“Mother, I’ll take Changdui and Changquan to find Yanxia tomorrow. What if they hit it off with Guihua and Lamei? Then our family will be rich! What are you worried about in the future? Yanxia is a bit of a fool, but she’s so good to her two daughters. I saw it today. Guihua and Lamei were wearing gold and silver, and the jade bracelet on her wrist was as white as milk. I think it’s called something like, yes, mutton fat jade. If you ask me, she could just raise the girls and get them married off with a dowry. But she’s a fool and raises her two daughters like gold nuggets.”

"But it's all for the best. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let Changdui and Changquan marry them. My son is so handsome; those two brats would definitely fall for him. Mother, once your grandsons are married, we'll move into Yanxia's mansion and enjoy life like rich people."

Zhu Qiumei's eyes lit up.

I'm already imagining a wonderful future life in my mind.

She planned to have Yan Xia hire ten maids to serve her, one to feed her fruit, one to massage her feet, and another to rub her shoulders.

When she was in a good mood, she would reward the maid with a few copper coins, and the maid would be grateful to her. When she was in a bad mood, she would take her anger out on the maid.

It's okay if you kill him.

"Is that really true? Before, when Yan was recruiting flower farmers in the village, I squeezed my way to the front but she still didn't choose me. People change once they have money. Yan used to play with you when you were little. Once when she came to our house, I saw that she was covered in sweat, so I gave her a big bowl of water to drink. That's a whole bowl of water! She didn't even repay the kindness. I guess she's not a good person. Her two daughters are also used to dressing up. I saw them during the New Year. They were dressed up in all sorts of fancy clothes. They're obviously not honest. Humph, just like their widow mother. They love to seduce people."

"You even threw a full-month celebration for your granddaughter! You've got too much money to burn! Here's what we'll do: tomorrow you take Changdui and Changquan to town and tell them to get married quickly. Xiao Jiu is smart; while he's only ten, have Yan Xia pay for his schooling. Xiao Jiu is your nephew, the only son of the Zhu family. You have to help him out, don't forget your roots, understand?"

Tian was nagging Zhu Qiumei.

She was afraid that if her grandson married Yan Xia's daughter, he would become a phoenix and wouldn't support the Zhu family anymore.

If it weren't for the fact that the osmanthus and winter plum are too old, and the grandson is too young.

She actually wanted her grandson to marry him.

"No, you just said that Yan Xia's granddaughter is having her one-month celebration, right? Here's what we'll do: tomorrow you take Xiao Jiu with you and arrange a marriage between him and Yan Xia's granddaughter. When she turns thirteen or fourteen, Xiao Jiu can marry her. However, if Xiao Jiu passes the imperial examinations and becomes an official, then Yan Xia's granddaughter won't be good enough for my grandson. Remember, this is just a verbal arrangement, so that the Yan family won't cling to my grandson later, hmph."

Tian's cloudy eyes darted around.

She set her sights on Tuanzi.

If her grandson gets engaged to Yan Xia's granddaughter, then the Yan family will definitely have to raise her grandson well.

If Xiao Jiu proves himself and passes the imperial examinations, becoming a scholar or official, he will be fortunate enough to achieve this.

Her Zhu family was not a farming family.

Perhaps her grandson can even earn her an imperial title.

The more they thought about it, the more they daydreamed. The two stood in the yard, lost in their own daydreams in the darkness, almost carried away by mosquitoes.

"Smack—"

Zhu Qiumei slapped herself, leaving a bloody mark on her face. By the moonlight, she looked at her palm and saw a dead mosquito covered in blood.

“Mother, what nonsense are you talking about? If Changdui and Changquan marry Yanxia’s daughter, and then you arrange for Xiao Jiu to be betrothed to her granddaughter, what kind of talk is that? If outsiders knew, they would probably laugh at our family.”

She was somewhat dissatisfied.

Zhu Qiumei wasn't stupid; she knew her mother thought this way because she was afraid her sons wouldn't support their nephew in the future.

But since her surname is Zhu, she knows very well what's more important.

Why doesn't Mother believe her?

"Slap—Ouch, so many mosquitoes. Go inside and sleep. Tomorrow, Mom will go with you. Who cares what the villagers think? Didn't you say that after Changdui and Changquan get married, we'll move to town? Who will recognize us then? Money talks. What's the point of talking to those poor bastards? Alright, I'm sleepy. You should wash up and go to bed too."

Tian slapped the back of her hand, killing two mosquitoes in the process. The itching from the back of her hand annoyed her. After saying that, she ignored Zhu Qiumei and went straight back to her room.

The next morning.

Zhu Qiumei stopped her two sons who were about to go to the fields.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Li Changquan asked, carrying a hoe.

"Go and change into some newer clothes with your older brother, without any patches. Also, wash your hair properly and tie it up high, so you'll look more presentable. I'm taking you to meet potential partners today."

Zhu Qiumei only wanted her sons to change their clothes, but when she got closer and smelled their hair, she found that both of them smelled bad.

The smell made her nose wrinkle.

"Yes, Mother, I'll go right now."

Li Changquan put down his hoe and obediently went to the kitchen to fetch water.

"Wash your hair now? It won't dry properly, how are we going to fix it?" Li Changdui refused to wash his hair, leaning against a pillar with an impatient look on his face.

Ordinary farmers, though their hair is long, usually tie it up at the back of their heads with thin strips of linen or wrap it in a towel for convenience while working. It's not very aesthetically pleasing, though, and those linen towels are washed only once in a long while, so you can't even tell their original color anymore.

That's why farmers always have an unpleasant body odor.

Some families who value their appearance will tie their hair up high with a soft cloth, then roll it into a bun shape or a ponytail and let it fall behind their heads.

He looks incredibly energetic.

Although it's not as dashing as a wealthy young master with his hair tied up in a bun and wearing a small crown, it's still a hundred times better than being wrapped in a smelly towel.

Here, both men and women have long hair, unlike in modern times where it's convenient to wash it every two or three days or even every day. There are no hair dryers, so they can only rely on natural air drying. Therefore, washing your hair once every two weeks is considered diligent.

Li Changdui didn't want to wash his hair, so he stood there and refused to move.

"Alright, alright, if you don't want to wash, then don't. Just tie it up. No need to wash, Changquan. You don't need to wash either. Go change your clothes. We're leaving soon. Our village doesn't have oxcarts now, so we have to walk to the town. Changdui, go change your clothes."

"Mother, we're leaving. Are you done yet?" After urging her two sons, Zhu Qiumei went to Tian's room and urged her mother.

As soon as she went inside, she saw her mother changing her nephew's clothes.

“Mom, Xiao Jiu is already ten years old. In other families, he would be able to work in the fields. Why do you still have to dress him yourself?”

Although Zhu Qiumei spoiled her son, she didn't spoil him to this extent.

She noticed that her nephew was already up to her shoulder height, but he still looked like a baby.

At such a young age, he already has a big belly; all he knows how to do when it comes to eating, drinking, and dressing is open his mouth and reach out his hands.

Lazy as a pig.

"Ten years old is still a child, why can't I wear it? My dear grandson, you don't listen to your aunt. Grandma has prepared two pancakes for you to eat on the way, so that my dear grandson won't get tired and hungry."