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The next day, Xiaoyuan's cotton shop not only had boiled cotton and cotton cloth, but also cotton soaked in medicinal herbs. They could not only sell it on the counter, but also deliver it to the door according to the date.

Not only were there no unsold goods, but the family also made more money. Aunt Chen was relieved, and Ah Xiu, who was far away at the Cheng family's house, was also overjoyed.

Chapter Fifteen: Choosing a Son-in-Law from Among the Successful Candidates

In early March, the results of the imperial examinations were released, and He Yaohong achieved the fourth rank in the first class of the imperial examinations, becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). The emperor hosted a banquet at Qionglin and later appointed him as the Left Confucian Scholar. For a time, the He family was glorious, which needs no further explanation.

On the day the list was posted, Xiao Yuan sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts early in the morning. She waited and waited, but no one came to bring the good news. She looked at the gate, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Other people only report good news and not bad news, but they only come when they are in trouble; when there is something that can benefit me, they completely forget about it."

Aunt Chen pointed to the side door: "Aunt Liu has returned from inquiring. Quickly ask her to tell us."

Xiao Yuan found Liu Ma the most pleasing to the eye today, so she had a maid bring her a stool to sit on and asked with a smile, "Liu Mama, I heard that at the Qionglin Banquet, His Majesty personally praised my third brother?"

Aunt Liu raised her head: "Of course it's true. The Third Young Master is now a favorite of the Emperor. Countless people are vying to befriend him, and he can't get away from him at all."

Rulin Lang was not a Beijing official, and had not yet been appointed (to a real post), so how could he have become a favorite of the Emperor? Xiao Yuan heard that Liu Ma's words were highly exaggerated and was afraid of causing trouble, so she quickly interrupted her, saying, "You haven't even seen Third Brother, so what are you talking about? Go and rest."

Aunt Liu was very indignant and exclaimed, "Fourth Sister, you've wronged me! Although I didn't see the Third Young Master, I did see our future Third Young Mistress."

Xiao Yuan asked in surprise, "Madam has arranged a marriage for Third Brother? I've never heard of that."

Aunt Liu moved the small stool forward and lowered her voice, saying, "It wasn't the madam who arranged the marriage; she recommended him herself."

Aunt Chen, disapproving of her feigned mystery, interjected, "Is it about choosing a husband based on the results of the imperial examination? That's not unusual."

Aunt Liu chuckled and said, "Aunt Chen is truly insightful; it's about 'choosing a husband from among the successful candidates.' Just as the results were posted today, our Third Young Master was looking up at the list when a young lady approached him and asked, 'I am the daughter of the Li family in the city. My family is wealthy, and I am not unattractive. I would like to marry you, young master. Is that possible?' Our Third Young Master…"

Aunt Chen interrupted her again: "How could Yaohong possibly fancy a young lady with such poor manners?"

Xiao Yuan was surprised at first, but then she smiled. "Look at what Auntie is saying. I bet Madam will agree to this marriage."

Aunt Liu slapped her thigh. "Fourth Sister is so clever. The Li family does business at sea, so naturally they're bolder. But they're also rich. I heard the dowry is a full 100,000 strings of cash, not counting the land and houses outside the city. Moreover, all her brothers have bought official positions. Where else can you find such a good marriage? Of course, Madam agreed and even chose a date for the engagement."

Aunt Chen sighed, "I wonder if Yaohong would like such a young lady..."

“Auntie is confused. Since ancient times, marriage has been a matter of great importance, decided only by matchmakers and parents. How can Third Brother have any say?” Xiao Yuan noticed Liu Ma’s expression change slightly out of the corner of her eye and quickly interrupted Auntie Chen. She then turned to her and instructed, “It’s thanks to Liu Ma for going to so much trouble to find out this that we are so happy. Cai Lian, bring the top-grade reward money.”

Aunt Liu declined, saying, "We're family, why should we need a reward?" But she followed Cailian out without touching the ground.

Seeing that Aunt Liu had left the courtyard, Xiao Yuan sat down next to Aunt Chen and nudged her arm, saying with a smile, "Aunt, I never knew you cared about Third Brother so much."

