Volume One, Chapter 15: The Qiao Family Comes to Propose!

“My goodness, Xian’er, did you hunt this many animals today?”

Just having come in from the fields, Jiang Shunde looked at the spectacular scene in the courtyard and instinctively asked, “Could it be that you’re raising a dragon? Why are there so many animals running wild, all falling into the pit you dug?”

Jiang Xian smiled as she glanced at the baby Fu nestled in her basket, then turned to look at Jiang Shunde and Qian Shi.

“Father, mother, I think it’s because Tang Tang went up the mountain with me. Just look at her face—so full of blessings. Chen San the Leper’s family had Tang Tang for only one year, yet they’ve had two chubby boys, twin boys no less. That’s a first in our Taoyuan Village, isn’t it? Chen San is hardly ever home, yet he got incredibly lucky and found a nugget of gold shaped like a dog’s head. If you ask me, it’s Tang Tang bringing good fortune to the family. This girl is truly blessed!”

After speaking, Jiang Xian opened a small cloth bag filled with medicinal herbs.

“Father, mother, see what I gathered today with Tang Tang’s guidance—ginseng, lingzhi, two roots of he shou wu, and over a pound of gastrodia. That’s more than I’ve ever found in a whole year. I can only think it’s because of Tang Tang; otherwise, how could so many good things come together deep in the winter mountains?”

Jiang Tang deliberately linked the idea of Tang Tang being a blessed treasure to her parents, hoping they would cherish her even more. Then Tang Tang’s fortune would return to benefit her parents, and perhaps their health might improve because of her.

Jiang Shunde and Qian Shi exchanged glances.

Looking at Jiang Xian’s earnest face, the rare herbs in the bag, and the abundance of game spread across the courtyard, they wholeheartedly believed her.

Qian Shi voiced the doubts she had yesterday: “After fainting, a warm little hand held mine, and I felt warmth throughout my body. When I opened my eyes and saw Tang Tang, that warmth grew even stronger. I thought it was just an illusion, but hearing Xian’er say this, it seems we truly have found a treasure!”

“I told you Tang Tang is blessed. Otherwise, how could Chen San’s family be doing so well?”

Jiang Shunde hobbled over, holding Tang Tang in his arms, swinging her gently toward the sky, his joy uncontainable.

“My precious blessed granddaughter, thank you for coming to our Jiang family. From now on, you are my very own granddaughter, even more precious than your mother. When the weather warms, grandpa will take you up the mountain to teach you hunting, archery, how to catch rabbits, wild chickens, and even big wild boars, alright?”

It was Tang Tang’s first time being tossed lightly into the air, and she was a bit scared. But seeing Jiang Shunde’s smiling face and strong arms, she laughed like a silver bell, giggling nonstop.

“Yes, yes...”

Qian Shi, worried about frightening Tang Tang, urged Jiang Shunde to be careful while coaxing the child: “Jiang Shunde, be careful not to scare our precious granddaughter. Tang Tang, grandma will also be your real grandmother, brushing your pretty hair every day, making beautiful clothes and shoes for you!”

In truth, Qian Shi secretly hoped that fate would bless her and Jiang Shunde with a son or two of their own.

Zhao Jinniang had only conceived after ten years of marriage, bearing twins—two chubby boys—universally considered a sign of great blessing.

Qian Shi glanced at Jiang Shunde, who was playing with the child. This man had loved her for most of his life, yet if she could not bear him children, what meaning would her life have now?

If not for their joint decision years ago to leave the capital and find Xian’er in the wilderness, the couple would have had little hope left.

Thankfully, heaven had mercy, gifting them a sensible, obedient, and capable daughter, and now a blessed little granddaughter. Life was becoming more and more interesting.

The family was delighting in Tang Tang’s laughter when Jiang Xian gathered the game scattered around the courtyard, planning to sell it along with the medicinal herbs in the county town of Junxi early the next morning.

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Thinking of persuading Qiao Xun to marry by contract, Jiang Xian looked at Jiang Shunde who was still entertaining Tang Tang and made a casual excuse: “Father, I’m going to see Doctor Chen, and I’ll take Tang Tang along to check her injury.”

“Oh, okay!” Jiang Shunde stopped playing with the child and asked, “Do you want me to take you?”

“No need, it’s just a short walk. I can carry Tang Tang myself.”

Jiang Xian was strong anyway; after all her daily exertions, she felt as if her strength was endless now that she had Tang Tang.

As mother and daughter left, the most famous matchmaker in the surrounding villages, Madam Wang, arrived at the gate with an elderly woman.

“Jiang family! Brother, little sister, are you home?”

Madam Wang smiled brightly, pushing open the gate and walking in. When she saw the game on the ground, she thought, “Good heavens, even in these hard times, the Jiang family is living well. How come I never heard of such a good family with an unmarried young lady hidden here?”

