At first, Second Aunt Qin couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

She looked at Mrs. Lu, her mind racing with one thought: What is my mother talking about?

From Mrs. Lu’s perspective, her daughter’s reaction signaled interest.

She thought, Ah, my daughter must care for my grandson! This is a great idea. If someone whispered good things about my grandson into Qin Fang’s ear, wouldn’t that benefit our family? So, Mrs. Lu continued, “Just look at your niece! Although she’s only fifteen, she is stunningly beautiful—she’s the belle of our village!”

Mrs. Lu wasn’t exaggerating; her granddaughter was indeed quite pretty.

Finally, Second Qin Aunt snapped back to reality and widened her eyes. “Mother, what do you mean by that? Qin Fang is already married!”

Mrs. Lu dismissed her concern. “So what? A flower from home can’t compete with a wildflower!”

Understanding her implication, Second Qin Aunt gasped, “You want my eldest niece to become Qin Fang’s concubine? Good heavens, what are you thinking? How can we still have any face if we let our granddaughter become a concubine?”

Mrs. Lu shot her a sidelong glance. “What’s wrong with that? Which high official doesn’t have a concubine? Being a poor farmer’s daughter is not as good as being a concubine in a powerful family. Besides, you raised Qin Fang, so if you casually mention this to him, he wouldn’t mistreat your eldest niece!”

Second Qin Aunt looked at her mother, who seemed so confident about her niece, and found it hard to imagine the situation.

If she were the one saying this, she wouldn’t be surprised if the Qin family members ended up furious with her.

Moreover, regarding her eldest niece’s looks, yes, she was not bad by village standards, but “Mother, you haven’t seen Qin Fang’s wife. If you did, you’d know that my niece is like a wildflower on a mountain, while his wife is a rich flower from a noble family.”

When Mrs. Lu heard this, she patted Second Qin Aunt on the back. “You silly girl, how can you say such things about your own niece?”

Second Qin Aunt shrugged it off. “I’m just being fair; I’m not playing favorites here. You should drop this line of thinking. Although I may not be clever, I’m not foolish.

Qin Fang’s wife is no simple character. When she came back once, she took Shoucheng and Siya with her, and my sister-in-law protects her like she’s her own daughter.”

She continued, “Besides, my relationship with my sister-in-law isn’t that great. Even if Qin Fang wanted a concubine, it wouldn’t be my niece. Not to mention, Qin Fang’s wife is well-educated and literate. Qin Fang became a general thanks to her teaching. Our Grandpa even said that Qin Fang’s wife is a great benefactor to the Qin family.”

Second Qin Aunt frowned, “Furthermore, if word got out that a daughter from the maternal family became a concubine to my nephew, I’d lose all face.”

Mrs. Lu understood her daughter’s reasoning and felt displeased. “You ungrateful child! You’ve married into the Qin family, and now there’s a chance to support your maternal family, and you refuse? Have you lost your conscience?”

Second Qin Aunt spat in disdain. “Helping my maternal family at the cost of my own dignity? Mother, don’t talk to me about filial piety. What matters for me is my own well-being. Relying on my niece to help my son? I’m not that foolish.

To me, my son’s future is the priority, then comes my own family. I know my own mind; I don’t expect Qin Fang to treat my son the same as Shoucheng or Shouye, but I’m aware that he’s a good man. Today, he has the means to buy ten acres of prime land for our family. That’s enough proof he won’t neglect my son.”

She added, “I’m not expecting my son to be exceptionally successful, just better than being a farmer. If my son truly can’t manage anything else, having those ten acres of good land to become a wealthy farmer is enough.”

Mrs. Lu was left speechless, a breath caught in her throat, unable to swallow it.

This ungrateful daughter was just too selfish.

However, Mrs. Lu privately acknowledged that her daughter was smart.

Sometimes foolish, sometimes clever, always eager for small gains; if she couldn’t get them, she wouldn’t care.

Second Qin Aunt continued, “Mother, stop thinking about this. I still have some filial piety towards you. Look, we’re hosting a banquet; I’ve invited you all here. This is a chance to enjoy a good meal. If I weren’t dutiful, would I invite you?”

This remark only aggravated Mrs. Lu further. “I might as well have not raised you!”

Second Qin Aunt smiled, “Mother, if I’m living well, you also have your reputation. When my son becomes successful, as a grandmother, you’ll also have face. If it comes to that, you can have your granddaughter become my son’s concubine after he’s successful!”

Mrs. Lu was left speechless.

She was dumbfounded by the thought that concubines could be taken this casually.

She thought her son was destined for great success! Pah!

The two chatted for a while, but when Lu’s Mother wanted to say something else, Second Aunt Qin had already grown impatient.

She pushed the door open and went out, needing to hear how her mother-in-law arranged the salary matters.

Compared to her family, her own family was far more important.

Second Aunt Qin had understood one thing since she was young: it was foolish not to take advantage of opportunities.

If something was unattainable, it was also foolish to forcefully pursue it.

This principle had guided her all along.

Lu’s Mother had no choice but to follow her daughter out.

As soon as they went out, Second Qin Uncle arrived.

