Just a few days ago, Nian-ger had been deeply worried, saying that with only January left this year, he’d managed to arrange only two of his five planned marriages. Because of this, he hadn’t had time to serve as the temporary manager at Yuye Pavilion; whenever he came by in the past few days, he’d rush right out again, and he was a constant sight on the streets.

He did, however, occasionally help deliver cakes ordered by customers.

When he returned today, he grabbed Yan Xiaoyu’s arm mysteriously: “Brother Xiaoyu, guess who I ran into today?”

His eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t hide the smug look on his face. Yan Xiaoyu could have guessed with his little finger that there had been progress in his matchmaking business.

He hadn’t heard of Nian-ger interacting with any of the shop’s customers lately—could it be someone from the Yan family? Yan Xiaoyu pondered for a moment: “Miss Fu?”

A few days ago, a servant from the Fu household came to Yuye Pavilion to order a cake. Given that, if Nian-ger were to make a visit, it would certainly attract attention. But Nian-ger shook his head: “Hehe, nope!”

Now Yan Xiaoyu was genuinely curious: “Who is it?”

“You’d never guess—” Nian-ger drawled, grinning mischievously, “It’s Sun Laizi from Dongling Village!! He said Uncle Zheng has already agreed to let him marry him, and he asked me to help him prepare the betrothal gifts so he can go propose!”

Because Sun Laizi’s family was poor, he’d never been able to marry. Nian-ger had originally arranged a match between him and Uncle Zheng—the Fulang of Wang Ergou—but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. 

Later, Wang Ergou and Yan Xiaobao nearly succeeded in plotting against Yan Xiaoyu and were thrown into prison, so Nian-ger tried persuading Uncle Zheng several more times.

Uncle Zheng asked Nian-ger and Sun Laizi to wait a few years. Yan Xiaoyu had thought this was just an excuse to fob Nian-ger off, but to his surprise, Nian-ger actually managed to wait it out.

“A few days ago, Uncle Zheng and Wang Ergou’s father went to the county jail to visit Wang Ergou. Those officials treat the prisoners like donkeys. Wang Ergou has been tortured beyond recognition. I heard he’d just returned from digging river sand and was immediately sent back to the mountains to mine coal—he’ll only get a break on New Year’s Eve. If this keeps up, by the time his five-year sentence is up, I’m afraid he won’t even be alive to walk out of that cell! Wang Ergou’s family used to let Uncle Zheng stay with them for free, just to keep him waiting for Wang Ergou. Now that they see there’s no hope left, they’ve changed their tune.”

“Uncle Zheng was willing to put up with the abuse and argue with them. When I heard about it, I went to persuade him, telling him to spend some silver to have the county office issue a ‘declaration of severance’ for him and Wang Ergou, so he could marry Sun Laizi. Unfortunately, he kept hesitating. Thankfully, he finally came to his senses yesterday and sent a message to Sun Laizi through a go-between. Today, Sun Laizi came to the county seat to look for me!”

“I’ve already helped Sun Laizi prepare all the betrothal gifts today. Tomorrow we’ll return to the village and go together to Beiling Village to ask for his hand in marriage!”

Yan Xiaoyu really hadn’t expected this opportunity to just fall into his lap—it was Nian-ger who had actively pursued it. Wang Ergou had been in prison for two years, yet Nian-ger still hadn’t given up trying to cuckold him—Yan Xiaoyu truly admired him for it.

“With that kind of perseverance, not only could you match Uncle Zheng with Sun Laizi, but you could probably even match Lin Daiyu with Sun Wukong…”

Nian-ger was completely baffled: “Who is ‘Lin Daiyu,’ and who is ‘Sun Wukong’?”

The very next day, Nian-ger returned to the village to get back to his matchmaking business.

While Yan Xiaoyu was busy with matters at Yuye Pavilion, he was also preparing for the Lunar New Year.

This year, the Yan brothers were also spending the New Year at their home, so with two more people in the household, he needed to stock up on more supplies.

Yan Xiaoyu made a special trip back to Lantai Town to buy a whole pig from Zhu Sheng’s shop. He asked Zhu Sheng and Zhu Tuzi to slaughter it and divide it into two halves—the larger half was sent to Yuye Pavilion, while the smaller half was kept for his own family to eat.

Yan Shaoxuan had been studying in the backyard of the Yuye Pavilion, but upon hearing that Yan Xiaoyu was going to see Zhu Sheng, he made a point of taking some time out of his schedule to accompany her on the trip. 

