Peach Blossoms
The matchmaker's office was very different from what Qian Jin had imagined.
Unlike the opulent and bustling God of Wealth Temple, this place is exceptionally quiet and serene.
The vermilion gate looked somewhat old, and the mansion itself wasn't large; it resembled a meticulously maintained private garden, elegant and refined. There were no celestial attendants to greet visitors at the entrance, only a few weeping crabapple trees blooming silently.
Ao Ming was clearly not a first-timer, and he said to Qian Jin with familiarity, "I'll go and deliver the Love Silk Wrap to the warehouse first. You can just wander around here as you like. The Old Man of the Moon is easygoing, so it's no problem."
Qian Jin nodded, watched Ao Ming's figure disappear into the depths of the corridor, and then strolled around on her own.
The courtyard's winding corridors offer ever-changing views, revealing exquisite craftsmanship at every turn. A gentle breeze carries the refreshing scents of grass and trees, along with a subtle, sweet floral fragrance, a stark contrast to the cool, metallic aroma of the God of Wealth's Mansion.
She turned through a moon gate, and suddenly a bright and open space opened up before her.
In the courtyard stood an extremely lush ancient peach tree, its branches gnarled and twisted, its flowers in full bloom, like clouds and rosy hues, with soft pink and white light flowing over the petals, a beauty beyond compare.
Under the tree, an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a loose white robe, sat alone on the ground, raising a cup to drink while facing a half-finished chess game.
A gentle breeze rustled through the peach blossoms, a few playfully landing in the old man's hair and on his shoulders. One petal, however, drifted perfectly into the white jade wine cup in his hand.
The old man stared at the peach blossom petal in his cup, his cloudy, drunken eyes widening for a moment before letting out a long, complex sigh: "Alas... Fate comes and goes, beyond our control. What we force will ultimately bring more bitterness than joy, just like this peach blossom fallen into the wine. It may be beautiful, but it ruins the wine's true flavor, adding only bitterness..."
Qian Jinqia approached, stopped upon hearing this, looked at the cup of peach blossom wine, and blurted out: "Senior, you are mistaken. The blossoms falling into the wine are both a coincidence and an embellishment. How can you know that it doesn't add another flavor without tasting the wine? Just like love in the human world, all flavors are there, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. Clinging to pure sweetness will cause you to lose sight of the true meaning. All things arise from causes and conditions, and impermanence is the constant. Just go with the flow, why create trouble for yourself?"
The old man then raised his drunken eyes and carefully examined the girl in front of him, whose words carried a Zen-like quality yet whose eyes were bright and lively. He suddenly realized and said, "Hmm... you must be Qian Jin, the newcomer from the God of Wealth?"
Qian Jin didn't stand on ceremony and simply sat cross-legged on the futon opposite the old man, smiling as she asked, "Lord Yue Lao, how did you know me?"
"Hmph, I've been drinking buddies with those five money-managers for years!" The Matchmaker snorted, then casually picked up an empty cup and poured her a cup of wine with a peach-pink hue. "Try it? Little Matchmaker secretly hid this; it tastes alright."
Qian Jin took it, sipped it, and found it to be sweet and refreshing at first, but with a lingering peach blossom fragrance in the aftertaste. It was indeed a fine wine.
She put down her wine glass, looked at the lingering worry between the old man's brows, and said frankly, "Lord Yue Lao, you seem rather unhappy. With such a beautiful courtyard and such fine wine, what could possibly be troubling you?"
"Hahahaha!" The Old Man of the Moon seemed to have heard a joke. "You little rascal, you have sharp eyes. But how did you become so sure I was the Old Man of the Moon?"
Qian Jin pointed to the jade pendant casually placed at his waist, which was clearly engraved with a pattern of mandarin ducks entwined and the three ancient seal characters "Marriage Bureau": "It's written on the token."