Aunt Chen held her hand and said, "I was just reminded of my past when I saw your third brother like this. Now Yaohong has surpassed the eldest young master and is a thorn in Madam's side. Luckily you were quick-witted just now. If those words had reached Madam's ears, it would have caused him a lot of trouble."

Actually, Xiaoyuan only said those words to avoid causing trouble for her third brother. Now, she is just as worried as Aunt Chen was before, fearing that the two of them will not get along.

Aunt Chen had no choice but to try to persuade her to be more open-minded: "Fourth Sister, how many people can marry their childhood sweetheart like you? Everyone goes through this. Your Third Brother hasn't suffered any grievances."

Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly, burying the words "free love" back in her heart, and forced a smile as she went with Aunt Chen to prepare the wedding gifts for Yao Hong.

Aunt Chen thought it was too early for them to prepare congratulatory gifts, but she didn't expect that Madam Jiang was so eager for the generous dowry that she arranged for the engagement, betrothal, and betrothal gifts to be given in one go, and that Yao Hong would go to the Li family to fetch his new bride at the end of the month.

On the day of the wedding, Xiao Yuan was afraid that Madam Jiang would come up with another trick when she saw Consort Chen, so she left Consort Chen at home and went to the mansion alone.

She greeted Madam Jiang and then slipped into Yaohong Courtyard, intending to take a look at the new house before the wedding procession returned. Unexpectedly, she ran into him at the door.

"Third Brother, you didn't go to greet him in person?" Although the ceremony of personally greeting someone has been relaxed nowadays, Xiao Yuan was still a little surprised.

He Yaohong waved his hand dismissively and said, "I've already sent the matchmaker."

Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Xiao Yuan felt inexplicably heavy-hearted. After a long pause, she could only manage to utter one sentence: "Is your new sister-in-law the fifth daughter of the Li family? I've heard she's a capable woman, and Madam will surely like her."

He Yaohong smiled wryly, saying that he had guests to entertain, and then turned and went out of the courtyard.

Xiao Yuan lost interest in seeing the new house. She then heard faint music coming from outside, which she guessed meant the bride was coming back and was starting to block the door. She quickly took her maid and headed to the middle gate. If Madam Jiang didn't see her helping to greet the bride's in-laws when the bride was sitting in the tent, she would start nagging again.

In fact, because Yao Hong passed the imperial examination, many of the He family relatives came to help, so Xiao Yuan had no chance to get involved. She didn't want to deal with the Li family and was happy to be free.

After the musicians and candles led Yaohong into the bridal chamber, the onlookers rushed to pull off the colorful ribbons hanging on the lintel. Cailian also pushed Xiaoyuan to grab them, but Xiaoyuan shook her head slightly. She sat for a while at the banquet and then took her leave.

When Aunt Chen saw Xiao Yuan return, she pulled her aside and asked, "Fourth Aunt, have you seen the Li family's dowry? Tell me, let me see what's missing from what we've prepared for you."

Xiao Yuan shook her head listlessly, lay down on the couch, and sighed, "I have no interest in looking at the dowry. Third Brother doesn't seem to care at all, he doesn't act like a groom at all. Madam is busy looking at the dowry and hasn't shown up much. I wonder what the Li family is thinking."

When Aunt Chen heard her say this, she also became worried: "The Li family is not easy to deal with. I just hope that your third brother will continue to be as proper as before and treat his wife with courtesy."

Unexpectedly, their worries came true before the young couple could even return home – Madam Jiang used the bride's dowry to pave an official road for the eldest son, and Li Wuniang filed a complaint with the He clan.

Aunt Chen listened to Liu Ma's spittle flying as she spoke, but she was very puzzled: "Li Wu Niang should either go to the government office to file a complaint or go back to her parents' home to ask them to make a decision. Why did she file a complaint with the He clan? Doesn't the He clan leader favor Madam Jiang?"

Aunt Liu chuckled, “That’s right, this Third Madam is indeed quite young.”

Xiao Yuan shook her head inwardly, sent Liu Ma to the kitchen to drink, and said to Aunt Chen, "I think Li Wu Niang must have already taken care of things in the clan. Madam is going to suffer a great loss this time."

