◎Hehe, I’m going to have a wife.◎
Dahe Village.
At noon, scattered wisps of cooking smoke drifted lazily in the air. Several young men, carrying hoes on their shoulders and walking barefoot along the ridges of the fields, loudly responded to the calls of their children from nearby homes.
Auntie Wang’s maiden family was in Dahe Village. She usually didn’t visit often unless necessary, to avoid gossip about her coming to freeload. However, lately she had been frequently returning with a basket in hand, especially during the scorching midday sun that felt like it could peel one’s skin off. Strangely, she was heading toward the foot of the back mountain.
Only one household lived at the foot of the back mountain—the Wei family.
A young man from the Wang clan called out loudly, “Auntie, have you taken the wrong path?”
Auntie Wang wiped the sweat from her forehead, the glaring sun leaving her in no mood for pleasantries. “I could walk home with my eyes closed long before you were even born.”
This drew a round of laughter. The young Wang man, feeling embarrassed, wanted to ask why she was going to the Wei family but was too afraid of his sharp-tongued aunt.
Little did he know that Auntie Wang was in a state of eager anticipation, her heart brimming with joyous news she couldn’t wait to share.
She had never been one to play matchmaker. As the old saying goes, “Better to tear down ten temples than ruin a single marriage.” A successful matchmaking effort could be considered a virtuous deed, while a failed one could ruin a person or even two families.
Unless it involved someone close to her, she would never take on such thankless tasks to avoid resentment later.
But Wei Dahu was nearly twenty, and few had come to propose marriage. Matchmakers shook their heads at the mention of the Wei family—two dilapidated houses that offered no shade in summer and let in the cold wind in winter, two meager acres of land that barely yielded enough for thin porridge, and a poverty so dire it felt like bleeding from the pores.
Old Man Wei, his lame father, spent his days weaving baskets at home, neither farming the land nor venturing into the mountains. Worse still, the baskets barely sold for a few copper coins. He wore the same coarse cloth robe year-round, and his tattered shoes left his big toes exposed for all to see—a pitiful sight.
Wei Dahu was a hardworking young man, but his family’s poverty was an insurmountable obstacle. Who would willingly marry their daughter to him? After all, who would want their daughter digging for wild herbs in the mountains with him day after day? Take Dahe Village, for instance—when matchmaking, the Wei family was outright ignored. Even the poorest households were unwilling, fearing they’d get no support from their daughter during festivals and might even end up subsidizing the son-in-law’s family.
It just wasn’t worth it, truly not worth it.
The reason Auntie Wang cared so deeply was her lingering affection for her childhood friend, Wei Dahu’s mother, who had passed away early.
Back in their youth, the two girls had been inseparable—one married a hunter from the mountains, the other married into another village. Though times had changed, the warmth of their youthful friendship still lingered in her heart. Seeing Wei Dahu grow older without a wife, Auntie Wang’s anxiety was indescribable!
The July heat was relentless. Auntie Wang wiped her sweat as she hurried along, her steps never slowing.
Truth be told, if it weren’t broad daylight, when Mountain Monsters, Spirits, Chimera, and Specters dared not show themselves, she would never dare walk this path alone. The foot of the mountain was remote, and the journey from the village to the Wei family passed through a vast stretch of grave mounds—truly terrifying.
Having lived most of her life, she still couldn’t understand…
How could her clever bosom friend have married a hunter with nothing to his name—no fields, no house, and certainly no silver to speak of!
Huffing and puffing, Auntie Wang muttered to herself all the way until she finally caught sight of the small farmhouse nestled at the foot of the mountain.
Two crude thatched mud huts squatted on the ground like lumps of earth. The fenced yard, however, was quite spacious, with a bundle of bamboo lying inside and bamboo strips scattered messily all over the ground. White smoke curled from the kitchen chimney—it seemed a meal was being prepared.
Seeing the kitchen smoke, Auntie Wang finally felt a twinge of awkwardness. Her timing was rather inappropriate, almost as if she had come specifically to mooch a meal.
She nearly couldn’t bear the embarrassment.
