Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1108: Dealt with in Secret

Qin San Lang saw Gu Jinli grabbing his collar and pulling him down, knowing she was about to kiss him. His eyes lit up, eagerly waiting in delight. But upon hearing the words, his face darkened, and he quickly leaned down for a kiss on his own initiative.

"Hmm..." Caught off guard, Gu Jinli found it amusing, and quickly pushed him, urging, "Hurry up and leave, or else the Zong matchmaker will be here soon."

The rules in Great Chu dictate that on the day before an engagement, the young lady stays indoors until the ceremony is complete before she can leave the house.

The Zong matchmaker is renowned, working for noble families and officials, surely understanding such customs, so Gu Jinli shouldn’t need to lay out a carpet to greet her. Instead, the matchmaker would come to see her.

Gu Jinli guessed correctly, and soon after, she heard voices—a sound from Mrs. Cui, Third Grandma, Mrs. Chen, and a stranger, presumably the matchmaker.

Qin San Lang heard them too and reluctantly let her go, saying with a hint of reluctance, "I’ll go now; I’ll see you again tonight."

Gu Jinli pushed him away, saying, "Just go, no need to come tonight. You must be tired from traveling back and preparing for tomorrow’s engagement ceremony; use the time to rest well."

"I’m not tired. I’m in good health; sleeping just four hours is enough." After saying this, Qin San Lang hurriedly climbed out of the window.

Gu Jinli straightened her clothes and hair before opening the door to stand to the right side in the doorway waiting.

Soon, she heard Mrs. Chen’s loud voice, "Mrs. Zong, this is the courtyard. Xiao Yu and Sister Xiu live here. She’s currently sewing clothes for San Lang."

She mocked, "But her skills are poor, her embroidery is all weird; embroidered tigers look like pig heads, all chubby, lacking any majesty of a mountain king."

The Zong matchmaker, looking around fifty years old but appearing fortyish, wore clean and proper clothes, with her hair in a simple bun adorned only by a jade hairpin, and jade earrings, exuding clarity and elegance with some nobility.

The Zong matchmaker merely nodded lightly at Mrs. Chen’s noisy words and said, "Miss Gu Er making clothes for Qin Family’s third son is indeed quite virtuous."

This single statement stunned Mrs. Chen.

The Zong matchmaker seemed to value rules; hearing these words, shouldn’t she have said something to Xiao Yu? How could she praise her instead?

Third Grandma glared at Mrs. Chen, wishing she could chase her out with a broom if not for the matchmaker’s presence!

In no time, the Zong matchmaker, supported by a maid, crossed into the yard and upon raising her head, saw Gu Jinli standing to the right of the door, with eyes lowered in humility and hands clasped in front.

Seeing this, the Zong matchmaker nodded approvingly. Madam Guo was right; this Miss Gu Er indeed knew rules well. Though she was the host, she stood to the right as the younger generation when welcoming guests, leaving the left for them to walk.

Left is esteemed.

Upon hearing footsteps, Gu Jinli knew the matchmaker had reached the steps and bowed, greeting her respectfully, "The junior greets Mrs. Zong and wishes her well."

The Zong matchmaker’s family was saved by General Guo once, so she came to repay a favor, and though in this poor countryside, she did not put on airs, walking up calmly to support Gu Jinli, saying, "Miss Gu Er, you have manners."

Gu Jinli rose by the matchmaker’s gentle hands and smiled at her, saying, "You’ve had a long journey, Mrs. Zong. This rural place is not like the city, I hope you won’t mind."

Finding her etiquette quite good, the matchmaker noted her gentle and orderly voice, without any trembling in presence of her stature, nor the loud tone typical of countryside folks, which she very much appreciated. As she further admired her face, she paused... Unexpectedly, in this humble village, she encountered two women as charming as the Capital City’s Double Pearls.

No, if the Gu Family sisters dress up, they might surpass the Double Pearls.

Appreciating Gu Jinli’s looks, the matchmaker only liked her more, thinking that such rural beauties would typically aim for high-class families, leveraging their looks to squeeze into them, uninhibited by becoming a concubine or maid.

But the Gu Family sisters hadn’t done so; their future husbands were local lads from the countryside, showing no intention of climbing higher.

Even more surprising to the matchmaker was that the Gu Family sisters, despite their looks, had not gained any famed beauty reputation in the township, showing the family was wise not to burden the daughters with such notorious fame.

Yet, the matchmaker wondered how the Gu Family achieved this?

Simply, it’s because Gu Jinli was too fierce. Her reputation in the countryside was that of a female bully, feared for her fierceness, with few paying attention to her looks, and any seeking trouble would be secretly dealt with by Qin San Lang.

After many incidents, naturally, no one dared to stare at her anymore.

Whereas Gu Jinxiu remained almost invisible, rarely leaving home, and even when leaving, she wore a veil hat, not showing her face, which few in Da Feng Village had seen.

The matchmaker had a renewed view of the Gu Family, setting aside her repayment manner, earnestly discussing the engagement ceremony matters with Gu Jinli.

The engagement ceremony followed procedures, outlining when to bathe and dress, when to style hair and apply makeup, when to worship the heavens and ancestors, when to open doors and receive the groom’s engagement gifts, and the right way to welcome them, all with intricacies.

The matchmaker explained to Gu Jinli step by step, kindly taking a booklet from a maid, handing it to her, saying, "This booklet details what you need to do for tomorrow’s engagement ceremony. If you forget my words, refer to it."

Gu Jinli received the booklet with both hands, smiling, "Thank you, Mrs. Zong. I will make time to familiarize myself with it to ensure it goes smoothly."

The matchmaker nodded contentedly, "Call me Grandma Zong; my eldest granddaughter is a year older than you."

Gu Jinli smoothly responded, calling out, "Grandma Zong."

The matchmaker was delighted, yet maintained a modest smile, briefly chatting with Gu Jinli before rising to take leave.

"Xiao Yu, we’ll escort the matchmaker. You stay in and finish the robe for San Lang. Xiao Ji will bring you dinner," instructed Mrs. Cui, glancing back at Gu Jinli before quickly catching up with the matchmaker.

Once the matchmaker and company left the courtyard, Xiao Ji slumped her shoulders, relaxing completely, "God, she’s finally gone. The matchmaker’s rules are strict; even sitting, her back remained straight, head held high—doesn’t her neck ache?"

Gu Jinli looked at Xiao Ji and said, "Xiao Ji, you’re getting more like Aunt Da Gui."

"What!" Xiao Ji was startled, her face turned pale from fright, tremblingly asking, "Really, are you serious?"

Gu Jinli nodded, "Yes. You’ve been saying God more frequently lately. If it continues, you’ll become the next Aunt Da Gui."