Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Matchmaking
It was early October. Only a pile of rice stalks remained in the fields, and tall straw stacks were built by the dam. The autumn harvest was coming to an end.
Three skinny ducks with white necks ate a few grains of chaff in the fields, twisted their bodies and slid into the ditch.
At this moment, a thin figure passed by on the wooden bridge that was hastily built by putting several logs together across the ditch.
In Aozi, the eldest son of the Fan family came back to the village from the mountains, carrying a backpack made of tightly woven thin bamboo strips and holding a stone gun in his hand.
As soon as they crossed the wooden bridge, the woman who was working in the field weeding the winter melon seedlings started calling out from a distance.
"Dajing, you came back just in time."
Fan Jing didn't respond, but raised his head slightly.
Seeing that he didn't respond and wasn't annoyed, the woman continued, "A matchmaker has come to your house, did you know?"
"That matchmaker is acting strangely, like he's from out there. He must have set his sights on you and is looking for a match."
After hearing this, Fan Jing looked in the direction of his home.
He said he didn't know, and then he didn't say much to the woman and went home slowly.
The single gate of the Fan family's courtyard was not closed. A nest of fine-feathered little yellow chicks jumped onto the threshold and ran out of the yard followed by an old hen with shiny feathers. They were pecking at insects by the fence, chirping and running everywhere.
Before Fan Jing went up the mountain, this brood of chickens were still under the old hen's butt and hadn't hatched yet. They were having a good time and were able to run around.
He took a look and walked in.
Fan Jing put down his backpack and stone spear on the round wooden stool outside the kitchen door, and then he heard an unfamiliar sound coming from the main room.
"This family's surname is Kang, and they live in Wangshui Township."
"They are a very honest family. They treat everyone with kindness and courtesy. I've never seen them get angry with anyone."
"This family's Sanlang has healthy limbs, a strong body, and a well-proportioned appearance."
In the main room, a woman in her forties, with a plump figure, was speaking eloquently.
The woman wore a dark red knee-length gown with a cross collar and an indigo folded skirt, the same color as the belt around her waist.
She also wore two colorful silk flowers and a plain silver hairpin on her head, and she looked really festive and cheerful.
Sitting opposite the matchmaker was a couple, Fan Shoulin, the father of the Fan family, and Chen Sanfang, the mother of the Fan family.
"How can such a good person come to my house?"
The matchmaker knew this question would come up, and said, "In the past few years, the government has been conscripting soldiers and grain again and again. At the height of the war, even my son was drafted to the front lines. The common people have suffered so much. Now that the war has finally subsided, many of the strong men in the common people's families have died on the battlefield."
"In the countryside, most people are girls. It's very difficult for these boys and girls of marriageable age to find a partner after the war."
"If this young man from the Kang family were alive today, he would be highly sought after and a perfect match for marriage. But God is jealous of people and has caused him to meet with misfortune, causing him to have a broken head. He has become much duller and can no longer do delicate work like accounting or writing."
The woman sighed, leaned forward slightly, and continued, "The Kang family had three sons. Two were drafted into the army and went to the front. When they returned, only one was left, and he had a crippled leg."
"One of my two sons is not very smart, and the other is disabled. How can they get married without spending some money? We are a small country family, not a wealthy one, and we can't afford such a large sum of money. After much thought, we came up with the idea of having a son who lives with the woman."
"The one who went to the battlefield suffered, so he had to be tight, so he had to let Xiaolang come out."
After hearing the whole story and understanding Kang Xiaolang's shortcomings, the Fan couple felt more at ease, but they also had other worries.
What the matchmaker said was true. Although the war ended two years ago, it was difficult to stop because of the difficulty of starting the war.
For example, in the matter of marriage, there are more boys and girls of marriageable age than boys, which creates an imbalance.
Male sperm has become more valuable among the people. In the past, if a family had a daughter, the Bai family would seek her out. Now it is the other way around.
The Fan family has one boy and two girls, but no son.
Families like this usually want to take in a son-in-law.
If there had not been a war, it would have been easy to find a son-in-law in times of peace when there were many strong men everywhere.
However, in this day and age, the Fan family is poor and cannot even afford the dowries for their daughters and sons, so how can they afford the money to marry a daughter-in-law?
I didn't feel comfortable talking to the matchmaker outside, so I never told him that I wanted to marry into the family, and no matchmaker came to my house.
This was quite unusual, as not only did a matchmaker come, but he also said that the man was a rare prospect and was willing to marry into the family.
Chen couldn't help but glance at Father Fan beside her. Seeing that he was also listening carefully, she quickly leaned forward and asked the matchmaker:
"My wife said that the young man from the Kang family is not very smart. I wonder how he is not very smart? If he were to marry into the family, how much do you want as a gift?"
"People aren't completely clueless. They're sometimes good and sometimes bad. When they're good, they're just like any other person. When they're at their worst, they just can't make sense."
The woman smiled slightly and said so.
