"Why didn’t you invite monks to chant scriptures for the deceased?"

Mr. Gu walked in, glanced around the room, and started expressing his dissatisfaction.

Jingzhe said, "Grandfather, monks are only invited on the fifth anniversary of death."

This is a custom in Yan Guan Town, and Mr. Gu surely knew it. He was just making things difficult on purpose.

"Grandfather, you’ve lived in the south for a long time and probably wanted to follow the southern customs. It was my fault for not communicating with you in advance."

Seeing Mr. Gu’s displeasure, Jingzhe took the blame onto himself, giving his grandfather a way out.

"Grandfather, it’s time now for us to go to the ancestral hall for incense offering," Jingzhe said.

Mr. Gu didn’t make things difficult for Jingzhe and stood up.

When Mr. Gu stood up, the other male family members followed suit.

"This child should not go; he has no legitimacy," Mr. Gu said, pointing at Xiao Long.

Xiao Long showed no expression; he hadn’t planned to go anyway.

According to the customs of Yan Guan Town, only the male family members could enter the ancestral hall to offer incense on the anniversary, while women were not allowed.

In the past, Tong Huaqiong would have cursed loudly, but now she was glad about this.

After the men left, only the women remained in the room.

"Sister-in-law, your bracelet is so beautiful," Gu Honglian said, tugging at Tong Huaqiong’s hand.

Tong Huaqiong calmly withdrew her hand and said, "Dashi brought this back for me from the provincial capital to show his filial respect."

Gu Honglian pouted.

She deliberately said this in front of many aunts of the family, thinking that her sister-in-law would be embarrassed not to give her the bracelet in front of everyone.

Mrs. Gu glanced at Tong Huaqiong, but she remained unmoved.

Gu Honglian couldn’t hold it in any longer and said, "Sister-in-law, can you lend me the bracelet to wear?"

In a reasonable tone, Tong Huaqiong replied, "Your nephew gave this to me as a sign of his respect. If I give it to you, it would be a disservice to his filial piety."

Everyone was secretly amazed, knowing how Tong Huaqiong had always adhered to the principle of being like a mother to Gu Honglian.

Now she was acting coldly towards Gu Honglian, unlike her usual self.

Gu Honglian felt wronged by the public rejection, her eyes welling up with tears.

Mrs. Gu, feeling bad, gave Tong Huaqiong a stern look and said, "You two have always gotten along well. Even though you’re Honglian’s sister-in-law, she treats you like a mother. Now that your life is better, shouldn’t you be taking care of her?"

Tong Huaqiong fiddled with the bracelet and said, "When Honglian gets married, I will give her a dowry."

Mrs. Gu was furious, feeling exasperated about the wedding, which was nowhere in sight, and her Honglian currently wanted nothing more than the bracelet.

Seeing Gu Honglian about to cry, her eyes full of tears as she looked at Tong Huaqiong.

Mrs. Zhao, the in-law, stepped in to mediate, saying, "Honglian is getting more and more graceful. Have you arranged a marriage for her yet?"

Tong Huaqiong’s mouth twitched, not that she wanted to criticize appearances, but Gu Honglian didn’t seem graceful at all.

Sure enough, upon hearing the word ’marriage,’ Gu Honglian shyly lowered her head.

To her granddaughter-in-law’s mother, Mrs. Gu put on a pleasant face and said, "There had been quite a few suitors before; some were scholars, some ran shops, and some had dozens of acres of good land. All were good matches. But I didn’t agree because I knew we’d be coming back and didn’t want Honglian to be alone in the south."

Mrs. Gu expressed this without a hint of embarrassment, knowing no one in the village was aware that Gu Honglian’s engagement was broken off the previous year.

Mrs. Zhao expressed admiration, saying that given Gu Honglian’s character and appearance, she was sure to find a good match.

And so the issue of the bracelet was smoothly resolved.

It was then that Tong Pandi came in with a teapot and began pouring tea for everyone.

