The day of the banquet came in a flash, and Qiu Hanqing brought back two roe deer and some wild rabbits and pheasants.
The whole village gathered in front of the ancestral hall in a lively atmosphere. The women were busy with their work happily, and people from neighboring villages also came to watch the fun.
Everyone knew that Taohua Village had a new scholar, and they all wanted to come and share in the joy.
Just as the banquet was about to begin, an untimely voice interrupted the excitement.
"Oh, I came at the right time. Who is the scholar?" A matchmaker dressed in colorful clothes came over cheerfully, looking very familiar.
Mother Qiu stood up and looked at the newcomer, whispering, "Oh no! Why is Matchmaker Zhu here?"
Qiu Yinong asked curiously in a low voice, "Mom, who is this matchmaker?"
"Matchmaker Zhu is such a bad mouth. If she says the marriage is successful, it's fine. But if it's not, she'll ruin the couple's reputation behind their backs."
"I'm afraid they're targeting your third brother." Mother Qiu was very anxious.
Qiu Yinong held her mother's hand and looked at Zhu the matchmaker, who quickly came over.
"Oh, so the scholar is Sister Yunxiang's third son. When I first saw your sons, they were all handsome and filial. They are indeed the best."
Matchmaker Zhu pushed Qiu Yinong away with her butt and grabbed Qiu's mother's gloves.
Mother Qiu quickly broke free from her hand and went to check on Qiu Yinong: "Yier, are you okay?"
Qiu Yinong was caught off guard and was knocked down onto the stool by the matchmaker.
Qiu Hanyan and others rushed over, and the nearby villagers also began to blame Zhu the matchmaker.
"What's wrong with you? Why don't you just talk nicely? Why do you bump into people?"
"You're such a fat guy, and our Xiaoliu is so thin, how could she withstand you hitting her like that?"
"It's such bad luck that someone like this comes on such a good day." Someone else muttered.
Matchmaker Zhu was stunned for a moment. What happened? Wasn’t it just that he bumped into a little girl?
Seeing that everyone was staring at her unhappily, she had no choice but to step forward and ask. It would have been better if she hadn't asked, because when she saw the little girl's appearance, she was stunned.
What a pretty little girl! A smile instantly appeared on her reluctant face.
"Oh, whose little girl is this? She's so pretty. With her looks, she's probably fit for the role of queen."
This person really doesn't know what he means. How can he say such things casually?
Qiu Yinong was really unhappy, and Chu Hongyun also narrowed his eyes.
Gu Yan said even more maliciously, "You, a matchmaker, really dare to say anything. If your unintentional words are heard by someone with ulterior motives and harm others, even your life will not be enough to compensate for it."
Matchmaker Zhu was also unhappy. She put her hands on her hips and started to scold: "You are so rude, young man. I just said a compliment, didn't I?"
"Is it necessary to say it so seriously?"
"This young lady is already pretty. What did I say wrong?"
"And you, why are you blaming me? I just bumped into her and hurt her, so I'll just pay her."
As he spoke, he quickly softened his tone after thinking about why he came to Taohua Village.
She flattered Mother Qiu, "Sister, this is not an accident. I didn't do it on purpose. I came here today for a happy event."
"The young lady from Mr. Fan's family in Anping Town is still unmarried. She is only 28 years old. Although she is not as pretty as this young lady, she is also a good girl who is one in a hundred."
"Mr. Fan heard that Mr. Qiu had passed the imperial examination and promised that if they became in-laws, he would provide all the travel expenses for future examinations."
"Big sister, this is a good thing. You said that your family has so many sons, and marrying them off is expensive."
"That's the situation at home. If someone is willing to share the burden and provide your Sanlang with travel expenses, his future career will be smoother."
"What do you think?" Matchmaker Zhu looked at Mother Qiu, feeling very proud.
Mother Qiu refused without hesitation, saying, "My family doesn't have much money, but not just anyone can humiliate us. Does Mr. Fan want my daughter, Ayan, to marry into his family?"
"Not to mention that my Erlang hasn't proposed marriage yet, even if he did, my Sanlang wouldn't do so so early. He's only sixteen this year, it's too early to do so now."
Matchmaker Zhu's face had already darkened. When Mother Qiu finished speaking, she immediately sneered, "That's hilarious! Do you really think your own son is some precious treasure?"
"There are many people who pass the imperial examination but never make any progress in their lives. Mr. Fan thinks highly of you, so he allowed your third son to marry into his family."
"You really take yourself too seriously!"
Mother Qiu looked at her calmly: "That's none of your business."
"Today is a good day for my Qiu family. You are not invited. If you have nothing to do, please go back!"
After saying this, Mother Qiu turned directly to Father Qiu and said, "Let's get the banquet started!"
"Alright." Father Qiu glared at the matchmaker Zhu and shouted to Qiu Hanli, "Fourth Brother, get ready to feast."
"Okay." Qiu Hanli responded while holding up the spoon.
Matchmaker Zhu's lips trembled with anger, and the surrounding villagers sighed, "Go away! You're not welcome here. Do you still have the nerve to stay and have a feast?"
"I originally thought this person was just foul-mouthed, but I didn't expect him to have such a vicious mind. Our Ah Yan needs to continue to take the exam this year."
"That's right, get out of here!"
Matchmaker Zhu was also stunned when she saw the united expressions of the villagers in Taohua Village.
Just as she was about to leave in shame, delicious meat dishes were served on the table. She looked at the dishes and then at the stove and was stunned.
Isn’t it said that the Qiu family is very poor?
Why is there so much meat? Even the banquet hosted by Mr. Fan doesn’t have so much meat, right?
Seeing that no one greeted her, Matchmaker Zhu felt shameless and left angrily.
"This matchmaker Zhu has finally met his end." Some of the onlookers from other villages saw her coming and mocked her without any hesitation.
Someone echoed, "That's right. It's someone else's scholar banquet, and she opens her mouth and says that someone won't pass the exam. Isn't this asking for trouble?"
"What did she say just now? The Qiu family is poor?"
"The Qiu family is probably the richest family in Taohua Village right now. Matchmaker Zhu, you probably don't know that the girl you just bumped into was raised by the Zhao family in Qingquan Town."
"The Zhao and Qiu families picked up the wrong daughter, but the Zhao family didn't give up on her. They gave her a shop and taught her business."
"Qiu Xiaoliu is also very smart. After returning, he led the whole village to become rich."
"Zhaoji dim sum is very popular recently. Have you tried it? Those dim sums all come from Taohua Village."
"You've really picked the wrong person!"
When matchmaker Zhu heard these words, she opened her eyes wide in disbelief, turned her head to look at the lively banquet, and ran away in shame.
After leaving the village, we took a donkey cart and headed straight to Anping Town.
Anping Town is half a day's journey from Qingquan Town. In the evening, Zhu the matchmaker finally arrived at the door of the Fan family.
"Hey, Matchmaker Zhu, you're back. Have you gotten things done?" As soon as he entered the Fan family's gate, he met the old woman next to the mistress of the Fan family.
The old woman asked quickly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
