flstandardbreds Chapter 113 A Moldy Smell the Size of a Sea Urchin (Bonus Chapter for 100 Points)
Chapter 113 A Moldy Smell the Size of a Sea Urchin (Bonus Chapter for 100 Points)
Matchmaker You was taken aback, then changed her words:
"I'll arrange the betrothal for you with the Zhao family tomorrow morning. Anyway, Zheng doesn't know you cut in line. I'll just say you came to ask me to do it first."
For the sake of fifty coins, she had to earn that money, of course.
"Thank you very much, Grandma You."
Shen Ming's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly; at least he had to propose marriage before Zhao Shengan!
The next morning, every household in Zhao Family Village sent one person to carry out the mountain protection project.
On the other side of Dongdong Mountain, slope protection projects are being constructed, such as earthen walls and anti-slide piles, to reinforce the mountain slope.
Meanwhile, on the Guan Guan Shan side, retaining dams need to be built in the mudslide gullies to slow down the flow of mudslides.
The workload on both sides was roughly the same, so the 160 households of villagers needed to be divided into two teams of 80 people each to build the projects on the two mountains.
When the village chief counted the number of people, he found that one team had only seventy-nine people, while the other team had exactly eighty people.
No matter how you count, there's always one person missing.
After checking the names on the list again, he found that everyone who had registered had come, but some people had not registered!
The village chief was immediately enraged.
The mountain protection project was built for the whole village and for everyone, yet some people are trying to cheat and shirk responsibility on such an important matter.
In order not to delay everyone's construction progress at Dongdong Mountain and Guanguan Mountain, the village chief selected a captain from each of the two teams and then sent them off.
He went home and took the ledgers of every household in the village to compare them one by one, to see who was cheating!
Zhao Sheng settled down.
As Zhao Shengan and his mother eagerly awaited their arrival, they finally saw Matchmaker You go to the Zhao family to present the betrothal gifts.
Zhao Shengan was so eager to know the answer that he secretly hid outside the Zhao family's courtyard gate to eavesdrop.
The same applies to the Zheng family.
Suddenly, Zheng looked up and discovered that Widow Pan was actually hiding behind another door of the Zhao family's house.
Was she eavesdropping too?
Zheng looked at Widow Pan with a puzzled expression. They had come to hear whether Zhao Ershu and his wife would agree to the marriage between Sheng'an and Taohua.
Could it be that Widow Pan is also concerned about Peach Blossom's marriage?
When Matchmaker You saw that Zhao Ershu and Qian Shi were both at home, she immediately put on a smile.
Today, when Zhao Ershu saw her, his expression was much more relaxed, no longer as tense as the day before.
As Zhao Ershu watched the matchmaker unload the betrothal gifts one by one from the oxcart, a smile flashed in his eyes as he looked at the familiar items.
Shen Ming is really impatient. He only agreed to it yesterday, and today he's already calling Matchmaker You to propose marriage.
Matchmaker You wasn't really sure what to expect, but seeing how sincere Shen Ming was and how much money he gave her, she tried her best to speak well of Zhao Ershu and his wife.
"Ershu, Hongyan, I've come today on behalf of Shenming to propose marriage to your family's Peach Blossom."
Shen Ming is deeply in love with Tao Hua and will not marry anyone but her. He is hardworking, responsible, and diligent.
Tall and sturdy, and good-looking too.
His parents are gone, so won't he treat you all as his own parents and be filial to you from now on?
You're not marrying off a daughter, you're practically adding another son to your family.
If Peach Blossom marries into that family, she will surely be cherished to the core.
Ershu, Hongyan, what do you think of this marriage?
Widow Pan was shocked upon hearing this: "Matchmaker You is still helping Shen Ming with the betrothal today?"
She had just seen Matchmaker You pulling an oxcart towards the Zhao family from afar, and seeing Matchmaker You's smiling face, she thought Matchmaker You had gotten a lucrative job.
That's why she came here specifically to eavesdrop and see if Zhao Ershu would agree to the marriage with Zhao Taohua.
If Zhao Taohua gets engaged to someone else, then Shen Ming will have no hope, and he will give up.
She never expected that Matchmaker You would come to arrange Shen Ming's betrothal again today!
