Huang Xiuhua had indeed set her sights on her.
With a son at home, why should she keep a low profile when looking for a daughter-in-law? Back then, it was precisely because she had been too low-key that the girl she had taken a fancy to was snatched away by the Luo family. It had made her so angry she couldn’t sleep for a month, regretting that she hadn’t secured the match earlier.
Thankfully, the ancestors of the Chen family must have been watching over them. The Luo family had been blind enough not to appreciate such a good girl, while she treasured her immensely.
Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, there was no way she was going to let a cooked duck fly away.
The two walked back together. They were about the same height, but Shen Yueliang’s frame was slender and well-proportioned, making her look a size smaller than Huang Xiuhua.
But Huang Xiuhua was still an elder, and Shen Yueliang couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
“Auntie, why don’t I carry it instead?”
“No need, no need.”
Walking so close together, Huang Xiuhua kept looking at the young girl. Her skin was as tender as tofu, her eyes large, her lips rosy and full. The more she looked, the prettier she seemed. If she could have such a daughter-in-law, she’d probably be able to eat two extra bowls of rice every day just looking at her.
“Auntie… could you maybe move your eyes somewhere else?”
Being stared at so openly made her extremely uncomfortable.
“Alright, alright, I won’t look anymore.”
Huang Xiuhua restrained herself somewhat. She understood proper etiquette. Young girls were thin-skinned, and even if she had such thoughts, she couldn’t bypass the elders and speak directly to the girl. Precisely because she valued her so much, she had to be even more proper.
Shen Yueliang nodded.
The riverbank wasn’t far from the village, and within minutes they arrived at the Shen family’s courtyard.
Shen Yueliang had intended to say that was far enough, but Huang Xiuhua carried the wooden basin straight into the yard.
People dried their clothes by hanging them on poles set up in the courtyard. Huang Xiuhua seemed completely familiar with the place and even helped hang up the laundry.
Shen Yueliang became even more uneasy.
Had she misunderstood something? Were people in the village really this enthusiastic?
Of course not.
And Huang Xiuhua was worried about frightening the girl. Smiling, she patted Shen Yueliang’s hand.
“Your mother is home, right? I’ll go have a chat with her.”
“She is. She’s in the back courtyard.”
Huang Xiuhua headed toward the back courtyard.
Since it was a conversation between elders, Shen Yueliang naturally had no intention of eavesdropping. She put away the wooden basin and prepared to return to her room.
Just as she turned around, she saw He Erhong stepping one leg out of the brick house. Upon seeing her, He Erhong looked as if she’d seen a ghost and immediately retreated back inside, slamming the door shut.
Ever since returning from her parents’ home, He Erhong had been acting strangely, hiding in the brick house and doing who knew what.
Thinking about it carefully, it had already been a month and a half since her brother’s last home visit.
Did He Erhong still not know she was pregnant?
Or could it be that she wasn’t pregnant at all?
That shouldn’t be possible!
After glancing toward the brick house a few more times, Shen Yueliang decided to observe for a few more days.
Mainly because she could already imagine what would happen.
If He Erhong wasn’t pregnant yet and was already treated like an ancestor in the family, then once she really became pregnant, both she and her mother would probably be treated like servants and ordered around all day.
And they wouldn’t even be allowed to resist.
Otherwise, they’d be accused of mistreating a pregnant woman.
Tsk, tsk.
The future didn’t look very bright.
Back in her room, the half-finished banner lay beside the sewing machine.
Shen Yueliang glanced at it.
She had been busy making clothes lately and had delayed this project. She needed to finish it quickly and deliver it to the military camp.
After all, she had promised to do it. Breaking her word wouldn’t be right.
Sitting down at the table, Shen Yueliang got back to work.
While she was busy inside, she didn’t hear what was happening outside.
Only later did Lin Qinfen come over and knock on the door.
“Yueliang, busy?”
“It’s fine, Mom. Come in.”
Lin Qinfen brought in a cup of brown sugar water and placed it beside her daughter.
Her gaze lingered on Shen Yueliang’s profile for a long time.
Her daughter had grown up.
Even if she wanted to keep her by her side, how long could she really do so? And He Erhong, as a sister-in-law, wasn’t easy to get along with, constantly making snide remarks toward her daughter.
Rather than letting her live unhappily at home, it would be better to find her a reliable husband’s family.
“What’s wrong?”
After catching the worried and affectionate look in Lin Qinfen’s eyes several times, Shen Yueliang guessed she had something to say and simply put down her work.
