You treat a matchmaker like this. If word gets out, who will dare to come to your house to discuss marriage in the future? Do you really want to leave your girl at home to grow old?!"
The spectacle attracted the villagers. Upon hearing the story, they cursed, and neighbors took rotten vegetable leaves, chicken dung, and pig dung from home and threw it at the matchmaker.
"Yeah, you're a matchmaker, but your mouth knows no virtue. You came to Xinghua Village to throw your weight around, get lost this instant!"
"Scram this instant! Who expects people like you to find a good marriage?"
In the courtyard, Feng Mohan looked at his Imperial Uncle in disbelief.
Someone came to propose a marriage to Aunt Liu and grab her from his Imperial Uncle. He thought that his uncle would immediately explode.
But no, his Imperial Uncle actually stood in place and watched the happening from beginning to end. There wasn't even a tiny fluctuation in his expression, right?
Could it be that his Imperial Uncle didn't care about Aunt Liu as much as he thought he did?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
From what he had observed over the past few days, Aunt Liu was Uncle's precious baby!
How could Uncle still be so calm?
Even the little nephew had blown up, but the uncle didn't react.
He must have a trick!
He figured it out. He'd worry no more, stay quiet, and be a good little tail!
Feng Qingbai listened to the confrontation at the gates, and it took a long time before he suppressed the urge to kill someone on the spot.
Calm?
He wasn't calm at all.
It was just thanks to the years of practicing not to show joy and anger. The more emotional turmoil he was suffering, the more impenetrable his front was.
The Wang family of officials?
Have power and land?
Remarriage?
Young Lady?
Feng Qingbai curled the corners of his lips and strode towards the gates.
The moment he appeared, the noisy entrance automatically quieted down.
The chaotic crowd instinctively retreated, exposing a battered matchmaker in the middle.
Rotten vegetable leaves cloaked the top of her head with dust, dirt, dung all over her that emitted a stench.
He walked right up to the matchmaker and looked condescending down at her. Feng Qingbai acted as if he didn't smell the stench. He chuckled and said, "Matchmaker Zhang? For Mr. Wang's marriage?"
"That's right." The matchmaker tensed up and reflexively retreated. The man in front of her exuded an overwhelmingly oppressive aura. Even the highest ranking official she had ever met didn't exude such a powerful aura.
He wasn't a simple character. She just didn't know his origins. It was surprising that he would appear in this small farmyard of the Liu family.
"Does the Great Official Wang have the right to own land?"
"Officer Wang is on duty in the county government. His family has thousands of acres of fertile land and several manor houses under his name. They are one of the largest households in Xiangshan County…" Beneath the man's gaze, the matchmaker's energy dwindled weaker and weaker. She had an urge to turn around and flee.
That pair of eyes clearly contained no emotion, but they made her cold from head to toe. Even her courage failed her.
"Then go back and tell Great Officer Wang to better give up the idea. Don't give it another thought. Otherwise, I'll make him disappear along with his power and land!"
"You-Who are you…"
Feng Qingbai slowly narrowed his eyes, and the essence of a murderous intent revealed itself in his eyes. "Go!"
The matchmaker turned and ran, not daring to say a word more, not daring to stay a moment longer!
She ran far away from the Liu courtyard before stopping to catch her breath. However, her legs still kept trembling.
After Matchmaker Zhang fled, a forty or fifty-year-old woman outside the crowd studied Feng Qingbai deeply, turned around, and left without a sound.
Not far from the village entrance, there was a carriage parked, and Matchmaker Zhang was leaning against with lingering fears.
When she saw the woman in front of her approaching, she quickly welcomed her, "Sister Wang, you just witnessed it. It's not that I failed to do my best. The Liu family are just downright stubborn. They're all barbarians! And that young man just now, I don't know where he came from. He's too scary!"
"Go back first." The granny didn't spare Matchmaker Zhang a glance and boarded the carriage first.
Matchmaker Zhang quickly followed her while sorting out her sullied clothes. "Sister Wang, look at the aggravation I suffered a lot on this trip outside. I'm covered with vegetable leaves and dung…"
"Don't worry, when we go back, Master will not spare you the reward."
"Yes-yes-yes, Master Wang is a generous man." Only then did Matchmaker Zhang smile. The Wang family was generous. She received more than ten taels of silver as a reward at a time. She went out of her way to suffer these, and it was barely worth it.
It was a pity that the marriage wasn't settled. Thanks to the matchmaking fee, she made a total of a hundred taels!
The carriage started to move, and the woman closed her eyes and stopped talking. Matchmaker Zhang also didn't dare to open her mouth to disturb her.
Sister Wang would certainly tell Master Wang everything that occurred earlier, including how that young man spoke impudently.
She wondered what trouble would arise when the time came. How long could the Lius be tough after officials show favor to them?
So what if their family daughter was capable? What was the use of earning more money? They had no background nor backstage, and anyone with a little power could take them by force.
In the end, it would be themselves who would suffer.
When she recalled the treatment she just suffered, the matchmaker coldly gritted her teeth. That kind of family deserved their bad luck!
Within the Liu courtyard, the villagers who came to help dispersed, and the family returned to the living room.
The atmosphere was gloomy.
Liu Dalin glanced at Feng Qingbai from time to time, his eyes complicated.
This kid – his two sentences were more effective than their cursing and beating. What was with his aura?
He never imagined he was so good at holding down the fort before, but it worked.
In the future, if he really wanted to find a husband for her daughter, he must find one who could protect her like this.
But Nannan was still young. There was no hurry in finding an in-law.
There was also Axiu. He was determined to cross him out as a candidate for consideration. His environment was too complicated for a peaceful family like theirs.
In comparison, he would rather choose Xiao Jinzi.
No, scratch that Xiao Jinzi either. That child hasn't grown up yet. He didn't want his daughter to serve like his mother once they got married and take care of him in turn!
Liu Dalin was worried.
Liu Erlin thought nothing much. He just sat in the room with the usual assembly, but his indignance got the best of him.
"What kind of bullshit is that Great Officer Wang?! How dare he make people say that he and Nannan have fallen for each other! And he wants to marry Nannan after his wife died! He's a man who got married before! He's no longer a child! He's utterly shameless!"
Grandma Liu was also worried. "Our Nannan is well-born and is talented, so there are matchmakers looking for her every year in the past few years. I don't know how long we can protect our Nannan even, but I'm afraid that those people will use coercion instead of coaxing. I don't care if we fight for our lives, but I'm afraid we can't protect our Nannan."
Chen Xiulan pondered for a long time and gnashed her teeth. "Not really. We can find our own son-in-law! Pick a good one for your daughter and let her get her married first!"
"No way! There is no one in the whole Yunzhou City who is worthy of our daughter! You can't just pick randomly! This is a major event that affects your daughter for a lifetime!" Liu Dalin was greatly stimulated that he almost stamped his foot again. "Wait until we really can't hold out! At least, wait until Nannan reaches 18 or 19 years old before discussing it!"
Liu Zhiqiu inserted, "Uncle, 18 or 19 years old will make her quite an old spinster…"
It wasn't that he was impervious to the obvious situation, but 18 or 19 was really considered an old spinster.
Most of those who have daughters in their families betrothed them at the age of 13 or 14 and 15 or 16 at the latest. Their Nannan dragged it on until present, and she could be considered the odd man out in the whole village and even the entire town.