The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 6 Cleaning up
A cold wind blew by, and the chill went straight to the bone.

Wang waited for two more days, but when Liu the matchmaker did not send a message, she became anxious. She was also angered by the villagers pointing fingers at her because of what Granny Fan had said.

She couldn't sit still any longer.

With something on her mind, she knocked heavily on Liu the matchmaker's door.

All that could be heard was the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, coming from afar and growing closer.

The matchmaker, Liu, looked haggard and had been having nightmares lately, fearing her affair would be exposed. When she opened the door and saw Wang Shi, her eyelids twitched.

"It is you."

She leaned against the heavy door, blocking the way, showing absolutely no hospitality.

"The house is in a mess, so I won't invite you in for tea. Let's talk here."

After Erlang started studying, Wang was fawned over by the villagers, who flattered her as the future "scholar's wife." She became arrogant, feeling superior to everyone else, and when Liu the matchmaker treated her poorly, she frowned.

But the Dong family was more important, and she needed their help, so Wang didn't hold it against them.

She suppressed her emotions and glanced at the next room a few times.

Selling her niece was hardly a respectable affair, so Wang wouldn't publicize it. She lowered her voice and asked, "How's the matter I asked you to handle going?"

"Give me a straight answer. Has the gentry fallen for someone else? Or is he deliberately putting on airs, thinking twenty taels is too expensive?"

Seeing that she remained silent, Wang stepped forward.

"You took two eggs from me, so you'd better make this deal work for me."

Matchmaker Liu: ...

She feigned embarrassment: "Everyone knows how much your man values ​​this niece."

"If he comes to our door with a knife demanding an explanation, it's just my father-in-law and me at home. What can we do to him?"

Wang frowned.

Unexpectedly, Liu the matchmaker changed the subject.

"But you underestimate Master Dong. What is twenty taels in his eyes? If something catches his eye, he would be willing to part with a hundred taels."

Greedy Wang was speechless: "One...one hundred taels."

She thought twenty taels was an outrageous demand. She had never seen so much money in her life.

Matchmaker Liu raised her chin and said, "I remember your second son is studying in town, right?"

"Master Dong is quite remarkable; he has connections with the county magistrate. If you catch his eye, sending Erlang to the best academy in town is just a matter of a word from him, and he might even waive your tuition."

These words struck a chord with Wang.

Erlang is indeed favored by the master, but how can the town's academy compare to the county's?

The family's heavy burdens are what delayed Erlang's studies. If they had become in-laws with the Dong family…

She was thrilled: "You can rest assured, once this is done, I will never reveal that you were the one who made the connection. My man won't cause you any trouble."

"You'll get your share of the matchmaking fees too."

"I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on things."

Matchmaker Liu smiled.

However, the next moment, she shoved Wang Shi hard.

Wang was caught off guard and fell heavily to the ground, her body sinking into the snow, where she was jolted by the cold.

She snapped, "You're insane!"

"You're crazy!"

Matchmaker Liu questioned, "Have you no conscience? Do you even deserve to be called an elder?"

"Have you no shame?! Aren't you afraid your niece's mother will crawl out of her grave and come after you for what you deserve?!"

Her loud voice quickly alerted the neighbors. Soon after, an elderly man hurriedly came out. He was wearing a thick cotton coat and had a serious expression.

"What happened?"

He was the leader, followed by many villagers.

The mountain road to Xilin Village is difficult to traverse, especially in the dead of winter. The village head's family values ​​tradition and always uses a pig's head for ancestral sacrifices. Every year, they would go to the neighboring village to buy a pig from a butcher, bring it back, and slaughter it.

If anyone wants to buy meat, they can bring the money and have it cut.

But there's only so much pork. The village head has to keep some for himself and some for his relatives, so what he sells isn't enough to go around.

These villagers had no choice but to rush to settle down in Lizheng beforehand.

We only splurge once a year, and we always grit our teeth and let our hardworking family members taste meat.

As Liu the matchmaker and the village head were neighbors, how could she not know that there had been quite a few people coming and going from next door these past few days?
She had been waiting for Wang to come to her door.

Sure enough, the village head asked in confusion, "Why did they start fighting? Can't people from the same village talk things out?"

When Wang saw it was him, her eyes widened. She dared not argue further and quickly scrambled to her feet.

"It's nothing, I just lost my balance."

Matchmaker Liu sneered, raising her chin high: "Oh, you dare to do it but not admit it? You know you're feeling guilty, huh?"

She addressed the crowd, saying, "I pushed her. I was being lenient by not using a broom to chase her away. Since everyone's here, you can all be the judge."

"Who doesn't know that her niece is as beautiful as a flower? If it weren't for her mother, the Hu family, would they be where they are today? If it were me, I would have treated her like my own daughter long ago."

"But whenever Hu Dazhu isn't home, how can my stepmother have a good day?"

"I think Granny Fan's words make sense. When Wan Niang fell into the water, she was probably involved!"

Wang: ? ? ?
Yu Tingwan lost her balance, so how can you blame her?
The village head frowned: "You can't say things like that carelessly. People are all made of flesh and blood. That girl has been with us for years, right under our noses. How could Dazhu's wife possibly harm her?"

Wang: "Yes! I..."

"Pooh!"

Matchmaker Liu sneered: "She's obsessed with money. She wants to sell her niece to Mr. Dong and insists that I act as her matchmaker."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances; this was truly a spectacle.

Someone couldn't help but say, "Once when I went to the Hu family, the stepmother was covered in sweat from exhaustion, but Wang not only wouldn't let her rest, but also scolded her for being clumsy."

"Pshaw, what's so special about that? Back when Wan Niang's family suffered that calamity, it was already a miracle that the little girl escaped death. She had only been in Xilin Village for a few days when Wang Shi cursed her for not dying with her parents."

"Not to mention the stepmother, she always beats and scolds that daughter-in-law."

“That little Xu is no good either. When my family held a banquet, she ate and took things.”

Wang was stunned, truly baffled as to why Matchmaker Liu had turned her back on her.

"You were the one who brought it up first..."

Matchmaker Liu's voice boomed over her: "I'm a matchmaker, not a prostitute! How old is that girl? Do you think I'd push her into the Dong family? The Dong gentry is old and has some strange quirks. The girls carried out of his house are always covered in blood. If I bring them together, and word gets out, who in the surrounding villages would dare ask me to help them find a match?"

"How could I agree to such a heinous thing?"

The village head's face darkened: "That's enough!"

“Wang, your Yaozu is the most promising young man in the village. As his mother, don’t hold him back. Use your brain in everything you do!”

"Selling your niece? You actually came up with such a terrible idea? If word gets out, your Erlang will never be able to hold his head up in public again."

Wang's eyes flickered, a hint of fear in them, but she remained defiant: "It's not that serious. What's wrong with the Dong family?"

The village headman said sternly, "Do you dare say that to Hu Dazhu?"

"Do you really think I'd like to meddle in your family's affairs? I advise you to put your mind at ease for the next few days. Once the whole family is here, if Hu Dazhu agrees, I won't stop you at all!"

"But if you cheat on him, see what I'll do to you!"

(End of this chapter)