Chapter 151 City Streets 51

Chapter 151: City and Country Life 51

On the first day of the New Year, the family enjoyed a quiet morning, ascending the mountain to visit the graves of Qin Rongshi’s father and Qin Dalang. For the rest of the day, they kept their doors shut, staying indoors.

On the second and third days, villagers began visiting relatives and friends, filling the eastern, western, southern, and northern parts of the village with cheerful noise and well-wishes. People exchanged nods and clasped hands, greeting each other with "Happy New Year."

The children, especially, were ecstatic, running around the village in bright red robes, collecting unexploded firecrackers from the grave-sweeping ceremonies, and watching adults butcher chickens and geese. They clapped their hands in delight, excited at the prospect of eating meat again.

New Year’s was a holiday beloved by all children.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Qin Rongshi donned new clothes, meticulously combed his hair, and prepared to visit his teacher in town to pay New Year’s respects.

Mr. Lü Shiwen had returned to Fushui Town on New Year’s Eve, sending word to Qin Rongshi that he was back home.

Given his return, it was only proper, both in custom and reason, for Qin Rongshi to pay him a visit.

"Erlang, I made some Camellia Cakes yesterday. Take some for Mr. Lü. This batch has less sugar, which is more suitable for an old gentleman like him, and it’ll keep Lucky from scolding," Liu Guyu said as he entered with a basket. Inside, besides a package of Camellia Cakes, there were also smoked beef brought back from the city and a tin of fine tea—all prepared as New Year’s gifts.

Qin Rongshi took the basket and looked at Liu Guyu, asking, "Alright, I’ll go. Is there anything you’d like me to bring back for you?"

Liu Guyu gently pushed him towards the door, saying, "We don’t need anything at home. Besides, we won’t be staying in the village much longer, so there’s no need to buy anything... Mother has been restless for a while now. Once you’ve visited your teacher and met up with your classmates, we can return to the city."

It wasn’t that Cui Lanfang, accustomed to city life, found village living uncomfortable—it was simply too noisy.

Back when the family still lived in the village, they hadn’t been so popular. During New Year’s then, apart from Lin Xingniang’s family and Chen Sanxi, no one else came to offer greetings.

But this time was different. After the first day of the year, visitors came daily to offer New Year’s greetings and schmooze. Four or five families would visit each day, all bringing gifts and wearing cheerful smiles.

As the saying goes, you can’t be rude to someone who’s being friendly. Their enthusiasm left Cui Lanfang overwhelmed.

The first two days were manageable, but after that, she grew weary of socializing. She had to keep smiling and entertaining guests until her cheeks ached from forced cheerfulness.

That was bearable—it was just New Year’s greetings.

The biggest headache was the matchmakers who came to propose marriages.

Her Erlang had passed the imperial exams and even earned the top rank.

The news had just broken when the family moved to the city, denying these people an opportunity.

Now that they were back in the village, it was the perfect time for people to try and curry favor.

Matchmakers from the village, neighboring villages, and even the town—sent by local gentry and wealthy merchants—came knocking. One day, they proposed matches for Qin Rongshi; the next, for Qin Banban. Some even inquired about Liu Guyu. Cui Lanfang shooed them all away, but the constant clamor was giving her a headache.

Qin Rongshi also thought of this matter and frowned, saying, "Then just close the door and don’t let them in."

He added, "I’ll visit Teacher today. Tomorrow, Bao Zhu and Anyuan will come for a meal. After these two days, we’ll set off back to the city."

Liu Guyu nodded and saw Qin Rongshi off.

Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban had just finished washing the dishes and happened to see Qin Rongshi heading out with the mule cart.

"Has he left?" Cui Lanfang asked, drying her hands.

Liu Guyu nodded.

Cui Lanfang nodded too. "Good, the sooner he goes, the sooner he’ll return. In a couple more days, we can go back to the city."

Liu Guyu continued nodding and pulled Cui Lanfang to sit down and rest.

Qin Banban, meanwhile, took off her apron and called out to them, "Mother, Brother Liu, I’m going out! Mai’er asked me to come play!"

The young girl happily left the house. As the door opened, Lucky, who had been lying in the yard, sprang up and slipped out through the crack.

The dog had been particularly wild these past few days, going out early to wander, running madly around the village, or rounding up his dog pals to play in the mountains.

He had been cooped up in the city for too long, so the family didn’t restrain him, letting the silly mutt run and play freely. After all, he wouldn’t have this freedom for much longer.

With both the girl and the dog gone, Cui Lanfang and Liu Guyu sat in the main room, lit a charcoal brazier, and warmed themselves by the fire. The flames gave their faces a rosy glow.

Enjoying the rare quiet, Cui Lanfang smiled and said, "Strange, no one has come to disturb us today."

