Free Web NovelChapter 60: Chapter 60: Unexpected
Gu’er grew suspicious. She noticed that during their conversation, Zhou Feng’er had excused herself to use the latrine, but after coming out, she had gone to speak with her third aunt-in-law.
The third aunt-in-law initially seemed unwilling to acknowledge her, but for some reason, she didn’t refuse to speak with Zhou Feng’er.
Zhou Feng’er and the third aunt-in-law actually went over to the doorway together. Suspicious, Gu’er wanted to follow, but Li Zhi unexpectedly pulled her back.
Li Zhi had taken quite a liking to Gu’er and didn’t want her to feel left out, so she kept her engaged in conversation.
Chen Juan, seeing that Gu’er wasn’t avoiding work or just sitting silently with her head down like she used to, also struck up a conversation with her.
Gu’er could only stay and chat, but her mind was racing. ’What on earth did Zhou Feng’er want with our third aunt-in-law? Was she asking her to arrange a match with a family from Liu Shu Village? But what could she possibly have used to convince her?’
Perhaps because of the earlier incident, the meal proceeded without any major drama.
Cui Mei made a few snide remarks, but everyone pretended not to hear, focusing on their food and drinks.
The spread consisted of delicacies they rarely got to eat, so the children scrambled for every bite. The adults, though just as tempted, made sure the children ate their fill first.
After the meal, they chatted for a while longer on the kang before preparing to head home.
Li Hua’s basket was packed for the return trip, as it was customary not to go home with an empty one. Bai Erni had wanted to pack some of the leftovers, but Cui Mei flatly refused, saying they couldn’t just eat their fill and then take food home too. In the end, Cui Mei tossed in two green onions and a bunch of chives to "weigh the basket down."
Just as they reached the doorway and were about to leave, Gu’er overheard her third aunt-in-law, Cui Mei, say, "Sister Hua’er, you’d better tidy up your house tomorrow. I’ve found a potential family for Feng’er, and I’m going to talk to them tomorrow. If it goes well, I expect they’ll want to come for a visit. Don’t let them show up to a filthy house. You might not be afraid of the embarrassment, but it would make me lose face."
Everyone was stunned by Cui Mei’s words.
Li Hua stared at Cui Mei in utter disbelief. ’Why would she try to find a match for my daughter?’
"Mei’er, did you say it’s for Feng’er? Not for Gu’er?"
Li Hua asked. In her heart, she believed Gu’er should be the one to marry first, not Feng’er. Besides, Feng’er was only fourteen. Even by traditional reckoning, she was just fifteen. She wasn’t of age yet.
"I wouldn’t dare make a match for Gu’er," Cui Mei said. "Besides, what is she to me? Why on earth should I help her? I’m talking about Feng’er. She may be only fifteen, but that’s not too young. If you wait any longer, all the good prospects will be gone. We can settle on a match now, and they can get married in a year or two. It’s perfect."
Cui Mei grew impatient. "Do you think I have nothing better to do than meddle in your family’s business? The family I’m talking about is from Liu Shu Village! Their surname is Liu, and they’re very well-off. Girls are lining up to marry into that family. If I didn’t think Feng’er was a decent girl, and if you weren’t my husband’s sister, I couldn’t be bothered with this."
A match for Feng’er with a family from Liu Shu Village—it wasn’t just Li Hua; even the rest of the Li Family found it hard to believe.
There were extraordinarily wealthy families and ordinary ones in Liu Shu Village, but anyone with the surname Liu was guaranteed to be well-off.
Gu’er’s eyes narrowed. ’In my past life, I only heard about Third Aunt-in-law mentioning a family from Liu Shu Village for Zhou Feng’er long after I was married. This is two years earlier. What exactly did they talk about before?’
Gu’er looked over at Zhou Feng’er, who stood with her head lowered in a show of bashfulness.
"Mei’er, I know you’re trying to do what’s best for us, but Feng’er..."
Li Hua couldn’t understand the reason for Cui Mei’s sudden kindness and felt a growing sense of unease.
