7 Chapter 7
◎Matchmaking must be based on mutual consent◎
Every day at 1:00 PM, Jiang took down the door panels and opened her shop. Her small shop sold a wide variety of goods, whatever her husband had picked up from the farm. She also bought needlework from the ladies. Today, after the shop opened, a young man came straight in and sat down. "Shopkeeper, come in here. I have something to ask you."
Jiang was used to taking advantage of others, and many people came to her for information.
"Excuse me, whose family is this young lady in the house?"
At this time, Gui'er took out a knife. Jiang said, "She is the sister of King Yama. What's the matter?"
Gui'er took a step closer, sizing up the eunuch. He looked so embarrassed that he could barely sit still. "Shopkeeper, please stop teasing me. You know I'm talking about that beautiful young lady."
Gui'er was not yet old enough to wear a golden hairpin. She wore a bun on her head, like a sturdy calf. In Jiang's eyes, she was naturally not a young lady that anyone would ask about. Jiang laughed heartily, "I was also a beautiful young lady once."
The man said dryly, "Shopkeeper, you're joking again. My surname is Qu, and my given name is Liang. I run a paper-making shop in the west of the city. My parents died young, and I don't have a wife. If you can be my matchmaker and bring them together, I'll reward you handsomely."
Jiang immediately put his thoughts to rest, "Sir, don't ask about it. She is a widow from another family, and she is currently providing incense for that family."
Naqu Liang knew that the old woman was not telling the truth, so he said patiently, "It would be better if she was a returning lover."
Jiang said, "I don't know whether you will turn back or not. It's not something that can be done in a short time. Don't delay your marriage."
Qu Liang asked Jiang to ask for him, but Jiang did not give a definite answer.
After they left, Jiang couldn't wait to go to the inner courtyard to tell Cheng Mu, "Madam Cheng, a young man is asking about you."
Mu Yun asked quickly, "Who is asking? What does it look like? Do you have any characteristics?"
Jiang waved her hand and said, "Don't worry, uncle. I've already sent them away."
Mu Yun was afraid that Jiang was from the Wu family. Only when Jiang told him her full name did he gradually feel relieved.
Cheng Mu said to Jiang, "If anyone asks again, don't pay any attention. I haven't had this thought in recent years."
She only went out once, but unexpectedly she still recruited someone.
In modern times, at most you would be approached for a chat, but here you would be directly proposed to. It's so scary.
For several days in a row, Mr. Qu Xiang came to the house and lingered. He wanted to ask more questions, but was always turned away by Jiang. Later, someone told him that Jiang was not easy to talk to because he had not received any benefits first. So he bought things from Jiang's store and asked about the same things one by one. In order to make a living, Jiang answered his questions in detail one by one.
Qu Liang was so anxious, "To be honest, boss, I saw that young lady on the street that day, and she took away my soul. You have to help me."
He took out a tael of silver and handed it to Jiang, who didn't dare take it. She scolded him, "I love money, but I earn it in a proper way. Even if I'm a matchmaker, I have to be willing. Don't bother me anymore."
Qu Liang was beaten out by Jiang and left angrily.
Although Jiang had driven the men away, she was furious. There were two widows here, and the market was so good, yet they were both so depressed.
Captain Lin had gone to the countryside to escort grain and seeds these days. She thought for a moment and then went to Yu and said, "Captain Lin will be back in a couple of days. He left me a few pounds of good grain seeds. I'd like to invite him to dinner at my house. Please come and help light the fire."
Yu was not interested. "My cooking skills are not good."
Captain Lin was a bachelor, and Yu supported herself by sewing. Because of Jiang, several of Captain Lin's clothes were made by Yu. Captain Lin felt something special when he got them, feeling that every detail was carefully crafted, and some of the hidden details were cleverly hidden. He was very pleased, so he asked Jiang for help in bringing them together. After Yu refused twice, she stopped making clothes for Captain Lin. To get them to meet, Jiang even invited Captain Lin to dinner, but as expected, she refused again.
