Chapter 46: A Matchmaker Comes Calling, and Rules Are Laid Down to Command Respect

The next morning, just as the moon slipped beyond the mountain peak and vanished from sight, the sky stretched clear and boundless—a perfect day promised itself. Overnight rain had left the earth wet with dew, and the morning air carried a faint scent of damp soil and fresh grass.

They still had two plots of land left unturned. The best time to till the soil was before the sun rose fully. Without wasting time cooking breakfast, she washed three eggs and placed them in the pot. In less than fifteen minutes, they were cooked. After a quick meal, she set out with Xue Man and A Ning for the fields.

Xue Man carried a small hoe on his shoulder, looking around at the empty fields and said with a silly grin, “Mother, we’re the earliest ones here.” His expression proudly declared, "We’re first."

Jiang Li smiled wryly, unable to help herself.

Entering the bean fields, she inspected the two plots they had tilled the day before. The green bean sprouts glistened with dew, their leaves lush and vibrant. Though few pods hung from the vines, the seedlings, fully soaked, no longer looked withered and weak. The sight was heartening.

Perhaps it wasn’t just the tilling but also the fertilizer they had applied.

Jiang Li decided to prioritize composting the manure early.

“Other families with many hands finish quickly. We only did two plots yesterday. Let’s try to finish early today, then head into the mountain this afternoon to gather fallen leaves.”

“To gather leaves? We don’t even raise pigs,” Xue Man asked.

“For composting. If we don’t have any this year, it’s fine, but we can’t plant seeds next spring without fertilizer.”

Xue Man understood the need for manure but wondered how they would get it without livestock. Other families’ manure came from pigs or mules, which they lacked.

“Mother, can you have manure without raising pigs?”

“I read about a method in a book, though I’ve never tried it. Once I get some dried leaves, I’ll give it a shot.”

Before the sun rose, villagers headed to their fields. Not far away, some people appeared in the distance. Seeing Jiang Li, a woman called out loudly, “Lady Jiang, why are you up so early?”

Jiang Li recognized the woman from the road but wasn’t sure of her name. Smiling, she responded, “Auntie, we just arrived too.”

After greetings, everyone bent down to start tilling the earth.

Thanks to the practice from the previous day, the trio worked much faster. Before lunchtime, they had finished the remaining two plots.

Back at home, Zhao Jiaxiu and Xue Chengwen delivered the cabinet they had made.

It was rectangular, with four compartments inside under the lid—different from Jiang Li’s initial idea of a square shape.

Zhao Jiaxiu smiled, “You mentioned dividing into four sections, but since it’s for storing grain and will go inside your room, I thought a wide cabinet wouldn’t fit through the door, so I made it long.”

Jiang Li smacked her forehead, laughing, “Good thing you thought of that! If we’d made it the way I said, we really wouldn’t have gotten it inside the doorway.”

Xue Chengwen helped carry the cabinet into the bedroom. They didn’t even finish placing it properly before rushing back out, leaving Zhao Jiaxiu and Jiang Li to arrange it.

They positioned it against the wall beside the bed, leaving ample space between the bed and cabinet.

After setting things up, Zhao Jiaxiu left. Jiang Li gave her some coins and mentioned the size needed for the basket.

Seeing the few chicks in the bamboo basket, Zhao Jiaxiu’s eyes lit up.

“Where did you get these chicks? Their feathers look beautiful.”

Jiang Li smiled, “Wild chicks.”

Zhao Jiaxiu paused, then laughed, “I wonder if they can be raised as domestic chickens?”

“We’ll see by raising them.”

After Zhao Jiaxiu left, Jiang Li carried the rice and wheat she had brought back last time into the cabinet. It held a surprising amount; even a full sack looked like just a little inside.

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After finishing with the cabinet, Jiang Li went to borrow a rake from Granny Zhao.

She left Xue Man and A Ning to rest and cook at home while she headed up to the woods above the bean fields to gather fallen leaves.

The trees there were evergreen all year round. When their leaves yellowed and fell, new ones grew in their place. The thick layer of dried leaves at the roots had decomposed into rich humus. If they raised pigs, these decomposed leaves wouldn’t be good for bedding, but for composting, the more decay, the better.

The three-pronged rake wasn’t very efficient, so Jiang Li wasn’t very fast.

She hunched as she wove through the bushes, pulling out every scrap of leaf litter from the roots and collecting it into heaps on a clearing. Since fallen leaves were abundant, piling a lot at once wouldn’t risk theft. She planned to slowly carry them back with baskets.

When Xue Man and A Ning returned home, they immediately soaked rice to prepare for cooking. As the time approached, Xue Man started the fire, and A Ning placed the soaked rice into the steamer.

Before they finished, they heard disorganized footsteps and voices entering the courtyard.

The siblings quickly put down their tasks and ran out of the kitchen.

Seeing their grandmother and their uncle and aunt, they moved to greet them. But then they noticed an unfamiliar old woman and a sly-looking man among the visitors. Their cheerful mood vanished instantly.

Neither of them smiled. The stranger woman looked at the two and said, “These must be your grandsons. Why don’t you greet people when they come?”

