Chapter 50: Playing Matchmaker

Not long after returning home, someone came knocking on the door.

"Anyone home at the Jiang residence?"

Mother Zhang hurried to open the door. Matchmaker Song? She asked in puzzlement, "Matchmaker Song, is there something you need?"

"Oh, what are you saying? Of course I have business when I come here." Matchmaker Song flicked her handkerchief, releasing a pungent scent. "I am here to propose a match for Jieyuan Ni."

Proposing a match for Young Master Ni?

Mother Zhang was stunned for a moment. In her heart, she had always believed that Young Master Ni was destined to marry Miss Lihua in the future.

She politely declined, "Thank you, but our young master is not looking to marry."

Matchmaker Song was displeased, her expression turning cold. "Mother Zhang, you are merely a servant. How can you make decisions for your master? Do have your master come out instead."

Mother Zhang was instantly choked up by Matchmaker Song's words. With a dark face, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Even as a servant, she knew very well that Young Master Ni would not accept any marriage proposals.

Having followed Miss Lihua and the young master for so many years, who couldn't see that Young Master Ni had eyes only for Miss Lihua?

These people must have seen that Young Master Ni passed the Jieyuan examination and had a boundless future ahead of him, which was why they came with marriage proposals. In their dreams!

"Open the door, Mother Zhang! Open the door!"

Matchmaker Song refused to give up, hammering fiercely on the outside of the door. "Open up quickly! Let me tell you, if you ruin your master's good fortune, you will suffer for it!"

"If you don't open this door today, I am not leaving."

Jiang Lihua had been disturbed by the commotion. Seeing Mother Zhang return, she asked, "Mother Zhang, who is out there?"

"Miss, it's Matchmaker Song from the town. She said she came to propose a match for Young Master Ni. I could tell those people harbor malicious intentions, so I locked her outside," Mother Zhang said indignantly.

Ah, it was only after listening to Su Moxue's words that she had started to seriously confront her feelings for Ni Wenyu, never expecting someone to come knocking with a marriage proposal so soon.

Jiang Lihua pondered for a moment and instructed Mother Zhang to invite the visitor inside.

Mother Zhang said disapprovingly, "Miss, how could Young Master Ni possibly accept a match with someone else?"

Jiang Lihua felt another pang of awkwardness at these words.

Indeed, everyone around them assumed she and Ni Wenyu were a couple; otherwise, Mother Zhang wouldn't have directly shut the door in the matchmaker's face.

She smiled awkwardly and said, "Mother Zhang, I know what I'm doing."

Firstly, perhaps this was an opportunity.

Ni Wenyu had never explicitly stated his feelings. Taking advantage of this incident would be a good way to test his true attitude, allowing her to mentally prepare herself.

Secondly, this Matchmaker Song was a well-known matchmaker in town.

If she were offended, she could easily turn right into wrong. Even if no marriage was to be arranged, it was better to clear things up with her properly.

Reluctant as she was, since the young master had spoken, Mother Zhang had no choice but to open the door and invite Matchmaker Song inside.

Looking thoroughly pleased with herself, Matchmaker Song walked in with her head held high and remarked, "See? Servants shouldn't meddle in their masters' affairs. Hmph."

Upon seeing Jiang Lihua, Matchmaker Song beamed and said, "Miss Jiang, today I have come to propose a match for Jieyuan Ni. Is Jieyuan Ni at home, I wonder?"

"He is not home," Jiang Lihua shook her head. "Whose family has commissioned Matchmaker Song to make this proposal?"

"It is Magistrate, the Magistrate's only daughter. She is fifteen years old this year and has come of age. The Magistrate thinks very highly of Jieyuan Ni, which is why he specifically invited me to act as the matchmaker."

Matchmaker Song said proudly.

The reason the Magistrate asked her to handle this was precisely because she possessed a silver tongue; there was no match she could not successfully arrange.

"I cannot make the decision on this matter. I will pass the message to him when he returns," Jiang Lihua said.

