Chapter 287: Matchmaker
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Jiang Qing and Jiang Xia caught a basket full of river shrimps and a few small fish, and happily headed home.
The hunters hadn’t returned yet, and only a few women were busy at home.
Suddenly, they heard someone outside asking if anyone was home. Jiang Xia, being the most free at the moment, ran over to open the door.
There were two women at the door, one old and one young.
The older one had a red flower on her head and looked rather tacky. She wore bright red lipstick, which emphasized the wrinkles around her mouth.
The younger one was probably only sixteen or seventeen, but she dressed maturely. She wore little leather boots and her clothes clearly looked like they were bought from the county town: a lace top with a small leather skirt. It seemed a bit cold to wear such clothes in this weather.
Jiang Xia estimated that her outfit must have cost at least thirty coins.
The boots were made of pure animal leather, snake skin to be exact. However, by looking at the craftsmanship and stitches, it was obvious they were handmade. The stitching was uneven, wasting the snake skin.
Jiang Xia had seen the girl’s clothes in a shopping mall. It was worn by a mannequin and priced at twenty-five coins. She remembered thinking how overpriced the outfit was, especially considering her family had bought an entire set of wooden furniture for just over thirty yuan. Yet, on this girl, the outfit looked out of place and lacked the elegance it had on the store mannequin. However, it’s her choice to wear whatever she pleases.
Noticing Jiang Xia’s gaze, the young girl exuded an air of pride. She looked at Jiang Xia with disdain but still tried to be courteous, “You’re from sister-in-law maternal family right? Such a polite young girl.”
“Sister-in-law?” Jiang Xia frowned. Having stayed a night at the Zhang family home, she hadn’t heard of any other family members. Was this visitor being too presumptuous?
Seeing that Jiang Xia didn’t reply, the young girl simply walked in, followed by the older woman, who even bumped Jiang Xia with her hip as she passed.
Annoyed, Jiang Xia brushed off her arm, feeling as if she’d been tainted. She then went back to the kitchen to help Jiang Qing wash the vegetables.
Curiously, she asked Jiang Qing, “Who was that woman? Why did she call you ‘sister-in-law’?”
Jiang Qing casually responded while washing a radish, “That’s Liu You, the eldest daughter of the Liu family halfway up the mountain. She’s the proposed match for my younger brother.”
It seemed that Liu You’s visits were not a new occurrence.
“So, are they engaged?” Jiang Xia inquired.
“No,” Jiang Qing replied. “Old Master Zhang didn’t approve. After he passed away, she didn’t come for a month. Today, you just happened to run into her.”
Jiang Xia muttered, “But she calls you ‘sister-in-law’, making it sound like you’re close.”
Jiang Qing just smiled, clearly not bothered by Liu You’s choice of words.
Liu You’s demeanor had made Jiang Xia uncomfortable. Comparing the two, Jiang Xia thought, no wonder Old Master Zhang didn’t approve.
Actually, Liu You specifically chose today to visit because she had heard that Jiang Qing’s maternal family members had come, so she hurriedly brought a matchmaker to the door.
When Jiang Qing first married and moved up to the mountain, Liu You had heard that Jiang Qing’s family was not wealthy, and she came without any dowry, dressed in ragged clothes and carrying an empty basket.
Liu You thought to herself that Jiang Qing’s maternal family members must have come to take advantage, being such a poor and destitute bunch.
It had been raining on the mountain for the past two days, and the ground was covered in mud. No matter who went out, they would be covered in mud, but her little leather boots were not afraid of getting dirty.
She wore her outfit today specifically to show off. With so many households in the mountains, who else could be wealthier than her family, able to afford clothing that costs tens of coins?
And speaking of her little leather boots, they were made from a snake her father personally caught up the mountain. He skinned it, and her mother sewed the boots for her, making them waterproof and mud-resistant.
The mountain had seen rain for the past few days, and the ground was full of mud. Anyone who went out would come back covered in mud, but her leather boots weren’t afraid of getting dirty.
They went straight to the house used for entertaining guests and dining. Seeing that there was no one inside, they casually took seats, and Liu You even poured herself a glass of water, acting as if she wasn’t an outsider.
From time to time, Liu You would swivel her head and gaze out the door, waiting for someone to come in and be the first to notice and compliment her outfit.. Who would have thought that after waiting for so long, no one came to attend to her? She couldn’t help herself and yelled out, “How come there’s no one in the house even though guests have been here for so long?”