Failure

Manbao watched as the matchmaker and the Yao family walked away. She then turned and ran back to the main house to find her mother. "Mother, is she going to be my sister-in-law from now on?"

Zhou Siliang, who had also returned to the house, listened intently.

Qian Shi looked up and first glanced at Lao Si's expression, then asked, "Do you like her?"

Manbao scratched her head and said, "It's not like I'm marrying her." "Do I have to like her?"

Qian Shi nodded and looked at Zhou Siliang, asking, "And you, do you like her?"

Zhou Siliang blushed and said, "I'll listen to Mother."

After a moment of contemplation, Qian Shi remarked, "This marriage is unlikely to succeed."

The redness on Zhou Siliang's face faded, and he looked up at his mother, almost on the verge of tears, and asked, "Do they dislike me?"

Just now, Fang Shi asked about gambling.

"No," Qian Shi didn't want to explain too much, but upon seeing Zhou Siliang's unhappy expression, she realized he had misunderstood. "So," she clarified, "It's just that I don't think you two are suitable."

She said, "That girl is too obedient."

Zhou Siliang blinked and asked, "What's wrong with being obedient?"

Qian Shi gave him a sideways glance and said, "I'm looking for a daughter-in-law, not a servant." What is the purpose of being obedient? You are not resolute and tend to be rebellious; therefore, you need someone with a strong will to manage you. This girl is too shy and obedient to her mother. Once she enters the room, she will probably listen to you, so you are not appropriate.

Zhou Siliang suddenly felt a chill down his spine and stammered, "But I think being obedient is quite good…"

Under Qian Shi's gaze, Zhou Siliang's voice became lower and lower, almost inaudible, "Okay, I'll listen to Mother."

Did he have any other choice?

Zhou Siliang felt that he had wasted his time that day. Upon returning to his room, he changed out of Zhou Wulang's clothes and muttered, "Finding a wife is so challenging."

But Manbao found it very interesting. "Fourth Brother, next time you go on a blind date, you must call me again."

Zhou Siliang, on the other hand, felt a little disheartened. "It's just like picking meat on a chopping board, not fun at all."

Originally, he was quite looking forward to it before the matchmaker arrived. After all, it was his own marriage, and he was excited just thinking about it. Today, he was first scrutinized by Fang Shi's sharp gaze and then bombarded with various questions, leaving him a little tired.

"They already know my situation, why do they have to ask again in front of me?"

"See if you are a good person," Manbao still felt a little regretful. "Actually, Sister Yao is really pretty."

Upon realizing that this marriage was not possible, Zhou Siliang's blush faded, and he objectively remarked, "She's just average."

In the past year, he made numerous trips to the county town and met many people while selling items. Of course, he had seen many pretty girls, even prettier than Sister Yao.

Since they were not meant to be, there was no need to appreciate such beauty, so he quickly put the thought out of his mind and started to persuade Manbao, "Manbao, today is the Winter Solstice, shouldn't we stew some mutton at home?"

Manbao swallowed and said, "Mother said we're going to slaughter a chicken today."

"Big sister's noodles are delicious." We can use mutton as a topping, simmer it until it's tender, and then pour it over...

Manbao's mouth watered, and she jumped off the bed and ran to the main house. She took her money box from Keko, looked at the remaining twenty-three cents, hesitated for a moment, and then took it all out. She ran to give it to Zhou Siliang, saying, "Fourth Brother, go buy it now." "I'll ask my older sister to make noodles, and we'll have them for lunch."

Zhou Siliang took the money with a smile and then retrieved seven cents from his own money bag, saying, "I don't have enough money; I'll add seven cents to it." "Wait for me, I'll go buy the meat."

Zhou Siliang saved money from the five cents that Qian Shi gave him every day when he went to the county town to sell items. He saved one or two cents every day, and now he had a little more savings than Manbao, but he wouldn't tell her.

Zhou Siliang asked Lao Wu and Lao Liu to run together. The three of them headed towards Dali Village, known for its bustling market where they could surely buy mutton.

Manbao ran to ask Zhou Xi for noodles, and Qian Shi knew that this was Zhou Siliang's idea.

She couldn't help but ask Zhou Xi, "Can I really let him marry such a girl?"

Zhou Xi couldn't help but laugh and agreed with Manbao, saying, "Let's do it later." This kid is too careless. He's being proposed to, but all he can think about is food.

Qian Shi sighed, "If he weren't so old, it would be even harder for him to find a wife." I really wanted to wait a few more years before marrying him. His three brothers could support half of a family at the age of fifteen or sixteen, as they matured early. Lao Wu also looks promising, but why is it so difficult for him?

On one side, the Zhou family felt that the Yao family was not suitable, while on the other side, Fang Shi in Zhou Dahong's family also believed that the two families were not compatible.

After leaving the Zhou family, they did not immediately depart from the village and return home; instead, they went back to Zhou Dahong's house. Fang Shi first consulted with the matchmaker, then inquired about her daughter's encounter with Zhou Siliang, focusing on their activities and conversations during their time together.

Yao Shi noticed that her younger brother and sister were not very pleased with Zhou Siliang and remarked, "The Zhou family is known for their straightforwardness." If you don't like it, simply inform the matchmaker. It's all about mutual attraction, and, of course, both parties have to like each other. "The girl is not very old; take your time to figure it out."

Fang Shi hesitated for a long time before finally nodding, "Okay, I'll talk to the matchmaker and have her find someone else."

Text: ### Yao Shi couldn't help but be curious, "What don't you like about Zhou Siliang?" I think what his mother said is not wrong. ### He has changed in the past year, and he only gambled once.

"I know, he's not bad, it's just his family…" Fang Shi glanced at her daughter sitting next to her and said in a low voice, "There are too many people."

Yao Shi was surprised and asked, "What's wrong with having many people?" "A prosperous family means that no one in the village dares to bully them."

"That's outside, but what about inside?" Fang Shi said. "Leaving that aside, they have six brothers, so there will be six sisters-in-law in the future." My daughter is shy, and when she gets married, she may struggle to assert herself. "I don't know how she will be bullied."

Yao Shi laughed, "If it were any other disorganized family, your worries would be justified, but in the old Zhou family, you don't have to worry." Don't look at my sister-in-law being sickly now, but she runs their family, and she has always been fair. Just look at how she manages the first three daughters-in-law, and you'll know that my niece won't suffer at home.

Yao Shi said, "As for the future, if my niece marries, then the Zhou family will definitely have to split up." After all, there are six brothers, and when the parents are gone, it is not convenient for them to live together. "At that time, will the children be in charge of their own households?"

"This is also one of the reasons I don't want it," Fang Shi said in a low voice. "Look at her condition; she has to take medicine every day." How much will it cost to have a sick person in the house?

Yao Shi looked at her but didn't say anything.