Chapter 41: Qin Peiru

When the two of them arrived at the main courtyard, quite a few people were already gathered there.

Matchmaker Zhang stood at the entrance of the Jia family’s home with a shy young woman, and Mrs. Jia along with Jia Dongxu immediately hurried out to greet them.

"Why is it her?"

Qin Huairu, who had arrived just a moment later, exclaimed in surprise.

"Who?"

Lin Shaowen and the others curiously crowded around.

"A cousin of mine, a distant cousin..." Qin Huairu answered vaguely.

"From the Qin Village?" Yi Zhonghai frowned.

He had given Jia Dongxu one hundred yuan specifically so he could marry a city girl.

How did he end up... with someone from the countryside again?

Seeing the expression on Qin Huairu's face, Lin Shaowen felt a stir in his heart. Could there be something wrong with this young woman?

"This girl is actually quite pretty." Silly Zhu laughed foolishly.

Although she couldn't compare to Qin Huairu, she had delicate features and a graceful figure, making her quite a beauty in her own right.

Lin Shaowen curled his lip.

He always felt that Silly Zhu had a slight tendency toward being a "Cao Cao enthusiast," and he even suspected that this trait was deeply rooted in the He family's bloodline.

He Dacheng liked widows, and He Yuzhu also liked widows.

And what is a widow... if not someone else's wife?

Everyone was gathered in the courtyard chatting, so it was far from boring.

After Lin Shaowen had put them through the wringer earlier, the residents of the courtyard had become much more well-behaved.

Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guangtian, and the others swarmed around him and Xu Damao, tossing out jokes and bantering back and forth, while Silly Zhu couldn't resist joining in either.

After all, there were only so many young people in this courtyard. As for the rest, they were either too young, or already married with established lives, their sharp edges worn smooth by the grind of daily existence, making them less inclined to join in the lively commotion.

"Silly Zhu, I'm just saying, Jia Dongxu is already on his second marriage, and you haven't even held a girl's hand yet, have you?" Xu Damao mocked.

"Talk trash all you want,"

Silly Zhu retorted with disdain, "Not only have I held hands, but I've even kissed."

"Oho, that's grounds for being handed over to the authorities, a textbook degenerate right there," Lin Shaowen joked.

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Silly Zhu's face instantly flushed red as he snapped, "Xu Damao, Lin Shaowen, I'm single, but aren't you guys single too? Let's leave Lin Shaowen out of this since he just graduated from university, but what about you, Xu Damao? How many years have you been working?"

"Hah, my family arranged everything for me long ago," Xu Damao said smugly.

"Who?"

Not only was Silly Zhu curious, but everyone else was also hooked by Xu Damao's remark.

"Well... heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."

Xu Damao's single sentence left many itching with frustration.

Lin Shaowen looked at Xu Damao with a thoughtful expression.

Many people said Lou Xiaoe was the kindest person in the courtyard, and that statement was entirely true. Lou Xiaoe came from a wealthy background and possessed a carefree, innocent nature... Her upbringing alone had nothing in common with Xu Damao's trajectory.

Her marriage to Xu Damao was a sacrifice made by her family.

Yet, history proved that such sacrifices were completely useless.

Despite coming from a prominent background and being married to Xu Damao, Lou Xiaoe treated him genuinely well.

Although Lou Ban-cheng looked down upon Xu Damao, he never treated him unfairly, which was also a form of compensation for Lou Xiaoe.

"Alright, it's settled then. We'll go register the marriage tomorrow."

Matchmaker Zhang came out alone, while Qin Peiru remained inside the Jia household.

"Oh, it's a match," Silly Zhu exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course it's a match," Matchmaker Zhang said with a smile to the crowd. "She's a good girl, won't hold any grudges against the groom's family."

"Matchmaker, my Jiecheng isn't young anymore either, do you think..."

Seeing that Jia Dongxu had secured a match, the Third Matriarch immediately grew interested.

Yan Jiecheng was no longer a boy; after spending a few years drifting along after high school, he was now in his early twenties.

"Jiecheng is a good lad. I'll keep an eye out for him and pick a good girl too," Matchmaker Zhang said cheerfully.

"Aunt Zhang, what about me?" Silly Zhu chimed in to join the fun.

