My Mother-in-Law is Reborn [Seventies]-Chapter 170

Zhao Guihua had a feeling that the courtyard was about to see some ructions again.

Not a seasoned matchmaker, she hadn't matched many couples. But even if she hadn't eaten pork, she'd seen pigs run, right? She had never encountered such a situation before, and it was rather absurd. Looking at Aunt Wang and Li Weiwei's faces, she could tell how furious their families were.

Who wouldn't be angry in such a situation?

As the matchmaker, Zhao Guihua couldn't just stand idly by. She said coldly, "Sister Aunt Wang, just look at how this has turned out. This was a proper blind date, not some royal selection. Do you think your daughter is an emperor from the old society or something? She thinks she can pick whoever she wants? Besides, it was agreed that she was meeting Li Weiwei. They were middle school classmates, so she should know what kind of person he is, right? Coming here means she had some interest, but look what she's doing now. Do you want to embarrass us too? Is that how you want this to be remembered?"

Guan Hong's aunt turned red with shame, but naturally, she had to side with her niece. She retorted angrily, "Zhao Guihua, that's too harsh. We're not unreasonable people. It's just that the girl didn't like the man. Can you force someone into a relationship? Nowadays, it's a free marriage. Parents can't even force their kids. What chance does a stranger like you have?"

Zhao Guihua interrupted her, not letting her twist the facts. "What are you talking about forcing? If you want to play that card, then fine. But let's at least be polite during a blind date, whether we agree or not, right? But look at your daughter, spotting a half-naked man and declaring she's interested. She doesn't even care about appearances anymore, yet you still talk about “free marriage”? Marriage might be free, but you can't behave indecently. You came here to date the Lee family from our courtyard. Don't tell me you jump at every man you see. That's just too much."

Although it was Aunt Wang who had asked her to play matchmaker in the first place, as a go-between, Zhao Guihua needed to take a stance. At the very least, she had to speak up for Li Weiwei, as they were all from the same courtyard.

Zhao Guihua's voice wasn't low; some people in the courtyard had already started peeking through the windows. Aunt Zhou, in particular, scurried over and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhao Guihua snorted coldly, "We've run into some unscrupulous people."

Aunt Wang, being directly involved, couldn't exactly explain, but with Zhao Guihua speaking up for her, she felt a bit better. She sneered, "Get lost, if you didn't have the intention to date, just leave. Weiwei, go home, don't get involved with such a woman."

Li Weiwei couldn't believe his perfectly well-planned blind date had turned into this mess.

He had always thought there was some chemistry between him and Guan Hong. Every time she came to the cafeteria, she always came to his window. A few times, she even winked at him. It was because she had given him so many hints that Li Weiwei had finally decided to get a matchmaker involved.

Little did he know, this was how it would turn out.

He was so furious he was panting, but he couldn't argue with a woman, so he turned to Su Jinlai and shouted, "Su Jinlai, are you doing this on purpose? You deliberately meddled during my blind date. Are you even a man?"

Su Jinlai was feeling quite smug. He might not know why this girl had taken a shine to him, but that didn't stop him from showing off.

He said, "Bro, do I need to be doing it on purpose? With this face of mine, how many girls smile at me when I walk down the street? Go and ask around, who doesn't call me 'Brother Jinlai'? I'm a big shot in these parts. I advise you to just back off."

Guan Hong looked at Su Jinlai with admiration.

She had been to some small video halls and watched movies from Hong Kong. She admired boys with a bit of a gangster vibe the most. So she didn't mind that Su Jinlai was a rogue; in fact, she thought it made him more attractive.

Her admiring gaze made Su Jinlai even more proud.

He smirked arrogantly at Li Weiwei.

Li Weiwei: "You—I'm going to beat you to death!"

He rolled up his sleeves ready to fight, but Zhao Guihua quickly stopped him, "Weiwei, it's not worth it. Don't get into a fight over this. I know you're angry, but if you start throwing punches, people will think you're really into her. Then the story might spread that two men were fighting over a woman. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?"

Aunt Wang chimed in, "Exactly, just leave them alone. Don’t give them the satisfaction. We'll find someone even better."

