Chapter 181

Wang Yuan’er was holding Baolai while pacing back and forth in the courtyard, her eyes constantly fixed on the courtyard gate, radiating unprecedented anxiety.

How could she not be anxious? Among the family members, Wang Chun’er was the gentlest, kindest, and most easygoing person. Yet this time, she had stormed off in anger, leaving Wang Yuan’er deeply unsettled. It was all her fault—if only she had discussed everything with her earlier, none of this would have happened.

She wasn’t worried that Wang Chun’er might get lost but rather feared that, in her fit of anger, she might go off somewhere to cry in despair. And what if she encountered some rogue along the way? What would she do then?

Just as her eyes were reddening with worry, Wang Qing’er returned, dragging Wang Chun’er behind her.

Wang Yuan’er quickly stepped forward, handed Xiaobao over to Wang Qing’er, and pulled Wang Chun’er to inspect her from head to toe, anxiously asking, “Where on earth did you go? Were you trying to scare me to death? Did anyone take advantage of you? Did you fall or get hurt anywhere?”

She rattled off a string of questions, her care and urgency evident in her eyes. Wang Chun’er couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion mixed with guilt and softly murmured, “Elder Sister…”

Her elder sister was only concerned for her. The whole business of matchmaking was for her sake, yet she had acted stubbornly and ran off, causing her sister unnecessary worry.

Wang Yuan’er led her inside, saying, “It’s my fault. I should have asked for your opinion before going to find the matchmaker. Don’t worry. I’m not trying to force you into marriage. We won’t go through with it if you don’t want to. Just don’t be foolish and dwell on things unnecessarily, alright?”

“Elder Sister, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have run off like that and made you worry.” Wang Chun’er felt increasingly guilty as she spoke and held her sister’s hand instead, saying, “I wasn’t blaming you, Elder Sister. I…I was just upset for a moment. I know everything you do is for my good.”

Wang Yuan’er’s eyes reddened as she said, “Chun’er, when a man reaches adulthood, he marries; when a woman comes of age, she marries as well. I’m the eldest daughter, and as a widowed eldest daughter, it hasn’t been easy. I just want you all to have smooth and happy lives; that’s why I got anxious.”

Wang Chun’er repeatedly nodded and apologized again.

“If you truly don’t want to go through with matchmaking, I won’t force you,” Wang Yuan’er continued. “But I just want to see you have a good future. I promise you, if you don’t want to, we won’t look at prospective matches. But if there’s someone good, would you at least agree to meet and consider him? If you’re not happy, we won’t proceed.”

Wang Chun’er thought for a moment, her face blushing as she nodded slightly.

Wang Yuan’er breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to ask where Chun’er had gone earlier but feared upsetting her, so she held back. Right then, Baolai started fussing, wanting Chun’er to hold him, so she pulled Wang Qing’er out of the house.

In a corner of the courtyard, she finally asked Qing’er where she had found Chun’er.

“Elder Sister, when I found Second Sister, she was sitting in Brother Hou’s courtyard.” Wang Qing’er’s expression turned a bit strange as she hesitated and said, “Elder Sister, do you think…Second Sister, could she be…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Your second sister is thin-skinned. Don’t let her hear such baseless things.” Wang Yuan’er pursed her lips, glanced towards the east room, and let out a long sigh. If it really were true, would she have to forcibly break up the couple?

She understood that “a forced melon is not sweet,” but if it truly came to that… Sigh. For now, she decided to wait and see. After all, no one had yet torn the paper window (revealed the truth). Perhaps they were just overthinking it.

The commotion had even alarmed the main house. To explain to Grandma Wang, Wang Yuan’er claimed that Chun’er was embarrassed and upset by the mention of marriage, so she had thrown a little tantrum, smoothing things over that way.

As for Madam Zhu, the matchmaker, since she had already accepted Wang Yuan’er’s red envelope, she did find a few candidates. However, they were either too far from Changle Town, too old, from families with too many brothers, or were not pleasing in appearance. Even without meeting them, just hearing about them made Wang Yuan’er unwilling to proceed. After considering a few, she had gained the reputation of being picky and was quite upset about it.

“Picky? Marriage is a lifelong matter for a woman. Of course, it must be carefully chosen. How could it be done carelessly or haphazardly?” Wang Yuan’er fumed through gritted teeth, then comforted Wang Chun’er, “We’re not in a rush. We’ll take our time looking; there will surely be someone suitable.”

Wang Chun’er didn’t feel troubled at all; on the contrary, she felt a bit secretly pleased. Deep down, she hoped that none of the candidates would work out.

Wang Yuan’er was unaware of Wang Chun’er’s thoughts. She remained undeterred, becoming increasingly resilient, and hinted to several familiar townsfolk that if there was a good young man, they should let her know, and if suitable, she’d consider arranging a meeting.

Her relentless efforts did not go unnoticed, and some people started teasing her: “You haven’t married yet, but you’re already busy looking after your sister. No one knows whether you’re choosing a brother-in-law or a son-in-law!”

Even Madam Zheng joked with her: “For all we know, you might actually be picking a son-in-law.”

Wang Yuan’er didn’t care what others said. Life was hers to live, and the most important thing was her own comfort and happiness. What others wanted to say was their business.

Wang Yuan’er poured all her energy into finding an outstanding match for Wang Chun’er, someone truly exceptional. But despite countless evaluations, she hadn’t succeeded. Madam Zhang, observing this, mocked her: “I tell you, just settle on someone already. Chun’er isn’t some noble lady or a peerless beauty. Keep picking, and she’ll become an old maid. By then, even if you stick a dowry to her bed, she won’t be able to marry.”

