Chapter Six: The Matchmaker Arrives

Zhong Chengfa choked, his face flushed and veins bulging in his neck. Flustered and desperate, he blurted out, "One hundred yuan is not enough! But, but didn’t Father still have five hundred yuan in compensation? That makes six hundred! Six hundred yuan should be enough to get me a formal job, right?"

The moment those words left his mouth, not only Zhang Chunxue but also Zhong Chengren, Zhong Chengyi, and Liu Cuie beside them were stunned.

Zhang Chunxue was first taken aback, then as if she suddenly understood something, she burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright... So this is your real calculation! No wonder you’re so fixated on that one hundred yuan! So you were just waiting here all along! That five hundred yuan? I’m telling you, it’s gone!"

"What?"

Now, it wasn’t just Zhong Chengfa who exploded; even Zhong Chengren, Zhong Chengyi, and Liu Cuie were infuriated.

Liu Cuie jumped up, having coveted that five hundred yuan for years but never found a chance to get it. Pointing at Zhang Chunxue’s nose, she shouted, “Zhang Chunxue! You prodigal woman! Five hundred yuan! That’s a huge sum! You say it’s gone just like that? It’s only been a few years! Even if you ate meat every day, you couldn’t have spent it all! Where did the money go?”

Zhang Chunxue crossed her arms, looking perfectly self-righteous.

“How I spend the money is none of your business. The official who handed over the compensation made it clear—the money was for me to raise these children! Now, look at them; they’re grown up. The eldest and second son have wives too. Sending them to school and getting married both cost money, right? Isn’t it normal that the money’s all gone?”

Liu Cuie was left speechless, only able to wheeze in frustration.

The third son, Zhong Chengyi, sensed something was wrong and quickly called out, “Mom! I’m not married yet! My share should still be there, right?”

Zhang Chunxue glanced coldly at him. That look sent an inexplicable chill down Zhong Chengyi’s spine.

“Don’t worry. As for your wife, I’ll find a way to get you one. You won’t miss out; I guarantee you’ll marry a good one.”

Seeing his mother’s indifferent expression, Zhong Chengyi felt uneasy but, thinking that marriage was still possible, he temporarily silenced his doubts about the five hundred yuan and sheepishly closed his mouth.

Zhang Chunxue ignored her scheming sons and didn’t even glance at Liu Cuie, who looked ready to faint with anger.

“Mom, it’s getting late. Our family is about to have dinner, you should go back now.”

Liu Cuie wanted to cause a scene, but Zhang Chunxue had already turned to her three sons.

“What are you standing there for? You invited these people, so hurry up and send them off! Otherwise, none of you will eat lunch today!”

At these words, the three brothers’ faces changed again.

The eldest, Zhong Chengren, exchanged a glance with the second son, and in their eyes, they saw nothing but helplessness and frustration.

Finally, the eldest gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and forced out a smile more miserable than crying. "Granny, how about... you go back first? We’ll come to see you later.”

The second son quickly chimed in, “Yes, Granny. Mom is... busy right now. You should go back first.”

The third son, Zhong Chengyi, also timidly stepped forward, trying to pull Liu Cuie’s arm.

“Get lost!” Liu Cuie shook off his hand and stared fiercely at Zhang Chunxue. “Zhang Chunxue! Just wait! This isn’t over! That girl, Xiaoxiao, must marry Wang Laowu! No one can stop it!”

With that, she stormed off in a huff.

The three Zhong brothers stood in the courtyard, looking at one another with complicated expressions.

Back inside, the atmosphere grew heavy.

The three brothers quietly sat back at the table and picked up their chopsticks.

Zhong Chengren glanced around, then picked up a chopstick of golden scrambled eggs and offered it toward Zhang Chunxue’s bowl. “Mom, you’ve been working hard all day, have some food.”

Zhong Chengyi followed suit, quickly picking some food. “Mom, try this; it’s tasty.”

The youngest, Zhong Chengyi, was a bit slower but also reached out his chopsticks.

Zhang Chunxue, however, seemed to ignore their attentions completely, not even lifting an eyelid.

Instead, she reached over to the side and firmly placed a large helping of oily scrambled eggs into Zhong Xiaoxiao’s bowl. “Xiaoxiao, eat more. You’re too thin.”

Zhong Xiaoxiao was stunned, her hands trembling slightly as she held the bowl, whispering, “Thank you, Mom...”

The three brothers froze, chopsticks suspended midair.

Their mother... must have lost her mind today!

Before, all the good things were always for the three of them first. Since when did it become Xiaoxiao’s turn? And she was even serving her food?

After the meal, Zhong Xiaoxiao habitually stood up to clear the table.

“Leave it there!” Zhang Chunxue suddenly said. Her gaze shifted to Li Hongjuan, who was sluggishly moving by the stove. “Eldest daughter-in-law, go wash the dishes!”

Li Hongjuan was about to slip back to her room, but these words stopped her in her tracks, her face filling with reluctance.

Why? Wasn’t it always that damned girl who washed the dishes before?

She was a hundred times unwilling and wanted to protest, but when she looked up into Zhang Chunxue’s cold, piercing eyes and remembered her iron-willed nature, Li Hongjuan shrank back, swallowing the words.

Just then, a figure hurriedly stepped into the courtyard, smiling broadly. The voice carried before the person even arrived.

“Oh! The Guosheng family! Congratulations, congratulations!”

The matchmaker Li approached Zhang Chunxue, her grin wide but her eyes barely visible.

“I’m here to bring you good news! The Wang family asked me to inquire about a good date for Xiaoxiao’s wedding. My wife needs to let them know, too!”

Zhang Chunxue’s tone was cold and indifferent. “Tell them this: Xiaoxiao won’t marry. She’s going to school—high school!”

The matchmaker’s smile vanished, replaced by anger at being toyed with.

Raising her voice sharply, she snapped, “Zhang Chunxue! What kind of joke is this? You can’t just say she won’t marry after all this! I’ve run back and forth for your matchmaking. It’s not easy! Besides, the Wang family already paid the dowry—one hundred yuan! Your family accepted it!”

Hands on her hips, spitting with anger, she shouted, “Now you say she won’t marry? Too late! Who cancels a marriage after receiving dowry? If this gets out, won’t your Zhong family lose face?”

“Dowry?” Zhang Chunxue raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp as she swept over the matchmaker. “Who accepted it? How come I never heard our family took one hundred yuan from the Wang family?”

The matchmaker was stunned by her stare, then stiffened her neck and said, “Who else? Of course, your family accepted it! The Wang family told me themselves—they gave the money and asked me to set the date!”

“Hmph,” Zhang Chunxue sneered. “Just because the Wang family says we accepted it, does that mean we did? I’ve lived this long and never heard such nonsense! I’ll say it here: I have never accepted a single penny from the Wang family!”

Li Hongjuan, who had been listening intently nearby, could no longer hold back.

She had already been burning with resentment because Zhang Chunxue refused to let Xiaoxiao marry, crushing her hopes to make money through Zhong Cheng’s work. Now, hearing Zhang Chunxue deny even accepting the dowry, her anger boiled over.

She spoke with biting sarcasm, “Mom, let me be fair. You’re usually stingy, wanting to keep all the money to yourself, and as daughters-in-law, we can understand since you run the household. But you accepted the money. How can you open your eyes and lie, saying you didn’t?”