"Oh, He Yuzhu, you're not bad either. I hear your salary is quite high," Matchmaker Zhang praised.

"That goes without saying... My salary is thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month."

Silly Zhu stood proudly, casting a sidelong glance at Xu Damao.

No matter how many things Xu Damao brought home every day, his salary genuinely wasn't as high as Silly Zhu's.

As a ninth-grade projectionist, his salary was just a little over thirty yuan.

"What are you showing off for? Little Lin's salary is seventy-seven yuan and eighty-five cents, and you don't see him bragging about it every day," Xu Damao sneered.

"Whoa!"

An uproar broke out in the courtyard.

If no one brought it up, it didn't amount to much, but once mentioned, it stirred up pure envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Old Xu, you guys can argue all you want, but I didn't provoke you," Lin Shaowen said, curling his lip.

Right now, every single person in the courtyard wished him dead.

If they were provoked any further, what would they do if someone tried to poison him?

"Look at my memory." Matchmaker Zhang slapped her forehead and immediately beamed as she turned to Lin Shaowen. "Doctor Lin, you're not young anymore, and your benefits are so good. Tell your auntie, what kind of partner are you looking for?"

Almost everyone stopped talking and turned to look at Lin Shaowen.

Hate him as they might, if someone could manage to form a family tie with him, that would be wonderful. He Yuzhu had no blood relation to him and yet received so many things, and the Third Matriarch had merely borrowed a hoe and ended up with a massive Hami melon.

Tsk tsk tsk, whatever leaked through his fingers would be more than enough for anyone to live on.

Qin Huairu’s heart tightened violently.

She loved her current life very much. She had a respectable job, the backing of Lin Shaowen, and the leaders treated her with great courtesy. Every time she dressed up nicely and traveled by bicycle, countless people envied her.

Sometimes waking up in the middle of the night, she felt as though this kind of life wasn't entirely real.

Yet Lin Shaowen would eventually marry; he couldn't stay single forever. He was still young now, but if he didn't marry in a few years, the neighborhood committee would come knocking.

Lin Shaowen was no Silly Zhu, and the neighborhood committee knew his background inside and out.

"No thoughts for now. I think I'm doing pretty well on my own," Lin Shaowen smiled and waved his hand.

"Doctor Lin, listen to your auntie's advice... How nice would it be to have someone warm and caring at home to take care of you?" Matchmaker Zhang said earnestly. "With your conditions, any girl who marries in could keep your home in perfect order, and you'd have a hot meal waiting when you get off work. Isn't that wonderful?"

"That's right, Doctor Lin, Aunt Zhang is right."

Several matriarchs began chiming in, but as the conversation continued, it quickly took a strange turn.

"Doctor Lin, I have a niece, nineteen years old, with a proper job. You just have to nod, and I'll have her come over. The bride price can just be a formality, and if you don't give one, it doesn't matter. Our Third family isn't looking for that; we just fancy you as a person." The Third Matriarch struck first.

"Hey, Third Matriarch, that's not right of you," someone objected unhappily. "I have a niece, eighteen years old. She doesn't have a formal unit, but she's great at keeping house! Doctor Lin's monthly salary is enough to feed a family of seven or eight; what he lacks is someone warm and thoughtful."

"Hold on, Old Qian's wife, what business is this of yours?" The Third Matriarch put her hands on her hips and ignited the battle.

"Third Matriarch, I've seen that niece of yours, she looks like Zhu Bajie's second aunt, and you still want to introduce her to Doctor Lin? Give it a rest." Matriarch Qian was no pushover either.

"Who are you calling Zhu Bajie's second aunt? I've seen your niece too, she looks just like Silly Zhu, and you have the nerve to talk." The Third Matriarch fired right back.

"Hang on, Third Matriarch, what do you mean she looks like me..." Silly Zhu protested indignantly.

In an instant, the entire courtyard erupted into chaos.

Those siding with others, those trying to mediate, those stoking the flames—every sort of demon and monster came crawling out.

Matchmaker Zhang clutched her head, feeling a massive headache coming on.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Lin Shaowen had already slipped away.

Qin Huairu watched the spectacle for a long time, and upon discovering that Lin Shaowen had vanished, she hurried off after him.