"No, Big Sister Dani, don’t be like this. I’ll talk for you, but it’s still better for you to explain things to Aunt Wu yourself," Mo Yan said, sensing sothing amiss in Dani’s agitated state, yet unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong. She could only agree for the ti being and try to soothe her emotions.
Dani also seed to realize that her reaction had been over the top. She struggled to calm down, pulling a bitter smile onto her face: "Lately, matchmakers have been coming to our house often. Sotis, when my mother isn’t ho, they pull aside to talk. This just isn’t suitable, and hearing it so often has been terribly annoying. I’ve told my mother several tis, but she thinks I’m just shy and still lets those matchmakers co to speak for . I’ve run out of options, so I had to co to you for help, Yan girl. Please talk to my mother and ask her to send those matchmakers away. I promise, when I’m ready to marry, I’ll listen to her wishes. Whover she wants to marry, I will marry!"
By the end, Dani’s eyes had reddened, and she was holding back tears with great effort.
Seeing this, an idea suddenly flashed in Mo Yan’s mind, making her heart skip a beat as a bold conjecture bubbled up: could it be that Big Sister Dani has soone she loves?
Logically, when a girl reached marriageable age, like most won, Big Sister Dani would comply with her parents’ wishes, marry timidly, and have children. Yet, given her normally docile nature, her resistance to the matchmaking seed so out of character - unless she had soone she loved and didn’t want to marry any other man. Mo Yan could think of no other reason.
While the concept of dating freely wasn’t recognized here, if an unmarried man and woman took a liking to each other in private, they usually inford their parents. If neither set of parents had any objections, the man’s family would then send matchmakers to formally propose an engagent, in keeping with the notion of a marriage arranged by the parents and the matchmaker.
If Big Sister Dani did have soone she loved but didn’t tell Aunt Wu the truth, then either the two families had a feud or their social statuses were mismatched, and speaking up would lead to no result. Mo Yan was well aware of the Wu family’s simple social relationships, and she knew there was no enmity with others. That left the issue of mismatched social statuses.
Putting together all of Dani’s unusual behavior today, the more Mo Yan thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. She wanted to ask for confirmation, but she knew Dani too well; beneath her docile surface was a stubborn streak. Since she hadn’t co out with it from the start, even if asked, Dani wouldn’t admit to it.
With this in mind, Mo Yan silently took note of the issue, planning to wait until Aunt Wu was back from setting up her market stall in the afternoon to inquire about any possible clues. She had no desire to pry into others’ secrets but didn’t want Dani to fall into the hands of soone with ill intentions and be deceived.
Dani, seeing Mo Yan look at her thoughtfully and remain silent for a long ti, grew a bit flustered, clearly worried that Mo Yan might perceive sothing.
Just when she was about to tentatively broach the subject, Mo Yan suddenly said, "Big Sister Dani, rest assured, when Aunt Wu returns this afternoon, I will have a good talk with her. She loves you so much, she would never want to force you. However, Big Sister Dani, you should also know that whatever type of husband you choose, whoever you marry, Aunt Wu’s greatest hope is your happiness. I hope Big Sister Dani can make up her mind soon."
Listening to Mo Yan’s heartfelt words, Dani’s eyes welled up again. She loathed making her mother worry for her, but she truly couldn’t bring herself to accept anyone else before forgetting that man and would have to fail to live up to her mother’s expectations.
...
In the afternoon, not long after Aunt Wu had returned ho, the matchmakers visited again. Wu’s was very impressed with the prospective groom’s family ntioned by the matchmakers, and once they’d left, she took Dani to a room to seek her opinion.
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