She was well aware of the Magistrate, but she had never heard of his daughter.

"That's fine, I'll wait here." Without a hint of politeness, Matchmaker Song found a seat, plumped herself down, and even poured herself a cup of tea to drink.

Jiang Lihua was left speechless.

One truly couldn't be a matchmaker without a thick skin.

With nothing better to do, Jiang Lihua made small talk with her, "How is it that I've been in town for so long, yet I've never heard of the Magistrate's only daughter?"

"Oh, well, that young lady was born prematurely and has been in poor health. She had been recuperating in the countryside ever since, and it's only recently that she recovered and was brought back home."

Fearing that Jiang Lihua might mind, Matchmaker Song hurriedly explained, "Her illness is completely cured now, and she is as robust as can be. She is delicate and charming, and she is definitely worthy of Jieyuan Ni."

Matchmaker, after all, meant having an endless stream of words; once she started chatting, she couldn't stop.

Seeing that Jiang Lihua did not hold prejudices against her like others did, Matchmaker Song became even more talkative.

"Miss Jiang is thirteen years old this year as well. In another two years, it will be time for you to consider marriage."

"I know a wealthy merchant whose son would be a remarkably good match for you. If you were to marry into their family, you're guaranteed to live the life of a rich lady, never having to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your days. Would Miss Jiang like to consider it?"

"Haha," Jiang Lihua laughed. "Thank you, Matchmaker Song, but I currently have no worries about food or clothing, and I am not considering it for now."

"Not worried about money? Then does Miss Jiang wish to marry an official?" Matchmaker Song asked persistently, refusing to give up. "I know officials as well, though arranging a match with an official is rather troublesome."

At this point, Matchmaker Song added with a touch of sentiment, "Actually, marrying an official is not necessarily a good thing."

"How so?" Jiang Lihua asked curiously.

In this era governed by strict hierarchies, countless people dreamed of marrying an official, and even becoming a concubine was fiercely contested.

Yet Matchmaker Song spoke this way, arousing Jiang Lihua's curiosity about her perspective.

Matchmaker Song sighed. "Even if the daughter of an ordinary commoner manages to marry an official, she can only ever be a concubine, with no status to speak of."

"Upon marrying in, she is treated worse than a servant! Oppressed by the primary wife and looked down upon by the servants, she is caught in the middle and belongs nowhere."

Having finished, Matchmaker Song felt she had spoken a bit too much and laughed it off. "Miss Jiang is so approachable that this old woman accidentally ran her mouth off. Please don't take offense."

Jiang Lihua waved her hand. "Never mind that. Matchmaker Song, tell me more about the Magistrate's daughter."

Matchmaker Song shared everything she knew, though in truth she didn't know much, having only laid eyes on that young lady once.

The two sat chatting away, exchanging words back and forth, and Matchmaker Song actually developed a profound fondness for Jiang Lihua.

Having spent decades as a matchmaker, she had endured countless cold glances and snubs.

Jiang Lihua was practically the first person to speak with her courteously and patiently for so long; in any other household, she would have been chased out long ago.

Therefore, she decided that even if this match fell through, she would at least refrain from tarnishing their reputations.

As evening approached, Ni Wenyu finally returned.

Upon stepping into the courtyard, he spotted a brightly dressed figure chatting animatedly with Jiang Lihua. He stepped forward and asked, "Lihua, who is this?"

Before Jiang Lihua could reply, Matchmaker Song stood up and circled around Ni Wenyu, exclaiming, "Oh! Is this Jieyuan Ni?"

Ni Wenyu felt slightly uncomfortable under her scrutiny, but he still nodded in acknowledgement.

"I am Matchmaker Song from the town. Jieyuan Ni surely devotes all his time to reading the sages' books, so it's no wonder you haven't heard of me," Matchmaker Song introduced herself.

Upon hearing this, Ni Wenyu's face instantly darkened, and a momentary wave of dizziness struck him.

Could she have come to propose a marriage for Lihua?

