Chapter 26: Chapter 18: A Visit from the Matchmaker

After digging the well, Juhua, her parents, and her brother threw themselves into gathering acorns. They toiled for two days, collecting not only a huge pile of acorns but also raking up lots of leaves and dry grass.

To prevent the firewood from getting wet in the rain, Zheng Changhe and Qingmu built a simple thatched shed and stacked the firewood inside.

The pit for soaking the acorns was also expanded, ready for them to soak the nuts in batches. The family was so busy they barely had time to breathe.

That day at noon, Juhua was drawing water from the well to prepare a meal when a rare visitor appeared at the courtyard gate.

She was a rare visitor because Juhua had never seen her before. But from her clothes and makeup, Juhua could roughly guess her identity—this was likely Matchmaker Wang, whom Mrs. Yang had contacted a few days ago.

She wore bright red clothes, with flowers and silver pins stuck in her hair. Her large, round face was smooth and fleshy, her eyebrows drawn on thick and black, her lips painted a garish scarlet. She carried a green silk scarf in her hand. She had every single element of a matchmaker’s attire; you could even call her the quintessential matchmaker!

Watching this paragon of matchmakers appear before her, Juhua saw the woman brazenly use those eyes—eyes that had seen countless young men and women—to look her up and down. The woman paid special attention to the flaky skin on her face, observing it so closely it was as if she wanted to peel that layer right off to see if another face was hidden underneath.

Juhua stood there quietly, letting the woman size her up. She, in turn, coolly appraised the matchmaker, ’wondering if this woman was here to deliver good news or bad.’

Matchmaker Wang gave Juhua a thorough look-over, but saw that this “little ugly girl” didn’t fidget or look away. Instead, she just stood there quietly, looking right back at her, meeting her gaze. Those clear eyes stared until the matchmaker felt so uncomfortable that she had to look away first. ’How creepy!’ she thought.

She had no choice but to cough twice and ask, “Young lady, I’m Matchmaker Wang from Qingbei Village. Is your mother home?”

Juhua actually wanted to laugh at the sight of such a matchmaker, but she knew she absolutely couldn’t. So, she fixed her gaze on the woman’s face—which looked like a cosmetics shop had exploded on it—and said softly, “Please, have a seat. My mother will be home shortly.”

After speaking, she bent down, brought over a small stool for the woman to sit on, and poured her a cup of water.

Matchmaker Wang cracked a wide smile, showing off her scarlet lips. “Aiyo, you must be Juhua! So… so sensible! Well then, don’t mind if I do.” She turned, dusted off the stool with her silk scarf, and then plopped herself down.

Matchmaker Wang sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun and looking the place over. Frost had formed the last couple of days, and the weather had turned much colder. Sitting under the bright autumn sun felt especially comfortable.

When she saw the large pool of acorns, she asked in a fuss, “Juhua, what’s all that soaking in the pool?”

Juhua gave her a detached glance and took her time before replying, “Composting manure.”

Matchmaker Wang’s jaw dropped—she’d never seen anyone compost manure like that. But seeing Juhua’s dismissive attitude as she carried a bucket of water into the kitchen, she decided to drop it. ’This ugly girl really is strange,’ she thought. ’No wonder Liu Fugui feels like having a burden like her would make the marriage difficult.’

By the time Mrs. Yang and Zheng Changhe came down from the mountain carrying firewood, Matchmaker Wang was getting impatient. The moment she saw them, she shot to her feet, waved her silk scarf, and called out, “Aunt Zheng, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for ages!”

Juhua, hearing this from the kitchen, thought to herself, ’What a load of nonsense. It’s only been a little while. How is that “ages”?’

Mrs. Yang hurriedly dusted herself off as she walked into the courtyard, saying apologetically to Matchmaker Wang, “Grandma Wang, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting so long. I was just up on the mountain raking firewood! Juhua, quickly, pour Grandma Wang some more water.”

Zheng Changhe also gave Matchmaker Wang a simple smile and a greeting before carrying the firewood over to the shed at the side of the house to stack what they had raked.

Juhua came out at her mother’s call, refilled Matchmaker Wang’s cup, and immediately went back into the kitchen.

Seeing that Mrs. Yang was back, Matchmaker Wang immediately became much more talkative. Grinning with her red-painted lips, she said, “It’s no problem, everyone’s busy! Aunt Zheng, your daughter is so hardworking, hehe!”

Mrs. Yang offered a few modest words, knowing the woman was just saying it for the sake of it and didn’t really mean it. ’Her visit today must mean there’s news about the matter in Liujiatang.’

So, she brought a small stool over and sat down next to Matchmaker Wang. She called out toward the kitchen, “Juhua, bring out some braised peanuts for your Grandma Wang!” Then she turned back to Matchmaker Wang with an apologetic look. “We’re poor and don’t have much to offer. I hope Grandma Wang doesn’t mind!”

Seeing how politely she was being treated, Matchmaker Wang beamed with delight, waving her hands repeatedly and making her silk scarf flutter about.

Juhua brought out a small bowl of braised peanuts, set it on another small stool, and then turned and went back inside.

