The ear-length-haired woman took another sip of water, took a long breath and said to Xie's mother, "I'm talking about Taozi's marriage to the youngest son of the Ruan family. You rejected the marriage because of his third sister, and you lost a lot!"
Mother Xie didn't know why she brought up this matter, as it had happened more than half a year ago. Besides, what loss would their family have? It would be a loss if they let Xie Tao marry him. Ruan Changsheng’s third sister is a big burden and a big trouble.
She was asking for a divorce and refused to move out to live in her parents' home, which not only brought shame to the Ruan family, but she also had to eat and drink at her parents' home. It would have been fine if she could get married, but her in-laws did not agree to the divorce, so she could not get married again.
With a third sister like this, which girl would be willing to marry Ruan Changsheng?
So she looked at the woman and said, "I am getting more confused the more I listen. Where did you go to drink?"
The woman raised her hand and slapped her thigh, "Who would buy me a drink for no reason? I'm not drunk and come here to talk nonsense with you. You don't know other things, but do you know the old tailor of Jinguan Village?"
Mother Xie asked, "Didn't he die a month ago?"
The woman said, "When he was dying, he called all the village cadres to his side and gave all the family property and shop to his apprentice, the little tailor. Now the shop belongs to the little tailor. Did you know that?"
Mother Xie nodded, "I heard some things."
The woman looked at her and asked, "Then do you know who this little tailor is?"
Mother Xie said, "How would I know? We are thousands of miles apart. If we were not so far apart, the matchmaker surnamed Fang would not have been hiding things from us before. It has caused so much trouble for my family. I get angry just thinking about it."
The woman didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "The little tailor is the granddaughter of the Ruan family, and the niece of the youngest son of the Ruan family. And her third sister, the third aunt of the little tailor, has also learned the craft and become a tailor! I don't need to say how popular and profitable the tailoring craft is. It can be said to be a golden rice bowl!"
Hearing this, Xie's mother sat up straight instantly.
She looked at the woman for a long time with a tense face, then asked, "Where did you hear that?"
The woman said, "I heard it from somewhere. I went to the tailor shop today to ask a young tailor to come the day after tomorrow to make two sets of clothes for my little boy. When I arrived at the tailor shop, the youngest son of the Ruan family and his third sister were there. He asked me if Taozi was dating someone, so I found out. Otherwise, how would I know!"
Mother Xie frowned at the woman, "The old tailor's health has long been failing, and he has a strange personality. He has only trained one apprentice in his lifetime, the young tailor. The young tailor will only be able to make clothes on his own in the next two or three months. If he doesn't want the old tailor to take care of him anymore, who taught Ruan Changsheng's third sister the craft? Are you really not talking nonsense?"
The woman sorted out the matter in the tailor shop. She felt that it was a pity that the Xie family had missed out on a good in-law. She couldn't bear the matter, so she hurried back to tell Xie's mother about it.
She didn't have any other intentions, she just wanted the Xie family to know about this.
After all, who knows if you can keep this kind of thing in your heart without saying it?
After she said this, she felt relieved and didn't care whether Xie's mother believed her or not.
She didn't sit any longer, and stood up and said, "The day after tomorrow the little tailor and her third aunt will come over to make clothes. There are many people in the village who want her to make clothes. Even if you don't want to make clothes, you can come and see the fun. Then you will know, right?"
She walked out the door and said, "I won't say any more to you. I have to go home and make dinner."
Xie's mother stood up and walked her to the door, then watched her walk away with a frown.
After a while, Xie's mother turned around and saw Xie Tao coming out by opening the curtain on the door.
Xie Tao stood in front of the door and looked at her without saying a word.
Mother Xie looked unhappy. After a while, she said, "I think she is just talking nonsense to make things difficult for our family. The old tailor has been in poor health for the past six months, and the young tailor has just started his apprenticeship. Who did Ruan Changsheng's third sister learn her craft from? And why didn't your second mother find out these things when she went to Fengyan Village to inquire?"
Xie Tao felt very upset, "We'll know when the tailor comes the day after tomorrow."
In the past six months, she has dated several people, but none of them is as handsome as Ruan Changsheng, nor does he look tall and make people feel at ease as Ruan Changsheng. She always gave up after the first meeting.
She was very satisfied with Ruan Changsheng, but this thing about his third sister made her unacceptable. If his third sister was a tailor now and earned more than anyone else in the Ruan family, wouldn't she be so angry that she would die?