Widow Pan frowned. What good is a girl who hasn't even grown up yet?
She has a different kind of charm!
With Shen Ming being so tall and sturdy, could Zhao Taohua withstand his rough treatment?
A man who had been a celibate for nineteen years was at his most ferocious!
Thinking of this, Widow Pan's throat bobbed involuntarily, her lips parted slightly, and her tongue quietly darted out, gently licking her dry lips.
Zhao Shengan, who was eavesdropping outside the courtyard gate, frowned: Wasn't it supposed to be helping him with the betrothal? How did it turn into betrothaling Shen Ming?
Zheng was completely bewildered: Had Shen Ming asked Matchmaker You to help with the betrothal again?
However, based on her understanding of Zhao Ershu and his wife, especially Zhao Ershu, she probably wouldn't agree to the marriage.
Just when Zheng was certain that Zhao Ershu would not agree, she heard Zhao Ershu's voice inside agreeing.
Zhao Ershu turned his gaze to Madam Qian, and seeing her nod slightly, he said:
“Aunt You, it’s rare that Shen Ming has this kind of intention. I think this is a good idea.”
"My beloved Peach Blossom married him, and he must take good care of her from now on."
The matchmaker was momentarily stunned.
She thought Zhao Ershu would object again, but to her surprise, he actually agreed.
She was planning to help Zhao Sheng'an with his betrothal after she helped Shen Ming with his.
Matchmaker You clapped her hands and said, "This is wonderful! This marriage is a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"
I'll go and talk to Shen Ming right away, and ask him to choose an auspicious day for the wedding. Then I'll come to visit him.
First of all, congratulations to you both!
Once the date is set, both families can begin preparations for the wedding.
Matchmaker You never expected that Zhao Ershu, who was so opposed yesterday, would actually change his mind today.
Shen Ming will be overjoyed when he finds out!
At that moment, Widow Pan and Zhao Shengan, who were eavesdropping outside, felt as if the sky had fallen.
done?
Has Zhao Ershu agreed to Zhao Taohua and Shen Ming's marriage proposal?
Zhao Shengan was unwilling to accept it, while Zheng Shi found it unbelievable.
But both mother and son were respectable people, so they suppressed their confusion and silently prepared to go home.
Widow Pan stormed into the Zhao family home, looking as if she wanted to tear the house down, leaving Zhao Shengan and his mother dumbfounded.
What is she going to do?
As soon as Widow Pan entered the courtyard, she put her hands on her hips and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"This marriage must not be arranged!"
Her face trembled with rage.
Zhao Ershu and his wife, along with Matchmaker You, were all stunned by this sudden turn of events.
As soon as Widow Pan burst into the main room, she plopped down in a chair and said to Zhao Ershu:
"Uncle Ershu, you can't let your Taohua get engaged to Shen Ming. Your Taohua is obviously capable and will definitely have a bright future."
How can I be a hunter's wife?
She must be at least a scholar's wife, a licentiate's wife, or even an official's wife!
How could she so casually get engaged to Shen Ming? Wouldn't that ruin Tao Hua's future?
A woman's marriage is like being reborn; Uncle Ershu, you should think twice!
Widow Pan spoke urgently to Zhao Ershu, hoping he would come to his senses and object.
Zhao Taohua raised an eyebrow, a cold smile flashing in her eyes. She knew perfectly well what Widow Pan was up to about Shen Ming!
Shen Ming was the husband she had chosen, how could she possibly abandon him after she stirred things up?
This widow Pan is overreaching. The way she looked at Shen Ming at the village entrance yesterday made her dislike her.
Thinking about it, Zhao Taohua looked at the red aura of jealousy on Widow Pan's body, and then saw a few faint, dark auras that were hard for others to detect.
There were several tiny, spiky, sea urchin-like moldy plants clinging to her body.
Bad luck stems from people's daily greed, jealousy, and laziness, accumulating over time.
These wisps of bad luck weren't enough to bring misfortune to Widow Pan yet. Zhao Taohua looked at Widow Pan and secretly released a wisp of spiritual energy towards her.
Those moldy fumes, each the size of a sea urchin, were visibly expanding!