Five hours later, Lin Mian finally got off the bus in the county town, took another bus, and returned to her hometown - Qiushui Town.
Dragging her suitcase for a long distance, she finally arrived in front of her old, dilapidated house. There was a woman at the door leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, with long curly hair tied behind her ears, revealing a slightly harsh demeanor.
It was her mother - Zhao Guilan.
"Mom."
Lin Mian called out softly, and then stopped speaking, carrying her suitcase into the house on her own.
There was no special joy between mother and daughter.
Zhao Guilan followed behind, looking Lin Mian up and down, frowning dissatisfied.
"Why didn't you dress up nicely coming back? Are you deliberately trying to annoy me by wearing such old-fashioned clothes?"
Lin Mian walked in without saying a word.
"Again with that lifeless look since your father died. If it weren't for your somewhat decent face, who within ten miles would want you? Seeing you affects my mood, so annoying."
Zhao Guilan continued to scold, her voice sharp and piercing. Lin Mian pretended not to hear, showing no emotion on her face, as she was already used to it.
After a few scoldings, Zhao Guilan stopped. She walked into the yard, picked up her phone, and made a call, laughing as she spoke.
Not long after, there was movement in the yard, and a middle-aged woman dressed as a matchmaker walked in with a big voice that even Lin Mian could hear.
"Mian Mian is back? I must take a good look at her!"
Lin Mian was still unaware of what was happening when Zhao Guifang welcomed the matchmaker in and pulled Lin Mian to sit in the living room, introducing her with a smiling face.
"My daughter has just graduated, has a high education background, studied at a university in the northern city, she looks beautiful, has been hardworking since childhood, healthy, has never been seriously ill, and has a good body that can definitely bear sons."
The more Lin Mian listened, the more uneasy she felt, and with a "whooosh," she stood up.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"Shut up, sit down properly, don't interrupt when adults are talking, it's not your turn to speak on this matter!"
Zhao Guilan warned her quietly and then pinched her arm, pressing her back onto the sofa.
"Mom, I already said I'm not getting married!"
Lin Mian felt it was ridiculous.
She had only been back for less than ten minutes, hadn't even had a sip of water, and her mother was so eager to bring in a matchmaker to check her out and prepare to marry her off?
"If you say one more word, don't force me to slap you in front of the guests." Zhao Guilan clenched her fists, her eyes filled with a stern light.
Lin Mian's face turned pale, gritting her teeth and remaining silent.
From childhood to adulthood, has she not been slapped in public enough times by her?
Easily resorting to slaps, she had long been accustomed to it, but today she really didn't want to argue. With her eyes closed on the sofa, she thought about how to quickly get her household registration book in hand.
The matchmaker's gaze fell satisfied on Lin Mian, and suddenly asked a question.
"You've never been in a relationship, have you?"
Lin Mian: "?"