The cold wind blew past, the chill drilling straight into the bones.
Wang-shi waited another two days. Not seeing Matchmaker Liu send word, she inevitably felt anxious. And because of that conversation at Granny Fan’s, the villagers were pointing fingers at her, so she took her anger out on others.
She completely couldn’t sit still anymore.
With something on her mind, she heavily knocked on Matchmaker Liu’s door.
Only hearing inside the courtyard creak creak sounds—it was the noise made from stepping on snow, from far to near.
Matchmaker Liu’s brows and eyes looked haggard. These days she constantly had nightmares, afraid the matter would be exposed. Opening the door and seeing it was Wang-shi, her eyelid twitched.
“So it’s you.”
She leaned on the heavy door, blocking the way, not showing a single bit of guest hospitality.
“The house is messy, so I won’t invite you in for tea. Whatever matter, just say it here.”
After Erlang started studying, Wang-shi was praised by villagers and neighbors, flattering her as the future xiucai’s mother. [秀才 xiucai: a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examination.]
She floated with pride, feeling herself superior to others. Now being slighted by Matchmaker Liu, her face immediately sank.
But the matter with the Dong family was urgent, and it was her asking a favor—Wang-shi didn’t fuss about it.
She pressed down her emotions and glanced a few times toward the neighboring house.
The matter of selling a niece was after all not honorable; Wang-shi wouldn’t publicize it, and lowered her voice to ask: “The matter I entrusted to you before—how has it gone?”
“You better give me a definite word. Could it be the squire-laoye took a liking to someone else? Or is he deliberately putting on airs, thinking twenty taels is too expensive?”
Seeing her not speak, Wang-shi took a step forward.
“You took two eggs from me—you better help me get this thing done.”
Matchmaker Liu: …
She showed a difficult expression: “Who doesn’t know your man values this niece?”
“If he comes carrying a knife to the door asking for an explanation, at home it’s only me and my father-in-law—what can we do to him?”
Wang-shi furrowed her brows.
Who would’ve expected Matchmaker Liu to change the tone of her words.
“But you’ve really underestimated Dong Laoye. What’s twenty taels in his eyes? If she caught his eye, even one hundred taels he’d be willing to part with.”
The greedy Wang-shi stared, dumbfounded: “O-One hundred taels…”
She had thought twenty taels was already a lion opening its mouth wide.
In her whole life, she’d never seen that much money.
Matchmaker Liu lifted her chin: “I remember your family’s Erlang is studying in the town, right?”
“Dong Laoye is something else—he even has connections with the county magistrate. If he took a liking, sending Erlang to the best academy in town would just be a matter of one sentence. Even the admission fees could be waived for you.”
These few sentences stabbed directly into Wang-shi’s heart.
It was true that Erlang was favored by the fuzi, but how could a town academy compare to the county-level ones? [夫子 fuzi: a respectful term for a teacher.]
It was because the family burden was heavy that Erlang’s studies were delayed. If they could become in-laws with the Dong family…
She was extremely moved: “You can rest assured—once this thing is done, I will absolutely not reveal it was you who made the match. My man won’t give you trouble.”
“Matchmaker money also won’t be lacking for you.”
“Still have to trouble you to put more heart into it.”
Matchmaker Liu smiled.
Yet the next moment, she gave Wang-shi a fierce push.
Wang-shi was unprepared and fell hard, her body sinking into the snow, the cold making her shiver from head to toe.
She shouted in a broken voice: “You’ve gone mad!”
“You’re the one who’s mad!”
Matchmaker Liu questioned sternly: “Your conscience got eaten by dogs, and you still count as an elder?”
“Don’t you want any face at all? Aren’t you afraid your niece’s birth mother will crawl out from the grave to settle scores with you?”
Her voice was loud and clear, quickly alarming the neighbors.
Before long, an elderly man hurriedly came out. He was wearing a thick padded coat, his face stern.
“What’s going on here?”
Led by him, quite a few villagers followed behind.
Xilin Village’s mountain roads were hard to walk, especially in deep winter. The lizheng’s household valued tradition—every year they would use a pig’s head to offer sacrifice to the ancestors. [里正 lizheng: village head or elder responsible for minor administrative matters.]
