Lu Chi stood stunned for a moment, then hugged her tightly.
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“You don’t have anything you’re hiding from me, do you?”
“…Mm.”
Lu Chi suddenly felt a bit guilty.
It seemed like… there was still one particularly, particularly, particularly important matter he hadn’t told her.
Shi Fa Ke comforted Second Brother Lu, who had gotten a bit carried away from finally getting a wife, and went home.
Because when she returned home, she had a tough battle to fight. First, she had to help the disgraced Second Brother Lu restore his reputation, and then she had to properly comfort her old father, who might be devastated by his daughter’s eagerness to marry…
Thus, the Shi family’s dinner that day was particularly eventful.
“Third Brother, you understand best how rumors stop with the wise, right?” This was Shi Fa Ke’s opening line.
She first found someone who could easily empathize with her to raise this question. After all, Third Brother was someone deeply troubled by rumors of impotence… he should understand such feelings well.
Third Brother Shi looked at her strangely. “What are you trying to say?”
“Ahem, the rumor that’s been spreading most sensationally lately, overshadowing your rumors… what is it?” Shi Fa Ke hinted.
“Scholar Lu wants to marry a courtesan?” Sure enough, Third Brother Shi was very perceptive, but then he curved his lips in a mischievous smile. “But… are you sure this is just a rumor?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Shi Fa Ke said righteously. “Lu Chi was just acting on someone’s request. That Miss Yun Ge’s beloved is someone else—it’s just inconvenient for him to appear publicly. By now, Miss Yun Ge has already left Tongluo Town with her beloved.”
Once these words were spoken, everyone at the dinner table was attracted, showing how widespread the recent rumors had been.
“Really?” Second Brother Shi asked curiously.
“Of course it’s true. I saw Yun Ge with her beloved with my own eyes,” Shi Fa Ke said, looking at her two sisters-in-law. “At today’s temple fair, when I got separated from my two sisters-in-law, it was actually because I saw Yun Ge.”
“But didn’t that Miss Yun Ge come to our door earlier to ask you to arrange a match, saying Scholar Lu wanted to marry her?” Jiao Jiao blinked in confusion.
He Ke Tian’s eyes flashed as she chimed in: “Yes, A Ke, you can’t tell such a big lie just to protect that Scholar Lu.”
Although Shi Fa Ke didn’t know why her two sisters-in-law inexplicably had it out for Lu Chi… she still had to explain this matter clearly.
“…Well, Miss Yun Ge coming to request matchmaking was actually just to provoke me.”
“What do you mean?” Father Shi Chang Huai, who had been silently observing, suddenly felt something was wrong.
“Father, Mother.” Shi Fa Ke suddenly put down her chopsticks and sat up straight. “Actually, when I was arranging the match for the Zhu family’s young lady, I already thought about it. Being a matchmaker is indeed more convenient after getting married. A girl like me who’s enthusiastic about matchmaking before even getting married… if it weren’t for Father and Mother’s protection, I’d probably be ridiculed.”
“A Ke… what exactly are you trying to say?” Shi Chang Huai asked with a trembling voice.
“Father, Mother, I want to get married.” Shi Fa Ke announced solemnly.
Everyone at the table was stunned.
Shi Chang Huai burst into tears with a “wah”…
Tao Shi twitched her lips and quickly dragged him away to prevent him from continuing to embarrass himself.
That night, it was said that Tao Shi showed mercy and allowed Shi Chang Huai to drink two cups of wine.
And with just those two cups, Shi Chang Huai got completely drunk.
Meanwhile, He Ke Tian returned to her maternal home again…
Then, Shi Fa Ke was once again cornered by He Ke Xian.
At that time, Shi Fa Ke was planning to go to Sheng Xing Restaurant to buy some wine and food to visit Lu Chi. After all, once they officially began discussing marriage, it would be even harder to meet. Better to see each other more now and discuss the specific arrangements for their wedding. Being a matchmaker had this advantage—when it came to arranging her own marriage, she was truly skilled.
Of course, a girl who became a matchmaker before getting married was absolutely unique.
“One pot of plum wine, one serving of lotus leaf chicken, um… do you have fish?” Shi Fa Ke remembered that Lu Chi seemed to like eating fish.
“Yes, yes, yes.” The waiter’s eyes lit up as he said very attentively: “Miss Shi, the kitchen received a batch of fresh carp today. Why don’t you personally go to the back kitchen to pick one?”
Shi Fa Ke was tempted and thus ignored the waiter’s overly attentive attitude, following him to the back kitchen.
Indeed, there was a large basin in the back kitchen filled with lively jumping carp that looked very festive and auspicious. Shi Fa Ke squatted by the basin for a while, then pointed to the largest carp with yellow scales on its belly: “I’ll take this biggest one!”
However, there was no response from behind.
When Shi Fa Ke turned around, she got a big fright.
The waiter had disappeared at some point, and standing behind her was He Ke Xian, who had arrived at some unknown time.
“Big Brother He, how did you get here? Standing behind me so silently really startled me,” Shi Fa Ke complained.
“I was startled too,” He Ke Xian looked at her and smiled coolly. “I heard you’re getting married?”
“How did you know? Did Third Sister-in-law tell you?” Shi Fa Ke was surprised.
“Are you really going to marry that stinking scholar?” He Ke Xian ignored her question and continued staring at her, asking.
Shi Fa Ke frowned in displeasure. “Lu Chi has no grievances with you. Why are you cursing at people?”
“Ha?” He Ke Xian seemed to have heard some joke and laughed exaggeratedly. “No grievances?”
“…Then what grievances do you actually have?”