Matchmaker Zhang entered and immediately saw Mrs. Lai sitting by the door, her mouth moving restlessly, her expression somewhat troubled.
However, as a matchmaker, she had now seen one of the mistresses of the house. Her gaze shifted, thinking that if Mr. and Mrs. Li didn’t agree, there was still Mrs. Lai.
Mrs. Lai was famously indifferent to her granddaughter. It was likely that the moment marriage was mentioned, she would agree immediately.
Upon arrival, she had already considered that proposing this marriage might be challenging and was pondering where to start.
"Oh, Hongji’s mother, happy New Year!"
Mrs. Lai had been cursing all day. Not only were her lips cracked, but the inflammation had caused blisters in her mouth. She kept complaining about the pain from cursing, disregarding the physical soreness over her inner turmoil, for a sore mouth could hardly compare to an aching heart.
Upon hearing Matchmaker Zhang’s voice, Mrs. Lai lifted her plump and haggard face. Her eyes, fiery red, paused for a few seconds.
Matchmaker Zhang met Mrs. Lai’s face and those eyes and was momentarily stunned. Was this the envy of everyone, the explosive-rich landlord Mrs. Lai?
How had she become so haggard in such a short time?
Mrs. Lai’s eyes were frightening; even Matchmaker Zhang’s normally cheerful expression froze for a moment!
"You? What are you doing at our house?"
As Mrs. Lai spoke, her gaze fixed fiercely on Matchmaker Zhang. She suspected that Matchmaker Zhang had come because of that despicable person.
It wasn’t strange for Mrs. Lai to think this. Her husband and son had been elusive all day, only coming home for lunch and then disappearing again.
Although she had delegated some responsibilities to Mrs. Li, her eldest daughter-in-law hadn’t left the house.
It wasn’t necessarily Mrs. Li who handled everything; it might have been her husband who had sent Matchmaker Zhang.
Facing Mrs. Lai’s fiercely unwelcoming expression, Matchmaker Zhang sensed she might get scolded as soon as she spoke, but she had been paid and, knowing she might get scolded upon entering, she still tried for the money’s sake!
"Hongji’s mother, I have come to your house to speak about a match!"
"What? You deserve a beating, don’t you, Matchmaker Zhang?"
Mrs. Lai, outraged, pulled off her right shoe and, not caring that she was shoeless on one foot, stood up and started hitting Matchmaker Zhang with the shoe.
"Ay, Hongji’s mother, I haven’t even mentioned the matter yet, why are you hitting me? I came to propose a match for the good of your family!"
Matchmaker Zhang felt unfortunate. She had not spoken a word before Mrs. Lai ruthlessly started hitting her. Both being plump, they ran around the courtyard, Matchmaker Zhang somewhat more agile than Mrs. Lai, chasing and fleeing in circles.
Mrs. Lai’s bulky body tired quickly. She had slept poorly the previous night and had skipped her nap because of these disturbances, now breathlessly chasing Matchmaker Zhang.
"Bah, Matchmaker Zhang, believe it or not, I will smash your mouth for spreading nonsense."
Besides matchmaking, Matchmaker Zhang usually worked in the fields, doing all the household chores herself. Being more agile despite her bulk, she avoided getting hit.
"Hongji’s mother, why are you hitting people during the New Year? I came with good intentions to make a match, and you won’t even let me in for a cup of tea, plus you hit me. One day you will regret offending me!"
Mrs. Lai wasn’t listening at all. Right now, she couldn’t care less about offending the matchmaker, not thinking about the future. As part of the household, she had not gone outside to see the estate workers.
She knew a little about the men and women working at their house.
"Matchmaker Zhang, believe it or not, if you keep talking nonsense, I won’t let your man work in our estate anymore."
Matchmaker Zhang was slightly frightened upon hearing this, but having received a sizable deposit today, she needed to show some results. If they could connect with the wealthy Ye Zhiwei, their family men could also work for the rich man.
Matchmaker Zhang wanted to say more, but by then Mrs. Lai could no longer run. With such a commotion in the courtyard, the estate’s workers and the master of the house, Mrs. Li, and her daughters were all aware of it.
The workers dared not intervene, and since Mrs. Lai was generally unpleasant to people, no one in the household volunteered to help.
Mrs. Lai stopped her actions, and Matchmaker Zhang took the opportunity to rush into the Ye family’s home, glancing around the living room and spotting the Ye family’s youngest daughter looking out from her room’s window.
Seeing Daya, the subject of the match, Matchmaker Zhang grinned at her.
At that moment, she would not address a young girl with those words. Her gaze searched the living room and saw Mrs. Li holding her son.