The one who opened the door was Baohua.
Baohua saw these three people and was somewhat puzzled. She asked crisply, “Grandma, Third Auntie, why did you come? Is there something?”
She did not know who Aunt Wang was, she had only seen her once, so she simply did not greet her.
A smile was forced onto Gu Third Aunt’s face. “Baohua, is your mom home?”
“Today is Wednesday, Mom is at school,” Baohua said. “Third Auntie, are you looking for my mom?”
Gu Third Aunt smiled and said, “We’re not here to look for your mom, we’re here to look for your little aunt.”
Baohua immediately became vigilant. “What do you want with my little aunt?”
“It’s a good thing.” Aunt Wang’s plump face was all smiles, and she looked kind. “Little girl, it’s a good thing for your little aunt. Open the door first and let us in, and let us tell your little aunt.”
Baohua did not quite believe it. Whether it was grandma or Third Auntie, in her heart they were all people she had to be wary of. This plump grandma came with them, and no matter how kindly she smiled, she still had to be wary of her.
Baohua was hesitating when the surrounding neighbors had already heard about Aunt Wang coming to the Gu family to propose a match, and they all started laughing.
“Baohua, it really is a good thing. Let your little aunt meet the person first.”
In these people’s eyes, someone coming to the door to propose a match really was a good thing, not to mention that the other party’s conditions were so good, someone who ate state grain in the city.
Baohua looked at them suspiciously, but she could not keep the guests blocked outside forever. In addition, the surrounding neighbors had also come, so there was no need to worry about anything. Thus she opened the door.
Aunt Wang and Gu Third Aunt went in, and Yu Xiaolan, ignoring Baohua’s little look, also followed them in through the door.
The others did not go in. They were all standing at the doorway. The front gate was wide open, and Baohua did not close it, thinking that if anything happened, she could just call people.
After Aunt Wang and the others entered, they saw Gu Yijia sitting in the main room at a glance.
Her face was still that kind of unhealthy pallor. She was slender, yet did not lose the graceful and bright beauty of a young girl. She sat there quietly, her clear, limpid eyes looking over with gentle fullness, as if the whole room had become bright, luminous with beauty.
Even though Aunt Wang had been mentally prepared, she still could not help but feel a little dazed when she looked at her suddenly.
“Little aunt, this grandma is looking for you and says she has a good thing,” Baohua said crisply as she went to pour water for them.
Aunt Wang, Gu Third Aunt, and Yu Xiaolan were all of the same generation, so calling her grandma was not wrong.
Aunt Wang took the water the little girl handed over, and inwardly sighed that this child was truly sensible. Compared with that, Yu Xiaolan had previously seemed extremely rude.
She silently shook her head.
Fortunately, Yu Xiaolan was only a step-grandma; otherwise, this little girl would probably be influenced by her and pick up some bad habits…
Gu Yijia asked, “May I ask who this is…”
Actually, she already had a premonition in her heart. Seeing those curious people peeking from the doorway, she knew the purpose of Aunt Wang’s visit today.
After drinking some water, Aunt Wang said with a very enthusiastic expression, “I’m from the county town, everyone calls me Aunt Wang! I came here today because there’s a good thing… You know Comrade Jiang Jinzhi from the steel factory, right? He, ah, has taken a fancy to you and wants to be in a relationship with you, so he asked me to come and propose a match for you…”
Gu Yijia showed no trace of shyness. Instead, she looked at her coldly, her gaze sweeping over Yu Xiaolan and Gu Third Aunt.
Yu Xiaolan looked full of jealousy, while Gu Third Aunt was full of envy.
When Baohua heard Aunt Wang’s words, she immediately became anxious.
She still remembered her little aunt fainting a few days ago. Although it was not caused by Grandma Big Aunt, that big aunt had also come to introduce someone to her little aunt at the time, but her little aunt had said she did not like the person Grandma Big Aunt introduced.
