Zhou Jiao did not say anything to criticize others. She followed Qingshan's wife's force and followed several cousins ​​to the center of the village, to Zhang Tiezhu's house.

Before they could get close, the courtyard surrounded by bamboo fences was filled with villagers, young and old, talking to each other in a noisy manner, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

"I really can't help it. Lao Han from the next village has already agreed with me to borrow half a head of meat from his family. He will return it to me when he kills the pig at the end of the year. Everyone, please come over for a drink tomorrow. I'm sorry."

Zhou Jiao glanced at Zhang Tiezhu, who was speaking. He was about the same age as her father-in-law. With a smile on his face, he bowed and apologized to everyone. He looked like the boss of the family!

"That's what you said. How much wine have you prepared for tomorrow?"

The people present started to make a fuss after hearing this.

Seeing this, Zhang Tiezhu smiled and replied, "Not much, not much. How about we use water as wine?"

The people present also understood these polite words and laughed and joked around.

Qingfeng's wife looked at the pig on the door panel with disappointment, "Half a pound will do."

Zhou Jiao knew there was no hope, so she pulled them together and planned to leave.

"Look again, there's still half a pig. Uncle Zhuzi's family can't afford so much."

Oh, this is not giving up.

Zhou Jiao smiled and stopped walking, standing quietly there, looking at the people around her.

"Auntie, give me some meat."

Hearing this, Aunt Tiezhu looked at her husband eagerly. She said the old man shouldn't have agreed to the old fool from the neighboring village in the first place. Returning the pig at the end of the year? How could it be the same? Could the team be short of a New Year pig?

The people gathered here were all family members. When there was something wrong, everyone would help each other and no one from outside the family would be given an advantage. If the old fool hadn't saved her husband when he was young, she would have wanted to slam the table!

From the neighboring houses came the cries of the children's father, the dog and the baby calling for food. Apart from a few people who sincerely wanted to buy some meat to satisfy their family's cravings, the onlookers gradually began to disperse.

"Second Aunt, the wedding is tomorrow. If you need any help, just give me a shout. Have you paid for the change of name? Where is the groom? Why can't I see him?"

"The child is going to pick up his grandmother. You guys come early tomorrow..." After the son's wedding, the old couple can be considered to have accomplished a major event.

A clan aunt was puffing away at her pipe. She puffed smoke from her nose and asked mysteriously, "What do new brides get as dowries?"

Speaking of dowries, Aunt Tiezhu has been feeling really pent up these days. She was just about to chat with someone, but when she saw the other daughters-in-law busy at work, she smiled and shook her head. "I didn't ask. I heard the in-laws let the children bring back the betrothal money. It's fine as long as the two children like each other. No dowry is a big deal."

The old ladies who knew each other's temperament well all thought that the new bride's dowry must be good, otherwise Aunt Tiezhu would not be so happy.

"Old sister, now that the youngest has finished his work, isn't it time to split up the family?"

Aunt Tiezhu spat, "What nonsense are you talking about? This person hasn't even entered the door yet."

"Okay, we need to think carefully about dividing the family property. We have to wait a few years at least." An old lady nearby, holding a large bowl and sipping corn porridge, tried to stop them.

How tactless! Didn't he see that Tiezhu's daughters-in-law were eagerly waiting for the division of the family property?

"This time, there's a new daughter-in-law, and the family doesn't have much money. If we divide the family, we won't be able to build a yard for the children. The children's father said we can talk about dividing the family after a few years when we have more money."

Zhang Tiezhu, watching his eldest son chop meat, was furious. This silly woman was so aggressive, she just kept saying whatever she wanted. He quickly waved his hand, "Mother, you're the one who'll take care of the rest of the arrangements."

When Aunt Tiezhu saw her husband finish speaking, the old sisters winked at her and she silently calculated how much she should give away in order to hold the wedding banquet.

"Master, can you give the old fool a little less meat? There's nothing big going on in his family, so twenty or thirty pounds of meat is more than enough. Do you think this much is enough?"

Zhang Tiezhu's smile froze upon hearing this. This silly woman! I'd already agreed with my brother to send them to his daughter in the city, and they were selling them for two yuan a pound! Otherwise, why would they raise pigs even if it meant risking their lives? They were planning to take advantage of their eldest son's wedding to sell them at a high price.

"That's right, big sister, you're right! In my opinion, I don't know what to do with so many?" said an aunt. When she saw the silence around her, she quickly slapped her mouth and laughed awkwardly, "Look at my mouth!"

The villagers were kindhearted, so they all pretended not to hear and immediately changed the subject. This couldn't get out, or the old fool would come knocking.

Why do people call that old guy an old fool?

That's Hanzi, he doesn't care about anything. Now that you've started to destroy his reputation, he'll definitely bring his son to fight you!

Who dares to sell it privately nowadays?

The old ladies in the city who were wearing red security armbands were wandering around. They looked at strangers as if they were enemies and would stare at them if they saw anything wrong.

And if some black-hearted person reports this, the old fool will be killed! Even if the old fool makes trouble in the village, no one can be partial to the strong one!

Others can pretend to be deaf and dumb, but Zhang Tiezhu can't!

Isn't this just a trap for my brother? He's been disliked by his mother since he was a child. When he gets into trouble, his brothers run away. Who can be like the old fool? He treats me more honestly than his brothers, and even the piglets are his own.

"Boss, what do you think we should do?"

