Today was the third day since Cuihua’s wedding, the day she would return to her parents’ home with Sun Wang.
According to the customs of the Great Yuan Kingdom, a married woman’s return visit to her natal home was called guining.
On that day, her own brothers and sisters were required to go to her husband’s home to escort her back.
Early in the morning, Wenzhi went off to the village school, while Wenyong walked to the Sun household in Xiangyang Village to fetch his sister.
Sun Wang carried the return gifts he had prepared long in advance for his parents-in-law, took Cuihua with him, and followed his brother-in-law toward Yunfeng Village.
The journey of twenty to thirty kilometers took them nearly two or three hours before they finally arrived.
Liang the eldest and Madam Zhu stood at the courtyard gate, and when they saw the group approaching from afar, joy immediately spread across their faces.
Cuihua walked at the front, carrying a basket of eggs.
Behind her, Sun Wang held a large rooster in his left hand, and in his right, a jug of wine and two jin of pork.
Since ancient times, return-visit gifts were always prepared in pairs, and the Great Yuan Dynasty was no exception.
When the three drew closer, Madam Zhu saw the gifts they carried and smiled so broadly that wrinkles appeared all over her face.
She secretly praised him in her heart: although this son-in-law was plain-looking and not very tall, he truly understood propriety and had put great thought into the return gifts.
“Father, Mother, we’re back,” Cuihua called out as she reached the doorway.
“This son-in-law greets Father-in-law and Mother-in-law,” Sun Wang bowed respectfully.
“My daughter and son-in-law are back! You must be tired from the walk. Come in quickly and rest,” Madam Zhu said warmly, ushering them inside.
After entering the house, Sun Wang paid his respects one by one to Old Master Liang and Old Madam Liang. Old Master Liang then introduced him to the rest of the family.
After everyone was acquainted, Sun Wang chatted with the elders, while Madam Zhu pulled Cuihua into the bedroom to speak privately.
Madam Liu was arranged to help in the kitchen prepare the guining lunch for the large family. Qianhua and Madam Chen also helped wash vegetables and tend the fire, working together to cook the meal.
As noon approached, Cuihua, Sun Wang, and the entire Liang household gathered around the table for the return-visit feast, the room filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.
Halfway through the meal, a series of hurried knocks suddenly sounded at the courtyard gate.
It was Qianhua’s fiancé, Jiang Lin, and his mother.
They had deliberately timed their visit to coincide with the meal, choosing a moment when the Liang family was gathered, bringing their son to cancel the engagement.
“Oh, it’s the in-laws! Come in, come in—we’re just eating. Have you eaten yet?” Madam Liu rose to open the door, warmly inviting them inside.
Upon hearing that Jiang Lin and his mother had arrived, Old Master Liang immediately told Madam Liu to bring two more stools so they could sit and eat together.
Old Master Liang had always admired scholars, and since Jiang Lin was to become his grandson-in-law, he favored him even more.
“Old Master Liang, I’m truly sorry, but we won’t be eating today. We’ve come specifically to cancel the engagement between my son Jiang Lin and Qianhua.”
Neither Jiang Lin nor his mother had expected today to be Cuihua’s guining feast. Seeing outsiders present made her slightly uncomfortable—but only for a brief moment. She quickly composed herself and stated her purpose plainly.
“Why cancel the engagement for no reason?” Old Master Liang asked in shock.
“Sister Jiang, weren’t you the one who personally came to our home to propose this match for your son? And now you want to break it off—are these the lessons scholars learn in the academy, to betray trust and righteousness?” Madam Liu demanded angrily, turning back mid-step as she was about to fetch stools.
“Sister Liu, we have no choice. Jiang Lin will be taking the provincial academy exam next year. Once he passes, he’ll become a xiucai, and in the future he’ll sit for the imperial exams and become a high official. But your Liang Second has had a broken leg for months now and still needs a crutch to walk. My son cannot have a disabled father-in-law.”
Her words were utterly unapologetic.
Her son had long since begun an affair with the daughter of Steward Liu from the town.
Since Qianhua had been bringing things to the Jiang household, they had kept stringing her along.
Now that Liang Second could no longer earn silver, there was no benefit left—so she hurried over to cancel the engagement.
Madam Liu was furious upon hearing this. In all of Yunfeng Village, Liang Second had inherited the old hunter’s true skills and was the best at hunting, earning more silver than anyone else. Qianhua often used her pocket money to support the Jiang family, and they had all turned a blind eye to it.
Qianhua was also one of the prettiest girls in Yunfeng Village.
Though she had not been well cared for these past months, her features were still excellent. Back then, Jiang Lin’s mother had personally come to their home to beg for the engagement.
Madam Liu had found Jiang Lin decent-looking and well-educated, thinking it a good match, and had agreed.
Now, with her husband’s leg not yet healed, they dared to despise him and come to cancel the engagement—truly heartless and ungrateful.