Liu Guyu poked at the ashes in the brazier with a small stick and said, "They must’ve finally given up."

Cui Lanfang agreed, "That’s good! One after another, they’ve been so annoying. Now it’s finally quiet."

But one should never jinx things—the second she said it, the courtyard gate was knocked loudly.

"Lanfang! Lanfang home?"

"Good news! Such wonderful news!"

Cui Lanfang: "..."

Cui Lanfang sighed and muttered, "I should’ve kept my mouth shut."

She stood up with a sigh, planning to go out and send the visitor away, but Liu Guyu stopped her.

Liu Guyu said, "Mother, don’t make a sound. Let’s pretend no one’s home. She’ll leave once she realizes no one’s answering."

Cui Lanfang thought it was a good idea and sat back down.

But both had underestimated the sheer nerve of the matchmaker outside.

The matchmaker, surnamed Miao, was from the town and had been in the profession for decades. Everyone called her Matchmaker Miao.

Matchmaker Miao banged on the door loudly, her voice carrying across the yard, "Is anyone home? Is there anyone? Open the door! I’ve got great news today!"

"Hey... ma’am, do you know if this family is home today? Have they gone out?"

She seemed to have stopped a passerby to ask, though it was unclear what she found out. Eventually, the noise died down.

"She probably thinks no one’s home and left!" Cui Lanfang said, smiling at Liu Guyu. "It’s good I listened to you!"

But they had no idea that Matchmaker Miao was stubborn. Seeing no one answer the door, she didn’t care whether anyone was home or not. She tucked her hands into her sleeves, parked herself on the doorstep, and decided to wait.

Despite the cold, she didn’t seem to mind.

She figured that even if they had gone out, they would return sooner or later. She would wait right there! If they were home, she’d sit quietly by the door—she refused to believe no one would open the door all day.

She would wait, certain she’d catch them sooner or later!

Cui Lanfang and Liu Guyu, thinking she had left, went back to chatting and laughing inside. Later, having nothing better to do, Liu Guyu went to the kitchen, grabbed a few sweet potatoes, and buried them in the charcoal brazier to roast.

Cui Lanfang chuckled, whispering, "These taste great when roasted, real sweet."

Liu Guyu nodded.

They started roasting sweet potatoes. The roasted sweet potatoes were indeed fragrant, but the smell was strong and quickly wafted outside.

"Hey! Somebody's home! Smells like you're roasting sweet potatoes! Good, somebody's here. You must not have heard me knocking!"

"Sister! Sister Lanfang, I know you're home! Please, be a dear and open the door! It's freezing out here! Let me come in and sit for a bit, and we can talk properly!"

"This is a really good match. Just listen—if you don’t like it, we can find someone else! Nobody's saying Erlang has to marry!"

Cui Lanfang, who'd been happy just moments ago, shot to her feet angrily, pointing outside and saying, "Ugh! That woman's got some nerve! I thought she’d left! She’s been camped out at the door all this time!"

"I’m going to shoo her off! She's making a scene for the whole neighborhood!"

Cui Lanfang stormed out in a fury. Liu Guyu, who had been rooting around in the hot ashes for the roasted sweet potatoes, heard the racket and tried to stop her, but it was too late—she had already marched out.

He grabbed a roasted sweet potato, tossed it between his hands because it was hot, quickly dropped it, and ran after her.

She yanked the courtyard gate open. Before Cui Lanfang could clearly see the person outside, she exclaimed, "How many times have I told you, my family— Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Cui Lanfang had never encountered someone with such gall. Before she could finish speaking, Matchmaker Miao shoved past her hand on the door and let herself right in, carrying her things.

Cui Lanfang stumbled from the shove and nearly fell, but Liu Guyu rushed over just in time to catch her.

"What's the big idea?!"

At Liu Guyu’s angry shout, Matchmaker Miao bowed over and over, apologizing, "Oh, I’m sorry, so sorry! Sister, my legs fell asleep from squatting, and my feet weren't working right! I really didn’t mean it! Did you get hurt?"

Cui Lanfang was fuming and fed up. Matchmaker Miao's grinning face just made her angrier.

What made it worse was the woman’s hard skin—no matter how cold they were to her or how much she was scolded, she always met them with a smile.

Just yesterday, she had been yelled at and run off, but here she was again, gifts in hand.

She smiled and said, "This is some nian gao I made at home, and some sweet bean dumplings. Don’t judge my cooking too harshly—give them a try."

Liu Guyu frowned and said, "We don’t want any. Leave now! Our family has no interest in discussing marriages!"

The courtyard was cold, with wind blowing from all directions. Worried that Cui Lanfang might catch a chill, Liu Guyu helped her back into the main room, where they resumed sitting around the brazier.

