Zhu Cuilan was always suspicious and couldn't eat or sleep well. After listening to Yang Donghu, she asked Zhao He to ask several people to go to Xiaoli Village to inquire about the situation.

Xiaoli Village is a little far away, and is separated from Zhaojiazhuang by a wide river. In the past, if you wanted to go to the other side of the river, you had to take a small boat at the ferry or walk around ten miles to get there.

The boatman is a grumpy old man who likes to drink a little wine on weekdays. There is no fixed time for him to set sail. If he is happy, he will row more trips. If he is unhappy, it is common for him to disappear for a whole day.

Not only does the detour take time, but if you're delayed by something, you might not be able to get home before dark.

It is not easy to travel between the two sides, so people from both sides do not visit each other often.

Two years ago, a great philanthropist returned home in glory. He said that his ancestors were from the village. In order to accumulate merit for his descendants, he donated a large sum of money and built a wooden bridge across the river.

Now I don’t have to wait for the boat or take a detour, so I naturally walk more frequently.

Xiaolizhuang is not like the surrounding villages and towns. Zhu Cuilan has acquaintances there, but it would take some effort to find out what the situation is like in Zheng Lan's family.

But Zhao He had already contacted several people, and the information they got was similar to what Zheng Lan said. Zhu Cuilan began to wonder if she was thinking too much.

Da Taohong came again and asked Zhu Cuilan what she thought.

"Hey, big sister, why are you still hesitating? I heard that a family in their village also has their eyes on Li Ruyue. They're just waiting for you to disagree so they can come and propose marriage. Zheng Lan said she thinks Fang Yu is a good man, so she turned them down. If you keep dragging your feet, Zheng Lan will get angry and give in, and the child's life will be in jeopardy in your hands."

Sometimes a matchmaker's eloquence can't even match that of a debater, Da Taohong thought proudly. "I don't believe you won't be anxious after this conversation," she said. "Go and see for yourself. In the nearby villages, there's no one as old as your Fang Yu. All of them have already been engaged. Even if there are, there's no one prettier than hers. If my family hadn't already married a wife, this good thing wouldn't have happened to you."

Zhu Cuilan was already a little shaken, and after hearing what she said, it seemed as if Zhao Fangyu had been ruined by her. She hurriedly said, "Oh, his aunt, that's not what I meant. Well, what you said makes sense. How about..."

Yang Donghu has been learning how to sew shoe soles with Zhu Cuilan these days. He wants to embroider a new pair of shoes for Zhao Luochuan before the New Year to wear during the Spring Festival.

It is said that the most famous matchmaker in the neighborhood is Da Taohong. If Yang Donghu had not seen Zheng Lan and her daughter with his own eyes, he might have been fooled by her.

"Aunt Hong, you must be thirsty after talking for so long. Have a glass of water." Yang Donghu poured a glass of water and handed it to Da Taohong, interrupting what Zhu Cuilan was about to say.

"What Aunt Hong said makes sense. We are not being pretentious on purpose. It's just that this is a matter of great importance to both families, so we should give you some time to prepare. Otherwise, how about this? Let's wait for two days. Just wait for two days. After two days, we will definitely come to your house in person. I'd like to trouble Aunt Hong to pass on a message."

Da Taohong couldn't help but glance at Yang Donghu a little more. He seemed like someone who could be easily manipulated, but she hadn't expected him to be so impeccable in his words. Now that things had come to this, pressing him any further might backfire. She had no choice but to take a step back and said, "It's not impossible, but please don't make any mistakes this time."

"That's for sure. Thank you for your hard work, auntie." Yang Donghu said with a smile.

"I won't drink this tea either. I'll go to her house and tell her that I've been busy for your family all day." Da Taohong patted her butt, stood up, and walked away muttering.

Zhu Cuilan saw her out the door and said, "Auntie, you've been through so much trouble. I'll definitely give you a big red envelope once the matter is settled."

Da Taohong said a few polite words to Zhu Cuilan, waved goodbye and left.

Zhu Cuilan returned to the yard with a worried look on her face: "Dong Hu, do you think there's something wrong?"

"I can't really explain it, but I feel like something's not right with Zheng Lan's family. So, Auntie, don't get so angry. I'll ask someone else."

In fact, Yang Donghu could not think of many people. He thought that Yang Anjin might be able to help. After all, his brother had been teaching in the town for so many years and must know more people.

"Okay, if we really can't find out anything, then forget it. Maybe her family is really a good one," said Zhu Cuilan.

"Let's ask again. If we can really pick the right one, then we can talk about the next step." Yang Donghu also knew that Zhu Cuilan was anxious, but if he really brought home a virtuous wife, it would be better not to marry her.

"Okay then. I'll do as you say."

Yang Donghu doesn't know how to sew, and the embroidered soles are crooked and he has taken them apart several times.

Seeing that today was another day of wasted effort, Yang Donghu took his sewing basket and went home.

There were only two days left, so there was no time to lose in finding Yang Anjin. When Yang Donghu was worrying about what to bring from home to visit him, Zhao Luochuan interrupted his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhao Luochuan waved his hand in front of Yang Donghu.

Yang Donghu explained the whole story to Zhao Luochuan: "Auntie is worried about this matter. I think An Jin's brother knows a lot of people, maybe he can find out something."

"We need to be more cautious about this matter. Don't be like..." Zhao Luochuan paused and continued, "Aunt, why didn't you tell me earlier? How about this? Let's go directly to the town tomorrow. I know a lot of people in the town and have a good relationship with them. It shouldn't be difficult to ask around."

It would be best if we could avoid troubling others. Yang Donghu nodded immediately and said, "Okay, let's go early to avoid delays."

There was no need to look for Yang Anjin, nor to worry about what to get. Yang Donghu washed his hands and prepared to cook.

It gets dark early in winter, and it was already dark by the time we finished our meal. Yang Donghu was bending over to make the bed, and Zhao Luochuan was standing beside him helping.

Ever since the two of them started having sex, there was always a lot of trouble every night. After a long time, Yang Donghu couldn't stand it anymore and suggested sleeping separately.

Zhao Luochuan naturally refused and could only restrain himself a little. The two of them hadn't been affectionate for a few days.

The white and tender neck that Yang Donghu inadvertently revealed aroused Zhao Luochuan's heart.

He couldn't help but touch Yang Donghu's slender waist hidden under her clothes. He slowly moved his head closer to her and passionately kissed the neck he had been longing for for a long time.

Yang Donghu shrank his neck, held down his disruptive hand, and refused, "No, we have something important to do tomorrow, stop making trouble."

Zhao Luochuan had his arrow on the string, so there was no reason to retract it. He slowly laid Yang Donghu down on the bed and said in a negotiating tone, "Just once, I'll be gentle."

“Hmm…”

It’s spring time.