Chapter 56 Matchmaker Liu Brings Good News

Unlike Hao Yu, Wang Xiaozhi favored Miss Zheng, so she was the first to send someone over to the Zheng Family Village.

To help seal this match, Jiang Yuan had disclosed a portion of Hao Yu's personal wealth to Wang Xiaozhi, such as the fields and the house that Hao Yu had originally intended to gift him.

Yet even so, neither Wang Xiaozhi nor her meticulously chosen matchmaker, the highly reputable Matchmaker Liu, succeeded in arranging the match.

The Zheng family found three things objectionable about Hao Yu: first, he was a full nine years older than Miss Zheng; second, his background was unclear; and third, he was far too soft-hearted and excessively generous.

Although Matchmaker Liu addressed all three points with explanations, the Zheng family still politely declined the marriage proposal.

Wang Xiaozhi felt deeply regretful; Miss Zheng had been her top pick, so it was truly a great pity.

After sighing for a moment, Wang Xiaozhi gathered her spirits and asked Matchmaker Liu to try arranging a match with the Chen family in the neighboring Lingshan Town.

As mentioned previously, Miss Chen's parents and brothers no longer expected her to fetch a standard bride price for the family.

Terrified that she was cursed not only to bring misfortune to her husbands but also to her father, her brothers, and every other male creature, they were urgently looking to find her a husband who was in good health, free of bad habits, came from an easy-to-get-along-with family, and—most importantly—did not fear her reputation for bringing doom to her spouses.

Strictly speaking, Hao Yu—whose one hand could not lift heavy objects—did not quite meet the Chen family's requirements. However, upon hearing Matchmaker Liu explain that this old injury did not hinder Hao Yu from hunting, and that he possessed a substantial amount of wealth, they all decided that this minor flaw was something they could tolerate.

They desperately wanted to accept the match on the spot, but remembering Miss Chen's stubborn insistence on never settling for less than what she deemed worthy, her parents ultimately told the matchmaker that they needed to make some inquiries about Hao Yu first.

Seeing that they had not flatly refused, Matchmaker Liu instantly felt a spark of hope. She smiled in agreement and arranged with the Chen family to return in five days for their reply.

Five days passed quickly, and true to her word, Matchmaker Liu arrived in Mingfu Village bearing good news.

After finding Wang Xiaozhi and discussing the details at length, the two of them went together to the southern edge of the village to find Hao Yu.

"Brother Hao, congratulations!" Pushing open the courtyard gate and catching sight of Hao Yu, who came out to greet them upon hearing the commotion, Matchmaker Liu's face instantly bloomed into a wide smile.

Xie Wangniang, Xiaoyang, and Jiang Yuan were busy in the kitchen. Hearing the commotion, Jiang Yuan immediately dropped the radish he was washing and strode out in three swift steps.

Xie Wangniang and Xiaoyang curiously peeked out and greeted Wang Xiaozhi and Matchmaker Liu with smiles.

Matchmaker Liu enthusiastically greeted everyone one by one before returning to the topic at hand.

"The Chen family has agreed to the meeting!" She flicked her handkerchief. "And they've left the timing entirely up to your side to arrange."

Superstitious as they were, the Chen family still cared deeply for Miss Chen. Whether in the past or now, they always made thorough inquiries about the prospective groom, his family, and his household background before deciding whether to allow Miss Chen to meet him.

Although the information gathered through inquiries could not be guaranteed to be absolute truth, asking around was always better than blindly trusting a matchmaker's honeyed words.

Even if it did not unearth a peerless match, it could at least drastically reduce the chances of stumbling into a pitfall.

The fact that the Chen family now agreed to arrange a meeting between Miss Chen and Hao Yu meant they were reasonably satisfied with the information they had gathered.

And since Miss Chen, who was known for having a strong mind of her own, had agreed to come for the meeting, she was evidently quite satisfied with Hao Yu's personal qualifications as well.

This was indeed good news worth celebrating.

Escorted by Wang Xiaozhi, Hao Yu invited Matchmaker Liu into the main hall to take a seat, and Jiang Yuan quickly served two bowls of brown sugar water that Xie Wangniang had hastily prepared.

