Mrs. Chen remembered that there had indeed been a young doctor in the town that day. He appeared to be around twenty-something, with a refined appearance, fair and neat skin, and quite good-looking. "Auntie," she wondered, "he's a doctor and looks good too, how come he's taken a liking to my Huixin?"
"Well, Sister-in-law, your Huixin's delicate features are hard to find in the entire town. Doctor Tao took one look at Huixin and fell for her," the matchmaker patted Mrs. Chen's hand and said. "Sister-in-law, you needn't worry about this marriage proposal, he's a doctor and can earn money by treating people, so you won't have to worry about making a living. Moreover, they already know about Huixin's frailty and must not mind it since they came to me. Don't you think?"
Mrs. Chen still hesitated for a moment, "Auntie, I'll discuss this with the old man when he returns, and then find time to take another look at this young man. Huixin is a bit weak, and we have to be cautious. I hope you won't take offense."
"Auntie, why would I be offended? Wait for your brother-in-law to return, and have a good discussion, then send me a message. I'll also look into more information about their family. A girl getting married is a lifetime affair," the matchmaker was not upset; matchmaking often requires several attempts before success. "Alright, Sister-in-law, I need to go now. There are several other families I have to visit." With that, the matchmaker left.
Mrs. Chen hurriedly saw her out, "Auntie, take care, do come over when you have the time." Standing at the door, she couldn't help but smile — someone had asked for her daughter's hand in marriage. She turned around and entered the west house, where she saw Huixin embroidering.
"Huixin, did you hear everything the matchmaker said?" Mrs. Chen sat next to the bed and asked her daughter.
"Mother, I'll leave my marriage entirely up to father and you," Huixin's face was a blush of red, and she looked down, not daring to meet Mrs. Chen's gaze. The last time she had been to Ren Ji Tang, she thought the doctor there was very young and nice. To her surprise, he had sent someone to propose.
"Ah, as a mother, I wish I could give you only the best. Of course, I'd like for you to marry into a good family, but it's important that you like him as well. Tell me, what do you think of him?" Mrs. Chen couldn't help but sigh as she watched her daughter. Ever since Huixin was born, her health had been frail, and she needed careful nurturing. But what good things could a farmer's home provide for her health? Over the years, they had to make do. Luckily, they had heeded Jinghan's advice to buy a goat, and her daughter's complexion had improved significantly over the past few days.
"Mother, I've only seen him once, how could I have developed any likes or dislikes? But he did seem amiable," Huixin spoke softly, her face flushing.
Hearing this, Mrs. Chen felt reassured that her daughter had a fairly good impression of the young man. "Alright, I will go and inquire about his family thoroughly another day. We need to know their background. And you must continue drinking goat's milk; I've noticed your complexion has improved a lot. Our home doesn't have much, but as long as it's beneficial, drink as much as you need."
After leaving her daughter's room, Mrs. Chen went to Mrs. Xue's. Mrs. Xue wasn't there, so she stepped outside and saw Mrs. Xue tending to the garden. The weeds had grown again and needed to be pulled out so they wouldn't overrun the place. Mrs. Chen squatted down to weed as well.
Mrs. Xue noticed her mother-in-law, "Mother, why have you come to the garden? Your back isn't good; don't squat down. I'll get to this chore when I have a moment."
Still weeding, Mrs. Chen mentioned the matchmaker's visit to Mrs. Xue and asked if she could investigate when she had the time. She had visited Ren Ji Tang already and feared it would be obvious if she returned just to gather information. Mrs. Xue was happy for Huixin, "Mother, this is great news! He's a doctor who can treat illnesses. Our Huixin is also skilled in embroidery; their future won't be bleak. It's far better than marrying into a farmer's household. Wouldn't Huixin have to do farm work when it's busy? She has been pampered at home. Working on a farm in another household would be too rough for her. But marrying a doctor is different. She just needs to do the household chores without exerting herself too much." Mrs. Xue was quite in favor of this match, "Okay, I will check out this man when I have the chance. If he's good, let's settle it. Huixin isn't young anymore – it's time to think about her engagement."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law agreed on the matter and continued chatting and weeding. Once they finished, Mrs. Chen quickly stood up, straightening her back, "Age is catching up with me, and that fall from my younger years did no favors. I'll go check on the cooking; you finish the work here. Where is my second daughter-in-law again today? She was fine for a few days, what happened now?" Mrs. Chen said, massaging her back as she walked back to the house.
Jinghan hadn't gone up the mountain today and instead went to visit Yumei at the Lin family near the river, which was some distance from the Xu family. Yumei was at home practicing her needlework when she saw Jinghan and quickly invited her to sit down, before fetching some sunflower seeds. "We found these a few days ago; I had my mother roast them. We should eat them soon or they'll spoil after the hottest days of summer."
As they sat and chatted, Yumei still held her sewing work, "Yumei, what are you making?"