A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Aunt Zhang is well-liked in the village and rarely gives anyone a hard time, unless that person really deserves to be taught a lesson.

Gu Xixi immediately decided to wait and see.

Despite the host's unwelcoming attitude, Aunt Wu still wore a warm smile, like a large cockscomb flower swaying in the rain.

She ran to the eaves, already quite soaked.

Aunt Wu laughed and said, "It's said that, but when it comes to marriage, good things often come with difficulties, and our Xixi is a good girl sought after by many families."

"I have to take the initiative and visit them a few more times. Maybe we'll end up having a pleasant conversation!"

Gu Xixi finally understood why He Jinglan had said it was best not to listen to her.

Seeing her gaze sweep over with a deep look, He Jinglan quickly whispered an explanation, "I didn't mean to hide it from you."

"I only found out how popular you are when I overheard the children talking about it during recess this morning!"

Aunt Zhang glanced at Gu Xixi and was about to speak to Aunt Wu.

Aunt Wu didn't give Aunt Zhang a chance to refuse and started her sales pitch with great enthusiasm: "I know that Mr. Chen used to have fair and delicate skin, but you must think my third son is dark-skinned and has thick skin."

"But everyone in the village knows that I have no other skills except for having sons. I have five sons. Apart from the eldest and second eldest who are already married, I and their father would have no objection to any of them marrying into your family."

"The fourth brother is much fairer than his third brother. He was born in the same year as Xixi, so they are a good match in age. He is also literate, so they will definitely get along well after they get married."

Aunt Zhang couldn't help but curl her lip, "Literate? Never been to school a single day. He can only count a few coins and draw a tally mark, right?"

Aunt Wu chuckled awkwardly, showing no shame whatsoever for not receiving the correct item, and continued, "Then it'll be my fifth son!"

"He's young! He's healthy, and most importantly, he's timid and obedient. If Xixi tells him to beat a dog, he promises he won't dare chase a chicken!"

Aunt Zhang was already laughing, unsure whether she should be angry or not. "She's quite young, only thirteen, right?"

Gu Xixi was shocked and coughed involuntarily.

Thirteen years old? A minor?

Crime! Blatant crime!

He Jinglan was already leaning against the wall, laughing so hard she was almost limp. "Our family never intended to raise a son, Aunt Wu, aren't you being too hasty?"

Aunt Wu blushed, but she didn't pretend and muttered, "How can we not be in a hurry?"

"Let alone our village, I dare say that in the surrounding villages, as long as a family has many sons and is good at finding out what's best, who wouldn't want to send one of their sons to Xixi to marry into the family?"

"No, no," Gu Xixi said with a forced smile, waving her hand. "You're exaggerating. I've grown up in this village and I've never seen anything so... exaggerated."

Aunt Wu became serious, "I didn't exaggerate a single word."

“In the past, everyone thought that since your father was gone, someone like you who doesn’t know anything could only sit around and squander the family fortune, and that little bit of wealth would be gone in a few years.”

“But things are different now. You have a bumper harvest every year and earn more and more. You’ve also set up so many orchards and hired long-term workers, so the owners don’t have to do the heavy work themselves.”

"And even the village chief and his wife listen to you in everything, which gives you face in the village."

"Whoever marries into your family will not only reduce the burden on their parents and siblings, but also have one less person to divide the family property and land, and can enjoy a leisurely and wealthy life with you for the rest of their life."

"Too bad I'm a woman. If I were a man, I'd be fighting tooth and nail to get to your doorstep!"

He Jinglan leaned over and whispered in Gu Xixi's ear, "Although Aunt Wu is annoying for forcing people to buy and sell, she is also a straightforward person and dares to say what she thinks."

Gu Xixi sighed, "It's all about survival. If you think about it that way, you don't think she's that bad."

At this moment, Aunt Zhang looked at Aunt Wu again, and her displeasure turned into helplessness.

She swatted a few mosquitoes and then had to invite Aunt Wu inside to sit down.

“Sister Wu, I know it’s not easy for your family to raise five young men on those few acres of land.”

"I will have to raise three more betrothal gifts and hold wedding banquets for them. The burden is so heavy that I don't even want to think about it."

Aunt Wu, as if she had found a kindred spirit, said with a sigh, "It's more than that."

"My second son's wife has been trying to gauge my intentions lately, and it seems she wants to separate the family property."

"But we only have a few acres of land at home, and it's not even enough for one acre per person when divided among the population."

“The village can’t cultivate any new land now, so how can I agree to divide the family property? How can we divide it? Will we be able to survive if we separate?”

"Back then, I couldn't bear to let them go out and suffer at such a young age, so I didn't let them go out to learn a trade. Now it's too late to regret it."

They were all from the countryside, and such hardships were actually quite common.

Even if Aunt Zhang hadn't experienced it firsthand, she could understand Aunt Wu's situation.

She sighed and said, "It's difficult no matter what. Going out to learn a skill isn't necessarily a good thing."

"Chen Lao Er's third son failed to learn cooking skills and even burned his legs with blisters. His master sent him back and gave him ten coins, then left him alone."

Aunt Wu nodded, "The child survived, but he became a cripple and hasn't even found a wife yet."

When they talked about these things, they couldn't help but think about the many more human sufferings they had witnessed in their lives, and their expressions became somewhat somber.

Gu Xixi was also not at ease.

She looked at the plate of bright green wild vegetable dumplings on the table and thought to herself, "The reason why there isn't enough land to go around is because the yield per acre can't be increased."

Children in the countryside become apprentices at a very young age, with no job security whatsoever. Isn't it because the traditional way of making a living by farming simply can't support so many people?

Therefore, changes must be made.

Despite feeling sorry for Aunt Wu, Aunt Zhang still refused the marriage proposal.

"To be honest, I even withdrew the betrothal letter I gave to Matchmaker Zhao."

She glanced at Gu Xixi and smiled, "Because Xixi herself means that she doesn't want to get married in the next two years."

"So don't get anxious or upset. No matter who proposes marriage, we'll say the same thing."

Gu Xixi quickly nodded in agreement, confirming that what he said was true.

Aunt Wu naturally knew of Matchmaker Zhao's famous name.

She paused for a moment, then wisely refrained from pressing the matter further. "Yeah, right. Mr. Chen just ran away. These stinky men always make things difficult for us women."

"If I were Xixi, I'd also like to have some peace and quiet and stay away from them!"

Gu Xixi opened her mouth, intending to say that she didn't care about that matter.

But then I thought, rather than making things worse by explaining, it's better to remain silent.

Anyway, what Aunt Wu said made pretty much the right sense.

Aunt Wu stood up to say goodbye, "Then I won't disturb your meal any longer."

Aunt Zhang saw her off and lent her one of her favorite oil-paper umbrellas.

When the old doctor and Shi Tou returned one after the other.

Aunt Zhang served warm mung bean and millet porridge, a large plate of scrambled eggs with scallions, and a serving of garlic sauce for each person.

Vegetable dumplings dipped in garlic sauce are sour, spicy, and chewy, making them a great appetizer.

While eating, Gu Xixi said, "Tomorrow afternoon, I want to teach everyone how to grow millet at the local temple."

Apart from the old doctor who remained calm, everyone else looked up in surprise.

Aunt Zhang asked, "Everyone? Teach everyone?"