Chapter 8

When Cui Niang arrived at the Zhu household with a bowl holding two fried dough twists, Zhu Chang was still sulking in his room, while A-Jiao sat in the east wing in a daze. Zhu Shiyu, hungry, rummaged through the kitchen for leftover mooncakes from the night before.

The Zhu family’s front door was wide open. Seeing Zhu Shiyu standing in front of the kitchen, Cui Niang forced a smile and walked in with the bowl.

Zhu Shiyu looked at her in confusion.

Cui Niang spoke loudly, “The scholar’s wife had a quarrel and went back to her parents’ home. Our old madam was worried that Master Scholar and Miss A-Jiao might go hungry, so she sent me over with two fried dough twists.”

Zhu Shiyu was just about to express his gratitude when he suddenly realized something—two fried dough twists? One for his father, one for his cousin, but none for him?

He craned his neck to look into the bowl in Cui Niang’s hands. He hadn’t misheard—there were indeed only two!

He was stunned. This was his home. If Old Madam Zhao wanted to send food, shouldn’t she be concerned about his father and him? Why openly state that one of the fried dough twists was for his cousin?

Zhu Chang and A-Jiao also heard Cui Niang’s voice.

No matter how messy things were inside the household, proper etiquette had to be observed in front of outsiders. Zhu Chang quickly got up and dressed.

A-Jiao had already freshened up but had been reluctant to step out and face her uncle. However, at this moment, she had no choice but to come out and receive the guest.

At first glance, Cui Niang noticed her reddened eyes. Seeing such a delicate beauty bullied by Jin, even Cui Niang felt a pang of sympathy.

“Sister A-Jiao, you must be hungry. I just fried these this morning—try one. Our old madam loves them.” Cui Niang trotted up to A-Jiao, holding out the larger of the two fried dough twists.

A-Jiao had no appetite at all, but she still accepted it, feeling embarrassed. “Because of my uncle and aunt’s quarrel, we’ve made a spectacle of ourselves.”

Cui Niang pursed her lips and whispered, “Sister, you don’t need to explain. We all understand what’s going on. Even our old madam, as stingy as she is, feels sorry for you. The officer specifically instructed me to divide the fried dough twists between you and Master Scholar, leaving none for your cousin.”

A-Jiao was taken aback. “The officer really said that?”

Cui Niang nodded. Seeing Zhu Chang emerge from his room, she playfully winked at A-Jiao before turning to hand the other fried dough twist to Zhu Chang.

Having their family matters become public knowledge among the neighbors made Zhu Chang feel embarrassed. Taking the fried dough twist, he instructed Cui Niang to relay his gratitude to Old Madam Zhao, promising to visit and thank her personally another day.

Cui Niang, uninterested in further conversation, responded half-heartedly and left with the empty bowl.

Given Zhu Chang’s status, A-Jiao escorted Cui Niang to the door. Upon turning back, she saw her uncle still standing in the courtyard. A lump formed in her throat as she walked up to him, lowering her head. “Uncle, this is all my fault, I—”

“This has nothing to do with you. My home is your home—stay here with peace of mind,” Zhu Chang reassured her, patting her shoulder with a kind smile. Then, gesturing to the fried dough twist in her hands, he added, “Eat up. This morning, we relied on others for food. For the next few days, it’ll be up to you to cook for your uncle.”

The next few days?

When a wife leaves in anger to return to her maiden home, the longer the husband delays fetching her back, the trickier things become.

A-Jiao sincerely urged, “Uncle, you should go bring Aunt back soon. If you delay too long, it won’t be easy to explain when you do go.”

Zhu Chang scoffed, “I don’t care. They can stay there as long as they want. I don’t believe they won’t come back on their own.”

With that, he went back inside.

A-Jiao had no choice. She intended to check the kitchen for lunch ingredients, but when she saw Zhu Shiyu standing nearby with half a mooncake in hand, she averted her eyes and walked straight back to the east wing, bolting the door behind her.

======

At the Zhao household, Guo Xing quickly brought in a matchmaker—an old acquaintance.

Zhao Yanping didn’t want to meet her. Sitting beneath the west-facing window, he sharpened a vegetable knife, listening in silence as the matchmaker arrived. He slowed his movements, ears tuned in.

The matchmaker sat down and smiled at Old Madam Zhao. “So, today you’ve called me over on your own? Has Officer Zhao finally come to his senses? Which young lady has caught his eye?”

Old Madam Zhao knew her grandson was eavesdropping from the back courtyard, so she refrained from voicing her complaints about him. Instead, she forced a smile and said, “It’s not about him—it’s me feeling sorry for the scholar’s niece next door. You’ve heard about her situation, haven’t you? She only just left the Huayue Brothel last year…”

She then went on to scold Jin for nearly fifteen minutes straight, talking herself hoarse before finally getting to the point. “I’ve seen Miss A-Jiao myself—she’s as delicate as a celestial fairy. But she has to endure Jin’s constant veiled insults. I can’t bear it anymore. So, I wanted to ask you to visit the Zhu household and discuss with Scholar Zhu whether A-Jiao might become a concubine for my grandson.”

The matchmaker was stunned!

It was common for wealthy merchants and officials to take concubines. But even in those circles, taking a concubine before marrying a main wife was rare. At most, a man might take a maidservant as a bed companion first—concubines were usually arranged after the legal wife was in place. Yet here was Zhao Yanping, a mere constable with a frugal household, planning to take a concubine before marrying?

The matchmaker couldn’t make sense of it!

Old Madam Zhao insisted it was all out of kindness—that their primary goal was to rescue A-Jiao from her dire situation. To uphold this noble cause, they wouldn’t just take her in; they would ensure she received the full dignity of a proper concubine. Not only would they offer a bride price of ten taels of silver, but they would also host a banquet to invite family and friends to celebrate!

