"Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry to trouble you to make this trip. From what you've said, this is indeed a good match."
"But you also know, Yue girl is the only daughter in our family. We've raised her carefully all these years, so Da Niu and I must think this marriage over carefully."
"Give us a few days, and we'll give you an answer then."
"Ah, alright. You and Da Niu think it over carefully. If you let this match slip by, it's gone. I'll come by again in a few days, and you can give me a definite answer then. I still have to reply to the Zhao Family."
Chen Meihua also knew how much her younger brother and his wife valued Yue girl, so she didn't say much more and got up to head home.
"Then I'll be on my way. I still have a pile of things waiting for me. I'm off."
Chen Meihua was a brisk person by nature. Once the matter was discussed, she didn't dawdle and got up to leave.
Chen Daniu and his wife exchanged a few polite words of urging her to stay before seeing her out the door, then returned inside to discuss matters in low voices.
The next day, "Shitou, in a bit, go to Zhao Family Village and ask around about Zhao Huaiyu's family. This is the match your aunt proposed for your sister. It'll put our minds at ease to quietly inquire on our own."
"See what Zhao Huaiyu's parents are like as people, whether there's anything bad about them. Remember to be careful and don't let anyone catch on."
Father Chen called Chen Qiuyue's eldest brother aside alone and instructed him in a low voice.
Chen Shitou knew this concerned his sister's reputation, so he only quietly agreed and acted with caution.
When Father Chen returned home and entered the yard, Chen Qiuyue was chopping pig feed. The piglets had been caught this spring, and by now they had already grown quite a bit of meat.
The daily consumption of pig feed was also growing larger and larger. The whole family hoped these two pigs would eat as much as possible and grow sturdy so they could fetch a good price.
"Yue girl, the weather's getting hotter and hotter lately. Be careful when you go out to gather pig feed. Don't get heatstroke."
Father Chen looked at his capable daughter and felt more and more that his daughter deserved any fine young man.
"I know, Dad. You've been busy all day. Hurry inside and rest a while."
Chen Qiuyue didn't stop the work in her hands, chopping the pig feed fine so it could be mixed together in a moment.
At dusk, the sun gradually set behind the mountains. With a "thud," the Chen family's main gate was pushed open from outside.
"Mom, I'm hungry. Is dinner ready?" Chen Qiuyue's younger brother, Goudan, ran into the house like a gust of wind, shouting loudly as he ran.
Hearing the commotion, Mother Chen poked her head out from the kitchen. Looking at Goudan, who didn't have a single clean spot on him, she felt anger rise from nowhere, and even her gentle face showed a stern expression.
"Goudan, can't you be a little more obedient day after day? Every day you get your clothes filthy, and all day long you complain about not having new clothes to wear. The way you are, even good clothes would turn into rags on you in a single day."
Chen Goudan was at the age of being lively and restless. Hearing Mother Chen's words, he didn't mind at all and just kept clamoring that he was hungry.
Chen Qiuyue listened quietly nearby and could only smile helplessly.
That evening, the whole family sat at the dinner table ready to eat.
"Dad, why isn't eldest brother here? It's time to eat. Should we go out and look for him?"
Chen Qiuyue saw that at this hour her brother still hadn't returned and wondered if something had delayed him outside.
Mother Chen and Chen Qiuyue's sister-in-law, Xu Cuicui, also looked toward Father Chen.
Father Chen looked around at everyone, held his rice bowl, and replied calmly, "Shitou went out to take care of something. We'll eat first. No need to worry about him. Just leave his food warming in the pot."
After finishing dinner, it was already dusk, and each member of the family washed up and went to their rooms to sleep.
Chen Shitou did not return home until it was completely dark, without making any noise.
He quietly went to the kitchen, ate dinner, and went straight back to his room to sleep; everything else could wait until daylight tomorrow.
The next morning, Chen Shitou found Father Chen and told him one by one the information he had gathered the previous day.
Yesterday, Chen Shitou had arrived at Zhao Family Village, pretending to look for relatives as an excuse to discreetly inquire with several aunties about the situation in Zhao Family Village. The information he obtained was not much different from what Aunt Chen had said.
Zhao Huaiyu's family was above average in Zhao Family Village. Father Zhao and Mother Zhao worked the fields at home. Father Zhao was honest and kind, while Mother Zhao was sharp and straightforward. The whole family was hardworking and had no bad reputation.
Zhao Family's eldest brother, Zhao Huaiqing, had married a girl from nearby Zhang Family Village, and the two had a son and a daughter. Zhao Family's eldest daughter had married into neighboring Dali Village and had a son.
As for Zhao Huaiyu himself, he was a steady and handsome young man who had studied at the Zhao clan school for several years, steady and fond of learning.
Although he had not taken the path of the Imperial Examination, he had considerable talent in mathematics and, relying on this skill, had found work as an accountant in town.
Now Zhao Huaiyu would return to Zhao Family Village for one or two days each month, and the rest of the time he was basically working in town.
"I did not see Zhao Huaiyu. In the next couple of days, I will take some time to go to town again and quietly see what he looks like."
After hearing Chen Shitou's description, Father Chen had a clearer idea in mind and would find an opportunity later to discuss it with Mother Chen.
On the other side, Zhao Huaiyu's parents were also murmuring about his marriage.
"Head of the house, do you think that child Huaiyu is just too set in his own views? He took a fancy to the Chen family's girl himself, and all the many girls I looked at before were wasted effort. I wonder what kind of reply the Chen family will give."
Mother Zhao sat under the corridor in the courtyard, picking beans while speaking quietly with Father Zhao.
Mother Zhao was a middle-aged woman with a melon-seed-shaped face and phoenix eyes. Whenever this topic came up, her brows would unconsciously furrow.
Father Zhao sat nearby smoking dry tobacco, looking completely unperturbed.
Hearing his wife's words, he found it amusing and said, "Before, you even complained that our second son was too dull in temperament and did not like any of the girls you wanted him to see. Now that he has his own idea, is that not just perfect?"
"You do not need to worry about this and that every day anymore. Besides, did you not ask someone to inquire about that girl from the Chen family? The girl is impeccable in every way."
"Since our son has this intention, we just need to wait for the Chen family's reply. Your endless muttering is of no use."
"What kind of talk is that? Of course I worry about my own son. Our second son is already seventeen this year. Although his situation is not like that of a girl, he is indeed not young anymore. In our village, boys the same age as Huaiyu already have one or two children. How can I not be anxious?"
Because Zhao Huaiyu had studied at the Zhao clan school for more than three years and only last year found a position to work in town.
In earlier years, when Mother Zhao brought up marriage with Zhao Huaiyu, he had always avoided it on the grounds that he was not in the mood. It was only in the past three months that Mother Zhao had spread the word that she wanted to look at girls' families, so Mother Zhao had truly worried herself sick over her second son's marriage.
"Rest assured, our second son is not bad at all. He can read and write, has a steady temperament, and now even has an accountant's job in town. In the future, when a girl marries over, she will definitely not suffer. Let us just wait peacefully for news. Being anxious is useless."
Father Zhao, unlike Mother Zhao, did not feel anxious in his heart, simply believing that nothing should go wrong with this matter—their Zhao Family could withstand any inquiry.