"It's easy for my little girl to get married; there are so many single men in the countryside, any woman would be willing to marry her. But she's my daughter, and I want to find her a good one. But that's the problem: would a good man be willing to marry her?"
Auntie San is so worried about Xiao Jing's marriage that she hasn't had a good night's sleep for several days.
Before we started arranging a marriage for my daughter, I always thought she was just a little introverted and that she would get better with time. But now that we're thinking of arranging a marriage for her, I've discovered that there are problems everywhere.
"Grandma, you don't know, Xiaojing is too introverted. It's easy to fool her before marriage, but after marriage, you have to live your life together. Life is so long, I'm really afraid that people won't be able to accept her in the future."
"Third brother's wife, please stop crying. The child is just being childish; we can teach her slowly. Marriage is different from other things; whether it's early or late is predetermined. Xiao Jing is just not perceptive; her true love won't come to her, and you can't rush it."
My third aunt has lived most of her life and experienced a lot, so she understands all the principles.
But even though I understand it, it's hard to stay rational when it comes to my own daughter.
Auntie said pessimistically, "She'll be twenty-two after the New Year. If she can't settle down in the next two years, what good people will she meet in the future?"
"Xiaojing is only twenty-two, and she'll be twenty-four in two more years. She's still young!" The old lady patted her third aunt's hand and comforted her, "Xiaojing is pretty and skillful. She just doesn't like to talk. What's the big deal? Maybe someone likes a girl like Xiaojing. What's the rush? Don't worry."
Auntie's anxiety was deep inside, and it couldn't be relieved by a few words of comfort from others.
They chatted about everyday things for a while, but from the moment she left Fang Qiao's house, Auntie San never showed a smile on her face.
Fang Qiao looked at her third aunt's retreating figure with great concern: "Grandma, I'm afraid my third aunt didn't listen to what you said."
"She's stuck in her own head; she won't listen to a few words from others." The old lady sighed. "That Xiaojing is really something. She was a bit shy when she was little, but she loved to laugh and play, and I never thought anything was wrong with her. Why has she suddenly become so timid as she's grown up?"
Fang Qiao suddenly had a bad feeling: "Grandma, do you think Xiao Jing... has she suffered some kind of shock?"
The old lady's heart skipped a beat: "Really? No, I've never heard your third aunt mention it."
The two looked at each other, both feeling uncertain.
The old lady was a little worried, so she said to Fang Qiao, "You and Xiao Jing are the same age and can talk to each other. In the next few days, go to her house more often, chat with her, and see if you can find out what she is really thinking."
But Fang Qiao and Xiao Jing were really not familiar with each other; they had exchanged no more than ten words between them in their two lifetimes.
Fang Qiao has been back in the world for over a month now. In this month, she has visited her third aunt's house quite a few times, but she has only run into Xiao Jing a handful of times, and they have never chatted.
The old lady suddenly assigned this task to her, and Fang Qiao felt pressured: "I... I'll try my best."
In order to complete the task, Fang Qiao reluctantly went to her third aunt's house to find Xiao Jing early the next morning.
Yesterday was the first time she had chatted with the old lady for such a long time. She learned that after graduating from elementary school, Xiao Jing had worked as an apprentice in a tailor shop in town. She not only knew how to cut fabric and make clothes, but also how to embroider.
She was shy and didn't like going out, so not many people knew about her, not even Fang Qiao knew that she had this skill.
Fang Qiao packed up the small blanket she had prepared for the child and took it to her third aunt's house.
My aunt was sitting in front of the well washing clothes with cold water, and her two fingers were red and swollen from the cold.
Upon seeing Fang Qiao, Third Aunt immediately stood up and greeted her with a smile.
She knew Fang Qiao's purpose in coming; the old lady had told her everything.
Auntie wiped her wet fingers on her cotton-padded coat and led Fang Qiao into the house: "Little Qiao is here. Are you looking for Xiao Jing? She's in the inner room. You can go in."
"Okay." Fang Qiao nodded. "Third Aunt, you go ahead with your work and don't worry about me."
"Alright, alright, call me if you need anything." After saying that, Auntie called out to the inner room, "Xiao Jing, your sister-in-law is looking for you."
After shouting, she returned to the well to continue washing clothes, while Fang Qiao carried the quilt into the house.
Xiao Jing was originally squatting at the bottom of the pit twisting hemp rope. After hearing the noise outside, she moved her things to the side. By the time Fang Qiao entered the inner room, she had already cleaned up the floor.
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law."
Xiao Jing's voice was very soft, her fingers were tightly intertwined, her shoulders were hunched, and she still looked timid. Her thick bangs covered her face, so Fang Qiao couldn't see her expression, but her whole body was full of resistance, making Fang Qiao hesitate to make any rash moves.
She smiled and said, "Xiaojing, don't be nervous. Your sister-in-law came to see you mainly because she wants to ask you for a favor."
"Wh-what kind of help?" Xiao Jing's voice was still very soft, like a mosquito's hum. If Fang Qiao hadn't been paying attention to her, he would have almost missed it.
"Isn't next year the Year of the Pig? I want to embroider a little pig zodiac animal on my child's swaddle blanket, but I don't know how to embroider. Grandma said you studied with a tailor and are very good at embroidery. That's why I'm shamelessly coming to your door to ask for your help. Is that alright?"
As Fang Qiao spoke, she observed Xiao Jing's expression. Fortunately, Xiao Jing did not refuse but nodded, "Okay."
Fang Qiao happily took Xiao Jing's hand and thanked her with a smile: "Xiao Jing, you are so kind. I'll leave the embroidery to you."
"No, it's no trouble at all." Xiao Jing couldn't resist Fang Qiao's enthusiasm. She not only pulled her hand away from Fang Qiao's grasp but also took several steps back.
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