Chapter 2: I Want to Get Married
Jiang Yu, holding a bowl of sugared water, couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. Even if she became famous, it wouldn't be for something good.
Good-looking, but lazy and gluttonous.
Leaving other things aside, Wang Meili actually took it seriously and began to boast, "Just look at my two girls. They're the best when it comes to appearance. They're hardworking and capable, excellent at all household chores."
Jiang Yu: "..." She felt kind of embarrassed just listening.
She didn't chime in, just sitting there quietly.
Soon after, Jiang Ting came in with breakfast, carrying steamed buns made from coarse grains and eggs.
"Mom, breakfast is ready."
Too busy trying to win over Matchmaker Yao, Wang Meili didn't bother to scold Jiang Yu for sneaking an egg.
With her slim, pale fingers, she peeled the eggshell and held it—it was hard to tell whether her skin was whiter than the egg.
Matchmaker Yao silently nodded to herself as she carefully observed her.
Fair-skinned and beautiful, her waist was as slim as a willow branch, yet where she should have flesh, there was no lack of it.
Her chest was ample and firm, her butt was not large, but it was perky and round.
In her decades of experience as a matchmaker, she knew this girl was quite a catch.
It was a pity she was born out here in the countryside.
Seeing Jiang Ting, with a sister that pretty, the younger one was sure to be just as good.
But she was thin as a stick, and her skin was darker.
Her face was delicate, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes, making her look somewhat like a bitter melon, not as spirited as her sister.
Of course, she wasn't completely unaware before coming to the Jiang family.
When it came to diligence, the younger sister was stronger.
Jiang Yu didn't notice Matchmaker Yao's gaze and split the egg with Jiang Ting.
Jiang Ting shook her head with a pursed lip, declining.
So Jiang Yu ate it herself.
After sizing them up enough, Matchmaker Yao finally spoke, "I have a male comrade in mind. He specifically wants to find a match from the countryside. After some inquiries, I came here uninvited."
Wang Meili was a bit suspicious, "Why would a city comrade look for a countryside girl?"
Matchmaker Yao smiled, "Don't overthink it. This family is a good one. His name is Fu Xiangyang, a machine repair worker at the Second State Cotton Mill. His parents are still alive, and he has an older sister who's already married, and a younger sister who's about seventeen or eighteen. His father used to work at the mill too but was later transferred to the flour mill. They are a rare double-income household!"
Hearing this, Wang Meili became even more interested.
With the older sister married off and the younger one reaching marriageable age, there were no other sons in the family.
Maybe her daughters could help Jiang Hao get a job, letting her son get a job with an official grain supply.
"But this Fu Xiangyang, due to being born prematurely, has a weak constitution from birth. Of course, it's nothing serious, just that he can't do heavy, strenuous work, but otherwise, he's perfectly fine!"
Wang Meili covered her mouth and laughed, as if Fu Xiangyang was already her son-in-law.
"It's not a big issue. He's a skilled worker, so he won't have to do any heavy lifting!"
Jiang Yu gave a little sneer. The issue was huge; he just wasn't good enough.
She was worried sick. If there was a matchmaking, Wang Meili would definitely make her go.
With conditions this good, her parents would jump at the chance.
How was she supposed to get out of this?
"I already spoke to his family about your daughter, and they agreed, so I came over. If your family agrees, we can arrange the matchmaking right away. Your daughter could live the city life!"
Wang Meili's eyes lit up, already dreaming big.
"Agreed! This is amazing news, of course we agree!"
Matchmaker Yao smiled, pleased with the response.
It was like a gift from heaven; of course they'd agree!
"Then you should decide quickly which daughter is going to marry. I'll go back and discuss it with the family."
Wang Meili was taken aback. Of course, it'd be Jiang Yu. Was there even a choice?
She looked at the twins. The sisters not only looked different but also had completely different personalities.
The older sister was the pretty one, while the younger one was more diligent.
Jiang Yu's lazy and gluttonous nature, if they set up a matchmaking, she might get rejected.
If a chance for such a good marriage was lost, it'd be such a waste.
Matchmaker Yao chimed in, "After all, they are city folks. It's already unprecedented for them to look for a wife in the countryside, so there are some requirements. The most important point is, they want someone hardworking. They definitely don't want a lazy, gluttonous wife."
She wasn't saying Jiang Yu couldn't do it, just hinting that she needed to show she was up to it.
Jiang Yu was also worried. She didn't want to have a matchmaking with Fu Xiangyang at all.
She wanted to marry a healthy man, have children, and not raise someone else's child.
