"So, it was a kind person outside who saved me?" the old woman asked, leaning against the headboard and holding her eldest son's hand.

The eldest son nodded, tears welling in his eyes. "Yes, those girls are very good, much better than those heartless families in the village."

The old woman shook her head without saying anything, her expression a mix of disappointment and resentment.

Seeing that their mother didn't speak, the three sons assumed she was tired and wanted to help her lie down to rest.

The old woman pushed her sons' hands away and steered the conversation to a completely unrelated topic, "I've been quite frightened by this illness, afraid that I might end up like your father one day. But you're all grown up now, so I don't have much to worry about. There's just one thing I'm still concerned about..."

The three of them spat and coughed, saying such unlucky things after just recovering from a serious illness. The old woman smiled, took her sons' hands, and said very seriously, "Children, hurry up and find wives. I want to see you get married before I close my eyes."

The three brothers looked at each other, wondering who would even think about marriage in this time of disaster. The youngest son hesitated and replied directly, "Mother, who would want to marry off their daughter right now? Besides, we don't have any money. Who in the surrounding area would want to marry into our family?"

Their poverty is an objective factor; they don't own more than a few acres of land, and the livestock they used to raise are gone, not to mention their savings.

The old woman coughed twice. How could she not know her own family's situation? Of course she knew that marrying a local girl was definitely not an option, since there were other girls available now.

Upon hearing their mother's words, the three sons instantly understood, their gazes seemingly looking through the window towards the house across the street.

The eldest son thought about those fair-skinned, jet-black girls. If one of them could become his wife, it would be like a windfall.

Compared to his eldest brother, the second son was more clear-headed. "Mom, she looks like a city girl. Why would she marry a country boy like us?"

The old woman didn't take her second son's words to heart at all. "So what if she's a girl from the city? My family was rich when I was a child. Later, we fell on hard times and I was sold to the village when I was eight or nine to be your father's wife. But I'm doing just fine now, aren't I?"

I don't know what the three sons were thinking, but they didn't say anything.

The old woman brushed a stray hair from her forehead and continued, "From what you just said, those women were just passing through. There's no village or shop in sight, so no one can find them. It's already difficult to find wives in this year of famine, and now you have such good options right in front of you, and you all refuse them?"

Even if the three sons were illiterate and dull-witted, they understood by now that their mother was telling them that this wasn't a marriage proposal at all, but human trafficking.

Of course, they didn't dare to directly criticize their mother. The younger son could only say in a more tactful way, "Mother, no matter how good they are, we're not a good match. They don't like us and will leave sooner or later. Why don't we wait until this year of disaster is over before talking about this?"

The old woman lying in bed heard the reluctance in her youngest son's tone and her face darkened immediately. "They haven't even said it's not suitable, and you're already saying it? Son, our family's situation is what it is. It's not easy to get married. Now, look how good this is! A girl from the city is right in front of you. If you don't take advantage of this opportunity, you'll never have another chance."

The twins exchanged a glance, a hint of wavering in their eyes.

The old woman saw her two sons' little tricks and decided to strike while the iron was hot. So she blurted out whatever was on her mind, "Besides, aren't feelings cultivated? The longer you spend together, the more they'll know how sincere you are, and they'll naturally come to like you too. They'll still be friends, so when they become sisters-in-law, it won't be too boring."