Each year they would personally go to the neighboring village’s butcher to buy a pig, drag it back, and slaughter it.
Anyone who wanted to buy meat would bring money to get a portion.
But pork was limited. The lizheng family would keep some, had to save some for relatives, and the portion for selling wasn’t enough to go around.
So of course villagers would rush ahead of time to reserve some with the lizheng.
It was only once a year they indulged; they had to grit their teeth to let their hard-working families have a taste of meat.
Matchmaker Liu, being neighbors with the lizheng, how could she not know that these days the number of people going in and out of the house next door had increased?
She had been waiting for Wang-shi to come knocking.
As expected, lizheng led the way, puzzled: “Why did it come to blows? Fellow villagers—can’t you talk things out properly?”
Wang-shi saw it was him, and her gaze trembled. How would she dare make a fuss now? She quickly scrambled up.
“It’s nothing, I just didn’t stand firm.”
Matchmaker Liu sneered, lifting her chin high: “Oh? You dare do but don’t dare admit it? So you do know what guilt feels like?”
She turned to the crowd and said: “I’m the one who pushed her. Not driving her out with a broom is already giving her face. Since everyone’s here, let’s judge this matter together.”
“Who doesn’t know her niece looks like a flower? If not for that girl’s mother back then, would the Hu family even be where they are today? If it were me, I would’ve long since treated her as my own daughter and doted on her.”
“But whenever Hu Dazhu isn’t home, how can a stepmother have good days?”
“I think what Granny Fan said also isn’t without reason. When the stepdaughter fell into the water back then, I fear it’s not unrelated to her!”
Wang-shi: ???
Yu Tingwan didn’t stand steady, and this can still be blamed on me?
Lizheng furrowed his brows: “You can’t speak carelessly like that. People’s hearts are made of flesh. That girl has lived under their eyes for years—how could Dazhu’s wife still harm her?”
Wang-shi: “Exactly! I…”
“Peh!”
Matchmaker Liu sneered: “She’s fallen into the eyes of money, wanting to sell her niece to Xiangshen Dong, and insists I be the go-between.”
Everyone looked at each other—this really was a good show.
Someone couldn’t help but say: “One time when I went to the Hu house, the stepdaughter was soaked in sweat from working hard. Wang-shi not only didn’t let her rest, she even scolded her for being clumsy.”
“Tch, that’s nothing! Back when the stepdaughter’s family met with that disaster, it was already not easy for that little girl to survive. After just a few days in Xilin Village, Wang-shi was already cursing her—asking why she didn’t die along with her parents.”
“Don’t even mention the stepdaughter—she beats and scolds even that daughter-in-law of hers.”
“That young Xu-Shi isn’t anything good either. At my family’s banquet, she stuffed herself and even packed food to take home.”
Wang-shi was stunned. She truly didn’t understand why Matchmaker Liu had suddenly turned her back like this.
“You were the one who brought it up first…”
Matchmaker Liu’s voice drowned hers out: “I’m a matchmaker, not a human trafficker! That girl is how old? And you want me to push her into the Dong family?”
“Xiangshen Dong is old, and privately has strange habits. The girls carried out from his house were all bloodied.”
“If I went through with this match and word got out—who in the surrounding villages would still dare ask me to help with a marriage?”
“Something so devoid of conscience—how could I agree to it?”
Lizheng’s face darkened: “Enough!”
“Wang-shi, your family’s Yaozu is the most promising young man in the village. As his mother, don’t drag him down. Use your brain a bit!”
“Sell your niece? You can even come up with such a rotten idea? If this gets out, your Erlang won’t even be able to lift his head outside.”
Wang-shi’s gaze flickered, showing some fear, but her mouth was stubborn: “How can it be that serious? What’s so bad about the Dong family?”
Lizheng said sharply: “You dare say that to Hu Dazhu?”
“You think I enjoy meddling in your family affairs? I advise you to restrain yourself these next few days. Once everyone’s back together, if Hu Dazhu agrees, I won’t stand in the way!”
“But if you sneak around behind his back—you just wait and see how I deal with you!”