After a few more words, everyone changed the topic and turned to talk about the starch sausage workshop.

Aunt Guixiang took a piece of it with chopsticks and immediately praised it highly: "Although it tastes different from meat, it tastes really good, better than some people's meat dishes!"

Not everyone in the village is as good at cooking as Miao. Some people are not smart and cook meat dishes by just boiling it in water, slicing it, and dipping it in autumn oil and garlic juice, but the meat smell can't be removed. Fortunately, the farmers rarely eat meat, so they can bear the fishy smell.

This starch sausage is different. Although it tastes like there is more noodles than meat, it tastes good and is cheaper than meat. Shen Qing plans to sell one for three cents, and deep-fried for five cents, and it can be even cheaper if the quantity is large. One sausage weighs more than two taels, enough to stir-fry a dish, and there must be many people who like to buy it.

Aunt Guixiang was even happier when she heard that Shen Qing was going to hand over the workshop to her and Zhao Shi. It was fine for her, but Shen Qing was willing to give Zhao Shi a chance, which made her remember this love even more. As a mother, who doesn't plan for her children? "I really have to thank Brother Qing for this. My son Shitou has been working with my husband for two years, but he is always not smart. I am worried!"

Aunt Guixiang sighed. Her eldest son Zhao Shi really took after his father Zhao Youdang, being more tolerant than dignified, and having a duller personality than Zhao Youdang. She found Qin Yingzi, an exceptionally smart and clever daughter-in-law, for Zhao Shitou to make up for this shortcoming and have someone to help him in the future. Although Zhao Shi should take over as village chief, it is not set in stone. Even Zhao Youdang was disliked by some people for not being able to control the villagers, and they kept urging his father-in-law to pass the position of village chief to his youngest son Zhao Youcai. But it was her late father-in-law who overcame all objections and forced the position to be passed to Zhao Youdang, which caused her sons to stop interacting with each other.

This is also the reason why even though Zhao Youdang became the village chief later, his prestige in the village was not high enough. He could not compare with the village chiefs of other villages, who had the final say in the village.

She was afraid that Zhao Shi would encounter such a thing in the future. Being the manager of the workshop would allow Zhao Shi to exercise his abilities. Secondly, as long as the workshop could grow bigger and become the main source of income for the villagers, Zhao Shi would have the title of the workshop manager. With the influence of Guiren and Qingge'er, it would be difficult for others to squeeze him out of the position of village chief!

As a result, Aunt Guixiang was afraid that the workshop would not run smoothly, so she was more attentive than Shen Qing. Shen Qing talked to her about some details, and turned around to see Lian Shi and Zhao Yu feeding Lian Qiao.

Lian Shi pushed Zhao Yu and insisted that he eat first. He took a small bowl, cut the vegetables into small pieces with a spoon, mixed them with rice and fed them to Lian Qiao. The food at Shen Qing's house was much better than that at Lian's house. Lian Qiao was a well-behaved child, eating one mouthful after another without making a fuss.

Zhao Yu couldn't refuse, so he secretly glanced at Second Aunt Lian. Seeing that Second Aunt Lian was listening attentively to the things happening in the workshop and didn't notice them, he quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and hurried to replace Lian Shi.

Lian Shi, however, refused to let go and kept asking him to eat more.

Shen Qing looked at it for a while and was actually a little absent-minded.

Lian Shi and Zhao Yu were one of the few couples in the village who were married after falling in love. Unlike other couples who were married blindly, Lian Shi had liked Zhao Yu since he was a child. When he reached the age of marriage, he begged his aunt Lian Er to marry Yu Ge'er. Originally, according to the wealthy family of the Lian family and the only son of Lian Er's aunt, she wanted to marry him a girl. But Lian Shi's pleading was unbearable, so she finally agreed to his wish.

Watching the two of them getting along, they were indeed different from the ordinary couples in the village. Their every move was full of intimacy, and when Yu Ge'er looked at Lian Shi, there was always a smile in his eyes.

Shen Qing heard from Miao that Yu Ge'er had only given birth to a boy named Lian Qiao. Although Second Aunt Lian didn't say anything, she was very upset and had been hoping that they could have another child like Zhao Aiye. But looking at Lian Shi's appearance at this moment, he didn't care about these things. He loved Lian Qiao like an eyeball. From the way he fed the child, it was clear that he was used to doing these things.

Shen Qing was stunned for a moment. He didn't know what he was looking at, or what he was envious of.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, interrupting Shen Qing's thoughts: "Is Qing'er's mother home?"

Because of Li Jiaofeng's matter, Aunt Guixiang came a little late, and they also finished their meal late, so there was still a small amount of food left on the plate. But if it were someone else's family, they would have finished their meal by this time, so it wouldn't be considered rude for someone to come over at this time.

