If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

A few days later, Lai Zi was discharged from the hospital and returned home. After his injuries had healed, Lai Zi's parents asked a matchmaker to go to Liu Dongmei's house to propose marriage, and asked the matchmaker to bring a photo to see.

The matchmaker looked at them in astonishment: "Lady, are you sure you've thought this through? Did I hear you wrong? You really want to go to Liu Family Village to propose marriage to Liu Dongmei?"

"That butcher girl, she looks just like a man, I can't bring myself to eat her, and she shouts so loudly it hurts my ears, and she's already 1.8 meters tall."

"If I marry into your family in the future, and something goes wrong, I'll beat you like you're little chicks."

Lai Zi's mother was as bitter as gall, her smile somewhat stiff: "Oh, I know, to be honest, we've spoiled my Lai Zi too much, and now we can't control him anymore."

"If I don't marry a strong wife, I'm worried that he'll go out and cause trouble, and I'll feel even more sorry for him when he gets beaten up."

Upon hearing this, the matchmaker's eyes flashed with understanding: "Oh, I see. That makes sense. All three of you have gentle tempers, so you need to marry a strong-willed wife."

"No matter how capable she was before, once she has a child, she will be wholeheartedly devoted to the child and the family, and her temper will be tempered."

"Which mother doesn't become gentler and easier to talk to?"

"If your family doesn't mind that she's ugly, then that's perfectly fine. She's strong and capable of working; she can easily do the work of two or three men."

Lai Zi's mother felt a tightness in her chest and didn't want to discuss it any further. She was extremely dissatisfied with that kind of daughter-in-law, but there was nothing she could do; that beast Jiang Lie was pressuring her too much.

The matchmaker then inquired about the bride price. Upon learning that it would be the same as for other girls and that the groom would not be neglected because of his appearance, she beamed with joy, and the marriage was settled.

"Okay, you wait here, I'll go to Liujia Village today to talk to Dongmei."

She got up and left in a hurry. If the marriage went through, she would get some money for food and other necessities.

The matchmaker rushed to Liu Family Village and saw a big man slaughtering a pig at the village entrance. The smell of blood filled her nose, so she ran over and called out, "Dongmei, Dongmei, your aunt has come to arrange a marriage for you."

"What a wonderful marriage! This is truly a fantastic marriage!"

The onlookers looked over curiously: "Qiaozui, who are you talking to Dongmei about? It's such a good match! Tell us about it."

The matchmaker, with her silver tongue, smiled and said, "Oh dear, this time it's Jiang Erniu's family in Jiangjia Village, Xiangyang Brigade. They're the family of that scoundrel, the one with only one son."

"Ah, his family? That scoundrel is very lazy, he never works in the fields to earn work points, he relies on his parents to support him."

"I heard he also likes to peep at widows bathing. Anyway, he's a complete scoundrel. He's not suitable for Dongmei. You, Qiao Shou, still say this is a good match."

Liu Dongmei also looked over and called out, "Auntie's here! Tell me about that leper, is he impotent?"

The matchmaker hurried over and exclaimed, "Dongmei, don't listen to their nonsense. I'm your aunt, would I harm you? Let me explain."

"This scoundrel is the only son in the family and was spoiled growing up, so it's normal for him to be a little lazy. But he doesn't have any other bad habits like eating, drinking, gambling, or whoring. A little laziness is nothing to worry about."

"Look at the other men, which one of them doesn't even bother to pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle when they get home? They're all just as lazy. And he's an only child, so his family fortune will all be yours in the future."

"Without the fighting between sisters-in-law, and with the in-laws helping to take care of the children, life is hopeful. Look at other families with many sisters-in-law, they're practically fighting to the death."

As Liu Dongmei disassembled the pork, she nodded and said, "Auntie is right. What else is there?"

Seeing that she hadn't immediately refused, the matchmaker became even more enthusiastic: "Also, the Lai family is quite well-off. They have a big brick house with a courtyard in the middle. It would be great if they could live separately from the in-laws."

"And look at this photo. He's not handsome, but he's not ugly either. He's about 1.7 meters tall, which is alright. Overall, he's not bad-looking."

"If it were really Jun looking for you, to be honest, it's unlikely, right? When it comes to living together, you still need someone who's easy to deal with. Besides, with your personality, who could bully you?"

Liu Dongmei laughed when she heard this, "That makes sense."

"Then why did he fall for me?"

The matchmaker smiled and said, "That family of three has a gentle temperament. They heard that you have a strong personality, so they want someone in the family who can manage things so that you won't be bullied in the future."

"Dongmei, this marriage is really something else. It's hard to find someone from a good family who is an only child, doesn't gamble or drink, and is reasonably good-looking."

Liu Dongmei nodded and said, "Okay, I agree to the marriage. But what about the bride price? Is their family unwilling to give it?"

"Here you go. I specifically asked, and they're willing to follow local customs. They'll give you 100 yuan as a bride price, and all the other formalities will be observed. You see, they're quite reasonable."

"...Really? That sounds good."

"I've agreed to this marriage. Tell them to come and formalize the engagement as soon as possible, and it would be best if the wedding were to take place within three months, to avoid any unforeseen complications."

The matchmaker beamed with delight at her quick agreement: "Alright, I'll go back and tell them right away. You should also make arrangements for slaughtering the pig here. After the wedding, you'll live in Jiangjia Village."

Liu Dongmei hummed in agreement: "I understand."

After efficiently slaughtering the pig and dividing the meat, she packed up her tools and prepared to go home, but was stopped by the villagers who wanted to find out more: "Dongmei, are you really sure you want to marry him?"

"That scoundrel is no pushover. You'll have a lot of trouble managing him later. It's better to find someone honest and reliable, and live a simpler life even if you're poor."

Liu Dongmei scoffed, "No, why would I, Liu Dongmei, want to marry a poor man? Poor men are even harder to deal with. There are so many shady rules in the family, several sisters-in-law, and my mother-in-law above me. I can't fight them all by myself."

"I want to find someone who is an only child. It's less trouble and I don't have to worry about my in-laws favoring their other grandchildren. My child will be my only grandchild, and everything will be mine."

"Besides, I can tell which is more difficult: managing one man or managing one man plus several sisters-in-law, or managing a pair of in-laws."

Hearing this, the woman felt embarrassed to say anything more.

"You've always been so headstrong. You should go back and tell your family that marriages are never decided by the girl herself; they are always arranged by the parents and the matchmaker."

Liu Dongmei disagreed: "I'm the one who calls the shots in my house. Auntie, I won't say any more. I'm going home."

She took two steps and turned back to look at them: "After the marriage is settled, I don't want anyone to ruin my reputation. If anyone ruins my marriage, I will make a scene with their whole family."

Everyone: "...!!"