Zhang Tiezhu said with a smile, "Don't touch the old fool's share! This meat is for his brother-in-law. His nephew has made great contributions in the army, and the county officials have been beating drums and gongs to announce the good news home. They are waiting for the meat to arrive to treat everyone."

"Oh, I'd completely forgotten about this if you hadn't mentioned it. The Liu family is looking for a grandson's wife for this promising grandson. If any of you have a suitable daughter, you can try your luck. If it works out, you'll have a good life. This is a great match!"

The person who said this was an elderly woman in the village, a well-known matchmaker nearby. She was warm, eloquent, and honest. She never took advantage of her situation to cheat, always speaking the truth. Yet, despite this beloved and hated matchmaker, people still turned to her for marriage proposals.

Most of the young men and women in Zhangjia Village were matchmakers because of her, and even families that had already reached an agreement on both sides were willing to use her as a matchmaker.

For example, the marriages of Zhang Guoqing and his three brothers were all arranged by Aunt Zhang.

As for Aunt Zhang, not only the villagers who were born and raised in the village, but even Zhou Jiao believed that her source of information was authentic. After all, this was her mother-in-law's best friend!

Now, all the families with girls of marriageable age were intrigued and were asking about the Liu family boy. For example, how old was he this year? Was he energetic? How much did he earn per month?

Who would still be thinking about pork at this moment? If there are no girls of marriageable age in one's own family, don't they still have their parents' family? The elderly are thinking about their granddaughters, while the young, like Qingshan's wife, are thinking about their nieces.

It was not appropriate for us to talk too openly in front of so many people. If it didn't work out, it would only damage our reputations. So we started asking around in a subtle way.

Aunt Zhang had been a matchmaker for so many years, how could she not know the ins and outs of this? So without waiting for them to ask more, she told them everything she knew.

Zhang Tiezhu smiled with satisfaction. With this explosive news, he doubted anyone would remember what had just happened. To stop these old women from talking nonsense, he finally gave away another ten pounds of meat.

Don't think ten pounds of meat is too little. In the city, even with meat coupons, it costs more than 80 cents per pound. In the village, apart from not being accused of something and being beaten, everyone usually charges a friendly price of only one yuan per pound, and they are also generous with the fattier pork belly. It really makes old man Zhang Tiezhu feel bad!

Even though these old ladies and young wives kept clamoring for Aunt Tiezhu to share some of the food, when it came down to it, they would only buy about half a pound, which they would then share with their family members over several meals.

Without any distinguished guests and it being Chinese New Year, no one would be willing to spend more. Even if you were willing to bite the bullet and spend, rumors would spread that someone's family had a spendthrift wife. Many families only receive about twenty yuan in dividends a year.

Imagine a woman who dares to marry a woman who weighs several kilograms, even though she only has one kilogram of meat. Who could afford this? Worse still, her children would be looked down upon for having a greedy elder in their family when they find a partner. They're afraid their daughters will marry someone who looks good, but will end up marrying someone who is too lazy to be like her elders.

Zhou Jiao understood this, so she hadn't planned on buying any meat; she was just there to join in the fun. So when Tiezhu's wife cut a whole pound of fat-heavy pork belly, tied it with straw, and handed it directly to her, it was like a time bomb, and her eyebrows twitched in fear.

Could it be that she would take over her mother's legacy and become a spendthrift daughter-in-law?

Looking at Aunt Tiezhu, who was smiling and hanging straw ropes on her fingers, Zhou Jiao could only accept it silently and took out a dollar and handed it to her.

Tiezhu's wife slapped her outstretched right hand away and feigned anger, "You look down on your aunt, don't you? If I accept your money, am I still a human being?"

Zhou Jiao was at a loss and said quickly, "Auntie, please don't say that. How much effort does it take to raise a pig like this? If this came from your vegetable garden, I would still have the nerve to accept it."

As he spoke, he stuffed the money into the other person's pocket. Oh, these are all patches, will the clothes be torn by pushing and stuffing? Zhou Jiao looked at the other person and was about to cry. She knew that there was something exciting that she couldn't bear to watch!

"Don't push! How many wild animals has Xiaowu hunted in our village? If you two hadn't given the canteen so many food coupons in the past two years, would our Zhang family still be alive and well? You're slapping me in the face!"

"That's right, Xiaowu's family, take it back now! Don't be polite to your Aunt Tiezhu! If we weren't still struggling, we would have treated you two to a meal."

"Yes, it's all thanks to these two kids! If it weren't for Xiaowu setting up the village clinic, who knows how many people would have died in the past few years. Thanks to the brown sugar, my grandchildren didn't suffer any loss."

"Alas... let alone the past two years, I was really nervous. Take it, child. I'm not being polite to you, but it was Xiaowu who helped you get the cloth coupons for your brother's wedding. If I accept your money, how can I still live in this village?"

Seeing the stingy old lady resolutely refusing, Zhou Jiao put away the money and said cheerfully, "Since you say so, I won't be polite."

"That's it! You're such a straightforward person! Bring your kids here early tomorrow, and Auntie will save some meatballs for you!"

Zhou Jiao nodded repeatedly, her eyes beaming, but the weight of a pound of pork belly in her hands made her feel a bit breathless. For Aunt Tiezhu, who even cried over the waste of pig blood, what kind of love was this?

She and her husband had given so much to the villagers, always seeking peace of mind, never expecting anything in return. But this reward appeared before their eyes in the blink of an eye...

Who says that illiterate old farmers are inferior to intellectuals?