Miao said, "I don't know who it is, but he's probably here to ask about the workshop. I'll just say a few words at the door."

However, when the gate was opened, it turned out to be a woman I didn't know well with a girl of fifteen or sixteen. This woman didn't have much friendship with Miao, and there was even some hidden grudge: this woman was Wang Liuzi's aunt, and Wang Liuzi and his family had always been unfriendly to Shen Qing, so Miao didn't have much contact with the women of the Wang family.

However, at this moment, Aunt Wang greeted Miao with a big smile on her face: "Oh, sister, it's been a long time since we last met. You look better and younger!"

Miao touched her hair unconsciously. This was true. Since leaving the old Shen family, Miao ate well, slept well, and was in a good mood. In addition, Shen Qing got face washers, face wipes, hair washes, and hair care products from the end of the world... Shen Qing even got some hair dye to dye her gray hair, but Miao refused.

They are all from the same village. Yesterday they had a lot of white hair, but the next day they were all black. Doesn't this make people think they are monsters?

Even if you don’t dye your hair, with both internal and external conditioning, how can you not look younger?

However, Miao didn't react to her compliments. She held onto the door frame and said, "Sister, what's the matter with you coming here today? I have a guest at home, so it's not convenient to invite you in. Please talk at the door."

Aunt Wang smiled and said, "I know, I know! Is it Lian Lao Er's family? I went to look for her too, and her family said that someone brought the child to your place."

This surprised Miao. He was not looking for her, but for Second Aunt Lian? Second Aunt Lian came out of the room after hearing this: "Sister Wang, you are looking for me? What's the matter?"

Aunt Wang didn't come to ask about the workshop. She could ask Miao or Second Aunt Lian about this matter. Wasn't it because Wang Liuzi and Shen Qing had a feud? She went to the Lian family, but she didn't expect Second Aunt Lian to come to Miao's house. It must be God's will. She couldn't avoid it. She was destined to come to the door this time!

But when she thought about the people from Shiqu Village who came to support Miao when she divorced, Miao Tongsheng was one of them, so he must have a say. Aunt Wang felt that it was worth it to risk her reputation: "I'm not here for anything else. Your niece is already fifteen years old. Even though I was born like a burnt paper, my little girl is like a flower. I just want to find a good family for her!"

It turned out that they came to ask for a reconciliation and matchmaking. Miao and Second Aunt Lian looked at each other. Aunt Wang specifically asked them to come. Maybe she had taken a fancy to a family in Shiqu Village and wanted to ask someone to mediate the reconciliation? Looking at Miss Wang, although she was not a great beauty, there was no ugly girl at the age of 18. Moreover, a 15-year-old girl was in her prime. She looked very well-behaved when she stood there. She was quite pretty and charming.

Miao thought about it and thought it was not a bad thing. Some people who were not matchmakers actually liked to be matchmakers because they thought it was a good thing to do and help people find a marriage. So she said, "Sister, which family are you interested in? If I can get a say, I will ask them. But I can't guarantee whether it will work out or not. If it doesn't work out, you can go talk to matchmaker Wei later."

"I saved it!" Aunt Wang was overjoyed when she heard that Miao had no intention of refusing. How could the girl just ask a matchmaker to come to her house for such a matter? If she was rejected, it would be embarrassing for the girl. It would be better to let the familiar family give a hint first, saying that the marriage is almost over, and then let the man find a matchmaker to come to the house to propose marriage. Aunt Wang said, "It's not someone else. You will definitely have a say. He even came to our village to speak up for you."

Miao and Aunt Lian were still wondering which man who had come out to make a name for himself had not yet married when they heard Aunt Wang say, "It's that Miao Tongsheng. I heard that his wife died, leaving behind two children. Isn't that pitiful! The children are still young and it's the hardest to take care of them. How can a family live without a woman? My daughter is very virtuous and likes children. She will definitely treat the two children he had as her own."

Miao and Second Aunt Lian were both stunned, and the people in the room couldn't sit still after hearing what they said. Aunt Guixiang stood up and peeked out through the crack in the door: "I want to see who is so shameless?"

Miao waved her hands quickly, "It's fine for others, but how can this Miao Tongsheng be wrong? His wife died on New Year's Eve, less than ten days ago, how can someone come to propose marriage to him? I asked for it, but he kicked me out!"

Aunt Wang said anxiously, "Why not? This good man is so popular. If you don't go now, it will be too late!" Although it is generally not easy to find a wife in this world, it depends on the person! A man with a good family or an excellent person will never lack a wife. If you have both, the matchmaker can trample the door flat and you will be very popular!

Aunt Wang knew very well that although her daughter was good-looking, she was born in the village and her family was average. It would be difficult for her to marry across social classes. The best way out was to become someone's second wife, so she became worried.

