After three days of hard work, the cassava on the mountain was finally dug up and processed. It was all soaked in the river and would be ready to be retrieved in seven days.
Finally having some free time, Ye Caiping sat down at the bronze camera and took off the cloth strip from her forehead.
The wound on her forehead has healed, leaving only a faint red mark, which will surely fade completely soon.
Now that the stray hairs are covering it, you can't tell unless you stare at it.
Just then, Ye Li came over and said, "Cai Ping, should we save some of this cassava for seed?"
Ye Caiping said, "Cassava doesn't need to be saved for seeds. Just cut their branches into about 6-inch pieces, dig a hole, and stick the branches into the soil, and they will grow. Moreover, this thing is very easy to grow. It is drought-resistant, tolerant of poor soil, and has few pests and diseases. It is not picky about soil and can be grown in thin fields."
"So convenient?" Ye Lizheng's eyes lit up.
"Yes. Our climate is warm here, so we can plant them now. When planting, space each plant about 1.5 feet apart, and they can be harvested in 10 months."
Ye Lizheng nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll go and tell everyone right away."
Back at the village meeting, Ye Lizheng organized another meeting, and the villagers were pleasantly surprised to learn that cassava could be grown using only branches.
Seeing the large quantity of cassava, many villagers wanted to grow some themselves, so they gathered a lot of branches to take home.
Ye Lizheng also suggested that everyone work together to plant cassava branches in the original spot on the mountain, and harvest them together next year.
Old Man Ye and the men in his family were either busy working on the mountain with the villagers or planting cassava in the fields, working with great enthusiasm.
With the family's food crisis finally over, Ye Caiping stretched and yawned. Now she could finally do her own thing. Next step—make money!
She slung her basket over her shoulder and prepared to head up the mountain.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped outside, I saw an elderly woman in her fifties with a red flower on her head walking towards me.
"Is this Ye Youtian's house?" the old woman asked.
"yes."
"Then you..." The old woman looked Ye Caiping up and down, then up and down again. She smiled and said, "You must be Ye Youtian's youngest daughter. Are your mother and sister-in-law at home?"
"Making shoe soles indoors."
Okay, thank you.
The old woman entered the courtyard.
Ye Caiping was taken aback. Judging from her attire... was this old woman a matchmaker?
Ye Caiping also stopped going up the mountain and quickly followed him inside.
...
Matchmaker Huang had already been invited into the main room by Old Lady Ye.
She accepted the tea offered by Madam Du: "I just went to Wangjia Village ahead to arrange a marriage for someone. I thought you were from around here, so I came in to sit for a while. Young lady who just came out, is that your youngest daughter?"
Grandma Ye asked anxiously, "Yes, yes, isn't she very beautiful? Is there any progress on the marriage proposal?"
The matchmaker frowned: "She is beautiful, but your daughter is already quite famous."
"Everyone in the entire Big Tree Town knows she was divorced by Scholar Li. They all say she's greedy, lazy, a spendthrift, and even beats her mother-in-law. No matter how beautiful she is, it won't do her any good!"
"Only those fierce men would dare to take her. By the way, Butcher Zhang from West Street just came to me yesterday. He wants to take a second wife, saying that as long as she's pretty, he doesn't care about her character, and he'll give ten taels of silver as a bride price!"
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Ye stood up angrily: "Matchmaker Huang, I only came to you because I heard you have a good reputation and never play matchmaker!"
"Who would have thought you'd try to push my daughter into this fire pit? This butcher has a notorious reputation; he's killed two of his wives."
The matchmaker rolled her eyes: "If you're not fierce enough, how can you keep your daughter in check? It's not certain who will be the one in the fire!"
This means that compared to Butcher Zhang, one's own daughter is in an even worse predicament!
Old Mrs. Ye was furious.
The matchmaker continued, "The reason I have a good reputation is because I never hide anything. You say that Butcher Zhang has a bad reputation, but your daughter is no less so."
"You're just making a fool of yourself! As the saying goes, every pot has its lid. Maybe when two fire pits meet, they'll burn brighter and brighter, and things will get better and better for them?"
After saying that, Huang the matchmaker herself started laughing.
Grandma Ye was so choked up that she couldn't speak.
Mrs. Du suppressed a laugh; this matchmaker Huang was spouting such obvious truths!
The walls of the farmhouse courtyard were not soundproof, and Ye Caiping could hear everything clearly from outside the door.
She was completely flustered; it turned out she had fallen into a huge fire pit!
But why is she actually somewhat happy?!
At least it will be much easier for her parents to find her a husband! That saves them a lot of trouble.
Madam Du said, "Sigh, let's not talk about my sister-in-law for now. Why don't you see if there are any suitable girls? My eldest son is already 19."
The matchmaker, Huang, raised her eyebrows high: "Oh ho, with a sister-in-law like this, does your eldest son still want to get a wife?"
Ye Caiping: "..."
Old Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Du: "..."
"Everyone knows how your sister-in-law was divorced. She ate her husband's family into poverty and emptied her own family's coffers. And your family still indulged her."
As she spoke, Matchmaker Huang shook her head:
"It's one thing to be poor, and it's another to live in a thatched hut. What I'm worried about is that after your sister-in-law remarries, your family will continue to be drained of its resources by her, just like before."
"Who would want to live such a hopeless life! Which girl would dare to jump into such a pit of fire?"
Alright, both are pitfalls!
Mrs. Du jumped up in anger: "You, you—"
But there is no way to refute it.
The matchmaker, Huang, stood up and said, "I'm here today to talk to you about that butcher Zhang. Think about it for a few days, and if you're willing, come find me in town."
Grandma Ye gave a forced smile: "No need to consider it, this family... we're not meant to be."
"Alright. I'll come back if I find a suitable family."
After saying that, the matchmaker Huang left.
Mrs. Du took a swig of tea, feeling annoyed: "Yong'er is 19! I don't know what will happen if this drags on any longer. If it weren't for... humph!"
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