Chapter 49: To Offend Matchmaker Wang

The Lu House was so gloomy due to Lu Cheng Yu's failure.

Grandfather Lu had been doing nothing but puffing away on his pipe, Lu Tong dared not assume airs of importance like she used to.

Lu Tong had been so anxious lately for she knew her family wouldn't pay tax for her, chances were they would just marry her off easily, but the ones the matmakers mentioned recently were just so unpresentable, and she regretted for turning down so many good ones in the past.

Lu Tong heard her mom Tang and Matchmaker Wang's talk when she came home from the riverside doing laundry.

"Matchmaker Wang, is that Li Family in Big Wind Village really as good as you said? Do they really have over 20 mu of farmland? The young master in the family is literate? Really?" (T/N: mu, a Chinese unit of area, 1 mu equals to 1/6 an acre)

Matchmaker Wang laughed, "Why would I lie to you? The Lis are not as affluent as the wealthy families in town, but they are very well off in our villages. That Young Master Li does so well at school, maybe one day he will have a successful official career, imagine that, Lu Tong will lead such a comfortable life by then, she will become a lady."

Tang squinted her eyes, she had been inquiring a lot of families for her daughter Lu Tong recently, "Matchmaker Wang, how come I've never heard there's such a Young Master Li in Big Wind villager?"

With that Tang's face darkened, "Is this Young Master Li named Li Ji, is he the one who is widowed two years ago, and he has a five-year-old son? His wife died because his mother abused her, right?"

Matchmaker Wang forced a dry smile, she didn't expect Tang to know this, so she said, "That's not wrong, Young Master Li's dead wife is such an ill-starred person, but his family is really a well-off family."

"You stupid woman! How dare you even come to my house and bring this up to me! Piss off!" Tang was furious.

Matchmaker Wang had been doing matchmaking for years, the villagers all respected her. This was the first time that anyone talked to her like this, she got riled up and said, "You think your daughter is too good for us villagers? Wake up! She is 17 already, and you want 20 taels of silver for betrothal present? Tell you what, few villagers can afford that! I would feel deeply grateful for the Lis if I were you!"

Hearing that, Tang trembled with anger.

Tang always thought her daughter would marry well and her son would have a successful official career, but the reality now was her son failed in the exam and her daughter was turning old, and she had to act fast.

She thought she had already made a compromise by even considering marrying Lu Tong to a villager instead of an official, but now it looked Lu Tong couldn't even marry into a well-off villager family.

With that Matchmaker Wang left in a huff.

Lu Tong hated Matchmaker Wang for that, and she couldn't help but blame her mother for turning down so many good ones in the past.

Lu Tong only entered the house after Matchmaker Wang was long gone.

Tang put on a smile on seeing her daughter, "Tong, don't worry, I will find a good family for you!"

Lu Tong nodded, but she didn't have her hopes high.

Matchmaker Wang added salt and pepper when the other villagers asked her why she looked so furious, she told the villagers that Tang looked down upon the villagers and Tang would only marry Lu Tong into wealthy officials' family.

The villagers who had interest in betrothing with the Lus now all gave up on the idea, they figured they better not ask for an insult from Tang.

In the Lus' house.

Grandfather Lu wore an anxious look and said, "We still haven't found a good family for Tong, it looks like we have to lower our standard."

Grandmother Lu cast a glimpse at Lu Tong with a frown and said, "It's been so long since a good family asked about you."

Lu Tong lowered her head in silence, she could feel the entire family was seeing her as an eyesore.

Lu Tong tried to make eye contact with her brother Lu Cheng Yu, but Lu Cheng Yu ignored her, he was struggling to save himself from disgrace at the moment.

Lu Tong was devastated that her brother ignored her, she admired her brother since she was very young, she had always thought her brother was the pride of the family, but now she realized her brother was nothing like she had pictured in mind.

Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin were leading such a comfortable life while the Lus were clouded with worry.

"Lin Gege, people are all saying that Lu Tong is unmarriable now because her family has lofty disdain for common villagers who want to marry her." Said Chen Xiao Cai by the dining table.

Chen Xiao Cai now became more outgoing and he got so close to Lu Lin, he would share any news he heard from the villagers with Lu Lin.

Lu Lin smiled and threw a banter "Cai, you are getting more and more well-informed."

Chen Xiao Cai lowered his volume and said, "I heard those from the villagers."

Lu Lin smiled, "Tang has offended Matchmaker Wang, that's a wrong move. Matchmakers can easily ruin people's marriage by mere slandering, no one can afford to offend a matchmaker. I heard now Tang is burning with anxiety. But hey, she asked for it."

