The male supporting character was actually myself.

“I’m here! I’m here!” Qian Shuandi rubbed her face, steeled herself, and whispered to her husband and son, “Don’t scare yourself. If there really was something strange going on, why didn’t we hear anything about it in previous years?”

Besides, people are only slightly afraid of ghosts, and ghosts are seven times more afraid of people. Even if things get out of hand, we can always find a monk or Taoist priest who can exterminate the ghosts! There's nothing to be afraid of! The matchmaker is here. Qiangzi, go and rest in that room for a while. I'll cook for you after we've finished discussing important matters."

He Yongqiang dawdled as he went to the next room. She got up to greet him, forcing a smile, and led the matchmaker to the middle room to sit down and have tea.

There's not much entertainment or gossip in the village, so when something interesting happens, it spreads quickly.

The matchmaker, who had originally wanted to help the generous He Jiangchen snatch the girl away, was secretly delighted and hurriedly ate a mouthful of rice before coming over to pay a visit.

"How did it go? Did the blind date go well today?" Qian Shuandi brought over some hot water and hurriedly inquired, "Did my nephew let you down?"

The matchmaker grinned broadly, wiping the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief and praising, "He's more than just not a burden! I told you He Jiangchen was quite good. You didn't see how he captivated the student so much that he told me he didn't even want the bride price!"

However, they are particular and don't want to rush into marriage. They said they'd wait until they've completed the marriage registration and obtained their marriage certificate before holding the wedding banquet.

"Get a marriage certificate?!" Qian Shuandi's voice rose involuntarily. "That, that won't do! Getting a marriage certificate in the county town would completely expose the truth!"

"What's the rush? I'm here for you."

The matchmaker slowly fanned herself with a handkerchief, her face gradually darkening as she shook her head and sighed, "I had planned everything perfectly for you. We could have just held the banquet and gotten things done, and then registered your marriage after it was all settled."

But plans can't keep up with changes.

Who would have thought your family would cause such a scene?!

Now look what's happened! Everyone in the village is saying you were caught stealing from your nephew's house. Even though you haven't been officially labeled as thieves, the gossip is overwhelming!

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. If a student heard this at this crucial moment, who would still want to marry him?

Upon hearing that it might delay her son's wedding, Qian Shuandi became even more anxious.

Today was truly an unlucky day. I didn't get any dog ​​meat and even got bitten, which cost me a lot in medical bills. My favorite camphor wood chest was taken back by someone else. All the clothes of my family of three were ruined. My reputation in the village is now completely tarnished.

If we ruin the peach blossom luck we've been waiting for because of this, the loss would be too great!

"Big sister, this is really a misunderstanding." She wiped away non-existent tears and said in a tearful voice, "You know how filial He Jiangchen is to us. He never asks for anything and gives us whatever we want."

His uncle just had a craving for dog meat, thinking that there might be a few ounces of meat left from that stray dog, but who would have thought...

Sister, think about it. If we really intended to steal something, could the three of us go out in broad daylight without any cover-up?

Besides, if we wanted anything from that courtyard, wouldn't He Jiangchen happily deliver it to us? It's just that he wasn't home, and his uncle was so greedy that he took matters into his own hands.

You absolutely have to help us! It's not easy to find a girl you like. If this works out, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits!

Chapter Twenty-One: Blocking the Halo!

"It's really hard to say."

The matchmaker, who was planning to squeeze some more benefits out of her, clicked her tongue and shook her head. "People can talk, we can't control what they say. We can't just shut everyone in the village up, can we?"

What was supposed to be a happy occasion, well…

With a solemn expression, she hesitated and uttered half a sentence, but in her heart she was mocking: Ha, he always talks so nicely about how I'll get all the benefits, but so far I've only seen three feet of floral cloth. How can he be as generous as He Jiangchen?

Leaving aside the cash payment, the cigarettes and alcohol are all top-of-the-line luxury goods, which is much more substantial than your empty boasting.

Upon hearing this, Qian Shuandi's heart skipped a beat.

The other party originally planned to get the marriage certificate first and then hold the wedding banquet; this morning, He Jiangchen was asked to attend the blind date meeting that she had helped deceive; the other day, when someone was inquiring about the student's situation, some people in the village took the opportunity to say some unpleasant things behind his back...

If someone with ulterior motives uses today's incident of jumping over the wall to gossip, wouldn't my son's marriage be completely ruined?!

Over the past few years, Yongqiang had met countless men but had not been able to reach an agreement with any of them. Qian Shuandi had a premonition that the families in the surrounding villages and towns who knew each other well would be unwilling to marry their daughters into their families.

