No sooner had Shen Zhengchu sat down than Shen Fangchu, sitting across from him, couldn’t wait to speak up. “Cousin, Cousin-in-law, I’m here today on someone’s behalf. You don’t know this, but our Ling is famous far and wide—he’s handsome and skilled. Who wouldn’t want to marry a Fulang like that?”

“The Zhou family—the butchers in our village—as soon as they heard we were related, they came straight to my house. They wanted me to ask what our family’s customs are and what kind of husband we’re looking for, Ling-ger.”

“The Zhou family is talking about their youngest son. He’s twenty this year, just a bit older than our Ling-ger. If you ask me, it’s better if he’s a bit older—older men are more considerate. Young Zhou is a handsome lad, too, and he’s got a trade in slaughtering and butchering pigs. As for the butcher, I won’t say much else, but at least he’ll never go hungry. Plus, his family isn’t bad off either. So if our Ling’er were to marry into that family, he certainly wouldn’t have to suffer.”

Song Xunchun opened her mouth to speak, but Shen Fangchu cut her off. “Cousin, we’ve been relatives for so many years—don’t you know me by now? If Ling’er marries into that family, I’ll definitely look out for him. I guarantee no one will be able to bully him. Isn’t that better than going off to some place where he doesn’t know a soul?”

Song Xunchun, in her thoughts: “That’s exactly why I’m worried; I know what kind of person you are.”

“Thank you for your concern, but our Lingzhi is still young. We won’t be considering his marriage this year at the very least. That young man from the Zhou family is already twenty—we can’t hold him back.”

Song Xunchun spoke diplomatically, but in essence, she had refused.

However, Shen Fangchu seemed not to have understood, continuing on his own: “It’s not like they have to get married this year. We can just set the engagement now and have the wedding next year. Once they’re engaged, that young man from the Zhou family will feel a sense of urgency and will definitely work hard to earn money for the dowry. Once Ling’er marries into the Zhou family next year, won’t their life just get better and better?”

Song Xunchun’s eyebrows twitched. This man was truly his usual self—he only heard what he wanted to hear. She turned to look at Shen Zhengchu, but he stubbornly refused to respond, instead rolling his eyes in a brazen display.

Song Xunchun：“……”

There was nothing she could do. Song Xunchun could only give him a gentle nudge. Since he was her own relative, he’d have to handle this himself.

Shen Zhengchu sat up straight instantly and said sternly, “Fangchu, you’re no better. At your age, don’t you know you shouldn’t just play matchmaker on a whim? If it works out, everyone’s happy, but if something goes wrong, you’ll be the one taking all the blame! Not to mention, you’re neighbors. If this causes a rift, wouldn’t that ruin your neighborly relationship?”

“Besides, there are professional matchmakers for this sort of thing. You have to pay them to help arrange a marriage. They wouldn’t be coming to you just to save money, would they?”

Shen Fangchu: You’re the one who’s old—your whole family is old! And what do you mean by “to save money”? They’ve already given him gifts… Ahem, let’s not even go there.

“Cousin, I’m just trying to help. These days, it’s so hard to find someone with a trade. I’m only looking out for Ling’er’s best interests. How can you say that to me?”

Shen Zhengchu picked up Song Xunchun’s cup, took a sip of tea, and said slowly, “I know you mean well. Didn’t my wife already thank you? I also appreciate you looking out for Ling’er, but let’s just call off this match.”

Shen Fangchu simply couldn’t fathom what these two were thinking. If they let their ger get too old, won’t he end up unmarried?

“Cousin, I only brought up this match because Lingzhi is my nephew. There are plenty of gers in our village who have their eyes on Xiao Zhou. If you miss this opportunity, you’ll never get another chance.”

Shen Zhengchu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. They weren’t the kind of relatives who looked out for each other’s best interests.

“My Lingzhi doesn’t have the kind of reputation that’s known throughout the surrounding villages. How did the Zhou family find out about him? You didn’t tell them, did you?”

