Because of the new scoring system, everyone's work efficiency was indeed much higher, and very few people tried to slack off, since it was related to their own income. A few were still not giving up, thinking it was just a casual remark, so they symbolically picked some tea leaves. But when the day laborers went to hand in their tea, they were dumbfounded. Sure enough, the production team leader was there with a scale to weigh the leaves. After weighing them, the team leader said, "Zhao Yuanbao, eight ounces."

Zhao Yuanbao asked, "Captain, how many points is that?"

The team leader said, "It's not certain yet, it might be 8 cents."

"Huh? Only eight cents?" Zhao Yuanbao was a little incredulous. Usually, a fully-fledged man would get two cents for going to work in the morning. Now, after a whole morning of work, he only got eight cents, which was less than half of what he usually earned.

The team leader said, "It might be even less. Some people picked three jin (1.5 kg) in just one morning. Secretary Shen said that the money from selling tea leaves will be distributed separately and will not be included in the regular income. So the more you pick, the more money you will make."

Zhao Yuanbao scratched his face, then turned and left. The team leader added, "Don't even think about taking advantage of the situation anymore. Tea picking is no longer about eating from the same pot."

After breakfast, many housewives appeared on the tea mountain. They had heard that tea picking was done by the quantity of tea picked, so of course the more the better. Housewives who usually did housework at home all came out. Although many of them had bound feet, this did not hinder their skilled tea picking techniques. They were much faster than the clumsy men, their hands moving incredibly fast.

After the morning's weighing process, everyone finally realized that the newly introduced rules were not just for show, but for real, and everyone perked up and picked tea leaves carefully.

With the good weather, the tea leaves picked were processed that very day. Soon, the long-lost aroma of tea filled Moon Bay, its rich and enticing fragrance soothing and refreshing, as if the good old days had returned. The delightful aroma of tea infused people's lives with new flavor, giving everyone a sense of hope for the future.

That evening, after everyone had eaten dinner, they closed their doors and prepared to rest. Zhao Mingyue lit an oil lamp and studied with Zhao Minglang under it when they heard a knock at the door. Who could it be so late at night? Zhao Mingyue got up to open the door and heard her mother answer from the other room, "Who is it?"

"Auntie, it's me."

Zhao Mingyue recognized her cousin Zhao Mingxiu's voice and quickly got up to go outside. Her mother was already opening the door. The wooden door creaked open, and Zhao Mingxiu stood in the doorway. Zhao Mingyue asked, "Xiuer, what's wrong?"

Zhao Mingxiu wiped her eyes with her sleeve and said, "Auntie, Sister Mingyue, my mom and dad are arguing." Her voice was trembling with tears.

"What happened?" Zhao Shunsheng also put on his clothes and came out. "Let's go and take a look."

Zhao Mingxiu said, "Today, Qiaozui Li came to my house to talk to my mother. Then, my mother said something to my father, and my father started arguing with her."

Zhao Shunsheng said, "Let's go, let's hurry over to your house and take a look."

Zhao Mingyue held Zhao Mingxiu's hand and followed behind her parents, while Zhao Minglang also came along.

Upon entering their second uncle's house, they found it silent. Only Zhao Minggang sat blankly under the lamp, glancing up at them without a word, like a wooden statue. Zhao Mingxiu went to the inner room to check: "My dad's out, and my mom's in bed. I'm going to find him." Zhao Minglang went with his cousin to look for them.

Hu Nianchun went into the inner room, and Zhao Mingyue followed him in. The room was dark, but the light shining from the main room made it possible to vaguely see the shadows of people on the bed. Hu Nianchun said to Wang Zhaodi on the bed, "Zhaodi, are you asleep?"

Wang Zhaodi turned over, sat up on the bed, and wiped her face: "Sister-in-law."

Hu Nianchun said, "I just heard Mingxiu say that you and Desheng had a fight? What was it about?"

Wang Zhaodi raised her voice: "What's the matter? Go ask him. There's a good deal coming your way, but he absolutely refuses and even argued with me."

"Why is that? I heard from Mingxiu that the 'Curly-lipped Carp' came to your house."

"Turquoise Carp" is a nickname. In Moon Bay, there are two matchmakers: Aunt Luo and Turquoise Carp. Although both are matchmakers, their methods are completely different. Aunt Luo usually arranges respectable marriages, only introducing unmarried men and women of similar social standing and circumstances. She's reliable and has a high success rate. Turquoise Carp, on the other hand, does all sorts of matchmaking. Whether it's a second or third marriage, a mentally challenged person, or a cripple, as long as there's a need and money to be made, she'll do it. She even arranges ghost marriages, only stopping now that they're forbidden. Turquoise Carp has a silver tongue; she can make the crooked straight, the square round, and the dead come back to life. She's a master con artist, extremely unreliable, so respectable families avoid her for marriage, fearing it might bring bad luck.

