Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands

Chapter 438 - 0419: Seeking to Be a Matchmaker (2)

Chen the Third chuckled awkwardly and said, "Miss, I’m selling knives, scissors, and household iron goods. If you don’t want a knife, a pair of scissors or a sickle would be good too. I’ve got goods in my basket, all kinds, made by myself. They’re sharp and durable, and the price is cheap."

As he spoke, he placed the basket on the ground for Song Jinxiu to choose from.

Song Jinxiu looked into the basket.

Indeed, in this basket, there were plenty of scissors, kitchen knives, sickle heads, hoes, and shovel heads.

Apart from the three kitchen knives he held for attracting customers, the other iron goods were wrapped in oil paper to prevent rust.

Chen the Third unwrapped a few items for Song Jinxiu to see, "Look at this sickle head, how well it’s polished. Just put on a wooden handle and it’s ready to use. And this shovel head, see, it’s all ready to use, very sharp."

The Chen Family’s main business was, firstly, boating, and secondly, farming.

The Chen Family had a large boat that could seat dozens of people and five hundred acres of land.

In winter, when the river dried up, boats had to be towed with ropes. Hiring boatmen was costly, so the Chen Family rarely did boating business in winter.

Although there was a lot of land, farming was busy only in spring, summer, and autumn. In winter, most crops were harvested, leaving just cotton picking and cabbage collecting, or fertilizing wheat fields.

Besides, Old Chen, Eldest Chen, and Chen the Second managed the fields, along with two long-term workers. Chen the Third, a bachelor at leisure, did various other jobs to pass the time.

He really was just killing time, as the Chen Family was not short of money.

Chen the Third’s uncle was a blacksmith, and he learned the craft from him. Usually, Chen the Third would make iron goods at his uncle’s place, and when idle, he would carry a basket loaded with scissors and knives, covering his crooked mouth, wandering through villages to peddle.

To appear like a poor iron goods seller, he didn’t ride a horse but walked instead.

He didn’t care much about how much he sold; his goal was to find out which family had a girl willing to marry him.

Previously, he often handed over a large betrothal gift to matchmakers, looking for a girl, but families nearby knew his situation and didn’t want to marry off their daughters. He also wouldn’t consider those too inferior.

Helpless, he had to travel to more distant villages.

Coincidentally, he encountered a pretty girl today, though he wasn’t sure if this girl would fancy him.

"How...how much for a kitchen knife?" Song Jinxiu asked courageously. She indeed needed a kitchen knife, but perhaps she didn’t have enough money. "I didn’t bring much money."

Just now, she had taken a hundred copper coins when she went out and spent fifty coins at the Niu Family to buy half a jin of coarse tea, leaving fifty coins in her pocket.

But a good kitchen knife would cost at least eighty coins, and the expensive ones could be over a hundred coins.

In this dynasty, iron goods were strictly controlled, making knives and farming tools expensive.

Chen the Third said, "How much money do you have?"

"I only have fifty coins." Song Jinxiu bit her lip.

"Alright, I’ll sell it to you for fifty-five coins," Chen the Third said happily, taking out eight kitchen knives and laying them on the ground for Song Jinxiu to choose from.

Song Jinxiu picked the largest one.

Chen the Third handed her a smaller one, "Buy one, get one free, Miss, I’ll give you this too."

Song Jinxiu was surprised, "Ah? Two knives for fifty coins?"

"One to chop vegetables at home, the other to chop people. You surely can’t use the one stained with blood to chop vegetables, can you? How dirty," Chen the Third laughed, "better to buy two."

Song Jinxiu blinked, "This is..."

"No need to be courteous, let’s do more business next time, Miss. You can buy some hoe or sickle from me," Chen the Third wrapped the two kitchen knives in oil paper, tied them with straw rope, and handed them to Song Jinxiu.

Song Jinxiu took out her purse from her pocket, poured all fifty coins onto the ground, "Count them, this is fifty coins."

Though he looked fierce, he had helped her chase away the ruffian Tian Sanbao, so out of gratitude, Song Jinxiu agreed to buy the knife.

"No need to count, I trust the Miss," Chen the Third chuckled.

He didn’t care about fifty coins; he was interested in the half-used purse Song Jinxiu had.

On the purse was embroidered a chubby little tiger.

His zodiac was tiger.

Though shamelessly asking for it, Song Jinxiu would probably not give it to him; Chen the Third just looked at it and didn’t mention it.

Song Jinxiu took the two kitchen knives and thanked him, then quickly ran home.

Chen the Third did not rush to pick up the money, just stood tiptoed, watching Song Jinxiu leave.

He only saw Song Jinxiu running up a dirt slope, entering the back door of the only house on the slope.

Chen the Third touched his head, so she was the girl from this house?

He pocketed the money, picked up his basket, walked near the back door of the Song Family courtyard, and hid to quietly observe inside.

Song Jinxiu ran back home from the back courtyard door, placed the two kitchen knives in the kitchen, and then went to the hall to prepare the tea set and brew tea.

