Chapter 32: February 2nd

Ever since his daughter seriously suggested she needed time to think during breakfast, Hua Youcai had been on edge.

Unlike previous conversations about finding a partner, his daughter’s tone and expression in the past had made him think she was joking.

This morning, however, her gaze was serious as she said she would consider it carefully before giving him an answer.

He thought she would take a few days to think it over, but during lunch, she told him that if there was a suitable match, they could arrange a meeting.

Hua Yuanyuan shared her true feelings with her father without reservation, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings.

She clearly meant that her father should act as a gatekeeper, and that she also needed to like the person—this was a must.

However, fate is unpredictable.

In any case, everyone was taking it seriously. If they still couldn’t find a suitable match, they would wait.

Although, considering her age and other factors, it wasn’t ideal for her to wait.

The older a woman gets, the harder it is to find a partner.

Many of Hua Yuanyuan’s female friends in their thirties had faced limitations when looking for partners, and this had been the case for decades, let alone the early 1980s.

Over the next few days, Hua Yuanyuan and her younger brother transplanted seedlings from the yard to the greenhouse in the field.

Hua Youcai spent each day running errands, going to market to find the saplings his daughter wanted.

He also visited the families recommended by the aunties, inquiring about the situation, observing the individuals, and assessing their suitability.

Hua Youcai inwardly felt that none of these men were good enough for his daughter.

However, given the precedent of Wang Changjiang—good-looking on the outside but incompatible with his daughter—what was the point?

He was afraid of missing out, so he personally met with everyone, regardless of what the matchmakers said.

As the saying goes, seeing is believing.

He not only wanted to see them but also to speak to them.

He’d ask for directions or inquire about something; he wasn’t afraid of being recognized.

Since they had come to the Hua family to propose marriage, they must have already inquired about his daughter.

Mutual inquiry was fair.

The old bachelor from the north end of the village, introduced by Wang Da Niang, had dirty clothes and bad breath—had he not brushed his teeth?

His hair hadn’t been cut in ages, greasy and plastered to his scalp; was that dandruff on his shoulders?

Hua Youcai couldn’t stand it, let alone his daughter.

The others were slightly better, but not by much.

They weren’t as clean and tidy as the old man himself.

Hua Youcai, being straightforward, went directly to the matchmakers.

Several people buying things in the small shop also gathered around to listen.

“…I met them, spoke to them for a bit, but it’s a no. Without deeper interaction, it’s hard to tell exactly what they’re like. It’s just that my daughter is particular and has high demands…”

Hua Youcai didn’t directly say how bad they were, only that they weren’t suitable.

His daughter’s personality was such that even before marriage, she was a very clean girl, even more so now.

Previously, she didn’t care about him and his son, but now she did, saying it made her uncomfortable and awkward…

In the dead of winter, she kept the house doors open for ventilation.

His daughter’s nose was so sensitive; as soon as she entered a room, she would sniff around, better than a dog’s nose.

Any warmth in the house was quickly gone.

With this kind of personality, finding a compatible man was really difficult.

Hua Yuanyuan was preparing for the meetings—out of four people, at least one would be suitable for a meeting—but her father directly rejected them all.

Well, it’s fine; if her father didn’t approve, they certainly weren’t suitable.

March 4th (Gregorian calendar), February 2nd (Lunar calendar), Dragon Raising its Head.

The spring was bright, and the sun was shining.

After a busy morning, at 11:30, the three of them returned home.

They had planted all the saplings; the outermost circle was grape saplings, only half planted; the vendor said they would deliver another batch in a few days.

Even that wasn’t enough; fifteen mu of land needed a lot of saplings to surround it.

They dug a pit every two meters, planting as many as they could.

They prioritized grapes on the north and south sides, and apple, peach, pomegranate, and jujube trees on the west side.

Hua Yuanyuan had originally planned to plant other fruit trees among the grapes, but changed her plan and planted these fruit trees on the west side first.

