Chapter 29 The Scourge "Now, you want to entrust your life to your father..."

Wang, the matchmaker from the Liwangou production team, had been running around to several houses to help people reconcile. Even though it was the off-season for farming, she was busier than others. Without taking a break, she came to the Tonggan production team, asked around for information about where Zhong Chunsheng's house was, and then walked in the direction the person pointed.

After pointing out the way, Lin Shuhong turned and walked towards the livestock shed at the entrance of the village.

Hu, with a cloth tied around her face, was cleaning manure in the pigsty when someone bumped into her elbow, almost causing her to drop the manure scoop into the latrine. She turned around and glared angrily, "What are you doing, Liu Qiang's daughter?"

Lin Shuhong also put on a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose, "Guess who I just ran into? Wang Daqiao from Liwangou!"

"Her? What is she doing in our production team?" Hu asked, immediately abandoning the previous question.

"What else could she be here for?" Lin Shuhong said. "She must be here to help someone find a spouse. She asked me for Zhong Laoda's address."

Hu immediately realized something, "Is he trying to arrange a marriage for his Zhong Ni?"

Colleagues stab each other in the back.

"What kind of sweet talk does she have?" Hu Dating said dismissively. She wasn't deliberately speaking ill of Wang Daqiao behind her back; she genuinely disapproved of the other woman's behavior.

On the other side, Wang Daqiao had already stepped over the threshold of Zhong Qiushou's house.

Zhong Ni was carrying a basket and was about to go out to cut grass when a square-faced old woman walked into her courtyard. The old woman smiled and said, "You must be Zhong Ni from Old Master Zhong's family?"

"Yes, who are you?" Zhong Ni asked hesitantly, seeing that her face was unfamiliar.

"I've come to tell you about a good place!" Matchmaker Wang said cheerfully. "Is your father home?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ni immediately blushed and said, "My father is inside."

The people inside heard the voices and immediately came out.

When Wang the matchmaker saw Zhong Qiushou, she repeated what she had just said, "Brother Zhong, your daughter hasn't found a husband yet, has she? I've come to recommend a good place to her!"

Zhong Ni had already consciously avoided the situation and left the house.

Cao Fang thought about it for a moment, and since this was the first time she had taken the initiative to float back to Zhong Qiushou's side, she, as his mother, wanted to hear what the matchmaker had to say.

Zhong Shuanzhu, who was supposed to be out working, was curious and wanted to listen to a few more words, but his father chased him away, saying, "What are you listening to, you child? Go and do your work. Tell the team leader that I'll ask for leave this afternoon for composting; we have guests at home."

Zhong Shuanzhu had no choice but to leave.

The main room, with its doors wide open, contained only Wang Daqiao and Zhong Qiushou, along with Cao Fang, an invisible ghost.

"I've been asked by the fourth son's family in Liwangou Village to act as matchmaker for their son." After saying this briefly, Wang the matchmaker began to build rapport, "Hu Kunxin from Liwangou is the eldest sister of Hu Daweng from your production team."

"The son of Zhuang Laosi's family noticed a young girl on the way to collect grain. He thought she was hardworking and resilient, so he went back and told his mother. When his mother went back to the production team and inquired, she found out that the girl was your daughter. That's why she asked me to mediate between them."

Those who are used to being matchmakers are quick-witted, and Matchmaker Wang continued, "This young man is really good, the best place to go for miles around! His father used to be a bricklayer, farming during the busy season and repairing roofs for people during the off-season. He passed away from illness nine years ago. The young man has two older sisters, both of whom are already married, and now it's just him and his mother left in the family. He's an only child, with no brothers, so there's no need to divide the family property; it's all his."

Zhong Qiushou's expression was already somewhat tempted. "With such good conditions, how old is this young man?"

Matchmaker Wang immediately began to introduce the man in detail, "He's the same age as your daughter, and he's 1.8 meters tall! He has a fair complexion, loves to laugh, and looks like a good-natured young man!"

In the past, Cao Fang might have been tempted by this, but as she listened, Zhong Ying's voice echoed in her mind along with Wang the matchmaker's words: "Subtract four for every five over, and zero for every five under..."

Matchmaker Wang continued, "The groom's family appreciates your daughter's hard work and resilience; they think she's a reliable girl," she added, "so they're willing to offer a dowry of sixty yuan!"

Zhong Qiushou's heart skipped a beat: Sixty yuan!

In rural areas, families can usually only afford to give 20 or 30 yuan as a bride price. In the past two or three years, influenced by social trends, people have advocated against the bride price and dowry system when getting married. Many families use this as an excuse to avoid giving bride price when discussing marriage.

Sixty yuan! It seems the groom's family is very sincere!

