“Shall we talk inside?” The middle-aged woman wiped the sweat off her forehead and raised her leg to step into the house.

Shen Zhihuan extended a finger and firmly stopped her at the door.

“Leave this great opportunity for my second sister! That young man with three sons should be her backup plan. Once her director husband dumps her, she can immediately promote him to her main man. So convenient!”

Seeing the middle-aged woman’s expression change, Shen Zhihuan let out a mocking laugh.

“If my second sister doesn’t like him, you can keep him for yourself. After all, ‘old cow eats young grass’ isn’t something only old men can do.”

She had long known that Shen Zhilan was up to no good. Setting her up for a marriage? More like selling her for money.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” The middle-aged woman’s face turned pale with anger.

“Your second sister is doing this for your own good. Just look at your situation. Forget your reputation as a ‘secondhand woman,’ with that sickly body of yours, can you even bear children? What decent unmarried young man would want a woman like you, who can’t work in the fields or give birth?”

“Whether I can bear children, work, or marry is none of your concern. Goodbye!” Shen Zhihuan slammed the courtyard door shut with a loud bang.

“You—”

The middle-aged woman clutched her nearly bruised nose, fuming.

“Do you think you’re someone special? If your second sister hadn’t begged me to come, do you think I’d even bother setting foot here? A dumped, secondhand woman—”

Splash! The door flew open, and a shadow darted out.

The middle-aged woman was instantly drenched from head to toe.

“You dared to pour water on me?” The woman’s eyes widened with rage.

She had been matchmaking in these villages for decades, and no one had ever dared to treat her like this.

“This time it’s foot-washing water. If you keep babbling, next time it’ll be boiling water. Try me,” Shen Zhihuan said coldly and shut the door again with a snap.

“You—”

The door swung open once more, and the woman, startled, took a quick step back.

Standing behind the door, Shen Zhihuan held a butcher knife and flashed a chilling smile. “One more friendly reminder: People like me, who don’t know if we’ll live to see tomorrow, are very willing to drag others down with us. And you… didn’t you mention you’re my second sister’s… neighbor?”

The deliberate emphasis on the word “neighbor” made cold sweat break out on the woman’s forehead.

“I won’t say anything! I won’t spread nonsense anymore!” The woman stammered before fleeing at full speed.

Watching the woman sprint away like she was competing in a hundred-meter dash, Shen Zhihuan’s starry eyes glimmered with amusement.

Just as Shen Zhihuan was about to head back, Li Qiuhua, returning from the fields, saw her daughter standing at the courtyard gate with someone who quickly ran off.

“Zhihuan, who was that just now?” Li Qiuhua leaned her hoe against the firewood pile and brushed the dirt off her clothes as she walked over.

“A matchmaking neighbor of my Second Sister,” Shen Zhihuan replied, following her mother into the house.

“A matchmaking neighbor? What did she want? Did your second sister ask her to deliver a message?” Li Qiuhua asked, puzzled.

“Second Sister asked her to set me up for marriage,” Shen Zhihuan replied, a sarcastic smirk curling her lips.

“A match? Which village is the young man from? How is his character? Is his mother easy to get along with? How many people are in his family? What kind of house do they live in?”

“…”

Shen Zhihuan sighed deeply in her heart.

“Say something, girl!” Li Qiuhua urged, growing impatient at her daughter’s silence.

Earlier, word had spread in the fields that Wang Chunmei and Su Changhe were already preparing for Xu Jiaojiao and Su Zijie’s engagement, with plans set for after the busy farming season.

“They’re from the same village as Second Sister’s in-laws. The matchmaker didn’t mention the young man’s character or his mother’s temperament, but she did say how many people are in the family and what kind of house they live in.”

Shen Zhihuan placed the butcher knife back on the rack and continued, “The matchmaker said the young man’s family lives in a three-room tiled house, with a mother, two younger sisters, and three sons…”

“What did you just say? He has three sons?” Li Qiuhua’s brow furrowed as her expression darkened.

Her daughter, a young maiden, was supposed to be a stepmother? Did the matchmaker have dung for brains?

And her second daughter—how could she do this to her own sister?

“Exactly! The matchmaker even said his eldest son is eleven, and the youngest is six. They can all earn work points in the fields, so I wouldn’t even have to take care of them. Marrying him would be like living the easy life,” Shen Zhihuan said mockingly.

“That girl must be out of her mind! What kind of person did she set you up with?” Li Qiuhua’s face turned red with anger.

She had always thought her second daughter was just a bit selfish and vain but still had a good heart. Who knew she’d be so heartless?

How could someone let others trample on their family and even trample on their own sister?

“Don’t worry, Mom. Eldest Sister and I already discussed it. She’ll help find someone decent for me in her village once things settle down,” Shen Zhihuan reassured her, steering the conversation away from the second sister.

“Good. That matchmaker’s nonsense doesn’t matter. I’ll make sure you marry someone a hundred times better than that jerk from the Su family!” Li Qiuhua gripped her daughter’s hand, adding earnestly.

“Okay.” Shen Zhihuan nodded obediently, though internally, she rolled her eyes.

She didn’t need a man. She was wealthy, with plenty of ration tickets—who needed a husband?

Her time would be better spent making more money and planning for an early retirement.

“You handle the cucumbers for now. I’ll season them after I’ve had my bath.” Li Qiuhua paused mid-step to give one last instruction before heading to wash up.

“Got it!” Shen Zhihuan replied, laughing helplessly.

Ever since she fainted the last time, her mother and younger brother had treated her like she was made of glass.

The villagers also looked at her as if she were on her deathbed.

What did the young man with three sons like about her?
Why did he rush to wear mourning clothes for her?

And what about Shen Zhilan—what had she seen in that “young man”?