Tang was so arrogant when she turned down the villagers who asked matchmakers to express that they were interested in betrothing with her family, now it looked like she had to look from other villages.

Chen Xiao Mi shook his head and said, "Those matchmakers can be so annoying."

Chen Xiao Mi didn't like Tang nor Matchmaker Wang.

After dinner, Chen Xiao Cai and Chen Xiao Mai went to bed like two good boys.

"Mi, how did it go?" Lu Lin looked around to make sure Chen Xiao Cai had already gone to his own room.

Chen Xiao Mi sighed and shook his head, "No, I don't think it's gonna happen."

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi made a lot of money so Lu Lin suggested sending Chen Xiao Cai to school for better education. But reputation was the No. 1 criterion that the scholars considered when they recruited students, Chen Xiao Cai's reputation suffered due to Chen Xiao Mi.

Therefore, no scholar wanted to teach Chen Xiao Cai even though Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi were willing to pay a great amount of tuition fee.

"How pedantic those scholars are!" Lu Lin looked so disgruntled.

Chen Xiao Mi bit his lips and said, "That's okay, I don't think Cai will be elected as an official even though he can become a Xiucai in the future. Plus it's not easy to become a Xiucai, look at Lu Cheng Yu, Tang used to brag to everyone that Lu Cheng Yu is the star of wisdom, but look at Lu Cheng Yu now."

Unfortunately, what Chen Xiao Mi said was true, reputation and filial piety were two most important criteria when the government appointed officials. No way could Chen Xiao Cai have a successful career if a villager pointed out that Chen Xiao Cai was unfilial towards his grandparents.

Lu Lin let out a sigh and said, "Hopefully we can think about some other way to convince the scholars in the future."

Lu Lin didn't want to force it because he didn't want Chen Xiao Cai to be bullied at school.

Chen Xiao Mi took a deep breath and said, "School is not that great, my cousin Chen Jing goes to school too. My grandparents dote on him so much that they would but anything that Chen Jing point his finger at. My grandparents asked my parents to support Chen Jing when they were alive. But I don't think that Chen Jing is even trying to do well at school, he is such a slacker."

Chen Xiao Mi could always smell rouge fragrance from Chen Jing, so he thought Chen Jing probably frequented brothels in town.

Frequenting brothels was a trend among the wealthy young masters, but unlike Chen Jing whose entire family was working hard to support him, those young masters were born with a silver spoon in the mouth.

Lu Lin thought for a little while and thought, "We can maybe hire a tutor for Cai when we can afford one. I'm not saying I want Cai to become a scholar, I want him to be literate, that's all."

The Lus were in such a turmoil due to spring sowing in the farmland and both Lu Cheng Yu and Lu Tong's matchmaking.

Grandfather Lu had even made a visit to Lu Lin in person asking him to go back home to help out.

"Lin, come home with me now." Grandfather Lu was so used to issue orders to Lu Lin.

"But grandpa, I'm collecting firewood now, Chen Xiao Mi won't give me any dinner if I don't collect a whole basket of firewood." Lu Lin lied.

"How dare you disobey me! Are you making excuses now?" Grandfather Lu didn't buy it.

Grandfather Lu used to believe Lu Lin when he said Chen Xiao Mi would abuse him if he didn't do what Chen Xiao Mi said, but all the villagers had seen how the two hold hands while laughing and talking on the way to the mountains. It was no secret that the young couple got along great.

"You ungrateful bastard! Have you forgotten about your family after you get married?" Grandfather Lu was utterly discomfited.

Lu Lin let out a deep sigh and said, "Of course I haven't forgotten about my family, that's exactly why I can't go back home with you, I dreamed about my dead father last night, he told me that he died a horrible death on the battlefield, he died with so many wounds on his body that he still felt so painful, and he said he felt so alone because he died on the battlefield and he wasn't even buried in our ancestral grave."

Grandfather Lu turned pale on hearing that, he recalled he was hesitant when Grandmother Lu persuade him that they should send Lu Lin's father to the army, but he was convinced by Grandmother Lu when she said the entire family would ride on their son's coattails if he could accomplish meritorious military service.

"Grandpa, have you dreamed about my dead father?"

Grandfather Lu didn't say anything, he went away in dejection.

Lu Lin showed a cold smile on seeing Grandfather Lu's retiring figure.

Chen Xiao Mi now walked out from the house and said, "Don't talk nonsense like that, let the dead rest in peace."

Chen Xiao Mi was worried for Lu Lin because people in that time and space were all somewhat superstitious, Chen Xiao Mi didn't want Lu Lin to bring up the dead, so he clutched Lu Lin's hands subconsciously.

"It's all right." Lu Lin stroked Chen Xiao Mi's hands gently.