Leaning against the table, Lin Qinfen said,
“Yueliang, Aunt Xiuhua came by earlier and brought up something. It’s about your marriage.”
That genuinely surprised Shen Yueliang.
She hadn’t thought in that direction at all.
For one thing, she didn’t have much money and still wanted to earn more so she could buy her own house.
Besides, this body was only nineteen years old. She was still young.
And she had only recently broken off the engagement with the Luo family. It didn’t make sense for someone to come proposing another match so soon.
“Mom, I don’t want to get married yet.”
She said it directly.
Lin Qinfen gently stroked her daughter’s head.
“I know. What happened with the Luo family hurt you, so I didn’t immediately agree. But this is how Mom sees it. The Luo family’s matter was our mistake; we misjudged them. But you can’t stay unmarried for your entire life.”
“You know what your sister-in-law is like. Your brother wants to protect you, but he’s away all year round and can’t always be here. Of course I won’t let your sister-in-law bully you, but I’m getting older. And… more than anything, I want to see someone genuinely cherish you and treat you well.”
Her own life had never been fortunate.
She lost her husband at twenty-eight.
She had to manage the household while working in the fields to earn money. There were countless times she couldn’t go on and wanted to end it all.
But she feared that if she died, her two children would be bullied.
So she could only hide under the blankets at night and cry in secret.
She often thought that if only there had been a man by her side, life wouldn’t have been so hard. At least someone would have cared when she cried.
That was why she didn’t want her daughter to suffer as she had.
Having someone beside you to share life’s burdens meant your heart wouldn’t feel so empty.
Seeing her daughter remain silent, Lin Qinfen realized she wasn’t very willing.
“If you really don’t want to, then forget it.”
She didn’t want to force her daughter.
Looking at Lin Qinfen, Shen Yueliang felt particularly guilty.
Maybe it was because Lin Qinfen was simply too kind and gentle. Even though she worried so much, she still refused to pressure her.
For someone like Shen Yueliang, who responded better to softness than force, that made it hard to refuse.
“How about… I take a look first?”
People in this era generally married young.
Since she had come to this time period, she should adapt to the customs.
Besides, if she never married, Lin Qinfen would never stop worrying.
As for boldly declaring she’d stay single forever?
Please.
She was afraid she’d scare Lin Qinfen to death.
Thinking from another angle, she could treat it like a modern blind date. Meeting someone didn’t mean she had to marry them.
And besides, even with someone acting as a matchmaker, the other party might not necessarily like her.
She was pretty and had a skill that could earn money, but she was still a girl whose engagement had been broken off.
People in this era cared more about reputation. Who would willingly marry a girl who had been rejected?
The more she thought about it, the more reassured she became.
“That’s what Mom thinks too. Besides, Aunt Xiuhua isn’t introducing just anyone. It’s her son, Chen Zhao. The Chen family’s conditions aren’t just among the best in our production team—they’re among the best in the entire town. My Yueliang is beautiful and capable. Of course I want you to marry into a good family and live without hardship.”
Lin Qinfen had never seen much of the world.
But within this small corner of it, everyone knew the village chief’s family was well-off.
Any family with a daughter dreamed of marrying her into the Chen family.
A mother who didn’t want her daughter to marry well probably wasn’t much of a mother.
Shen Yueliang was stunned.
She had just been saying she felt like she’d been targeted, and it turned out Huang Xiuhua really had been eyeing her as a future daughter-in-law.
Of course she knew the Chen family’s circumstances.
Village Chief Chen Gensheng had inherited the position from the previous village chief.
He and Huang Xiuhua had three children: two daughters and one son.
Chen Zhao was the middle child.
The eldest daughter was already married—to another village chief’s son, a very traditional match between equal families.
The youngest daughter was only in her teens and not yet old enough for marriage discussions.
As for Chen Zhao himself, he was outstanding.
He had graduated from high school with excellent grades and later became a teacher at the town’s middle school.
According to widespread rumors in Qinghe Village, Chen Zhao earned twenty-seven yuan a month.
Even the only bicycle in the entire Qinghe Production Team belonged to the Chen family.
It wasn’t that she looked down on herself.
She genuinely felt that with her circumstances… she seemed unworthy of him.
“Mom, are you sure there’s no mistake? Would Chen Zhao really be interested in me?”
The moment she finished speaking, she received a light knock on the head.
Naturally, Lin Qinfen hadn’t used any force.
“What kind of nonsense is that? What’s wrong with you? What makes you unworthy of Chen Zhao? In Mom’s eyes, you’re the best. Everything about you is good.”