Baohua had not remembered what that person’s name was, it seemed to be Jiang or something?
Gu Yijia reached out and pressed down the somewhat anxious little girl. After Aunt Wang finished speaking, she said unhurriedly, “I’m sorry, my health is poor, and I haven’t thought about getting married.”
She refused cleanly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
Everyone looked at her in shock. Such a good match, and she actually rejected him?
Aunt Wang’s expression stiffened, and she hurriedly pulled open a smile. “Oh my, little girl, what you’re saying is not right! Just because your health is bad doesn’t mean you can’t get married, right? Besides, Comrade Jiang said he doesn’t mind at all. He knows about your situation and said that as long as you marry over, he will take good care of you, you won’t need to do any work, and every month he’ll also give you a sum of living expenses. You’ll only need to properly nurse your body back to health…”
Gu Third Aunt and the group of neighbors watching the excitement all listened with faces full of envy.
No need to work, and still able to get money every month, what kind of peerless good man was this? Listening to it, they were all tempted, and wished that the one Comrade Jiang had taken a fancy to was their own family’s daughter.
Yu Xiaolan, in addition to envy, was full of jealousy.
She glared fiercely at Gu Yijia. She really could not tell that this sickly person was so amazing that there was actually a man willing to have her. Why? Wasn’t it just that her face looked a little better.
But being good-looking couldn’t put food in your bowl. Maybe one day she would just die…
Gu Yijia still remained unmoved and only said, “Comrade Jiang is very good, so I won’t drag him down.”
Aunt Wang practically wanted to say that Comrade Jiang didn’t mind you dragging him down at all!
With conditions like Jiang Jinzhi’s, if he lost one wife, he could just marry again. With his conditions, even if he had to remarry in the future, there would still be plenty of young, unmarried girls willing to marry him.
No matter how Aunt Wang tried to persuade her, Gu Yijia remained unmoved, and instead the people beside her became anxious to no end.
Gu Third Aunt wished she could agree on her behalf. Not to mention that generous betrothal gift, just Jiang Jinzhi himself was worth marrying! If they had the son of the steel factory director as a son-in-law, their old Gu family would be able to follow along and eat well and drink well.
In addition to envy and jealousy, Yu Xiaolan felt a bit pleased at the misfortune.
This sickly person was indeed someone with no sense. Even when such a good man was willing to marry her, she still refused. She probably had some self-awareness, knowing that her weak, frail body would drag the other side down.
Just then, Grandma Huang arrived.
When Grandma Huang learned that a matchmaker from the city had come to propose a match for Gu Yijia, she was very concerned about the matter and put down the work in her hands to come over and take a look.
Actually, after learning that Aunt Wang had come in such a big way to propose a match, she was not happy. If it did not work out, would that not make Gu Yijia into a topic for the commune members to talk about over tea?
When she heard Aunt Wang introduce Comrade Jiang, Grandma Huang did not feel happy, instead her face was full of suspicion.
Jiang Jinzhi’s conditions were so good, how could he take a fancy to a countryside girl? Besides, this girl had poor health, not the type a man would want to marry.
Aunt Wang said, “Oh, old lady, what you’re saying is not right! Look at this child Yijia, how delicate and pretty she is! I’m afraid all the delicacy and prettiness within a hundred miles around here has gathered on her. Comrade Jiang taking a fancy to her, isn’t that normal?”
Grandma Huang shook her head. “He’s taken a fancy to her looks. I’m afraid once he gets her, he won’t care about Jiajia anymore.”
She was old and had experienced a lot. Many stories had long since settled in her life, so her views were naturally clear and to the point, straight at the heart of the matter.
Aunt Wang’s expression stiffened.
If Jiang Jinzhi had not valued Gu Yijia’s looks, would he have had to beg her so eagerly to come and propose a match?