After speaking, she turned to Xue Man and A Ning. “I’m Luo the matchmaker from the neighboring village. Since your father is gone and there’s no man to support this family, your grandmother sent me here to find a match for your stepmother.”

Xue Man’s temper flared. Facing the group, he shouted, “Get out!”

“Get out!”

The old woman noticed her grandson’s fury and frowned, but kept a kindly expression. “This gentleman here is your aunt’s cousin—family. Marrying that woman means he’ll manage things and look after you siblings. These days, times are hard. That woman took you all in, who knows when she might have sold you off!”

Xue Man looked disgustedly at the man the old woman had introduced.

“Our mother will not remarry. You all, get lost!”

Luo Dayuan sneered at Xue Man for being ungrateful. “Xue Man, don’t be so blind to kindness! If it weren’t for your mother, who would care about you?”

A Ning looked up at her so-called uncle. “Why didn’t you care when my father died, but now you show up?”

“Because no one told us your father died.”

“Then how come you know when our broken straw hut collapsed? How come you know grandmother divided four bowls for us?”

Luo Dayuan was speechless. His sister’s children weren’t his family; they bore the Xue name. The Xue clan had already cast them out.

They had been given a chance.

Liu Shi noticed the main door was open and quickly said, “Why stand here? Come inside and sit.”

Her words prompted the old woman to agree, leading the matchmaker and Liu Tiechao into the main room. As they walked, the old woman called back, “A Ning, bring two bowls of water. It’s a long journey, and we must be thirsty.”

“A Ning, go get mother,” Xue Man ordered.

A Ning ran off at once.

Xue Man watched the group enter the main room.

Inside, Liu Tiechao first surveyed the room. Luo Dayuan entered the east room, where he saw a large jar filled to the brim with oil and meat. His jaw dropped.

“Mother, they actually have a jar full of meat and oil!”

Upon hearing this, the others crowded over. Liu Tiechao rushed to the inner room, flipped open the cabinet, and found the stored grain.

Their joy was uncontainable. Though marrying into the family was frowned upon, the house was new, the jar was full, and there was abundant grain.

If he moved in, he would be the master of the house—what a fine prospect.

The matchmaker, seeing Liu Tiechao’s delighted face, regretted deeply. Had she known the truth, she had unmarried sons in her family who weren’t ugly. Why settle for this ugly woman?

The more she thought, the more she regretted.

The old woman and Liu Shi, standing by the jar, looked sour-faced, unable to hide their envy.

Luo Dayuan leaned over and lifted a small earthenware pot. Upon opening it, the scent of chicken meat wafted out.

“Mother! There’s even chicken in here!”

Xue Man entered, seeing the group clustered around the meat jar, Luo Dayuan clutching the pot of chicken.

He knew he couldn’t confront these people. He could only wait for Jiang Li to return.

“Uncle, keep your distance. Don’t drool into my jar.”

Luo Dayuan’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment, but he clung tightly to the pot. Xue Man took the lid and closed it, then covered the meat jar’s lid as well, staring mockingly at the group.

The old woman, seemingly unaware of the disdain in her grandson’s eyes, asked kindly, “Xiao Man, where did your family get all this meat and grain?”

“Grandmother, where else could it come from? Does anyone just give this to us?”

The group exchanged glances, and Xue Man felt utter disgust.

For the first time, he hated his own helplessness.

“I heard the woman your father bought into the family is from a great clan. Did she pawn her jewelry for this?”

Xue Man remained silent. The old woman, thinking she was right, pressed on. “Do you know how much jewelry she has? Is it all kept in the inner room?”

“Where my mother’s jewelry is kept has nothing to do with you.”

“It may not concern me, but it does concern you. You fool, isn’t it yours? Don’t you want her to keep some for your own marriage? For A Ning’s dowry?”

Jiang Li, returning with the basket to carry leaves, heard A Ning’s heart-wrenching cries and ran down with the rake. Upon hearing A Ning’s words, her anger flared as if she wanted to rip someone’s head off.

She told A Ning to walk back slowly and dashed home.

Entering the main room, she heard the old woman’s words. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and asked coldly, “What are you doing in my room?”

The group turned abruptly. The matchmaker and Liu Tiechao appraised Jiang Li as if examining merchandise, then smiled with satisfaction.

Jiang Li noticed Luo Dayuan clutching the small pot. She walked over, snatched it from him, and handed it to Xue Man. “Put it aside.”

Then she coldly addressed Luo Dayuan, “Why are you holding my pot?”

Before he could answer, Jiang Li kicked him hard, sending him flying into the wall and crashing to the floor with a thud.

Luo Dayuan curled up, clutching his stomach. The old woman and Liu Shi rushed over in shock.

Jiang Li sneered, “Who else dares touch my things?”

The matchmaker swallowed nervously and forced a weary smile. “A woman shouldn’t be so fierce. Your sister-in-law called me virtuous and proper and asked me to be the matchmaker.”

Jiang Li’s gaze swept over them and landed on the ugly man’s face. “Match me? Did you ask me first?”