Shen ng looked at the doorway, signaling Zhu Juying to hide all the good stuff, otherwise, it wouldn’t last till morning; all would be plundered, and it was no use making a fuss about it.
"Thank you so much, Xiao ng, you’ve given our family so much. We really feel uncomfortable for taking so much from you."
"Aunt, you shouldn’t say that. When I was sick those days, the kids were lucky to have you and Xiangxiang taking care of them. And Uncle Guai too, when Zhenping wasn’t ho, whenever there was sothing happening at ho, you all thought to give a hand. I’m grateful for that. These things were just given to this noonti by soone else, too much for us to eat up. Xiangxiang is sick, and canned food is the best for her to eat right now."
Having just quarreled with Huang Maochun, Zhu Juying was feeling quite stifled, but she felt much relieved now. Such a good girl, their family was not lucky enough to have one, and she genuinely envied Liu Sanjin.
"By the way, Aunt, I just heard from Mao Chun that you were arguing. What were you arguing about?"
"It’s about Xiangxiang’s wedding. You knew that Uncle Guai and I had arranged a match for Xiangxiang. Both families were satisfied. The lad is decent, and his parents are honest people. Their family doesn’t have much, but they get along very well. Whenever his sisters-in-law visited, they always brought little gifts for Xiangxiang. The dowry they offered was not insignificant either. Such a good marriage, but it was spoiled by Xingchang’s wife, disrupting it completely. Now, the other family just wanted a diligent and steady girl to marry into their family. With such a troubleso sister-in-law from the bride’s family, how could they have any peace in the future? So, they called off the marriage, alas!"
Even though it had been a while since the incident, Zhu Juying still felt heartache and regret over this marriage. It was such a rare, good match, but Huang Maochun ssed it up. This woman must be the retribution for the Lu Family.
"Speaking of which, the marriage was canceled not long ago, it should be kept quiet. Yet, Xingchang’s wife kept blabbering about it everywhere. The old won at the village entrance gossiped about Xiangxiang every day. She is a good kid, they were worried we would find it tough, so she didn’t say anything. She just kept her head down and went to work. Today, Xingchang’s wife has ntioned she found a match for Xiangxiang, her cousin’s son, I’ve seen the guy once, so ugly it would break your heart to look at him, and he’s so short too—practically kickable like a ball if you’re not careful. Lord, how could such a person marry our Xiangxiang!"
Lu Xiangxiang was so upset, her eyes brimming with tears upon hearing Zhu Juying’s words, who herself sniffled a bit.
But her way of speaking was really amusing. Shen ng almost laughed inappropriately, then suddenly her eyes lit up as she thought of sothing and looked at Zhu Juying.
"Aunt, speaking of matchmaking, I do have a candidate in mind. He’s a year younger than Xiangxiang, but he’s good-looking and tall. His family’s just built a brick-tile house, his sisters-in-law are easy to get along with, and his parents are generous. I can assure you that his eldest sister-in-law is not a troubleso person."
The mother and daughter both stared at Shen ng with wide eyes. They were just talking, but how did it co to discussing matchmaking? Nonetheless, when it cos to credibility, Shen ng seed more reliable than Huang Maochun.
Zhu Juying rubbed her hands, glanced at Lu Xiangxiang and said, "Which village is he from, how many people in his family, how old are his parents? Tell all about it, Xiao ng."
"Sure, but Aunt, look how uncomfortable Xiangxiang is, let her have more water and open that can for her. Let her eat so of it; it might make her feel better."
"Yes, yes, yes, I’ll open it right now."
Zhu Juying took out a can of tangerines from a cupboard on the kang and turned around to go to the kitchen to get a knife. She stopped at the door; she couldn’t let herself take a kitchen knife, otherwise, if Huang Maochun found out, Xiangxiang might not even have a chance to eat it.
Shen ng took it in her hands, gave it a few pats, and then gave the lid a strong twist. With a "pop," it opened.
"Xiangxiang, you drink so canned soup first, it might make you feel better. Don’t cover yourself with so many blankets. Auntie will go get a basin and a towel for you, and bring over so chopsticks on the way."
Zhu Juying’s mind was quick, and she imdiately understood. In no ti, she brought over a basin of water, wiped Lu Xiangxiang’s face and neck for her, and Lu Xiangxiang leaned against the kang cabinet, eating a few segnts of tangerine with chopsticks.
"Xiao ng, hurry up and tell us, which family is it?"
"Shenji, my maternal ho’s brother, Shen Xiaobin. My parents are honest folks, and both sisters-in-law are easy to get along with. Aunt doesn’t an to complain, but a while ago, my mother suggested a match for him, which they were all satisfied with. However, when the girl’s family learned about Zhenping being in the military, they pestered him to arrange jobs and to help get the girl’s brother into the military. They had a lot of demands. My brother saw it wasn’t going to work out and told the matchmaker he wasn’t interested."
As soon as Zhu Juying heard Shen ng’s first sentence, she was extrely pleased. Shen ng was a good child, courteous and understanding, kind, and asured. Surely her brother at ho wouldn’t be bad either. But then she heard he had just turned down a marriage proposition, one with a troubleso family at that, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Xiao ng, putting aside your brother’s case, just looking at you standing here, I can tell your brother won’t be any less. But you also know our family’s situation; if Xiangxiang were to marry into your maternal ho, that would an dragging your family into our troubles as well."
"Sister-in-law, I know you an well. With as her sister-in-law, I’m afraid I won’t be able to marry into any decent family in my lifeti."
Shen ng shook her head and said, "You silly girl, you’re still young, why fear trouble? I know you’re worried about causing discord between your brother and sister-in-law. But Xiangxiang, this is a matter of your lifelong happiness. If you really listen to Huang Maochun and marry her cousin, you’d make your parents heartsick for the rest of their lives. How about this—once you’re better in a couple of days, Uncle Guai, Aunt Juying, and you Xiangxiang co with to visit my maternal ho and take a look at Xiaobin. If you take a liking to him, we can discuss the rest of the matters later. If you don’t, it’s no use talking about it here."
Zhu Juying didn’t hesitate for a mont and directly agreed to it; Shen ng was right. Her daughter was thinking of her brother and nephew, not herself. But now she didn’t care anymore. She would talk to the village leaders about splitting up the family, divide everything out. As long as Xiangxiang married well, she was willing to do anything.
Besides, Xiangxiang had seen Huang Maochun’s cousin’s ugly pumpkin. If she got another look at Shen ng’s brother, comparing the two, she would definitely choose the better one!
Lu Xiangxiang was not content to just give in to Huang Maochun’s wishes; for her own life-changing decision, she too wanted to find a man who was considerate and to her liking to spend her life with.
When Shen ng got ho, she told Lu Zhenping about the matter, and he also thought it was a good thing. Both Lu Xiangxiang and Shen Xiaobin were good choices. If these two could take a liking to each other, it would resolve a big concern for both families.
Seeing that Lu Zhenping was satisfied, she imdiately made arrangents to send word back ho.
Three days later, Shen ng and Lu Zhenping took a group of kids onto Uncle Guai’s ox cart, along with Aunt Juying, and a neatly and prettily dressed Lu Xiangxiang.
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