Mrs. Yang then lowered her voice and asked Matchmaker Wang, “Grandma Wang, I won’t beat around the bush. You’re here today because there’s news from their side, aren’t you?”

Matchmaker Wang grabbed a few peanuts and tossed them into her red-lipped mouth. She chewed them a couple of times, swallowed, and then smacked her lips in appreciation. “How did you make these peanuts? They’re so delicious!” she praised, grabbing a large handful and popping a few more into her mouth.

Mrs. Yang had to wait for her to finish eating. She forced a smile and said, “My Juhua made them. She used some star anise, chili peppers, and braised them in a meat broth.”

“Aiyo! This girl is really skilled with her hands!” Matchmaker Wang’s red lips moved nonstop as she ate happily, not stingy with her praise.

After a while, she took a sip of tea, gargled with it for a moment, then swallowed. Only then did she turn to Mrs. Yang, as if still wanting more peanuts, and say, “Aunt Zheng, I won’t beat around the bush. I’ll just tell you the truth—after all, this is the business I’m in! Liu Fugui says he wants to keep his daughter at home for another two years and isn’t looking to arrange a marriage right now!” After saying this, she stared at Mrs. Yang’s face, watching for her reaction.

Mrs. Yang had already heard about Liu Fugui’s intentions from her own mother, Mrs. Wang, so she wasn’t too disappointed to hear this result again. Besides, Qingmu had also said last time that he wasn’t in a hurry to get married and could wait two years. If she hadn’t already entrusted the matter to the matchmaker, this trip would have been unnecessary.

So, she chuckled lightly and said, “That’s fine. Every family treasures their daughter. It’s only normal that he wants to keep her for two more years. Grandma Wang, this must have been a lot of trouble for you, running back and forth. Here, have some more!” As she spoke, she pushed the bowl of peanuts toward Matchmaker Wang.

Matchmaker Wang was quite surprised to see no sign of disappointment on Mrs. Yang’s face. ’She was waiting for Mrs. Yang to anxiously question and plead with her. How could she just let it go like this? Who was she supposed to give her prepared speech and all her clever ideas to now?’

Her eyes darted around a few times. While tossing a few more peanuts into her mouth, she deliberately glanced left and right—especially in the direction of the kitchen. She scooted her little stool closer to Mrs. Yang and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Normally, if a match doesn’t work out, I shouldn’t meddle any further. But I’m a warm-hearted person, and I thought, since you entrusted this to me, Aunt Zheng, I have to see it through properly. No matter what, I had to find out what they were really thinking, right? So, I tricked them into telling me. And guess what? It turns out they don’t want to keep their daughter for two more years, they just haven’t been satisfied with any of the suitors who’ve come calling!”

After speaking, she raised her chin smugly, waiting for Mrs. Yang to show an expression of surprise and admiration.

Mrs. Yang was indeed surprised—but not admiring. She asked, bewildered, “But they haven’t even met our Qingmu yet. How can they be unsatisfied?”

’If they had met him, there’s no way this would be their answer.’ Mrs. Yang was very confident about that. ’Of course, that’s assuming the rumors about their family not caring about the bride price are true.’

Matchmaker Wang sighed and said, “Isn’t that what everyone says? I’ve seen your Qingmu. He’s got the looks, he’s got the character. The only issue is that his family’s foundation is a little weak. But who is born rich? Don’t you have to earn it with your own two hands? I told Liu Fugui and his wife your family’s situation over and over again. In the end, he couldn’t stand my constant questioning and finally told me the truth. It turns out he’s not dissatisfied with your Qingmu—he’s heard about him from others, since your mother’s family is from their village—it’s because of your girl.” As she spoke, she jutted her lips in the direction of the kitchen.

At first, Mrs. Yang was quite pleased to hear her praise Qingmu, but she was completely taken aback by the second half of the explanation. ’What about her girl?’

Seeing that Mrs. Yang still didn’t get it, Matchmaker Wang leaned in closer and whispered, “Your girl is hardworking, of course, a good girl. But looking like that, she’ll be hard to marry off. He finds that a bit… unpleasant. Who would want their daughter to marry into a family only to have to support a sister-in-law for the rest of her life, right? I got anxious right then and there and told them…”

Before she could finish, Mrs. Yang was already on her feet, her face a mixture of shock and anger. She stood up abruptly, her expression hardened, and cut the matchmaker off. “Grandma Wang, you don’t need to say another word. We’re not pursuing this marriage with them. Our Qingmu isn’t some man who can’t find a wife. We don’t need to haggle with them over these pointless matters. And our daughter is none of their concern.”

Matchmaker Wang was completely taken aback by Mrs. Yang’s anger. ’It seems she really dotes on this girl with the flaky skin!’

But what kind of person was Matchmaker Wang? She specialized in arranging marriages. In all her years of traveling from village to village, what kind of person hadn’t she met? What kind of trick hadn’t she tried?

She plastered a brilliant smile on her face, grabbed Mrs. Yang’s arm, and pulled her back down into her seat. “Aiyo!” she complained. “I say, Aunt Zheng, what’s gotten into you? You’re like a lit firecracker. I wasn’t finished speaking!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep