It wasn't just because he had lost an eye, but also because he was addicted to alcohol, often going mad when drunk, and moreover, his temper was strange, making him appear violent and gloomy.
In the eighties, especially in a backward mountain village, it was quite shameful for a man over twenty-five to still be unmarried.
If it wasn't because the family's conditions were too poor, then the person had some serious problems. Another situation was when parents were too overbearing and eccentric, to the point that girls from other families would avoid such in-laws and such a family as if fearing disaster.
Chiang Baohe was twenty-nine, and villagers his age had children who could herd cattle and go to school, yet he was still single.
Not only was Ho Laidi anxious, but Chiang Baohe himself was desperate. He dreamt of having a soft woman to hold in his sleep, to serve him and bear him sons.