Zhong Qiushou thought this way, using it as a fig leaf to cover up his own temptation of money.

Hearing this, Cao Fang frowned. Everything was too good, which made her uneasy.

"You just came out like that? Don't you want to listen to what the matchmaker has to say?" Zhong Ying stopped mowing the lawn, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at Zhong Ni in disbelief.

Zhong Ni said shyly, "What kind of girl would listen to her own marriage plans..."

"What if your dad just agrees like that? You don't even know if the other person is round or flat!" Zhong Ying exclaimed in shock.

Zhong Ni was puzzled. "Isn't marriage all arranged by parents? I'll find out eventually."

Zhong Ying didn't understand either; her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak, her words failing her.

She didn't see Cao Fang with Zhong Ni, so it seems that her aunt stayed behind to listen to what the matchmaker had to say.

Looking at the young girl in front of her, Zhong Ying felt that this "petty feudal" thinking urgently needed to be changed, so she took a deep breath to gather her strength.

"What if the matchmaker says the man is as ugly as a pig, only 1.5 meters tall, with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, and a stutter..."

With each sentence Zhong Ying spoke, Zhong Ni's face grew paler, and a vivid image seemed to form in her mind with each word her cousin spoke.

“How could my dad possibly agree to this…” Zhong Ni made a “last-ditch effort.”

Zhong Ying continued without even taking a breath, "The matchmaker said these are all minor issues. The groom's family is willing to offer a large dowry, tens or even hundreds of yuan. Wouldn't your father be tempted?"

Zhong Ni knew exactly what her father was like. Her lips trembled as she said, "...Yes."

“Of course, when a matchmaker comes to propose marriage, they will only say the best things,” Zhong Ying comforted Zhong Ni’s thin shoulders. “I’m saying this just so you know that you shouldn’t be too blind and deaf. An arranged marriage is like gambling. You’ve already placed your bets. If you only find out what kind of person the other person is after you’re married, can you bear the consequences?”

Zhong Ni felt as if the veil covering her world had been torn away, revealing a terrifying and bleak future. If she only found out the other person's true nature on that day, what could she do? She was already married, so she could only accept her fate.

“Then I can only accept my fate…” Zhong Ni said, expressing her despair.

Zhong Ying then asked her, "So now, do you want to entrust your life to your father's hands?"

These words were like sunlight streaming through a crack in the wall. Zhong Ni looked directly at her cousin, facing her own heart, "...I don't want to."

Zhong Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, there was still hope. She was really afraid that Zhong Ni would be disciplined into a stubborn and ignorant person who would say "No, I won't listen."

"I'll tell you what the matchmaker said in a bit," Zhong Ying said, adding that she would know once her aunt arrived.

Zhong Ni thought her cousin was going to inquire about it for her, so she looked at her with bright eyes and nodded emphatically.

Five days after Wang the matchmaker and Chen Qiushou agreed, they brought Zhuang Laosi's wife and her son to the woman's house for a meeting. Cao Fang felt that since she was a ghost and no one could see her, she didn't need to follow any human rules. Before the matchmaker was even seen off, she rushed out first.

"My dear niece!" Cao Fang rushed off to find Zhong Ying.

Finally, they found Zhong Ying among the crowd cutting grass and composting fertilizer at the village entrance. Cao Fang immediately recounted to her what the matchmaker had just said.

The process of cutting grass and composting it involves cutting down weeds in the field, throwing them into a composting pit, pouring in boiling water, stirring it well, and then waiting for it to ferment into fertilizer.

Zhong Ying watched as people stood by the pool, stirring vigorously with manure scoops and passing straw forward, while she held her breath and listened to Cao Fang speak.

“The more I listened, the more something seemed off. If the young man was really as good as the matchmaker said, he would have already made excuses not to give a bride price. Why would he give such a large sum of sixty yuan?” Cao Fang said, looking at Zhong Ying. Suddenly, she remembered something. “But your brother gave your sister-in-law quite a lot of bride price back then. I remember it was eighty yuan, right? Several production teams around here talked about it for a long time back then.”

When the others weren't looking, Zhong Ying nodded almost imperceptibly.

People cover the green manure with soil and wait for the summer. When wheat is planted in the fall, it can be dug up and used. This is the wisdom passed down by people in the fields for hundreds of years.

That concludes the day's work; during the off-season, it's common to finish work in the afternoon.

Zhong Ying walked out with the dispersing crowd. When she got home, she took the opportunity to change her sweaty clothes and then talked to Cao Fang. "That eighty was what my sister-in-law's family wanted. My brother was too obvious and got taken advantage of."

As I recall, those eighty yuan emptied our family's savings.

Zhong Ying frowned inwardly, "The matchmaker's offer of a dowry of sixty yuan is indeed a bit odd..."