Upon hearing this, the Old Man of the Moon dropped his pretense, slumped his shoulders, and sighed with a worried expression: "Alas... You people in the Temple of the God of Wealth, with your thriving incense offerings and consistently excellent performance evaluations year after year, how could you understand the sorrow of an old man like me who is at the bottom of the performance rankings every month!"
He gulped down a mouthful of wine and began to complain: "Last time I went to Heaven to report on my duties, they didn't even bother to reprimand me. They just waved me away... And it's the same on Earth! Nowadays, mortals are more eager to seek wealth, fame, and health than to seek a good marriage. Even if a few couples come to pray, few succeed, and many break up! And those who do succeed, and come back to fulfill their vows after some time, nine times out of ten they don't come to thank me, but to complain! They complain that their husbands have taken concubines, that their wives are not considerate, that their mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law don't get along... Oh dear!"
The Old Man of the Moon became more and more agitated as he spoke, his mustache almost bristling: "I'm starting to doubt whether my Old Man of the Moon's Mansion still has any reason to exist! Everyone says that true love exists in the world, and happy marriages do happen, but who among those who are doing well thinks to come back and praise this old man? It's as if everything is their own doing, and has nothing to do with me! What's the point of my job? I might as well just shut it down! I and this dilapidated mansion are both old and useless!"
As if he had found an outlet, he also complained about his apprentice: "And my good-for-nothing little apprentice, Hongniang! All she does all day is eat! She hangs out with that little golden dragon from your God of Wealth Palace named Daqiangzi, researching which immortal chef has new desserts and which spirit garden has the sweetest fruits! She has no ambition whatsoever! I think my Matchmaker's Mansion is doomed sooner or later! Anyway, it doesn't matter whether I'm here or not, my wine is better! A good drink can wash away all sorrows!"
Qian Jin listened quietly, poured herself another cup of peach blossom wine, sipped it slowly, and then smiled gently: "Lord Matchmaker, you're just throwing a tantrum like a child."
"Huh?!" The Old Man of the Moon stared wide-eyed.
"What was the original purpose of establishing the Matchmaker's Mansion?" Qian Jin asked.
"Naturally, I am in charge of human marriages, tying the red thread of fate, bringing about happy unions, and making the world a place with more blissful relationships and fewer unhappy couples!" the Old Man of the Moon replied without hesitation.
"The original intention remains unchanged, the world still exists, men and women still exist, and the seven emotions and six desires still exist. How could the Matchmaker's Mansion not be needed?" Qian Jin's voice was gentle yet clear. "Even if fewer people are seeking marriage now, it may mean that people have found more ways to make themselves happy and do not have to rely entirely on marriage. Isn't that a kind of progress? It's a good thing."
She paused, her eyes gleaming mischievously: "Besides, have you ever been to a market in the human world? Do you know how to bargain? As the saying goes, those who praise and criticize are the real buyers, while those who cheer are just idle people! Those who come to complain are just showing that they still care about this relationship and still have hope for 'marriage.' If they've truly given up, who would bother to nag you? This shows that your work is of utmost importance!"
The Old Man of the Moon was stunned, subconsciously stroking his beard. The hazy drunkenness in his eyes seemed to dissipate slightly, revealing a glimmer of light. But he still snorted, with a stubbornness reminiscent of an old child: "You little rascal, you make it sound so easy. You've never even prayed for marriage, how do you know I'm wrong?"
Qian Jin's eyes curved into crescent moons as she patted her chest and promised, "Then how about this! Lord Yue Lao, I swear here and now that if I ever stop liking money and want to find a partner, I will come to you first and sincerely pray! Once I find my perfect match and live a happy and fulfilling life, I will come to praise you every day! I promise to let the entire Three Realms know about your great achievements in connecting couples and bringing together happy unions! How about that?"
The Old Man of the Moon's eyes visibly brightened, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily tried to turn up, but he forcibly suppressed it, coughing twice in a deliberately serious manner: "Ahem... Is this really true?"
“It’s even more real than a spirit stone!” Qian Jin nodded vigorously.
