Chapter 65: She Is the Most Suitable Person
"Ugh, don’t even ask. I’m dying of thirst." Auntie Qian gasped, plopping down on the heated brick bed. The distance between Fengshui Village and Lihua Village was no short walk. She’d made the entire round trip on foot, and not only had she failed her task, but she hadn’t even been offered a sip of hot water. Her throat felt like it was on fire.
"Here, quick, have some water." Chen Danou hurried to pour Auntie Qian a glass and asked, "What’s wrong? The girl wasn’t willing?"
"Willing? She didn’t even let me in the door! Just sent me packing." GULP, GULP. Auntie Qian downed several large mouthfuls of water, feeling like she could finally breathe again. Then, huffing with indignation, she recounted the whole affair to Chen Danou.
She finished by saying, "Listen, dear, it’s not my place to say, but your second son is so handsome. Why is he so fixated on marrying such an ugly girl? You should have seen her... oh my! The scar on her left cheek is just awful, truly hideous. If you ask me, you should just call this whole marriage off. I can introduce your boy to some real beauties. Besides, didn’t I introduce him to a few girls before? I heard he met one and they really hit it off. I never got a chance to ask, what happened there?"
"Ugh, don’t get me started," Chen Danou said. "It was going well at first. They both seemed to like each other. But then, not even two days later, the girl suddenly said it wasn’t going to work and that she didn’t want to see my son anymore. And just like that, it was over. Then, I don’t know what got into him, but my son told me he’d taken a liking to that Su Qing from Lihua Village. So what’s the deal? Is she really that ugly?"
Chen Danou had never met Su Qing and knew nothing about her. She’d only heard the name because of Liang Fushan. Once she learned that Su Qing could potentially help her son get a job in the county seat, she hadn’t bothered to ask for any more details.
"Oh, honey, you should have seen her." Annoyed by Su Qing’s disrespect, Auntie Qian began to exaggerate. "I have never seen a girl that hideous in my life. Let’s not even talk about her features. Just that massive scar on her left cheek... it’s as ugly as ugly gets. If you woke up in the middle of the night and accidentally laid eyes on her, I swear you’d have nightmares."
"What? She’s that ugly?" Chen Danou gasped, her brow furrowing. ’Even if this girl could really get my son a job,’ she thought, ’what would happen if people found out we took in such an ugly daughter-in-law? Wouldn’t we become the laughingstock of the town? Besides, Su Qing herself isn’t even willing.’
With that thought, Chen Danou’s interest in Su Qing waned considerably. "Alright then, if she’s not willing, so be it," she said. "Auntie Qian, thank you for all your trouble today. When you get a chance, if you come across anyone else who might be a good match, please keep my son in mind."
As she spoke, Chen Danou placed a package of pastries in front of Auntie Qian. "This is just a little something for you. Please, don’t refuse."
"Oh, my, listen to you! Pastries are such a luxury these days." Auntie Qian beamed. Although she hadn’t earned the ten yuan, she knew that if she successfully found a wife for the Liang Family’s second son, they would reward her handsomely. The Liang Family had always been generous.
The two women chatted and laughed for a little while longer before Auntie Qian said her goodbyes and headed home.
When Liang Fushan came back from the fields at noon, he asked Chen Danou, "Mom, did Auntie Qian go to Lihua Village? Did they agree?"
Chen Danou shot Liang Fushan a mock glare. "You have some nerve. Why didn’t you tell me that Su Qing has a huge scar on her face?"
"Mom, that’s not important," Liang Fushan said dismissively.
’It’s not like I even like Su Qing anyway,’ he thought. ’The only reason I want to marry her is for her connection to Fu Yuzhen. I’m counting on her to get me a job in the factory. As for what happens with our marriage after that... well, I have my own ways of handling things.’
"Well, you can forget about it. The girl said no," Chen Danou said. "Your Auntie Qian said she’ll introduce you to other girls. There are plenty of them who are prettier than Su Qing. That girl... she’s just too ugly."
"Mom, I still want to marry Su Qing," Liang Fushan said, sitting down next to his mother. "You know how hard it is to get into the county factories. But once you’re in, it’s an ’iron rice bowl’—a job for life. Isn’t that a thousand times better than breaking your back in the fields?"
"Sigh, but I can’t let you sacrifice yourself by marrying such an ugly girl," Chen Danou said with a frown. "I’m sure if your father found out, he’d never agree."
She then added, "Besides, it’s not like our family is hurting for money. You don’t need to be so obsessed with getting an ’iron rice bowl.’ We can provide for you just fine."
"Mom," Liang Fushan said in a low voice. "Don’t think I don’t know. The family’s money is tied up with my sister-in-law. She probably still thinks of it as her dowry. Right now, since the family assets haven’t been divided, my brother and his wife don’t say anything when we build houses or do other things. But if we ever do divide the family property, she would never agree to let me, her little brother-in-law, get a share of that money."
"What? Did your sister-in-law say something to you?" Chen Danou’s eyes widened in anger. "That ungrateful brat! If our family hadn’t helped her hide it back then, that little bit of money her parents left her would’ve been stolen long ago. Do you think she could have held onto it by herself? The moment her rotten relatives found out she had money, they would have come crawling to ’borrow’ it. And they’d never pay it back! It’d be like tossing meat buns at a dog—gone for good. Besides, we had an agreement! Our family would help her hide it, and the money would belong to the Liang Family. And me, her mother-in-law, I was even kind enough to plan on giving her a portion of it in the future. And she has the nerve to be dissatisfied? Pah."
Liang Fushan lowered his head, pretending he hadn’t heard his mother’s furious outburst. "Mom, regardless," he said, "I just feel like having an ’iron rice bowl’ would give me more security."
’Liang Fushan was sick and tired of farm work. He dreamed of becoming a city dweller, respectable and clean—a life so much easier than having mud caked on his feet all day. Besides, he had no idea how much money he’d actually get when the family property was eventually divided. The best course of action was to get his mom to cough up the money and secure a job for him now.’
"So you’re saying you’re dead set on marrying that ugly girl?" Chen Danou felt a headache coming on. Just the thought of welcoming such an unsightly daughter-in-law into her home made her skin crawl.
"Mom, she’s the most suitable candidate right now," Liang Fushan said quickly.
"It’s no use even thinking about it. She said no." Remembering Auntie Qian’s words, Chen Danou sighed. "The girl isn’t willing. It can’t be a one-sided affair."
"Mom, even if she’s living on her own and her parents are gone, doesn’t she still have grandparents?" Liang Fushan didn’t know all the details of Su Qing’s situation, but he figured he could approach the Old Su Family. ’After all,’ he thought, ’marriages are decided by parents and matchmakers. If her parents are gone, then her grandparents are in charge. Even if she’s living separately now, she’s still a granddaughter of the Old Su Family.’