Chapter 20: When I Look for a Partner, the Most Important Thing Is Good Looks…

Tian Fang had always presented herself as a gentle and virtuous woman, very mindful of maintaining a good reputation. She used to get along well with Cao Mei, who wasn’t the brightest. Tian Fang often used her as a pawn—whenever there was something she couldn’t do directly, she would coax Cao Mei into doing it for her. Over the years, this sister-in-law duo had worked together with unbroken success.

Of course, in the village, most things were just trivial affairs. With Cao Mei’s limited brainpower, she rarely saw through anything.

In their household, the third son Shen Hongbing and his wife Cao Mei were both not the brightest. Cao Mei had been led around by Tian Fang for years, and Shen Hongbing had been manipulated by Shen Shengli and Shen Yongjun since he was little. The two of them were a perfect match.

Their three younger children weren’t much better either. The eldest son, Shen Jianhui, was just as dim-witted. That was expected—two fools couldn’t possibly produce a clever child. The second daughter, Shen Chunfang, was straightforward and had married into a neighboring commune. The third daughter, Shen Chunfen, was timid to the point of being fearful all the time, shrinking back and overly cautious. In Tian Fang’s eyes, none of them seemed like they’d amount to anything.

Only their daughter-in-law, Zhang Guiqin, had some wits about her. But Cao Mei, afraid of being overpowered and losing her authority as the matriarch, coupled with Tian Fang’s occasional instigation, would often deliberately oppose her daughter-in-law on everything.

However, this time, when it came to fighting over food, Cao Mei had truly suffered a loss. Not only did she not get any benefit, but her reputation was also ruined. Now everyone in the village talked behind her back, saying she was a vicious aunt who almost let her orphaned niece starve to death.

Cao Mei couldn’t understand it. Tian Fang had clearly told her that even in these hard times, digging up wild vegetables or stripping bark from trees would be enough to survive. Plus, before the autumn harvest, the brigade would surely distribute some grain. No way people would be expected to harvest while starving. So she never thought things would go wrong.

Who would have expected that wretched girl Shen Mo’er would faint right there in the field?

Naturally, what Cao Mei felt most wronged about was that it had all been Tian Fang’s idea, and they had split the food together—yet now everyone blamed only her, not Tian Fang.

So this time, Cao Mei was truly angry and hadn’t spoken to Tian Fang for quite a while.

As for Tian Fang, ever since Shen Lao Qi’s family had reclaimed both their grain and their money, she’d felt like a stone was lodged in her chest that wouldn’t go away.

People might say exchanging 75 yuan for half a brick-tiled house was a good deal, but originally, she didn’t need to spend a single cent.

Tian Fang, who had schemed her whole life, felt this was the biggest loss she’d ever suffered. Especially knowing that Shen Lao Qi’s family now had 300 yuan in hand—it kept her awake at night.

And then, Shen Lao Qi had actually gotten a job at the commune kiln factory—he became a worker.

Tian Fang was fuming every day. Someone she used to look down on, someone she used to bully with impunity, now seemed on track to live a better life than hers. How could she be okay with that?

But what could she do? She couldn’t just snatch that 300 yuan, nor could she steal Shen Lao Qi’s job.

Sure, she wanted to—but Shen Lao Qi was no longer the same pushover he used to be.

So Tian Fang racked her brains and finally came up with an idea.

In her maiden family, she had four siblings—two brothers and a younger sister close in age to her, named Tian Cui. Tian Cui had married into a nearby village. The two sisters were both shrewd and knew how to maintain appearances. Though they often schemed against each other, neither had ever gained the upper hand for long, which strangely helped maintain their relationship.

After having three daughters in a row, Tian Cui finally had a son named Wang Jinbao. The whole Wang family, including Tian Cui, treated Wang Jinbao like a precious treasure.

This Wang Jinbao was already twenty-four. At that age in the countryside, most people already had kids running around.

But Wang Jinbao was still single.

