In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 403 You've made something of yourself!

Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Fang got busy preparing a delicious meal to celebrate this happy occasion.

However, before they could even finish cooking, the villagers, having heard the news, swarmed into their house.

"Village chief, what brings you here?"

Fang Yong opened the door and stared in astonishment at the village chief and the large number of villagers behind him.

"Of course I'm here to congratulate you."

Wu Sheng, the village chief of Tupo Village, said with a smile, "Fang Yong, we just received news that you have been recruited by the Chenjia Village Guard Team?"

"That's what happened."

Fang Yong nodded without hesitation.

The villagers' eyes immediately lit up.

"Yong-ge'er has really made something of himself!"

"That's right! My son also applied for the Chenjia Village Guard Team recruitment, but he didn't get in."

"Whose fault is this? Chenjia Village said they wanted applicants aged 18-30. Your son is only 16 and he went to apply. It would be strange if he got accepted."

"Brother Yong has really made something of himself this time! I heard that the guards in Chenjia Village are well-paid; they get meat every two days, and a tael of silver a month!"

"That's for sure! Yong's family is probably going to be rich in the future!"

"Congratulations, Yong! Don't forget your fellow villagers when you become successful!"

"..."

At this moment, the villagers looked at Fang Yong with envy in their eyes. In the past two days, the benefits of the Chenjia Village Guard Team had become common knowledge in Tupo Village. Every family with able-bodied men hoped that their children could join the Guard Team, but unfortunately...

Most of the men in the families did not meet the age requirement for the Chenjia Village Guard Team. The few who did meet the age requirement were unable to register because they arrived late. This made many villagers very regretful and extremely envious of Fang Yong, who was recruited by the Chenjia Village Guard Team.

"Why is everyone here? Come in and sit down!"

At this moment, Fang's father, who had heard the commotion, came out of the house and invited the villagers to come in and sit down.

however……

The Fang family's house was far too cramped to accommodate so many people, so only prominent figures in the village, such as the village chief, were allowed inside. The rest of the people had to stand outside.

"Old Fang!"

Village Chief Wu Sheng sat inside the house and said with no small amount of envy, "Your family is going to rise to prominence this time. Yong-ge has joined the Chen Family Village Guard Team, so he won't have to worry about food anymore. He can earn money every month, and he might even have the chance to become a martial artist!"

"Yes, yes! From now on, Lao Fang can just sit at home and enjoy his retirement!"

"One tael of silver! I couldn't earn that much money even if I worked myself to death for a year."

"With Yong-ge'er around, Lao Fang is probably going to live the life of a landlord from now on!"

"you do not say!"

"..."

Everyone in the room echoed his sentiments. Although Mr. Fang was very happy, he couldn't show it too obviously, so he had to suppress his excitement and deal with everyone.

By afternoon, the room was finally emptying out. Before Mr. Fang, who had been dealing with everyone for quite some time, could even catch his breath, new guests arrived.

"Matchmaker Wang, what brings you here?"

Fang's father, who had just seen the village chief and others off, looked at the middle-aged woman outside the door with a look of surprise!

This woman was a well-known matchmaker in the vicinity of Tupo Village. Most villagers with male children had heard of her reputation. Because Wang the Matchmaker had a very high success rate in matchmaking, many villagers with male children hoped to build a good relationship with her so that she could find a wife for their children.

In fact, Fang's father had previously approached Matchmaker Wang, hoping to find a wife for Fang Yong. After all, in Xia Guo, where people married in their teens, Fang Yong, a man in his early twenties who was still unmarried, was considered an older youth.

However, when Mr. Fang approached Matchmaker Wang, she wasn't very interested, simply because...

The reason why Matchmaker Wang had a high success rate in matchmaking was that she usually only arranged marriages for relatively wealthy families. Although the Fang family was considered to be doing well in Tupo Village, they were clearly still far from being wealthy, therefore...

Matchmaker Wang wasn't particularly willing to act as a matchmaker for Fang Yong, because she knew in her heart that very few women would be willing to marry into a family like the Fang family.

After a few attempts and asking around at several families with daughters, Wang the matchmaker gave up on the idea of ​​arranging a marriage for Fang Yong, and in the end, Fang Yong's attempt to find a wife came to nothing.

"What, Brother Fang, you don't welcome me?"

Matchmaker Wang asked with a smile, "Although Fang's father failed to find a wife for Fang Yong last time, there is no grudge between the two of you. Fang's father is also aware of his family's situation and knows that finding a wife for Fang Yong is not an easy task."

"Welcome, of course you're welcome!"

Mr. Fang hurriedly welcomed Wang the matchmaker into the house with a smile, offered her a cup of hot water, and then sat down to wait for her to speak.

"Brother Fang, do you remember when you asked me to play matchmaker for Fang Yong?"

Matchmaker Wang asked, holding a glass of water.

"of course I remember!"

Mr. Fang nodded and said, "But didn't you say that no girl has taken a liking to my Fang Yong?"

"That's true."

Matchmaker Wang said, "Brother Fang, as you know, nowadays families with daughters have high standards. Although your family is doing well in Tupo Village, you only have a few acres of land, barely enough to eat. Other families don't want their daughters to marry into your family and suffer!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Fang sighed softly, knowing that this was not just what Wang the matchmaker said, but the truth.

For ordinary families, finding a wife is no easy task for the men in the household. Families with daughters all hope their daughters can marry into a good family, and even...

Many families with daughters would rather send them to become concubines for landlords in the city than marry them off to men from ordinary families.

This is the cruelest truth of the world. If a daughter marries into a landlord's family as a concubine, at least she will have enough to eat and wear, and her family will also receive some favors. But if she marries into an ordinary family, she will not only have to work hard, but she may not even be able to fill her stomach...

Under such circumstances, people would naturally prefer to send their daughters to the landlord's house.

Of course, those landlords weren't blind. They only had eyes for pretty girls. Those with average looks weren't qualified to be the landlords' concubines, which gave some opportunities to boys from ordinary families.

Otherwise, the vast majority of ordinary people in the Xia Kingdom would probably not even have the opportunity to carry on their family line.

Of course, ordinary people have another way to marry off their children, which is through marriage exchange!

The so-called "marriage exchange" is quite simple: two families with both sons and daughters, but whose men cannot afford to marry, exchange wives by swapping their children. Your eldest daughter marries my youngest son, and my youngest daughter marries your eldest son. This arrangement facilitates marriage between the two men and is a choice made by ordinary people out of desperation to continue their family line.