The silvery white moonlight slanted down from above. It was early spring, and the temperature hadn’t risen yet. The noisy creatures of the night—animals and insects—had yet to emerge from their nests, leaving the village in quiet stillness.

As Lin Qingxu passed by the small living room, she glanced at the pale moonlight filtering through the window, a thin layer of sweat appearing in her palm.

Asking Fang Xiu a question should not be something to feel guilty about, but for some reason, it gnawed at her insides.

Lin Qingxu shook her head, forcing herself to focus.

In this era, people still used primitive candles instead of the convenience of a single light bulb to brighten a small patch of the sky. Lin Qingxu slouched, sneaking up to the door, almost like a thief, and peeked through the gap to see the faint glow of candlelight spilling out from Fang Xiu’s room.

She swallowed hard, straightened her back and was about to knock when Fang Xiu’s voice floated out from inside.

“What are you doing standing out there, playing the thief?”

Lin Qingxu’s lips twitched, once again experiencing her mother’s sharp tongue.

Fang Xiu hadn’t yet gone to bed. By the faint candlelight, she was arranging a pile of embroidery cloth and thread on her bed. The orange-red light spread in gentle circles, casting a soft halo over Fang Xiu’s pale profile.

But the softness was just an illusion.

When Lin Qingxu entered looking downcast, Fang Xiu gave her a disdainful roll of the eyes and got up to adjust the candle making the flame burn brighter.

“Mother.” Lin Qingxu deliberately ignored the sharp look Fang Xiu gave her, forcing a smile as she awkwardly made her way to the bedside and sat down, twisting her hands together.

“Stop smiling like an idiot!” Fang Xiu’s lips moved as she spoke without mercy, her hands still busy sorting the embroidery cloth. “If you have something to say, say it. If not, go back to bed.”

Seeing Fang Xiu’s attitude—one that suggested she would yell at her to leave the room any second—Lin Qingxu didn’t dare to delay any longer. Watching for a moment when Fang Xiu’s movements slowed, she spoke seriously. “Mother, I want to know why the eldest son of the Su family would marry me. Our family’s backgrounds are so different, so why?”

Once she finished, Lin Qingxu sat up straight, a serious expression on her face as she awaited a response.

Fang Xiu didn’t seem the least bit surprised by her question.

She slowly lowered her hands and looked at Lin Qingxu with half-lidded eyes.

Just as Lin Qingxu took a deep breath, her lips pressed tight, bracing herself for some earth-shattering revelation, Fang Xiu suddenly grinned.

“Aren’t you quite fond of the eldest son of the Su family?”

Lin Qingxu’s heart skipped a beat, and the seriousness she had been holding onto crumbled in an instant.

“Mom~” Lin Qingxu conceded, her face turning into a big frown, her voice dragging on for a long time. “I’m asking you something serious, you know?”

Fang Xiu’s smile remained unchanged, and with an unusually cheerful glint in her eyes, she even winked at her. “What I’m saying is serious too.”

Lin Qingxu, avoiding the situation, covered her face with both hands, refusing to hear it. She couldn’t hear anything.

Fang Xiu chuckled softly, her hands moving faster as she sorted the embroidery on the bed, quickly placing the items into different boxes by the bed. Only after she was finished did she turn her gaze back to Lin Qingxu.

“What’s the matter? Does Ah Xu no longer want to marry?” Fang Xiu said in a tone so casual, it seemed as if Lin Qingxu’s behavior these past few days was just an elaborate way of making things difficult on purpose.

Lin Qingxu pursed her lips. Unsure whether Fang Xiu was changing the subject or if she genuinely thought that way, Lin Qingxu had no choice but to go along with her.

“Not at all, I just want to understand the situation. The Su family’s background, and how Madam Su treats me… isn’t it normal for me to want to know? It’s not that hard to figure out, is it?” Lin Qingxu weakly retorted.

As she said this, she deliberately left Su Yan out of the conversation.

After meeting him in person, Lin Qingxu’s previous impression of Su Yan as a troublesome, difficult person had been completely overturned.

For her, Su Yan should remain a pristine, untouchable figure, like a beautiful landscape. Of course, she’d be happy to admire him from a closer distance. But distance was what makes beauty, and Lin Qingxu still believed that she and Su Yan should maintain the current balance—neither too far nor too close.