Mainly because he had been spoiled all his life. Despite being plain-looking and nothing special—just a squad leader of a production team mostly made up of his extended family—he insisted on marrying a woman as beautiful as a fairy. Ordinary village girls weren’t good enough for him. He wanted a factory worker or even an official’s daughter.

With that kind of delusion, no wonder he was still single.

Tian Fang thought her nephew was honestly a bit much, but this time, she remembered him. She made a special trip to the Wang family and had a long, whispery conversation with Tian Cui. They came to an agreement.

In short, Tian Fang would arrange a marriage between Shen Mo’er and Wang Jinbao. Then they would figure out a way for Wang Jinbao to take over Shen Shaoyuan’s job. Once it all went through, Wang Jinbao would either give her 100 yuan or hand over the house Shen Mo’er currently lived in as a thank-you gift.

At first glance, it might seem like the Wang family would be at a disadvantage. But Tian Cui knew her sister well—Tian Fang never did anything without a personal gain. If she was offering help, there had to be a payoff. Besides, whether it was the money or the house, it was coming from Shen Lao Qi’s family, not theirs.

Though it hurt a bit, Tian Cui knew: if you want to catch a big fish, you have to use good bait. So she agreed.

Wang Jinbao himself was a bit reluctant at first, but when he thought about becoming a factory worker, he reluctantly agreed to at least meet her.

That was the plan. If she were still on good terms with Cao Mei, Tian Fang would never have approached the girl herself. But now she had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.

What she hadn’t expected was that no matter how prettily she spoke, Shen Mo’er cut right to the point with a single question.

Her expression stiffened, and she forced a smile. “Yes, he’s a relative from my maiden family. If he weren’t, I wouldn’t dare introduce him to you. Only relatives can be trusted—you can rest assured. His family is doing well, and he’s their only beloved son. If you marry him, you’ll be living in the lap of luxury.”

If it were the old days, Tian Fang would have been confident in her ability to persuade Shen Mo’er. But ever since the girl fainted from hunger and came back, it was like she had suddenly become sharp and quick-witted—completely different from before.

Especially with a few older women nearby watching curiously, Tian Fang began to feel uneasy, afraid Shen Mo’er would outright reject her in front of everyone.

At this moment, Tian Fang couldn’t help but wonder: why was a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl like Shen Mo’er hanging around with a bunch of old women?

Fortunately, after a moment of thought, Shen Mo’er nodded. “My house is right at the village entrance anyway, I might as well go have a look.”

Just as Tian Fang let out a breath of relief, she heard Shen Mo’er add, “Aunt Chen, Aunt Cai, Aunt Yang, if you’re free, could you come with me? I’ve never been on a blind date before, I don’t really know what to pay attention to. Also, meeting a stranger by myself feels kind of scary.”

Tian Fang’s expression stiffened—so she didn’t even count as a person now?

But since she was set on tricking Shen Mo’er into going to this matchmaking meeting, she could only pretend not to hear it and secretly hope the three old ladies would mind their own business and leave.

Of course, that was impossible.

Aunt Chen had always been the enthusiastic type. In her mind, Tian Fang bringing a suitor to the village so hastily felt really unreliable. Plus, hearing Shen Mo’er say she was afraid to go alone, Aunt Chen definitely had to accompany her!

Naturally, the other two grannies had to come along as well.

They had all gotten along well with Shen Mo’er recently, so they felt the need to look out for her. Besides, they were curious too. They had all just overheard Tian Fang talking up the man so extravagantly—they wanted to see just how “excellent” this young fellow really was.

The three grannies readily agreed, patting their chests and assuring Shen Mo’er that they’d help her judge him properly.

Tian Fang was not too happy about it, but there was nothing she could do—she could only force a smile and follow along.

A group of them headed toward the village entrance. From a distance, they saw someone pacing back and forth in front of Shen Mo’er’s house. Hey—he wasn’t just pacing anymore, he was peeking through the door crack!

“Who’s that? Could that be the thief from last night?!” Aunt Yang immediately said. The brigade leader had just told everyone to stay alert and watch out for suspicious people, and her vigilance was running high.