Aunt Chen then realized what was going on and exclaimed, "A daughter-in-law's dowry is no match for a son's fortune. If the clan doesn't show favoritism, Madam Jiang will lose this case even if it goes to court."

Xiao Yuan was hoping that Madam Jiang would suffer a loss, but she was worried about her third brother, so she asked Aunt Chen to go and check on him.

Aunt Chen advised her, "You can't write two 'He' characters in one stroke, and you haven't even taken it to the authorities, so why bother with them?"

Xiao Yuan thought about it and realized that this made sense. If they weren't concerned about saving face, Li Wuniang would have gone straight to the government office long ago.

She had just put her mind at ease when He Yaohong sent someone to deliver a message the next day: "If your third sister-in-law wants to do business with you, don't give me face."

Xiao Yuan was initially confused, but after a moment's thought, she realized: "So, Third Sister-in-law isn't worried about the dowry, but is using this opportunity to get a share of my shop?"

Sure enough, no sooner had He Yaohong's men left than Madam Jiang personally came to the door, sat down warmly next to Xiao Yuan, and said, "Fourth Sister, your third brother has just been granted an official position, but he has no duties. What use is he? Why not give him some shares, use the money to pull some strings, and everyone will benefit from him gaining real power?"

Who comes to ask for a favor without first paying their respects? Xiao Yuan replied without any politeness, "Madam, you've come to the wrong person. Those shops are all under my aunt's name."

Madam Jiang's composure was lacking, and her expression immediately changed: "To tell you the truth, I have already used your third sister-in-law's dowry to buy your eldest brother a new official position. If you don't give her some shares, she will take a lawsuit to the authorities. You are about to get married, and if your family causes such a mess, you will lose face in your husband's family. You should think carefully about what is more important."

Xiao Yuan sneered inwardly. Li Wuniang was still counting on the He family's influence; she would never dare to take this case to the authorities—it was just a publicity stunt. But this time, she had to find a way to shut them up, so they wouldn't keep eyeing her two shops.

Chapter Sixteen: Making You Suffer a Hidden Loss

Xiao Yuan told Aunt Chen about Li Wu Niang's desire for shares, saying, "Aunt, I've opened my shop too quickly, and it's already bothering some people. It would be better to close it down to avoid adding unnecessary trouble."

Aunt Chen was very reluctant to part with it. She looked at the account book again and again and said, "Do you really want each household to get a share? Didn't Madam Jiang say that only your third sister-in-law wanted it?"

Xiao Yuan laughed and said, "Auntie, money is just an external thing. Why should we divide the shares? Isn't it just for peace and quiet? If you ask me, we should just give all the shops to them."

Aunt Chen thought Xiao Yuan was telling the truth and was taken aback: "Fourth Aunt, if we give it all to them, how will we survive?"

Xiao Yuan covered her mouth and laughed: "It won't work if you say it now, Auntie, just watch the show."

Since both shops were registered under Aunt Chen's name, Xiao Yuan called the broker the next day and asked Aunt Chen to transfer the shops to the people in the mansion.

When the family heard the news, everyone except He Yaohong was overjoyed. He Yaoqi, as the eldest son, represented the whole family to collect the deed and take it back. The first thing they did was to discuss how to divide the shares. Each shop was divided into ten shares, with each of the three brothers receiving three shares. The remaining share was given to the three branches of the family to appease Li Wuniang.

The eldest son of the He family received Li Wu Niang's dowry of 100,000 yuan and had no objection to the way it was divided. However, the second son of the He family received nothing and was naturally unhappy. The family members argued noisily for three or four days. When they finally remembered to go to the street to collect the shop, they found that what Xiao Yuan had given them was indeed a "shop". Not only were there no managers, employees, or cooks, but even the copper box with the trademark printed on it was nowhere to be found.

Upon seeing this, the second brother was the first to speak out: "It's one thing that we've never done business before, but isn't your sister-in-law from a family of merchants? How could she make such a big mistake?"

Old He followed closely behind: "It's a good thing we gave her an extra share; we should have just given it to Mother instead."

Of the three brothers, only the eldest brother, He, was Madam Jiang's biological son. What difference would it make whether the shares were given to her or to the eldest brother? The second brother, fearing he would be taken advantage of again, immediately started arguing with his eldest brother.

