Chapter 94: Matchmaking

Chapter 94: Matchmaking

New Dock Village.

After handling her family's questions, Zhang Xiuping went out to meet her two younger sisters!

As soon as they met, Ou Guofang asked with a smile, "A Ping, you and your brother-in-law have already gotten your marriage certificate, right? That means you're now a legally recognized couple. How does it feel to be a wife for the first time?"

Thinking about some of the intimate moments with her husband, which felt different now that they were officially married—though such things couldn't be shared even with her closest friends—Zhang Xiuping simply replied calmly, "It's just a marriage certificate. What's the big difference?"

Ou Guohua blinked and teased, "Sister Ping, you and your brother-in-law are now a legal couple. Why don't you hold hands, or… hehe…"

"What are you thinking about?"

Zhang Xiuping shot her a look and then changed the subject. "Ahua, stop joking. I have something serious to discuss with you."

Ou Guohua asked, "What serious matter?"

Zhang Xiuping inquired, "Do you remember the young man named Yuan who was with Brother Tai when you accompanied me to visit his house that day?"

Ou Guohua nodded. "I remember. What about him?"

Zhang Xiuping continued, "What do you think of him?"

Hearing this, both Ou Guofang and Ou Guohua immediately understood.

Ou Guofang asked excitedly, "A Ping, does Yuan have feelings for our Hua?"

Zhang Xiuping didn't deny it and nodded directly. "Yes, Yuan does have feelings for Hua. I wanted to ask how you feel about him, Hua."

Ou Guohua was surprised. She hadn't expected that accompanying her sister to visit a house would lead to such a situation. Now that she thought about it, she realized that Yuan had indeed been paying attention to her that day. She had thought it was her imagination at the time, but now that Xuping brought it up, it seemed he really was interested in her.

"Well, A Ping, I didn't pay much attention to him that day. Aside from noticing that he was quite enthusiastic toward us, I didn't feel anything else."

Zhang Xiuping wasn't surprised by this response and said, "Let me tell you about his situation, and you can decide whether you want to get to know him better. If you really don't feel anything for him, we can forget about it. But if you think he's okay, I'll help arrange things. If you also marry into Thatchfield Village, we can still meet and chat every day like we do now!"

Hearing this, Ou Guohua was moved. The idea of being able to see her best sister every day even after marriage was something she had never dared to hope for. So, she didn't refuse and instead nodded seriously. "Okay, A Ping, tell me more about him."

Ou Guofang also leaned in, eager to hear more.

Zhang Xiuping began, "Yuan has five siblings—an older sister, an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister. His family's conditions aren't great. They only have three mud-brick houses, and space is very tight. These are real issues that need to be considered.

However, Yuan is currently working at a tile and jar factory, earning 60 yuan a month. He's also learning how to make large jars from Brother Tai. Once he masters the skill, his monthly income could reach 100 to 200 yuan, so his future looks promising."

When Ou Guohua heard the first part, she couldn't help but frown. Although living conditions in rural areas during this era weren't great, families with housing as tight as Yuan's were rare. But when she heard the second part, she understood why Xuping thought Yuan might be a good match.

Zhang Xiuping continued, "Brother Tai told me that Yuan has a good personality and is hardworking. If you marry him, you might face some difficulties in the first couple of years, but if you can endure that, once Yuan becomes a master jar maker, your life will improve significantly."

As Zhang Xiuping's lifelong friends, both Ou Guofang and Ou Guohua knew how much Deng Yuntai, the master jar maker, earned at the tile and jar factory. This profession was undoubtedly one of the most lucrative in rural areas. If Yuan could also become a master jar maker, his future would indeed be bright.

This matter concerned her lifelong happiness, so Ou Guohua was hesitant. She turned to her sisters for advice. "Sister Ping, Sister Fang, what do you think about Yuan?"

Ou Guofang said, "Based on Sister Ping's description, Yuan seems quite good. Although his family is poor, his monthly income is already decent. If he learns how to make large jars from your brother-in-law and becomes a master, his income will be even higher. I think you should seriously consider him, Hua."

Zhang Xiuping added, "Ahua, I also think you should give him a chance. He's your brother-in-law's childhood friend, and you're my lifelong sister. If the two of you end up together, it would truly be a match made in heaven."

She then put her arm around Ou Guohua's shoulders and said with a smile, "Besides, they say you might suffer for the first year or two, but that's just talk. Do you really think your brother-in-law and I would stand by and watch you struggle?"

Ou Guohua was convinced by her sisters' words and said thoughtfully, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

…

Time flew by, and soon it was already the eleventh month of the lunar calendar. The weather was starting to turn cold.

Compared to the north, where the seasons are distinct, the weather in Bobai County was always unpredictable. It could turn cold in the tenth or eleventh month of the lunar calendar, but it was also possible to wear short sleeves during the Spring Festival. The main characteristic was its unpredictability.

Deng Shirong's orchard had been reclaimed at the end of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Now, more than two months later, a dozen strong laborers had worked from morning to night, and the orchard was almost fully reclaimed. It was estimated that in about another week, the entire Lychee Mountain (orchard) would be complete!

Seeing the progress of the orchard's reclamation, Deng Shirong began to consider whether to build a house on Lychee Mountain.

In the Help and Correct Brigade of later generations, if a family owned a lychee orchard, nine out of ten would build one or two houses on the mountain's peak or hillside. The purpose of these houses was to provide a place to live during the lychee harvest season, allowing them to guard the fruit and prevent theft.

Therefore, building a house on Lychee Mountain was necessary. However, the lychee seedlings hadn't been planted yet, and the earliest the trees would bear fruit would be the following year. Building a house now would be too early and not cost-effective.

After some thought, Deng Shirong decided to hold off on building the house for now. He planned to reserve a spot when planting the lychee trees and then build the house the following year when the trees began to bloom.

However, while there was no rush to build the house, there was one very important task that needed to be arranged in advance.

This task was to plant a local thorny plant around the entire Lychee Mountain. Once planted and allowed to grow for a year or two, this plant would form a natural barrier, making it impossible for anyone to enter the orchard except through the main gate.

(End of this chapter)