Just then, two figures approached side by side. It was Ao Ming, who had just finished his business, and a bright red girl with her hair in two buns and lively eyes.
"Master! You're not working properly again, you're hiding here drinking and being lazy!" The girl in the red dress shouted as soon as she came over, hands on her hips. Then, she sniffed, pounced on the table, picked up the wine jar, shook it, and immediately screamed, "Ahhh! This, this is the century-old peach blossom wine I hid in the peach tree cave! I haven't even been willing to drink it! Master, why did you find it for me and almost finish it!"
The Old Man of the Moon quickly hugged the wine jar to his chest, raising an eyebrow triumphantly: "Hmph, you little monkey, you think you can fool your master?" As he spoke, he magically produced another small jar from behind his back. "Oh, and this jar of 'Autumn Dew White,' it was well hidden, but I found it too!"
"Master! Give it back to me!" Hongniang stomped her foot and tried to snatch it, but Yue Lao, holding the wine jar, nimbly dodged. The old man and the young girl started making a ruckus around the stone table.
Ao Ming walked over to Qian Jin and sat down naturally. His gaze swept over her slightly flushed cheeks, and he asked softly, "What are you talking about?" As he spoke, he reached out and very naturally tucked a stray strand of hair that had been blown by the wind behind her ear.
Qian Jin's fingertips inadvertently brushed against his earlobe, the cool touch making her tremble slightly. She subconsciously looked at him. Ao Ming, however, had already withdrawn his hand, as if he had only done something insignificant. Only the slight redness at the base of his ear betrayed a hint of unease.
While dodging the matchmaker's "pursuit," the Old Man of the Moon also had to maintain his airs, taking a moment to call out to Ao Ming: "Ahem! Ming boy, we didn't talk about anything, just about career planning and discussing life ideals! Right, Qian Jin girl?"
Seeing the Old Man of the Moon winking and begging her to keep it a secret, Qian Jin couldn't help but chuckle, deliberately drawing out her words: "Oh? It's more than that!"
Seeing the Old Man of the Moon's instantly tense expression, she chuckled and flipped her wrist, pulling out various oil paper packets from her storage bag. "We also had an in-depth discussion about which delicacies are best enjoyed with alcohol! Here, braised pork hock, crispy dried anchovies, spiced tofu, spicy bamboo shoots... come and have a taste!"
The matchmaker was immediately drawn to the food, forgetting all about grabbing the wine. She came over, picked up a piece of dried tofu, took a bite, and her eyes lit up: "Wow! Delicious! No wonder Daqiangzi always praises your cooking! Master, stop grabbing the wine, there's good food here!"
Seeing this, the Old Man of the Moon also stopped and came over to examine the snacks, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
As if she had made a great decision, Hongniang took out a well-sealed jar of wine from her storage magic treasure, broke the mud seal, and a richer aroma of wine wafted out: "Alright, alright! Today, for the sake of Senior Sister Qian Jin's delicious dishes, I'll also contribute this jar of my privately kept 'Hundred Flowers Wine'! Master, you're not allowed to steal mine anymore!"
The Old Man of the Moon's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "Excellent! Today is a fine day with beautiful scenery, wine, food, and a young friend by our side. We shall not leave until we are drunk!"
The four sat around under the tree, and peach petals occasionally drifted into their cups and plates, but no one minded.
As the moonlight gradually brightened, its gentle glow cast a hazy glow over the courtyard, and laughter and cheerful voices carried far in the quiet night.
While Ao Ming and Hong Niang were arguing about which spirit fish tasted best when grilled, the Old Man of the Moon quietly approached Qian Jin, reeking of alcohol, and whispered in a drunken but meaningful voice that only the two of them could hear:
“Girl…you really don’t need to bother with any marriage prospects…”
As he spoke, the Old Man of the Moon's gaze, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, drifted toward Ao Ming, who was diligently picking fish bones from Qian Jin's head.
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