Chapter 42: The Ghost Festival, Six Wild Pheasant Chicks

Madame Li rattled on and on, praising him to the skies and insisting how wonderful he was.

Yet Granny Zhao remained entirely unmoved. She knew very well what kind of situation the Zhao Jiahe family was in.

She had no personal complaints against either Zhao Jiahe or his grandmother, but there was simply no way she would agree to let her daughter marry into that household.

The entire family was sitting in the courtyard, and Zhao Qingzhu was there as well. Madame Li looked at her normally, which suggested that Zhao Jiahe's side had not mentioned their family circumstances to the matchmaker, merely acting as though nothing had happened when coming to propose.

Seeing that the matchmaker had talked herself hoarse with no sign of the old lady relenting, Zhao Qingzhu exchanged a glance with her nephew and brought Madame Li a cup of water.

This action did not escape the eyes of the eldest daughter-in-law. Lost in thought, she pondered it for a long while until she finally managed to piece something together.

In the past, whenever a matchmaker came to the house and mentioned a prospective suitor, Zhao Qingzhu would instantly put on a cold face even before Granny Zhao could voice her objection.

Today, however, not only did Zhao Qingzhu not hide away, but her eyes had darted around alertly. She showed no displeasure and even stayed lingering in the courtyard as if waiting for the outcome.

The eldest brother was in the backyard sharpening his knife, and the eldest daughter-in-law got up to go find her husband.

"Hey, the matchmaker is out front trying to arrange a match for Qingzhu. As her eldest brother, aren't you going to go take a look?"

The eldest brother did not even lift his eyelids. "Take a look at what? If Mother doesn't agree, there's no use looking."

Squatting down beside her husband, the eldest daughter-in-law lowered her voice and said, "Though Mother doesn't agree, I have a feeling Qingzhu is willing."

"What?" The eldest brother looked over in surprise. The eldest daughter-in-law whispered her deductions to him, and after thinking it over for a moment, the eldest brother realized it did indeed seem that way.

The eldest daughter-in-law urged, "I'm the daughter-in-law and it's not my place to speak up easily. You're her own flesh and blood of an elder brother, go listen in. In case our sister fancies him put in a good word for her."

"Once I finish sharpening this knife."

The eldest daughter-in-law stood up to head back, urging over her shoulder as she reached the corner, "Hurry up then."

She had barely been seated back in her spot for a moment when the eldest brother arrived.

He arrived just in time to hear Granny Zhao rejecting Madame Li: "Sister Li, I know Jiahe is a fine lad, but he and my Qingzhu truly aren't a good match."

Madame Li had kept a plastered smile on her face ever since she stepped through the door until her facial muscles ached, yet Granny Zhao refused to take in a single word she uttered.

She had simply made up her mind on one phrase: not a good match.

Madame Li knew this was all the disastrous fallout of Zhao Dachun's misdeeds. Even for a girl from any other family it would be difficult, let alone Zhao Qingzhu.

Zhao Jiahe's grandmother also had high standards, yet she had stubbornly insisted that she be the one to speak for Zhao Qingzhu, willing to offer a higher betrothal fee on the condition that she make this trip.

Since she had accepted the money, she had to see the job through. Besides, she had taken extra, so there was no way she could just return empty-handed.

She picked up her bowl to take a sip of water, preparing to rest a moment before resuming.

Just then, the eldest Zhao brother arrived, fetched a small stool, and sat down beside his wife.

Once seated, the eldest brother looked at his sister. She was seventeen. Even if they finalized an engagement now, the wedding wouldn't be until next year. Although the Zhao Jiahe family's circumstances were ordinary, the lad himself worked alongside them building the house for the Jiang family; he was diligent, sharp, and spoke very little, bearing no resemblance at all to his detestable father.

In this day and age, they only had one sister. If she stayed in the village, they could still lend a hand every spring planting and autumn harvest.

Their old mother always wanted to find someone with better prospects, but how much better could prospects really get?

Better to have someone tangible right before their eyes than empty promises.

"Marriages aren't settled in a single day. Take your time and talk it over."

It was a bland, indifferent remark, but it caused both Madame Li and Granny Zhao to twitch their brows and turn simultaneously to look at the eldest brother.

Madame Li beamed with joy, while Granny Zhao's face turned dark as ink.

Her mind raced through a flurry of thoughts. In the past, whenever Zhao Qingzhu's marriage prospects came up, not a single person in the household would chime in. Zhao Qingzhu herself would simply follow whatever her mother said and never interfered.