Earlier, when Zhu Sheng had heard Yu Sanlang mention the engagement between Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan, he’d been able to pretend he hadn’t understood. But now that he’d seen Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan appear before him together with his own eyes, he could no longer deceive himself.

Yan Xiaoyu spoke without hesitation, saying he planned to spend the New Year with the Yan brothers. He also mentioned that Yan Shaoxuan loved pork trotters, so in addition to a whole pig, he would buy four extra pork legs.

Yan Shaoxuan beat him to it and paid the silver, saying it was a New Year’s gift for his future in-laws. The intimacy in their conversation was unmistakable; Zhu Sheng watched it all, feeling utterly dejected.

Yan Shaoxuan, however, was completely at ease. He suppressed the joy in his heart, but the corners of his mouth stretched almost to his ears, leaving Jiang Xiaowu—who was helping drive the ox cart—staring in amazement. 

Although Zhu Sheng felt a bit dejected, he didn’t hold a grudge against Yan Xiaoyu because of it. He remained as warm and friendly as ever, and as was his custom, he gave them extra offal and bones.

Ever since Yan Xiaoyu’s “Yuye Pavilion” opened, he had been very supportive of Zhu Sheng’s business; the pork sold in his shop came almost exclusively from the Zhu family—father and son. Grateful for Yan Xiaoyu’s kindness, Zhu Sheng always delivered the freshest, highest-quality meat to the Yuye Pavilion.

Yan Xiaoyu had long known that Zhu Sheng had feelings for him, and later picked up on some hints from Yan Shaoxuan’s attitude; this time, he had come specifically to put Zhu Sheng’s hopes to rest.

He cherished these friends deeply. Aside from Zhu Sheng, he still kept in touch with the staff at Yu’s Medical Clinic and An-ger, who had once helped them. Occasionally, when Yuye Pavilion needed spices, he would make a point of going to An-ger to buy them.

Seeing that Zhu Sheng could take it in stride and hadn’t distanced himself from him because of it, Yan Xiaoyu finally felt at ease.

Three days later, Nian-ger came here again.

The marriage between Uncle Zheng and Sun Laizi had already been arranged, but seeing that there was only half a month left until the New Year, Nian-ger was burning with anxiety. Later, he seized every opportunity to strike up conversations with guests who seemed open to the idea, trying to arrange matches for their children, to no avail.

Just as Nian-ger was feeling disheartened and dejected, the head of the cake-ordering team sent him a message.

Upon hearing this, Nian-ger perked up, thrilled beyond measure, and rushed impatiently to the kitchen to tell Yan Xiaoyu about it.

“The match between Miss Fu and Young Master Zhong is as good as done. Miss Fu sent me some silver as compensation for asking me to act as matchmaker!” 

A “young man” refers to an unmarried young ger. Generally, when people arrange marriages, they choose older, more experienced women; few are willing to hire a young man like him.

If Miss Fu wanted Young Master Zhong to ask him to be the matchmaker, she would certainly have to lay out all the details, and then their scheme to “trick” Young Master Zhong would easily be exposed.

Since Nian-ger was in danger and Miss Fu’s reputation would also suffer, they had agreed in advance to find another matchmaker for the rest of the arrangements.

Miss Fu gave Nian-ger two silver notes worth ten taels each. Nian-ger was greatly encouraged, and when Niu Fugui came by the next day, he managed to resist the urge to brag to his father.

Niu Fugui shot him a sidelong glance, a hint of disdain in his voice: “So what if you made twenty taels? Four out of five matchmaking deals are still not enough.” Nian-ger wilted instantly, like an eggplant hit by frost.

Counting the match between Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan, he was still one match short. With the Lunar New Year just a few days away and the Yuye Pavilion about to close for the season, unless a miracle happened, he would certainly be unable to meet the goal set for him by Niu Fugui and Yu Chunying. 

Nian-ger moped for a few days, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. On the very day before Yuye Pavilion closed for the New Year, another match was finalized—between Yu Sanlang and Liu Tiao.

Back then, Nian-ger had insisted on arranging marriages for the Liu siblings. Liu Pingshan, thoroughly fed up, had suggested that Yu Sanlang marry into the Liu family as a son-in-law to marry Liu Tiao. 

Later, when Niu Fugui found out, he cursed and scolded Nian-ger soundly.