Wang Zhaodi said, "Yes, today Qiaozui Li came to our house to act as a matchmaker for Minggang."

Hu Nianchun asked in surprise, "Really? Whose family are you talking about?"

Wang Zhaodi said, "It's from Wang Changfu's family."

Zhao Mingyue was shocked to hear this. Hu Nianchun was also startled: "Don't scare me, Wang Qiulan?" Wang Qiulan was the only eligible daughter in the Wang family.

Wang Zhaodi tapped the back of her right hand against her left palm: "It's her. When Qiaozui Li told me this, it made me so angry. Is my Minggang really that bad that he has to marry a crazy, worn-out woman?"

Hu Nianchun waved his hand and said, "That's right, you should refuse him right away. What kind of people are they? Isn't this ruining Minggang's reputation?"

Wang Zhaodi hesitated and said, "But Minggang is getting old and can't find a wife. Qiaozui Li said that Wang Qiulan is not bad looking and is fertile. If we marry her, we can have children and have an heir. Moreover, the Wang family doesn't want a penny of dowry and is willing to give a sewing machine as a dowry."

Hu Nianchun felt very uncomfortable. Just because it didn't cost any money and even made a profit, it seemed a bit too stingy. She said unhappily, "Didn't you ask Minggang what he thought? Was he willing or not?"

Wang Zhaodi said, "Minggang didn't say he was unwilling."

Zhao Mingyue, who had been listening nearby, was furious and could no longer remain silent. She walked out of the door, creating a gust of wind that made the lights in the main room flicker: "Minggang, tell me the truth, do you really want to marry a crazy woman? Do you want your child to be cursed for having a crazy mother in the future?"

Zhao Minggang turned his head, looked at Zhao Mingyue, moved his lips, but didn't say anything.

Zhao Mingyue was an impatient person. Seeing Zhao Minggang's slow and indecisive nature, she was so anxious she was about to explode. She rushed up to him and said, "Say something to me! You're so eager to get married that you'll take any woman, no matter what she is?"

Zhao Minggang moved his lips slightly and mumbled softly, "I don't want to."

Seeing Zhao Minggang like this, unable to utter a sound even after being hit three times, Zhao Mingyue almost wanted to crack open his head to see what was inside.

Zhao Shunsheng sat at the table, looked at Zhao Minggang, shook his head helplessly, and quietly advised his nephew, analyzing the pros and cons for him.

Zhao Mingyue turned and went back into the inner room: "Second Aunt, how could you be so confused?"

Wang Zhaodi looked at her niece without saying a word.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Is my brother Minggang only good enough for a crazy woman like Wang Qiulan? You really don't understand. What kind of people are the Wang family? They're ruthless and stingy, you won't find another family like them in Moon Bay. But now they're willing to send their daughter to your family, they can't wait to get rid of this hot potato. It shows how much they don't want this trouble. You really want to take it and raise a madwoman for them?"

Wang Zhaodi said, "But Wang Qiulan can still have children. We married her mainly to carry on the family line." The implication was that she wanted to use Wang Qiulan's pregnancy.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Wang Qiulan is crazy. How can her child be healthy? From now on, your family will be serving both the big madwoman and the little madwoman. You still won't be comfortable enough? Do you want to have the child and then return the big madwoman? Be careful not to be greedy for small gains and suffer big losses."

Hearing her niece say this, Wang Zhaodi was a little unhappy: "Why do you say that? Wang Qiulan wasn't crazy before."

Zhao Mingyue sneered: "Do you know how Wang Qiulan went mad? She tried to curse me, but failed and was backfired on, which is why she went insane. If she had succeeded in cursing me, I would be the one dead now. Do you think you could trust marrying a woman like that?"

Wang Zhaodi hesitated and said, "Is...is this true?"

“How could it not be? Back then, Mingyue was heartbroken for three or four days for no reason, and almost lost her life,” Hu Nianchun said coldly.

"She's gone mad, she probably won't do those things again," Wang Zhaodi hesitated.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Who do you think Wang Qiulan learned that kind of thing from? If you can't stand that crazy woman in the future and send her back, what if her mother holds a grudge against you and comes after you again?"

When it came to her personal safety, Wang Zhaodi finally showed a look of fear on her face.

Zhao Shunsheng, who had been silent until now, said in the main room, "Second Aunt, it's not that I have a problem with you, but if you agree to this, then our two families should stop having anything to do with each other. We can't possibly be relatives with our enemies." Wang Changfu and Tang Jiumei's move was really ruthless; they actually tried to send Wang Qiulan here to annoy them.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Second Aunt, although my brother Minggang is a bit honest, he is healthy, has good features, and is hardworking. As long as you are willing to spend money, it will not be difficult for you to find him a girl from a respectable family."