Her family was from Wangshui Township, so she had certainly seen that silly boy from the Kang family.
It is true that he has a handsome appearance and a well-proportioned body.
But ever since that silly boy was hit on the head by a rock rolling down from the mountain and woke up from a three-day coma, he has been running around with a silly smile on his face all day long.
He didn't even know to go home when it rained, and the Kang family had to look for him everywhere, which was a waste of such a tall and strong laborer.
Although he avoided conscription on the front line because of his stupidity, there are few men now and no girls are willing to marry him.
Those families would rather marry their daughters and sons to men who came back from the battlefield with disabilities, or to men who would come to have children and then move on, rather than the fool from the Kang family.
The matchmaker didn't want to arrange a marriage for such a person, but the money given by the Kang family was really quite a lot, so he found a childless family far away in Hepingzi and asked them to come and see him.
Wangshui Township and Hepingzi are located in the south and north respectively, and are the two villages farthest apart in the county.
She was afraid that people nearby would know that the one from the Kang family was a fool. If they refused, it would be fine, but it would be bad if they spit on her and chased her away with a stick.
The matchmaker would not tell the truth so bluntly.
She briefly said a few words about Kang Sanlang, then picked up something nice to talk about:
"The Kang family is the most kindhearted family. They only wish the best for the young man and do not seek any gifts or money from the in-laws."
"The Kang brothers asked for such a large gift money, which caused my in-laws to delay payment, and in the end, it was Sanlang who suffered. Life has been difficult in the surrounding area these past two years, so a small gift money will be enough."
Chen thought that it was just as the matchmaker said, it was really a great joy.
But she was not stupid, and she knew that marriage was not so easy these days.
Although she is Fan Jing's stepmother, she cannot blindly arrange a marriage for someone.
If the person is not behaved properly, not to mention whether Fan Jing will be angry, even if he really is behaved properly, he will have a bad reputation and be gossiped about by outsiders. Her daughter will have to get married when she grows up.
Furthermore, if they are extremely stupid, they will not be able to do anything in their house and just eat and drink vegetables. Wouldn't they be made the scapegoats?
The matchmaker saw that although Chen didn't respond, her eyes were rolling around, and he thought she probably meant it, so he couldn't help feeling happy.
He paused to take a sip of the coarse tea on the small table beside him to moisten his dry throat, and then continued to work hard:
"Nowadays, when it comes to marriage, the man's family is proud. Even the poor, scoundrels who used to refuse to be looked at are now starting to tremble, finding fault with the girls and boys from good families. When I'm a matchmaker, I get angry every now and then. It's rare to see a family like the Kang family~"
"I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. My wife and her brother's family are in such a state that they should at least find a son-in-law. Apart from other things, how can we cope with life when we are old without a relative? If you like the Zhongkang family, I'll go back and tell them that there is a good family in Hepingzi. I'll talk to them and I think they'll be satisfied..."
"I won't go to any of them. There are several suitable families in the next village. I got along really well with my wife and brother Fan today, and they made me such delicious tea. I have to remember their kindness..."
Chen Shi heard the matchmaker's words so well, but she didn't rush to agree. She stood up and helped the woman to pour more tea, and whispered softly, "My lady, you have come from such a humble place to propose such a marriage to my family. We are so happy."
"After all, this is a major event in our children's lives, and as parents we can't be careless. I'd like to ask you to help us find a partner."
The matchmaker was scolded.
If this happens in person, there will be no more show.
"I know what my wife is thinking. I just hope that the water town is not far away. It is a village in the same county as this place, but even if it is close, it is still sixty or seventy miles away. It would be inconvenient to go back and forth, and it would be difficult to pass on the message."
"My lady, I am really worried. I will bring you a portrait in two days."
Seeing the matchmaker evading the question, Chen became wary of a trick. Everyone knew that a matchmaker could turn black into white. She was afraid that the young man was either stupid or just a fool.
However, she was not sure whether the matchmaker was unwilling to arrange the match and do more work because she had not spent any money.
She hesitated for a moment, still reluctant to spend money to test the matchmaker.
Father Fan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly took out a hundred dollars from his pocket and stuffed it into the matchmaker's hand.
"Just call them over to show us, and let their families see our brother."
Chen saw the heavy string of money, which must have been at least ten.
I couldn't help but glare at Fan's father, thinking that this old guy actually has some private money.
Although the copper coins did not come from her pocket, she still felt like a piece of her flesh was being cut off.
But there was no reason to take back the money given away from the matchmaker, so Chen just laughed:
"Don't blame me, my lady, for the old man's inability to speak. I've worked so hard, but the tea at home isn't good. I haven't treated you well enough. I hope you enjoy a bowl of good tea when you come to town."
When the matchmaker touched the copper coin, his thoughts changed.
If someone wants to go on a blind date, but they don't meet each other, I'm afraid the relationship will not work out in the future.
But if we meet, there is an 80% chance that it still won't work out.
