Guo Daming was deeply troubled, but Li Zhen remained completely oblivious.

While working, Liu Lanhua liked to steal glances at Guo Daming from time to time, feeling that he exuded the charm of a mature man in every gesture.

She was the pampered youngest daughter in her family, possessing a charmingly naive and feisty air. She liked Guo Daming and would often go up to him to crack a joke or something. Even if she didn't say anything, just being by his side made Liu Lanhua feel incredibly happy.

Anyway, in this suddenly wealthy little village, with plenty of food and warm clothes, the young men and women in their adolescence naturally developed feelings of excitement.

This feeling is hazy, beautiful, ambiguous, and indescribable. Perhaps it's just a chance encounter that can make a girl blush and a young man toss and turn at night.

Lijiapo is now as prosperous as a piece of meat, attracting matchmakers from all around. Just this year alone, seven or eight young men have gotten married and started families.

As December arrived, two families were preparing to marry off their sons, one on the 25th and the other on the 29th.

As the saying goes, getting married during the Lunar New Year brings double happiness.

Another advantage of getting married during the Lunar New Year is that the leftover vegetables from the banquet are enough for the New Year's feast, so there's no need to prepare extra New Year's goods, which saves money.

Before they knew it, it was the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. Today was supposed to be the day the college entrance examination results were released. Early in the morning, Li Xiangdong accompanied Li Zhen to check the results.

Along the way, Li Xiangdong rode his bicycle with great speed and swiftness, and the two arrived in the county town in no time.

A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the county's No. 1 Middle School. Li Xiangdong squeezed in and saw that the bulletin board was empty, with nothing on it.

After waiting another half hour, a staff member came out and said that because there were too many candidates taking the college entrance examination and not enough teachers to grade the papers, the county temporarily notified that the results would be announced on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

Since the results weren't out yet, the two sisters went to the local market, bought some New Year's goods, and went home.

Speaking of the Huichuan market, since Chen Xun left, there has been no further opposition from the province. As a result, the Huichuan market has grown larger and larger, and even the surrounding counties and cities have begun to allow members to spontaneously gather to buy and sell goods.

This is the last big market before the end of the year, and it's very lively. Whether people buy anything or not, they are happy to come to the market to stroll around and feel the atmosphere of the New Year.

Li Xiangdong and Li Zhen carried a bag full of firecrackers and Didi Gold (a type of firecracker), chatting and laughing as they went home.

As soon as they entered the gate, they saw Zhang Huan squatting at the foot of the house like a pitiful little dog.

Seeing the child's face red from the cold and his big, wet eyes, Li Zhen ran over with a pained expression and asked, "What happened? Why don't you come inside? You're wearing so little, it's so cold!"

Zhang Huan had been holding back her tears, but upon seeing her family, she couldn't hold them back any longer and burst into tears!

Li Zhen picked her up and carried her into the house. Li Xiangdong asked, "Who bullied you? Tell your second uncle, and he'll avenge you!"

The house was quiet and empty. Li Xiangdong was puzzled. "Where are your grandparents?"

Zhang Huan didn't bother to answer. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and burst into tears, which streamed down his face like a string of tears.

Li Zhen poured a towel into warm water, wrung it out, and gently wiped her face, coaxing her as she did so, "Don't cry, tell your fourth aunt if you have any grievances."

A dozen minutes later, Zhang Huan finally stopped sobbing, and said in a hoarse voice, "My mother doesn't want me anymore—"

As she spoke, her lips trembled, and she looked like she was about to cry again.

Li Xiangdong quickly stopped her, "Why doesn't your mother want you?"

Li Zhen was also puzzled; where did these words come from?

After questioning Zhang Huan carefully, they finally understood.

It turns out that someone had already arranged a marriage for Li Lan.

Although she is a divorced woman with a young daughter, this is her disadvantage.

However, Li Lan herself has many advantages. She is young, has a good appearance and figure, and is the daughter of Li Jin, the brigade leader of Lijiapo.

Look at the new house Li Jin built for his daughter. What family would be willing to provide their daughter with property?

This is enough to demonstrate Li Jin and Zhao Sufang's affection for Li Lan.

Moreover, the only way to become a member of Lijiapo, besides blood ties, is through marriage.

Young girls who marry into Lijiapo can naturally enjoy the collective benefits of Lijiapo. However, it's much harder for young men to become members of Lijiapo; the only way is for them to marry into the family.

A good man shouldn't marry into his wife's family.

But there are always men who can't find wives, and they are willing to marry into their wives' families.

Most of the men introduced to Li Lan before were widowers in their thirties or forties, with elderly parents and young children to take care of.

Before Li Lan could even refuse, Li Jin and Zhao Sufang were already unhappy. Their daughter was still so young; even if she remained single, she couldn't marry someone like that.

As Lijiapo's wealth increased, coupled with Li Lan's new house, and most importantly, the fact that Li Lan's skill in making braised dishes had become widely known throughout the surrounding area, Wang Xiuhong introduced a 26-year-old young man.

That's right, he's a perfectly normal, unmarried young man.

Wang Xiuhong and Li Qing personally visited to propose marriage. The young man was Wang Chengbiao, the youngest son of Wang Xiuhong's maternal uncle and cousin.

This boy is honest and doesn't talk much. Because his family was poor, they squeezed their parents dry after helping their older brothers get married. When it came to him, they didn't have a penny left, so he never got to find a wife.

"Sixth Sister-in-law, Sixth Brother, you know me, I never say anything without a plan. My third nephew, Wang Chengbiao, is indeed a good boy, tall and strong, and with a decent appearance. The only drawback is that he's a bit too honest, always working hard without saying much."

"But he was willing to marry into our Lijiapo family. My eldest cousin and his wife were also willing."

“Dalanzi’s previous boyfriend was unreliable. I know you two are worried about him, afraid that he might find another unreliable person. Now that Cheng Biao is willing to come and live in our village, whether things will be good or not is all under your watchful eye, Sixth Sister-in-law.”

You know what, those words hit Zhao Sufang right where it hurts. Such conditions are hard to find; once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever.

So, Zhao Sufang and Li Jin discussed it and decided to agree.

It wasn't that she agreed to get married, but rather that she agreed to let Wang Chengbiao come over and meet Li Lan.

When Li Lan found out, she didn't strongly object. She had to consider her parents' thoughts and Aunt Xiuhong's feelings.

This morning, just after Li Xiangdong and his group left, Wang Xiuhong arrived with Wang Chengbiao. The blind date was to take place at Li Qing's house.

What does Zhang Huan, a little kid, know? She just overheard the eldest and second sisters-in-law of the Wang family saying, "She's just a little girl. We'll raise her for a couple of days to save face, and then we'll just send her to her maternal grandparents' house to be raised."

Wang's second sister-in-law said, "Do you think they would agree?"

Wang's eldest sister-in-law curled her lip, "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog. A woman still has to listen to her husband!"