He Yaohong had secretly sent someone to Xiaoyuan's house to return the shares. It was Xiaoyuan who had desperately persuaded him to keep the land. Now, seeing the empty shop, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. A smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

The eldest and second eldest brothers, seeing him laugh, asked in unison, "Third brother, you just passed the imperial examination. Do you have some good ideas?"

Li Wuniang had finally found a good husband. How could she allow anyone to humiliate her? She caught up from behind in a few steps and scoffed, "What a trivial matter. Why are you young masters so flustered? If we don't have a manager, can't we hire one ourselves? If we don't have a trademark, can't we just copy it ourselves?"

Despite being bullied, the eldest and second eldest brothers of the He family remained unperturbed. They stood with their hands in their sleeves, smiling broadly at He Yaohong.

Sure enough, He Yaohong stared intently at Li Wuniang's skirt, which was stained with a few specks of mud. His face flushed red as he roared, "You're walking down the street without even wearing a veil! Have you ever thought about my reputation?"

Without waiting for Li Wuniang to explain, he shoved her into the sedan chair and urged the sedan bearers to go home.

After being scolded by her beloved, Li Wuniang hid in her room and cried bitterly. When she came out again, she was still as capable as ever. She transferred several capable managers from her family home and assigned one to each shop. She also invited the most famous blacksmith in Lin'an to forge a batch of gold coins based on the trademark on Xiaoyuan's old packaging boxes.

When she reopened her shop full of ambition, a yamen runner came to her door on the very first day: "These trademarks are not allowed to be used by anyone other than the Chen family's shop."

Li Wuniang had helped manage the business back in her parents' home, so she naturally knew the ins and outs. She immediately and discreetly inquired about how much money the Chen family had bribed the government. However, she didn't know that Xiao Yuan's bribery of the government was secondary; the main thing was that the shop's monthly profits were sent to the homes of various officials. Therefore, the yamen runner was unwilling to disclose this information. Only after the bronze plaque at the shop's entrance was removed did he, for the sake of the money, mention, "The Chen family's shop has reopened; how can you still use these trademarks?"

Li Wuniang was first surprised, then furious. She was so focused on scheming against Xiaoyuan, but she never expected to be tricked by Xiaoyuan instead.

But what was worse was yet to come. She had been sitting in the shop for less than half a day when managers kept coming and going. The manager of the cake shop complained, "All the cooks who could make new cake styles have been taken away by the Chen family. Where are we going to find them again?" The manager of the cotton shop complained, "Without the recipe for medicinal cotton, who can't make a cotton swab themselves?"

Li Wuniang grew increasingly furious, disregarding the scolding from He Yaohong, and went straight to the Chen family to find Xiaoyuan and demand an explanation. Xiaoyuan, however, was very polite to her, personally showing her the contract: "Third sister-in-law, please look. These cooks and servants have all signed a binding contract with the Chen family. Seeing that my aunt is about to marry and establish her own household, how could I possibly do something like stealing from my own mother's family?"

Xiao Yuan kept mentioning the Chen family, making Li Wuniang hesitate to ask why her family had opened a new shop. Suddenly remembering the money she had sent to the clan, she immediately set off to find the clan head, urging him to make a decision for her.

The He family patriarch recalled the money Xiao Yuan had just brought that morning for repairing the ancestral hall. After weighing it in his mind, he sternly addressed Li Wu Niang: "That's the Chen family's shop, not Fourth Sister's. She kindly helped you, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you're also so greedy."

Li Wuniang was so angry that she almost fell over. She figured that even if she went home now, she would only be ridiculed by the He brothers again, so she got into the sedan chair and went straight to her parents' home.

When the bride didn't return that evening, the He family sent someone to check the shop, only to find it empty. It was a shop assistant from a neighboring shop who informed them of the details. Upon hearing the report, Madam Jiang angrily exclaimed, "The shop is staffed entirely by her family; after something like this, not a single person has come back to report!" She then ordered He Yaohong to go to Xiaoyuan's house to question him, but He Yaohong refused, making an excuse to inquire about official business and instead spending the night at a friend's house.

