klisemfg Chapter 44: Are there any missing limbs? How many are deaf, mute, or blind?
Chapter 44: Are there any missing limbs? How many are deaf, mute, or blind?
Just as Meng Linlang had made up her mind, she was on her way to find Meng Fuqing when two matchmakers wearing red flowers in their hair passed by and headed towards Meng Fuqing's house. She sensed that something might be about to happen, so she quickened her pace and managed to get a good spot.
Two matchmakers suddenly appeared at Meng Fuqing's house, one to arrange a marriage for the mother and the other for the daughter. This unusual and lively event soon attracted a crowd of villagers to watch.
It's getting colder every day, and many people have nothing to do but stay at home. Everyone wants to see something interesting.
Meng Ali, who was playing outside, saw and heard the villagers talking and hurriedly ran back home.
Having finally squeezed into his own yard, he saw two unfamiliar faces and, like a calf, headbutted them, yelling, "Get out of here! Get out of my house..."
He knew what matchmaking meant; if a match was made, the couple would get married, and once married, the woman would have to leave home. He didn't want his sister to leave home.
The two matchmakers were bumped and almost fell over. They were completely bewildered. They had been matchmakers for so many years and had never encountered anything like this before. They were being treated like debt collectors. What was wrong with this family?
Meng Fuqing grabbed Meng Ali, who was about to rush forward again, and said, "Stand still and don't move."
Meng Ali burst into tears and hugged Meng Fuqing's leg, crying, "Big sister, I don't want you to leave!"
It's as if Meng Fuqing is about to get married.
Meng Fuqing quickly covered his mouth, "Who's leaving? Shut your mouth."
Upon hearing that her older sister wasn't leaving, Meng Ali immediately shut her mouth, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and acted as if she hadn't cried at all.
He believed his older sister, who never lied.
Meng Fuqing looked at him, wondering if his crying just now was genuine.
After handing Meng Ali over to Shan Qiyu, Meng Fuqing walked up to the two matchmakers and said, "The child is ignorant, please don't take offense, ladies."
The two matchmakers looked at the rattan cane in Meng Fuqing's hand and shook their heads and waved their hands repeatedly, "No, no!"
Meng Fuqing looked at Wang, the matchmaker who had arrived first, and asked, "How old is that Li Si?"
Matchmaker Wang immediately said, "Oh my, that's Master Li! Master Li used to be a soldier, and his family owns fertile land and shops. Marrying him will be a life of luxury!"
Someone outside the door frowned upon hearing the name "Master Li Si." "Which Master Li Si is it? The Master Li Si in town is over forty. He's blind, deaf, and lame because he served in the army..."
The villagers were in an uproar.
Upon hearing this, Meng Linlang was shocked. This blind and deaf Master Li was the man that the fool Meng Fuqing in her dream married.
When Meng Fuqing married into the Li family, the Li family's wealth had already been squandered, unlike now when they still maintain a facade of prosperity.
She lowered her eyes to hide the complex emotions within them. Unless Meng Fuqing became an idiot like in her dream, she would have no chance of marrying Master Li.
Meng Fuqing's gaze turned icy as she looked at Wang the matchmaker.
The matchmaker, Wang, was terrified by her gaze. "A young lady should still find a wealthy family so she won't have to worry about the future. Master Li is good-natured; you couldn't find another like him in this area even with a lantern..."
The villagers had all watched Meng Fuqing grow up, and most of them were relatives from the same clan. Those who knew the inside story naturally didn't want to watch Meng Fuqing be deceived.
"You mean he's good-tempered because he can't hear you and doesn't pay any attention to people? Besides, who said that Master Li is good-tempered? He's on good terms with that old man from the Lin family, they're the same kind of people. He loves to torment young girls. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for making such dirty money as a matchmaker?"
Tiger led several young men into the courtyard from the crowd. They were all strong laborers who worked together. When they weren't busy in the fields, they would go to the town or county to do manual labor to earn some money for their families. They knew more about things in the town and county than other villagers.
They're the ones who've been sabotaging us all along.