The younger girls have already been chosen;

Girls of the same age are getting married and having children everywhere. If we don't find a way to catch out-of-town students who don't know much about the situation, it might become a huge problem for our son to find a wife in the future!

"Big sister, Yongqiang's marriage depends entirely on you." The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She quickly got up, took out a handkerchief wrapped in a small bundle from her pocket, and unfolded it layer by layer.

The matchmaker sipped her water, glancing at him discreetly out of the corner of her eye.

The handkerchief contained worn-out coins, mostly one or two cents, with the occasional one or two mao. The whole roll probably didn't amount to more than eight mao.

Qian Shuandi carefully smoothed out the banknotes, took out fifty cents, and respectfully handed it over, saying, "Old sister, this is just a small token of our appreciation. If Qiangzi's marriage goes through, I'll sell the new corn after the autumn harvest and give you another cent!"

In the village, it's customary to give a thank-you gift when a matchmaker is hired, but it's usually something like floral fabric or wine to express gratitude.

For a troublesome person like He Yongqiang, whose personal circumstances weren't good enough, having to ask a matchmaker for help naturally required spending a lot of money. The very first step in the process cost five cents for three feet of floral cloth, making Qian Shuandi's heart bleed.

But we can't refuse. Finding a wife depends entirely on the matchmaker. If we give them money and they're willing to put in the effort, the marriage will go through. Otherwise, if the marriage falls through, where will we find a beautiful and similar-looking young woman for our son?

The matchmaker reluctantly accepted the money, but then became conflicted and hesitant.

"Meow~ The protagonist's halo is really trying to cause trouble!" The little white cat, who was dozing off on her shoulder, sensed the dazzling protagonist's halo trying to envelop the matchmaker and immediately perked up.

Its fluffy, round body stood straight, its two short paws raised, muttering, "Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, you can't do whatever you want..."

Thus, in the eyes of the fluffy dumpling, the dazzling protagonist's halo was split open.

The matchmaker, who had been shrouded in light, was instantly freed from the unbearable glare. She slowly stuffed a few small bills into her pocket, but her mind was quickly comparing the amounts—He Yongqiang had given her three feet of floral cloth and fifty cents, and promised to give her another dollar after the job was done.

He Jiangchen gave him two bottles of top-quality Erguotou liquor, six packs of Dahoumen cigarettes, three jin of Caogao (a type of rice cake), and half a jin of granulated sugar. Most importantly, he directly slipped him a yuan!

Weighing the two options, He Jiangchen is more generous.

Besides, Liao was attracted to He Jiangchen's looks and character, and she even wanted to get a marriage certificate...

Comparing the two, it's easier to handle the situation in favor of He Jiangchen. On the other hand, He Yongqiang's lack of self-respect and wrongdoing can be used as an excuse to intercept the marriage.

Protecting the matchmaker from the protagonist's halo, the little white cat quickly made a decision.

"Sigh... I'm not saying this to be mean, but you guys should leave a little more room for maneuver in the future, otherwise it's too difficult to get things done for you."

The matchmaker sighed, got up, dusted herself off, and said lazily, "Then I'll try my best to think of a way, and I'll make another trip to Walnut Gully this afternoon. But there's one thing—even if I take the money, I can't guarantee everything will go smoothly. After all, your story has already spread throughout the nearby villages, and by tomorrow, the gossipy ones will be telling everyone in Walnut Gully."

The student heard about it and was determined to call off the wedding; there was nothing I could do!

"Yes, yes, it's all our bad luck that we lost face! Old sister, you must help us!" Qian Shuandi originally wanted to ask if she could get a refund if the matchmaking failed, but then she thought about the matchmaker's inefficiency and swallowed her words.

She was a renowned matchmaker in the surrounding villages; there was no marriage she couldn't arrange.

If you've just given them money and promised to make them happy, wouldn't it be offensive to ask them a question later?

After thanking the matchmaker profusely, Qian Shuandi turned around and went back into the house. Her face fell, and she slapped her thigh in distress. "The five cents are gone without even a sound! It's all your fault for insisting on eating dog meat and causing this mess."

The camphor wood chest is gone, we've lost all face, and Qiangzi's wedding will cost us an even bigger sum of money!

"Mom, stop nagging and hurry up and cook. I'm starving." He Yongqiang limped out of the house, his shoulders drooping, and leaned against the door frame with an impatient look on his face. "Didn't we agree on this before? You gave her so much money. If I can't get a wife, will she give it back?"

Qian Shuandi was already heartbroken, and when she saw her son looking disheveled and half-dead, she was furious. "Eat, eat, eat! All you know is food! Are you a pig?! If you weren't so incompetent at charming girls, why would I have spent so much money and said so many nice things to them?!"

