“Lin Yi, how are the sunflower seeds our family fried? Are they fragrant?”
After getting to interact with Lin Yi up close, everyone wanted to chat with her.
They knew that this new daughter-in-law of the Zhou family never worked in the fields, was not particularly skilled at household chores, and did not even like talking to people.
Usually, they did not dare to get too close to her.
But now that she had eaten their sunflower seeds, shouldn’t they have a good conversation with her?
People were just like this.
The more someone ignored them, the more they wanted to get closer.
Of course, they had also laughed at Lin Yi behind her back many times.
However, their jokes about Lin Yi did not stop them from envying her.
Lin Yi tasted a few sunflower seeds and nodded.
After receiving her approval, everyone immediately became excited.
“Bring over all those sunflower seeds.”
Someone did not know who, but they brought over a large gourd ladle filled halfway with sunflower seeds.
Then everyone started chatting, with whoever became the topic of discussion being the unlucky one.
Lin Yi did not even bother looking at the panels above their heads.
They were just gossiping. Once they finished talking, that was it. Who would really take it seriously?
If they said something funny, everyone laughed.
If they said something unpleasant, everyone cursed.
In the end, whoever they were talking about just had bad luck.
In just a short while, Aunt Wu and the others had developed a small sense of camaraderie with Lin Yi, as if they were comrades sharing gossip together in the same trench.
Just as everyone was laughing loudly, a short, thin woman with a sharp face and beady features pushed Aunt Wu’s arm.
“Aunt Wu, why are you here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
The woman’s voice was somewhat shrill. Every time she spoke, her pitch rose sharply. One look was enough to tell she was usually a very loud and attention-seeking person.
Aunt Wu had been talking so enthusiastically that saliva was flying everywhere. Being interrupted made her unhappy.
But when she saw who had arrived, the displeased expression on her face instantly turned into joy.
“Why is it you? What do you need me for?”
Matchmaker Liu’s already small eyes narrowed into a line from smiling.
“There’s good news. Come, let’s talk somewhere else.”
Good news?
What good news?
The gossip-loving women around them immediately perked up their ears.
But what kind of person was Aunt Wu?
She spent every day eating other people’s gossip. How could she allow others to eat gossip about her family?
“Go, go, go. Stop poking around. Whoever dares to spread nonsense, I’ll go curse outside your house.”
Could she really do something like that?
A few years ago, when she lost a chicken, she suspected her neighbor had stolen and eaten it.
She sat outside that family’s door and cursed for three whole days.
In the end, the production team members found the chicken feathers and bones half-eaten by a weasel on the back mountain.
So no one dared to provoke her.
However, when Lin Yi looked up, she immediately saw the black words flashing above Matchmaker Liu’s head.
【Great! I’ll get twenty yuan as the matchmaking fee and two jin of fatty pork.】
Twenty yuan as a matchmaking fee?
Was matchmaking worth so much now?
And two jin of fatty pork too?
The surrounding women immediately started teasing:
“Old Wu, what good thing are you hiding from us?”
“You usually gossip about us all the time. Now that it’s your turn, you won’t let us talk?”
“That’s right! When you talk about us, your mouth is the sharpest. What? Now that it’s about your own family, it’s not allowed? Then go curse outside our houses. We’ll even provide the food.”
As soon as she said this, everyone became excited.
It seemed that Aunt Wu had offended quite a few people in the village normally.
Even without saying anything, once people saw Matchmaker Liu, how could they not know what she was here for?
Aunt Wu’s daughter Xiumei was already eighteen this year—the perfect age for finding a match.
The villagers definitely could not miss such a good opportunity for gossip.
Aunt Wu’s cheeks immediately flushed red.
She glared fiercely at Matchmaker Liu, thinking:
This woman has no sense at all. Why couldn’t she wait until she came to my house? Why did she have to find me here? Who wouldn’t figure out that my daughter is looking for a husband now?
Now that this had happened, once she left, these people would definitely gossip about her.
Someone continued teasing:
“Just tell us here. Although Xiumei is your daughter, she’s almost like everyone’s daughter. We all watched her grow up. Let Matchmaker Liu tell us what family it is. We’ll help you take a look.”
Those words sounded much nicer.
Aunt Wu slapped her thigh.
“Matchmaker Liu, just say it. What family did you introduce to our Xiumei?”
Matchmaker Liu: “……”
She had been matchmaking for more than ten years, and this was the first time she had encountered such a fierce crowd.
“This…”
This was not the place to discuss matchmaking.
Matchmaker Liu did not want to say it.
Lin Yi quietly asked Aunt Bai beside her:
“How much is the matchmaking fee in our village?”
Matchmaker Liu’s fee was twenty yuan, so she wanted to know how much it normally was.
Aunt Bai casually answered:
“About five yuan. At most ten yuan. Why are you asking this?”
Lin Yi smiled.
“I was just curious. Besides money, do they also give meat?”
Aunt Bai: “……”
If there really was meat involved, she would go become a matchmaker herself.
Ten yuan was already the absolute maximum.
Where would they get meat from?
“Do you think Matchmaker Liu received meat from them?” Aunt Bai reacted quickly.
If there really was meat, then something was definitely going on.
Lin Yi blinked.
“I was just guessing.”
Aunt Bai had a good relationship with Aunt Wu.
Usually, the two of them acted as the village’s information network. Whenever something happened in the village, it would not take long before everyone knew about it.
“Matchmaker Liu, just tell us. What kind of son-in-law did you find for Xiumei? If you don’t tell us, we won’t let you leave.”
