"The Chen family has improved thanks to Yang Cui. Xi Cai will definitely be successful in the future. I saw Xi Cai learning to read with Qiu Qiu a long time ago. The two of them often wrote and drew on the ground. I guess Yang Cui had already decided to nurture Xi Cai back then." An Bai was extremely envious.
She said enviously, "I wish our child had that opportunity."
"Don't even dream about those two brothers, Da Xiong and Da Zhuang, who are so quiet you won't utter a sound even if you hit them three times."
Although An Youfu was illiterate, he knew that his son wasn't cut out for it; at least compared to Wang Xicai, he wasn't as clever.
He added, "Life is pretty good now. You have a wage, and my child and I sell firewood. If we save up, we can build two more rooms after the New Year."
Now their family can't even fit in their house, they don't have a house, and their son is having trouble finding a wife.
The second son is also a 21-year-old bachelor. He used to be poor and couldn't get married. Now that the family is better off, they found a girl, but she insists on having a room. It would be too inconvenient for her to live in the same room as the couple after they get married.
The village chief's family was also filled with envy.
However, the village chief had a different idea: "What do you think about arranging for Nini to marry Xicai?"
“Wang Dachun is a gambling addict. You’re pushing your daughter into a fire pit!” An Xiaoni is the youngest daughter of Village Chief An, and she is eleven years old this year.
"Wang Dachun hasn't been back for over a month, has he? Maybe he's died out there. Besides, what could possibly happen to him when he's right under our noses?"
"They don't even have a house. Your daughter is going to marry into their family and live in a dilapidated temple? Are you even their real father?"
An Huangshi rolled her eyes at Village Chief An and continued, "I've already asked around. Ximei and Xile are young, and the combined wages of the two sisters don't even amount to my salary. Xicai hasn't received any wages in the past three years. Relying solely on Chen Sumei, when will they ever be able to afford a house? Xicai is a good boy, but his background is too poor; he's not a good match for me."
Village Chief An thought this made sense, so he gave up on the idea.
At this time, the Zhou family also took a liking to Wang Xicai. Since Zhou Daqing's family did not have any girls of suitable age, Zhou Daqing thought of his granddaughter Zhou Xiaoyun.
Zhou Xiaoyun is also unfortunate. She is only twelve years old this year. She lost her father when she was very young. Her mother remarried, and she and her younger sister Zhou Xiaoyu depended on their grandparents for survival. Their grandparents have also passed away one after another. If it weren't for the help from the clan, the two sisters would probably have starved to death by cutting pig feed and digging earthworms to sell to Yang Cui every day.
Wang Xicai has a promising future, but his family is poor and he doesn't even have a house. He can only live in a dilapidated temple. Zhou Xiaoyun has no parents and a tragic background, but her family still has two dilapidated houses. If Wang Xicai and Zhou Xiaoyun get together, they won't have to worry about not having a place to live for a while. The more Zhou Daqing thought about it, the more he felt that they were a good match.
When Zhou Daqing and Zhou Zhuoshi discussed it, Zhou Zhuoshi also thought the couple was a good match and wanted Yang Cui to act as matchmaker.
Just as Zhou Zhuoshi was thinking of going to Anjia Village to find Yang Cui, Yang Cui arrived at her door first.
The people of Zhou'an Village were especially enthusiastic when they saw Yang Cui. Now that every household in Zhou'an Village had sold ducks once and tasted the sweetness of success, how could they not be enthusiastic when they saw Yang Cui? She was their lucky charm!
"I was just about to come find you." Madam Zhou invited Yang Cui in and immediately took out white sugar to pour her a cup of sugar water.
Sweet soup was a rare treat in the countryside during this era, making it the most respectable thing to offer to guests.
"What do you want from me?"
"I'd like you to help me find a match."
"Matchmaking? Between whom?"
“Xiaoyun and Wang Xicai from your village. You know Xiaoyun, she's hardworking and honest. She's not young anymore. Her grandparents entrusted her and her sister to us before they died, so naturally we have to take care of them. Xicai doesn't have a house, but Xiaoyun does. They can stay here temporarily. When he has the means, he can build a house in Anjia Village.”
"Is Xiaoyun willing? If she has no objections, I can ask Aunt Chen and Xicai what they think, but I can't guarantee it will work out. In the end, it depends on their fate."
“Xiaoyun has told us to make the decision,” Zhou Zhuoshi said with a smile. “Then I’ll leave this matter to you. By the way, what brings you here today?”
"Is it Grandpa Village Chief? I need his help with something."
"I'll call him over. You wait here for a bit."
After saying that, Zhou Zhuo strode out, and Zhou Daqing returned shortly afterward.
"Xiao Cui, you were looking for me."
"Here's the thing, I'm going to build a factory on that big open space at the entrance of Pigeon Village. Because this project is big, I don't have time to cook for the workers, so I'd like to ask you to help me hire two quick-witted people to cook for them. Also, the construction site needs six strong men to work. Two meals a day will be provided. The workers will get 15 coins a day, and the cooks will get 10 coins a day. As for vegetables, the Star Gazing Tower will send someone to deliver them every day, so you don't need to buy any."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Daqing became excited: "Xiao Cui, you're not asking us for help at all, you're clearly here to give us benefits! Since you trust us so much, I'll definitely get it done for you. If you're dishonest and try to cheat, I definitely won't introduce you to anyone!"
“I trust you. Once you’ve found the right person, I’ll go directly to the construction site to find Master Liang tomorrow morning.”
Master Liang, who used to build houses for Yang Cui, is the one she hired to build her factory this time; he's the person in charge.
Zhou Zhuoshi: "Do you think I'm capable of cooking for Xiao Cui?"
“Sure, I’ll have the Star Gazing Tower deliver the vegetables to you every day. You can cook them at home and then have them delivered directly to the construction site.”
Pigeon Village is just across the road, and it usually only takes about ten minutes to walk there.
"Xiao Cui, what are you planning to do with the factory you're building?" Zhou Daqing asked. "It's okay if you don't want to say."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com