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

Aunt Zhang's firm refusal did indeed quiet the scene down.

However, it lasted only a moment, then burst open like a beehive exploding.

People stopped queuing altogether and jostled to get in front of Aunt Zhang, chattering amongst themselves and recommending themselves:

"I heard your daughter is getting on in years. It's only natural for a man to marry when he's of age and a woman to be married when she's of age. How can you know it's not a good match if you don't see her with your own eyes?"

"My second son is sixteen this year and he's already taller than me. Everyone in the village praises him for being as handsome as the money-bringing boy in the New Year's paintings!"

"My youngest son is a skilled farmer praised by everyone. Once he marries into your family, he will manage the people working in the fields, and your daughter can finally enjoy a life of leisure at home!"

"When it comes to marriage, we can't just look at the present! Such a large family business still needs to continue the family line! The fortune teller said that my Heiwa has a strong affinity for offspring, and he will definitely be able to help the Gu family's only son to have many descendants!"

“I have three sons and ten nephews! If the young lady of the Gu family takes a liking to me, I can take her back as my child husband! Raising him from a young age will make him obedient and well-behaved, and when he grows up, he will only be of one mind with my wife!”

……

Gu Xixi's face slowly darkened.

He Jinglan exclaimed in admiration, "I must say, they all know how to find their strengths, and each of them has their own unique perspective."

Stone nodded with a complicated expression, "Without something special, it's hard to stand out."

The two stood together, looking out the door in the same way, and sighed in unison.

He Jinglan said, "Indeed, intense competition is the best way to stimulate people's potential."

Stone nodded again, "I definitely couldn't have come up with so many tricks."

By this time, Aunt Zhang had said everything she could, and was already quite exhausted.

Most of the people who came to propose marriage were quite polite, but some of them, in their desperation, gradually became more and more unrestrained in their speech:

"Madam, you're just a servant. How can you make decisions for your master? Why don't you call your daughter out? Perhaps she'll be willing to help herself!"

Aunt Zhang's face darkened, and she retorted without any politeness, "Even if I am a servant in this house, what are you?"

"I've never seen any wealthy family that would go to great lengths to force their son into another family."

Everyone laughed.

Although the people present did not know each other, everyone knew each other.

If they weren't struggling to make ends meet, why would they be so eager to send their son to marry into another family?

Aunt Zhang raised her face and continued, "Besides, do you know better than me whether my daughter is willing or not? You're like a maggot from a latrine who's become a spirit, eating a few mouthfuls of filth and stench and thinking you know what people are thinking!"

The speaker was a woman dressed in a brown linen robe.

Amidst the laughter, her face flushed red. After stammering for a long time, she finally managed to squeeze out, "What are you so smug about? You're just a dog relying on its master's power!"

In the courtyard, He Jinglan and Shi Tou rolled up their sleeves with fierce looks, already in battle mode.

As long as Aunt Zhang can't out-argue that shrew, the two of them will immediately step in!

Gu Xixi sneered, "One by one, it's never going to end, is it?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly filled with gritted teeth.

When the two people next to her turned to look, Gu Xixi had already turned and walked away, her steps quick and swift.

Shi Tou followed, waving to He Jinglan, "Sister Jinglan, let's go too!"

Aunt Zhang had told them not to get involved, fearing that a quarrel would only make things worse.

But those people just wouldn't let it go.

It was getting dark, and if they didn't say anything soon, would they really think that Gu Xixi's family had no one left?

Aunt Zhang pointed at the woman in brown's nose and said, "You foul-mouthed, stinking old woman! Who are you calling a dog?"

"When people come to propose marriage, it's always a joyous occasion. As long as they don't go too far, I always try not to make things ugly. So I try to be as polite as possible to everyone."

"You actually think you're a guest?"

"I'm telling you right now, forget about marrying into my family, your son isn't even fit to be our servant! Get out of here or you'll get a broom!"

The other suitors were overjoyed to have one less competitor and joined in the commotion.

The woman in brown felt as if she had been slapped twice across the face; her skin stung.

She bit her lip until it almost bled, and seeing no hope of marriage, she made the difficult decision to publicly expose the truth:

"I think it's because your daughter is not a decent person that you're too ashamed to agree to the marriage with her, right?"

Gu Xixi had just stepped across the threshold when she heard these words and frowned.

He Jinglan and Shi Tou, who were following closely behind, were both startled and quickly looked at Aunt Zhang.

Everyone in the family knew how much Aunt Zhang loved Gu Xixi.

Others can insult Aunt Zhang, but slandering Gu Xixi is truly touching Aunt Zhang's sore spot.

Sure enough, Aunt Zhang's face instantly darkened as if she wanted to devour someone. "You slut! Shut your mouth!"

She cursed and swore as she rushed to the back of the gate, grabbed a broom, and began chasing after the woman.

"You worthless wretch from the latrine, everything looks filthy to you! I'll gouge out your rotten eyes and tear that lousy mouth off!"

The woman in brown hurriedly dodged, but was hit on the head, wincing in pain and shouting even louder:

"Listen up, everyone! As the saying goes, you can't hide fire with paper! That Mr. Liu who teaches in their village has been having an affair with the Gu family's daughter for a long time! Someone saw them meeting in secret at night!!"

Now even He Jinglan and Shi Tou were getting furious.

Shi Tou said with a stern face, "Sister Jinglan, you scold her to death first, I'll go get the slingshot."

He Jinglan nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. I've always been a reasonable person."

The woman in brown had already escaped to the edge of the crowd.

Seeing that Aunt Zhang was stuck there and couldn't get through for a while, she turned around and smiled smugly.

"The last son-in-law of the Gu family ran away before the marriage was even officially finalized. Why? He must have discovered that his fiancée was having an affair with another man, and he didn't want to be cuckolded for life!"

"You still want to send your son to marry into the family? Not only are you pushing him into a fire pit, but you should also be careful not to bring shame to your ancestors, or have your ancestral graves glow with green light at night!!"

Aunt Zhang angrily waved her broom in the air, yelling, "You shameless hussy, you just wait!"

He Jinglan stepped forward to help Aunt Zhang up, patted her on the shoulder reassuringly, and then raised her voice, "Typical case of saying meat is rotten just because you can't get any!"

"If what you say is true, why are you shamelessly asking for my hand in marriage today? You yourself said, who would deliberately send their own son into a fire pit?"

The woman in brown choked, stammering.

He Jinglan wouldn't give her a chance to speak. She sighed and said, "Oh, I know, you must have been having an affair with the child's father and gave birth to a bastard child that can't be brought into the light of day?"

"Hmm...maybe you're a wicked and greedy stepmother who sells her son for a dowry!"

The woman in brown was speechless with anger, "I..."

He Jinglan, oblivious to everyone else, continued to ponder, "Oh right, you must also hate your husband's family to the core, right? You did this just to make their ancestral graves glow with green light at night?"

Gu Xixi gave her an approving look. "Turning the tables on them is excellent."

The woman in brown was both anxious and angry, but she couldn't retort. Her face was flushed and she was panting heavily.

At that moment, Stone ran out carrying a slingshot.

As he aimed, he inexplicably turned his head and glanced into the depths of the courtyard, suddenly becoming incredibly confident.