??Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Talking about matchmaking (for skyblue08 )
Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Talking about matchmaking (for skyblue08 )
Chen Afu’s heart leapt with joy upon hearing this. She had long wanted to visit the capital city and sell so jewels from her special space.
The jewelry thief hadn’t struck again and things had quieted down considerably. She was thinking of selling a few pieces of jewelry that Jin Yanzi had originally stolen, in order to invest in so farmland and beco a small landholder.
Chen Afu looked at Chen Ming and asked, “What about you, Dad, if I leave?”
Chen Ming laughed and said, “My health has vastly improved. I can cook my own als. I only need Agui to fetch
a few buckets of water from ti to ti to water the vegetable garden.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Dabao also demanded to join the trip for fun.
Chen Ming laughed again and said, “Alright, Dabao can go too. However, you’ll have to work a bit these days and gather more firewood for the house.”
Dabao hugged Alu with joy.
Chen Afu suggested, “Why not postpone the trip to the county town until the day after tomorrow? Tomorrow, I can make more osmanthus glutinous rice dates and send so to Manager Luo’s ho. Then you can take so to Yang Chao and Yang Qian, the young master and mistress of Xile Restaurant. These sweet and fragrant little treats are sure to delight the children.”
She had long thought about how to maintain good relations with Manager Luo’s family and to establish a friendly relationship with the Yang family. Being vulnerable, she feared attracting undue attention after purchasing farmland and building a big house. Therefore, she needed to secure so allies.
After thinking for a while, she realized that both families had children, so she decided to win over the children’s hearts with these sweet treats.
It was sothing she loved in her previous life, she was unsure if they had it in this era. Regardless, she believed what she made would have its own unique taste, especially since she soaked the leftover agarwood in her water vat. Moreover, the ingredients for making these treats are affordable and easy-to-find, making the treats simple to prepare.
Mrs. Wang expressed astonishnt, “What sort of treats are these, and how do you know how to make them, Afu?”
Chen Afu said with a smile, “These are sothing I’ve been working on recently. I believe they will be delicious.”
Chen Ming was very confident in Chen Afu and chuckled, “If Afu says they’re tasty, then they must be tasty.”
While they were talking, they suddenly heard a loud female voice from outside, “Chen brothers and sisters, are you ho?”
Everyone glanced out of the window to see a middle-aged woman dressed in red and green standing outside the wicker gate. Despite the distance, it was clear to see her heavily made-up face as if freshly erged from a powder box and her bright red lips.
Alu exclaid, “It’s Mrs. Li.” After speaking, he glanced at Chen Afu.
Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang still hoped that Chen Afu could marry well, securing a good future for herself. When they saw the matchmaker, they gladly got up to greet her, pushing Chen Afu and the children, Dabao and Alu, towards the New Courtyard. Alu, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, hobbled towards his west room with the help of his crutch.
Chen Afu was unwilling to stay in such a situation. She quietly said, “Dad, Mom, please don’t hastily agree to anything on my behalf. Please consult
before making any decisions.” Afterwards, she led Dabao back to the New Courtyard.
Mrs. Wang enthusiastically ran to open the door and welcod her in, saying, “Mrs. Li, this is your first ti visiting our ho. Please co in.”
Chen Ming stood under the eaves and spoke in an unusually loud voice, “Oh, Mrs. Li, please co in, co in.”
Mrs. Li took out a red handkerchief from her bosom and flicked it open. With a loud laugh, she said, “Brother and sister of the Chen family, congratulations! A family has asked
to broker a marriage for Afu. If they match, oh dear, it would be a brilliant combination of talent and beauty.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang were even happier. They ushered Mrs. Li into the east room, offered her a seat on the bed, poured her tea, and served her sugar and peanuts as snacks.
However, the mont Mrs. Li ntioned the suitor’s na, Chen Ming’s and Mrs. Wang’s faces fell. The previous excitent drained from their faces, replaced by a sour expression.
After less than a quarter of an hour, everyone left the room, all with grim expressions on their faces.
Standing in the courtyard, Mrs. Li continued her speech, “Brothers and sisters of the Chen family, to find a good son-in-law, one must consider the conditions of their own daughter, right? The taphor of ‘gongs and cymbals match, gourd and squash pair well’ is about finding soone well-suited, and nobody sees this better than us matchmakers. Your Afu, even though she has beco pretty, and her illness is cured, was once regarded as a fool. The villagers all saw how foolish and ugly she was back then. Now she’s established a female household and is shouldering a burden. What capable and well-off young man would want her? Even if they did, who would be willing to marry into her family? Wang Yingjun isn’t so bad, he’s just twenty-five years old, pale, diligent, intelligent, thrifty, and even owns two acres of land. He’s a fine young man. He said he’s willing to bring his two acres of land into Afu’s house and will treat Afu and Dabao well. Afu and Wang Yingjun are truly suitable for each other. They complent each other perfectly. If they marry, they will certainly lead a prosperous life.”
Alu, who had been in the west room, couldn’t hold back anymore. He stuck his head out of the window and shouted sharply, “Mrs. Li, go away. Even if my sister stays unwed forever, she would not consider him. That Wang Yingjun is so repulsive, stingy, and his face is so dirty that one can hardly discern his features. Only you would describe him as fair. Humph, it’s really a case of a toad wishing to eat swan at!”
Furious, Mrs. Li retorted, “Wang Yingjun isn’t clean, but that’s because he hasn’t had a mother to take care of him since childhood. Once he gets married, his wife will spruce him up and he will be handso then.”
Chen Ming held Alu back and said, “Alu, as a child, you should not be speaking nonsense about people. Never disrespect others in such a manner.” He then apologized to Mrs. Li, “The child misspoke, Mrs. Li, please don’t mind him. We know that Yingjun is a good boy, diligent, smart, and despite his parents’ death at a young age, he managed to buy his own land. However, Afu is not in a hurry to find a man at the mont. We’ll discuss it later.”
Mrs. Wang also chipped in, “Thank you, Mrs. Li. This indeed cannot happen. We will seek your help when it’s the right ti.”
Hoping to receive a red packet for her matchmaking efforts, but failing to, Mrs. Li left disgruntled.
The conversation from the old courtyard had drifted to Chen Afu in the New Courtyard.
Chen Afu, sitting by the window of the west room, was a bit puzzled. She had no idea who had managed to anger the usually polite Alu enough to compel him to say such harsh words. She asked Dabao, “Who is Wang Yingjun?”
Chen Dabao’s face flushed red with anger as he pouted, “Wang Yingjun is only a little taller than Uncle. He limps and is incredibly dirty. I can sll his sour stench from far away, making him even more annoying than Liu Erniu. The won in the village go out of their way to avoid him, fearful of being contaminated by his sll. I heard that he had nothing to eat when he was a child and still cannot afford to eat properly now. That’s why he didn’t grow tall… Even if he is proud of being short because it saves him cloth when making clothes…”
Blah, blah, blah… He detailed more instances of Wang Yingjun’s extre frugality, constant money-hoarding, and his tightfistedness that prevents him from spending. He doesn’t consu at or eggs in a year. His clothes have been darned year after year, and he is reluctant to wash them, claiming that frequent washing would wear the fabric out…
Chen Afu now recognized him, he was often loitering around her garden. Barely taller than five feet, extraordinarily dirty, with a particularly unpleasant sll. Whenever he ca to talk to Chen Afu, she had to hold her breath.
So, his na is Wang Yingjun.
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