She thought it would be better if this was fake, otherwise she would become a laughing stock in the village!
Such a good in-law family, the father-in-law is the brigade secretary, the eldest brother is a prestigious cadre in the army, the third sister works as a tailor with her niece to make a lot of money for the family, and Ruan Changsheng himself is strong and hardworking. Where can I find such a good one if I miss it!
She, Xie Tao, cannot become a joke, this must be fake!
Before going out to make clothes, Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi packed a few clothes at home and took them with them before going to the tailor shop. Soon after she opened the door of the tailor shop, the person who came to help her carry the sewing machine came over.
Now that the old tailor is gone, the sedan chair is of no use and has been placed in the corner of the yard.
Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi followed the sewing machine to Chiyu Village. When they arrived at the woman's house, it was time for lunch. So they didn't rush to sit down and work immediately, but had lunch first.
Of course, I didn’t rest after lunch. I took out my tools and started working.
Ruan Xi drew several uniform styles according to the appearance and temperament of the woman with cut-ear hair and her son, each one was different, and asked the woman with cut-ear hair and her son to choose two sets. The woman with ear-length hair liked every set she looked at, and after hesitating for a long time she decided on two sets.
Ruan Xi drew the paper according to the design she had decided on, while Ruan Cuizhi helped by doing various handicrafts.
After a while, people from Murakami came to watch the fun.
The villagers have no other entertainment activities, so they just go wherever there is excitement. Normally, when someone's boar is castrated and sterilized, a lot of people will gather around to watch the fun, not to mention things like making clothes.
Those who came to join in the fun included children, young unmarried girls, some women and old ladies.
Xie's mother did not go to the production team to work this afternoon. After dinner, she went to the house of the woman with thin hair.
She has been unable to eat or sleep for the past two days. If she doesn't come and see it with her own eyes and figure out the matter herself, she's afraid she will still not be able to eat or sleep well tonight. So she must come and take a look in person.
When she was leaving, she called Xie Tao: "Are you going?"
Xie Tao hid in the room and refused to come out. "I won't go."
She felt very upset and was afraid of losing face, so she didn't want to go.
As a result, not long after Xie's mother left, her good friend Ermei came over again.
Ermei didn't know what was going on yet, so she just said to Xie Tao, "I heard that the little tailor is here to make clothes. I just happen to have a piece of clothing that I want her to alter. Why don't you go with me? It's so boring to stay at home. Let's go and watch the fun."
Xie Tao said that she was not feeling well and did not want to go, but Ermei dragged her body over.
When they arrived at the house of the woman with hair that was as thin as her ears, Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi were doing tailoring work.
Ermei took one look and said, "This little tailor is so pretty."
Xie Tao looked at Ruan Xi and then at Ruan Cuizhi beside her. She felt like her heart was stuffed with a ton of cotton and it was difficult for her to breathe. If Ermei hadn't been holding her arm, she would have gone home long ago.
Even though she hadn't seen Ruan Changsheng for more than half a year, when she saw Ruan Cuizhi's face, she could still tell at a glance that she looked very similar to Ruan Changsheng. So she didn't even need anyone to tell her, she was sure on her own that this was Ruan Changsheng's third sister!
My face was burning and it felt like I was stepping on two hedgehogs!
She despised Ruan Changsheng's third sister as a shameful burden, but she never expected that she has transformed into a skilled seamstress. Not only does everyone who sees her have to greet her politely, but she can also make a lot of money!
Ermei didn't look at Xie Tao's face, but kept watching Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi doing things. Others were looking at Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi like her. Someone asked curiously, "Little tailor, is this your apprentice?"
Ruan Xi smiled and said, "I taught him the craft, but I'm not an apprentice. I'm a proper tailor."
Hearing this, Ermei said beside Xie Tao: "This little tailor is amazing. She is so young, and she has learned well by herself. She can also teach others, and she teaches very well. Look at the skills of the elder sister."
Xie Tao knew that the elder sister Ermei was talking about was Ruan Cuizhi. She also realized that Ruan Cuizhi was not just doing odd jobs for a tailor to make a living, but had learned the craft seriously and was very skilled in everything she did.
But the more this happened, the more upset she felt.
Ermei finally took her eyes off Ruanxi and Ruan Cuizhi. She turned to look at Xie Tao and saw that her face was red. She was startled and said, "Taozi, do you have a fever? Your face is so red!"