As she spoke, Old Madam Zhao felt her heart bleed—banquets cost money too!

The matchmaker mistook her pained expression for sheer resentment toward Jin. Regardless, once she confirmed Old Madam Zhao was truly committed to these terms, she slapped her thigh and cheerfully promised, “Leave it to me! I’ll make sure this happens—you just wait for the good news!”

She walked off confidently.

Old Madam Zhao remained seated, staring at her hidden stash of silver, feeling a growing ache in her chest. Ten taels could buy three simple-minded girls like Cui Niang! A-Jiao was delicate and fragile, likely unable to lift anything or even slaughter a chicken. She’d only serve one purpose—attending to her grandson. Even if she were a daughter-in-law, Old Madam Zhao would feel shortchanged, let alone as a concubine!

Forget it. She had the misfortune of having a stubborn grandson. If A-Jiao could pull his heart away from that actor boy, then the ten taels would be worth it!

======

The matchmaker left the Zhao household and, after walking just twenty or thirty steps, arrived at the Zhu family’s front door.

She was well-acquainted with them—several wealthy merchants had previously asked her to arrange for A-Jiao to become their concubine.

The matchmaker was well aware of Scholar Zhu’s requirements—A-Jiao could be taken as a concubine, but only by a family that would treat her well. The wealthy merchants didn’t meet this condition, but the official next door, Zhao Yanping, was the perfect candidate. Though he was a cold man, his character was well known and respected by the people of Wu’an County. With him, A-Jiao was guaranteed not to suffer.

A-Jiao had just gathered her uncle’s laundry and was about to head to the river to wash them when she stepped out of the main house and saw the matchmaker. Her heart clenched. She quickly reminded her uncle that the matchmaker had arrived, then carried the basin to the backyard.

Her mind was in turmoil.

Her uncle and aunt had fallen out this badly. She had made up her mind—this time, she would marry whoever was arranged for her. But she still wanted to hear about the man’s family with her own ears so she could prepare herself.

The matchmaker was about ten years older than Zhu Chang, but propriety still had to be observed. Zhu Chang invited her to sit in the main hall and called his son to serve tea.

After pouring the tea, Zhu Shiyu retreated to the front eaves, secretly eavesdropping on his father’s conversation with the matchmaker.

Since the Zhao family lived next door, the two families knew each other well, sparing the matchmaker from unnecessary pleasantries. She gave a brief praise of Zhao Yanping and Old Madam Zhao before laying out the conditions one by one.

A-Jiao was hiding in the back, secretly listening. When she heard that it was Zhao Yanping who wanted to take her as a concubine, the basin in her hands nearly slipped.

Why him?

Other than that brief encounter at Huayue Brothel and glimpsing him once when she went out to wash clothes, she had never seen Zhao Yanping again. Why would he suddenly decide to take her as a concubine?

While A-Jiao was still in shock, Zhu Chang felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He could never divorce Jin Shi. She had given birth to two of his children and had even lost one before. Zhu Chang would never forget how heartbroken and devastated she had been when their child died. She had suffered so much for him. Now that he had finally passed the scholar’s examination and life had improved, he couldn’t bring himself to cast her aside.

But at the same time, he couldn’t just stand by and let Jin Shi mistreat his niece. Jin Shi had endured hardships, but A-Jiao had suffered even more. With his sister and brother-in-law gone, if he didn’t protect his niece, who else would?

For the past year, Zhu Chang had been tormented by this dilemma. The only way to resolve it was to find A-Jiao a good man she could rely on for life.

If even Zhao Yanping wasn’t a suitable choice, then there was no one else in this world who was.

The only regret was that Zhao Yanping was only willing to take her as a concubine. But that couldn’t be helped—A-Jiao had taken infertility medicine. Becoming a concubine to Zhao Yanping was already the best possible outcome for her.

“I still need to discuss this with my wife,” Zhu Chang said politely. “Please return for now. I will give you an answer by tomorrow at the latest.”

This was just a formality. The matchmaker smiled and took her leave.

Zhu Chang then called his son to see the matchmaker off before heading to the backyard to find his niece.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” he asked gently. “The official next door, Zhao Yanping, wants to take you as a concubine. What do you think?”

A-Jiao hugged the laundry basin tightly and lowered her eyes. “Back at Huayue Brothel, I only managed to keep my innocence because Zhao Yanping protected me. If I can truly serve him, even my parents in heaven can rest assured.”

Zhu Chang’s eyes welled up, and he choked on his emotions.

Now that his niece’s marriage was settled, he was even more confident about coaxing his wife and daughter to return home. He called for his son, Zhu Shiyu, and instructed him to visit his grandmother’s house.

“Tell your mother that Zhao Yanping has come to propose marriage. Your cousin and I have agreed to it. Ask her to return and take charge of the household. She will surely come back with you.”

Zhu Shiyu felt uneasy. He liked his cousin—why couldn’t she marry him instead?

He stood there, head drooping, lost in thought. But Zhu Chang immediately saw through him and scolded him in a low voice, “Look at yourself—what part of you is worthy of A-Jiao? Besides, even if you were, your mother would never allow it. If A-Jiao followed you, what kind of life would she have? Enough. This matter is settled. You’d best focus on your studies and prepare for next year’s provincial examination!”

The provincial examination…

Zhu Shiyu’s heart burned with ambition. If he passed and became a scholar, would A-Jiao regret rejecting him?

Zhao Yanping was nothing more than a lowly county constable, with no future to speak of. But if he achieved success—became a scholar, a provincial graduate, or even an official—perhaps one day, A-Jiao would change her mind.