As it turned out, Liu'er's mother had a distant cousin on her side of the family. He was a forty-two-year-old widower whose son had already married and moved out to start his own family.
He lived a quiet life and had some savings, so he wanted to find a companion to spend his later years with. Since this wasn't his first marriage, he didn't bother with a professional matchmaker, instead asking Liu'er's mother to keep an eye out for him.
That day, when Juhua saved Little Shitou by Jing Lake, Liu'er's mother had been one of the onlookers enjoying the commotion.
It suddenly occurred to her that setting Juhua up with her distant cousin would be a decent match. 'After all,' she thought, 'looking the way she does, Juhua can't hope to marry a man she actually likes. She'd be better off with an older man who can provide a stable life.'
However, seeing how much Mother Yang doted on Juhua, she became hesitant—afraid the mother wouldn't be willing to part with her daughter.
