Lady Li's voice was loud, and Lady Zheng from next door heard the commotion. She went to the base of the wall and, stepping on stumps, climbed up, saying, "Niece, isn't your family doing any business? Tell your aunt all about it."
Zhulan watched the person-high wall with numb emptiness, contemplating that once Zhou Shuren went down south to Jiangnan, she would have her eldest and second brother raise the wall higher, to keep Lady Zheng from peering into her household's affairs every day for no reason. Thinking about it upset her.
When the conversation concerned herself, Lady Li's mouth tightened, "Aunt, you heard wrong. I was talking about Third Girl going into business."
Lady Zheng, drawn by the mention of Third Girl, had sustained the village's number one gossip fever, "Oh! If Third Girl's doing business, she should give your aunt's family a leg up. We don't run a business; remember your aunt when you're hiring."