"Alright, alright," Cui Mei cut her off. "It’s just a preliminary visit. Who knows if they’ll even approve of her. Why all the chatter? If you’re not interested, I’ll just suggest it to someone else. They’d jump at the chance."
Cui Mei fumed internally. ’If it weren’t for what Zhou Feng’er told me earlier, and if I didn’t need her help with something, I wouldn’t bother with this at all.’ freёwebnoѵel.com
’Still, for Zhou Feng’er to make such a request, asking for a match in Liu Shu Village... the girl has some nerve,’ Cui Mei thought. ’So young and already scheming to find her own husband. She’s no proper lady.’ But Cui Mei didn’t mind. She had a particular family in mind, one her own mother had mentioned on her last visit home. She was confident she could persuade them. As for the final result, that was none of her concern.
"So, what’s this family’s situation? Who’s in the household? How many brothers are there, and which one are we talking about?"
Li Hua inquired.
"Why are you asking so much? Are you in any position to be picky? Just let them come for a visit first. If they approve of her, you can ask your questions then."
Cui Mei was annoyed. ’Who does Li Hua think she is? And who does she think her daughter is, wanting all the details? I can’t be bothered to explain it all to her.’
"Hua’er," Zhou Ercao interjected, "I say let them have a look. It might be a good match. And even if nothing comes of it, there’s no harm done. Once word gets out that a family from Liu Shu Village was interested, Feng’er won’t be married off to just anyone."
Zhou Ercao persuaded her daughter. Whatever her third daughter-in-law’s intentions were, there was no harm in letting them take a look.
"Alright, I’ll listen to Mom," Li Hua finally agreed. "Mei’er, thank you for going to all this trouble. I’ll give the house a thorough cleaning tomorrow. If this works out, I’ll have Mazi bring a cut of meat over to thank you properly."
Cui Mei pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at Li Hua.
Li Lan, who hadn’t left yet, was feeling quite resentful. She had always thought her sister-in-law, Cui Mei, got along better with her than with Li Hua. Yet when such a golden opportunity arose, Cui Mei offered it to Zhou Feng’er instead of her own daughter. She was furious but couldn’t voice it, so she seethed in silence.
Chen Juan, on the other hand, wasn’t bothered. She was still young, and it wouldn’t be too late to consider marriage prospects in another two years.
Li Yu was furious. ’How could Third Aunt not think of me for such a great match, giving it to the Zhou family instead, while I’m stuck engaged to *that* family? Did she get her head kicked by a donkey?’
Zhou Duo’er was green with envy, but she genuinely hoped the match would succeed. If her second sister married into Liu Shu Village, she could ask her to find a match for her there in the future. They were blood sisters, after all; her second sister would surely help her.
"Alright, you all should get going. Stop dawdling," Cui Mei urged. "If things look good, I’ll send someone with a message tomorrow."
Cui Mei hurried them along, her impatience clear. She had deliberately waited until they were leaving to bring it up, precisely to avoid a lengthy discussion.
After bidding farewell to the Li Family, Li Hua led her children on the way home.
"Sis, if you really get chosen by that family from Liu Shu Village, don’t you forget about me! When you get married, you have to be good to me! Get my brother-in-law to buy me lots of tasty food and a few new sets of clothes. Or better yet, just have me come live at your new home! Our family has nothing. If I live in Liu Shu Village, I might even be able to find a good wife someday!"
Zhou Cai was already lost in fantasies of the good life to come.
Zhou Feng’er shot her brother a look, deeply annoyed. ’The family always dotes on him,’ she thought. ’Who does he think he is, wanting to move into my home? As if I’d take care of him.’
However, Zhou Feng’er said nothing out loud.
"What are you talking about?" Li Hua chided her son. "Nothing is set in stone yet. Don’t go spreading this around when we get home, or you’ll start gossip."
Li Hua scolded her son, but she herself felt uncertain. All she could think about was getting home quickly to discuss the matter with Zhou Mazi.
