I traveled back to ancient times, but I was able to lie down and relax.

Thinking this through, Matchmaker Li's words became more sincere. "Nan Jia, let me be frank with you. It's not that I'm greedy, but my family is really in trouble. My son got sick a while ago and has taken a lot of medicine, but he hasn't gotten better. It's about to empty our savings, otherwise I wouldn't have asked for so much money."

She then gave a bitter laugh, "Don't be fooled by my clothes and accessories. They look quite complete, but this is actually my last set of clothes. As matchmakers, if we don't dress up nicely, how can we get into the homes of wealthy families? It's easier to arrange marriages for people in our village, but we can't make any money just by arranging marriages for villagers."

Looking at her, Liu Nanjia felt that the matchmaker Li with a worried expression was her true self, unlike just now when she had a smile on her face but always gave the impression of wearing a mask.

The matchmaker Li today is a mother who worries about her child.

So she said, "Indeed, every family has its own troubles, Matchmaker Li. How about this, if you agree to one condition, I will give you an extra two taels, making it five taels of silver in total."

Upon hearing this, Matchmaker Li's eyes lit up. "What are the conditions, Miss Nan Jia?"

"It shouldn't be difficult for you. Just make sure you keep an eye out for any marriage proposals from the eldest branch of the Liu family and let us know. If there are any similar situations, sabotage them again. In short, we must not let them ruin my brother's reputation."

"Alright, putting everything else aside, I'm quite good at gathering information, otherwise how could I be a matchmaker?" Seeing that the conditions weren't too difficult, Matchmaker Li readily agreed.

"Then we'll leave it to Matchmaker Li." Liu Nanjia smiled, relieved that the deal was done.

But there was something she was really curious about, so she asked it.

"Matchmaker Li, do you know anything about that girl? Even if she's the daughter of a scholar, a dowry of twenty taels is a bit outrageous, isn't it?"

They were in a village, not a town. As far as she knew, the situation in Canghe Village was not much different from that in their Dushui Village.

Twenty taels of silver is enough for them to build a courtyard, considering their previous experience building houses, as long as they don't need to buy bricks.

"I actually know a little about his family. Their surname is Liang, and they are the only scholars in Canghe Village. But unlike your father, Liu, a scholar, never took the imperial examination after passing it once, while he never gave up and failed repeatedly, but he always tried again. I don't know exactly how many times he took the exam, but he emptied his family's savings. Originally, his family was considered wealthy in Canghe Village, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to support him to become a scholar. But all these years, he has only focused on studying and has done nothing else. After Old Master Liang died, no one managed the family's property, and it was all squandered little by little."

Matchmaker Li didn't hide it; in fact, it wasn't exactly a secret anymore, at least the people in Canghe Village knew about it.

It wasn't surprising that Liu Nanjia mentioned her father to the matchmaker, Li. Matchmakers rely on being well-informed, so it's perfectly normal for them to know about their fathers' situations.

However, with only one scholar in the village, it's clear that in impoverished places, very few people can actually achieve academic success.

"So, why is his family asking for such a high bride price...?" Liu Nanjia had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Matchmaker Li continued, "It's just so he can take the exam one last time. Humph, he says it's the last time, but I think if he had money, he would take it again. He really doesn't know his own limitations."

"Then what's the difference between him and selling his daughter!" Liu Nanjia's thoughts were confirmed, and she was somewhat indignant.

"Well, at least he still has some conscience. I heard that Matchmaker Zheng introduced him to someone before, asking his daughter to be his concubine, but he refused."

Liu Nanjia also agreed, saying it wasn't quite that heinous.

But then the matchmaker, Li, said, "If you ask me, he might be disgusted that his daughter becoming a concubine would damage his reputation and affect his future career as an official."

"Pah! He can't even pass the imperial examination, let alone become an official. Dream on!" Liu Nanjia also felt that this was the truth of the matter. If he really cared about his daughter, he wouldn't disregard others and only think about his own fame and fortune.

He would never use his daughter's dowry to pay for the imperial examination travel expenses.

"Haha," the matchmaker Li chuckled, "Miss Nan Jia is truly genuine. That's why her family is famous in our matchmaking circle. Twenty taels of silver as a bride price—those who can afford it are either wealthy young men, but how could such men possibly marry the daughter of a poor scholar as their principal wife? They'd almost always make her a concubine. Most ordinary families wouldn't even consider him as a father, fearing he might fail the exam and then have to support him, or they'd be afraid of marrying a traitor. Then there are those who might like his family, but they can't afford that much money, and that scholar Liang is adamant about not lowering the price."

“She’s such a nice girl, but her father has held her back until now. She’s 18 now, and she still hasn’t found a husband. I think it’s going to be even harder in the future.”

Now that things were out in the open, Matchmaker Li was willing to say whatever came to mind.

"Actually, your cousin's marriage is quite famous, although not as exaggerated as Liang Xiucai's. Your grandfather is also a bit too picky, wanting to marry the daughter of a rich family or a scholar, without even considering his own conditions. If they hadn't dragged your brother into it, I think they would have been a really good match."

Liu Nanjia was speechless. It really was true; they were both such eccentric elders. It was quite something to see them causing trouble for each other.

But the premise is that it doesn't involve his own brother.

The conversation lasted quite a while. Now that the deal was done, Liu Nanjia prepared to take her leave. She had to go home and do her business, and she couldn't leave everything to Song Chen.

So she got up, took out a tael of silver from her purse, which she had prepared in advance, since carrying a string of coins was too inconvenient.

"Matchmaker Li, here is one tael of silver as a deposit. If you handle the matter well, I will give you the rest. I will give you the rest as soon as there is any further news."

Upon seeing the silver, Matchmaker Li beamed with joy, "Don't worry, I, Matchmaker Li, am not like that Zheng fellow. I am always the most trustworthy."

Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, she said, "Nan Jia, could you bring me some of your bread and fried chicken next time? I wasn't lying before, I really love this food. Oh dear, I've lost a lot of weight lately because of my son's illness."

Liu Nanjia and Liu Yanxi were stunned. He had lost a lot of weight, but looked so plump. What happened before?

Aunt Zhao, who had been playing a supporting role for a long time, suddenly chuckled, "I can vouch for that, she really has lost a lot of weight."

Liu Nanjia snapped out of her daze and readily agreed, "No problem, I'll definitely treat you next time."

"Oh, that's great! I'll take my leave now." Having received the promise, Matchmaker Li was even happier.

Liu Nanjia even felt happier than when she first met Yinzi; it seems she really loves to eat.

Then she remembered something else, "Aunt Zhao, what did I just hear Matchmaker Li call you? Sister Wang?"