Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 521 Asking for a Matchmaker

After the rain, the sky is high and clear blue.

It was a rare cool day, but Yuan Shan felt as if she was still in the scorching July, feeling uncomfortable and stuffy in her heart.

She followed Tao with a backpack on her back, looking numb. She almost tripped over the threshold when she entered.

Tao pulled her and frowned, saying, "Watch the road when you walk."

Yuan Shan looked around and found that she was not entering a shop, but a house.

As she was looking around, a wealthy middle-aged woman in blue cloth clothes came out. There was a large black mole on the right corner of her cheek near her mouth.

Yuan Shan shuddered. She recognized the woman. Her surname was Jin. She was a famous matchmaker in the west of the city. People in their village all came to her for matchmaking.

She hasn't even reached marriage age yet, is it time to get married so soon?

Fine beads of cold sweat oozed from her forehead, and panic replaced numbness in her eyes.

Matchmaker Jin came over quickly and said, "Oh, isn't this the scholar's grandmother? Why did you think of me today?"

"I came to you because I want to ask you to help me with matchmaking." Tao answered with a smile.

Jin Matchmaker's eyes flashed with surprise: "Is it for your scholar? Oh, this is really giving me a headache.

Your grandson is handsome and talented, and his future is limitless. I have to think carefully about what kind of girl would be worthy of him. "

Yuan Shan's eyelashes twitched. Her brother would never propose marriage now. Didn't this matchmaker Jin claim to be well-informed? How could she subconsciously think that it was her brother who proposed marriage?

Oh, by the way, the matchmaker is usually invited by the man.

Just as she thought of this, she heard her grandmother laugh and say, "No need, we already have an interest in someone. It's Song Ying from the Song family in Xinghua Village next door to us. I've already spoken to her family about it."

Yuan Shan was shocked and turned her head to look at her grandmother, her eyes full of disbelief.

Didn’t you say that after your brother passes the imperial examination, you would marry him to a noble lady from the capital?

Marrying Song Ying is not a big deal... No, the current Miss He is no match for Song Ying!

Why? Why did her family suddenly change their minds? They had already sounded out the situation. When did this happen? How could she not know?

Yuan Shan's eyes were blank, and the emotions in her heart were so complicated that she couldn't even tell them apart.

Song Ying used to be just a poor orphan living under someone else's roof, but now she can marry her brother and become the wife of a scholar, and in the future she will become the wife of a juren or jinshi.

Why can I only marry a fool?

I have both parents, my grandparents are better off than those of other families, and I have such a good and capable brother. Why is this happening?

No one noticed her emotions, her reactions.

"Doctor Xiao Song?" Matchmaker Jin was surprised for a moment, then clapped her hands and laughed, "Look at what I, Hongxianniang, have done. I didn't even think of her. These two children are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman!"

I mean, you two are good at finding each other. Looks like I'm going to make some easy money again. How far have the negotiations between the two families progressed?"

"I just tried to get the hang of it. I'll have to trouble you from now on."

"It's not a bother, it's not a bother!" Matchmaker Jin smiled until her eyes were narrow. "To be honest, with a family like yours that's already interested in each other and is just going through the motions, I don't feel comfortable accepting the matchmaker's money. I always feel like I haven't done anything."

"Look at what you're saying. A matchmaker isn't just responsible for the initial matchmaking; they also have to run back and forth afterwards. It's all hard-earned money."

Tao's words hit the nail on the head. "That's right. It's okay for people like you who live close together. But when you meet those couples who live far away and argue back and forth, I'm afraid you'll laugh at me, old sister. The little money they gave me as a thank you wasn't even enough to buy me some shoes."

Tao did not respond to this. The Yuan family was not well-off and could not afford to pay a generous thank-you fee to the matchmaker. She laughed twice, turned sideways and took out two bags of brown sugar and a bag of tea from the basket on her granddaughter's back.

"Please give these two packets of brown sugar and tea to the Song family. By the way, these fifty cents are for your tea first. I'll have to work hard for you later." As he said this, he took out another 60 copper coins and handed them to Tao.

Matchmaker Jin's smile grew even brighter as she gently pushed the money back. "How can this be so embarrassing? You two families already had an agreement. I was just running errands."

"It's my duty. It's so hot, it's hard work."

"Your family's prosperity lies ahead, so I won't refuse you." Matchmaker Jin accepted the money and, looking at the brown sugar and tea leaves, said, "Since you've already made preliminary inquiries, I'm only asking about your compatibility with my horoscope. Logically, there's no need for further gifts at this stage."

How could Tao not understand her hidden meaning and asked them whether they had given gifts for the first time.

She laughed and said, "I was in a hurry and only brought two bags of sugar."

Matchmaker Jin raised her eyebrows and sighed at the kindness of the Yuan family. It was obvious that three generations of the family had studied and had emptied out all the family assets, but Mrs. Tao did not get any advantage at all in her grandson's marriage.

When asking for the first time, the gift should not be too expensive. It is usually tea and brown sugar. Two packets of white sugar are actually not bad either.

Unexpectedly, the Yuan family had already sent one at that time, and this time they asked a matchmaker to go and send another one.

"Sister, you are so kind. The girl's family will definitely be happy to know that you value her so much."

Mrs. Tao waved her hand and said, "The woman's family raised the child to this age. How can we compensate them with a few bags of candy?"

Yuan Shan stared at her grandmother in a daze, feeling that everything was in chaos. She knew the family's situation very well, which was even more difficult than what outsiders saw.

In this situation, grandma was willing to give two gifts after just one inquiry, which shows how much she values Song Ying, her granddaughter-in-law.

Why?

The number of times grandma had met Song Ying could be counted on ten fingers, and she had never seemed to like Song Ying much before.

I am her own granddaughter. Why does she value Song Ying, her granddaughter-in-law who has not yet married into the family, but not me, her granddaughter?

Her mind was in a mess, she felt like countless villains were quarreling with each other, making her head ache and her vision go black.

"Hey, what is this girl doing at the door? She needs to go in to see a doctor!"

A female voice came from far away, hazy and vague, as if coming from the distant horizon, and gradually became clearer.

Medical clinic?

Yuan Shan looked up and saw the words "Huichuntang" written on a tattered wooden sign.

Why are you here? Where's grandma?

She looked around, and the scenery she saw was shaking and unclear.

"Hey? Miss, are you from the same hometown as Song Ying? You look familiar to me."

The voice rang out again, this time as if it was separated by a layer of membrane, clear yet distant.

The girl in front of Aunt Chen was pale and staggering, and she hurriedly shouted inside: "Song Ying! Song Ying! Come out quickly, your fellow villager is here! And he seems to be sick!"

Hearing the name 'Song Ying', Yuan Shan was shocked and felt a little better. She looked up and saw Song Ying coming out of a room.

Today she was wearing a light yellow short jacket with small white flowers embroidered on the collar, and a light green embroidered skirt. She looked like a newly sprouted willow by the lake, graceful, fresh and pleasant.