Matchmaker Miao, shameless as ever, followed them inside.

She said, "Oh, just hear me out! Listening won’t cost you anything—no loss of money or flesh! Just give it a listen. If it’s not suitable, we can drop it."

Cui Lanfang had never dealt with such a persistent person before and felt utterly helpless. She couldn’t help but regret letting Lucky out to play—otherwise, she could have set the dog on her.

Rubbing her temples, she said, "Go on, say what you have to say, and then leave quickly."

Matchmaker Miao smiled contentedly and began unpacking the items from her basket one by one.

There was a scroll of painting, several packets of candies and pastries, and a piece of cured meat—all gifts from the family proposing the match.

"This time, it’s the Xiang Yuanwai family from town! The previous candidates were all girls, but they weren’t satisfied. I thought Scholar Qin might prefer a young man? This time, it’s a Xiao Geer! He’ll be sixteen after the New Year, just the right age for your Scholar Qin!"

"Xiao Geer’s maternal grandfather was also a scholar! His mother is educated, and Xiao Geer has been learning to read and write with her since he was young—he’s quite knowledgeable! He’d get along well with your Erlang!"

After saying this, Matchmaker Miao sighed, half-sincerely and half-pretense:

"Oh, sister, I’ve really put a lot of thought into this! There are plenty of families interested in proposing to your family, and I’ve been very careful in selecting the best!"

"Some from the village who raise pigs even asked me about it—their family raises dozens of pigs! They’re wealthy, but they live on a pig farm, and the smell has seeped into their daughter! How could someone like that be a match for a scholar? I didn’t even bring that up to you!"

"But this one is truly good! A young man of sixteen, well-read and literate! Tell me, where else can you find a literate young man in town? It’s not easy! Your Erlang is also a scholar—he deserves someone like this!"

"Look, this is the gift the Xiang family prepared for you, and they even sent a portrait of their young man. Such sincerity! Take a look, and show it to Scholar Qin. See if he’s satisfied. I’ve seen it—he’s a very handsome young man!"

As she spoke, she unrolled the scroll.

Cui Lanfang, already impatient, stood up and swept the unrolled painting to the ground angrily, exclaiming, "My Liu Geer is also well-read and literate—there’s nothing special about that! If Erlang were interested in that, he wouldn’t need to look outside!"

She was so angry she wasn’t thinking straight, saying things she shouldn’t.

Liu Guyu, who had been drinking water, choked and spat it out upon hearing this.

Matchmaker Miao also exclaimed, "Oh! What kind of talk is that! Liu Geer is indeed good, but he’s Erlang’s brother-in-law—how can you say such a thing!"

Cui Lanfang nearly blurted out that since the divorce letter had been given long ago, Gu Yu and her Da Lang were no longer related, and if the two young people were willing, what was the problem? But she quickly caught herself, realizing she had misspoken, and sat back down in frustration, turning away.

Liu Guyu coughed twice and said to Matchmaker Miao, "Let’s drop the matter. No one in our family has such plans for now. Please leave."

Matchmaker Miao muttered, "They’re not getting any younger—how can they not have plans?"

Liu Guyu rubbed his head, packed all the gifts back into the basket, handed it to Matchmaker Miao, and pushed her toward the door, saying, "That’s our family’s business, none of your concern. Go on, leave."

As he pushed her out, Matchmaker Miao stubbornly glanced back at Cui Lanfang.

Suddenly struck by an idea, she added, "Sister, what about you? What are your plans?"

"You’ve been a widow for so many years! Now that the children are grown, it’s time to think about yourself! Some families have asked about you too, but I was too embarrassed to bring it up. Since we’re on the topic, why don’t you share your thoughts? If you’re interested, I’ll find a good match for you!"

Liu Guyu: "..."

Cui Lanfang, enraged, slammed the table and stood up, grabbing a large stick to chase her out. She shouted, "Get out! Get out now! Take your cakes and dumplings with you! If you come again, I’ll set the dog on you!"

Matchmaker Miao certainly had a talent for provoking even the mild-tempered Cui Lanfang to such anger.

Finally having driven her away, Liu Guyu immediately locked the gate and helped Cui Lanfang sit down.

He comforted her, "Alright, alright, Mother, don’t be angry. Arguing with her only hurts you. Look how thick-skinned she is—she probably doesn’t even hear a word you say!"

"Sit down, I’ll peel a roasted sweet potato for you!"

After all the commotion, the roasted sweet potatoes they had dug out had cooled. As Liu Guyu bent down to pick them up, he noticed the portrait Cui Lanfang had swept to the floor.

Amid the earlier chaos, they had forgotten about it entirely!