It's been a while since the war, but the magistrate is back. He thanks everyone for their kind words. He's about to be promoted to lieutenant, which means he's going to get to marry his sister-in-law. The magistrate asks if everyone knows about this, and the young man says that everyone does. He says that he doesn't care about women, and that he'll make his sister angry if she tries to talk nonsense about it. The lieutenant is here to propose marriage to the young woman. The young man tells his sister that the lieutenant is a good man, and she praises him. The elder sister says that she sympathizes with her sister's plight. She's trying to get her to marry the magistrate, but she can't because she's too old. The younger sister tells the younger man that her elder brother is an idiot, and he should be ashamed of himself for being so stupid. She says that the younger sister has been trying to find a way to get the two of them to get married, but they haven't been able to do it. She tells him that she has something to tell him: the skin merchants are going to pass by Jiming County in April, and they're not going to be able to get their hands on her anymore, so she'll have to turn him down.