Aunt Wang couldn't believe her grandson's first blind date had turned into such a disaster. She pulled him inside and said, "Let's go home. We'll just find another match for you. Don't let them think they're so impressive."

Zhao Guihua and Aunt Wang stopped Li Weiwei from fighting, not because they were particularly civilized, but because both of them knew that while Su Jinlai was half-naked, the blame couldn't be entirely placed on him.

After all, Su Jinlai hadn’t made the first move. Guan Hong had jumped at him herself.

If Li Weiwei attacked Su Jinlai in such a situation, it would only reflect poorly on him, so they all held him back.

Zhao Guihua pulled him aside, "Go inside, I’ll talk to you, Weiwei."

Li Weiwei: "She—she's such a liar."

Zhao Guihua glanced at Guan Hong and sneered, "Don't waste your energy on someone irrelevant. Keep your distance, lest she has the nerve to say you’re pining after her."

Li Weiwei widened his eyes, "Pfft, she's the one who showed interest in me first. Every time she came to the cafeteria, she’d brush my palm while passing me money…"

Oh dear!

The older women were all shocked. These young people nowadays sure knew how to play! Their jaws dropped as they found themselves both shocked and excited. Guan Hong's aunt became even redder and visibly more embarrassed. She said, "What are you talking about? How can you slander people like this? Marriage is about mutual consent…"

"Mutual consent doesn’t mean trickery," Aunt Zhou said sarcastically.

Zhao Guihua nodded, "That’s right. If I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered with this whole match."

She also addressed the two of them, "Go on, get lost. Don’t wander around our courtyard. We’ve never seen anything like this before."

"You’re smearing my reputation…"

Li Weiwei: "I’m not. Many people at the cafeteria have seen it!"

Now Guan Hong turned red, but she still countered, "I just accidentally touched him, okay?"

She just wanted him to give her a bit more meat…

Besides, at first, she thought just picking any guy would do. Since Li Weiwei seemed interested in her, she thought he might make a decent match. But deep down, she preferred bad boys. With this in mind, Li Weiwei just didn’t make the cut.

The more Guan Hong defended herself, the more her aunt covered her forehead, only feeling more embarrassed. Even though she had been defending Guan Hong, she knew how disgraceful this was. She took a deep breath and said, "Come home with me."

Guan Hong looked at Su Jinlai, who said, "Why don’t you come to my place for a while?"

Guan Hong: "Okay!"

Everyone else present: "!!!"

This was just too blatant. Li Weiwei was so angry he felt like his head was steaming. He was about to explode again but was held back by his grandmother. Aunt Wang spat, "Disgusting people."

She pushed Li Weiwei inside and said, "Just ignore them. Their shady dealings have nothing to do with us."

Su Jinlai tossed his head and said, "Ha, I’m not afraid of them."

He said, "Come on, let’s go to my place for a drink."

Guan Hong's eyes lit up with joy and she said, "Alright."

Guan Hong might be willing, but her aunt wasn’t having any of it. She grabbed her niece firmly and said, "Come on, let’s go home!"

Guan Hong said, "Auntie, what are you doing? I just want to sit for a while. I need to fight for my own happiness in marriage…"

Her aunt said, "Fight for what? You have to come with me today. How am I going to explain this to your parents?"

She dragged Guan Hong out, who looked back sadly at Su Jinlai. Su Jinlai said, "Come again sometime."

From last night onwards, Su Jinlai's mood has been rather poor. How could it be any better? After all, he suffered a Waterloo and was even forced to work, but who would have thought there would be such an unexpected gain? He smirked arrogantly, feeling unusually refreshed.

He spat out loud and said, "Want to compete with me? Hmph, I'm just good-looking."

In truth, among his family members, Tonglai was the best-looking and had the knack for socializing. Otherwise, in his previous life, he wouldn't have relied on women to make a living. This time around, he actually took his studies seriously. Although he's shrewd, his thoughts are now focused on his studies, which has somewhat dulled his usual flamboyance.

As for Su Jinlai, who didn't follow this path in his previous life, this incarnation has been awakened by Guan Hong's enthusiasm to some special skills...