Although people all say that when you marry a wife you should marry virtue, men’s nature is actually the same. Who wouldn’t want to marry a beautiful woman? Jiang Jinzhi taking a fancy to Gu Yijia’s face, and even not caring about her frail body, was not strange at all.
Aunt Wang still wanted to keep persuading, when she saw Gu Yijia say, “There’s no need for you to say more, I…”
Just as she was about to say something, her body swayed.
Gu Third Aunt felt like her heart was about to jump out. She subconsciously supported her.
“Little aunt!” Baohua cried out.
The child’s sharp voice stabbed painfully at everyone’s eardrums. Seeing that Gu Yijia seemed about to faint, everyone was startled, and even Aunt Wang did not dare say anything else.
They had nearly forgotten that her health was bad, and fainting was an ordinary occurrence.
Gu Yijia put on a weak appearance and said to Aunt Wang, “I’m dizzy, so I won’t keep you company. You’ve worked hard making this trip, I’m really sorry.”
Grandma Huang quickly went over and helped her back into the room.
Aunt Wang could only watch helplessly as they left. She opened her mouth, but did not know what to say.
This little girl looked like she was about to faint at any moment. She could not possibly keep nagging in front of her and ask whether she was willing to marry, could she?
The scene was quiet.
Aunt Wang and Gu Third Aunt stared at each other, and only Yu Xiaolan had a face full of gloating.
“I said it, didn’t I? This sickly person’s body is bad. The man who wants to marry her won’t be afraid of bringing her home and having to arrange a funeral right away…”
Before she even finished speaking, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Yu Xiaolan, who was sitting on a low stool, was directly knocked to the ground by a force.
Yu Xiaolan turned her head and saw that it was that dead girl Baohua, and she opened her mouth to curse.
But Baohua was faster than her, and angrily said, “You’re talking nonsense! My little aunt is clearly perfectly fine!”
Even more coincidentally, at this time, Gu Yijia, who had been helped back into the room, actually appeared again at the doorway, and just happened to hear Yu Xiaolan’s words as well.
She seemed to have suffered a blow, her body swayed, and then she softly fell down.
Grandma Huang was frightened and hurriedly held her, calling people over to help.
Everyone scrambled in a flurry to send Gu Yijia back to her room, and condemning looks all turned toward Yu Xiaolan.
Yu Xiaolan, holding back her temper, looked at them. “What does it have to do with me? I only said one sentence…” Her eyes rolled, and she pointed at Aunt Wang and Gu Third Aunt. “Jiajia clearly doesn’t want to marry Comrade Jiang, it’s still you all who kept talking in front of her. Her body was already not good, and she was stimulated…”
Everyone: “…”
Grandma Huang immediately got angry and drove the whole group away.
Aunt Wang left South Mountain Commune in a very dejected state.
She went to see Jiang Jinzhi and told him that the young girl had refused him.
Jiang Jinzhi was not willing to give up and did not want to believe it. “Did she really say it herself?”
“Yes, she said it herself, and in the end she even fainted directly,” Aunt Wang said. Thinking of this, she felt unhappy. “Comrade Jiang, this girl from the Gu family’s health is really bad…”
As the most popular matchmaker in the county town, she had matched up quite a few men and women, and everyone welcomed her arrival. Even if it did not work out, they would still welcome her with smiling faces. Only at the Gu family, not only did she fail to get even a cup of water at the old Gu family’s place, she also had to be blamed for making Gu Yijia faint.
Aunt Wang was truly so stifled she could not say it.
Jiang Jinzhi’s face turned green and white.
This was still the first time he had been refused so clearly, and he too felt a wave of frustration in his heart.
When Aunt Wang advised him to give up, he said decisively, “It must be that the betrothal gift is not enough, which is why she is unwilling to agree.”
Aunt Wang: “…” With your conditions, you’d be enough to marry a daughter from a family in Beijing, how is that not enough?
So, Aunt Wang was sent back to South Mountain Commune by Jiang Jinzhi once again.