After Awakening, the Control Group’s Husband Decided to Lie Flat - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Another Matchmaking Meeting

Not long after the Double Ninth Festival had passed, the nephew of that fishmonger from Heyansun Village came knocking with a matchmaker.

Heyansun lay to the northwest of the Xia family village. Because it was located along the river and most of the villagers bore the surname Sun, the village was called Heyansun. The fishmonger was named Sun Axing; his younger brother, Sun Awang, had three sons. Two were already married, and the matchmaker was now here for the youngest son, Sun Laisheng. He was a bricklayer, traveling with his master to build and repair houses. He earned two hundred copper coins a day—twice the usual wage for manual labor—and bricklayers were well respected; most employers even provided lunch and snacks.

The matchmaker said Sun Laisheng was honest and hardworking, with many families who had daughters or sons-in-law already asking about him. Sun Axing had made inquiries everywhere and found out that Xia Xingyuan’s parents were upright and kind, while Xia Qingtáo was capable and industrious. That was why he proposed the match for his nephew—implying that his nephew’s conditions were good enough to be choosy, too.

Qingtáo’s parents both felt the Sun family’s conditions were indeed decent. After all, anyone who could send a son to learn masonry clearly wasn’t poor. Moreover, Sun Laisheng himself sounded like a steady man. The fishmonger’s husband was also very warmhearted—always willing to give a discount or throw in an extra fish head when selling them fish. From that, they figured the whole family must be good people, so they agreed to arrange a meeting.

Because Qingtáo’s older cousin had married into Heyansun, his sister-in-law went to visit the cousin under the pretense of family matters, secretly intending to gather information about the Sun family and see if things were truly as the matchmaker claimed.

Initially, Qingtáo himself also thought Sun Laisheng sounded fine—someone who could live a stable life. But when his sister-in-law returned, she said:

“Aiya, Mother, I don’t think this family would make good in-laws.”

“How so?” his mother asked while tending the fire for cooking. She turned halfway around to look at Xinghua. “Are Sun Awang and his son difficult to get along with?”

“Not exactly…” Xinghua glanced toward Qingtáo, who was at another stove stir-frying chives and radish, and continued, “Sister Hong said both Sun Awang and Sun Laisheng are honest folks, but his wife—that is, Sun Awang’s wife—is extremely domineering and sharp-tongued. And both of their daughters-in-law aren’t easy to get along with either. The two sisters-in-law quarrel constantly, using the excuse of disciplining their children to fling barbed insults at each other. If it weren’t for the mother-in-law holding the family together, they would’ve split long ago. If Qingtáo marries in, won’t he be bullied to death by his mother-in-law and sisters-in-law?”

Qingtáo’s mother fell silent for a while, then said softly:

“That really won’t do… But if they actually do split up, and the young couple closes their doors and lives their own life, that’d be a different matter. Qingtáo, what do you think?”

Pouring water into the pot and covering it so the radish could cook, Qingtáo thought for a moment and said:

“But what if they don’t split up for a while? And even if they do, the mother-in-law will still have authority. And with two sisters-in-law like that…”

Even if they split, they would still have to interact during holidays. If the sisters-in-law were unpleasant, even a small thing like receiving vegetables from the mother-in-law could spark accusations of favoritism, leading inevitably to gossip and arguments.

Xinghua chimed in: “Exactly. Even if they split, those two sisters-in-law will still be around—there’ll be endless fights and grievances. I say forget it.”

“That’s true… But we’ve already agreed to the meeting, and since the fishmonger often comes around, it wouldn’t look good to back out now. Knowing your father’s temperament, he’d never agree to cancel outright,” his mother hesitated.

Qingtáo laughed. “That’s easy—if I didn’t like the scholar, isn’t it normal I wouldn’t like a bricklayer either?”

His mother sighed. “Let’s just meet him first.”

Two days later, the fishmonger couple arrived with the matchmaker and Sun Laisheng. Since Qingtáo’s younger aunt was acting as the intermediary, the meeting was held at her house.

Qingtáo used the excuse of delivering fruit to sneak a peek. To say he wasn’t disappointed would be a lie—Sun Laisheng was short, dark-skinned, expressionless, and sat there silently. He was even less lively than Li Xiucai.

Thus, this matchmaking attempt fell apart entirely.

The next day, however, the matchmaker came back saying Sun Laisheng was interested in him, and the Sun family also liked him. They were willing to offer fifteen taels of silver as bride price—usually only brides received fifteen taels; gē’ér marriages typically received ten taels. The Sun family’s willingness to give fifteen was a clear show of sincerity.

But to the Xia family, since Sun Awang’s wife and daughters-in-law were difficult and Qingtáo himself disliked Sun Laisheng, this marriage was naturally out of the question.

Word quickly spread through Xia village that Qingtáo had turned down the Sun family’s son. Some aunts and grannies began gossiping behind his back, saying he was far too picky—that he turned down this one and that one. Did he think he’d marry into an official’s family like Xia Mian? What a dream! Just wait—when he’s an old gē’ér no one wants, he’ll end up with some leftover bachelor!

The gossip got so bad that one day it even reached the ears of Qingtáo’s father, Xia Xingyuan. While irrigating the fields, he overheard Summer Shuigen and his wife gossiping on the ridge:

“Isn’t it true that Qingtáo’s heart is higher than the sky? I heard the Sun family offered fifteen taels and he still refused. His parents are clueless too, spoiling him rotten. Do they really think their gē’ér is some kind of treasure? When he can’t marry later, we’ll see who laughs!”

