In fact, Xu Xinning herself did not realize that under Mu Jingheng's subtle influence, she had stopped rejecting Mu Jingheng.

The group watched Xu Xinning eat happily, unaware that Xu's aunt's younger sister was swooning over Mu Jingheng.

This man is so handsome! How come his skin is so white and smooth?

The younger sister-in-law looked down at her own hands and thought, "They're nothing compared to mine! I haven't done farm work in years, and they still look so rough!"

It's not really rough, just a bit unhygienic.

Looking at the sister-in-law's hands, one gets the feeling that she never washes her hands; the backs of her hands are covered in black grime and rust, and there's black grime under her fingernails as well.

The younger sister-in-law felt a little embarrassed at this moment, and secretly put her hands behind her back.

The little sister-in-law's actions and blushing face did not escape the eyes of Xu's mother-in-law. How could she not know what her own daughter was thinking?

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law: "Who is this? She looks unfamiliar."

Although Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law did not recognize all the younger generations of the Xu family, she still said this in order to get closer to them.

Grandma Xu: "He is a new educated youth who came to our brigade, and he is the child of a friend of our family."

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law: "No wonder, you can't tell that a child like this could be raised in the countryside. How old are you, child?"

Mu Jingheng was young and didn't quite catch on for a moment, so he replied truthfully, "I'm nineteen."

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law slapped her thigh, startling everyone who was wondering what she was going to do.

"Nineteen! Nineteen is good, you've reached the age to get married. These days, good girls are in high demand, if you don't act quickly you'll miss your chance. If you miss your prime, it'll be hard to find someone when you're older. I have a good girl here, young man, what do you think?"

Mu Jingheng thought the girl the old lady was talking about was Xu Xinning, and his heart immediately fluttered. He also felt that good girls should be seized in time, because someone like Xu Xinning was really hard to find even with a lantern. If he missed her, he would definitely cry his heart out.

Looking at the awkward Mu Jingheng and the calculating look on Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law's face, Xu Xinning was certain that what the old woman was about to say would make Mu Jingheng want to vomit.

Why do I suddenly feel like watching a good show?

Old Mrs. Xu and that old woman had been in-laws for over ten years, so she could guess a bit of the old woman's ulterior motives.

Grandma Xu said, "The child is still young and has just come to the countryside. There are many things he hasn't figured out yet. It's not appropriate to arrange a marriage now. Besides, his parents aren't around. Maybe they already have plans."

Although Mrs. Xu did not come from a prominent family, she was not unaware of such things. These families valued social standing and family background above all else, and it was unacceptable for children to make such a hasty decision.

Xu Xiaogu's sister-in-law couldn't take her eyes off Mu Jingheng and asked, "Where do you live?"

Mu Jingheng glanced at the pretentious ugly woman next to Xu Xinning, and found it too offensive to look at. He immediately looked at Xu Xinning again, thankfully he had his Xinning sister to cleanse his eyes.

Seeing that Mu Jingheng did not answer, Xu Xiaogu's sister-in-law was not discouraged.

As soon as Xu Xiaogu’s mother-in-law saw this, she knew that the other party had not taken a liking to her daughter. She immediately put on a high-handed attitude: “No matter which city you lived in before, now that you have come to the countryside, your grain rations have also been transferred to the countryside. From now on, you will just be a peasant. Young man, young people often don’t understand many of the intricacies of life, but after a few more years of farm work, you will understand.”

Mu Jingheng also had a temper. He didn't know who this person was, but he really didn't want to listen to her say these inexplicable things. What did it have to do with her?

Seeing that Grandma Xu and the others didn't seem to be going back immediately, Mu Jingheng pulled Xu Laosan and Chen Jianguo to go for another stroll.

After walking for a while, he didn't forget to say to Xu Xinning, "Xin'er, there are mulberries ahead. I'll buy you some mulberries to eat when we come back."

Watching Mu Jingheng walk away, the aunt looked dejected.

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law said, "My dear in-law, this young man seems quite nice. I've taken a liking to him. Could you help me as a matchmaker?"

Grandma Xu looked suspicious. She didn't know what that old hag was up to, but that didn't stop her from gossiping: "You've taken a liking to him? Who are you planning to introduce him to?"

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law said, "My Juanzi is a perfect match for him."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xinning swallowed the oily fruit before she could even chew it properly, causing her to cough incessantly.

Grandma Xu felt sorry for Xu Xinning, whose face was flushed red from choking. She reached out and patted her back, complaining, "You're such a grown-up, why don't you pay attention to what you eat?"

Wang Ying looked at the four people in front of her and found it quite amusing.

The old woman glared at Xu Xinning, who had interrupted, and continued, "Although he's a city kid, his food rations have all been transferred when he went to the countryside, so he's basically a peasant now. My Juanzi is a bit older than him, but she's practically a city person. If he marries our Juanzi, he might become a city person too!"

The old woman had already decided that if her daughter liked a peasant, she would make the one who couldn't produce a son give up his job. Rather than letting those two money-losing boys take over, she would rather give it to her future son-in-law!

Grandma Xu snorted coldly. How come she didn't know their family was so capable? If jobs were so easy to find, her daughter would still be kept at home.

Wang Ying suddenly asked, "Auntie, how old is your daughter?"

The young woman looked quite old, Wang Ying thought to herself with a smirk. She wondered where the mother and daughter got their courage. She wondered what the old general would think if he knew that his grandson had been taken in by an older woman.

Xu Xiaogu's sister-in-law: "I'm twenty-five this year."

Wang Ying suddenly raised her voice, and you can't blame her for being surprised; this was truly unbelievable. "He's only nineteen years old!"

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law said, "They say that marrying a woman three years older is like finding a gold brick, so this age is a perfect match."

A perfect match? Lack of education is truly terrifying.

Wang Ying laughed: "Auntie, this seems to be more than just one gold brick, doesn't it?"

Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law was amused by her own words and said, "Two gold bricks are just the right amount. This is a marriage that you can't ask for even if you want it."

The old woman's words made the younger sister-in-law even more shy. She kept twisting her clothes and her face turned red.

Old Mrs. Xu said, "You should give up this idea. If you insist on going your own way, you won't even know how you die."

Grandma Xu wasn't trying to scare the confused mother and daughter. Did they think they could just let the general's child be manipulated?

When Xu Xiaogu's mother-in-law heard what Xu Laotai said, she was very unhappy. She thought to herself, "If you don't want to help, then don't help. I don't necessarily need your help."