He never would have thought that the marriage would actually go through in the end.

After the Yuye Pavilion closed, Yan Xiaoyu returned alone to Xiling Village, where Liu Pingshan and Aunt He had specially invited them to dinner at the Liu family’s home.

At the table, Liu Pingshan was grinning from ear to ear, constantly boasting about Liu Tiao’s marriage. Just as happy as he was were Nian-ger and Yu Sanlang.

Nian-ger had fulfilled the goal set by his parents and could now rightfully take on the role of matchmaker. The aspiration he’d held since childhood had finally come true, and his joy was undeniable.

Yan Xiaoyu was well aware of the situation between Yu Sanlang and Tiao-ger, and he knew exactly when the two had fallen in love. But the fact that Yu Sanlang was willing to become a son-in-law for Tiao Ge’er’s sake shows just how much he loved Tiao Ge’er.

During the meal at the Liu family’s home, the smile never left Yu Sanlang’s face; he kept stealing glances at Tiao Ge’er throughout the meal, making him blush. While some were happy and others were worried—these few were overjoyed, but Niu Fugui was deeply troubled. 

Now that Nian-ger had acted as matchmaker, he would surely take his own marriage even more seriously—who knows when he’d find a suitable partner.

Yu Sanlang used to be a good-for-nothing, but ever since he took over Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu stall, he’d really turned his life around. Who would’ve thought he’d end up eagerly becoming a son-in-law by marriage? No matter how much his father objected, he wouldn’t back down, and he finally forced his parents to give in.

Neither of his sons gave him any peace of mind. In the days leading up to the New Year, Niu Fugui sighed constantly, feeling not a shred of festive joy.

Yan Xiaoyu watched the commotion for a while but didn’t take it to heart.

Yan Shaoxuan is set to leave for the capital after the New Year, and he’s been clinging to him constantly these past few days. The two of them have been quite busy, both preparing New Year’s meals with their families and making arrangements for their wedding next year.

Aside from Zhi Yan and Xiaoyu’s family, the festive atmosphere in Xiling Village this year is quite grand.

Although this year has been full of twists and turns and they’ve suffered a few setbacks, the villagers of Xiling Village have managed to weather the storm.

Although they earned a little less silver, having the family together and being well-fed and warmly clothed was still better than in previous years.

Now that Yan Shaoxuan’s 300 mu of tax-exempt land had been distributed, most families in the village had received a few mu, so they wouldn’t have to worry too much about land taxes next year.

On top of that, the county magistrate seemed intent on “making a fresh start,” and Yu Sanlang, together with Liu Pingshan, began exploring ways to supply vegetables to other restaurants in the county. So there was still hope for everyone’s future.

So this Lunar New Year, just like last year, Xiling Village was once again decked out in lanterns and decorations, brimming with festive cheer. Except for the Yan family.

Yan Yonghe had passed the provincial examination, and the Yan family should have been riding high this year. Unfortunately, Yan Yonghe’s engagement fell through, and Yan Xiaobao was unable to return home for the New Year.

Mr. Yan had boasted for months that Yan Yonghe would be betrothed to a wealthy young lady from the county this year, but later stopped mentioning it altogether, leading the villagers to suspect that something had gone wrong with the engagement.

The argument at the Yan household the day before New Year’s Eve only confirmed this. When Aunt He visited Yan Xiaoyu’s home and mentioned the matter, she, too, looked deeply saddened.

“Out of all the families in our village in a similar situation—those who paid silver to avoid labor duties—the only one that sent Yan Xiaobao was his family. Early this morning, Tao Cuiqing and Old Man Yan sent Yan Xingsheng to bring Yan Xiaobao back. Unexpectedly, Yan Yonghe refused to agree, and the whole family argued so fiercely over this that the neighbors could hear every word.”

“Your eldest cousin is really ruthless! Your eldest aunt knelt down and kowtowed to him, begging him to put in a good word with the county magistrate’s office—to pay the silver to ‘borrow’ Yan Xiaobao back so he could come home for the New Year, and then send him back afterward, promising it wouldn’t affect his imperial examinations at all—but he flat-out refused.” 

“It’s the dead of winter. I hear the conscripted laborers start working at dawn and don’t get a break until dark, and they only get to eat a couple of hot meals all day long. Someone from the neighboring Dongling Village couldn’t take it anymore and sent word back, asking his parents to bring silver to redeem him. Thankfully, our village only has Yan Xiaobao.”