"What you’re saying makes no sense. What calculations can I have? The palm and the back of the hand are both flesh," Gu Shiliu’s mother retorted angrily, glaring as she argued, "They all come from my womb, they are all my children."

Gu Shiliu’s father sneered and said, "Enough, with so many children, saying these things as if no one else ever had children. It’s true that both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, but the flesh on the back of the hand is not so likable. Previously, I just turned a blind eye, but not anymore. Our Shiliu is under the protection of the Marquis and Madam, and when it comes to marriage, don’t always think about finding someone easy to manage to support the second child. Don’t say I didn’t remind you; let’s put the ugly words up front."

Hong Mian waited for a long time before seeing Gu Shiliu’s parents come in, both looking troubled, and her heart sank.

Several female relatives of the Gu Family happened to be chatting about household matters, so she had to deal with them patiently.

Gu Shiliu’s mother sat down, first sighed, twisted her body, and sighed deeply again.

Everyone sensed something was wrong and fell silent.

Gu Shiliu’s father didn’t speak, just knocked the water pipe on the table a few times with force.

Gu Shiliu’s mother hesitantly said to Hong Mian’s mother, "Just now, a traveling monk came to our door and said that now is not a good time for weddings at home. We asked about setting the engagement, and the monk said that wouldn’t do either."

Hong Mian’s mother immediately got angry, "Where did this bald donkey come from, daring to come to people’s homes to talk such unlucky nonsense, didn’t you drive him away?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Gu Shiliu’s mother said, "We just gave him some silver, and also donated some more silver taels, asking him what to do. He said our Shiliu should personally see the match, otherwise, it will result in an unhappy couple, and family troubles will arise in the future. But Gu Shiliu, this troublesome one, doesn’t respond to messages brought to him, and Gu Shiba said the Marquis has ordered him to handle matters these days, and he can’t come back."

It seemed the engagement was about to fall through.

Hong Mian hastily called out to her mother.

Hong Mian’s mother suppressed her anger and said, "Didn’t we agree before? Your Shiliu was supposed to go with the Seventh Miss to the White Crane Academy after the festival and wouldn’t be back for two years. If he’s always unavailable, does that mean my daughter Hong Mian has to wait for him for two years?"

Gu Shiliu’s mother reluctantly said, "We were thinking that too, getting married early so that his younger siblings can also get married more easily. So we told the monk, and asked if there was a way to break the bad luck. The monk said to hang both their birthdate slips on the kitchen beam, and if there are no mistakes after three days, the marriage can proceed, otherwise, the joyful event might turn into a bad one."

Hong Mian’s hand shook, spilling half a cup of tea.

Hong Mian’s mother said with a sour face, "Earlier, we had Blind Zhang on the street match their eight characters, and it was a perfect match. But now..."

Seeing things weren’t right, Hong Mian said, "Mother, I have something to say to you."

Her mother gave her a frustrated look but eventually said, "Go ahead."

The mother and daughter whispered for a while, and in the end, they agreed.

The relatives of the Gu Family and the Li family all had odd expressions, as both families had already arranged things like betrothal gifts and dowries, and suddenly it turned out like this. Anyone would have caused a big fuss, but unexpectedly, Hong Mian’s parents agreed.

This clearly showed that Hong Mian was placed at a disadvantage before even marrying into the family.

Gu Shiliu’s mother’s face betrayed her contempt, while Hong Mian’s mother, though angry, could do nothing with her decisive daughter and left the Gu Family with a gloomy face, taking Hong Mian along.

"Daughter, you can see it too, being the eldest sister-in-law in their family won’t be easy. Her mother favors the younger ones, and now they’re going back on their word. As your mother, I’ve been humiliated, forced to wear a fake smile. But how long can I get along with the Gu Family? You have to live with them for a lifetime. There’s an old saying that men fear choosing the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man, and you can’t not believe it."

Hong Mian firmly said, "Mother, I have my own plans. Once I marry in and find my footing, I’ll find ways to handle their family. Gu Shiliu is the Marquis’s most trusted person, he’s handsome, with a great disposition. Marrying him will surely lead me to a life of comfort, and I can bring good days to my brothers too."

Hong Mian’s mother sighed, "Your father is doing procurement work, and life is quite decent. In the future, when your brother finds a position and marries, what is there to worry about? Why do you need to calculate so much? I really can’t understand."

But how could Hong Mian be persuaded by just a few words? She had to be let be.

After parting with her mother, Hong Mian returned to Wutong Garden with a heavy heart. She didn’t need her mother to say it; she knew the three-day deadline was probably just an excuse from the Gu Family.

But now she was already in too deep to back out.

If she turned hostile now, she’d have no chance at all; at least now, there was still a glimmer of hope.

After her leave ended, Hong Mian intended to serve Qin Yuan in the main house but was stopped by Cui Ming.

Cui Ming said, "It’s so late, you’ve been out all day, there’s no need to rush to serve."

Hong Mian forced a smile, "Sister Cui Ming is right, I should freshen up first, to avoid bringing dust before the master."

Cui Ming ignored her.

Hong Mian turned and dropped her fake smile.

Several young maids who were closer to her were chatting under the corridor but pretended to be busy with something, not surrounding her as usual.

Hong Mian, filled with worries, didn’t pay much attention. After returning from a bath, she noticed something was wrong.

The bedding on her bed had been drenched.

"What’s going on here?" Hong Mian, hands on hips, glared, ready to start a fuss.

Her roommates avoided her gaze, all claiming ignorance.

Hong Mian angrily said, "Since none of you know, it seems everyone had a part in this. If I can’t sleep, then no one else will either."

With that, she was about to fetch a copper basin to splash water.

Several people hurried to stop her, resulting in chaos.

Cui Ming came over and coldly said, "What’s going on here? Hong Mian, why is it you again? You went out early today, left a bunch of things ignored, making us count inventory in the storeroom all day. Now you return and make trouble; if you don’t sleep, others still need to."

Hong Mian said aggrievedly, "Sister Cui Ming, you, being trusted by Madam, should judge things clearly. My bed was inexplicably drenched in water, how am I supposed to sleep? They’re all inside the room, yet they claim ignorance; surely, they’re behind it."

Her roommates hurriedly shook their heads and hands, saying, "We’re really wronged; we just got off duty not long ago and were talking together. She just came back and asked what happened. How would we know? She said if she can’t sleep, no one else can either. To say Hong Mian just gained Madam’s favor, why is she being so unreasonable?"

Cui Ming coldly looked at Hong Mian and said, "You’ve heard it, either you accidentally wet your own bed or you’ve offended someone and got into trouble. If you have nowhere to sleep, share a spot with someone else."

Hong Mian had already calculated in her heart.

After thinking a bit, she said, "Well then, I’ll squeeze in with someone else. I wonder if Sister Hong Ye’s place is convenient?"