Since neither option works, why doesn't she just take the money?
Just let the two of them meet. Even if it doesn't work out, she will have earned ten more copper coins, so the trip won't be in vain.
The matchmaker put the copper coin into his sleeve, a smile on his face. "Mrs. Chen, you are too polite, Brother Fan. I have already arranged this for you. I will go back and talk to the Kang family and then send a message back."
"Okay, okay! Please help me, ma'am."
After a few more polite words, the matchmaker saw that the sun was high and it was not impolite to have lunch here, so he stood up and said goodbye.
She was seen off by the couple, all smiling.
As soon as I stepped out of the door, I was suddenly met with a strange face.
Under the eaves stood a tall and slender man with his hair tied up with a piece of rag and his body covered with a piece of goat hair-like animal skin.
He was wearing a pair of brown trousers with many patches on them, and he seemed to have a faint smell of wild birds, which was not a pleasant smell.
His eyes were indifferent, showing neither curiosity nor friendliness towards strangers. He looked like a difficult person to get along with.
The matchmaker had never met Fan Jing. Just now, the couple said that the child had gone far away and it was difficult to call him back, so she didn't think much about it.
All I know is that the person who came to this family this time was a young man who was a bit older.
When he first saw Fan Jing, he thought that this person was a man. He was just thinking, "Doesn't the Fan family have a son?"
Chen, who had sent the matchmaker out, was shocked to see the person coming back. She hurriedly half-pulled and half-pushed the person into the kitchen.
Fan Jing did not resist, but took a bow with a broken string from the backpack he brought back and went to the kitchen.
The matchmaker suddenly came to his senses from his stupor, fearing that this was the man he wanted to marry into the family.
"Brother Fan, Madam Chen, this!"
She turned around and pointed at the person with Father Fan who was standing beside her, she was so shocked that she was speechless.
When Mr. Fan saw this, he half opened his mouth, but he was too tongue-tied to know what to say.
"This is our eldest brother. He just came back from hunting in the mountains. He didn't know the matchmaker came to the house and didn't have time to clean up. His wife laughed at him."
It was Chen who rushed out of the house, pushed Father Fan away, and immediately smiled and tried to smooth things over.
The matchmaker swallowed his saliva. The Kang family only wanted a decent family and did not care about the appearance of the brothers and sisters.
She didn't look at him closely, thinking that it didn't matter if he was a little ugly. She really didn't expect that the boy from the Fan family would look like this.
That figure, that face... and he's also a hunter...
She is afraid that people will beat men if something goes wrong!
The matchmaker shuddered and suddenly felt the hundred-dollar bill in his sleeve was hot.
If I had known that he was so domineering, I would not have gone against my conscience and praised Kang Sanlang as beautiful as a flower.
Chen saw that the matchmaker's expression was not right, and she realized that she had let something slip in her haste, so she quickly explained, "There's no son in the family, so his father raised him to be a bit fierce."
"They only go up to the mountains after the autumn harvest when they have nothing to do. Back home, they stay at home sewing and sweeping the floor. Farmers' boys aren't as pampered as city boys. They always have to do more work, so they look rougher, but they're no different from ordinary boys."
The matchmaker laughed dryly. Putting aside talent and appearance, having skills was a good thing. For a poor family, having more skills would provide more ways out.
He's just a good boy, why didn't he learn any other skill, but chose to learn this one.
She said something polite: "Brother, you are very capable. It is so great to have a skill these days. My wife, Brother Fan, is so lucky."
Chen saw that the matchmaker was being polite and was afraid that the wild-minded Fan Jing would be frightened and would not be willing to get married. So she gritted her teeth and opened the basket that Fan Jing had brought back. She saw a rabbit and a pheasant lying inside. She immediately pulled the skinny chicken over.
"My brother is a bit of a dull person. He's getting older day by day. His father and I are so worried during the day that we can't sleep at night.
"He was born to my previous wife. If I, as his stepmother, don't arrange a good marriage for him, I'm afraid my previous wife will blame me in the afterlife. I'm really going to be in a state of panic."
"Please take care of it, Madam Hu."
Chen made up her mind and stuffed the pheasant into the matchmaker's hand, saying that there were not many good things among the farmers in the mountains, so he hoped she would not despise it.
This matchmaker was an official matchmaker. He was invited to propose marriages every day and earned some money. He lived a good life and had good food and drink.
The chickens raised by farmers in the village may not be rare, but the colorful chickens in the mountains are different. Although they are not fat, their meat is firm and fragrant. They are called mountain delicacies, and the rich and powerful families even buy them specifically to eat.
She was so happy when she got a pheasant.
"It's hard to imagine the love of a parent in the world. I was deeply moved when I heard that. Don't worry, my lady. I know what's going on."
He took the pheasant and said, "Even if this marriage doesn't work out, I will pick out a better one and tell my elder brother about it."
Chen and Fan Shoulin felt relieved. After a few more polite words, the matchmaker left happily.
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