In the brightly lit main hall, Xu Su Ying stared at her mother-in-law, her expression thunderous.
Finding a husband for her daughter had been difficult. Two engagements had already fallen through. This time, they had finally found a decent enough match. But somehow, word had reached her mother-in-law, who now wanted Wanyue to steal the engagement from Wanqing.
Xu Su Ying was indignant.
'A barren field goes unplowed, but once tilled, everyone fights for it.' The old woman simply couldn't stand to see her family prosper.
No matter her own misgivings about the Li family, Li Cun was ultimately the best option her daughter had right now. With no better choices on the horizon, she had to protect her daughter's interests. She would not let anyone snatch Li Cun away.
Suppressing her anger, Xu Su Ying said to the old woman, "Wanqing is your granddaughter, too. Even if you're not related by blood, she has called you 'Grandmother' since she was a little girl. I'm begging you, for the sake of her difficult marriage prospects, please don't stir up trouble."
Although Xu Su Ying was trying to control her temper, her tone was stiff, and her almond-shaped eyes were practically shooting sparks.
The anger only served to accentuate her striking beauty and exceptional grace. Despite her simple clothes and wooden hairpin, she looked completely out of place in a small mountain village like this.
In fact, Xu Su Ying was not from this small village.
She had been rescued from a river by Chen Song, the eldest son of the Chen family.
And Chen Song was the matriarch's stepson.
Although he was a stepson, his father was still alive, and Chen Song was a kind and filial son. Whenever his family made something delicious, they always sent a bowl to the old couple.
But even though they believed they did more than enough, the old matriarch was a difficult woman. Not only did she demand twice the usual filial support payment, but she also constantly made life difficult for them over all sorts of trivialities.
Forget all the petty incidents in the past. Take Wanqing's engagement, for instance. It had been incredibly difficult to arrange, yet the moment the old woman showed up at their door today, she demanded they give the match to Wanyue.
Wanyue was the eldest daughter of the third branch of the family, as well as Wanqing's cousin. They were the only two girls in the entire Chen Family.
Since the old master and the matriarch lived with the family's third branch, Wanyue had been raised by the old woman herself. Naturally, she was the apple of her grandmother's eye.
But no matter how much she cherished her, this was simply not right.
"Wanyue has been engaged to Zhao Jing since they were children. He's a good boy, and his father was the only Scholar for miles around. Even though Mr. Zhao has passed away, Zhao Jing is talented and a good student. He has a promising future. And now you want to find another match for Wanyue... What on earth are you thinking?"
Xu Su Ying was just short of calling the old woman 'muddle-headed' to her face.
'It wasn't that Li Cun is a bad choice,' she thought, 'but I can't honestly say he's better than Zhao Jing.'
'So that's the question,' Xu Su Ying mused. 'Is the old woman just making a scene because she doesn't like us, hoping to squeeze some advantage out of it? Or is there something more to it? Does the Li family have powerful connections? Or is that Li Cun boy really a peerless talent in his studies?'
'Otherwise, it makes no sense for her to drop Zhao Jing and try to snatch Li Cun for Wanyue.'
Xu Su Ying stared hard at the old woman. "You've always been a sharp person. How could you come up with such a foolish plan? You have to remember, we live in the Zhao Village. Eight out of ten families here are named Zhao. If you break the engagement without a good reason, just on a whim, how can our Chen family continue to live here?"
"And another thing—did you discuss this with my father-in-law before you came? Have you talked it over with Third Brother and his wife? A young woman's marriage is a major affair. It's not something you can just change on a whim!"
The old woman facing Xu Su Ying certainly looked formidable and capable.
In fact, the matriarch was indeed a capable woman. She managed all household affairs, both internal and external, and had everyone from the youngest to the oldest completely under her thumb.
Now, this short, sharp-eyed old woman looked up at her eldest daughter-in-law and snapped, "Who said I want to break an engagement? When did I say we were dropping the match with Zhao Jing? We live in the Zhao Village; we must stay on good terms with our neighbors to have a peaceful life. Do you think you need to teach me that?"
Xu Su Ying laughed. "So, I suppose you're going to magically conjure up a second Wanyue? One to marry Zhao Jing, and the other to marry Li Cun."
"BAH! What rubbish are you talking about! This is my plan: we'll have Wanyue marry that boy from the Li family, and give Zhao Jing to Wanqing. They're both girls of our Chen family, and both are beautiful and well-mannered. As long as we sort it out amongst ourselves, neither the Li family nor the Zhao Family would have any reason to object."