Qin Xiaozhou sat down at the table and opened the account book. Her oval face shone brightly in the candlelight, beautiful and pure. "If I were you, I wouldn't get married."

“I’m about to turn eighteen. If I don’t get married, am I supposed to wait for an official match?” Lu Yu’s anger rose. “Niece-in-law, you are lucky to marry Da Yun. Not all women who marry into official families can meet someone like Da Yun. There are many tragic women like Wang Cuihua. I finally got this marriage with Li Yang. Don’t you wish me well?”

Lu Yunfeng couldn't help but frown. "Auntie, Xiaozhou didn't mean it that way. Don't be angry."

Lu Yu lowered her head, like a cat with its fur standing on end. "Then what does she mean?"

Qin Xiaozhou quietly watched her aunt, a sensitive and insecure seventeen-year-old girl. Even when she was angry, it was petty. She was furious on her own, but to others, she was just a cat. No matter how fierce she was, she could only scratch people a few times with her claws and had no real power.

Outsiders would just watch with a detached, spectator's attitude, but Qin Xiaozhou always hoped that her future would be better. "If I were you, I would find a son-in-law to come and live with me."

"You—" Lu Yu was shocked, thinking she had misheard, "Taking in a son-in-law to live with his wife?"

She became increasingly incoherent, "This, how can this be? How can a man marry into his wife's family?"

Qin Xiaozhou smiled and said, "Why can't men marry into families? Women can get married, so why can't men? They're all human beings. Are they made of gold or something? Are they that precious?"

Lu Yu still found it absurd. "But... but our family has Da Yun, Er Yun, and Xiao Si, three males, all of whom are males to carry on the family line. If I take in a son-in-law, wouldn't that make me a laughingstock? Besides, brothers won't be brothers anymore, and sisters-in-law won't be sisters-in-law anymore. It'll be chaos. No, I won't take in a son-in-law."

The Lu family was originally small, but by Lu Yunfeng's generation there were four people, three of whom were men. She, an aunt who should have married out, could not stay at home and add unnecessary conflicts. Besides, wouldn't it be an insult to men to bring a son-in-law into the family? She couldn't do such a thing.

Qin Xiaozhou felt a chill at the thought of a dozen or so children making a ruckus. "If we don't have a son-in-law, we can choose a quiet man with no family to marry into the family."

Ideally, he should be a single man, so that Lu Yu can be freed from the burden of filial piety and be easy to control after marriage.

Lu Yu was furious. "Niece-in-law, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Could it be that he's afraid she'll feel uncomfortable if she marries well? But her niece-in-law doesn't seem like the kind of person with bad intentions. Lu Yu really can't understand it. "Since ancient times, which woman doesn't want to marry into a prosperous family with living and wealthy parents-in-law?"

These days, everyone toils in the fields for a living. A prosperous family means more labor, and more labor means less hunger and less chance of being bullied by other families. What good woman would willingly marry a lonely, single man?!

Hearing the commotion, Lu Yan went to the door and overheard them discussing her aunt's marriage. Not wanting to go in, she turned and went back to her room. She had originally wanted to learn how to read account books from her sister-in-law. She had been learning from her sister-in-law for two months and now knew quite a few characters, making her more capable than many men.

Zhao Fang was making tiger shoes by candlelight, and now that Xiao Si can walk, it's natural to need to make shoes for the child. "Why did you come back?"

Seeing that no one was in the courtyard, and that Jinghe, Jingyue, and the two old women were all in the shop's kitchen kneading and resting dough, Lu Yan went over to tell Zhao Fang what she had just heard after she could no longer hear the commotion from this side.

Zhao Fang couldn't understand Qin Xiaozhou's meaning either, but there was one thing she believed: "Perhaps your sister-in-law has her own reasons. She's not a bad person, and she's more knowledgeable than us."

Even so, she couldn't help but frown, and finally couldn't sit still any longer. "You should go to bed early tonight, I'll go check on things."

After all, she was Lu Yu's sister-in-law, and an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. They had supported each other through the past two years, and she genuinely liked this younger sister-in-law, hoping that she could marry a good man and live a good life.

Qin Xiaozhou patiently explained, "Our family owns a shop in the county town, and you work there. After you get married, will your in-laws ask you to tell them how to make the desserts in the shop? How will you face them then?"

"I won't hide it from you, my business will grow bigger and bigger in the future. After the clothing store opens in a few days, I will hire more embroiderers, and later I will set up a factory and make a lot of money. When your in-laws ask you to do things that are not good for me, how will you deal with it?"

"Never underestimate human nature," Qin Xiaozhou continued. "When your in-laws had no connection with us, they might not have coveted our money. But once you become relatives, watching them grow richer and rise in rank, who can guarantee they won't have some designs on you? If they just want to take advantage of a few taels of silver, that's understandable. But if they become ambitious and want more, which side will you be on then?"

Lu Yu was stunned for a long time before she finally stammered, "Perhaps Li Yang's family wouldn't do that. Li Yang is a good person."

Qin Xiaozhou pressed further, "Why not? Isn't Li Fengxian a prime example? Do you think Li Fengxian is a bad person?"

Li Fengxian was not a bad person in the strict sense. She did not steal, rob, kill, or commit arson. She just liked to take advantage of others. She couldn't stand seeing the Lu family getting better day by day, and she couldn't stand seeing Wang Lan living a good life after getting married. So she would come to the Lu family every few days to beg for money. Even if she only took a bunch of scallions or a vegetable, she would feel happy.

Lu Yu was stumped by the question, her chest heaving. She turned and ran out instantly, almost knocking over Zhao Fang who was standing at the door.