For farming families, even a single steamed bun could be a lifesaver. Who didn’t cherish their food? Showing up right at mealtime would earn one scornful looks and curses of being utterly tactless—and that would be putting it mildly!
Auntie Wang hesitated, realizing she had been so carried away by the joyous news that she’d acted without thinking.
Old Man Wei limped out of the kitchen and saw Auntie Wang standing at the gate. Before he could even greet her, she decisively slapped her thigh, her face blooming into a wide grin, and loudly proclaimed, “Joyful news, joyful news! I couldn’t wait a moment longer to bring you the good tidings! Old Man Wei, I’ve succeeded in arranging the marriage for your family!”
Old Man Wei greeted her and promptly invited her inside.
Seeing him bring a stool into the yard instead of inviting her into the main room, Auntie Wang felt even more satisfied. Though Old Man Wei was lame, he was more upright than many of the shifty-eyed men in the village. Knowing there was no woman in the house, he handled things with some consideration.
Glancing around, she realized Wei Dahu wasn’t home—likely out hunting in the mountains again.
Old Man Wei wasn’t sure how to address her. Calling her “Matchmaker Wang” didn’t seem right, as matchmaking wasn’t her profession—she was simply doing this out of goodwill. Remembering his late wife, he settled on, “Sister, please have a seat and rest.”
Without waiting for Auntie Wang’s response, he went straight to the kitchen, fetched a bowl of clear water, opened a cabinet, and brought out an earthenware jar. Removing the lid, he scooped two spoonfuls of honey into the bowl with a wooden spoon, then stirred it with a clean chopstick.
Sitting in the yard to rest, Auntie Wang fanned herself with her hand, feeling the heat. She accepted the bowl Old Man Wei handed her, keeping her expression neutral, though inwardly she thought the old man was quite considerate. The walk had left her parched, so without further ado, she pressed her lips to the bowl and took two big gulps.
It was sweet—mountain spring water with honey.
She finished the bowl of honey water without a word, set it aside, and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
She felt her efforts had not been in vain—the journey, the worry, the matchmaking, all worthwhile.
Without beating around the bush, her face beaming with joy, she said, “That girl I mentioned last time I visited—her mother has already hinted that as long as the young man is decent and free of any unsavory habits, the match can be settled! And who would know Dahu better than I? I praised him again and again, vouched for him with my hand on my heart—there’s not a single flaw in that boy!”
Old Man Wei’s face, for once, wore a smile as he inquired about the specific details of the girl—such as her temperament, whether she was easy to get along with, and how many people were in her family. Last time, Granny Wang had only briefly mentioned that there was a girl, without going into specifics. Who would have thought that today she would suddenly come to their door and say that the girl’s family was also interested?
It was going a bit too smoothly, which made Old Man Wei, who had been avoided by matchmakers for years, feel uneasy. He hurriedly asked, “Does that family know all about our situation?”
Auntie Wang was displeased: “How can a matchmaker hide things? I wouldn’t do such a terrible thing that ruins a girl’s life. Marriage is about joining families, not creating enemies. I told that family everything about your situation, honestly and in detail. They don’t mind your family’s poverty because they have their own difficulties with marriage. It all depends on your attitude.”
Old Man Wei then asked what difficulties they had. Auntie Wang was straightforward and said bluntly, “The girl’s birth mother has been married three times, which has somewhat tarnished her reputation and made it hard to arrange a marriage.”
She then carefully explained about Zhao Sufen. The girl was her daughter from her first husband. After the girl’s biological father died, she took her daughter and remarried. Not long after her second marriage, her second husband also died. She then took her daughter and married her current third husband.
“No matter which family she went to, she always kept her daughter by her side.” Auntie Wang couldn’t help but sigh.
Old Man Wei nodded: “She’s not a heartless mother.”
Auntie Wang observed his expression and silently agreed, knowing that this matter was likely settled.
Sure enough, she heard Old Man Wei say, “Our family doesn’t care about superficial reputation. As long as the girl is good, that’s enough.”