This provoked Wang Yuan’er’s temper, and she retorted, “Farm girls marrying at eighteen are all over the place. With a generous dowry, plenty of families are eager to take her as the main wife. That’s much better than ending up as someone’s concubine.”

“You… you’re insinuating something, aren’t you?” Madam Zhang’s fingers trembled as she pointed angrily at Wang Yuan’er.

Becoming a concubine—doesn’t that hit Madam Zhang’s sore spot? Though her darling daughter married into a wealthy family, in the end, she’s just a concubine, living under the shadow of the first wife. This is Madam Zhang’s deep pain and frustration.

“Who did I talk about?” Wang Yuan’er, already fuming inside, couldn’t help but snap when her second aunt provoked her further. She added fuel to the fire: “In a few days, the Tang family will welcome a new bride. You’d better calm Min’er down so she doesn’t act recklessly and embarrass everyone. It wouldn’t look good on anyone.”

“You—! You wretched girl!” Madam Zhang was about to lunge at her, but Wang Yuan’er nimbly slipped into the east room and locked the door. Madam Zhang was left outside, ranting and raving. It wasn’t until Grandma Wang came out to scold her that things finally quieted down.

The Tang family is about to marry a new bride. Wang Yuan’er was only making a casual remark to provoke Madam Zhang, but who would have thought that Wang Min’er, the brainless one, indeed seems to have become foolish during pregnancy.

On the day the Tang family marries the new bride, the Rong family’s dowry procession is grand and long—forty-eight sedan chairs, all full to the brim. They play suona (a traditional Chinese instrument), light firecrackers, and carry the dowry into Changle Town. The spectacle attracts all the townspeople to watch the commotion.

What do forty-eight sedan chairs of dowry mean? In the minds of rural people, it’s equivalent to the emperor marrying off a princess. After all, in rural households, a daughter having even a few sedan chairs for her dowry is considered highly impressive. Some poor families can’t even afford to include a quilt as part of the dowry, let alone any sedan chairs. Thus, when the Rong family’s dowry procession enters Changle Town, the streets and alleys are crowded with people.

Wang Yuan’er is also watching the excitement. It is said that the Rong family has only one daughter. Although she is of illegitimate birth, she has been raised under the name of the legitimate wife since childhood and taught by her, making her no different from a legitimate child. Therefore, the Rong family’s forty-eight sedan chairs of dowry are genuine. Despite it being early spring, those carrying the dowry have sweat trickling down their foreheads—there isn’t even room to tuck in one’s hands. It’s no wonder people are amazed.

“Noble family marrying off a daughter—it’s truly extraordinary. Look at the grandeur of it all! No wonder some people fight tooth and nail to marry into wealthy households. This isn’t something we farmers can compare to.”

“Exactly! Remember when Mr. Chen married off his daughter? The Chen family is incredibly wealthy, yet they only sent off eighteen sedan chairs as dowry. Those were much lighter in comparison.”

“How can a nouveau riche family compare to the daughter of an official? Look at this display! See those maids accompanying the bride? I’ve heard that in wealthy families, when they marry off a daughter, they send along maids as part of the dowry. Just look—those maids have more presence than the young ladies in our town.”

“You’re absolutely right. I’ve heard that the maids who their mistresses favor are raised almost like young ladies themselves.”

“Exactly, and there’s more…” The person lowered their voice and said, “Some of these maids, well, they’re… you know, the master’s concubines.”

“Oh, that must be quite something.”

The two lowered their voices further, whispering indecent remarks.

Wang Yuan’er heard everything clearly, her ears burning with embarrassment. She quietly stepped away a few paces and looked again at the maids standing beside the bridal sedan chair, feeling deeply worried.

With almond-shaped faces and peach-blossom cheeks, their figures were full and graceful. No matter how you looked at them, they were far superior to Wang Min’er. And these were just the maids—what about the bride herself?

Wang Yuan’er furrowed her brows and pressed her lips together. With Wang Min’er’s temperament, she would likely struggle even against the maids, let alone the mistress of the household.

The mistress comes from a prestigious and wealthy family, with a generous dowry and plenty of advisors by her side. But what does Wang Min’er have? She isn’t even a concubine yet. If she were to face off against the mistress, the latter could crush her with just a flick of her finger.

Unless Tang Xiuping protects her—but this man…

Wang Yuan’er glanced at the man riding a tall horse. He was dressed in a bright red wedding robe with a large red flower tied to his chest, his face beaming with joy. Occasionally, he would look back at the bridal sedan chair or the two maids standing nearby. No matter how you looked at it, his gaze seemed utterly wicked.

Wang Yuan’er observed carefully, and a chill ran down her spine.

This man, basking in the joy of his recent success, seemed to have completely forgotten that a woman carrying his child was left alone in another place.

Wang Yuan’er felt indignant for Wang Min’er, but what good would that do? This was her own choice. Who knows how she would feel if she saw this scene now?

She sighed and looked toward the Tang family’s gate. Tang Xiuping was taking Miss Rong’s hand from the wedding attendant, smiling warmly and bending slightly to speak to her—a picture of attentiveness.

Wang Yuan’er turned to leave but suddenly stopped as if she had seen something. She spun around swiftly and stared intently, and her expression changed instantly. She hurried over.

How could she be here? How is that possible?