Just like your father, you're both good-for-nothings!

How could I have been so blind as to marry into this poor family? They have nothing and I'm supporting two lazy bums who won't even cook..."

Hearing the loud shouts and curses coming from the neighboring yard, Jiang Chen, having eaten and drunk his fill and with nothing to do, sat on the threshold, examining the low courtyard wall. He thought to himself that he should find some time to raise and reinforce his own wall, which should block out some of the noise...

"He Jiangchen! He Jiangchen!"

Just as he was leisurely making his plans, he suddenly heard a very soft voice calling his name.

He got up and looked in the direction the voice came from. It turned out that the matchmaker who had come out of He Yongqiang's courtyard and circled around to the right rear was calling him.

The two brothers of the He family had adjacent courtyards, with He Yongqiang's family having a slightly larger plot and He Jiangchen's family having a slightly smaller plot. Back then, because He's grandparents were biased, He Jiangchen's parents, in order to avoid disputes, did not share a courtyard wall like other families with two brothers. Instead, they each built two separate walls in the middle.

The neighbor's house on the right is an older courtyard, and there is a narrow alley less than a meter wide between it and He Jiangchen's house. There are a few crooked little trees and a lot of garbage there.

The short matchmaker had to stand on two stones to barely peek out from the corner of the wall. When she saw him looking over, she hurriedly waved to him.

The little white cat perched on her shoulder, tiptoeing and pawing at the wall, excitedly shouting, "Host, I'm here! The matchmaker went to He Yongqiang's house just now, and I blocked the protagonist's halo for her! Don't worry, you've got this celestial wife all you need!"

Chapter Twenty-Two: Preparations and Arrangements

"Come here quickly, your aunt has something to tell you."

The matchmaker beamed and beckoned him to the wall, chuckling, "I just sounded out your aunt's opinion. They've done such a shameful thing, so we have a perfect excuse to marry Liao into your family."

You should go see the Party Secretary this afternoon.

Remember to buy some gifts and be sweet-talking. As long as you get the letter of introduction, take Liao to get your marriage certificate first thing tomorrow morning! After you get the certificate, follow your aunt's instructions and I guarantee the wedding will be a grand affair.

Jiang Chen: ...

You're quite shrewd, managing to benefit from both sides.

"Thank you for your hard work, Auntie." He knew that anything could happen before the bride entered the family, and accidents were usually caused by the matchmaker digging pits and planting landmines.

However, in those days, most of the matchmakers in the village had never seen anything good in their lives, were easily fooled, and didn't care about the money.

Therefore, Jiang Chen pretended to go into the house and "took" a brand new floral bed sheet and handed it over, saying, "Thank you for your help, Auntie. I plan to go to the county town with Liao Yuzhou this afternoon to get our marriage certificate."

If there's enough time, we can have the banquet tomorrow. What do you think?

"Oh my, you really are...tsk tsk, such nice bed sheets! You're such a thoughtful young man, Liao will definitely have a comfortable life with you."

The matchmaker knew it was top-quality fabric just by touching it; she was both excited and thrilled. She patted her chest and guaranteed, "If you can really get a marriage certificate this afternoon and discuss it with Liao, we can even have a wedding banquet tomorrow!"

Oh well, let's wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow is an odd-numbered day, so it's auspicious to get married on an even-numbered day. It's settled then. Go discuss the wedding arrangements with Liao, and don't forget to buy the girl two new outfits when you go to town!

The old lady will help you gather some people in the village, and we'll hold a banquet tomorrow.

"By the way, how many tables are you planning to have? Everyone who comes will bring gifts, so you need to budget the expenses carefully and avoid wasting money."

A wedding must be grand and spectacular.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Jiang Chen asked in return, "If we invite everyone in Qilizhuang except my uncle and his family of three, how many tables would we need?"

"Oh my! You're quite the remarkable child!" The matchmaker was startled, realizing that the rumors about the poor boy suddenly becoming rich were indeed true!

If they didn't have a lot of money in their hands, who would be willing to make such bold statements?

You should know that when villagers attend a wedding, apart from close relatives and friends who give a few monetary gifts, others might at most bring a few eggs from their own hens or some cornbread as a token gesture.

It's absolutely impossible to break even!

How much money does He Jiangchen need to afford to hold a wedding banquet for the whole village?

No wonder people often say that even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; He Jiangchen's mother must have brought a lot of good things with her when she married into the family. Thinking about this, the matchmaker felt even more contempt for He Gousheng's family.

In recent years, the couple has squeezed their nephew quite a bit out of him. If they could get one or two valuable treasures, they would be rolling in money.