"I am Wang Qiuju from Qiaozhuang next door. I'm here to go on a blind date with Cheng Qiang."

Fang Qiao raised an eyebrow and subconsciously turned to look at Xiao Qiang, who was hiding behind the water tank.

Xiaoqiang is tall and thin, but he still has some baby fat on his face. Although he is already nineteen years old, thanks to his baby face, he still looks like a child.

His face, which was tanned dark by the sun, suddenly turned red, even his ears turned red. He stammered, "Sister-in-law, I, I don't know her."

"What's the panic? She's here for a blind date. You'll get to know her after the date." Fang Qiao stood up with An'an in her arms and said to Xiao Qiang, "Don't hide behind the water tank. Come out and straighten your clothes. Make yourself look nice. I'll go open the door for her."

"Okay, okay." Xiaoqiang nodded obediently.

Fang Qiao opened the door and found that only Wang Qiuju was outside.

She was a little surprised and asked, "Did you come alone?"

Wang Qiuju nodded: "Yes, it's just me."

Fang Qiao had originally thought that a matchmaker would lead the way, but since the person had come, there was no reason to turn them away, regardless of whether they were a good match or not.

She smiled and welcomed them in, saying, "Come in quickly." Then she called to Xiaoqiang, "Xiaoqiang, bring Qiuju a chair."

"Hey, hey."

Xiao Qiang moved a chair and placed it in front of Wang Qiuju, saying somewhat stammeringly, "You, you sit down."

In the morning, matchmakers came all at once, mainly to talk about the conditions and requirements of the woman's family. If they didn't like her, they wouldn't need to meet her again, and Xiaoqiang would only need to stand behind his mother as a wallflower.

This is the first time Xiaoqiang has ever spoken to a woman face-to-face like this.

Moreover, Wang Qiuju was pretty and had a good personality; she even smiled at him as soon as she entered the door.

When she smiled, two adorable dimples appeared on her cheeks, making his heart flutter with joy.

Xiao Qiang's dark face turned bright red. He only glanced at Wang Qiuju when she entered the room, and didn't dare to look up at her again after that.

Compared to Xiaoqiang's shyness, Wang Qiuju was very open and generous throughout: "Thank you."

Xiaoqiang couldn't stand up straight, so Fang Qiao, as his sister-in-law, had to help him.

She poured Wang Qiuju a glass of water and greeted her with a smile, "Your name is Qiuju, right? That's a beautiful name."

Wang Qiuju: "Right? I think it sounds nice too. My mother named it that."

Fang Qiao then asked, "Which matchmaker introduced you to this blind date? Why did you come alone?"

"No one introduced me to this place; I found out about it myself."

Wang Qiuju was not shy or timid at all; on the contrary, she was surprisingly forthright and open, almost unlike an unmarried young girl.

She said, "I heard that Cheng Qiang is in a hurry to find a partner and would like to get married within three to five days. I think that's great, so I came here to give it a try. If you think I'm suitable, we can get our marriage certificate tomorrow."

Fang Qiao really liked Qiu Ju's straightforwardness. In a family like Third Aunt's, they needed a daughter-in-law who was open-minded and honest like her!

However you like someone, there are some things you have to say upfront, so you don't drag that young girl into a pit of fire.

"It's like this, Xiaoqiang's family is having some trouble, I need to explain it to you in advance..." Fang Qiao explained the situation to Wang Qiuju one by one.

“Sister-in-law, now that I’m here, it means I’ve found out everything about your family. That’s not a problem, I can accept it.”

Qiu Ju said directly, "Of course, I also have conditions. You can make a decision after hearing my conditions."

“I am an only child. My father is dead, and now it’s just my mother and me living together. I don’t want a bride price, and I will even provide a dowry. But if I get married, I have to bring my mother to live with us. Also, if we have any children in the future, one of them must take my surname, Wang.”

Wang Qiuju was not bad off. Her father was the only male in the Wang family and was a butcher in the town's meat shop before his death. In addition, she had three aunts, two of whom married into the town and were quite fond of her.

The family's financial situation wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.

The marriage was stalled because the children would have to have the surname Wang.

After all, people are very traditional these days, and few people want their children to take their wives' surnames, lest the whole village laugh at them. Even if the young couple agrees, the elders in the family won't.

So Wang Qiuju started going on blind dates when she was eighteen. She went on several blind dates in a row but none of them worked out. There was a time when they almost got engaged, but the man couldn't accept it because of his pride. He suddenly changed his mind about the future child taking the woman's surname. They couldn't reach an agreement, so they gave up. Before they knew it, she was twenty-three and still hadn't gotten married.

Fang Qiao was about to say: I can't make that decision, we have to wait for Xiao Qiang's mother to come back...

Then Xiaoqiang whispered in response, "Okay, sister-in-law, you should agree to her."

Fang Qiao raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Xiao Qiang's initiative.

She subtly winked at Xiaoqiang, as if to say: You've taken a liking to him?

Xiao Qiang pursed his lips and didn't say anything, but Fei Yang's bright eyes and the blush on his face betrayed his thoughts.

Fang Qiao understood, but she still responsibly confirmed it again: "You need to think this through carefully. This is a very serious matter. Don't agree on a whim now and then regret it when it comes down to it."

"I won't go back on my word," Xiaoqiang said earnestly. "She has no family on her side and wants a child with her surname, which is understandable. I agree, and I will never go back on my word in the future."

"You said it yourself!" Fang Qiao said seriously, "If you dare to break your promise in the future, not only will Qiu Ju make a scene for you, but I won't let you off the hook either!"

With both parties agreeing, the subsequent conversation went much more smoothly.

The afternoon flew by, and when Qiuju left, Xiaoqiang even took the initiative to see her off at the village entrance.

When Auntie San returned from the county, she was stunned to learn that her daughter-in-law had been engaged.

Wow, so fast?

"Which village are you from? What's your name? How old are you? How many people are in your family?" she asked.

Fang Qiao replied, "Her name is Wang Qiuju, she's three years older than Xiaoqiang, and she's from Qiaozhuang next door. There are only two people in her family, her mother and her three aunts, two uncles and one maternal aunt. There's no dowry for the wedding, but after the wedding, her mother will have to come and live with you."

"Wang Qiuju? The daughter of Butcher Wang from Qiaozhuang?"

Auntie was overjoyed: "It's her! I know her! She's from the same village as your aunt, and she's always been a little firecracker! After her father passed away from illness, she took care of everything at home and outside. Everyone who heard about her praised her for being capable. I had considered it before, but Xiaoqiang is young and a quiet person. I always thought she might not be interested. But I never expected it to actually happen. It's just as I thought, that you two are destined to be a family."

"Great, great, great! Marrying a feisty girl is perfect for our family's situation!"

I thought Xiaoqiang's marriage wouldn't go smoothly, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better.

Auntie was overjoyed, praising her repeatedly: "Being three years older is good too, as the saying goes, 'A woman three years older brings good fortune!' What a blessing!"