Shen Fangchu looked at Shen Zhengchu and his wife with eager eyes. “Cousin, you two mustn’t be so modest. Our Ling has his own skills, and Huaizhi is a scholar—there’s no shortage of suitors. It’s only natural that the Zhou family knows about Ling-ger. Besides, I’d actually meant to mention that I have a niece ready for marriage, but before I could find the chance, they came looking for me themselves.”

Seeing that he was about to say more, Shen Zhengchu grew impatient. They’d already said they wanted Lingzhi to stay for a few more years—why couldn’t he take a hint?

“Fangchu, your cousin-in-law and I both want Lingzhi to stay with us for a few more years. There’s no need to discuss this match.”

Shen Fangchu grew flustered. “Hey, cousin, don’t get upset! Let’s just meet the man first. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. Besides, this Zhou man is quite handsome—Ling-ger will definitely like him…”

Shen Zhengchu’s voice suddenly rose. “What do you mean ‘our Ling-ger will like him’? You can’t just say things like that. Alright, we still have to go out to the fields. We won’t keep you any longer.”

Shen Fangchu was so exasperated he nearly fell over. No wonder he’d never liked associating with Shen Zhengchu and his wife—it really wasn’t his fault after all.

He wanted nothing more than to turn and walk away, but thinking of the gifts the Zhou family had sent, he forced himself to stay, managing a strained smile. “Cousin, please give it some more thought. I’ll come back in a couple of days. The Zhou family really is a great match.”

Shen Zhengchu nodded. “Understood. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

No sooner had Shen Zhengchu seen him out than Lin Yue and Shen Ling slipped out of the kitchen. They hurried into the main hall, and Shen Lingzhi, in particular, grabbed Song Xunchun’s sleeve the moment she entered.

“Mother, did Uncle really come to arrange a marriage for me? I remember he’s never visited our house before—he always went to Uncle Shen’s place.”

Song Xunchun nodded and gave a brief summary of what Shen Zhengchu had just said, omitting the details about the Zhou family son’s appearance.

Shen Lingzhi pouted. “Mother, I don’t want to get married yet. I’m still too young.”

Song Xunchun said, “There, there. Don’t worry. Your father and I haven’t agreed to anything yet. We won’t start looking for a match for you until at least next year.”

Lin Yue frowned at the mention of Qingxi Village. He remembered that Shang Wencheng was from there, and thinking of that family, he now had a rather poor impression of the entire village.

“Mother, someone we haven’t had contact with in so long suddenly comes to propose a marriage—and it’s for a twenty-year-old man. Something about this just doesn’t feel right. I wonder if he’s been bribed.”

Song Xunchun nodded in agreement. “Your father and I think the same. Even if that Zhou boy is a decent person, just because he’s the one proposing, we won’t agree to this match.”

Lin Yue hesitated for a moment, but finally said, “Mother, I just have a feeling this Zhou fellow can’t be all that great. Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be unmarried at twenty.”

It was no wonder Lin Yue thought this way. In the nearby villages, people usually got married at sixteen or seventeen, or even as young as fifteen. Here comes a twenty-year-old out of the blue, and unlike Shen Huaizhi, it’s not as if he’s delayed his marriage to pursue his studies.

Song Xunchun’s expression darkened slightly. After a long pause, she said slowly, “He probably isn’t. Although we haven’t had much contact, we’re all relatives—he wouldn’t do something like that.”

“I think Yue’s got a point. Shen Fangchu isn’t exactly a patient sort. The fact that he’s been so restrained today—there’s definitely something fishy going on.”

Shen Zhengchu had seen the visitor to the door and returned just as he stepped into the main hall, where he overheard Lin Yue’s remark and immediately chimed in.

Song Xunchun hadn’t expected both father and son to think this way, and she grew flustered on the spot. “If that’s really the case, next time he comes, I won’t let him in the door!”

