**Chapter 42**

  During this time, Daniu began visiting several vilges. Her status made her well-received in the vilges, and the local cadres were very cooperative with her work. After a few days, the images in her mind had changed. Not only did the facial images match the household registration records, but Daniu also discovered another function.

  Facial recognition and comparison—this was her test discovery. One day, she recorded someone’s appearance, and on her way back, she encountered another person. The images in her mind began to compare, revealing a familial retionship between the two. She couldn’t help but feel that her brain had undergone some kind of mutation.

  After a day of walking, Daniu returned home in the evening to find Fifth Aunt sitting on the north kang, chatting with her mother. Surprisingly, her father was also there, listening. When they saw her return, her mother waved her over. "Daniu, come here. Your fifth aunt has brought some good news."

  Daniu was puzzled. She hadn’t been paying much attention to family matters tely due to her work and had no idea when her mother had started to arrange blind dates for her brother.

  "What’s going on? Who’s the girl?" Daniu asked as she took off her coat, revealing her uniform underneath.

  "Oh my, look at how sharp our Daniu looks in her uniform! Not just in our vilge, but in the entire commune, you won’t find a girl more handsome than our Daniu. By the way, Daniu, you’re eighteen now, right? It’s about time we start looking for a match for you too," Fifth Aunt said with a smile.

  Daniu shook her head. "Auntie, don’t talk about me. Who are you introducing to my brother this time?"

  Fifth Aunt didn’t beat around the bush. "This time, it’s someone from the commune. You might even know her—it’s the Zhou girl who lives next to your fourth grandfather’s house."

  Daniu was stunned and turned to her mother. "Zhou Yingchun?"

  Her mother nodded. "Yes, it’s Zhou Yingchun. Your ninth uncle spoke to Zhou Yingchun’s father about it. The Zhou family knows about your brother’s situation. Today, when Fifth Aunt went to the commune, they invited her over and asked her to be the matchmaker."

  "I know that girl. She’s a good, decent girl. The Zhou family used to run a small business in the commune, but after they stopped, they started working at the rice mill. The wife is a hardworking and capable woman, managing both the household and outside work. They only have two children—Zhou Yingchun and her younger brother. The family is very attentive to their children, and Zhou Yingchun has graduated from junior high," Fifth Aunt said cheerfully. "I think the two of them would make a good match."

  Ma Hongmei thought for a moment. "I also like this child, but I heard that she’s already involved with someone from the Liang family in Shuangmiao Vilge?"

  At this, Fifth Aunt’s face fell. "Involved? You don’t know the whole story. That Liang family is infuriating. By the way, they’re reted to the Zheng family—the second aunt. You have no idea how troublesome that woman is."

  Fifth Aunt took a sip of water. "The Zhou family told me about it. Their son and Zhou Yingchun were cssmates. They met some time ago, and the Liang boy took a liking to Yingchun. You haven’t seen Yingchun—she’s a rare beauty in the area. But don’t worry, nothing improper happened between them."

  "The Zhou couple keeps a close eye on their daughter. After all, they live in the commune, and there are many people coming and going. A young girl like her attracts a lot of attention. So, when the Zhou couple found out that the Liang boy liked their daughter, they told him to go home and discuss it with his family, then send a matchmaker to propose. It should have been a good thing, but when they went to visit the Liang family, the second aunt didn’t prepare anything and even looked down on the Zhou family. The Zhou couple was so angry they left immediately." Fifth Aunt shook her head. "I’ve never seen such picky people. What’s so great about their son that they think they need a fairy to match him?"

  "What does Zhou Yingchun think about this?" Daniu asked. She quite liked Zhou Yingchun, but if Zhou Yingchun was still hung up on that Liang boy, they would forget about it.

  "That girl has a strong personality. She would never go back on her word. This incident was a humiliation for her. Don’t worry, I’ll vouch for her. If there’s even the slightest issue, you can come to me," Fifth Aunt said. It was precisely because she had seen the girl’s character that she decided to act as the matchmaker.

  Ma Hongmei smiled. "Sister-in-w, I naturally trust you. Please keep this matter in mind and let them know that we’re quite interested. When Dali comes back this weekend, I’ll take him to meet her. Since their house is next to Fourth Uncle’s, we’ll arrange the meeting there."

  "Alright, I’ll go and give them the message tomorrow," Fifth Aunt said cheerfully as she stood up. "Well, I’ll be off now. You can look into their family situation further, but I assure you, there’s nothing to worry about."

  Ma Hongmei took a paper package from the cabinet. Inside was a pound of brown sugar, which she handed to Fifth Aunt. "Take this back for your Xiaoju to drink."

  "Oh, no need. Let's not stand on ceremony."

  "If you don't want to stand on ceremony, then take it. Xiao Rou is at her fifth month now, right? This is her first child, so she needs to take good care of herself. If the first pregnancy goes smoothly, the rest will follow suit."

  Fifth Aunt took the sugar after hearing this. "You know, I’ve been a bit worried tely. It’s been five months, and she still can’t eat much. Her belly is so small. I’m really anxious."

  "Is that so? Has she seen a doctor?"

  "Yes, we even went to the county hospital. The doctor said everything’s fine."

  "Well, that’s good. Just make sure she takes care of herself, and everything should be fine. Maybe she’ll feel better after this month. When I was pregnant with Mei, I couldn’t eat much either, and it wasn’t until the sixth month that I started feeling better. Maybe she’s like me?" Ma Hongmei said.

  "I hope so," Fifth Aunt said as she wrapped her scarf around her head. "Alright, I’m off now. I’ll bring you news tomorrow."

  After seeing Fifth Aunt off, Daniu went back to her mother and asked, "Mom, why did you agree to meet Zhou Yingchun again?"

  "I think what Fifth Aunt said makes sense. They’ve only met a few times—how deep could their feelings be? Besides, if it were someone else saying this, I might not have agreed, but since it’s your fifth aunt, I trust her. You don’t know this, but your fifth aunt has arranged dozens of matches, and none of them have turned out badly. Also, I like what your fifth aunt said about the girl’s personality. Your brother is too reserved; he needs someone more outgoing."

  Daniu almost rolled her eyes. Why did her mother trust Fifth Aunt’s words but not hers when they said the same thing?

  "Alright, your dad and I are going back to the backyard. You should get some rest too," Ma Hongmei said, calling out to Song Yuncheng, who was chatting with Grandpa, and the two of them headed to the backyard.

  Daniu talked with her grandfather for a while before returning to her room.

  Xiaocui and Mei had already moved back to the backyard, so now the room was hers alone. After washing up, she y down on the bed and began organizing the memories in her mind.

  Her effort these past few days hadn’t been in vain. She had gained a good understanding of the vilges under her jurisdiction. Tomorrow, she pnned to go to the commune to register the information she had gathered.

  The next morning, just as Daniu finished breakfast, she saw a woman in her forties or fifties walking through the gate. Information fshed in her mind—it was the matchmaker from Shuangmiao Vilge.