Chapter 34 Is There a Chance?

“What!”

The three members of the man’s family stood up excitedly.

“Divorced?”

“Married for five years?”

“She’s second-hand goods!”

…

Hua Yuanyuan was just testing the waters. The condescending attitude and the man’s arrogant demeanor—a first-timer looking for someone who’s been married before—were incomprehensible to her.

The test revealed a problem. Aunt Wang wouldn’t have hidden her divorce, so it must have been the matchmaker who intentionally concealed it?

She was right. That was exactly what happened.

The matchmaker thought, the man just wants someone pretty, and if she’s pretty enough, who cares if she’s been married before!

That kind of thinking is bizarre.

The matchmaker was probably afraid of exposure, so they said there was a family emergency and couldn’t come.

Aunt Wang didn’t agree. She didn’t hide anything about Hua Yuanyuan’s situation.

Besides, if you’re coming to look at her, shouldn’t your family have inquired beforehand?

The man’s family hadn’t inquired. They’d been going on blind dates for years. At first, they’d inquire, but later they stopped, preferring to meet first.

If they liked what they saw, they’d inquire further; otherwise, they wouldn’t bother.

The man’s sister’s sharp voice was irritating.

“How can your family be so dishonest, hiding such a big thing!!”

Aunt Wang was about to speak, but Hua Yuanyuan cut her off.

“What nonsense! Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know the situation!”

“Nonsense?”

“Yes, nonsense! I, Hua Yuanyuan, am not someone who can’t get married. So what if I’m divorced? I’m not ashamed to hide it!”

“Old lady?”

Hua Youcai: Did I hear that right? Did my daughter just say “old lady”?

Hua Fangfang: When did my sister become so… awesome! Still, Dad understands her better. It’s right that he doesn’t provoke her; he’s really no match for her.

Hua Yuanyuan also had a loud voice. Standing face-to-face with the other party, her voice was pleasant to hear.

Strong and resonant, even though she kept saying “old lady,” her tone was pleasing.

Unlike some people whose voices crack when they speak loudly.

“Don’t look at Aunt Wang. Everyone in the village knows her character. Is there any need to hide anything?”

It certainly wasn’t their fault, Hua Yuanyuan was sure.

With a stern face, she said seriously, “Alright, that’s it. Dad, let’s go home and work.”

Hua Yuanyuan’s imposing manner overwhelmed the other party. After clearing her family’s name and greeting Aunt Wang and the others, she left.

There was nothing more to discuss. That was that.

This incident served as a lesson to them—there aren’t that many good things in the world.

The dream ended quickly.

Aunt Wang thought about the rumors—that Yuanyuan had caused a commotion at the military camp entrance during the New Year. It seemed the rumors weren’t baseless.

Whether it was arguing or fighting, she wouldn’t lose.

It didn’t seem like it. The girl looked fair, tender, and soft.

While changing her clothes at home, Hua Yuanyuan also reflected on her outburst. She couldn’t hold back; she didn’t want to listen to the man’s family’s nonsense, it wasn’t her business, she didn’t want to hear their useless chatter.

She couldn’t understand how Hua Yuanyuan could cry, make a fuss, and even hang herself before, but it seemed she had the potential too.

When Hua Yuanyuan came out wearing her work clothes, her father and younger brother were waiting in the yard.

When Hua Youcai saw his daughter come out, his old face blossomed into a smile, “Daughter, take a day off today. Don’t go to the fields.”

“Yes, sis, you just cook.”

“No, I’m going to the fields. It’s too unlucky. I need to work it out! Don’t stop me!”

Hua Yuanyuan looked spirited, stretching her arms and legs, ready for a big effort.

“Yes, unlucky, what kind of people are they.”

Hua Youcai echoed his daughter’s words.

“Dad, the dream shattered too quickly, right?”

“Hehe, dreams are like that.”

“I thought this person would work out. Sis, isn’t this what they call the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment?”

“Humph! That’s Dad, not me. I didn’t have any hope.”

“Right, right, right.”

…

The family of three went to work, chatting and laughing.

Hua Yuanyuan’s first official blind date ended without a hitch.

This incident caused gossip in the village.

It hadn’t been quiet before, and now there’s even more to talk about.

There were all sorts of rumors. People said Hua Yuanyuan was too picky, rejecting several suitors.

She rejected men with jobs because they had children, unemployed men because they were unemployed, unmarried men because they were too old, widowers because they were widowers, and divorced men because they were divorced…

After the first blind date, more rumors spread.

The girl has a terrible temper and is not easy to get along with.

She openly confronted the man’s family about hiding her divorce…

The outside rumors didn’t affect the Hua family’s busy life.

The chicks and piglets were in place, and the land was almost ready.

Except for the space Hua Yuanyuan reserved for the greenhouse, Hua Youcai planned to plant spring crops in the rest of the land.

The vegetables transplanted in the greenhouse were growing well, almost half-grown, but Hua Youcai still didn’t agree to his daughter’s request to build another greenhouse.

He wanted to wait and see how the vegetables in the greenhouse grew before deciding.

The father and son worked hard that week, finishing a large area of land.

Finally, the weekend arrived.

On Saturday afternoon, the weather changed. The sky was gloomy, and a small wind blew up.

They put down the straw mats of the greenhouse and went home.

They ate dinner early and sat on the warm kang to rest.

Under the lamplight, Hua Fangfang happily read his picture book.

Hua Yuanyuan held a book, but her mind wasn’t on it; it had flown off somewhere.

Hua Youcai looked outside from time to time to see if it was raining, wondering whether he should go and ask Xiao Zhang and the others.

“Daughter, should I go ask Xiao Zhang?”

“Don’t ask. If there’s a suitable person, they’ll tell us. If not, asking is useless.”

“That’s right.”

“Dad—ah——”

Hua Yuanyuan’s call of “Dad” was drawn out…

“What is it, daughter? If you have something to say, say it.”

Hua Youcai didn’t know what his daughter was up to, but he was on alert.

Was she nagging about building a greenhouse again?

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to build one; he wanted to wait until they sold the vegetables and saw the money before building.

Otherwise, his daughter’s money was just flowing out, without a sound, and he felt uneasy.

Besides, the matchmakers in the village knew that his daughter had money, but they didn’t know that she spent it even faster.

If she met a suitable person and got married, what would happen if she spent all her money?

He just wanted to delay it.

“Dad, what do you think of Zhang Ge and the others?”

Hua Youcai was a little puzzled when his daughter asked about Zhang Xiangnan and the others, but he still told the truth, “Of course they’re pretty good. We’re not even that familiar yet, and they helped us work.”

“If the three of us have something, we can ask them for help, and they’ll definitely help. That’s why Dad usually sends them some food; you two don’t need to feel bad about it.”

“As the saying goes, close neighbors are better than distant relatives.”

“We won’t bother them unless we have an emergency…”

Hua Youcai took the opportunity to teach his daughter and son a lesson.

“Mm-hmm, you’re absolutely right, Dad. So, birds of a feather flock together, and people of like mind gather together. Then Hao Li and Captain Hao are also pretty good, right?”

Hua Youcai…, silent for a moment.

“Daughter, I really don’t know about that. I haven’t met them many times, so it’s hard to say.”

Now it was Hua Yuanyuan’s turn to be speechless. Her father was quite shrewd.

The father and daughter looked at each other for a moment.

“Daughter, what do you mean?”

“Hehe, Dad, nothing.”

Hua Youcai didn’t believe her.