In the dead of winter, the north wind howled.

In Wujia Village, every household has begun to reduce going out and stay at home for the winter.

Most families planted the first and second batches of medicinal plants, and after receiving one or even two rounds of income, they started thinking about how to make the most of this prosperous year.

This year has been blessed with favorable weather and abundant harvests, and with the Jiang family taking the lead in planting medicinal herbs, the overall spirit of Wujia Village has improved considerably.

The only regret and bad luck was that the troubles of Wu Dama's family affected the frequency with which matchmakers came to Wujia Village!

However, as the reputation of Wujia Village for growing medicinal herbs spread, the gloom dissipated, and occasionally matchmakers would come to the village to find suitable partners and facilitate good marriages.

Sure enough, the snowstorm stopped suddenly today, and a strange oxcart came to the village entrance. Isn't the person sitting in the oxcart the famous matchmaker Yang from Yangjiatang?

"Hey fellow villager, could you tell me how to get to Wu Yongfu's house?"

"Follow this road all the way to the end, then turn right and the first house there is it."

"Hey, thanks a lot, folks!"

The old ox flicked its tail and continued walking forward, guided by its owner.

The oxcart crunched over the snow, making a "crunch crunch" sound.

The person giving directions rubbed his hands together, wondering if there was another wedding feast to be had.

Oh dear, let's go home and warm ourselves by the fire, he's freezing to death.

......

Old house —

Inside the house.

"Aunt Yang, you're a rare guest! Please sit down and have a cup of hot water."

The Zhou family was extremely attentive, bringing over braziers and serving brown sugar water.

The driver thanked him repeatedly, then asked where the latrine was, drank some water, and hurried off to find it.

After drinking some brown sugar water, Yang, the matchmaker, felt her stomach warm up, her old face relaxed, and her smile became even more sincere.

After looking around, I found that although the farmhouse was not particularly wealthy, it was very clean and tidy, and even the snow on the ground had been swept into a path.

What's unusual is that there's a cowshed at home, so it seems they have cows.

After catching her breath, Matchmaker Yang wanted to explain her purpose, so she tentatively asked:

"Isn't my sister home?"

“My mother-in-law is here, but she just went to my third brother's wife's house, so she may have to wait a while.”

Da Zhou nodded and brought out a plate of Mao Ke (a type of snack), indicating that the other party should not be polite.

"That's good. I'm here today to find a husband for your Dashi and Xiaoniu. Please come and listen to which family you prefer."

Matchmaker Yang nodded. She had come specifically to arrange the marriage, and she was determined to receive the matchmaker's gift this time.

"Hey, please wait a moment, I'll call the little girl's mother."

When Madam Zhou heard that it wasn't just her own son, but also her sister-in-law's little girl, her face lit up with joy.

He immediately went back to the backyard and called his sister-in-law, whispering that the matchmaker had arrived and was going to arrange a marriage for the girl!

"Really?"

Little Zhou put down the clothes in her hands, rubbed her frozen fingers, and was overjoyed.

With the twelfth lunar month almost over, the girl's marriage was still undecided, and she and her husband were extremely anxious!

"Come on, let's go to the main room and meet the matchmaker."

"Sigh~"

......

At the same time, Jiang Yue helped her mother-in-law and personally escorted her back to the old house. She then took some pickled mustard greens home to cook with pork.

"Moo moo moo~"

Strangely, an unfamiliar oxcart appeared in front of the house. Had guests arrived?

Old Zhou wondered suspiciously, "Where in the family do we have relatives who can buy an oxcart?"

As soon as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law entered the house, someone greeted them warmly:

"Hey sis, you're finally back!"

"Yang girl? What brings you here on such a cold day?"

Old Mrs. Zhou was stunned. It had been almost half a year since she last saw her, and now Matchmaker Yang had come to her house. No wonder there was an oxcart at her door.

"Oh dear, I didn't manage to do the thing you asked me to do before. Now that I've found a good match, I naturally thought of arranging marriages for your grandson and granddaughter."

In a few words, Matchmaker Yang explained her purpose.

The two sisters-in-law, Zhou and her husband, stood to the side, their faces beaming with joy as they eagerly watched their mother-in-law take charge.

As Jiang Yue approached, she guessed that her sisters-in-law must be satisfied, otherwise why would they be so happy?

Since she was already there, she unceremoniously grabbed a handful of Mao Ke (a type of Chinese liquor), sat down, and listened.

The matchmaker, Yang, seemed somewhat tempted by the young woman, but considering her status, she suppressed her desires, shook her head, and got to the point—

"Let's talk about marriage first. I have three families who want to marry off their daughters. The first family is a hunter's family in Zhangjia Village. She is their only daughter, fifteen years old this year, named Zhang He'er. She is fair-skinned, neither fat nor thin, of medium height, and has a good temperament."

The second family is also from Zhangjia Village. However, one of their brothers is a bit of a troublemaker, but the girl is famously beautiful. She is fifteen years old this year and her name is Zhang Li'er. I won't hide it from you. This family came specifically to ask me to arrange a marriage for them. Their purpose is very clear: they want her to marry into your Wu family, whether it's the first or third branch of the family, it's fine.

There's another family, from Jiangjiawan. The girl has two older brothers and is quite spoiled at home. She's fourteen years old this year, named Jiang Xiaodie. She's a blessed-looking girl with a good temperament.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou exchanged glances with her daughters-in-law and understood the situation.

Matchmaker Yang took a sip of warm brown sugar water and then began introducing the candidates for her daughter's marriage:

"The first household is the village chief's family in Zhangjia Village, who is getting married to their only son. This young man from the Zhang family is already a scholar, and he is seventeen years old this year. I have seen this young man, and he is destined to be a scholar. Whoever marries him will definitely become an official's wife."

However, I won't hide it from you, being an official's wife isn't so easy.

There's a saying that goes, "The most righteous are often from humble backgrounds, while the most ungrateful are often scholars."

I've been a matchmaker for two or three decades, and I've seen it all...

Of course, I've made myself clear, so it's up to you to decide how to choose.

The second family is Yangjiawan, and the young man has two older sisters and a younger sister. He is sixteen years old this year, and his parents are still alive. He is a carpenter and a craftsman, so he is likely to have a good future. He is fairly good-looking, but he has a limp in his right leg, which does not affect his life.

This is the last household~

Matchmaker Yang paused, glanced at Madam Jiang, and smiled:

"The last household is that of Jiang Lei from Jiangjiawan. He has a younger brother and a younger sister. His parents raise ducks, and the roast ducks sold in all the restaurants in town are made by them."

Jiang Yue was just watching the drama unfold when she unexpectedly stumbled upon her own brother and sister-in-law's family's gossip!

He turned his head away and met his sister-in-law's gaze...

Little Zhou was overjoyed and nudged her sister-in-law with her elbow, saying:

"Sister-in-law, is that your eldest nephew?"

"Yeah, I almost forgot that this kid isn't engaged yet."

"Hehe, the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple, and we're all family members but don't recognize each other?"

Madam Zhou only had one daughter, so naturally she wanted her to marry well. Although the first man was a scholar, the saying "The righteous are often from humble backgrounds, while the ungrateful are often scholars" really terrified her. The second man was lame, and she didn't want to wrong her daughter.

The third household was her sister-in-law's eldest nephew. She had met him before; the young man was handsome and very nice!