Jiang Nuan blinked, then asked hesitantly, "Such a good girl, are you sure Mother didn't arrange a good match for her?"
“Absolutely not,” Grandma Jiang said firmly. “I’ve inquired around, and if it were true, there would be no way there wouldn’t be any word about it.”
"Grandma," Xie asked hesitantly, "this girl is so wonderful, are your parents willing to let her go?"
She always felt there was something wrong.
"Whether you're willing or not, you have to marry her off," Old Mrs. Jiang said dismissively. "That girl is almost twenty. If she stays any longer, she'll become an old maid. Besides, even if her family wanted to keep her, they couldn't. Don't underestimate the matchmaker's words."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Xiao Wu thought his grandfather had returned, so he skipped and jumped to open the door. But when he looked up, he saw an old woman wearing a red flower in her hair.
“Mother,” she shouted at the top of her lungs, “a strange old woman named Flower has come.”
The matchmaker froze the moment she saw Jiang Nuan.
She forced a smile and greeted them, "What a coincidence, Madam Jiang is here too."
Seeing Jiang Nuan reminded her of the shameless Lai Zi.
She really couldn't afford to offend that official.
Therefore, I haven't been taking on much business from Huangjiakou lately, but I still couldn't get rid of it.
"What a coincidence," Jiang Nuan greeted with a smile, "I didn't expect to run into you here."
“Well,” the matchmaker explained stiffly, “the old lady asked me to go to the girl’s house to sound her out, and I’m here to reply.”
If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have taken the job.
If the ancestor is dissatisfied and complains to the evil spirits, she, a matchmaker who makes a living by talking, can't withstand the torment of those officials.
She had already inquired about it; the clan chief of Huangjiakou had been harassed and subdued by those officials.
"We've got a response!" Grandma Jiang perked up. "So, did the girl's family agree?"
"I wasn't really willing at first," the matchmaker said, glancing at Jiang Nuan before continuing, "but I think our young man is excellent, and it would be a real shame to miss out on him. It took two days to finally convince the girl's parents."
"Does this mean they agree?" Old Mrs. Jiang's eyes lit up. "When can we come to present the gifts?"
“I agree,” the matchmaker said, looking somewhat embarrassed but not daring to hide anything, “but the woman has conditions.”
"What are your conditions?" Grandma Jiang wasn't surprised. "Tell me, as long as they're not excessive, we'll consider it."
The matchmaker glanced at Jiang Nuan warily, and only spoke after confirming that she wasn't angry, "First, the betrothal gifts must be no less than five taels of silver; second, the wedding gift for your younger brother and sister-in-law must also be no less than two taels of silver; and then..."
Seeing the increasingly cold faces of the Jiang family, the matchmaker's voice grew softer and softer until finally, she stopped altogether.
"Is this marrying off a daughter or selling her?" Madam Xie blurted out. "We're not only raising their daughter, but also supporting their whole family?"
“Exactly,” Jin said indignantly. “It’s right for married daughters to give money to their younger siblings, but two taels of silver for each is excessive. With that two taels, you could marry one yourself.”
“By the way, Grandma,” Jin turned her head, “how many sisters does this girl have?”
“Eight,” Old Mrs. Jiang said with a dark face. “The eldest brother is sixteen years old this year, which is the age for marriage.”
That's a brilliant plan.
With a dowry of five taels of silver plus a gift of two taels of silver, that's seven taels of silver in assets. You could pick any girl from the surrounding villages and still have plenty left over.
“Mother,” Aunt Huang said with a bitter smile, “no matter how good this girl is, our family can’t afford her.”
They're blatantly using their daughter to make money!
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