“Sister Jiang, his leg might heal in a few months—”
Though furious, Madam Liu knew that a broken engagement would damage Qianhua’s reputation and make it difficult for her to marry later. She was about to explain that her husband’s leg might recover.
“Mother, there’s no need to say more. I, Liang Qianhua, don’t want someone so heartless and unfaithful. I agree to cancel the engagement—but it won’t be your Jiang family breaking it off. It’s me who looks down on Jiang Lin and wants to cancel his engagement.”
Qianhua spoke coldly.
Hearing this, Madam Liu fell silent.
Indeed, a man who betrayed trust like this would never treat her daughter well after marriage.
She had been mistaken—what use was education if a man lacked character?
“You look down on our Jiang Lin? What a joke! If you truly looked down on him, would you have sent things to our house every month?” Jiang Lin’s mother deliberately raised her voice.
She had expected Qianhua to beg on her knees not to cancel the engagement. Instead, Qianhua had turned the tables.
How could a woman be the one to cancel an engagement? The Jiang family could not afford to lose such face.
By now, villagers had gathered at the Liang courtyard to watch the spectacle. Jiang Lin’s mother clearly intended to ruin Qianhua’s reputation.
A woman already suffered damage to her name when an engagement was broken—and these slanderous words revealed just how vicious her heart was.
“Aunt Jiang, if you hadn’t said that, I would have forgotten. Since the engagement is being canceled, please return the value of the items I gave your family in silver. Not much—just one tael will do.”
Qianhua was no longer the original owner of this body—she was not someone to be bullied.
Since they wanted to ruin her reputation, she would show no mercy.
“You—you—” Jiang Lin’s mother was speechless with rage. She had intended to slander Qianhua, but instead gave her an excuse to demand silver.
“Qianhua, we’ve been engaged for nearly three years. Our families have had dealings; surely there’s some affection between us. Your father is crippled now, and canceling the engagement is something I’m forced to do. How can you bring yourself to ask for silver?”
Jiang Lin tried to exploit her feelings for him to make her back down.
He looked at her delicate features—though her skin was now dark and sallow, her facial structure was undeniably beautiful.
But so what? She was still just a dark-skinned village girl.
He would become a high official one day—what kind of beauty wouldn’t be available to him then?
Even refined daughters of noble families could be his.
“You have the nerve to cancel the engagement—why shouldn’t I have the nerve to ask for silver? And which law says an engagement must be canceled just because a father-in-law broke his leg?”
Qianhua found Jiang Lin utterly shameless.
“You gave those things willingly. We didn’t put a knife to your neck. Our family won’t return a single coin—don’t even think about it,” Jiang Lin’s mother said defiantly, hands on her hips.
“Fine. If you won’t return the silver, that’s acceptable. But—”
“But what?” Jiang Lin’s mother smirked smugly. She was certain Qianhua couldn’t bear to let go of the engagement.
“But I’ll beat gongs and drums and go door to door telling everyone that your Jiang Lin lives off a woman’s money—a kept man who eats soft rice. And if word reaches the academy or the authorities, I’d like to see whether he’ll still be allowed to take the academy exam in a few months.”
Qianhua had inherited the original owner’s emotions and might feel some stirrings toward her former fiance—but she was not the original owner.
She despised men like Jiang Lin and had no reason to show mercy.
“You’d ruin my son’s future just for silver? My son wants to cancel the engagement because he looks down on you—and you resort to such vicious methods. A girl like you, not only would our Jiang family reject you, no other family would dare want you either!”
Jiang Lin’s mother accused her viciously.
“Families as unfaithful as yours are precisely the ones our Liang family looks down on. Enough nonsense—return the silver and cancel the engagement properly, or I’ll make sure everyone knows your son lives off women.”
Qianhua had no patience left for them.
Ever since Jiang Lin passed the county and prefectural exams earlier that year and became the youngest tongsheng in Yunfeng Village, he had been regarded as a rising star.
But in Qianhua’s eyes, he was worthless.
Even if Jiang Lin were to become the top scholar, she would never marry a man of such character.
“Mother, give her the silver. Canceling the engagement is more important,” Jiang Lin urged, seeing her determination.
He only wanted the matter settled quickly and to avoid further trouble.
Steward Liu’s daughter was deeply infatuated with him—one tael of silver was nothing.
In the future, even ten or a hundred taels might be placed before him willingly.
“You don’t manage the household—you don’t know how hard it is to make ends meet. There isn’t a full tael left at home. Your studies cost too much. We rely on clan support, and I farm and do embroidery to get by. I only have a little over half a tael left—if I give it to her, we’ll have nothing.”
Jiang Lin’s mother began to cry poverty, never expecting Qianhua to become so difficult.
“Qianhua, you’ve heard her—we only have a little over half a tael left,” Jiang Lin said helplessly.
“How much silver your family has is your business. I want my one tael. If you don’t give it, we won’t return the engagement letter.”
Qianhua had originally devised her plan merely to cancel the engagement.
If Jiang Lin’s mother hadn’t tried to ruin her reputation, she would never have demanded silver.