Female-dominated society: My husband is clingy and I can't shake him off

"Oh? You know Sister Mo'er?"

Li Mo'er shook her head. She wasn't sure, but the plaque was in traditional Chinese characters, and the flamboyant writing made the already difficult characters even harder to recognize.

Hearing Li Mo'er's words, Shen Ziche was thrilled. He knew that this woman had an extraordinary temperament, and perhaps she really knew the question her father had left for them to find a wife.

The poems in Feihua Pavilion were all left by their father. Therefore, in order to commemorate their father, their mother had them open Feihua Pavilion with these poems and used the poem on the plaque at the entrance as a question for finding their wife.

If any woman can answer the next line, she is their wife, but they have never revealed which line is the "search for a wife" question.

Shen Ziche calmed his excitement and asked, "Does this lady know the next line?"

Hearing the voice from beside her, Li Mo'er was slightly taken aback. Wife? Could this be the original owner's romantic entanglements?

She looked Shen Ziche up and down. Although the man in front of her had his face covered, just by looking at his phoenix eyes, she knew that he must be a man of exceptional appearance.

She smiled gently at Shen Ziche, "If it really is this line, then the next line should be 'My heart is pleased with you, but you do not know it.'"

Sure enough, she knew it. Shen Ziche's mind went completely blank.

Seeing Shen Ziche deep in thought, Li Mo'er immediately grabbed Li Lin's hand tightly and whispered, "Who is he? Why does he call me 'wife'? Could he also be my husband?"

Li Lin shook his head. "Sister Mo'er, 'wife' doesn't mean 'wife'. Well, any woman can be called 'wife'."

Huh? Isn't she Madam? She just called that woman Madam. Luckily no one noticed, or it would have been so embarrassing.

Li Mo'er turned to leave, after all, she still had to earn money to support her family, but Shen Ziche stopped her.

"Madam, since you are so talented, why don't you go in and give it a try?"

Li Mo'er smiled shyly, "I don't know these words, and I only learned them from what I heard, so they can't really be considered my own abilities."

Because of this sentence, Shen Ziche looked at Li Mo'er with even greater respect. He had never expected that this woman's character was so noble.

"It's fine if I heard it from someone else; it's all based on my own abilities. If you'd like, my lady, I can recite the poem to you."

Li Lin's eyes lit up instantly; she seemed to see piles of silver flying towards them.

"Sister Mo'er, why don't you give it a try? You've got nothing else to do anyway."

Li Mo'er had no choice but to go. After all, she didn't have any other work, so she just went to have some fun and maybe even meet someone from her hometown.

Wait a minute! Fellow townsman? The person who wrote this poem must be from her hometown, right?

"Young master, may I ask who came up with these lines of poetry?"

Li Mo'er asked excitedly, thinking that she would soon see her fellow townsman.

"This was left behind by the father of the young master of the Shen family."

As he spoke, a trace of sadness flashed across Shen Ziche's eyes.

Li Mo'er sighed. It seemed that they were not meant to be. She thought that she would be able to go back soon after seeing her fellow townsman.

Under Er Gouzi's pleading gaze, Li Mo'er followed Shen Ziche into Feihua Pavilion.

Stepping into Feihua Pavilion, a strong scent of ink wafts over you. The walls are covered with poems, and some people are deep in thought while others are writing furiously at the table next to the wall.

Li Mo'er wondered, hadn't she come up with a single reply all these years?

Just as she was thinking this, she asked it aloud.

Shen Ziche knew what she was wondering about, so he answered her.

"Young Master Shen asked all the scholars and writers to write their answers on paper and then go to the small window over there to check them." Shen Ziche pointed to the window of the small room next to him.

"If the poem is well-matched and the meaning is consistent, you can receive the corresponding prize money."

Li Mo'er looked at the long line at the door, each person holding at least three or five pieces of paper.

How would the people inside know if it's written correctly or not?

Li Mo'er thought, if the people inside know the correct answer, why not just use it to recite poems and get paid?

"The person inside is none other than the young master of the Shen family."

Shen Ziche looked through the window as if he were looking at Shen Zicen, who was busy reviewing the poems.

Li Mo'er turned to look at Shen Ziche, "Hmm? How does Young Master know so much?"

Shen Ziche was startled, but then calmly pointed to the sign next to him.

It says:

Today is the double reward day for Feihua Pavilion. Everyone is welcome to come and compose poems. Talented people are welcome to submit their poems to the review window. Once they are in rhyme, you can receive a reward.

Li Mo'er glanced at the sign; the characters were so elegant that she couldn't decipher what they said, so she could only continue looking at the review window.

Although there were many people in line, the review process was quite fast. After handing the poem to the servant at the small window on the left, the customer would go to the window on the right to wait for the money. In less than half a minute, someone would hand him the prize money.

Li Mo'er guessed that the young master of the Shen family was probably reviewing the documents in his room.

"Madam, would you like to give it a try?"

Li Mo'er looked at the crowd who were writing furiously, and then at her own hands, which had never held a calligraphy brush before.

"I can write for you, my lady."

Seemingly noticing Li Mo'er's hesitation, Shen Ziche spoke up.

"Sister Mo'er, let's give it a try. We just need to open our mouths, and someone will write it for us."

Er Gouzi's thinking was simple: all she had to do was open her mouth, and the money would come from all directions. If she had known, she would have brought Mo'er to try it sooner.

Looking at Er Gouzi's expectant gaze and considering her current situation, Li Mo'er realized that this was indeed the best option for her.

But when she thought about the poems that included the theme of finding a wife, she felt a little guilty. She was afraid that if she didn't know the answer and gave the wrong one, it would delay someone's marriage.

Li Mo'er waved to Shen Ziche, signaling him to bend down.

Although the men here are generally not tall, Shen Ziche is at least 1.8 meters tall, half a head taller than Li Mo'er.

Li Mo'er asked softly, "Does the young master know which one is the 'finding a wife' question?"

Shen Ziche looked at Li Mo'er's cautious appearance and slightly curled the corners of his mouth. If it were someone else, they might be genuinely afraid of being cursed as a wife-killer, but he knew that the clear look in the woman's eyes was definitely not for that reason.

"I don't know."

Shen Ziche looked towards the door; she had already answered the question on the plaque asking for a wife.

Li Mo'er was about to leave, as the risk was too great, when she saw Er Gouzi practically drooling over the poems.

People who don't know her would think she's very studious.

"Sister Mo'er, Sister Mo'er, that's worth a hundred taels."

Er Gouzi pulled Li Mo'er's sleeve and headed towards the most expensive line of poetry.

"Ergouzi, didn't you say you couldn't read?"

Li Mo'er looked at Er Gouzi suspiciously. "Sister Mo'er, I may not know how to read, but I definitely know how much money it costs."

Shen Ziche looked at Li Mo'er, who had a helpless expression, with doting eyes. He didn't seem to mind at all if she became his wife.

She neither had the imperious manner of an ordinary woman, nor did she feel that the rumor brought bad luck to him and his brother.

"This line is, 'There will be times when the wind will break the waves,' my lady, do you know the next line?"