As far as they knew, Master Li was blind in one eye, lame in one leg, and partially deaf, requiring loud talking to hear clearly. Because of this, he had some special preferences in bed, especially for women with charming voices who made loud noises.
As for how to get them to scream, we'll definitely have to use some tricks.
They used to look down on Meng Shaoyuan for beating his wife and children, but because of Meng Shaoyuan's status as an elder, they could only curse him behind his back. Now that they had encountered this incident, they could not stand by and watch Meng Fuqing's family be bullied by outsiders.
The matchmaker was stared at by several strong young men, and she was so frightened that she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.
The matchmaker, Tian, standing to the side, broke out in a cold sweat as she recalled the Yang family's situation. She felt that they were making an example of them, and that she had become the monkey the moment she stepped into the courtyard.
Meng Fuqing hadn't expected to have an accomplice. She curled her lips and said, "Since Aunt Wang is praising Master Li so highly, why don't you marry him yourself and enjoy a life of happiness instead of spending your life in a wicked and immoral relationship?"
The matchmaker's face flushed red. She wanted to curse, but the young men stepped forward at the same time, and her throat trembled so much that she couldn't make a sound.
Bandits! This is a bandit village!
Marriage is a matter of mutual consent. If she's not happy about it, then she's happy to go...
Meng Fuqing casually looked at Matchmaker Tian and asked, "It's your turn. Who is this Yang family in town you mentioned? How old are they? Do they have any missing limbs, deaf, mute, or blind members?"
Matchmaker Tian wiped the sweat from her brow. "Well, um, I might have gone to the wrong door. I'll leave now, I'll leave now..."
As she turned to leave, she was blocked by Hu Zi, who stood like a doorman.
Meng Fuqing narrowed her eyes. "That won't do. In Mengjia Village, only my mother's surname is Shan. Auntie, you've come to the wrong place. I don't think you've even found the right village. Are you trying to fool me with this kind of childish excuse?"
Someone outside laughed.
Hu Zi thought for a moment and said to Meng Fuqing, "If I remember correctly, there is indeed a family surnamed Yang in the town. There are six brothers in that family. The other five have all started their own families, leaving only the youngest brother who is bedridden and has never married."
His parents loved their youngest son the most when they were alive. Before they died, they instructed their five sons to find him a wife to serve him. However, they hadn't been able to find a decent woman, and if they could hire a matchmaker, the fee would certainly be quite high.
After thinking it over, Tiger realized that among the Yang family in town, only the sixth son was a good match for Aunt Shan in terms of age.
The matchmaker, feeling guilty, dared not speak.
The villagers were furious when they heard this.
"Are you two women here to humiliate people? You'll take any job that's dishonest for money, won't you?"
"You're marrying a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl off to a cripple, and her mother to a paralyzed man, and you all praise it to the skies? Why don't you marry your own daughters off to those men? If all else fails, can't you just marry them off yourselves?!"
"Yeah, isn't it just about how deep someone's pockets are?"
"Get out of our Mengjia Village!"
"Get out! Get out now!"
The villagers were outraged and tried to shove and push the person away.
Shan Qiyu and Yao Shanyun, who were listening from behind, were getting increasingly angry. Shan Qiyu grabbed a broom and was about to throw the person out.
Meng Fuqing stopped them and said loudly, "Thank you all for your help today, but I have something I want to ask these two ladies. Could you please be quiet for a moment?"
The villagers weren't the type to ignore reason, and after a while, they gradually quieted down.
The two arch-rivals, Wang and Tian, were pushed and shoved together by the villagers, but surprisingly, they didn't argue or roll their eyes at each other.
At this moment, both of them were filled with regret—regret that this day should not have come!
What a coincidence that we ran into each other! If we hadn't run into each other, we would have just gotten scolded by our families, but now we're in this mess.
At the same time, he was inwardly cursing the other person: Look at the marriage proposal you made!
Meng Fuqing walked up to the two women and asked, "Ladies, tell me, who asked you to mediate between our two families?"