He immediately asked Second Aunt Qin, “Where did you go? I turned around and couldn’t find you.”

Second Aunt Qin replied, “Mother was helping to fetch firewood earlier, and a bug crawled into her clothes, so I went to help her catch it.”

Second Qin Uncle was taken aback, looking at Lu’s Mother; he hadn’t even noticed whether his mother-in-law had been gathering firewood.

Seeing that her daughter had said this, Lu’s Mother had no way to respond.

She could only awkwardly smile at her son-in-law.

Although Lu’s Mother had her own selfish motives, her daughter had already refused her, and as a mother, she couldn’t possibly send her granddaughter to the Qin family.

Wait a minute… sending her granddaughter to become a concubine was out of the question, but what if she were the primary wife?

Didn’t the main branch of the Qin family still have a son who was about to get engaged?

That was Qin Fang’s own brother!

Thinking of this, Lu’s Mother thoughts began to stir again.

She pulled Second Aunt Qin: “Daughter, my back itches again. You didn’t clean thoroughly when you looked for bugs earlier; please check again.”

Saying this, she dragged Aunt Qin Er back into the room.

Second Qin Uncle and Second Aunt Qin: “……”

Being pulled back into the room, Second Aunt Qin’s temper had grown a bit.

She had already made it clear to her mother that this plan was not feasible.

If her mother continued to pester her, she wouldn’t hold back any longer.

Noticing her daughter’s irritated expression, Lu quickly said, “This isn’t about being a concubine.”

Second Aunt Qin responded, “Then are you trying to make her the primary wife? Ah Fang’s marriage was arranged by the court; to go against the decree could lead to execution, so our family cannot dismiss Ah Fang’s wife.”

Lu Mother hurried to explain, “No, it’s not like that. This is about being the primary wife, but not for Qin Fang. It’s for his brother, your sister-in-law’s second son, the one named Shouye. Don’t you think your eldest daughter and Shouye could match? They’re of similar age and would make a good pair!”

Second Aunt Qin reached out and touched her mother’s forehead.

Lu pushed her hand away: “What are you doing?”

Second Aunt Qin Er replied, “I’m checking if you have a fever or something, coming up with such absurd ideas.”

Lu Mother angrily said, “How is this absurd? How could it be inappropriate for your eldest daughter to marry Shouye? They’re both your niece and nephew, and they suit each other quite well. If your eldest daughter becomes Shouye’s wife, that would benefit you as an aunt.”

Second Aunt Qin wouldn’t listen: “Mother, stop setting your sights on the Qin family. To be frank, my sister-in-law wants to set Shouye up with someone good, and they plan to go to Ah Fang’s side for an introduction through Ah Fang’s wife, so my eldest niece has no chance. Moreover, Shouye’s older brother is a great general, and my sister-in-law is now an official lady. Our Qin family has already changed its status; my eldest niece comes from a farming family and is nowhere near matching Shouye.

Don’t even talk about Shouye; even Niu Dan wouldn’t be a match for her. Mother, it’s not that I look down on my eldest niece or my maternal family. I just happen to have good luck, having been born earlier. If I had been born later and my husband hadn’t gotten married, I wouldn’t match him either.”

“You… you unfilial daughter, you’re going to drive me crazy!” Lu was so furious that she wanted to curse.

If it weren’t for the Qin family, she might have picked up a broom to beat her unfilial daughter.

Second Aunt Qin didn’t feel that anything she said was wrong.

She continued, “Mother, you don’t need to worry about these things. What I said makes sense, and you also don’t need to be concerned. Our Qin family’s situation has improved, and I’m still your daughter. How could I not be filial to you?”

Of course, she wouldn’t empty her own family to be filial to her maternal family, but she still planned to be at least somewhat dutiful.

For instance, during festivals, she would buy some food and clothing for her mother and give her a hundred wen as pocket money.

Second Aunt Qin Er believed she was generous, especially since she now owned ten mu of prime land.

The mother and daughter couldn’t see eye to eye, so their second conversation ended on a sour note.

Lu Mother didn’t want to stay in the Qin family any longer; she angrily took her family and left.

Second Aunt Qin Er, carefree, still sent them to the door, not forgetting to say, “Mother, in a few days, we’re going to renovate our ten mu of land, so please ask Father and my brothers to come help.”

Hearing this, Lu Mother stumbled and almost fell.

But she still replied, “Got it.”

What else could she do?

Her daughter had married into the Qin family, and now that the Qin family had become successful, it meant her daughter’s status was different as well.

For a daughter like this, she could only treat her kindly.

Otherwise, she feared this unfilial daughter might really do something outrageous and not return to her maternal family.

After sending off her mother, Second Aunt Qin thought about her mother-in-law’s salary of four taels of silver per month, completely unaware that similar conversations were taking place in the main branch.

….

Speaking of Qin Mother, she had an older brother and two younger brothers.

As the only daughter in the family, she was quite favored.

From her straightforward and bold personality, one could tell she was someone who liked to smile.

However, at this moment, she truly couldn’t bring herself to smile. “Third sister-in-law, what did you just say?”