Although she understood, she was still somewhat reluctant: "The few maids around me are quite agreeable, and the ones I can trust to some extent are only Gu Yu and Li Xia. Not to mention Gu Yu, she’s still young; as for Li Xia, although she’s a bit older, she’s still a pure girl. I was planning to find someone suitable for her age to marry."

"But Master Jian is indeed a bit older, and, if I may say, who is Master Jian really? Even if Gu Yu and Li Xia had a hundred tricks up their sleeves, they couldn’t outmatch Master Jian! Moreover, your son-in-law trusts Master Jian, so there’s no need to use marriage as a means, right?"

Old Granny Zhang sighed, "You silly girl, it’s no wonder you don’t understand! With us watching your son-in-law, and him being a good person, there’s none of those frivolous matters, so you haven’t experienced it."

"I didn’t know these twists and turns myself before, but after staying at your uncle’s house for some time, I understood. Even in big families, or outside in the Yamen, such things are common. Take the people under your uncle’s wife’s command, for instance. Apart from a few familiar stewards she’s used since childhood, why burden herself with remembering every servant’s name?"

"What should the underlings do if they want to advance? Come forth and profess their loyalty and capability to your uncle’s wife, ensuring her they’re trustworthy? Would she just believe them after their words? For someone like her, there are plenty of people to use, and loyalty is the utmost priority!"

"How to ensure these underlings are on the same page as you? How to trust them? Except for special cases, most are recommended by trusted insiders! Thus, there’s an unwritten rule in these big families: whether the master takes a fancy to a servant’s talents and wants to use them, or an ambitious one wants to show themselves to the master, if one’s interested in marrying a maid close to the master, and one’s willing to grant one of their trusted ones down, this relationship naturally aligns them."

"You must understand, the maid close by, her contract is in the master’s hands—whether to let her live or die. Even if she marries, as long as her slave status isn’t abolished, her entire family will remain slaves for generations. But if she’s loyal and capable, catches the master’s eye, even as a slave, her days are much better than ordinary servants. With a bit of luck, the master might cancel her slave status, and she might live as a commoner, able to do business or study and become an official."

"Therefore, these maids who have served the master, especially the close ones, are quite desirable in the eyes of the underlings! You don’t usually pay attention to these things, so you don’t know. But the maids around you, not just the guards keeping a watchful eye on them, even the small officials in the Yamen might have thoughts in mind."

"As for Gu Yu, she’s rather unsophisticated. Also, we didn’t buy her as a death bond; in our hometown, apart from her biological parents, she has a sister. She might want to return home and marry an average family. It won’t be a life of great wealth and rank, but there will be no lack of food and clothes."

"But for Li Xia, the contract is now in your hand. I don’t think she is willing to marry some roughneck guard; you better ask her thoughts!"

"Now that we’ve brought it up, let me remind you, those maids around you, once they reach a certain age, should be married off. Keeping them too long might turn them into enemies!"

Old Granny Zhang’s words were straightforward, and Wang Yongzhu naturally understood.

She only asked, "Has Li Xia been interested in this for a while? Is that why Master Jian brought it up? Or is there some outside gossip?"

Old Granny Zhang knew her daughter was smart, and she spoke cautiously earlier, afraid Wang Yongzhu would catch on.

Unexpectedly, despite her many precautions, her daughter still noticed something.

She begrudgingly said, "Why listen to those outside rumors? If we listened to every cricket chirp, we’d never farm—let’s just live our own lives—"

The voice trailed off under Wang Yongzhu’s gaze, then she conceded, "Isn’t it just because those gossipy people see that you and your husband have been married for years without children? Plus, the two maids by your side are still unmarried at seventeen or eighteen."

"Those with dirty minds are spouting nonsense, saying you, my daughter, can’t have children, so you keep two blooming maids around to bear children for you!"

Wang Yongzhu was at a loss for words. She had been feeling odd stares when attending gatherings for a while now.

Even those friendly Madams hesitated to speak.

She assumed it was because of the trade route opening and didn’t inquire further.

Upon deeper reflection, she couldn’t help but shake her head with a bitter smile: "In that case, perhaps Master Jian also heard the rumors; he’s using himself to defuse the situation? That must be hard on him!"

Old Granny Zhang hurriedly said, "If this really happens, he’d benefit! Getting a wife for free, and it’s tough on him? Don’t be fooled by that cunning old fellow! Regardless, he won’t suffer! It’s my daughter who’s been wronged! To think it’s your father’s fault, dying neither early nor late, causing you to mourn and delay—"

Her tears began to fall.

The daughter and son-in-law shared such a sweet affection, as sweet as honey, perfect in every way, except the daughter had no children, which became her heartache.

A few years ago, others didn’t know, but she did. They hadn’t consummated yet, which would be a problem only if there were children!

But now, they have been intimate for years, and looking at her daughter, she still doesn’t seem concerned.

The reason she advised her daughter before was because of the distasteful rumors she heard outside. However, her daughter had her own opinions; it seemed she had discussed it with her husband, and naturally, she was happy not to fret over it.

But ultimately, her daughter being talked about like this was unsettling for a mother, and she detested those gossipers who only dared whisper behind backs; if confronted, she’d surely scold them severely to show them the error of their ways.

Now all she could do was grit her teeth and say, "Daughter, listen to your mother’s advice. While we’re still in Chicheng County, what others say doesn’t matter; we live behind closed doors, happy in our life."

"But I must remind you, in these times, the world is unfair to women. Being married for several years without children, the outside world is quick to blame women. There’s always a bunch of gossips ruining reputations."

"Luckily, your mother-in-law wasn’t your birth mother-in-law and was imprisoned after causing trouble, saving us a lot of hassle. Otherwise, if she sent a few maids, even if nothing happened, it’d be disgusting enough!"

"So daughter, you and Chongjin, even if you want a few more years of freedom, hurry up; no matter what, before returning to the Capital City, you must conceive! Only then can you silence them, right? Otherwise, returning to the Capital City, there’ll be no peace at all!"

These were heartfelt words from a mother’s heart.

For Old Granny Zhang, her daughter’s well-being was her well-being. Her heart was entirely for her daughter, wanting both her happiness and carefree living, yet fearing her daughter would ruin her reputation and find it hard to walk her future path, deeply worrying her.