Already irritated from fighting over irrigation water, Xia Xingyuan’s temper snapped. He hefted his hoe and stormed toward them, shouting:

“Where did these two dogs come from, barking here? You bastards born of whores—what business is it of yours whether my son marries or not? Can’t marry your own son off so you’re jealous, huh? Bark again and I’ll split your skull with this hoe!”

Summer Shuigen shrank back but muttered, “What did I say? Was I wrong? I’m already a grandfather. People like you are clueless—that’s why your family hasn’t had grandkids yet. Your gē’ér can’t even marry…”

“You’re first to become a grandfather, so you’ll be first to die! If your ancestors were so virtuous, your uncle wouldn’t have died without a wife! When’s your turn, you filthy scumbag?” Xia Xingyuan roared, face red and veins bulging.

Just then, Xia Qingxi, fresh from the fields and hoe in hand, rushed over, rolling up his sleeves:

“You old bastards bullying my dad? I’ll kill you—”

The couple panicked, fleeing so fast they practically left farts behind.

That evening at dinner, when father and son recounted the story, Qingtáo nearly died laughing:

“Didn’t expect you to curse like that, Dad.”

“How could I not, with him yapping like a dog?” Xia Xingyuan grumbled, sipping his wine. “Every time we irrigate, he blocks the channel before our field is full so all the water flows into his. Then, after his field is filled, he doesn’t bother reopening the channel. Despicable bastard—should’ve beaten him already. One good beating and he’d behave.”

Xia Qingxi added, “Next time they talk nonsense, I’ll call Uncle Mingyun and the others. We’ll beat them up good and see if they dare act tough again!”

Their clan was large, full of strong men—no fear of a brawl.

But their mother cautioned, “Teach them a lesson if you must, but don’t kill anyone.”

“Don’t worry, Ma,” Qingxi replied. “We know what we’re doing. Some people are just shameless—always gossiping. One good thrashing will shut them up.”

Still, Qingtáo knew in his heart that after rejecting both the scholar’s and the Sun family’s proposals, his reputation for “high standards” was now infamous. No one would bother approaching him again.

He couldn’t figure out how things had come to this and wasn’t sure if his earlier decisions had been right or wrong.

Luckily, it would soon be harvest time. In the south, they planted three crops a year: early rice, late rice, and winter wheat. By October, it was time to harvest the late rice and plant winter wheat. The whole village was busy reaping rice and talking about harvest yields and taxes.

Qingtáo, too, was busy—washing clothes, cooking, boiling water, and gathering fodder. Their family had twenty mu of land1, harvested by his parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law. His grandmother rotated between helping their household and his uncle’s. Since Qingtáo had rarely worked the fields, his role during harvest was preparing food, boiling water, and making snacks.

His parents and brother would wake at first light, eating leftover rice from the previous night for breakfast before heading to the fields. After finishing the laundry, Qingtáo would boil water and prepare snacks, then deliver them to the fields around mid-morning.

Snacks were usually wheat pancakes or leftover rice. Wheat pancakes were simply flour, water, and eggs mixed with a bit of oil and cooked on a griddle. Since he was the only one at home and also had to feed chickens, ducks, and pigs, he made pancakes when he had time; otherwise, he just boiled water, soaked leftover rice, and added some dried radish—simple and filling. If even the leftover rice was gone, he’d bring roasted chestnuts to the fields; they were filling when eaten with water.

After returning, he’d start preparing lunch. Harvesting rice was heavy labor, so lunch had to be hearty. He fried cabbage with leftover pork cracklings, prepared a plate of braised dried tofu, steamed dried loaches caught by his brother in summer, and steamed three eggs—beaten in bowls and steamed whole, served with soy sauce and sesame oil for fragrance and satiety. Lastly, he prepared a crisp, refreshing plate of pickled cucumbers.

He also cooked a big pot of chestnut rice—rice mixed with chestnuts, giving it a sweet aroma. The chestnuts themselves turned soft and powdery. In the countryside, when rice was scarce, they often mixed it with soybeans, taro, or chestnuts. Aside from soybean rice, which was dark and unpleasant, the other combinations were surprisingly delicious. Of course, when grain was plentiful, everyone preferred pure white rice!

By noon, the sun was high overhead. Though it was late autumn, the heat lingered. His parents and brother returned, stomachs rumbling. After washing up, they all sat down to eat.

“I’m starving,” Qingxi said, immediately digging in. “On the way back, I saw Doggie’s wife bring him food. He was eating like a king—pickles and soy-braised tofu… Hah! In the end, no one cooks like our Qingtáo!”

“Who can’t make that?” Qingtáo tried to act modest despite feeling pleased with the praise. “It’s easy.”

“Look at him—two compliments and he’s already smug,” his mother teased.

“Qingtáo’s really capable,” Xinghua joined in. “I’d never even had braised dried tofu until I married into this family. Good thing I’ve learned how to make it now. Otherwise, once Qingtáo marries out, we won’t get to eat it anymore.”

“Ah, talk about taking advantage!” Qingxi groaned. “Who knows which brat will get lucky in the future. When he comes back to visit, I’ll get him drunk that day!”

“What nonsense—you’re already thinking about bullying your future brother-in-law before there’s even a hint of marriage!” their mother scolded, tapping his head with her chopsticks. “Eat!”

Qingtáo just laughed at the side.

Footnotes

1. Mu (亩) – A traditional Chinese unit of area, roughly equal to 666.7 square meters or about 1/6 of an acre. ↩