Zhang was somewhat embarrassed by what was said. Although her second aunt was kind-hearted, sometimes she just couldn't bear to hear it.

Old Lady Yun treated her very well. Since she married into the Yun family, she had never been scolded and was always taken care of by her. They were naturally a family.

Firstly, Chun-jie'er hasn't been engaged yet; secondly, Chu-jie'er has just become a female apprentice at Ren'an Hall, so how can she be in such a hurry to get married and ruin this path? Thirdly, she is reluctant to marry Chu-jie'er off, so wouldn't it be better to keep her at home? Anyway, they are not starving, so what's the rush?

"Second sister-in-law, Hua Lang and I are not in a hurry about this matter."

Second Aunt was not easily defeated by those words; her smile deepened, and she said:

"Why aren't you in a hurry? You haven't seen how frequently the matchmaker has been coming these days. All the young talents in the village are eager to marry Jing-jie. As a woman, it's only good if she marries into a good family."

Zhang had already said there was no rush, but her second aunt kept nagging. Each time she tried to persuade Zhang, she seemed to make progress, but Zhang grew increasingly annoyed and unwilling to listen anymore. She then looked at her eldest aunt standing to the side.

"Sister-in-law, I wonder if Brother Xiao has taken a fancy to any young lady?"

Whenever Zhang Xiao is mentioned, Auntie's face lights up with pride, her smile impossible to hide.

"He once carried things from the mountain to the city to sell, and on the way he rescued a young woman. Unexpectedly, this young woman was from the city. She said that she had decided on him for life. And now, as the end of the year approaches, they are still discussing an auspicious date."

"So this is how wonderful it is."

"That's right. I was planning to inform you after the date was set, but now that you've asked, I can't keep quiet."

Auntie Zhang beamed with joy, and Zhang herself was happy too.

"Oh dear, if Ling-jie knew how good Xiao-ge was, she would definitely be happy for him. Every time she comes here, she keeps talking about how good her cousin is on her way back."

“Really? I often say that they are good cousins. Hey, where did Ling’er go? I didn’t see her last time, and I can’t see her this time either.”

Zhang's face was full of pride whenever Yunling was mentioned.

"She went to Bianjing."

"Bianjing? She went to Bianjing alone? My goodness, that's quite an achievement."

Second Aunt also wanted to know what Yunling was doing in Bianjing, but seeing the two of them looking so proud, she simply focused all her attention on Yun Chu.

"Chu'er, why don't you talk to your second aunt about it? What kind of Erlang do you want? Is he handsome, or is he good-natured?"

For some reason, Yun Chu's mind was filled with the image of Shen Changliu. She couldn't stand being questioned, and her cheeks flushed red as soon as she was asked. She just shook her head and remained silent.

Seeing that she had a chance of winning Yun Chu over, the second aunt continued to press for answers:

"Tell me, if you're shy, just tell your second aunt secretly. She won't tell anyone easily, okay?"

Yun Chu remained silent, shaking her head.

"Let me tell you, I have a nephew who's about your age."

"Second sister-in-law, I think I just heard second brother call your name."

Second Aunt hurriedly looked outside, but there wasn't a soul in sight, not even a ghost. Who was calling her? However, she quickly realized what was happening and, with a hint of displeasure, spoke in a slightly sharp tone, looking at Zhang Shi and saying:

"Third sister, is it because your husband's family is now wealthy that you're afraid your own family will harm you?"

The eldest aunt didn't know why the second aunt would say such harsh words out of the blue, but since she saw her every day and spent every day with her, she couldn't very well say anything to her, lest she accumulate resentment and become an enemy.

Zhang was naturally wronged by being hurled at like this for no reason. She rarely got into arguments with others, at most exchanging witty remarks with Yun Shenghua before letting it go. How could she possibly accept such a huge accusation?

"Second sister-in-law, that's not what I meant."

"What do you mean? I'm just trying to be helpful. I'm reminding you, as her mother, to think more about your daughter now that Chu'er is of marriageable age. If you're not in a hurry, fine, but I, as her aunt, am. So what? Can't I be in a hurry?"

"I just feel a connection with Chu-jie, and I want to be more considerate of her and find her a marriage that everyone can agree on. Is that wrong?"

"Do you think this marriage can be settled in one go? You're not in a hurry at all. It'll take two or three years. If you drag it out any longer, she'll be an old lady by then. I'll see if you're still in a hurry then."

The second aunt spoke a long string of words, quickly and crisply, like a sharp knife cutting a radish; even Yun Shenghua, who was standing at the door, heard it.

Yun Shenghua sensed something was wrong and immediately stepped inside. The tense atmosphere inside lessened somewhat because of his arrival, but a faint smell of gunpowder could still be detected.

Ultimately, the second aunt was still somewhat intimidated by Yun Shenghua. She felt that Yun Shenghua was the head of the family, and the Yun family's current wealth was all thanks to him. Therefore, she didn't dare to be as forceful with him as she was with Zhang Shi, and even preemptively assert her right to the situation, saying only:

"Hua-ge'er, you've come at the right time. Do you think I, as your aunt, should be concerned about Chu-jie'er's marriage?"

Yun Shenghua stood beside Zhang Shi and, seeing her like this, knew that she had been wronged. He didn't even want to give his second aunt a second glance.

He believed he had treated the Zhang family well over the years. Even when the family was in difficulty, Grandma Yun would save the things they couldn't bear to eat or wear, just so they could give them to the Zhang family when they returned on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

He believed he had done nothing to wrong the Zhang family, and naturally did not want them to give Zhang a hard time or cause her any distress.

At this point, Zhang was even more hesitant to speak, lest she escalate the situation and damage the relationship between the two families.

She might not say anything, but Yun Chu was determined to. This was one thing, and if her second aunt had said anything, that would have been one thing, but to insult her mother was unacceptable.

“Father, I don’t want to discuss marriage for the time being, but my second aunt keeps saying that if she can’t talk to Mother, she should talk to me. Mother wants to help me out of this predicament, and then… and then you’ll know.”

Yun Shenghua's face darkened, and his tone hardened.

“There’s no rush for our Chu’er’s marriage. She can get married whenever she wants. If she never marries, we’ll support her for life. She can also earn a living with her medical skills. There’s no need for Second Sister-in-law to worry about this.”

Yun Shenghua then looked at Zhang Shi and said softly:

"Chunniang, let's go back."