“You said the same thing as the girl’s mother—as long as the child is good, that’s all that matters. It shows that both of you are parents who truly care about your children and know what’s most important.” Auntie Wang was satisfied. “At their house, I vouched with confidence. Here, I vouch just the same—there’s no better girl than that one. She’s hardworking, filial, well-mannered, and kind-hearted. A marriage between your families would surely be a good match!”
The woman’s family didn’t mind the man’s poverty, and the man’s family didn’t mind the woman’s reputation. Both families were willing, making this marriage a perfect match.
Since one task shouldn’t be handled by two people, Old Man Wei went inside to fetch some money and, as Auntie Wang was leaving, forced it into her hand, asking her to take on the role of matchmaker.
In rural, humble households, marriage arrangements weren’t as elaborate as those of wealthy families in town. Some poor families would marry off their daughters in exchange for just two bags of grain, taking the girl home on the spot without even a wedding ceremony, let alone a formal wedding feast.
Auntie Wang had initially thought Old Man Wei meant something similar. After all, sitting in this drafty courtyard, the Wei family’s poverty was impossible to hide. They didn’t seem like a family that could afford a wedding feast. She had been worried about how to persuade Zhao Sufen, but to her surprise, Old Man Wei only asked her to kindly pass on a message and wait for the Wei family to come and propose.
There was actually going to be a proposal process!
This was extraordinary! It meant a proper wedding ceremony and feast! She had to hurry to the Qian family and tell Zhao Sufen this good news!
Granny Wang, clutching the copper coins, left the Wei family joyfully, leaving behind an equally joyful Old Man Wei.
As evening approached, Wei Dahu descended from the mountain with the last rays of the setting sun. Dahe Village was already quiet, with only the chorus of frogs to be heard.
A man nine feet tall bent down like a small mountain to enter the kitchen, found a basin of coarse grains his father had left on the stove, and crouched by the stove door with the wooden basin to eat.
Old Man Wei heard the noise, draped a coat over his shoulders, and came out of the house. Seeing a large shadow crouched under the eaves, he limped to the main room to light an oil lamp, illuminating half of Wei Dahu’s face.
“I can see,” Wei Dahu said, shoveling food into his mouth quickly and urgently, clearly having gone a day without eating and starving.
“I can’t see,” Old Man Wei retorted, pulling a stool into the yard to sit. Watching his son’s appetite, he felt vexed—one meal for him equaled three for others. What a waste. “No luck today?”
As he spoke, his nose twitched, catching a whiff of blood and a familiar foul stench on his son.
With his hungry stomach somewhat soothed, Wei Dahu slowed his eating pace, reached into his chest, and pulled out twenty taels of silver to hand over. “Caught a Little Dragon, alive. Sold the whole thing to the Qi family in town. The extra is reward money.”
Every part of the Little Dragon was a treasure, highly favored by wealthy households in town, especially those elderly masters. Eating its meat was said to restore youthful vigor, making concubines beg for mercy.
Even its two venomous fangs were believed to ward off evil spirits.
Wei Dahu thought wealthy households had too many ridiculous notions. Warding off evil? More like they’d done too many wicked deeds and sought such things.
A Little Dragon that could fetch nearly twenty taels…
Old Man Wei’s face darkened. He took off his straw sandal and slapped Wei Dahu’s back several times. “I told you to go snake hunting, not this! You reckless fool, do you think your life is too long?! Fearless brat, someone needs to rein you in soon, or I’ll end up collecting your corpse from the mountains one day!”
Wei Dahu kept eating, letting him vent his anger.
“Today, Auntie Wang came to propose a marriage for you. The girl mentioned last time—it’s settled. Tomorrow, go to town and buy two good bolts of cloth, two catties of fine wine, and some pastries and sugar. I’ll go propose for you!”
Wei Dahu shoveled food into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly, “Okay.”
Finally, a girl was willing to marry him. His mood was oddly cheerful. Without asking anything else, he took the money back and stuffed it into his chest, finishing the meal in a few more bites.
Tomorrow, he’d go to town early to buy the things, so his father could propose sooner!
Hehe, he was going to have a wife.