Fang Xiu’s sharp eyes missed nothing. Though she couldn’t tell that Lin Qingxu’s thoughts had already strayed far beyond the topic at hand, she could clearly see from the girl’s evasive gaze the subtle protectiveness Lin Qingxu felt toward Su Yan.

Fang Xiu’s eyes trembled slightly, the flicker gone in an instant.

“The engagement with the Su family was arranged because of your father.” She said, her voice steady. “He once saved the life of the eldest son of the Su family. As a repayment, after your father passed away, the Su family helped us and arranged this engagement.”

In the early days after Father Lin passed, the loss of the family’s pillar left the three women struggling through a difficult time. It was only after Fang Xiu held the family together, working day and night to produce embroidery, that they managed to sell their goods in the town for a fair price.

It was also around that time that the Su family appeared, explaining the situation and offering to buy the embroidery at a high price…

Lin Qingxu furrowed her brow in confusion. “But even if it’s to repay a debt, there was no need to arrange a marriage, right? After all, I wasn’t exactly in my right mind before, and I’m hardly worthy of someone like Su Yan, am I?”

Su Yan was handsome, well-mannered, and from a wealthy family. She, a simple country girl, no matter how beautiful was unworthy of someone like him. Surely the Su family had lost their minds.

Fang Xiu shot her an exasperated look, clearly irritated by her disbelief.

“The engagement was my suggestion.” Fang Xiu said calmly.

“Ah?” Lin Qingxu jumped in surprise, her eyes wide as she stared at Fang Xiu, her bright eyes blinking rapidly like a startled deer.

Fang Xiu remained perfectly composed.

“Why, Mother?” Lin Qingxu couldn’t help but question. “I was in such a state back then, and you still had the nerve to make such a demand? And not just any demand—you practically opened a lion’s mouth!”

The “lion’s mouth” known as Fang Xiu promptly swatted her forehead with a crisp slap. “Is that any way to talk about your mother?”

Shaking her stinging hand, Fang Xiu thought. This brat deserves a good beating!

Lin Qingxu shrank back miserably, curling up as if fully surrendering to her mother’s imposing presence.

“Think about it—who would’ve dared to marry you back then?” Fang Xiu said, giving her a sharp, reprimanding glance.

Lin Qingxu shivered under her gaze, her head sinking lower and lower, wishing she could burrow beneath her mother’s bed and hide.

Fang Xiu, both exasperated and amused, patted the bed and motioned for her to sit up straight. Only then did she continue, speaking with slow deliberation. “Anyway, you were clueless. Marrying into the Su family, even if it’s just an empty title as the eldest daughter-in-law, would at least ensure you a comfortable life. Compared to marrying some fool or a widower and living out a pitiful existence, you should be grateful for your mother’s wisdom!”

Lin Qingxu forced a smile and muttered. “Mother, you’re so wise.”

Since returning home, Lin Qingxu had believed that there was some hidden, earth-shattering secret behind her engagement to Su Yan, just waiting for her to uncover.

But she hadn’t expected the truth to be like this…

“But, Mother, Madam Su seems pretty enthusiastic toward me?” Lin Qingxu asked again.

Logically, since her mother had tricked the Su family, they should at least be giving them insincere, strained smiles. Yet everyone seemed genuinely warm—how could that be?

Fang Xiu shot her a look that practically screamed. Are you an idiot?

“If you really want to know, go ask the Su family yourself. Ask if they’re treating you well because of your father or because they find your cluelessness endearing.”

Lin Qingxu bowed her head in silence, feeling like coming here today had been a colossal mistake.

Seeing the flood of regret in her daughter’s expression, Fang Xiu couldn’t resist sprinkling a little more salt on the wound.

Lin Qingxu watched as her mother bent over to rummage through a box of embroidery. Her heart gave a jump, she had a bad feeling about this.

Unfortunately, Fang Xiu pulled out a bulky bundle and shoved it into her arms, gesturing for her to take a look.

Nervously, Lin Qingxu unfolded the cloth bundle—and instantly wanted to vanish from existence.