The way Lihua had been chatting so happily with her earlier—could it be that they had already settled the matter?

His hand within his sleeve trembled slightly. He looked at Jiang Lihua and asked, "Lihua, are you going to be betrothed?"

He suddenly felt terrified of hearing Jiang Lihua's answer.

It felt like an eternity passed before he heard Jiang Lihua reply, "No, Matchmaker Song is here to propose a match for you."

Ni Wenyu let out a sigh of relief. Goodness, it seemed he needed to clarify things with Lihua as soon as possible.

He was sixteen years old now, and Lihua was thirteen—it was indeed reaching the age for betrothal.

He cupped his hands in a bow toward Matchmaker Song and said, "Thank you, but I have no intentions of marrying at this time. Please return."

Matchmaker Song lavished him with continuous praise, "Tsk tsk, Jieyuan Ni is truly refined and courteous. No wonder so many young maidens in town are fond of you!"

Her words came entirely from the heart.

Had it been any other household where a marriage proposal was rejected, they would have instantly changed their expression and chased her out. Ni Wenyu, however, was the very first person to respectfully bow and invite her to leave.

Looking at Ni Wenyu and Jiang Lihua, a flash of shrewd understanding crossed her small eyes.

It seemed she had figured something out.

Covering her mouth, she let out a cackling laugh. "It appears both of you already have your hearts set elsewhere, so this old woman will no longer intrude. However, the Magistrate is not a man to cross lightly, so the two of you should be careful."

Jiang Lihua promptly thanked Matchmaker Song and handed her two small silver ingots, saying, "Thank you for the warning, Matchmaker Song."

Matchmaker Song did not put on any false airs; she briskly accepted the silver and swayed away on her feet.

Jiang Lihua and Ni Wenyu stood face to face, both wearing slightly awkward expressions.

"Lihua, let's go. We're going to Wanfu Restaurant for dinner." Su Moxue arrived accompanied by Xiaolu, her booming voice instantly shattering the awkward silence.

Ni Wenyu looked toward the newcomers.

Wasn't this the young lady who had tried to snatch the hairpin the other day?

He looked questioningly at Jiang Lihua, asking her what was going on.

Jiang Lihua recounted the events of the past two days while he was away.

Ni Wenyu nodded. Lihua had few friends, and since Su Moxue got along well with her, making a companion of her wasn't a bad idea.

"Lihua, you go ahead and eat. I still have to head to the academy," Ni Wenyu said.

Seeing that he had become even busier after passing the Jieyuan examination, Jiang Lihua urged him to eat on time and rest properly before setting off for Wanfu Restaurant with Su Moxue.

Wanfu Restaurant.

"Lihua, this meal is on you," Su Moxue coaxed playfully.

"No problem," Jiang Lihua smiled. After spending a long time with Su Moxue, she had discovered that the girl was remarkably childish.

"Come on, let's sit over there." Su Moxue pointed to an empty table by the window.

Just as they reached the table, someone else rushed ahead and sat down in the seats.

Su Moxue immediately flared up, "Hey, get up. These are our seats."

"Whoever sits down first gets the seats," the young woman said arrogantly.

Yet why did Jiang Lihua find this voice so familiar?

Looking closely, her pupils contracted slightly. Wasn't this Huang Yingrong?

She seemed to recall that after the village chief was arrested, because of his advanced age, he had died in prison not long after, and Huang Yingrong had disappeared without a trace.

How had she ended up in town?

Judging by her attire and the maidservant standing behind her to wait upon her, she appeared to be living quite comfortably.

Huang Yingrong looked at Jiang Lihua triumphantly; she had deliberately snatched these seats the moment she spotted Jiang Lihua.

Jiang Lihua sighed. Some people were simply bent on courting their own doom.

Since her life was looking up now, wouldn't it be better to live well? Why insist on making trouble for others?

For the sake of Huang Yingrong's deceased grandfather, Jiang Lihua decided to let her off the hook this once.