In the past, people in Qinghe Bay were either curious or looked down upon Tong Pandi for living in Tong Huaqiong’s house after her separation, but after interacting with her for a few months and seeing how capable she was and how she warmly addressed the elder women, their attitudes began to change.

Now most people in Qinghe Bay had accepted her.

Tong Pandi’s entrance caught the attention of Mrs. Gu and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wei.

After all, it was the first time they had the chance to closely observe Tong Pandi, the first woman in Yan Guan Town to have separated from her husband.

"Are you Pandi?" Mrs. Gu asked, taking the tea.

Tong Pandi nodded and said, "The last time we met, I was just a child."

Mrs. Gu looked Tong Pandi up and down, a sarcastic smile on her lips, and said, "I still remember when you got married. Your aunt saw you off. How come you’re not at your in-laws’ but staying with the Gu Family?"

Tong Pandi replied calmly, "I’m separated. Thanks to my aunt’s kindness, I have a place to stay."

Mrs. Gu was very dissatisfied with Tong Pandi’s attitude, thinking that she was quite arrogant for a woman who separated from her husband.

In Mrs. Gu’s mind, separation was against the virtues of women, deserving of punishment.

So she disdainfully said, "In all my years, I’ve only heard of women being divorced, not of women voluntarily separating."

Tong Huaqiong interjected, saying, "That’s because you’ve seen too little. Since the court laws allow for separation, Pandi’s decision is not wrong."

Mrs. Gu raised her voice, "Ever since you married into the Gu Family, you’ve been full of nonsensical arguments. Let’s be honest, your niece separating and living with the Gu Family affects the reputation of the Gu Family’s girls. Taohua, your sister-in-law, Xiao Xue, and other unmarried girls in the clan will all be affected."

Tong Huaqiong replied, "Mrs. Gu, Taohua and Xiao Xue haven’t even been promised in marriage yet, so where is the basis for this influence? You used to say that the quality of a girl’s marriage depends on the status of her family, and when you asked me for money for my second brother’s business, you always said it was tied to the family’s fortune. Now that the business has failed and he has no money, you seem to want high-status families to marry into but they won’t agree, and you dare not blame my second brother, so you’re pinning the blame on Pandi?"

"Madam, you’re aware of Miss Huang from Mr. Huang’s family in our town? She broke off her engagement with the Lian Family last year and soon after got a proposal from the Imperial Merchant Lu Family in the provincial capital and is now married. How is it that a broken engagement didn’t stop her from securing a good match? Besides her own talents and beauty, it’s because her family is strong. If Uncle was like Mr. Huang with such a substantial grain business, wouldn’t you worry less about Honglian’s marriage being affected by Pandi?"

Tong Huaqiong’s speech astonished the entire room.

The sisters-in-law in the clan knew that Tong Huaqiong had always dared to speak out against her mother-in-law, but they didn’t expect her to be so formidable, even involving the second household.

However, upon reflection, they realized what Tong Huaqiong said made sense.

In the end, apart from a girl’s character and beauty, a good marriage depends on having a strong family.

Not to mention, with Tong Huaqiong’s title as Sui Feng Village Lady, several girls from the Gu family have secured excellent marriages they wouldn’t have dared to dream of before, all knowing it was because of her title’s influence.

Mrs. Gu’s claim that Tong Pandi was affecting the Gu Family girls’ prospects seemed far-fetched.

Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Jia, the daughter-in-law of the second household, were visibly agitated, their faces turning red and purple.

Everyone in the clan knew about the second household’s business failure, but no one had ever dared mention it publicly.

Now that Tong Huaqiong had exposed the issue publicly, naturally, Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Jia were displeased.

Especially Mrs. Jia, since Gu Youtian made money through business, her status in the clan rose significantly. In the past, she always sat at the head of the women’s table during important events in the clan.

Today, she had come with the aura of a successful wife, feeling superior to the present sisters-in-law.

But now the whole clan knew her family was bankrupt, which greatly embarrassed her.

Mrs. Jia just wanted to regain her dignity.