He hummed a little tune, not noticing Luo Xiaohe's bewildered expression. Luo Xiaohe thought, "..."

She just can't understand the mindset of these young girls today!

She can't understand, and neither can Zhao Guihua, but it's not entirely unexpected. Just like how some men enjoy saving fallen women, some women are drawn to rascals. Didn't Su Jinlai have a woman who was utterly devoted to him in his previous life?

But the woman from his previous life...

That woman wasn't today's Guan Hong!

In his previous life, the woman's name was...

Zheng Huimin.

After being neighbors for a few years, and with such a unique name, Zhao Guihua still remembers it.

She vaguely heard that the woman's name was originally something else, but it was mistakenly written when registering, and although it was a mistake, her family thought the name sounded more cultured, so they kept it.

But that's not important right now. What's crucial is comforting the disheartened young man, Li Weiwei.

Zhao Guihua doesn't realize yet that this is just the beginning. Li Weiwei's journey through blind dates is long and arduous.

She's currently gently comforting the disheartened young man.

"Think about it this way, although you didn't have much of a connection with her, it's actually a good thing. It's better to find out early that she's not the right one than to get married and have it turn out even worse. Knowing what kind of person she is early on is actually a blessing."

Zhao Guihua continued, "You're still young, and your job isn't stable yet. Once that's settled, you'll find there are plenty of better options."

She added, "It's much better than getting married and then being cheated on."

"Zhao Guihua is right. Think about it, isn't that the truth?" Aunt Wang felt a bit embarrassed as she said, "Guihua, I'm sorry to have involved you in this. I can't believe how this turned out..."

Her family had initially taken a liking to the girl and asked Zhao Guihua to mediate, just like when Daqiang and Wang Zizhen were introduced. It was only after both parties showed interest that they sought a matchmaker. Who could have expected such a mishap?

This girl is really a troublemaker.

Zhao Guihua replied, "It's no big deal for me. I'm just worried about Xiao Wei feeling bad. When it comes to finding a partner, it's not like you see one and it's set in stone. Maybe you'll turn a corner and find love instead."

Li Weiwei chuckled, "Zhao Guihua, you're quite trendy."

He blushed.

"Turning a corner and finding love."

He had never heard such a phrase before.

Zhao Guihua said, "Don't worry about whether I'm trendy or not. When it comes to finding a partner, I, Zhao Guihua, have got it covered. Just wait, and I'll introduce someone else to you."

Li Weiwei asked cautiously, "Really?"

He was urgently looking for a partner.

Zhao Guihua assured him, "Just trust me!"

Li Weiwei nodded heavily.

He said, "Thank you, Zhao Guihua."

One's upbringing greatly influences their decisions. Take Li Weiwei, for example; both his parents, Li Fang and Yang Lixin, meticulously plan for the household, and he's always seen that as the ideal lifestyle. That's why he wants the same—a stable family life with mutual understanding, which is why he's eager to find a partner.

After failing in his blind date, Li Weiwei felt utterly disheartened and even took a day off from work.

It ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍was fortunate he had the foresight to take leave for the date. Otherwise, had it been on a weekend, he would have embarrassed himself in front of everyone. He chuckled to himself, feeling a bit proud of his quick thinking.

Seeing that Li Weiwei was easy to console, Zhao Guihua felt reassured. She was worried about encountering a kid who would stubbornly stick to their ways, but fortunately, the children in their neighborhood have been exposed to a lot since infancy, so there weren't any like that.

She said, "Zhao Guihua will keep an eye out for you. There are still plenty of good girls out there."

Li Weiwei's lips curved into a smile of joy.

Having reassured Li Weiwei, Zhao Guihua began to seriously consider potential matches. Despite not being much of a matchmaker, she knows the area well and took the time to familiarize herself with the circumstances of various girls in the neighborhood.

Aunt Wang mentioned, "Awhile back, Auntie Lian from the back street said she wanted to introduce someone to my grandson, Li Junjun, but he refused to meet. I'll ask; after all, I have more than one grandson."

Li Weiwei quickly said, "My brother's not interested, but I am."

