"New Year's money?"

Upon seeing the red envelope in front of him, Feng Bingwen's expression became subtle.

"The New Year is just around the corner. I probably won't have time to come to your place before then, so I'm giving you this lucky money in advance. Remember to put it under your pillow on New Year's Eve."

Wen Huashang explained with a smile.

"That's not quite appropriate!"

Feng Zichuan declined, explaining that generally, as the Lunar New Year's Eve approaches, the child's parents and close relatives would give the child lucky money.

"It's just for good luck, it's not much money, Bingwen, take it!"

With that, Wen Huashang shoved the red envelope in her hand into Feng Bingwen's hand, bowed while holding the child, opened the door, and, braving the cold wind, boarded a carriage that had been waiting outside, heading home through the snow.

"This Manager Wen is a really straightforward person."

Seeing Manager Wen leave without hesitation, Feng Zichuan smiled. He glanced at his son's hand; the paper envelope dangled, seemingly containing a few coins, though it didn't look like much.

"Xiaowen, open it and see how much New Year's money she gave you. We can return the favor before the New Year."

Whoosh!

Feng Bingwen tore open the paper seal and poured out the coins inside. There were exactly ten coins, no more and no less. However, the bright color of the coins plunged the hall into silence once again.

"Gold coins!"

Feng Bingwen looked at the ten brightly colored coins in his palm, coins that were impossible to counterfeit, and his expression was quite subtle.

One hundred copper coins could only be exchanged for one silver coin, and twenty silver coins for one gold coin. This was the exchange rate set by the government. However, in actual exchanges, a gold coin of sufficient weight could be exchanged for at least two thousand one hundred copper coins.

Nowadays, a five-member farming family doesn't need to be frugal. They can buy some good wine and meat for a meal during festivals, and one gold coin is more than enough to live on for a year.

"This is way too much!"

Feng Lingjun was moved when he saw the ten gold coins in his grandson's hand. His monthly salary was only five silver coins, and if he didn't eat or drink for a year, he would only have three gold coins.

The seemingly frail Manager Wen suddenly spent several years' worth of his income, which astonished the old man.

"Selling desserts can be this profitable?"

"..."

Feng Zichuan and Yu Huilian exchanged a glance but remained silent.

It wasn't until late at night, when everyone was asleep and the couple had both gone to bed, that they began to talk about the day's events.

"Zichuan, what do you think that Manager Wen really meant? Although our Wen'er protected her, she gave way too much."

"That's a lot indeed. I didn't expect her to be so generous. Is selling pastries this profitable in Qingshan County? If so, should we open a restaurant in the county after the New Year?"

"You're obsessed with making money, aren't we making enough in the city? I'm discussing serious matters with you. Manager Wen is clearly up to something."

"Something's definitely not right. Did she go to the prefectural city and recognize us? Is she here for us?"

"Impossible. With her figure, if she really went to the prefectural city, wouldn't we hear about it after a while? Besides, didn't you notice the way she looked at our son? What younger brother?"

"What kind of look was she giving Wen'er?"

Feng Zichuan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't really noticed this. After all, he was a married man. He couldn't very well stare at another beautiful widow in front of his wife. If he had done that, he wouldn't be lying in bed right now.

"I can't say for sure."

“We’ve been married for so long, why are you keeping this from me? Tell me, you must have something on your mind.”

"I think that Manager Wen is after our son."

"What?"

Feng Zichuan didn't react for a moment.

"She's already widowed, and she's holding a daughter. What kind of treatment do you think she'll receive in her husband's family?"

"The outlook is not good."

Feng Zichuan didn't hesitate; he had seen too many similar cases.

"And don't you even consider what day it is? She insisted on bringing her daughter to our house and giving Wen'er so much money as New Year's money. Can't you see what she meant?"

"That's unlikely, aren't you overthinking it?"

Feng Zichuan was a beat slow to react, but he wasn't stupid. With his wife's hints being so obvious, how could he not figure it out?

"He just throws away ten gold coins. Can you guess how wealthy this Manager Wen must be? How many people would covet this wealth of a childless widow, hoping to gain both her and her money?"

Yu Huilian carefully analyzed the situation with her husband.

"Now that you mention it, it's true. But what's the reason she's targeting our Wen'er?"

"From what I've seen today, I think this Manager Wen is in a very difficult situation right now, and she needs a strong man to support her."

She wouldn't consider wealthy and capable men, but they were the worst choice, because she had been married before and had a daughter. If she married into such a family, she might lose both her money and her husband, ending up in a miserable state.

But if she chose men from poor families who lacked ability, they wouldn't only fail to provide her with any helpful assistance, but would also become a burden.

"So she wants to choose our Wen'er to be her childhood sweetheart?"

Feng Zichuan's tone was filled with barely suppressed astonishment.

“In every respect, isn’t our Wen’er the perfect choice for her? She’s the best choice. She possesses divine power, so even if she doesn’t achieve much in the future, she can still protect her and her mother.”

"But Wen'er is only eight years old! That's such a big age gap!"

"The government has a rule that boys can marry at thirteen, but they only have to wait five more years. A child you've watched grow up, you know their background and character, which is much better than someone you can only know by appearance but not by heart!"

"This is utterly absurd!"

"Most importantly, according to her understanding, our family is just a declining scholarly family. She is not afraid of being manipulated by us at all. Even if there is any ill intent, she is confident that she can retaliate."

"That does sound plausible."

Feng Zichuan listened to his wife's analysis and felt that it made sense and was well-founded.

"Right? I knew something was off about this woman the moment she walked in. Who goes to the house of their adopted brother, with whom they have no blood relation, during the New Year?"

"So what are your thoughts? Should we issue a warning?"

"Why should I warn her? I think this Manager Wen has a pretty good figure. I've been looking at her for a while, and the little girl she's with is so pretty. Even if she has a baby, she definitely won't go hungry."

"The age gap between them is too big, and besides, she's not good enough for our Wen'er. Are we going to keep this a secret forever?"

"A legal wife is out of the question, but a concubine would be fine. She's quite skillful, and her pastries suit my taste perfectly."