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Chen Feng’s face lit up with joy upon hearing the news. She had been longing to visit the capital city and sell some of the jewelry from her space.
The notorious thief who specialized in stealing gold had ceased his activities, and the commotion had died down. Chen Feng was considering selling a few of the pieces of jewelry that the golden swallow had originally stolen, with the intention of using the proceeds to purchase some land, thus becoming a small landowner who could live off the fruits of her labor.
Chen Feng cast a glance at her father, Chen Ming, and inquired, “What about you, Father? What will you do if I’m gone?”
Chen Ming replied with a smile, “My health has improved significantly, and I am capable of taking care of myself. I only need A’Gui to help me fetch water from the well every few days to water the vegetable patch.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Dabao began to pester his parents, insisting on going as well.
Chen Ming chuckled and said, “Alright, Dabao can come too, but he’ll have to work hard these days, collecting plenty of firewood for the house.”
Chen Dabao, holding Chen Lu in his arms, beamed with joy.
Chen Feng then suggested, “Mother, why don’t we go to the county town the day after tomorrow? I’ll make some osmanthus glutinous rice with dates, and we can send some to Steward Luo’s household. Additionally, We can take some to the young master of Yang’s Xile Restaurant, Yang Chao, and his sister, Yang Qian. These little treats are sweet and fragrant, and the children will surely love them.”
She had been pondering ways to strengthen her relationships with the Luo family and the Yangs. Knowing that her family was relatively weak, she wanted to ensure that they had allies, especially after purchasing land and building a new house, to prevent others from taking advantage of them.
After much thought, she decided to create these small treats to win over the children’s taste buds.
This was one of her favorite snacks from her previous life, and she wondered if it existed in this era. Regardless, she believed that her version would have its own unique charm, especially since she was using water infused with the essence of the Swallow agarwood bark in her water barrel. Most importantly, the ingredients for this snack were inexpensive, easy to find, and simple to prepare.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang, Chen Feng’s mother, exclaimed in surprise, “What kind of snack is this that A’Feng can make?”
Chen Feng replied with a smile, “It’s something I’ve been experimenting with recently, and I’m sure it will be delicious.”
Chen Ming, who had grown to trust Chen Feng implicitly, laughed heartily and said, “If A’Feng says it’s good, then it definitely will be.”
As they were discussing, they suddenly heard a loud voice from outside, “Brother Chen, Sister-in-law Chen, are you at home?”
The family looked out the window to see a middle-aged woman standing at the bamboo fence gate, dressed in bright red and green. Despite being some distance away, her face was caked with white powder, and her lips were painted a vivid red.
Chen Lu recognized her and said, “It’s Li the Matchmaker.” He then glanced at Chen Feng.
Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang were hopeful that Chen Feng would find a good husband to support the family’s status. Upon seeing the matchmaker, they were overjoyed and quickly went to greet her, ushering Chen Feng, Chen Dabao, and Lu towards the new courtyard. Chen Lu, who was curious about the matchmaking process, limped towards his room in the west wing.
Chen Feng was not comfortable with being present for such discussions and quietly reminded her parents, “Please do not decide on a marriage for me without consulting me first.” With that, she led Chen Dabao back to the new courtyard.
Mrs. Wang greeted Li the Matchmaker with a smile, “Welcome, Li Big Sister, this is your first visit to our home. Please come in.”
Chen Ming, who rarely raised his voice, called out from under the eaves, “Welcome, Li Big Sister, please come in.”
Li the Matchmaker flashed a red handkerchief from her bosom and announced with a loud laugh, “Brother Chen, Sister-in-law Chen, I have wonderful news for you. A family has approached me to propose to Feng. If they were to become a couple, it would truly be a match made in heaven, with the man being talented and the woman beautiful.”
Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang were thrilled and welcomed the matchmaker, Li, into the eastern room, where they invited her to sit on the kang, poured tea, and offered her some sugar and peanuts.
However, their mood quickly soured when Li mentioned the name of the potential suitor. Within a few moments of entering the house, all of them emerged with somber expressions.
Standing in the courtyard, Li continued talking, “Brother Chen, Sister-in-law Chen, when looking for a good son-in-law, it’s also important to consider the qualifications of your daughter. After all, it’s essential that the couple is well-matched. Your Feng, although beautiful and now in good health, was once a fool. Everyone in our village saw her at her silliest and ugliest over the years. Now, she’s set up her own household and even brought along a child. Who would be interested to her like this good and handsome man with a solid background like him? Even if someone were interested, would they be willing to come forward? Wang Yingjun is quite decent, he’s just turned twenty-five, fair-skinned, hardworking, smart, thrifty, and he’s even managed to acquire two acres of land. What a fine young man. He has expressed his willingness to bring his two acres of land into Feng’s family and will treat both Feng and Dabao well. Chen Feng and Wang Yingjun are truly a perfect match. They complement each other perfectly. If they truly get together, their future will certainly be bright.”
Inside the west wing, Chen Lu couldn’t contain himself any longer and shouted from the window, “Li the Matchmaker, please leave. My sister will never marry him, even if it means remaining single for the rest of her life. That Wang Yingjun is so unattractive and stingy. His face is so dirty that you can’t even tell what color it is. Only you would say he’s fair-skinned. Hmph, it’s like a toad wanting to eat swan meat…”
Li the Matchmaker retorted, “Wang Yingjun isn’t clean because he never had a mother to take care of him. Once he gets married, his wife will make sure he’s clean, and then he’ll be handsome, won’t he?”
Chen Ming interrupted Chen Lu, saying, “A’Lu, don’t talk nonsense. You can’t say such things about others.” He then apologized to Li, saying, “Children often speak without thinking, Li Big Sister. Please don’t be offended. We also acknowledge that Yingjun is a good boy, hardworking, intelligent, and despite his young age, he has lost his parents and managed to buy some land with his own hands. However, our daughter, A’Feng, is not in a rush to find a husband right now. We’ll think about it in the future.”
Mrs. Wang added, “Thank you, Li Big Sister. This match isn’t suitable. We’ll ask for your help in the future.”
Li, disappointed at being unable to secure the matchmaking fee, left in a bad mood.
The conversation among the group in the old courtyard reached the new courtyard.
Sitting near the window in the west wing, Chen Feng was bewildered. She was surprised that A’Lu, who was usually so polite, had made such remarks. She wondered who Wang Yingjun was and asked Dabao, “Who is Wang Yingjun?”
Chen Dabao’s face turned red with anger as he proclaimed, “That Wang Yingjun is just slightly taller than Uncle A’Lu. He has a bit of a limp, and he’s especially dirty. You can smell a sour stench coming from him from a distance. He’s even more annoying than Liu Erniu. Whenever the village girls and young wives see him, they run away from him, afraid of being tainted by his foul odor. I’ve heard that he’s never had enough to eat since he was a child, and even as an adult, he’s reluctant to eat, which is why he’s so short. He’s actually proud of his height, claiming that it saves fabric when making clothes…”
Chen Feng now knew who he was. This person often roamed around their vegetable patch. He was barely over five feet tall, particularly dirty, and emitted a foul smell. Whenever he approached her, she would hold her breath.
So, his name was Wang Yingjun.
***Completed short novel, “Doomsday Camp (Base Construction)”. Please read it, Thank You Readers.***