And now look at this—the eldest brother was backing the suitor, and when she turned her head, she found Zhao Qingzhu sitting right behind her.

Her gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, and her heart skipped a beat with a sinking feeling.

Having finished her water, Madame Li put down the bowl and smiled, "Old sister, I'll be heading back for today then, and I'll drop by again in a few days."

Granny Zhao forced a tight smile as she saw her out.

Once the matchmaker was gone and the main gate bolted, the daughters-in-law dispersed in all directions to resume their chores—tending the hearth, cooking meals, and washing clothes.

Only the sons and Zhao Qingzhu were left sitting there obediently.

"Eldest, what is the meaning of this?"

Glaring at her furious mother, the eldest brother replied evenly, "I simply feel that endless picking and choosing can never compare to suiting my sister's own heart. Every single time, you reject them yourself without ever asking a single word about what your daughter thinks? Whether it works out or not, she's the one who has to live her life afterward. You always fixate on better conditions, but out there in the towns and counties, families with good conditions wouldn't look twice at folks from our village anyway."

"Everyone's still in the countryside; how much better can someone really be? The bad ones are all much the same."

Finished speaking, the eldest brother turned away, leaving Granny Zhao to look back at her daughter. "Zhao Qingzhu, this match they came to propose today—are you satisfied with it?"

Zhao Qingzhu glanced at her eldest brother, pressed her lips together, and replied in a low voice, "I think it's all right."

Granny Zhao: ……

She stared intently at Zhao Qingzhu, having already guessed most of the truth in her heart, and said in a deep voice, "As for this match, don't even think about it. I do not agree!"

With that, she flung down the declaration and stomped angrily into her room, leaving Zhao Qingzhu and her brothers squatting in the courtyard letting out sighs of dismay.

The matchmaker had walked out with a smile, leaving the villagers who had gathered around to watch completely baffled as to whether the match was made or not.

If it hadn't worked out, the matchmaker wouldn't be looking so pleased. But if it had succeeded, given Granny Zhao's temper, that made no sense either.

A nosy onlooker pressed Madame Li, "Mother Li, was it a success?"

Madame Li shot her a sideways glance and asked with a chuckle, "Why, does your family have sons or daughters needing a match too? Twenty cash to introduce, a hundred cash guaranteed success!"

The person laughed awkwardly, "My grandchildren are already grown."

"Well, that's wonderful then! Grandchildren in their teens will need matches soon enough. It won't be long, so just come find me, Li Taohua, when the time comes."

After leaving Granny Zhao's house, Madame Li went straight to Zhao Jiahe's home to deliver the reply.

Zhao Jiahe and his grandmother had been pacing back and forth in the courtyard, half-crazed with anxiety waiting for news.

Seeing the matchmaker step through the door, the grandmother and grandson rushed forward, and Granny Zhao spoke first, "Sister Li, is there hope?"

She dared only ask if there was hope, not even daring to voice a wish that it might be settled right away.

Madame Li smiled broadly. "My throat is parched from talking, but there is hope, plenty of hope!"

Before the words had even faded, Zhao Jiahe trotted off to the kitchen to pour a cup of water for Madame Li.

Seated together in the courtyard, Madame Li sipped the water. Zhao Jiahe had added sugar to it, and every mouthful tasted sweet and pleasant.

"I'll make another trip in a couple of days. Granny Zhao isn't too keen on it, but the eldest Zhao brother spoke up in favor, and I could tell Qingzhu herself is quite willing. That's why I came away first, to give them some time to think it over. As long as the young people are agreeable, I reckon Granny Zhao will come around sooner or later. Just wait for my good news."

Hearing this, Zhao Jiahe's grandmother let out a long breath of relief and repeated fervently, "Jiahe's matters are all in your hands now!"

"Rest assured, old sister will definitely see this match through for you."

At home, Jiang璃 was busy with her chores. Seeing the matchmaker leave with a broad smile, Xue Man and A'ning reported it to Jiang璃 the moment they returned.

They even vividly reenacted the questions the villagers had thrown at the matchmaker to probe for gossip.

Perplexed, Xue Man asked Jiang璃, "Mother, did it work out or not?"

Jiang璃 smiled without answering.

That first trip definitely hadn't resulted in an agreement. If it had, the matchmaker would have announced it publicly right then and there. There would be no reason to beat around the bush, and she wouldn't look so cheerful if it had fallen through entirely—which meant there was still hope.