When she said this, the other onlookers also turned their eyes over.
Including Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi who were working.
Xie Tao was instantly so embarrassed that she wanted to die, and she wished she could lower her head and find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
There was no crack in the ground to hide in, so she raised her hands to cover her face, then immediately turned around and ran out.
Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi looked away and asked the woman with ear-length hair, "Is the one who ran out Xie Tao?"
The ear-length-haired woman said, "Yes, yes, that is the peach."
Ruan Xi nodded, thinking that she was indeed good-looking, with a delicate and comfortable face.
The sensitive person heard the inner meaning in these two sentences and asked, "Little tailor, do you know Taozi?"
Ruan Xi smiled and said to the woman who was speaking, "I don't know her."
How can you ask if you don't know him? This statement is obviously contradictory.
The old lady also said, "It doesn't look like someone I don't know."
Ruan Xi did not answer. She did not want to talk more about Ruan Changsheng. The woman with ear-length hair did not say anything more for the sake of Xie's mother. But she had talked about Ruan Changsheng and Xie Tao a lot when she met people these past two days, and many people knew about it, so someone in the crowd said, "The little tailor's surname is Ruan, and she is Ruan Changsheng's niece!"
But, "Who is Ruan Changsheng?"
People in the crowd were murmuring, "Isn't that the guy Taozi almost got together with? Because his third sister got divorced and lived with her parents, it didn't work out in the end. The guy's name was Ruan Changsheng. I remember it clearly."
Then someone cleared his throat, pointed at Ruan Cuizhi and whispered, "She is Ruan Changsheng's third sister."
As soon as these words came out, the onlookers started to make a noise. Someone looked directly at Ruan Cuizhi and asked, "Are you really the third sister of Ruan Changsheng? Are you making a noise... making a noise about that... that you have been living in your mother's house..."
The word divorce doesn't sound nice, so out of consideration for Ruan Cuizhi's face, they simply skipped the word. Ruan Cuizhi herself didn't care and said openly, "Yes, I am his third sister."
Someone said, "Oh my, you actually learned the craft and became a tailor?"
Ruan Cuizhi smiled and said, "It's not good to live in my mother's house. I can't always ask my parents and brother to support me. My niece happened to be a tailor, so I learned this craft from her. My parents can't support me in vain, I have to respect them."
As soon as she said this, Xie's mother's face in the crowd turned completely red.
At this point, the matter was completely clear, and there was no doubt that Ruan Cuizhi's skills were taught by the little tailor! The man who was despised by their family now has a popular and profitable skill and has become a respected tailor in the mountain!
They used to think that Ruan Cuizhi was a burden for living and eating at her mother's house, and they were afraid that Ruan Changsheng would have to support her for the rest of her life. But now, she is bringing in lots of money with her niece, so supporting Ruan Changsheng for the rest of his life is no problem!
Someone saw the look on Xie's mother's face and said, "Your Taozi is unlucky."
How tactless of you to say such things, you are deliberately trying to hurt her! Upon hearing this, Xie's mother's face darkened and her expression became even more distorted and ugly. But she was mostly feeling suffocated and embarrassed, and she couldn't even utter a single word of rebuttal.
She held her breath and didn't respond. She turned around, pushed the person next to her away, and walked out.
Ermei still had a confused look on her face. After seeing Xie's mother leave, she suddenly understood why Xie Tao was unwilling to come over, why her face was so red, and why she ran away in such a hurry!
After sorting out the whole story, she immediately turned around and ran out.
She ran to Xie's house and found Xie Tao, only to see Xie Tao sitting alone on the bed in the room, pursing her lips and with a flushed face, as if she was extremely embarrassed. Look at the expression on her face, she's angry, annoyed, and frustrated, and she's about to cry.
Ermei walked over and sat down next to her, saying tactlessly, "So that's Ruan Changsheng's niece and third sister."
Xie Tao looked at Ermei, and was so angry that she was about to cry, "Do you think I am extremely unlucky?"
She actually rejected such a good in-law family!
Ermei thought about it, looked at her and said, "Find a better family than his!"
Xie Tao was so angry that she wanted to kick her legs. She cried and said, "It's not that easy. It's impossible to find one! The ones the matchmaker mentioned before were either short or ugly. Their families were also very ordinary and they all relied on work points to make a living!"
Ermei added, "If it weren't for the little tailor and his third sister, Ruan Changsheng's family would have to rely on work points to make a living. If you don't like such a family, then don't look for a family in the mountains, look for one in the town."