Later, if she could buy enough grape saplings, she would plant them outside the fruit trees; otherwise, this would do for now.

Hua Yuanyuan secretly transported a few fruit trees into her space and planted grapes using space seeds. Once they grew larger, she would plant some outside.

After lunch, the sun was just right, and the house doors were wide open.

Hua Youcai sat on a stool, a worn-out work shirt draped over his shoulders, getting a haircut.

February 2nd, Dragon Raising its Head.

Hua Yuanyuan’s fair fingers, a little clumsy, held a comb in one hand and scissors in the other, cutting her father’s hair.

“Dad, don’t move, don’t cut yourself.”

“Don’t scare me, the scissors are far from my scalp, they’re behind the comb, how could I possibly cut myself?!”

Hua Yuanyuan wouldn’t take the blame for that; she was being careful.

“Hehe, just a reminder.”

“Hua Fangfang, you’re getting more and more slippery. I told you to cut first, but you wouldn’t, you had to make Dad go first.”

“Hehe, respecting my elders, I have to let Dad go first.”

He let his older sister practice on his father first, afraid that her first attempt wouldn’t look good.

Hua Youcai sat straight, his back straight, motionless.

“Dad, relax, sitting like this must be tiring!”

“Not tired. Take your time, no rush.”

Hahaha—

This old man was also afraid of his daughter’s lack of skill.

He said he would borrow clippers from Wang Da Ye, but his daughter refused, saying scissors were enough.

Half an hour later

Hua Youcai held his daughter’s mirror, looking left and right, not knowing what to say.

It was like a teapot lid, but not quite.

The sides of a teapot lid are neatly trimmed with clippers, but his wasn’t.

Overall, it was longer on top and shorter on the sides.

Hua Fangfang looked at his father’s new hairstyle and thought his sister’s skills were quite good.

Better than his father’s; his father always shaved his head bald, shiny and bright.

“How is it? Who’s next?”

“Sis, you, you.”

Practice makes perfect.

After his sister cut his hair, he thought his hairstyle looked better than his father’s.

Hua Yuanyuan also trimmed her own hair; it was shoulder-length, no bangs.

At home, she usually wore a high ponytail; when she went out to work, she wore a low ponytail under her hat.

The hat she wore for work was specially made; a straw hat with floral fabric sewn underneath, fastened with buttons on both sides, only her eyes were visible, everything else was covered tightly.

She made hats for her father and brother, but they both refused to wear them, saying they were stuffy and couldn’t breathe.

It was all psychological; it wasn’t stuffy at all. If she hadn’t worn one herself, she would have thought they were telling the truth.

Fine, if they didn’t want to wear them, they were hers; the three of them could take turns wearing them.

The same with gloves; white cotton gloves were so good for working.

The two of them refused to wear them as well.

Fine, if they didn’t wear them, it was their loss.

In the afternoon, Hua Yuanyuan fried beans at home, coating them in sugar; once they cooled, they were crunchy and sweet, delicious.

Not everyone fried them; some people found it troublesome.

Hua Yuanyuan loved them; they were a snack, better than buying sweets.

Hua Fangfang and her father watered the fields; they pumped water from the well at home and carried it to the fields.

Her sister suggested buying water pipes to directly connect from the house to the fields, saving effort and convenience.

Her father was frugal, saying they would buy water pipes after they made money selling vegetables.

After frying the beans, the dough had risen.

She added corn flour to the wheat flour; Hua Yuanyuan wanted to make coarse grain buns with Napa cabbage filling.

She pulled out Napa cabbage seedlings from the greenhouse for the buns, half from her space.

After blanching, the bok choy turns emerald green, and when added with minced meat and dried shrimps, it tastes amazing.

After the buns were steamed, Hua Yuanyuan went to work in the field.

Hua Youcai went out visiting, carrying the fried beans and vegetable buns his daughter had just made.