The next morning, Madam Jiang finally went to the Chen family, only to "coincidentally" run into the He clan head in the hall. The clan head, naturally, openly and subtly berated her. When she returned home, the entire clan knew that they had gotten several shops for free but were blaming the owners for not providing them with shop assistants. For the next few days, the He brothers were constantly being pointed at and gossiped about on the streets. They complained constantly when they got home, causing Madam Jiang to fall ill and be bedridden.

The shops Xiaoyuan gave away became empty shells, but her new shop was bustling with business. Aunt Chen carefully flipped through the account book, her face full of satisfaction: "It's still the same old manager and the same old employees, and the trademark is the same as before, only the location of the shop has been moved."

Xiao Yuan sighed, "I have to thank my third sister-in-law. If it weren't for her, I would never have thought that I would have to keep the clan leader happy on a daily basis."

As the two talked, they looked at each other and laughed. Ah Xiu saw this from outside the window and exclaimed, "Fourth Sister, you've got some good ideas! We've finally gotten our revenge!"

Aunt Chen scolded, "You're pregnant, you could have just sent someone to tell me if you needed anything, why did you come here yourself?"

Ah Xiu looked at Xiao Yuan with a smile and said, "It's not me who has something to do, it's clearly my young master Cheng who has something to do and is worried about our fourth mistress, so I had to come and make a trip to relieve his worries."

Xiao Yuan quickly pulled her down to sit, and said with a smile, "This girl has become quite eloquent now."

Ah Xiu didn't argue, only saying, "Our young master was afraid that Fourth Sister would be wronged, so he wanted to come and urge her to get ready early."

Xiao Yuan blushed immediately. Aunt Chen said anxiously, "Nonsense! The wedding can only begin three days before the wedding. How can such a rule be broken? Even if he means well, don't let my daughter be ridiculed."

Chapter Seventeen: Adulthood

Aunt Chen was so concerned that she lost her composure. It wasn't until all the maids in the room were smiling at her that she realized it was just Ah Xiu making up a story to tease Xiao Yuan. Cheng Mutian was a very disciplined person; how could he do such a thing? She put on a stern face, wanting to scold Ah Xiu, but she couldn't help but laugh too: "Tomorrow is Cold Food Festival, so let's stay here and celebrate."

Ah Xiu was worried about Cheng Fu and was in a hurry to go back to report Xiao Yuan's news to Cheng Mutian, so she was unwilling to stay. Aunt Chen had no choice but to let her go.

Because the kitchen must be kept closed for three days during the Cold Food Festival, all food must be prepared on the day before, "the day the food is cooked". Aunt Chen got up and went to the kitchen to watch the cooks make jujube cakes, which were shaped into swallows, strung on willow branches, and inserted all over the lintel.

Xiao Yuan and her maids stood under the door for a while and said, "I heard that dried Zitui swallows, if kept until next year, can also cure mouth ulcers."

The maids all asked why the jujube cake swallow was called the Zitui Swallow. Xiaoyuan then told them the story of Duke Wen of Jin setting fire to the mountain to force Jie Zitui out, but his good intentions backfired and burned Zitui to death. The maids all listened with sighs of pity, but one of the maids said, "I think Duke Wen of Jin is just like Lady Jiang. Maybe he wanted to harm Zitui, but he had to find a good excuse."

Xiao Yuan couldn't help but laugh: "I didn't expect you to have such a bit of Ah Xiu's charm."

Aunt Chen brought out some thick maltose for Xiao Yuan to taste, and asked, "Fourth Sister, tomorrow is your coming-of-age ceremony. Are you going to the mansion?"

Xiao Yuan shook her head and said, "The clan chief, remembering that I paid for the repair of the ancestral hall, had his wife personally put the hairpin in my hair."

Aunt Chen beamed with joy, "That's wonderful! There aren't many women in the clan who can have the clan chief's wife personally preside over their coming-of-age ceremony."

The next day, Madam Jiang specially sent someone to pick up Xiaoyuan and bring her back to the mansion for her coming-of-age ceremony, but she was surprised to find that Xiaoyuan was not there. She was very embarrassed in front of the relatives who came to watch the ceremony and said angrily, "I went to pick her up for her coming-of-age ceremony with good intentions, but she only cared about currying favor with the clan chief's wife."