It's not that she was born shameless, but she had experienced a few things: before, there was a small boss who opened a grocery store in the county. His wife had just passed away and he only left a daughter. At that time, she was inexperienced and was afraid that it would be bad to ask about this when the man's wife had just passed away. She waited for three months before asking someone to mediate. Unexpectedly, the middleman came back and said that the couple had already made a promise in a month, and the new bride would be married after half a year, so they said it was too late!

But Aunt Wang regretted it so much that she encountered this situation several times. There were even some people who came to contact the wife before she died. After several times, Aunt Wang decided that her family could not be so honest anymore. If others could do it, why couldn't her family do it? The brave ones enjoy first!

Although Miao Tongsheng's family is not as wealthy as the small bosses in the city, there is an 80% chance that he will pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. His wife can become the wife of a scholar, or even the wife of a juren or an official! Wouldn't this make him even more popular? That's why he came in a hurry.

After hearing her story, Miao and Second Aunt Lian didn't know what to say. Although they understood Aunt Wang's urgency, they absolutely couldn't do it now! They could only refuse, "Sister, this Miao boy is different from the small business owner. He has a reputation and must be filial to his wife! If our girl really wants to do this, we will definitely help her in a year or half a year, but now it's not even three sevens, how can we open our mouths to do this!"

Aunt Wang had been talking so hard that Miao and Second Aunt Lian refused to agree. She was angry, but the news of building a workshop had already spread throughout the village. She was afraid of offending Miao and causing trouble for her family, so she could only reluctantly say, "Then... let's talk about it in a few months. When the so-called wife's mourning is over, remember to help my family mention it." She pulled her daughter in front of Miao and Second Aunt Lian and said, "She is really a good girl in every way. They will not let her down."

Miao and Aunt Lian agreed again and again before sending the man away. They returned to the house and looked at each other: What is going on?

Shen Qing listened for a long time, his expression changed from time to time. Seeing Miao coming back, he asked, "Mother, in a year or so, are you really going to talk to Miao Tongsheng's family about this marriage?"

Miao didn't expect Shen Qing to ask this, and asked in surprise: "Why not? Do you think she is unrefined and a bad person?"

Shen Qing stopped talking.

Miao smiled and said, "You can't look at things in this world that way. It makes sense for Aunt Wang to do such a thing." After all, Aunt Wang had really encountered this situation a few times, and others had tried to mediate early on, and it really worked out. She was following suit, so it wasn't wrong, but she just found the wrong person.

Miao and Aunt Lian couldn't say that Aunt Wang was wrong, but they didn't want to be like her.

Even Miao felt that Miao Tongsheng was different from those small bosses. Even if Aunt Wang found someone who was willing to help her reconcile, Miao Tongsheng would not agree.

"But there is one thing about her that mother agrees with. How can you know anything in this world if you don't try? For the future of your children, you have to try even more! I believe that if your aunt Lian and I reject her, she will probably go to others for help. What if she succeeds? Then her daughter will become the wife of a student, and may even become the wife of a scholar in the future. Miao Tongsheng is not a bad person. What's wrong with her wanting to find a good future for her daughter? After a year or so, the reason for your aunt Lian and I to have a grudge will no longer exist, so why can't we help her?"

Aunt Guixiang picked up the fried starch sausage with chopsticks and laughed as she ate: "How can Qingge understand all this now? When I was his age, I was the same. I thought everything was black and white. I realized when I got older that many things depend on the person, the matter, and even the occasion. When Aunt Wang first said that, I also thought she was so shameless. But after listening to her, I actually felt that she was very unlucky and even felt sorry for her."

Shen Qing opened his mouth and wanted to say something but in the end he didn't.

In addition to what Aunt Miao and Aunt Guixiang said, he had more secret, unspeakable questions in his heart. He wanted to ask Aunt Wang why she wanted to send her daughter to be a second wife. Wasn't she afraid that the man would change his mind soon after her daughter married him? After all, he was a man who remarried soon after his first wife died. If such a person did it once, would he do it again? He wanted to know if Lian Shi would always treat Zhao Yu like this? Even if Zhao Yu didn't give birth to a boy, would he still not change his mind after another ten or twenty years? He wanted to know...

But he knew that there was no answer to these questions. Even if Lian Shi could give an answer at this moment, would this answer not change in the future?

In the inner room, Lian Rong cried a few times while taking a nap. Aunt Lian went in quickly and patted her daughter soothingly, coaxing her: "Rong Jie'er must be scared today. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

The word "fear" was like a drop of water falling into mixed oil. Shen Qing suddenly grasped the jade pendant on his chest, and something in his mind suddenly exploded.

He then realized that the reason he had been struggling with so many things and unable to figure out so many problems was ultimately because he was afraid.

He asked himself in his heart, Shen Qing, what are you afraid of?