Tian Fang had already recognized that it was her dear nephew Wang Jinbao. She cursed him as a fool in her heart, but had no choice but to speak up for him. “No, no, that’s the young man here for the blind date. He’s probably just checking if anyone’s home.”

As she spoke, she quickly raised her voice and called out, “Jinbao—!”

Wang Jinbao straightened up and turned around. Tian Fang walked over quickly and, hinting at him, said, “You were checking if anyone was home, right? We were all just coming back from the village meeting. Come, come—Mo’er came back with me. I’ll introduce you two.”

Wang Jinbao was pretty solidly built. In an era when everyone else looked like skinny reeds, he could almost be considered chubby.

Clearly, the Wang family had spent a lot of money pampering their precious son.

But his looks were very average—small eyes, a flat nose, and a chipped front tooth that made him whistle when he talked. The first thing out of his mouth was a complaint: “This house is awful.”

“…”

The few grannies who had reluctantly thought he was okay because of his solid build were immediately left speechless.

They didn’t even know how to respond.

If Liu Yinshuang had been there, she would have known this was a case of “too many flaws to even start complaining about”—he was so full of faults, he left everyone speechless.

Tian Fang was hit hard too. The reason Shen Lao Qi’s house was so run-down was because they had tricked her family into swapping out their better house. Now he was complaining? Picking the worst possible thing to bring up?

Tian Fang’s smile was practically falling off her face as she dryly tried to smooth things over. “Well, they’re preparing to build a new house soon.”

She quickly changed the topic. “Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Shen Mo’er—I’ve already told you about her. And this is Wang Jinbao, from the Shashan brigade. He’s currently a production team leader, a real hard worker.”

Shen Mo’er glanced at Wang Jinbao and thought: Where on earth did Tian Fang dig up this clown? He really doesn’t seem too bright.

Wang Jinbao looked her over a few times and found her fairly satisfactory.

Shen Mo’er had been eating better recently, so she was no longer so thin, and her complexion had improved. She had good features to begin with, and with her better complexion, she looked even prettier.

“She’s alright, I guess. Too bad she’s not a worker or a cadre. When she has kids, they’ll still be peasants.” Wang Jinbao spoke like he was reluctantly settling. “Fine. I guess you’re okay as a person. I’m not totally against sacrificing a little. Just make sure you remember how good I am. After we get married, you’ll have to take good care of me and listen to everything I say.”

“…”

Everyone present was struck speechless.

The grannies all started wondering if they were going deaf with age. Didn’t Tian Fang just say this guy was a production team leader? And he thought he deserved a worker or a cadre? And he was the one “sacrificing” by considering Shen Mo’er?

Aunt Chen really wanted to scold him, but since this wasn’t her child and it wasn’t her place to make decisions for others, she held back her temper. She tugged at Shen Mo’er’s sleeve and asked, “Mo’er, what do you think?”

Shen Mo’er smiled and replied calmly, “Auntie, I don’t have many requirements in a partner. The most important thing to me is that he looks good. This comrade looks like a crooked melon and cracked date, sneaky-eyed and rat-faced—not at all my type.”

Aunt Chen thought to herself, Yeah, I’ve never heard of anyone liking the “crooked melon and cracked date” type either.

Still, as someone who had been through life, Aunt Chen felt the need to give Shen Mo’er some advice. “You young girls always go for looks, but once you’re married, you’ll see—it’s someone capable and with a good character that really matters. Looks won’t fill your belly or keep you warm…”

Aunt Cai and Aunt Yang both nodded in agreement. “Exactly. No matter how good-looking he is, everyone ages eventually. A good life isn’t about looks…”

“Right, we don’t need someone who looks like a rat-faced goblin, but it doesn’t have to be someone too handsome either…”

Before they could finish the sentence, the three of them happened to glance up—and saw Fu Mingze walking slowly down the village path.

The tall young man wore a patched shirt and black pants. Somehow, his clothes were dried just right, and they hung crisply on his lean, upright frame. His face, with its delicate features and refined bones, looked as if it had been painted by hand.

The grannies: “……”

Well, if we’re being honest—looks are kind of important, aren’t they?