Chapter 23: A Fire Pit at Home

After three days of hard work, the cassava on the mountain was finally dug up and processed. It was all soaked in the river. After seven days, it could be fished out.

Finally having some free time, Ye Caiping sat down at the bronze mirror and took off the cloth on her forehead.

The wound on her forehead has healed, leaving only a light red mark, which I believe will fade away completely soon.

Now it's blocked by the scattered hair, and you can't see it unless you look at it closely.

At this time, Ye Lizheng came over and said, "Cai Ping, should we save some of this cassava for seeds?"

Ye Caiping said: "There is no need to save seeds for cassava. Just cut the branches into about 6 inches, dig a hole, and stick the branches into the soil, and it will grow. It is also very easy to grow, it is drought-resistant, barren-resistant, and has few diseases and insect pests. It is not picky about the soil and can be grown in thin fields."

"Is it so convenient?" Ye Lizheng's eyes lit up.

"Yes. The climate here is warm, so we can plant them now. When planting, space each tree about one and a half feet apart, and we can harvest in 10 months."

Ye Lizheng nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll go tell everyone right away."

Looking back, Ye Lizheng was organizing a village meeting again. The villagers were surprised to learn that cassava could be grown with only branches.

Seeing that there was a large amount of cassava, many villagers wanted to grow some on their own, so they pulled up a lot of branches and took them home.

Ye Lizheng also suggested that everyone work together to plant cassava branches in the original place on the mountain and harvest them together next year.

Old Man Ye and the men in his family are either working in the mountains with the villagers, or planting cassava in the fields, busy as hell.

The food crisis at home was finally resolved. Ye Caiping stretched and now she could finally do her own thing. The next step - making money!

She put on the backpack and prepared to go up the mountain.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I went out, I saw an old woman in her fifties with a red flower on her head walking towards me.

"Is this Ye Youtian's home?" asked the old woman.

"yes."

"Then you..." The old woman looked Ye Caiping from head to toe, and then from toe to head. She smiled and said, "She must be Ye Youtian's youngest daughter. Are your mother and sister-in-law at home?"

"Inside the house, mending the soles of my shoes."

"Okay, thank you."

The old woman entered the courtyard.

Ye Caiping was stunned. Look at her dress...is this old woman a matchmaker?

Ye Caiping didn't go up the mountain either, and hurriedly followed in.

…

Matchmaker Huang has been invited into the main room by Old Lady Ye.

She took the tea handed to her by Madam Du and said, "I just went to Wangjia Village to arrange a marriage for someone. I thought you were nearby, so I came in to sit down. Is the young lady who just left your house your youngest daughter?"

Old Lady Ye said anxiously, "Yes, yes, she is very pretty, isn't she? Is there any sign of marriage?"

Matchmaker Huang frowned and said, "She is beautiful, but your daughter is famous."

"Everyone in Dashu Town knows that she was divorced by Mr. Li. They all say that she is greedy and lazy, loves to squander money, and even beats her mother-in-law. This... no matter how beautiful she is, it won't work!"

"Only those fierce men dare to want her. By the way, Zhang the butcher from West Street came to me yesterday and wanted to marry a second wife. He said that she only needs to be pretty and has good character, and he will give a dowry of ten taels!"

When Old Lady Ye heard this, she stood up in anger and said, "Matchmaker Huang, I found you because I heard that you have a good reputation and never match people up randomly!"

"I never thought you would push my daughter into the fire. This butcher is notorious for his viciousness. He beat two daughters-in-law to death."

Matchmaker Huang rolled her eyes and said, "If he's not fierce enough, how can he control your daughter? It's still unclear who is the fire pit!"

What this means is that compared to Butcher Zhang, his daughter is even more of a pit!

Old Mrs. Ye was almost angry to death.

Matchmaker Huang continued, "The reason why I have a good reputation is because I never hide anything. You said that Zhang the Butcher has a bad reputation, but your daughter is no less bad."

"You are just pot calling the kettle black! As the saying goes, a pot fits a lid. Maybe when two fire pits collide, the fire will burn more and more fiercely, and the better it will be."

After saying this, Matchmaker Huang started laughing first.

Old Mrs. Ye was so choked that she couldn't speak.

Mrs. Du held back her laughter. What nonsense was this matchmaker Huang talking about?

The walls of the farmyard were not soundproof, and Ye Caiping could hear everything clearly from outside the door.

She was a little confused, realizing that she was actually a huge pit of fire!

But why, she was actually somewhat happy! !

At least it’s difficult for her parents to find a husband for her! Saves a lot of trouble.

Mrs. Du said, "Well, let's not talk about my sister-in-law for now. Why don't you see if there is a suitable girl? My Dalang is already 19."

Matchmaker Huang raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh, with a girl like this, your son still wants to marry?"

Ye Caiping: “…”

Old Lady Ye and Mrs. Du: "..."

"Everyone knows how your sister-in-law was divorced. She bankrupted her husband's family and emptied her parents' family. And your family is still letting her go."

As she spoke, Matchmaker Huang shook her head:

"It's okay that our family is poor and we live in a thatched hut. I'm just afraid that when your sister-in-law remarries in the future, your family will continue to be drained of their wealth by her like before."

"Who wants to live a hopeless life like this? Which girl would dare to jump into this fire pit?"

Come on, both are hell!

Mrs. Du jumped up in anger: "You, you——"

But it is irrefutable.

Matchmaker Huang stood up and said, "I came here today to tell you about that butcher Zhang. Think about it for a few days. If you are willing, come to town to find me."

Old Lady Ye smiled wryly: "Don't think about it, this family... we are not destined to be together."

"Okay. If there's a suitable family, I'll come again."

After saying this, Matchmaker Huang left.

Mrs. Du sipped her tea angrily, "Yong'er is 19 now! I don't know what will happen if we delay it any further. If not... Humph!"

He blamed Ye Caiping in every word.

Old Lady Ye frowned. She knew that Ye Yong was implicated by Cai Ping, so she couldn't get angry. "Okay, let's ask another matchmaker to look for one."

"Sister-in-law, Yong'er is so old now, why don't you ask for his opinion? Maybe he has his own ideas." Ye Caiping walked in.

Old Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Du were shocked.

Old Lady Ye asked, "Cai Ping, how long have you been standing outside?"

"Well, from the time the matchmaker came in until now." Ye Caiping sat down next to Old Lady Ye.

"My son... don't take to heart what the matchmaker said just now. She just has bad intentions." Old Mrs. Ye was afraid that Matchmaker Huang would hurt Ye Caiping, so she kept comforting her.

"It's okay." Waving her hand, Ye Caiping looked at Mrs. Du: "Sister-in-law, why don't you ask Yong'er for any ideas?"

Ye Caiping remembered what she saw last time on the mountain. Ye Yong is with a girl and they seem to be in a special relationship.

Mrs. Du was annoyed that Ye Caiping had dragged down Ye Yong, so she glanced at her and said, "Ask him? Oh, you're not talking about Hu Xiuxiu, are you?"

Ye Caiping was stunned. That girl’s name is Hu Xiuxiu? Your family actually knew about this?

Old Lady Ye asked, "Cai Ping, have you seen them together? Doesn't that girl have big eyes, not very white, but with delicate features?"

"Um."

"That's her." Mrs. Du curled her lips, "She said the bride price is 20 taels! We can't afford it."

Old Lady Ye whispered, "We all know that Yong'er loves Hu Xiuxiu. We went to the Hu family to test the waters last year. When Xiuxiu's mother heard the signs, she spoke openly, saying that her daughter is the best and she wants 20 taels, otherwise she won't marry her off."