Hu Nianchun also said, "That's right, Zhaodi, don't be stingy. Money still needs to be spent. How is Minggang any worse than others? If you don't have enough money, our family can help you out. Just don't go looking for shady people and ruin Minggang's life. He's only in his twenties, he has a long life ahead of him. Aren't you pushing him into a fire pit?"

Wang Zhaodi is stingy and unwilling to spend money, so she has been dragging it out until now without finding a wife for her son.

Zhao Mingyue continued, “Second Aunt, you’re a smart woman. You should be able to calculate things better than we are. Let me explain. Even if you spend five hundred yuan to marry a wife, it’s still better than marrying a crazy woman who can’t do any work and only knows how to eat. Even if she only eats one jin of rice a day, not counting vegetables, cooking oil, or firewood, rice costs 13.8 yuan a jin now, which is almost fifty yuan a year. You also have to provide her with clothes and shelter, which all adds up to money. She’s also sick. What if she breaks some pots and pans or needs medicine? That adds up to money too. In less than ten years, at most five, you’ll lose all the five hundred yuan you saved. If you marry a decent daughter-in-law, she can help with everything. Our village’s tea garden can sell tea now. Besides food and clothing, she’ll definitely earn more than fifty yuan a year. In less than ten years, you’ll have earned back that five hundred yuan. You’ll also have a capable daughter-in-law. Second Aunt, don’t worry about immediate gains. Think long-term.”

Hu Nianchun said, "That's right, you don't have to worry about her, you don't have to do her laundry or starching. When she's really insane, she might even hit people. Why would you want to suffer like that? She can't even take care of a baby. She might accidentally kill the baby at birth. Why did you marry a crazy woman? You're just making a laughingstock of yourself in the village. How will you ever be able to hold your head up again?"

After hearing Zhao Mingyue's analysis, Wang Zhaodi thought to herself, "That's right. If you calculate it that way, it really is a loss. I might not even have to spend five hundred yuan to marry a daughter-in-law." She said, "Then forget it. I'll go find Luo Wu's wife and ask her to find a good family's daughter for Minggang. It's okay if it costs a little more money."

Hu Nianchun and Zhao Mingyue both breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Zhao Minglang accompanied Zhao Desheng in. He also learned the general outline of what had happened from his second uncle. His second aunt wanted to marry Zhao Minggang to Wang Qiulan, but since it wouldn't cost any money, his second uncle disagreed, and the couple started arguing, breaking several bowls in the house. Fortunately, Wang Zhaodi remembered that those things had been bought with money, so she didn't smash the pots.

Zhao Desheng was still angry and shouted, "If you agree, I'll leave you and take my children with me! Go marry him!" Honest people usually don't have much of a temper, but when they do, it's a big one because their bottom line has been crossed.

Wang Zhaodi said, "Who agreed?"

Zhao Desheng was somewhat surprised that the desired effect hadn't been achieved; he had thought Wang Zhaodi would insist on marrying Wang Qiulan. He took a breath: "We shouldn't have agreed in the first place. What kind of people are they? What decent family would want them? Aren't you just wasting our time?"

Zhao Minglang said, "Second Uncle is right. A real man shouldn't worry about not having a wife. What does Minggang lack that he has to pick up such a worn-out woman? If he marries her, everyone will laugh at our family. How will we ever be able to hold our heads up again? Let me make this clear: if he marries that woman, I will never be brothers with Minggang again. I will cut off all ties with him from now on." He absolutely could not be related to the person who almost killed his sister.

Zhao Shunsheng said, "Alright. Your second aunt has come to her senses and this won't happen again. Don't worry, Minggang, good things come to those who wait, you'll definitely find a good wife."

Zhao Minggang nodded silently.

Hu Nianchun said, "Alright, then you all should rest well. We're going back now."

Even after leaving her second uncle's house, Zhao Mingyue still felt a tightness in her chest when she thought about it. She said, "That Wang family is really disgusting. Who are they trying to annoy?"

Zhao Minglang said, "It takes two to tango. It's also because Second Aunt is muddle-headed and has a habit of being greedy for small gains. How can she be so greedy for something like this?"

Zhao Mingyue recalled Mingxiu's suicide in her past life, which ruined their marriage. Zhao Minggang didn't marry until he was thirty, to a widow with two children. She wondered if his fate could change in this life. Frankly, with his personality—weak and incompetent—no girl she knew would want to marry him. But this kind of man also had his advantages; he was suitable as a husband, especially for controlling women like her second aunt—obedient and easy to manage.

Zhao Mingyue didn't know what her cousin's future would be like, but she was determined to save Mingxiu, and Wang Qiulan could no longer interfere in her life.