The fat woman did not overthink the question; she only heard Mrs Lu asked if Jiang Yao was stupid, so she nodded and said, “Yes, she’s stupid!”
Jiang Yao and Lu Xiaoxiao were overjoyed; they smiled.
“Don’t say that my daughter-in-law is a country bumpkin. Even if she is, she’s not inferior to anyone else. When she was still a student, she was obedient and studious. She was the best student in the school. Every teacher praised her as a good child. After she got married, she is a filial and virtuous girl. She is a good wife. She is a university student because she is a capable woman. Of course, university students are amazing; there are only a few of them in the entire county. There are even fewer who can get into a prominent university. When my daughter-in-law got into that university, even the county’s education bureau sent a congratulatory letter to the school—it was that honorable.”
Jiang Yao lowered her head guiltily when Mrs Lu praised that she was a good student, that she was filial and virtuous, and that she was a good wife. Mrs Lu did not have to say that.
“My daughter-in-law has brought honor to our family. Furthermore, my son graduated from a prominent university and is now an officer. I think only another student from a prominent university would be a good match for him. Both of them are knowledgeable, and they have a common language. Some people might have a residence permit in the city, but how would they communicate with a scholarly family like mine if they have no merits? Wouldn’t they be like a chicken trying to talk to a duck? Would she understand us? Birds of a feather flock together—everyone would have their own match.”
Mrs Lu sounded harsh the longer she spoke. It was in the way she praised Jiang Yao and how she insulted those city girls that the matchmaker had wanted to introduce to Lu Xingzhi. She had nothing against those ladies; it was the matchmaker and her hateful words.
“A good horse should be matched with a good saddle. This is the truth that even our ancestors know. My daughter-in-law is a humble person. She’s not like some girls in the city who treat themselves like the emperor’s daughter because they hold a residence permit. Most of them are arrogant; do they think they are princesses? Didn’t you introduce a city girl to a teacher in my school? She complains that her daughter-in-law is very difficult. She has to make three meals daily and tidy the house, wash their clothes and cook for the daughter-in-law. Did she get a daughter-in-law? I think she has found an ancestor and has to provide for them instead.”
That was not the end; Mrs Lu’s face darkened when she saw the matchmaker, so she said, “I think that my daughter-in-law is a hundred times better than that. A person should be eager to learn as long as they are still alive. It’s a good thing to have a higher education. We have the money to let our kids study. Once a person has an education, they won’t be so short-sighted or so arrogant.”
“Mom, you only know how to praise me—so much that now I’m embarrassed,” Jiang Yao said sweetly as she took Mrs Lu’s hand. “Let’s go. We still have to buy clothes for you. Don’t spend more time on unworthy things. It’s better to spend it on shopping for clothes to make you look as radiant as when you were young.”
As she spoke, Jiang Yao pulled two of them and walked into the shopping mall.
The matchmaker stood there for a long time without snapping back to her senses. She did not understand it. She went there to create trouble for Mrs Lu and to poison the relationship between the mother and daughter-in-law duo. How did they leave as if they were mother and daughter?