He was genuinely not picky.

Although Aunt Wang was grateful to Zhao Guihua for her consideration for her grandson, she didn't want to miss any potential matchmaking opportunities. She said, "I'll go check with Auntie Lian."

With the reform and opening up, Auntie Lian's business has diversified. However, compared to their amateurish efforts, Auntie Lian was truly a professional. Take her free-range chickens—they solved so many of their egg consumption issues.

Zhao Guihua agreed, "Asking her is a good idea. Auntie Lian definitely has more options."

After a pause, she added, "It's also a good chance to match their Ba Zi (a traditional Chinese system for analyzing compatibility)."

Aunt Wang replied, "That makes sense."

Aunt Wang was quick to act, immediately dragging Li Weiwei out the door. As Li Weiwei left, his gaze towards Su Jinlai could nearly devour him. Su Jinlai, on the other hand, proudly lifted his chest, feeling exceptionally distinct.

He believed he was superior to others.

However, it was a bit chilly wearing just a tank top in the spring. Seeing that Guan Hong had left and Li Weiwei was gone, he quickly put on his cotton jacket. Zhao Guihua thought, "..."

Luo Xiaohe approached and asked, "How is it?"

Zhao Guihua replied, "What can it be? It's definitely not going to work out."

Luo Xiaohe looked at Su Jinlai, feeling he was only adding to others' burdens. However, despite his mediocre character, the guy did have good looks. She shook her head and said, "Young girls today just don't understand love."

Zhao Guihua deeply agreed.

Su Jinlai disdainfully curled his lip, dismissing their thoughts. He was feeling quite triumphant.

Although it was a workday, and many people weren't in the yard, news of Li Weiwei's failed blind date spread quickly. The situation at the scene was just too absurd. Zhuang Zhixi, on his way home from work, heard about it before even reaching the house.

Walking with him was none other than Li Weiwei's father, Yang Lixin.

Yang Lixin, as a father, was extremely worried and said, "You think my son, Xiao Wei, won't be able to find a wife?"

Zhuang Zhixi replied, "That's unlikely."

At just under twenty years old, there was no rush for marriage.

He said, "Nowadays, it's normal to get married at twenty-four or twenty-five. Don't be so anxious."

Yang Lixin looked at Zhuang Zhixi's face and sighed even more deeply, saying, "If someone else said that, it might be a bit convincing, but not you. You're just too good-looking."

The best-looking person in their yard was Zhuang Zhixi. In fact, Yang Lixin wasn't bad-looking either; if he were, he wouldn't have been able to become a son-in-law. But the problem is that Li Weiwei takes after all the unfavorable traits of his parents.

He didn't inherit any of the good traits.

Yang Lixin, despite not having much education and starting as a chef apprentice at a young age, had the face of an intellectual and was rather fair-skinned. But Li Weiwei was dark and resembled the Li family, with a stocky, intimidating build.

Yang Lixin was especially worried: "He's not good-looking, which makes it hard for him to find a partner."

Zhuang Zhixi said, "Not everyone relies on appearances."

Yang Lixin glanced at Zhuang Zhixi again and said, "Your words don't carry much weight."

Zhuang Zhixi: "..."

Seeing Yang Lixin's genuine and heartfelt worry, he said, "Don't think too much about it."

Yang Lixin replied, "How can I not think about it? It's..."

His voice paused and he said, "Hey, isn't that Chen Yuan?"

Although they didn't live in the same compound, they were quite familiar with Chen Yuan. After all, his wife, Tao Yuyue, still worked at the machinery factory. Chen Yuan was arm in arm with a young girl, and the two of them walked very intimately.

Although the social climate was different from ten years ago, such situations were still rare. Walking so closely together like this was indeed surprising.

"Holy crap, holy crap holy crap."

A series of exclamations came from behind.

Zhuang Zhixi turned back to see Zhou Qun had somehow caught up with them. He stared at the two people, his eyes sparkling with gossip. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief, covered his face, and pretended to cough, saying, "I'll go take a look."