Xie Tao looked at Ermei, bit her lip and said, "I'm not a fairy. Why would people in the town look for me if they don't want to find people in the town? The matchmaker doesn't even know anyone in the town, so how can she find someone in the town for me?"
Ermei was completely at a loss, "What should I do then?"
Xie Tao stomped his feet a few times, bent down and covered his face with his hands, and was so angry that he didn't want to talk anymore.
Of course, she was not angry at others, but at herself. She wanted to punch herself a few times.
Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi worked as prostitutes in Chiyu Village. Because of Ruan Cuizhi, Xie Tao and Ruan Changsheng's affairs were dug up by people who were watching the fun, and soon every household in the village knew about it.
Many people gossiped behind Xie Tao's back, saying that she was unlucky.
If she had not cared about Ruan Cuizhi living in her parents' home and had directly married into the Ruan family, wouldn't she be living a very comfortable life now? Maybe I can learn skills from Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi, and then earn money as a tailor myself in the future!
Now, the Xie family must be regretting it so much!
The atmosphere at the Xie family's dining table was depressingly heavy.
Especially Xie Tao's aunt, who had gone to Fengyan Village to inquire about the situation, ate with her head down and did not speak.
She is now regretting so much that her intestines are turning green. If she had known earlier, she should not have gotten involved in this matter. Although she felt that she was not responsible, after all, the information she had heard was true, but the eldest brother's family must have some opinions about her.
Sure enough, no one spoke for a long time. The first thing Xie's mother asked her was: "You went over to ask around but didn't find out that the little tailor was from the Ruan family and was the niece of Ruan Changsheng?"
Aunt Xie Tao said, "Sister-in-law, when it comes to marriage, everyone looks at their parents and brothers, but who would look at the next generation? And she's a girl who's going to get married, who would care? Who would have thought that she was so capable at such a young age, not only did she learn a skill herself, but she could also teach her third aunt? If you didn't see it with your own eyes, would you dare to believe it?"
Xie's mother felt so choked up by what she said that she was speechless.
Indeed, she didn't believe it until she saw it today.
But no matter what, she felt so blocked in her heart that she couldn't breathe and was about to suffocate!
Aunt Xie Tao looked at the expressions of the family at the table, especially the eldest brother's family. She rolled her eyes a few times, then suddenly looked at Xie's mother and said, "Sister-in-law, do you know if the youngest son of the Ruan family has found a girlfriend?"
Mother Xie was stunned by the question, and after a moment she said, "I don't know about that."
Aunt Xie Tao said, "Then go and ask around. If they haven't agreed yet and haven't gotten engaged yet, isn't there still a chance? Didn't he and Taozi get along very well at the time? He liked our Taozi very much..."
Hearing this, Xie Tao, who was concentrating on eating, slowly raised his head.
Mother Xie looked at her aunt, then at her. "I suddenly remembered that Sister Wu came to tell me about this the night before yesterday. She said that Ruan Changsheng asked her if Taozi had a date. Could it be that... he didn't have one either?"
A look of hope instantly appeared on Xie Tao's face. She looked at Xie's mother and then at her aunt.
Her aunt shrank back and said, "I won't go asking around this time. I'm afraid my brain won't be good enough, and if I can't find out the answer clearly, it will ruin things. The little tailor and his third sister are still here, Taozi, why don't you go and ask for yourself?"
Xie Tao pursed her lips and said, "I'm sorry... I can't bring myself to do this..."
The men in the family were more concerned about their reputation, so they didn't get involved in the matter from beginning to end, and they didn't say anything. So Mother Xie took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll go over and ask later. I don't want to lose face anymore."
So she decided to go all out. After dinner, she took some good things from home and went to the house of the woman with thin hair. When she got there, she first exchanged pleasantries with the woman with thin hair, and then went to look for Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi.
Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi were sitting together doing handicrafts.
Xie's mother walked up to the two of them and greeted them with a smile, looking very enthusiastic.
Ruan Xi and Ruan Cuizhi knew that she was Xie Tao's mother, and they guessed about 70% of her purpose. But they didn't show it, didn't say anything, and responded to her enthusiasm politely.
Mother Xie smiled widely and said without beating around the bush, "It was all the matchmaker's fault. She insisted on keeping this a secret. It wasn't a big deal, but she made it worse. The more she kept it a secret from us, the more complicated it seemed to us. The people below got angry and ruined what was already a done deal."