Cao Fang looked at her expectantly, "My dear niece, you're so clever and resourceful, can you quickly figure out what's wrong? I also feel something's off, but I just can't figure out what it is."

Without realizing it, Cao Fang began to regard Zhong Ying as her guide, and she felt quite like she was following Zhong Ying's lead.

“How will we know where the pit is if we don’t go and ask around?” Zhong Ying asked. “The other party is from Lawangou, right?”

Cao Fang nodded immediately, "Yes, it's the Zhuang family in Liwangou. He only has one son."

“Okay, my mom’s best friend is married in Liwangou. My mom was planning to take me to Aunt He’s house in a couple of days when she has some free time. I’ll go and ask her about it,” Zhong Ying said.

Cao Fang looked at her gratefully, "My dear niece, you're more reliable than any man! That old geezer Zhong Qiushou got blinded the moment he heard 'sixty'! And he's supposed to be a father, yet he doesn't care about his daughter at all!"

After saying it all in one breath, Cao Fang hurriedly raised her hand to cover her mouth. She hadn't noticed that she had blurted it out. Was it a bit inappropriate to call someone's uncle an "old thing" in front of their niece?

Zhong Ying said nonchalantly, "It's alright, Auntie. My mother scolded me much harsher than you."

Sixteen years ago, after Zhong Qiushou tried to harm her brother Zhong Cheng, the two families broke off relations. Deng Xia cursed him countless times; in her family, Zhong Qiushou was no longer considered a good person.

He's like a horse running on a wall, a beast that never looks back; a fat old pig ready for slaughter, a piece of meat to be chopped; a piece of meat with sores on its head and pus under its feet, so cheap it's unwanted even in the sweltering summer, a thoroughly rotten piece of meat.

Zhong Ying shook her head, "Auntie, you still need to learn how to curse? 'Old thing' is too mild."

Cao Fang, as if called upon by a teacher, obediently lowered her head and agreed.

Zhong Ying thought she would go to Lawangou with her mother in two more days, but things didn't go as planned.

Just one day later, in the afternoon, as usual, everyone finished work early. Deng Xia and her daughter and daughter-in-law had just arrived at the river to start washing clothes when they heard Hu Dating calling her. Hu Dating came running over, saying, "Zhong Lao Er's wife, aren't you on good terms with Yang Lao Wu's family? Her husband drank himself to death!"

Deng Xia was startled and immediately stood up, throwing her clothes on the stone. She exclaimed in astonishment, "Dead?"

"Yes! Just now! I just found out!" Hu caught his breath. "They said he didn't go to work today. Everyone in the production team thought he was drunk again and sleeping somewhere. The captain of their Liwangou production team was furious. He went to confront him as soon as work was over, but they found him in the bushes behind the granary. He was already dead!"

"Then I need to hurry and comfort Baoqin!" Deng Xia wiped the water off her hands and rushed out.

Miao Suyun quickly turned to Zhong Ying and said, "Little sister, hurry up and follow Mother. Don't let Mother walk so fast, or you might fall on the way! Just leave the clothes here and I'll wash them."

Zhong Ying nodded and hurriedly went to catch up with Deng Xia, worried that her mother might do something wrong in her haste.

Deng Xia walked briskly for five or six miles until she stopped in front of a slightly dilapidated courtyard gate. Before even entering, she shouted inside, "Baoqin, your husband is dead!"

Zhong Ying, who followed closely behind, couldn't help but whisper a reminder, "Mom, stop smiling like that..."

Zhong Ying finally understood: Deng Xia was anxious, but she was anxious with joy.

After going through her memories, Zhong Ying found further evidence: her mother had repeatedly pounded her chest and stomped her feet, cursing everything from Aunt He's parents to Aunt He's husband.

If a good young lady marries the wrong person, then that man will indeed be an enemy. Zhong Ying instantly understood Deng Xia's overjoyed reaction.

The smile that Deng Xia couldn't suppress on her face suddenly vanished.

A bloated, hunched-over man with a listless face stood at the gate, leaning against it. "You, Deng Xia... I knew you wanted me dead..."

Deng Xia's lips curled down, her face drooping coldly, and she said irritably, "Then why don't you just die? You're a scourge that lives on for a thousand years!"

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Author's Note: The characters' statements are determined by their personal backgrounds and only represent their values, not mine.

In the past, there was a dialect term for a woman's marriage called "finding a master," but now it's rare to hear anyone say that anymore. Even if someone does say it, it will be refuted. I'm very happy to see this kind of progress in thinking. Everyone should be their own master, like the line in "The Story of the Rose," "I completely and absolutely preside over myself."

The male lead won't appear in the next few chapters; he's still soaking in cold water to calm down.