At the same time, Hao Yu brought out the large wooden tiered food box that Jiang Yuan had custom-ordered from the village carpenter, filled with small snacks such as walnut crisps, butter cookies, candied winter melon, dried apricots, dried pears, and roasted peanuts.

Though coated with only a thin layer of clear varnish, the tiered box looked exceptionally plain, yet the treats inside opened Matchmaker Liu's eyes to a new world.

Nibbling on a piece of candied winter melon, Matchmaker Liu thought to herself that Wang Xiaozhi's words hadn't been mere boasting after all; this Hao Yu truly was a landlord of considerable wealth.

After finishing the brown sugar water, partaking modestly in the snacks, and finalizing the exact time for the meeting with Hao Yu, Matchmaker Liu took her leave.

Because she refused to stay for a meal, and all repeated entreaties were declined, Hao Yu ultimately chose to gift Matchmaker Liu one of the freshly caught hares Jiang Yuan had hunted that morning as a token of gratitude.

Matchmaker Liu left happily, clutching the hare, while Xie Wangniang dragged Wang Xiaozhi into the kitchen.

Having seen Matchmaker Liu off, Jiang Yuan sensibly headed over to the Chen family's home and brought Chen Zhao along with his two children back to share the meal.

With four extra mouths to feed, Xie Wangniang simply added another hearty dish to her original plan.

For the staple food, she prepared brown sugar flatbreads; for the dishes, she made stewed wild chicken with dried mushrooms, and stewed sauerkraut and pork belly with frozen tofu.

When the food was served on the table, she also added a small plate of roasted peanuts, a plate of dried radishes stir-fried with eggs, a plate of dried fish, and a plate of dried mutton, making the meal spread look even more abundant.

While the men ate and chatted about village gossip, the women and children focused entirely on devouring the flatbreads and dishes.

Xie Wangniang liked the sauerkraut and frozen tofu best, the children favored the tender and juicy pork belly, and Wang Xiaozhi preferred the stewed wild chicken with dried mushrooms.

After a fragrant, piping-hot lunch, everyone was thoroughly satisfied.

After the meal, Wang Xiaozhi and Chen Zhao did not rush off. Chen Zhao stayed in the main hall to watch the children alongside Jiang Yuan and Hao Yu, while Wang Xiaozhi went to the kitchen. There, while helping Xie Wangniang and Xiaoyang wash the pots, bowls, and chopsticks, she chatted quietly with Xie Wangniang.

"Fate is truly unpredictable. I never imagined that the Zheng family would refuse such an exceptional marriage candidate for Uncle Hao without even bothering to make inquiries."

Xie Wangniang smiled. Because Wang Xiaozhi had a good relationship with Hao Yu, naturally she saw him in the best possible light. The Zheng family had never had any contact with Hao Yu; upon hearing that he was nine years older than Miss Zheng, an outsider, and foolish enough to take in a homeless wanderer like Jiang Yuan for so long... they were bound to have their doubts.

After all, viewing Hao Yu's situation in a favorable light meant seeing him as "good-hearted, of noble character, bound to treat his wife well in the future, and sparing his new bride the hardship of dealing with overbearing elders or bothersome, unruly relatives."

Miss Chen and her family clearly viewed the situation in this positive light.

The Zheng family, however, clearly looked at it through a negative lens.

In their eyes, Hao Yu's advanced age meant he would age quickly and die early. Moreover, with no family or supporters of his own, would they eventually be expected to help support their married sister?

Not to mention his excessive generosity, adopting a neighbor's child for two full years—with someone so lacking in clear boundaries, how could anyone living with him or related to him find peace?

Miss Zheng was only twenty-three, delicately featured, gentle in temperament, and most importantly, blessed with a well-to-do natal family and an older brother who had already passed the imperial examinations to become a scholar.

Though her brother and sister-in-law were reluctant to support her for the rest of her life, they would certainly not skimp on her dowry. This was why, despite the exorbitant bride price demanded by the Zheng family, no one within tens of miles considered their demands unreasonable.

For a young woman with such fine prospects, it was only natural for both herself and her family to be picky.