He darted off quickly, but before he could take a few steps, Jiang Lu grabbed him. Jiang Lu: "Didn't we agree to go buy a TV after work today?"

Zhou Qun: "Ah!"

He cried out almost in anguish.

Buying a TV was important, but so was satisfying his curiosity about the gossip. For a moment, he was torn between the two.

Jiang Lu: "Just don't meddle in other people's affairs."

Jiang Lu's life was quite content these days. While she also enjoyed gossip, she wasn't as passionate about it as Zhou Qun. Zhou Qun, however, was reluctant to let go: "I really want to see what's going on."

He was excited: "This is blatant misconduct!"

Jiang Lu: "Then should I go buy the TV by myself?"

Zhou Qun: "Go ahead."

Jiang Lu's face darkened. Zhou Qun muttered: "Didn't you say you wanted to go alone? You're really hard to please."

He reluctantly tore his eyes away from Chen Yuan, knowing he had missed his chance for gossip. He had to follow Jiang Lu to buy the TV instead—what a pity.

Zhou Qun was reluctantly dragged away by Jiang Lu.

Jiang Lu: "Stop poking your nose into other people's business. You could use that time for something better."

Zhou Qun grumbled, feeling his wife was being unnecessarily picky. He said: "Zhuang Zhixi, why don't you go check out what's up with Chen Yuan?"

Zhuang Zhixi: "And who says I have nothing to do? I still have to console Yang Lixin."

Yang Lixin: "That's quite unnecessary."

Why would he need consoling?

He didn't need it at all.

Zhuang Zhixi chuckled and shrugged, feeling there was no need to inquire about Chen Yuan. Though Chen Yuan was a bit erratic, he wasn't a fool. He wouldn't parade around with someone who had no connection to him in public.

He said with a smile: "Let's go, I want to see what kind of garden Grandpa has."

Yang Lixin: "Why not use that space to raise a couple of chickens? Flowers are boring."

Zhuang Zhixi: "I think flowers are nice. Grandpa is at that age, and I think he finds joy in them."

Raising chickens and growing flowers were completely different concepts.

Yang Lixin: "I don't get it. Oh right, I forgot my lunchbox!"

He was almost home when he remembered he left his lunchbox behind. The failure of his son's blind date really hit him hard. Yang Lixin hurried back, while Zhuang Zhixi shook his head and continued walking alone. Passing by a small shop, he glanced through the window and saw two flowerpots on display.

Zhuang Zhixi became intrigued and stepped inside. A short while later, he came out carrying two pots of Clivia.

If Zhao Guihua had been there, she would have known this was the place she had been waiting at earlier today, and she too had noticed these two pots of flowers. Zhao Guihua couldn't help but reminisce about the past, but unlike him, she didn't feel the urge to buy them.

But Zhuang Zhixi, without any foresight, felt the urge when he passed by.

Sometimes, luck is simply predestined.

This was a tiny consignment store, mainly selling daily necessities like rice, oil, and firewood. They didn't sell flowers, and the two pots on display were purely for decoration. But since Zhuang Zhixi wanted to buy them, they were happy to sell.

In the eyes of most people, two pots of flowers weren't worth much, so selling them for money was a good deal.

The shopkeeper even thought about putting out more pots of flowers in the future, hoping for more unsuspecting buyers like Zhuang Zhixi. He bought the two pots of Clivia, which weren't cheap but not expensive either. This kind of thing was just for fun.

Zhuang Zhixi, in fact, didn't know much about flowers. He just saw that Grandpa Lan had set up a flowerbed, so he followed suit and decided to get a couple of pots, since they looked nice. He took the flowerpots home, and by then, everyone had finished work.

Zhao Guihua saw her youngest son carrying the flowers and her eyebrows twitched.

So, was this the day he started raising flowers?

She looked deeply at Zhuang Zhixi and said: "This flower is good, it might even bring you a fortune someday. Take good care of it."

Zhuang Zhixi thought his mother was joking and said: "Sure, I'll take good care of it."

He carried the flowers inside and came back out to see his son and daughter doing their winter vacation homework in his grandmother's room. He chuckled and said: "You two went out to play today, didn't you? There are only a few days left before school starts. What are you going to do then?"

