almost as soon as he got a hint of Sanzhuang’s interest, he showed up at the house, only to have his nose bloodied by the rejection.
Manager Xu hadn’t given up after being chased out of the Bai house. He sought out Sanzhuang privately to reason with him, saying that marriage was a matter for parents and matchmakers—that his grandmother’s opinion wasn’t the deciding factor and it was normal for the elderly to be narrow-minded at first.
Sanzhuang had initially shared Manager Xu’s view, but later, he still found an excuse to decline. It wasn’t because of Grandmother Bai’s opposition, and it wasn’t just because he had “seen the light.” It was because…
“Sanzhuang, tell the truth,” Bai Muban said, seeing his son stop halfway through his explanation. “Did you do something to lead the young lady on? Otherwise, with so many workers, why would she set her sights on you?”
Neither Grandmother Bai nor Madam Zhen liked the sound of that. Bai Muban immediately received a pair of glares from his mother and his wife.
What a thing to say!
The third Bai son was not bad-looking at all; he had thick brows, handsome eyes, and a sturdy build. Even standing among the young men from ten villages, he was a catch. Moreover, he was smart, had a few years of schooling, lacked the frailty of a typical scholar, and worked with efficiency and order. Among all the apprentices at the Xu shop, Sanzhuang was exceptionally outstanding. Why wouldn’t she set her sights on him?
“Father, nothing like that happened. You can’t just say things like that,” Sanzhuang said, his face flushing red as he waved his hands in protest.
In his mind, an image flashed—not of the Xu daughter, but of a figure wielding a large cleaver, chopping a fat pig with rhythmic clack-clack-clack sounds.
“Muban, you’ve got it all wrong,” Madam Zhen said, coming to Sanzhuang’s rescue. “I know the son I raised. Sanzhuang is not the kind of rogue who goes around provoking girls.”
“I was just speaking my mind,” Bai Muban muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed for misunderstanding his son.
“You turned down Manager Xu. Is he going to be okay with that?” Grandmother Bai asked.
Manager Xu had already come to the house; the rumors in the shop were likely already set in stone. If Sanzhuang ungratefully refused, it would make the Xu daughter look very bad.
“He wasn’t very happy,” Sanzhuang answered honestly. “But Manager Xu isn’t a petty man. He’s still letting me work at the shop.”
What Sanzhuang didn’t mention was that although Manager Xu didn’t make things difficult for him, he was extremely displeased. He had told Sanzhuang that he was being short-sighted because he hadn’t yet been “beaten down by life,” and told him to think things through clearly before making a final decision. In other words, he hadn’t given up on the idea of Sanzhuang joining his family.
“You don’t need to worry. At worst, I’ll leave that shop and find another place,” Sanzhuang said in a lighter tone. “As long as I have real skills, is there anywhere I can’t make a living?”
Bai Muban and the two elder women fell silent. As clever as Sanzhuang was, he was still young and couldn’t see the full scope of the problem. There were only so many shops in town; if he left Manager Xu’s shop, where else could he go? Unless he traveled much further away.
They truly couldn’t bear to let him go. At worst, he could come home and farm. They still had a few acres of thin land. Staying by his parents’ side like Bai Dazhuang would also be a good life.
“…Sanzhuang, our family is poor, but we aren’t the type to sell our children for profit. Don’t go playing the part of the martyr who sacrifices himself for the rest of us. Your dead ancestors would never forgive you,” Grandmother Bai warned him sternly, even though he had already refused the offer.
“Grandma, don’t worry. I was indeed foolish to consider it before, but I’ve realized my mistake. I am a descendant of the Bai family; I will not marry into another family,” Sanzhuang vowed.
Bai Muban was the happiest of all. Now he didn’t have to be caught in the middle between his mother and his son.
“In that case, work at the shop if you can, and if not, coming home to farm is fine too. Your mother and I have been keeping an eye out for a marriage prospect for you. Your maternal aunt’s cousin…” Bai Muban relaxed, starting to play matchmaker.
“Stop trying to pull red threads like an old man! What ‘aunt’s cousin’?” Grandmother Bai shouted. She couldn’t stand Madam Zhen’s sister and had zero interest in becoming in-laws with her.
Bai Muban glanced at Madam Zhen and didn’t dare say another word.
“We have to see if Sanzhuang likes her,” Madam Zhen said with a strained smile. Then, she looked at her son seriously. “Sanzhuang, you became an apprentice to pay for your fourth brother’s schooling, but you must not sacrifice your own marriage for this family. I only hope you think more of yourself and find someone who truly cares for you.”
Someone who truly cares?
The image of Tian Maimiao slaughtering pigs appeared in Sanzhuang’s mind again, and two red clouds rose to his cheeks.
Madam Zhen simply assumed he was embarrassed by the talk of marriage.
“Mother, I’m still young. I’m not thinking about marriage yet. They say fate is determined by heaven—when it’s meant to happen, it will. I’m in no rush,” Sanzhuang said.
His aunt’s cousin? He had never given her a single thought.
While the elders in the main room were discussing Sanzhuang’s marriage, the second daughter-in-law, Yu Jingui, began her plan to stir up trouble.