The An family bought sixty ducklings at once and also bought three hundred ducklings for Yang Cui's side, making quite a fuss and quickly attracting the curiosity of the villagers. Wen didn't hide it from everyone and said directly that they would raise them to sell to the Star Gazing Tower. She also told everyone in a high-profile manner that An Xiaohe and An Xiaojiang were now working at the Star Gazing Tower. Not only were they provided with meals, but they also received four hundred coins for the first two months, and six hundred coins for the third month onwards.
The news caused an uproar throughout Anjia Village!
In an era of food scarcity and joblessness, it was an incredibly auspicious thing for ordinary people to have a job without having to sell themselves into slavery!
The villagers of Anjia Village were incredibly envious of the Wen family. Each person earned 400 coins a month, which was equivalent to four dou of grain. If they were to exchange it for sorghum, they could buy five dou. Five dou of grain would be enough to feed ten adults for a month. Moreover, Anjia's income came from An Xiaohe and An Xiaojiang, and their wages would be increased later on.
Earning more than one tael of silver a month, I'm so envious!
"Your family is about to become rich!"
"An Dafu, An Dafu, what a good name! He is destined for great wealth and prosperity."
"Our Anjia Village is about to produce a distinguished person."
...
Wen enjoyed the villagers' envy and was so happy he couldn't stop smiling.
An Dafu chuckled, "It's all thanks to my niece."
Upon hearing An Dafu's words, the villagers pressed for details, asking what had happened. An Dafu then explained how Yang Cui had used her recipe to secure jobs for his sons and to raise and sell ducks, leaving everyone speechless.
"I never knew Xiao Cui was so capable!"
"No wonder I've been smelling meat coming from Xiao Cui's place every day these past few days, and there are a few unfamiliar men there too. Turns out they're learning to cook from her!"
"Guanxinglou is the biggest restaurant in Wan'an County! You're definitely going to make a fortune!"
"Little Cui is so clever! Your lives are getting better and better!"
...
The villagers were all incredibly envious.
Many people also had other ideas, and starting that afternoon, matchmakers came to Anjia in droves.
An Dafu and Wen Shi used to worry that their family was too poor and their son wouldn't be able to find a wife. Now, there are so many matchmakers that they are overwhelmed with choices.
At the same time, there were many suitors who wanted to arrange marriages for Yang Cui. Yang Cui had a house and land, was not bad-looking, and was still a virgin, making her particularly sought after in the rural second marriage market.
Yang Cui used the tactic of recruiting a husband to get rid of all the matchmakers. Some of the matchmakers even tried to persuade Yang Cui not to recruit a husband, but Yang Cui was not someone who was so easily persuaded.
——
The news of Yang Cui and the An family quickly reached the ears of the Lin family in Ji'an Village. The Lin family had been behaving themselves lately, mainly because they had been suffering from diarrhea and Yang Cui lived far away, so they didn't have the energy to come and cause trouble. Now that the Lin family heard that Yang Cui and the An family were going to make a fortune, Fan Shi was so angry that she cursed loudly at home.
Lin Niu and the Lin clan chief kept complaining, asking why a woman who had left the Lin family was living a better and better life.
Lin Mingcai's mind started working again. Now that his injuries had healed, it was time to teach this woman a lesson!
——
The Zhou family naturally received the news as well.
Zhou Yeshi was even more determined. Yang Cui was so capable; it was such a pity she didn't marry into their Ye family!
Once Yang Cui becomes a member of the Ye family, how can the Ye family not prosper?
Zhou Ye rushed back to her parents' home, intending to take her brother directly to Anjia Village to see Yang Cui. Her brother was handsome and she didn't believe Yang Cui would refuse! Even if Yang Cui didn't agree at first, she believed that even a strong woman could be persuaded, and she didn't believe that Yang Cui could keep refusing indefinitely, that her heart was as hard as stone!
The An family is now a prime target for everyone. People in the nearby villages who know the situation all want to marry their daughters to them, and the Zhou family can't sit still anymore.
That day, Zhou Zhuoshi brought some homemade dried radish to Yang Cui's place.
"Why did Auntie come over?"
"I'm bringing you some dried radish, I made it myself, you can try it."
"It's so hot, thank you for making this trip." Yang Cui took the basket and immediately poured Zhou Zhuoshi a glass of water.
Zhou Zhuo gulped down her water and then explained the purpose of her visit: "I actually came here today for something. Xiao Cui, what do you think of our Xiao Tao?"
Yang Cui was taken aback, but then she understood what Zhou Zhuoshi meant. She smiled and said, "Auntie, do you want me to be your matchmaker?"
Zhou Zhuo smiled sheepishly: "Yes, our Xiao Tao is quite honest, but she's hardworking and efficient. She's thirteen years old this year, which is about the same age as your older cousin."
An Xiaohai had just turned sixteen, more than three years older than Zhou Xiaotao, so there was no problem with his age. As for Zhou Xiaotao, Yang Cui had met her before when she was collecting perilla leaves. She was a nice girl, just a little too young. However, people generally married young in those days, so Yang Cui couldn't possibly think about it with modern mindsets.
"Xiao Tao is indeed very good. I'll sound out my uncle about it later."
Zhou Zhuoshi then gave Yang Cui Zhou Xiaotao's birth date and time. In those days, when people went on blind dates, they had to have their birth dates and times calculated. If the birth dates and times didn't match, the marriage was basically off.
After sitting with Yang Cui for a while, Zhou Zhuoshi left. After seeing her off, Yang Cui went directly to find An Dafu and his wife, Wen. An Xiaohai happened to be there as well, and Yang Cui immediately conveyed the Zhou family's intentions.
"The Zhou family wants to form a marriage alliance with us?" An Dafu asked in surprise.
The Zhou family is a large clan, and the Zhou family is stronger than the An family in every aspect, so An Dafu was very surprised by this.
An Xiaohai's face was already bright red.
Yang Cui only conveyed this meaning; she couldn't say anything more. Whether the marriage would go through in the end depended on what the An family thought.
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