Tugging at Jiang璃's sleeve, Xue Man was consumed with curiosity.

Jiang璃 looked at him, wondering how a young boy could be so nosy.

"Guess for yourself. Did it work out or not?"

Xue Man's dark, glossy eyes rolled around. "I guess it hasn't worked out yet."

"Then why is the matchmaker looking so happy?"

A'ning chimed in with a laugh beside them, "That just means she thinks it'll work out later on."

Jiang璃 looked at the two of them and said, "Stop gossiping. Eat your lunch and we'll head back into the mountain. We need to harvest all the remaining wood ear mushrooms, and we can dig up a few more mountain beans while we're at it."

Standing in the courtyard, Xue Man looked up at the wood ear mushrooms drying on the kitchen roof, including the ones dried previously—there was already quite a substantial pile.

"Mother, we already have so many wood ears. Are we still going to dry more?"
"Keep drying them. Whatever we can't finish eating dried can be sold later. We aren't just hoarding dried vegetables; we need to hoard grain too, which means turning them into money to buy grain."

After finishing their midday meal, the three of them headed straight into the mountains.

This time, Jiang璃's back basket was used for the heavenly tubers, while Xue Man and A'ning's baskets held the wood ear mushrooms and wild greens.

Two large hemp sacks were also filled to the brim with mushrooms. Just as they were about to secure the sacks onto their back baskets and head down the mountain, Jiang璃 suddenly caught the sharp call of a pheasant.

Listening closely, another cry echoed through the trees. She gauged the direction—it was some distance away. If she rushed over alone, it wouldn't take long, but dragging the two children along meant the pheasant might be gone by the time they arrived. Leaving the little ones behind by themselves, however, made her uneasy.

And it would be dark soon.

After turning it over in her mind, Jiang璃 still decided to go take a look. She swiftly tied the hemp sacks securely to the back baskets and told Xue Man and A'ning, "Hurry up, put your baskets on and follow me. If we're lucky, we might even catch a pheasant."

The brother and sister looked at Jiang璃 with bright, excited eyes as she hoisted her back basket and took hold of her bow and arrows.

After heading deeper into the forest for about twenty minutes, Jiang璃 spotted fresh pheasant droppings on some leaves. Judging by the fresh state of the droppings, the bird must have passed through just moments ago.

She halted in her tracks, set her back basket down on the ground, and instructed the siblings to crouch down and stay put.

Nocking an arrow to her bow, Jiang璃 crept forward with stealthy, feather-light steps. Hearing a rustling sound in the bushes, she peered toward the source and spotted a brownish-yellow pheasant crouching flat against the ground. Holding her breath, she drew the bowstring and loosed an arrow. Surprisingly, the pheasant didn't even fly away. Jiang璃 lunged forward and grabbed the stunned bird by its legs, only to discover six tiny chicks nestled in a brood right beside it.

Gazing down at the little chicks lifting their heads and cheeping plaintively, a wave of discomfort instantly washed over Jiang璃.

The mother pheasant had taken an arrow to the head; even if she tried to release it, the bird wouldn't survive.

After a brief hesitation, she used a length of tough vine to bind the pheasant's legs. Then she promptly emptied out the wood ear mushrooms from A'ning's small back basket, cramming them down into the larger hemp sacks instead, so she could use the small basket to hold the six tiny chicks.

The sight of the six baby chicks filled Xue Man and A'ning with awe and excitement.

Hunters had a strict code: they never hunted brooding mothers carrying young.

Jiang璃 was regretting her hasty shot right then and had zero sense of triumph over bagging game.

"Mother, are we taking these little pheasants back to raise?"
"Mm-hmm."

Xue Man asked again, "And if we raise them up, will they fly away when they get big?"

Jiang璃 replied, "That'll depend on when they grow up."

She would take them back and raise them; if they wanted to fly away later, they could fly away, and if they chose to stay, they could stay. Either way was fine by her.

Because of catching the pheasant, they had lost a good deal of time, and by the time they emerged from the mountains, the sky was even darker than it had been on their previous trip.

Yet today, perhaps spurred by the constant cheeping of the little chicks, Xue Man and A'ning walked with even more vigor than before.

The moment they reached home and unloaded their cargo, Xue Man dashed into the house. "Mother, let's use that bamboo crate as a nest for the baby chicks!"

Jiang璃 fell silent for a moment before giving a slow nod.

As for these few little pheasant chicks, Xue Man and A'ning surrounded them in an endless loop of fascination, just as they had done on the day they bought the domestic chicks.