Ruan Cuizhi had a faint smile on her face and spoke in a very gentle voice, "It's okay, it's been so long, why are you still talking about it? It's because we are unlucky and don't deserve a girl as good as Taozi."
There was something thorny in these words, and the smile on Xie's mother's face froze for a moment.
But she came here fully prepared and would not leave because of such a small thorn. She still smiled, looked at Ruan Cuizhi and asked again: "I still want to ask, your Changsheng, have you agreed to be in a relationship?"
"We are still talking."
Ruan Xi added, "My fifth uncle is very fashionable. He was also angry about what happened last time. He said that he doesn't want matchmakers anymore. It's meaningless. He must find a girl and date her himself. Now he has found one and is dating her now."
Xie's mother looked a little embarrassed, but she still asked, "Are you engaged?"
Ruan Cuizhi responded, "Soon."
Hearing this, Xie's mother couldn't hold back her smile. She hesitated for a moment and stood up and said, "Then I won't disturb you from working. I'll go back first."
Neither Ruan Cuizhi nor Ruan Xi saw her off, but just said, "Have a nice day."
When Xie's mother returned home, there was no smile on her face at all.
Xie Tao had been sitting at the door waiting for her to come back. Before she even reached the door, Xie Tao came to greet her. Seeing her face so ugly, Xie Tao felt cold and panicked instantly. He looked at her and asked, "What do you mean? He already has a partner?"
Mother Xie took a deep breath and said, "She said she is following the trend and has found someone, and they are about to get engaged."
Hearing this, the light in Xie Tao's eyes completely went out.
She felt sad again, her eyes suddenly reddened, and she sniffed and asked, "Which brigade did you date? Whose family is she from? How does she look? Is her personality and temper good?"
Mother Xie said, "I don't have the nerve to ask in detail. They said they were going to get engaged soon, so I came back."
After saying this, she stopped standing outside, for fear that people would come around to ask her questions and laugh at her.
Xie Tao lowered her head and followed her back into the house.
As soon as I entered the house and sat down, Aunt Xie Tao came over and asked, "What do you mean?"
Xie's mother simply said, "She said she negotiated it herself, and it's successful, and they're going to get engaged soon."
Aunt Xie Tao was very curious, "Did you talk about it yourself?"
This is a new thing. People in the countryside have never heard of anyone finding a date on their own. They all rely on matchmakers to introduce them to each other.
Xie Tao lowered his head, raised it after a moment and said, "I'm afraid he didn't say that on purpose to irritate us. If he really succeeds, he will ask me if I have found a partner. What do I do? Tomorrow I will go to Fengyan Brigade and ask him in person."
Mother Xie said unhappily, "Why are you going so far? Do you think our family is not ashamed enough? How can a girl rush to do something like this? I just went to see that little tailor, and they were talking in a sarcastic tone. I think we should just forget about it."
Xie Tao was unwilling, and lowered her head with red eyes.
Her aunt suddenly cleared her throat and said, "If Taozi wants to go, let her go. Maybe it's really his third sister who is holding a grudge and talking nonsense here. Think about it, sister-in-law, what are the conditions of the Ruan family now?"
Xie's mother was furious. "What conditions? Isn't it just that his third sister is a burden, and she can make some money? What's the big deal? Look how proud she is of being a tailor. My daughter can't get married or something!"
Xie Tao's aunt smiled and said, "It won't hurt to ask. What if Ruan Changsheng also has feelings for us Taozi? Wouldn't that make everyone happy? We have offended his third sister. Can we believe her weird words?"
Mother Xie looked at Aunt Xie Tao and said nothing more, her eyes showing thought.
Aunt Xie Tao continued, "Think about it carefully, sister-in-law. Besides Ruan Cuizhi, who can make money for the family as a tailor and take care of her younger brother Ruan Changsheng, although Ruan Changsheng can't count on the little tailor of the younger generation, the little tailor has the family property left to her by the old tailor. The little tailor will get married sooner or later, and maybe go to her parents' home, which is even farther away, and basically means she won't come back. Who do you think will get such a big house and yard in the end? Whether she gives it to her grandparents or to Ruan Cuizhi, isn't it all for Ruan Changsheng in the final analysis? The second son of his family has divided the family property, and he can't get it even if he wants to fight for it."
Mother Xie looked into Aunt Xie Tao's eyes and slowly fell into deep thought.
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