Yuan Yuan and Ruan Ruan said softly: "We'll finish, Dad. Don't disturb us. We have to hurry up because we're going to Grandpa's to watch cartoons later."

Zhuang Zhixi didn't stop the kids, just said: "Go ahead, by the time school starts, you won't have any time."

The two kids stuck out their tongues, thinking there would still be time, but they didn't argue with their dad.

Zhuang Zhixi went over to the pot and asked: "What's for dinner today?"

Zhao Guihua: "Fermented vegetables."

Liang Meifen had come back early today and was already helping Zhao Guihua in the kitchen.

She said: "We need to finish these pickles quickly. Once the weather gets warmer, they'll have to be replaced, and the taste won't be as good."

Zhao Guihua: "Do I need you to tell me that?"

Liang Meifen didn't say anything.

Zhuang Zhixi, indifferent, went to check on his son and daughter's winter homework.

"Guihua, Guihua," came the call.

Zhao Guihua: "What is it?"

It was Aunt Wang calling.

Aunt Wang was excited and said: "Guihua, Weiwei is having another blind date the day after tomorrow. I want to ask you to come with me. Is that convenient for you?"

Zhao Guihua: "Sure, that's no problem."

Aunt Wang: "You know, it's quite a coincidence. Aunt Lian introduced someone from Yang Family Village. Although she's from the countryside, she's said to be quite pretty and a hard worker. We've arranged to meet at her house."

Normally, meetings were either at the man's house or the matchmaker's. Meeting at the woman's house was quite unusual. But Aunt Wang took today's lesson to heart and didn't want the blind date to happen in their compound again, to avoid Su Jinlai causing trouble once more.

As for the matchmaker, Aunt Lian... her house wasn't suitable for meetings. It was too small and filled with stuff from her side jobs, making it impossible to move around.

Zhao Guihua: "Is this Aunt Lian's match?"

"Yes, it is."

Aunt Wang was very pleased and said: "Just now, my son-in-law came back and I inquired about it. Apparently, this girl is really good, and her family are all reasonable people."

Her enthusiasm, which was already at eight, jumped to ten.

She happily said: "I think my Weiwei is having a lucky year in love."

Zhao Guihua nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."

Aunt Wang left excitedly. Zhuang Zhixi: "You're going with so many people, you might scare her off."

Zhao Guihua: "What's the big deal? Besides, she didn't just ask me because of the blind date."

Zhuang Zhixi raised an eyebrow: "The Fan Family?"

Zhao Guihua: "Exactly."

They were old friends, so they understood each other without needing to spell things out. Zhao Guihua immediately caught the subtext in Aunt Wang's words.

Going together could also give them a chance to see what the Fan Family was like now.

Although so many years had passed, they still remembered that family. Even though they hadn't heard anything about them in years and hadn't inquired, just mentioning Yang Family Village brought them back to mind.

After all, such a malicious family was rare.

Although the Fan Family had no direct connection to them, He Lan was their neighbor. So, everyone felt quite indignant on her behalf.

Zhuang Zhixi: "I feel like they probably won't be living a good life."

Zhao Guihua: "Generally, families like that, who are nasty and have no character, tend to have thick skin and can really throw themselves into things. They might not necessarily live poorly."

If you look at it that way, it does make sense.

Still, Zhuang Zhixi feels that their family won't be doing well.

When Mingmei returns and hears them discussing the long-lost Fan Family, she sighs wistfully, "It's a pity I can't tag along to watch the drama."

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She really wants to see the commotion, but she can't.

Zhao Guihua: "I'll report back to you all once I'm back."

When it comes down to it, the 1970s and the 1980s are fundamentally different. Although things still require tickets for purchasing now, fashion-wise, there's a noticeable shift. Time quickly moves to the day after tomorrow. Li Weiwei borrows a wool coat and styles his hair like it's been combed by a cow.

Had this been the 1970s, such a look would have seemed a bit improper.

But now, it looks quite fashionable.