Jiang was furious, "You're not a good cook, and Madam Cheng is even worse. Who should I go to? I'm running errands for you outside, and you don't even help me when something goes wrong!"
Seeing that she was annoyed, Yu changed her tone and said, "As long as you don't mind."
Jiang turned around and went to look for Cheng Mu. Every time that man came these few days, she would come to Cheng Mu as well.
As soon as Cheng Mu saw her, she asked, "Is someone coming again?"
Jiang scolded, "He said you took away his soul on the street that day, and asked me to save his life."
Cheng Mu smiled and said, "Aunt, just talk to him about someone else."
Jiang looked regretful. "You don't know, he handed me a lot of silver and asked me to come up with a solution with him, but I refused to accept it."
Cheng Mu continued, "I remember your kindness, Aunt. I got some delicious food from overseas a while ago, and I'll bring it back for you to try."
Jiang's eyes lit up. "What kind of food can be kept for so long?"
Cheng Mu took out a dozen potatoes and gave them to her. "Even these potatoes are so delicious that few people can eat them."
Jiang examined them carefully. Each one was only the size of an egg, and she couldn't tell what they looked like, nor did they smell anything special. She asked Cheng Mu how to eat them, and she said they could be steamed or boiled, or sliced or shredded and stir-fried.
Jiang held it in her arms like a treasure, "That's the good thing about Madam Cheng. She always thinks of me when it comes to good things. Have you ever eaten it?"
Every day, meals were prepared by Jiang, and Cheng Mu never entered the kitchen. She thanked Jiang for keeping her out of trouble and said, "Aunt treats me like her own daughter. Even if I were to cook for you, I wouldn't hesitate."
"That's great! I'm afraid it might get ruined. I'll invite Captain Lin to dinner in a couple of days, and Madam Cheng will come and teach me how to make it."
After making the agreement with Cheng Mu, she happily went back with the things in her pocket.
One day, a woman came and said that her family needed to make a few sets of clothes and asked Jiang to help find someone.
Jiang recommended Yu, but when the maid saw her, she said that one person might not be able to handle the job.
Jiang asked in detail, including how many people it was made for, how many sets were made for each person, what the requirements were, whether the cloth was hers or hers, and whether it was urgent.
The old woman asked her if she could find a few women who were good at needlework.
Jiang was confident when she said this, "I can hire anyone who is good at sewing in this alley. Even if you want to make clothes for all the servants in Prince Yanyun's mansion, I can do it for you."
The mother-in-law's background was obviously not that prominent, so she said tactfully, "It's better to keep the wealth within the family. Is there no other woman in your house who can do this?"
Jiang was a shrewd person. She snorted coldly, "You're almost naming the person." She asked her not to say so much nonsense and asked whether she wanted to do the job or not.
The old woman finally agreed to do it and took Yu and Gui'er to have clothes tailored.
When they came back, Jiang hurriedly asked the old woman what she was doing.
Gui'er said, "The guest is the gentleman who has been coming here regularly these days."
Jiang laughed, "Is this the solution he came up with?"
Yu knew the whole story more or less, and was afraid of causing trouble for Madam Cheng, so she told Jiang to just forget it.
Jiang said, "Who would turn away business that comes to us for free? We'll take as many as we can. You just do what you're supposed to do without knowing what to do. You've already cut the cloth, and now it's all in vain if you give it up."
Yu just did her work at home.
Two days later, Captain Lin returned to the city. Jiang went to him to get the grain seeds, gave him money, and invited him to her house for dinner in the evening to thank him for the Jingu grain seeds he had specially left for her.
Captain Lin refused without a second thought, "This matter is not worth mentioning at all. Why bother to have a meal with me?"
Jiang said, "You don't know, but lately, those who want to use me as a matchmaker or find someone to get back together with, have been knocking on my doorstep."
Captain Lin was shocked. Jiang deliberately didn't say who she was looking for, so Captain Lin thought she was talking about Yu.