Life had been tough for the last two or three years. Fewer daughters were being married off, fewer wives were being found. Her matchmaking business was suffering.

The red envelopes she collected during the drought years didn’t match the earnings she once made in one year. If not for the many mouths to feed at home, Madam Wang would have considered working as a wet nurse in the city.

Fewer marriages meant more selling of children, but she restrained herself, knowing that was immoral.

Madam Wang’s relative, Wang Shi, followed her into the courtyard, quickly sizing up the Jiang family’s situation, which was decent enough.

Wang Shi was somewhat related to Madam Wang—her father and Madam Wang’s father were uncle and nephew within five generations. Technically, Wang Shi should address Madam Wang as her great-aunt.

Jiang Shunde and Qian Shi immediately recognized Madam Wang by her bright red and green attire and the large red flower in her hair—an unmistakable sign of her profession. Matchmakers had approached before, but upon seeing Jiang Xian carrying a wild boar or two buckets of water, their crude manners scared them off. Sometimes, Jiang Shunde and his wife even suspected Xian’er did it on purpose.

These matchmakers spread wild rumors, giving Jiang Xian a notorious reputation as the village’s famed female hunter—a strong woman with great strength. Nobody respectable would want such a wild woman for a daughter-in-law; everyone preferred gentle, virtuous, frugal girls, not one who wielded knives and weapons and roamed the mountains daily.

Thus, no matchmaker had come by for two years.

Today, Jiang Shunde went to see Matchmaker Lu but returned empty-handed and humiliated. She warned him not to damage her reputation, which angered him greatly.

He did not expect a matchmaker to come knocking on their door, so the couple politely welcomed Madam Wang and Wang Shi inside for tea.

The four sat facing each other in the main room, eyes wide with curiosity.

Madam Wang smiled and introduced: “Brother Jiang, little sister, this is my cousin Wang Guixiang. Her third son, Qiao Xun, is well-known in the villages around Junxi County as a literary prodigy. He passed the child student exam at thirteen and is now nineteen, handsome and talented—the best young man you can find in the area.

My cousin thought it would be best for her youngest son to marry before establishing his career. She asked me to find a suitable bride—someone around his age, spirited enough to keep things in order, since her son is a delicate scholar who’s often tongue-tied and easily bullied.

After searching far and wide without success, it was a stroke of luck that your daughter came to see her son yesterday. She took one look and liked her immediately. Upon hearing she was eighteen and unmarried, my cousin hurried me here to see if you are interested in exploring a match between your families.”

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Jiang Shunde and Qian Shi didn’t know exactly what had happened yesterday but heard that Jiang Xian had already visited the Qiao family and that the boy’s mother was taken with her.

Wang Shi seemed clever and easy to get along with, but appearances alone could not guarantee much.

Since they had come looking, Jiang Shunde earnestly introduced Jiang Xian, wanting a good son-in-law for his daughter.

“Our daughter is eighteen now and not in a hurry to marry. But since you’ve come, we can get to know each other. The most important thing is that the children agree. We don’t believe in forced marriages.

Our Xian’er grew up hunting with me in the mountains, weathered and tough-skinned. She’s strong and skilled in hunting and herb gathering but not at sewing or cooking. We only have this one daughter, and we’ve spoiled her, never letting her suffer injustice. So she’s very straightforward, with a fiery temper—she can turn cold at a moment’s notice.

Some matchmakers who came before spread rumors, giving her a bad name. Did you not ask around before coming? Does your son know what kind of bride he is getting?”

Qian Shi glared at Jiang Shunde, fearing his words might scare off yet another visitor.

He seemed to forget the upcoming government decree.

Jiang Shunde pretended not to see his wife’s look. Though he feared her temper, he was determined to protect his daughter’s future happiness.

And he spoke the truth—if someone couldn’t handle that, better to leave early.

At worst, they could buy a man to be a live-in son-in-law; these days, such things were possible.

Qian Shi was almost exasperated with her husband, sitting awkwardly as she smiled at Madam Wang and Wang Shi, explaining, “Our Xian’er is genuinely sincere and a wonderful person. The rumors may be unpleasant, but she’s truly a rare gem.”

Madam Wang and Wang Shi exchanged a surprised look.

This couple seemed to lack confidence in their own daughter.

No wonder ordinary matchmakers ran off; even Madam Wang now wanted to flee.

However, since this match was initiated by Wang Shi herself and she favored the Jiang daughter, Madam Wang nodded stiffly and smiled, “Of course, I have inquired. Her son knows the demands of marrying your daughter and is very willing. My cousin particularly hopes to find a strong-willed girl like yours who can hold things together.”

Jiang Shunde’s eyes brightened immediately.

Ah? They weren’t scared off!