Hearing Matchmaker Yao's words, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, she wasn't suitable.
At that moment, she saw Jiang Ting suddenly stand up.
"I want to marry!"
Jiang Yu was stunned, looking up in shock.
This didn't seem like Jiang Ting's personality.
Jiang Ting didn't look at her, as if she was holding back something, or as if she had made an extremely important decision.
"Mom, Grandma Yao, let me marry him, can I?" Jiang Ting swallowed.
Finally, she managed to say those words, and she felt both excited and hopeful.
She never imagined she'd get the opportunity to start over.
In her previous life, shortly after Jiang Yu married Fu Xiangyang, Jiang Hao brought his partner home and demanded 300 yuan as a bride price.
The family couldn't afford such a sum, so they married her off to a fool in exchange for the bride price.
After marrying the fool, she gave birth to three children, but her in-laws passed away one after another, leaving her to shoulder the entire family's responsibilities.
She was basically the only one working, having to provide for five people. Especially since the fool couldn't take care of himself and often got into trouble, needing her to clean up after him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu married into the city and lived a good life.
The two sisters, born from the same mother, became complete opposites.
On her deathbed in her previous life, her envy and jealousy of Jiang Yu peaked. Fueled by that resentment, she was reborn.
This time, she was determined to seize the opportunity to marry into the city and make Jiang Yu marry the fool!
Wang Meili was taken aback but didn't say no.
"Sure, what's the big deal. Marrying anyone would do."
She thought that after Jiang Ting was married off, maybe Fu Xiangyang could introduce Jiang Yu to a worker from the same factory.
"Auntie, we've decided, we'll send our second son for the matchmaking!"
It was the boy's parents' decision, so of course, Auntie Ya, the matchmaker, had no objections.
She couldn't help feeling sorry for Jiang Yu. Such good looks would be wasted if she married a peasant.
Auntie Ya laughed as she got up. "Alright, I'll be heading out then. Once the time is set, I'll have someone send a message."
Wang Meili respectfully saw her out and handed her a dollar.
It hurt to part with the money, but thinking about marrying Jiang Ting into the city made it feel worth it.
"Thanks for coming all this way, Auntie."
Auntie Ya smiled even more brightly. "Don't you worry, it's as good as done!"
Jiang Ting cleaned up real nice; Fu Xiangyang would definitely be interested.
After seeing off Auntie Ya, Wang Meili finally let go of her smile, looking at Jiang Ting with satisfaction.
"Go buy two new sets of clothes in the city today; you can't go for matchmaking wearing old clothes."
There wasn't time to make new clothes now; it was better to just buy ready-made ones.
Wang Meili was surprisingly generous with her this time.
The sisters had always worn clothes passed down from their cousin, the daughter of their aunt on their mother's side.
The only nice dress Jiang Yu had was made from fabric that her city-dwelling great-aunt, Ya Xiangling, had bought for her.
Jiang Ting was very happy, especially because, in her previous life, Jiang Yu had also gone to the city to buy new clothes for her matchmaking with Fu Xiangyang.
"Mom, can you let Big Sis go with me?"
It's about time Jiang Yu had something to envy about me, just once.
Wang Meili had no objections. She still hoped Jiang Yu would marry a city boy and spend more time in the city, where there were more opportunities.
...
Matchmaker Ya got a definite answer and went back to the city to relay the message.
The Fu family lived in the State Cotton Mill housing compound, where several families shared a large courtyard.
Seeing her come in, they all shouted for the Fu family to come out.
She made the situation clear: the twin sisters looked almost identical.
If you really had to choose, the older sister was the prettier one.
As soon as Fu Xiangyang, the Fu family's only son, heard how beautiful she was, he was interested.
As an experienced matchmaker, Ya knew exactly what he meant.
"A pretty girl is like a flower," she sighed inwardly. "You have to water her, take care of her, and pamper her. She's not easy to maintain."
Fu Xiangyang's mother, being sharp, understood right away.
"Xiangyang, you need a wife who's hardworking and down-to-earth. We can't have a lazy, gluttonous girl in this family."
Getting a wife from the countryside was already a step down, but there was nothing they could do because of Xiangyang's health...
"What about the Jiang family's second daughter? What's her personality like?"
Matchmaker Ya smiled, the wrinkles on her face deepening.
"I already said, the second daughter is also very pretty and hardworking. She's a diligent girl, just what you're looking for."
Fu Xiangyang's mother made her decision. "Alright, we'll take the second daughter!"
"No one wants a lazy, gluttonous wife. Whoever wants her can have her."