Early the next morning, the gates of the Chen family home opened, and an old ox pulled a cart carrying several people toward the county town.

It was a very foggy day, and because they had left so early, they didn’t encounter a single person on the road.

Only when they reached the gates of the county town did they see a few figures. But even those were faint and indistinct, a testament to just how thick the fog was today.

"A thick fog is a good thing. Ten foggy mornings mean nine sunny days, so it’s going to be bright and clear later," Xu Su Ying said. "That Mrs. Wang of the Wang Family is a wonderful person. For her birthday, it’s only right that the heavens show her some favor."

Chen Song teased his wife, "You’ve never even met her, yet you already know she’s a wonderful person."

"It doesn’t matter if I’ve met her or not. Anyone who helps my daughter and me make good money is a wonderful person in my book. I’ve even secretly prayed to the Bodhisattva, asking that the old madam sees many happy returns of this day."

"Hahaha, you should go say that at the Wang Family’s door. You might even get a longevity peach bun for your troubles."

...

They chatted as they traveled quite a distance. Chen Song first dropped off his wife and daughter at the street corner, then drove the oxcart to take Zhao Jing and his two sons to their destinations.

Zhao Jing was headed to Moxiang Pavilion, which wasn’t far from the private school De’an and his brother attended, so he dropped them all off together.

After dropping them off, he could head to the county government office without being late.

As Chen Song was about to drive the oxcart away, Xu Su Ying reminded the others on the cart, "Jing, when you’re done with your work around noon, go wait for De’an and the others at the school gate. We’re all going to see the new house today. And you, husband, if you’re busy, send someone with a message. Don’t leave us waiting for nothing."

"Alright, I got it."

After the oxcart left, Xu Su Ying took her daughter to Qingxiang House and then went to Mrs. Ying’s clothing shop.

Today was Mrs. Wang’s big birthday celebration, and Xu Su Ying had to do the hair and makeup for six people. She’d probably be too exhausted to stand up straight by the end of it.

...

It was still early, and the street where Qingxiang House was located was completely empty, without a single pedestrian in sight.

The shop was cold, so Chen Wanqing lit the stove to warm up.

By the time the room grew warm, the thick fog outside had dissipated. Daylight now streamed in, and Chen Wanqing took her sewing basket out of her back basket to do some needlework. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’The shop isn’t suitable for making fragrances, and I don’t feel like reading, so I might as well get an early start on this sachet. That way, it won’t be constantly on my mind, and it won’t be constantly on Zhao Jing’s mind either.’

She was about halfway done with the sachet when someone came to open the shop next door.

It was Mrs. Zhu again. She was quite surprised to see Chen Wanqing had opened her shop so early.

"It’s so early and no one’s around. Why open up now? You’d be better off going home to catch some more sleep."

"Then why aren’t you at home sleeping a bit longer, Auntie? Why are you here opening up so early too?"

Mrs. Zhu swung the door open and paid it no more mind, trotting over to the stove to warm herself.

"You think I want to be here this early? It’s not raining or snowing, so I can’t even sell any umbrellas. Opening the shop is a complete waste of time. But didn’t we just take on thirty new apprentices? We’re supposed to start teaching them how to make umbrellas today. We agreed to start in about a quarter of an hour, so Mr. Zhu and I had to get here first."

At the mention of the thirty umbrella-making apprentices they had taken on, a resentful look crossed Mrs. Zhu’s face.

After all that work, they had only collected a total of thirty taels in "tuition fees"—not even enough to buy four mu of good farmland, even if they stretched every coin. If they couldn’t sell many materials either, they’d be at a dead end.

Just then, Mrs. Zhu suddenly thought of another way to make money and started prying into Chen Wanqing’s affairs. "What does your fiancé’s family do? Do they own a shop, or are they a scholarly family? Do they have money? If not, you should break off the engagement. I can introduce you to someone better..."

"Auntie, it’s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage. You should work on your karma. Please leave, Auntie. I see someone has gone into your shop. I can’t tell if they want to buy an umbrella or learn how to make one."

With a cry of "Aiyo!", Mrs. Zhu bolted out the door. But she hadn’t given up; she was still hoping to earn a matchmaker’s fee. Even as she ran out of the shop, she twisted her head back and said, rather comically, "I can introduce you to a match so good you wouldn’t even dare to dream of it. Just think about it!"

"No need to think about it!"

"Auntie, it’s hardly appropriate to be trying to break up my engagement behind my back, is it? I don’t recall ever offending you. Why would you try to ruin my future marriage for no reason?"

Chen Wanqing heard Zhao Jing’s voice and couldn’t quite believe it. She looked up and saw that it was, indeed, Zhao Jing.

An unconscious joy lit up her clear eyes. She stood up, needle and thread still in hand, and walked toward the door. "Jing, didn’t you go to Moxiang Pavilion? What are you doing here?"

Only after she spoke did she realize she was still holding something. As she was about to turn back to put it down, Zhao Jing’s eyes had already fallen on the object in her hand.