Aunt Wang, Zhao Guihua, and Auntie Lian, three elderly women, take Li Weiwei to the countryside. As the old saying goes, the eldest tends to be honest, and the second tends to be cunning, but that's not the case in their family. Li Weiwei lacks any sort of guile. He's quite excited throughout the journey.

However, one thing that remains unchanged is that people still prefer not to marry rural girls. After all, the gap between city and countryside is still significant in this era. But Li Weiwei isn't too picky about this, as his father is also from the countryside.

Although this blind date is happening in Yang Lixin's hometown, Yang Lixin can't attend as he has to work. Li Weiwei asks, "Are we going to see my grandparents?"

Aunt Wang: "Of course, you have to go. If you came and didn't visit your grandparents, that wouldn't make sense, would it?"

Since Yang Lixin is a son-in-law and Aunt Wang and Li Chef only have one daughter, Li Fang, they are particularly wary of Yang Lixin saying one thing and doing another. Therefore, in the early years of marriage, they kept a close eye on Yang Lixin and were not pleased with him interacting with his family, fearing that he might be tricked into returning. They also limited the children's visits. As a result, although they are in-laws, their interactions are minimal. Yang Lixin only returns once or twice a year. It's only in recent years, after they've been married for a long time and the children have grown up, that the family has gradually relaxed, and the interactions between the two families have slightly increased.

Aunt Wang: "This bag is for your grandparents."

The city is indeed much more relaxed than the countryside, so the gifts she brings are items that are difficult to buy without tickets in the countryside. This is Zhao Guihua's first time visiting Yang Family Village, and she’s somewhat curious. Li Weiwei leads them to his grandparents' house. At this time, everyone is at work. Now that land has been distributed to households, everyone works hard on their own land.

He shouts at the top of his lungs, "Grandma, Grandpa, it's me, Little Wei, I'm here!"

"Cousin?"

A child from Li Weiwei's second uncle's family sees him and quickly ushers him in. Soon, the Yang family returns. Although Yang Lixin's children are not very close to them, they are, after all, their grandchildren. Since they don't live together, there are no conflicts. The elderly Yang couple likes him quite a bit.

Aunt Wang introduces everyone to each other and explains their purpose.

Yang Aunt nods in agreement: "You're right, the Tian girl is indeed hardworking. Among the many village girls, she's one of the best when it comes to work."

"That’s good, that’s good."

However, the young man who called Li Weiwei "Cousin" earlier suddenly looks incredibly upset, as if he’s just lost his mother.

Zhao Guihua: "???"

The young man hesitates, unable to say anything.

Aunt Wang and Li Weiwei don’t notice, but Zhao Guihua does. She glances at the young man, who quickly looks away, awkwardly pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Guihua: "???"

There’s an ominous feeling.

She smiles and asks, "Does this boy from the second uncle's family have a partner yet?"

Yang: "Not yet. He's seen two girls and wasn't satisfied with either. I wonder what kind of person he wants to find."

Zhao Guihua: "…Oh."

She smiles and says, "So, what kind of person is he looking for?"

Her casual chat makes the young man even more awkward. Suddenly, he drops to his knees and says, "Grandma, I like Tian Fang. We’ve been in love for a long time."

He lowers his head and adds, "We’ve been in love for a long time. Her family wants her to marry into the city, but she’s not that kind of person. We are truly in love. Cousin, please don’t compete with me for Tian Fang. With your great conditions, you can find anyone you want. Just let Tian Fang be with me."

The room falls so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Zhao Guihua: "…" She had a feeling something was off, and sure enough, something is very off.

When the young man says this, Auntie Lian is shocked. This could ruin her reputation—after all, the girl was her introduction.

Aunt Wang staggers, completely caught off guard. Just two days ago, the blind date failed, and now, before the date even happens, it’s over? She never expected this to involve family matters. This situation is completely out of her hands.

Such matters are internal family affairs, and Zhao Guihua doesn't want to meddle. She stands up and says, "I'll take a walk around the village."

"Go ahead."

Zhao Guihua awkwardly steps out, and as soon as she does, she hears a series of crashes coming from inside the house.