Fang Xiu smiled, her tone practically saying you just walked right into this as she continued. “I was planning to give this to you once Qingwan went off to the cultivation world, but since you’re here, you might as well take it early. You can start thinking about what patterns to embroider.”

The bundle Fang Xiu handed her contained none other than a few brilliantly red, eye-searing cloth undergarments, plain and unadorned. Fang Xiu’s intention was clear—Lin Qingxu was now responsible for embroidering them.

Lin Qingxu: “…” No, she absolutely did not want this.

But in front of Fang Xiu, refusal was futile.

Slowly, Lin Qingxu shuffled back to her room, clutching the small bundle. Her sister Lin Qingwan was already fast asleep, an arm stretched out of the covers, her face glowing with contentment.

Lin Qingxu gazed at her enviously, inspecting her little sister from head to toe. The movement must have disturbed Lin Qingwan seeing as to how she pulled her chilly arm back under the blanket leaving Lin Qingxu to sigh deeply.

Recalling her mother’s parting words, Lin Qingxu felt another headache coming on.

“Su’s family has prepared the wedding attire.” Fang Xiu had said, slowly and deliberately. “But you’ll still need your own embroidered undergarments. Now that your mind’s clear, you can handle this yourself. After all, whatever you end up stitching, you’re the one who’ll be wearing it—it’s not for me to see!”

Lin Qingxu: “…” Maybe being a fool wasn’t so bad after all!

Tossing and turning in frustration all night, she could only wish to melt into the bed the next morning when Fang Xiu came knocking.

As Fang Xiu pushed the door open, she yanked back both blankets, causing the two on the bed to cry out in unison. “It’s cold!”

“What hour is it, and you’re still in bed? Waiting for the rooster to come in and wake you up?” Fang Xiu scoffed.

At once, an image of a proud, strutting rooster popped into Lin Qingxu’s mind and she sat up with a shiver.

Lin Qingwan reacted even faster, already out of bed and slipping on her shoes as she hastily tried to placate their mother. “Hehe, don’t be mad, Mother! Sister and I are getting up right now!”

Fang Xiu was nothing if not serious—she never made idle threats.

Lin Qingxu had no desire to start her morning by getting pecked on the backside by a chicken, so she shot out of bed, dressing and washing at record speed.

Only when both sisters were scrambling to brush their hair did Fang Xiu finally leave the room.

The moment she stepped out, Lin Qingxu and Lin Qingwan both sighed in relief.

“Mother is so fierce!” Lin Qingwan muttered, stretching her neck to glance at the door, voicing both their thoughts.

…

Lin Qingxu finished combing her hair a bit quicker, tossed the comb to Lin Qingwan, and darted off to the kitchen like a little bird, eagerly carrying dishes to earn points with her mother.

Fang Xiu saw right through her little act and chose to ignore it altogether.

Just as the food was about to finish cooking, Lin Qingxu, holding an empty plate suddenly heard a soft, gentle voice from outside.

“Aunt Fang, are you there? It’s Yuying from the Cui family.” Cui Yuying stood outside, looking up at the wisps of smoke rising from the Lin family’s rooftop, and raised her voice to call out.

Fang Xiu with her good vantage point, spotted the visitor through the window. She waved a hand, motioning for Lin Qingxu to go and bring her in.

Lin Qingxu didn’t mind the impromptu task at all. Happy to escape the smoky kitchen, she strolled out eagerly.

As she stepped across the threshold and glanced up, her cheerful expression suddenly froze the moment she saw the visitor.

“You must be Sister Lin? I’m Cui Yuying from the Cui family, here to ask Aunt Fang about embroidery.” Cui Yuying’s voice was soft and polite, and she showed no sign of noticing Lin Qingxu’s momentary reaction.

It was hard to be unfriendly to someone who greets you with a smile, especially when there’s no real conflict between them.

Lin Qingxu thought to herself, pushing down the strange unease that rose within her. She walked to the courtyard gate and opened it for Cui Yuying.

“Who is it, Sister? Who’s here?” Lin Qingwan, finally finished with her hair, came bounding out only to have her expression shift the moment she saw Cui Yuying.

Wasn’t this the girl in blue that her sister had been watching so closely the other day?

Wasn’t she an outsider? What’s she doing here?

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