Chapter 15

“What do you mean, ‘forget it’? Does studying count as ‘forgetting it’?” Lin Qingping asked.

Second Sister was so startled by her question that she dared not speak, only lowering her head even further.

Lin Qingping understood her Second Sister’s nature—she was indeed a bit too soft; otherwise, she would not have been so badly bullied in the previous life.

“I studied… but it’s of no use…” Second Sister said meekly, her voice barely audible.

Lin Qingping immediately understood: “Is it because of what Mother said? That girls studying is useless? After all, they’ll just get married anyway?”

Second Sister was silent for a moment, tacitly agreeing, and then she added: “Besides, how could I possibly get into university?”

Lin Qingping knew exactly what Second Sister was thinking at that moment. If she hadn’t been reborn, and someone told her she could go to university, she would have thought it was a fantasy. 

“A girl doesn’t need to study! After all, she’ll just get married. Knowing a few characters is enough!” 

“You think you can go to university? A toad wanting to eat swan meat!” In Gu Family Village, or in many rural areas, this was the prevailing mindset.

“Zhaodi!” Suddenly, her mother’s voice shouted from afar. She hurried over and saw Lin Qingping. 

“Oh, our ‘unreachable’ guest has arrived? Be careful, don’t dirty your feet on our land!” Her mother spoke sarcastically.

However, it was clear that her mother had something urgent to attend to. Without waiting for Lin Qingping to argue, she grabbed Second Sister and began to rush home, all the while reprimanding: “How did you let yourself get into this mess! Hurry and go back to tidy yourself up! How are you going to face anyone looking like this?”

In the scuffle, Zhaodi’s bundle fell open, revealing a red outer garment inside. Her mother immediately pulled it out. 

“Did your sister buy this for you?” 

“Mm.” 

“Your sister has finally done something decent this time! Go home and change into it!” 

Lin Qingping keenly sensed that her mother was acting unusually. She didn’t complain about her mother only buying things for Second Sister and not for her brother, or about Second Sister being told to dress up.

The signals were too obvious! She immediately followed them.

When they arrived at home, sure enough, there was someone sitting inside—the matchmaker from Lin Family Home Village, known for her matchmaking skills. It was her from the previous life!

She had praised the Hu family from the neighboring village so much that she managed to persuade her mother to agree to the marriage, and of course, the most important thing was the 500 yuan betrothal gift. 

500 yuan was a considerable sum in this era, yet her mother didn’t even think about it. What kind of family would offer such a large amount of money to marry into the poor, nothing-to-offer Lin family?

There had to be a catch!

Of course, whether there was a catch or not didn’t matter—her mother didn’t care. T

he only thing she cared about was that 500 yuan. 

As soon as they arrived home, her mother pushed Zhaodi to wash her face and change clothes, then cheerfully sat down with the matchmaker.

“You know, our Zhaodi is the most hardworking girl in the village. She’s excellent at working in the fields, even better than the men! She’s honest, and the most obedient! As for her looks, I’m not bragging, but my daughter, Wu Axiu’s daughter, is the best-looking in the whole area. Just look at Pingzi, so beautiful! Zhaodi got tanned from working in the fields during the summer, but she’ll be fair again after one winter!”

Lin Qingping listened as her mother relentlessly praised Second Sister and could only feel the sarcasm building inside her. Hardworking, excellent at chores, honest, obedient, and beautiful…

These so-called virtues were either meant to serve others or please them. 

She heard the matchmaker continue: “How would I know this? It’s precisely because I know the girl is so good that I made this trip. The family has already made their decision; they’ve chosen Zhaodi! As for the betrothal gift, here’s the amount.” The matchmaker held up five fingers.

“5… 50?” Lin Qingping saw the look of joy in her mother’s eyes. So, 50 yuan was enough to sell Second Sister, was it? If her mother knew it was 500, wouldn’t she go crazy with joy?

Sure enough, the matchmaker shook her head smugly, grinning like a cat who’d just caught a mouse. “What 50? It’s 500!”

“500!” Lin Qingping’s mother, Wu Axiu, jumped up, almost unable to believe her ears. Her voice trembled with excitement.

Lin Qingping saw her mother’s ecstatic reaction and was genuinely worried she might faint from the shock. She quickly tried to cool her down. “There’s no problem with the groom’s side, is there? Why would they give such a large betrothal gift?”

Wu Axiu nearly leapt to slap her, enraged. “You shut up! What do kids know when adults are talking?” She then immediately turned to the matchmaker, putting on a smiling face. “Aunt Luzi, please, tell me more details.”

Lin Qingping had already seen through it—whether she spoke up or not, her mother had already made up her mind.

Even if the man was an old man or a cripple, as long as he was still breathing, her mother would marry Second Sister off.

The matchmaker, Aunt Luzi, seemed a bit awkward at first, but soon she regained her cheerful demeanor. 

“Don’t worry. I’m an honest matchmaker, and I don’t hide anything. That’s the basic principle of being a matchmaker, right? Well… the man’s a little older, thirty years old…” 

As soon as Wu Axiu heard “thirty.” she let out a sigh of relief. She had really prepared herself for a sixty-year-old.

“He has some difficulty walking…” Aunt Luzi continued to gradually reveal the details.

“How… difficult?” Wu Axiu asked cautiously, wondering if the man was really a cripple.

“He got injured a couple of years ago, and it makes it hard for him to walk. One leg is higher than the other, so it doesn’t look too good.” 

Wu Axiu slapped her thigh. “That’s nothing compared to being a cripple!”

Indeed, compared to a cripple, this wasn’t such a big issue…

“And one more thing…” Aunt Luzi added: “It’s his second marriage. He had a wife before, but they didn’t have any children. If Zhaodi marries him and has a child, it’ll be just like a first marriage!”

“This is truly…” Wu Axiu’s eyes were shining with excitement. It seemed like the perfect match! 

Lin Qingping couldn’t help but pour cold water on the situation again. “Aunt Luzi, what happened to his first wife?”

“She’s dead!”

Lin Qingping pressed on: “How did she die?”

“This…” Aunt Luzi hesitated, “she died of illness.”

“Did she?” Lin Qingping no longer played along with them. “How come I heard that this cripple beat her up every few days, nearly to death, and she couldn’t take it anymore and threw herself into the river?”

“This… don’t say such things!” Aunt Luzi’s expression changed.

Lin Qingping sneered coldly. “Whether I’m speaking nonsense, Aunt Luzi, you know best in your heart. You still have the nerve to play matchmaker for such things. Aren’t you afraid that after taking the matchmaker’s fee, you won’t be able to sleep at night?”

“Pah!” Aunt Luzi was so angry she turned to leave. “I only came by because I thought your family had potential! Axiu, your girl’s mouth is so poisonous—I can’t handle it. I’m not saying another word about this proposal. I’ll leave my words here: from now on, I won’t meddle in Zhaodi’s affairs again!”

Wu Axiu became anxious. She stepped forward and tugged at Aunt Luzi, repeatedly saying, “Don’t go! Don’t go!”

Lin Qingping sneered again. “I’ll also leave my words here today: if anyone dares step into my house again to suggest such unreliable matches for Zhaodi, pushing her into a pit of fire, don’t blame me for chasing them out with a broom!”

As Lin Qingping spoke, she actually picked up a broom and began waving it around.

Aunt Luzi was furious. She stomped and cursed while running away.

Wu Axiu turned around and gave Lin Qingping a slap.