Lin Erxi quickly sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up some snacks from the small table, and ate them with his mouth full, saying:

"Mother, please don't make things difficult for me. I can learn needlework. Tao Xiuniang's brows furrow so much when she sees me that they could almost trap a fly. Please let me go and let Tao Xiuniang go too."

Everyone burst into laughter again at Lin Erxi's antics.

Granny Wei laughed and said, "I really can't believe that even someone as gentle as Tao Xiuniang can be so easily manipulated by Miss Erxi."

Sister-in-law Lin's face immediately showed a mixture of helplessness, embarrassment, and a hint of anger at Lin Erxi's lack of ambition.

"I think you just didn't study hard enough. Look at your older sister, how come she studies so well?"

"Mom, I really studied hard. Look at my ten delicate hands, they're all pricked like hedgehogs by needles."

Lin Erxi spread her hands and showed them to her mother with a wronged expression.

Sister-in-law Lin said with a look of disgust, "Go away, get your pig's trotters away from me, I don't even want to look at them."

Grandma Song chuckled and said, "Forget it, forget it, Dongzi's mother. Erxi's personality isn't cut out for this line of work. Why make things difficult for the child?"

Lin Erxi immediately fawned over Old Madam Song, massaging her shoulders and saying, "That's right, Grandma Song understands me best."

Sister-in-law Lin shook her head helplessly, "Sigh, it seems I can only give up on this idea."

Lin Erxi was overjoyed that she had succeeded in her struggle and quickly said, "Our family is content with having one good embroiderer like my eldest sister. Mother, we're not greedy."

Song Anxin was also laughing from the side; Erxi was truly a lively character. She asked:

"Erxi, is there anything you want to do? Do you have any dreams to tell your aunt?"

Sister-in-law Lin chimed in, "What dreams could she possibly have? All she does all day is eat and play, like a wild girl."

Lin Erxi immediately said, "Mother, who says I don't have a dream? I've been practicing martial arts with Feng Yao every day lately. My dream is to become a wandering female knight-errant in the future!"

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand and struck a very chivalrous pose, displaying a bit of a female knight-errant vibe, which immediately amused everyone.

The two grasses clapped their hands happily and chanted, "Hero, hero, heroine..."

Sister-in-law Lin gave the female knight-errant a hard knock and knocked her to the ground: "Female knight-errant, huh? Wandering the world? With your fancy but useless skills, you can't even leave our county. I advise you to give up on this idea as soon as possible. After the New Year, I'll find you a good husband so you won't have to keep thinking about this."

Lin Erxi immediately climbed up from the pit and said, "Ah! Mother, I don't want to talk about my husband's family, I don't want to get married. I'll only be sixteen after the New Year. I want to be a wandering female knight-errant. If you force me to get married like this, I'll run away."

“Oh dear, you can’t say things like that. Erxi, it’s time for you to find a husband at sixteen. Listen to your mother, okay?” Old Mrs. Song said hurriedly.

Sister-in-law Lin was also a little angry: "Hey, you brat, you think you're all grown up now and you still want to run away? Your Grandma Song is right, sixteen is not a child anymore. Other sixteen-year-olds are already mothers. Only you are the one I can't bear to part with. No way, I must find you a husband next year. Look where your heart has wandered off to!"

Lin Erxi protested, "No, no, I don't want to! Mother, if you force me like this, will I run away? I'll just go and wander the world."

The mother and daughter immediately started arguing, and Old Mrs. Song and Granny Wei hurriedly tried to mediate.

Song Anxin also advised, "Sister-in-law, Erxi, both of you should calm down. In my opinion, Erxi is not in a hurry to find a husband at her age. Erxi, your dream is quite good."

Seeing that her second aunt supported her, Lin Erxi became even more confident: "Mom, look, even my second aunt supports me. You should learn from her magnanimity."

"Oh dear, sister-in-law, how can you let her cause such a ruckus?" said Sister-in-law Lin.

Song Anxin patted her hand to signal her not to rush, and continued, "Erxi, since you want to be a female knight-errant, of course you need to be good at martial arts. Only with skills can you make your way in the world."

"Otherwise, your mother is right. If you can't even leave Ningdu County, how can you roam the world? How about this: when you can beat Qingshan, Qingfeng, and the other two, it proves you have some skill. Then, when you go out to roam the world, your second aunt will definitely support you wholeheartedly. Even if your mother tries to stop you, I will stop her too, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Erxi felt that her second aunt was right. A female knight-errant must have the ability to roam the world. She immediately said, "Second aunt, you wait. I have recently learned a lot of kung fu from Feng Yao. I have also asked Feng He and Uncle Anbang for advice. I am very good. I will go and find Brother Qingshan and Brother Qingfeng to compete with them. I am sure I can beat them."

"Haha, here comes Erxi, the chivalrous heroine!"

He excitedly skipped out.

"Hey, you brat, don't go! I'm telling you, I'd rather die than agree to this!" Sister-in-law Lin shouted, hands on her hips. Seeing that Lin Erxi ignored her completely without turning around, she turned to Song Anxin and complained, "Oh dear, my sister-in-law. How could you agree to this? Erxi might take it seriously. What if she..."

Song Anxin comforted her, saying, "Sister-in-law, there's no such thing as 'what if.' Even if Erxi trains for another ten years, she still won't be able to beat Qingshan and Qingfeng. Since Erxi has made up her mind, you can't go against her. The more you go against her, the more motivated she will become. You might as well give her a goal and wait for her enthusiasm to fade away. Once she realizes her own limitations, she will give up on this idea."

Sister-in-law Lin suddenly realized and praised her repeatedly: "Sister-in-law, you are right. Erxi is so stubborn. The more you tell her not to do something, the more she will do it. Isn't that infuriating? Your idea is really good. You really have a way with things."

Grandma Song also said, "Xin'er's idea is indeed good. Children always like to go against adults. If we go along with her a little, she will know that it's not that easy and she will naturally stop thinking about it."

Granny Wei also praised, "Your Highness is truly intelligent."

The little grasshoppers are here again, tagging along: "Second Grandma, so clever, so clever..."

Song Anxin gave an awkward smile. Okay, okay, stop praising her. Although she likes being praised, she can't stand it anymore.

Sister-in-law Lin added, "However, I still need to find a husband for Erxi. Sister-in-law, Aunt Song, Granny Wei, and the rest of you can also give me your opinions."

Song Anxin disagreed, saying, "Sister-in-law, I think Erxi is serious about not being in a hurry to find a husband at her age. Erxi will only be sixteen after the New Year. I once saw a young woman having a difficult childbirth at the county clinic. She was also sixteen or seventeen years old. Fortunately, the doctor was very skilled and saved her in time."

Later, the doctor said that when a woman is sixteen or seventeen, her body is not fully developed, and the risks of pregnancy and childbirth at this age are extremely high. A mishap could result in the death of both mother and child. These risks only decrease when the body is fully developed at eighteen.