Mr. Song asked, "Why did you take so long, Jinxiu?"

"Oh, just now there was a knife seller who couldn’t sell his goods and insisted I buy a knife to support his business. I was choosing a knife, so it took some time." She dared not mention being pestered by Tian Sanbao.

"Isn’t there a knife at home?" Mr. Song asked.

"Grandpa, that knife is older than me and has too many nicks. It’s impossible to sharpen it well, so I bought a new one," said Song Jinxiu.

"Buying a new one is good too, it’ll cut vegetables faster," Mr. Song replied casually, then went off to chat with Mu Yuanxiu and Li Yuzhu.

Song Jinxiu carried the tea set to the kitchen.

After boiling water, she rinsed a few cups, brewed the tea, and carried the cups into the main room on an old wooden tray.

In the distance, Chen the Third was chewing on a stalk and slapping his thigh, sighing inwardly about how he could marry such a good girl.

"Tea is here," said Song Jinxiu as she placed the cups on the table. "Second Aunt from the Niu Family said this is their newly picked tea leaves this year. Everyone, have a taste."

Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu thanked her, both smiling as they tasted the tea.

Song Jinxiu also brought out some roasted chestnuts to serve them as snacks.

She then went into the kitchen to cook.

Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu had lunch at the Song Family’s house, prescribed more medication for Mr. Song’s blood sugar and pressure, and reminded Song Jinxiu to administer it to him regularly. They left the Song Family through the back yard gate.

Chen the Third saw Li Yuzhu and happily slapped his thigh. "Ah, Miss Li really is the benefactor of our Old Chen Family!"

He strapped on his backpack and ran after them.

.

In cold and windy weather, riding in a cart is comfortable, but driving the cart is suffering.

Li Yuzhu told Mu Yuanxiu to slow down, "There’s no rush to go back; don’t drive so fast, the wind is strong."

Mu Yuanxiu glanced behind, smiling softly, "Okay."

He slowed the mule down to be just a little faster than walking.

Not long after leaving the Song Family’s place, Li Yuzhu heard someone outside the cart calling her name, "Miss Li? Miss Li?"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Li Yuzhu couldn’t immediately recall who it was.

Li Yuzhu called to Mu Yuanxiu, asking him to stop the mule cart.

She lifted the curtain and looked behind, seeing a tall young man running toward their mule cart.

A gray scarf was wrapped around his neck, covering his chin, making it hard to see his face.

"Who are you..." Li Yuzhu blinked, looking at the man.

"It’s me, Chen the Third." Chen the Third pulled down the scarf a bit, revealing a crooked grin, smiling at Li Yuzhu.

Li Yuzhu remembered him and smiled, "Oh, it’s you, Chen the Third. Why did you come to this village?"

Chen the Third, his family worked boats and once did business retrieving bodies from the river. She had helped deliver for his older sister-in-law.

It had been over four months; she had almost forgotten about his family.

Li Yuzhu looked behind Chen the Third. This guy was still carrying a backpack, seemingly filled with lots of things.

Why had he come by foot? The Chen Family had so many mules, horses, and cows.

The village where the Chen Family lived was five or six miles from the township’s market, whereas Qingshui River Village to the township’s market was twenty-five miles.

So for Chen the Third to walk to this village, it took thirty miles for a single trip.

He was quite the walker.

"I’m selling hardware, walking around to more places," Chen the Third said with a smile. He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and asked, "Miss Li, I want to ask you something."

Li Yuzhu, straightforward and candid, nodded, "You ask."

Chen the Third shyly asked, "In Qingshui River Village, the family living alone up on the slope, is there a girl named Song Jinxiu? I saw you coming from there."

Li Yuzhu was very surprised, wondering why he was asking about Song Jinxiu, "What’s going on?"

She didn’t say yes or no.

Chen the Third laughed sheepishly, "Miss Li, could you help me make a match?"

Li Yuzhu: "..."

Mu Yuanxiu, who was driving the cart, also leaned forward to look over.

Li Yuzhu laughed, "Chen the Third, how do you know her name is Song Jinxiu?"

"Ah, there’s a bit of fate between us," Chen the Third thought of his recent heroics in rescuing a beauty and immediately became proud, vividly describing the incident, "Song Jinxiu ought to marry someone as capable as me, so she won’t be bullied. Don’t you agree, Miss Li?"

Li Yuzhu thought to herself, you think so, but would Song Jinxiu be willing?

She smiled slightly and said, "Chen the Third, I can’t promise anything yet. I don’t know what kind of person Song Jinxiu wants to marry. I’ll need to probe her first."

Chen the Third immediately said, "If it works out, I’ll definitely give Miss Li a great gift."

"Chen the Third, don’t get too excited. It might not work out. Let me ask her first. Anyway, don’t take it too seriously. If it doesn’t work out, look for another girl," Li Yuzhu reminded him.

Because of his crooked mouth and bad temper, despite having some money, no girls had taken a fancy to Chen the Third.

He fancied Song Jinxiu, but would Song Jinxiu be willing to marry him?

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