With Aunt Bai leading the charge, everyone became even more excited.
Just then, Xiumei came to deliver shoe soles to her mother, Aunt Wu.
Matchmaker Liu immediately stopped her.
A young girl was much easier to deal with than these older women.
“Xiumei, Auntie found you a young man. He’s shy and doesn’t like talking. Don’t worry, he definitely won’t argue with you.”
【He stutters. How could someone who stutters argue?】
Xiumei’s face instantly turned red.
Unlike her mother Aunt Wu, this girl had been shy since childhood. She blushed whenever she met people.
She wanted to find someone honest and reliable, so the conditions Matchmaker Liu described happened to fit exactly what she wanted.
A girl eventually had to marry.
Whether sooner or later, matchmaking was inevitable.
Matchmaker Liu immediately felt that things were going well.
Lin Yi could not bear to see such a fair and pretty girl get deceived, so she added a question.
“Matchmaker Liu, the man you mentioned… does he have any problems speaking?”
Matchmaker Liu had been very happy, but Lin Yi’s question almost made her choke.
The reason she had phrased things that way was precisely to hide the man’s flaws.
She never expected Lin Yi to expose it.
But she also could not openly lie.
“He should not…”
“What do you mean ‘should not’? Explain clearly.”
Aunt Wu also started feeling suspicious.
She suspected Matchmaker Liu was hiding something.
Matchmaker Liu became anxious.
“The young man has a proper appearance and is strong. After you marry into the family, you won’t have to worry about household chores. You’ll be the one in charge.”
【Ugly, strong, not very smart.】
“The important thing is that he’s an only son. Their family has four rooms of brick houses. Once Xiumei marries in, he’ll even buy her a bicycle. She can manage the household, and whatever she says goes.”
【Baoguo’s brain is missing a piece. You’ll control everything.】
Matchmaker Liu wished she could list every possible advantage.
The more she talked, the more excited the black words above her head became.
By the end, the panel almost seemed like it was glitching.
The conditions she described really did sound good.
Four rooms of brick houses.
The man was tall and strong.
Most importantly, he would listen to his wife and let Xiumei manage the household.
Even if he had some speech problems, it was not a big deal.
As long as he was not mute, it was acceptable.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Wu did not object much.
Seeing that her mother had no objections, Xiumei also did not object.
Matchmaker Liu was so excited that her hands almost clapped together.
As long as the two met once, and since Xiumei was shy and did not like talking much, they could just see each other from a distance.
Then the marriage would basically be decided.
After marriage, they could simply live together.
What else could happen?
Her little scheme was going perfectly.
Lin Yi already knew what was going on without even looking.
The villagers also felt that the conditions Matchmaker Liu described were not bad.
Even if they were asked to choose, they could not find many faults.
The people who had been making noise earlier gradually quieted down, preparing to congratulate Xiumei.
They could already tell that Aunt Wu had agreed in her heart.
Since the girl’s own family had agreed, why would they continue making jokes?
Otherwise, Aunt Wu might really go curse outside their houses.
This trap was both large and deep.
As long as Xiumei agreed to meet the man, the matter would be settled.
After all, Matchmaker Liu would be the one arranging the meeting.
She had even calculated Xiumei’s personality into her plan.
To be honest, Lin Yi felt a little sympathy.
Such a good girl would have her entire life ruined if she married someone like that.
In this era, divorce simply did not exist.
Just as everyone was talking noisily, Lin Yi suddenly noticed something.
Under the large locust tree in the distance, someone was waving their hand and gesturing as if calling Matchmaker Liu over.
Matchmaker Liu was too busy being surrounded by everyone to notice.
But Lin Yi saw it clearly.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
“Who is that? Is he from our village?” Lin Yi pointed at the dark figure and asked.
Under the locust tree, the shadow looked like a black iron tower. He appeared both clumsy and simple-minded.
The women in the village followed Lin Yi’s gaze and looked over…
“Where did this person come from? He’s not from our village, is he?”
“Yeah, where did you come from?”
These women spent every day gossiping. They could recognize whose dog belonged to which household in the village, so how could they not recognize such a big person?
“You’re waving your hands around. What are you trying to do? Are you here looking for Matchmaker Liu?”
Several women walked over to the shadow and dragged him out.
The village’s joint defense team still patrolled the fields every day to prevent bad people from damaging the crops.
“What are you doing here?”
The women’s shout startled the men nearby. Several strong laborers immediately gathered around, but before they could do anything, the man who looked like a black tower suddenly started shouting.
“I came here to… find a wife. Matchmaker Liu… Matchmaker Liu said she would find me a wife. Why are you grabbing… grabbing me?”
Everyone froze, completely unable to react. They all stared at him in shock.
Lin Yi pointed at the man who was tall, huge, and ugly in a way that was almost uniquely impressive.
“Matchmaker Liu, this wouldn’t happen to be the ‘perfect man’ you were talking about, would it?”
The moment the man saw Matchmaker Liu, it was as if he had seen a family member.
“Matchmaker Liu… you said you would find me a wife. My mom asked me… to bring you two catties of fatty pork.”
Matchmaker Liu was also dumbfounded. She had planned to fool things through on the day of the blind date and get the marriage arranged. Who could have expected that Bao Guo would come over early?
“I never said I would find you a wife! I don’t want your meat!”
Matchmaker Liu turned around and tried to run.
How could Aunt Wu let her escape just like that?
“Good for you, surnamed Liu! You were trying to sell my daughter off, weren’t you?”