Qin Na blushed and said, "Well, you know how I’m taking night classes? I met someone... he’s really nice. And, uh, he seems to think I’m pretty great, too."

Qin Na was being coy, but Qin Jiao caught on immediately. "Oh, he wants to date you!"

Qin Na’s face turned crimson.

Su Yun gave her daughter a light, exasperated tap on the head. "You little rascal, how do you know about this stuff already?"

Qin Jiao rubbed her head and laughed. "Hey, it’s a perfectly normal thing, isn’t it? My aunt is still young, and I feel like she’s gotten much prettier lately. If she finds a suitable partner, isn’t it only natural for her to get married?"

For the past six months, Qin Na had been helping her second brother and his wife sell breakfast and attending night classes. It was exhausting, but she felt more fulfilled than ever.

Her complexion had lightened, she’d put on a little healthy weight, and she looked genuinely more beautiful.

The chilblains on her hands had vanished. She was a world away from the wretched woman who used to be beaten by her husband every day. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Seeing the bashful look on her aunt’s face, Qin Jiao’s tone suddenly grew serious. "But Auntie, what does this guy do? What’s his character like? Is he married? Does he know you’re divorced? Who’s in his family?"

As her daughter fired off the questions like they were tumbling out of a bamboo tube, Qin Na answered them one by one like an obedient student. Beside them, Su Yun felt a deep sense of relief.

She had always known her eldest daughter was mature for her age, but she was still a young, unmarried woman. Seeing her now, calmly helping her aunt vet a potential suitor, Su Yun knew that this girl wouldn’t be easily tricked or swindled when it was her turn to marry. Only then could she relax a little.

It couldn’t be helped. When you have a daughter, you’re bound to worry more about the momentous event of her marriage.

After all, a man’s greatest fear is picking the wrong career, and a woman’s is marrying the wrong husband.

Qin Jiao got the details. The man her aunt had met was named Sun Jianhua, and he was, surprisingly, Jin Lan Hua’s cousin. He was also divorced and had a son. His life had been going well initially, but he’d tried to start a small business and was swindled out of the 20,000 yuan the family had painstakingly saved. His wife had divorced him in a rage and, not long after, ran off with a businessman from the South.

She left their five-year-old son behind with Sun Jianhua.

The name Sun Jianhua sounded vaguely familiar to Qin Jiao. She listened as her aunt explained that she felt Sun Jianhua was a very steady and reliable man. They had known each other for six months before he even brought up the subject. Qin Na hadn’t agreed immediately, intending to come back and ask her second brother, her sister-in-law... and, of course, Qin Jiao for their opinions.

Qin Na considered herself slow-witted, no match for her second brother and his wife, and certainly not for Qin Jiao. So, although she had good feelings for Sun Jianhua, she was determined to listen to her brother’s family’s advice.

If they said Sun Jianhua was a bad match and that she shouldn’t marry him, then she wouldn’t!

Qin Jiao said, "I eat at Jinlan Flower Restaurant all the time, so I’m pretty friendly with her. I’ll go ask around. But Auntie, if you think he’s decent, maybe you could invite him over for a meal sometime. My parents can help you vet him then."

She spoke like a miniature adult, far more mature and composed than Qin Na herself.

Su Yun thought her daughter’s suggestion was a good one, but with the Lunar New Year just around the corner, it wasn’t a good time for a formal visit. They decided to arrange a meeting after the holiday.

True to her word, a couple of days later, Qin Jiao went to ask Jin Lan Hua about Sun Jianhua’s character.

Her aunt had already married the wrong man once. She had to be extremely careful about her second marriage.

Qin Jiao didn’t think there was anything wrong with her aunt wanting to get married again. ’When it comes to matters of the heart, if you meet someone and it’s a good fit, then you should be together. But getting married just for the sake of getting married? That’s a problem. That’s being irresponsible to yourself.’