Lin Yue shook her head. “Mother, if we refuse to let him in for no good reason, it’ll make us look unreasonable. In my opinion, we should find out more about this Zhou fellow first. What if we’re overthinking this and he really is well-intentioned? Then we’ll have to be more tactful when we refuse. But if this Zhou fellow really isn’t up to par, we’ll just lay it all out on the table when our cousin comes back. That way, he won’t have the face to go spreading rumors.”

Song Xunchun was persuaded. “Then I’ll go find out tomorrow. Qingxi Village isn’t far from here; I should be able to get some information.”

Shen Zhengchu hesitated, then stammered, “Yunchu is married in that village. Why not go ask her?”

Song Xunchun looked surprised. “You’re finally willing to go see Yunchu openly?” 

Shen Zhengchu: “……”

Seeing he couldn’t reply, Song Xunchun continued, “If you hadn’t been so reluctant to go, Shen Fangchu wouldn’t have come like this. He just thinks we’re not familiar with Qingxi Village.”

“Now that you have an excuse, go see him openly. Things will gradually get back to normal. If you don’t go now, in a few years you won’t even be able to walk there.”

Shen Zhengchu was getting a headache from her nagging. “I know, I know. I’ll go tomorrow—no, I’ll go today.”

Song Xunchun nodded and added, “Then be careful when you go—don’t run into Shen Fangchu. Ask around in the village first. If you can’t bring yourself to ask him directly, just pretend you’re visiting relatives. Then, come year-end, have Huaizhi and his husband come by to invite him home.”

Shen Zhengchu had just made his promise, but now he didn’t dare go. He sat in his chair for a long while without responding to Song Xunchun.

Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi exchanged a glance and immediately suggested, “Father, we made quite a few pastries today—all sweet ones. It would be perfect to take some to visit Uncle. I’m sure he’ll like them.”

He recalled Shen Lingzhi mentioning that both he and Shen Huaizhi had eaten pastries bought by their uncle when they were children. Bringing some now would be just right; with food in hand—that way, even if Shen Zhengchu couldn’t think of anything else to say, they could at least have a conversation centered around food.

Shen Zhengchu felt somewhat pressured into it. After stammering for a while, he finally nodded.

Shen Lingzhi immediately pulled Lin Yue toward the door. “Father, we’re going to get the pastries right now. You can go after lunch—that way, you’ll be back by evening, and you’ll still have time to go fishing.”

Shen Zhengchu was thus thoroughly arranged for. Even Song Xunchun stood up. “The three of us won’t be home for lunch today. Just heat up the leftover congee and steamed buns from this morning. Eat quickly and head out right away—if Yunchu goes out to work in the fields, you’ll miss her.”

With that, Song Xunchun left. She couldn’t stay there any longer; otherwise, Shen Zhengchu would surely change his mind.

Because Shen Fangchu’s visit had delayed them a bit, Lin Yue and the others were already a little late when they left. Although the mushroom business was wrapped up, they’d agreed with the restaurant manager to deliver pastries every other day. Even though they didn’t buy them every time, whenever they did, it was always for dozens of pieces, so Lin Yue was always eager to make the trip.

Having just harvested buckwheat and sorghum, Lin Yue made buckwheat red bean pastries and sorghum red bean pastries today. They tasted good, but their brownish color made them look a bit unappealing, and she wasn’t sure if they’d sell well.

On the way, Lin Yue asked, “Mother, do you think Father will be able to find out?”

Song Xunchun shook her head. “It’s hard to say. It’s still up in the air whether he’ll even go.”

Shen Zhengchu was usually decisive—back then, he decided to split the family estate and did just that. But when it came to Shen Yunchu, his guilt kept him from facing him.

Lin Yue didn’t really understand Shen Zhengchu’s mindset, but since it was an elder’s matter, he didn’t feel he should say too much. He could only say, “Well, let’s ask around in town today. If we don’t find anything, I’ll push the cart to Qingxi Village tomorrow to sell food. I’m sure it’ll work out.”