He pondered for a while, then said, "Well, I'm sorry to bother you."
Seeing that he still had the same idea, Jiang was secretly happy.
A few days ago, she brought a letter to her family to get grain seeds, and Captain Lin also agreed to come. Jiang personally slaughtered chickens and geese, cooked them, set out the cups and plates, installed the door of the shop, placed the mat in the middle of the shop, put out tables and chairs, and invited Captain Lin to sit on them. The whole house was full of women, and the head of the household had not arrived yet, so Jiang came to invite Mu Yun to join them.
Cheng Mu first explained the matter to Mu Yun. When Jiang came to invite her, she told Mu Yun to go, "Go and have a drink with your Master Wu."
Mu Yun left. Captain Lin hadn't seen him for a while, and he hadn't seen the person he wanted to see either, so he said to Mu Yun, "Let's go find an open space and test your progress these days."
The open space outside the second gate was just right, with access to the kitchen and the small courtyard to the east that looked like a patio. That was where Yu's mother and daughter rented a place. The patio was three meters square and had two rooms, each the same size as Jiang's shop.
At this time, Yu Guier and Cheng Mu were both in the kitchen. Jiang came over and said, "Captain Lin and Mu Yun are fighting each other. This chef is really dedicated. You won't find such a good chef anywhere else."
Cheng Mu echoed twice, but Yu pretended not to hear.
There was one last dish of shredded potatoes. Jiang picked up the thin strips soaked in water and examined them, praising them: "These strips are really well cut, with the right thickness. The knife skills are excellent."
Guier said proudly, "I cut it."
Jiang asked Cheng Mu again why they had to soak the food. Cheng Mu said it was to wash away the starch. None of them understood, so Cheng Mu said, "Just rinse it and then add some rice vinegar to the water and soak it for a while. It will taste better."
When the iron pan is hot, add shredded ginger and green onion first, stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in drained shredded potatoes, then add rice vinegar, salt and sugar, stir-fry briefly for a while, and add rice vinegar before serving.
Cheng Mi's movements were so smooth and fluid that Jiang and Yu were stunned. They all thought that Madam Cheng had never done housework, but they didn't expect that she was an expert.
The stimulated sour aroma penetrates into everyone's nose domineeringly, making people's mouths water.
Several people came over to see, "Is it ready now?"
Cheng Mu said, "It's that simple." She picked out some, and everyone present tasted it with a chopstick. It was sour, fragrant, crispy and refreshing, very appetizing, and everyone praised it.
Gui Er asked in surprise, "Mrs. Cheng's cooking skills are so good, why would she pay someone to work with her?"
Jiang choked, "Of course it's because Madam Cheng and you are not ordinary people. If you can do it, you should do it."
After the last dish was cooked, there was nothing else to do in the kitchen, so they dispersed and walked out of the second door. Captain Lin and Mu Yun were still standing there talking.
Captain Lin's gaze was fixed precisely on Yu.
Yu quickly lowered her head when she caught his gaze. She was young, barely thirty, a middle-aged woman with two children. She was thin, but still had a touch of charm.
The two of them didn't meet like this often. They had met once or twice when they were getting tailoring and taking measurements, and they had only exchanged a few words.
Jiang grabbed Yu, who was about to hurry back to the house. Just as she was about to speak, her eldest son knocked on the door outside. Yu took the opportunity to leave without paying attention.
Jiang cursed: You damn bastard.
Jiang's eldest son, Chen Jiang, resembled her, with a round face and short stature. Seeing several people standing outside the second gate, he only recognized one, Captain Lin, and greeted him first. Then, his eyes were drawn to a graceful woman, whom Jiang introduced as "Mrs. Cheng and her uncle and sister-in-law, who have rented the inner courtyard."
After greeting each other, Cheng Mu instructed Mu Yun, "Serve Captain Lin a meal before returning."
The people had already entered the inner courtyard, but Chen Jiang was still stretching his neck to look, and Jiang slapped him on the back.
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