Zhao Guihua: "…"

She feels she shouldn't have come along. She thought everything would go smoothly, but never expected…

Zhao Guihua steps outside and thinks to herself that she had come along to ensure things went well and to check on the Fan Family’s situation. But she never imagined that the girl Li Weiwei was supposed to meet would have such a complicated relationship with his cousin.

What a mess.

She sits at the entrance, saying she’s taking a stroll, but since she’s an outsider, wandering around the village isn’t appropriate. As she sits down, someone comes up to greet her, "Sister, are you here to visit relatives?"

Zhao Guihua: "Yes."

She doesn’t elaborate further, saying, "Do you live next door?"

"Yes, my name is Auntie Zaohua, and I live here. What’s going on with the Yang family?"

The sound of arguing can be heard coming from inside.

Zhao Guihua: "I’m not too sure…"

She doesn’t want to discuss this, so she changes the subject, "You guys start working as soon as spring arrives? That’s quite diligent."

"When you’re farming your own land, that’s how it is."

Auntie Zaohua is a talkative person. Perhaps seeing that Zhao Guihua is from the city, she’s quite curious and says, "What relative are you in the Yang family?"

Zhao Guihua: "I’m from the in-laws of the Yang family."

Auntie Zaohua nods in understanding.

Just as she’s about to speak, she suddenly rushes out and grabs a middle-aged man passing by, saying, "Fan Jianguo, where do you think you’re going? When are you going to pay back the money you owe me?"

She’s completely different from the friendly tone she used with Zhao Guihua, tightly grabbing onto the man.

Zhao Guihua, upon hearing the name Fan Jianguo, immediately stands up. She scrutinizes this Fan Jianguo, noting his patched and tattered cotton coat, which hasn’t been washed in who knows how long, now shiny with grease.

His hair is messy and greyish, and his face looks old. At first glance, he appears middle-aged, but on closer inspection, it seems he could be in his fifties.

Zhao Guihua’s eyes flicker. She remembers her third son once mentioned that Fan Jianguo was quite handsome and well-built, much better-looking than Bai Fendou. Of course, without a good appearance, how could he have charmed multiple women?

But now, looking at this man, he’s dirty and disheveled, with no energy, appearing both wretched and contemptible. Forget Bai Fendou, he doesn’t even compare to the elderly men in her own village, like Zhuang Laonian. He looks like someone from the old society who’s been smoking opium, hunched over and unpresentable.

As Fan Jianguo is being held by Auntie Zaohua, he forces a cautious smile, fawning, "Auntie, give me a couple more days. Let me win some money, and I’ll definitely pay you back."

"Stop spewing nonsense. When are you going to pay me back? You’ve been saying that since last year."

Auntie Zaohua was livid. "What kind of person are you? A man of your age, spending all day without a shred of dignity. I don't care, you have to pay me back the money. What kind of people are the Fan Family? Not a single one of them is decent. It's utterly disgusting. If you don't pay me back today, don't blame me for being rude!"

Fan Jianguo, looking pathetic, continued to plead with a smile: "I'm not... I'm not refusing to pay you back, it's just that I really don't have the money. Look, even for Chinese New Year, my family didn't buy a single new piece of clothing. I truly don't have it..."

"If you just gambled a little less, you..." Auntie Zaohua was about to lecture when suddenly, Fan Jianguo pushed her aside and ran off swiftly.

Auntie Zaohua was fuming. "You scoundrel! I'll kill you!" She chased after him, but Fan Jianguo, not caring about anything else, ran wildly. However, his physical condition was mediocre, and after a short while, he stumbled and fell flat on the ground, nose bleeding immediately. But he didn't care and got up, continuing to run.

Seeing him get away, Auntie Zaohua stamped her foot in frustration. "That scoundrel."

Zhao Guihua hurried over and asked, "What’s going on with this man? Did he borrow money and refuse to pay it back? Such people are the most disgusting."

Auntie Zaohua replied, "Exactly."

She crossed her arms and said, "This Fan Family, they’re the troublemakers in our village. A bunch of wicked people, not a single one is decent. We didn’t dare lend them money. This old guy, last National Day, he stole a chicken from my house, and the village chief ordered him to pay me five yuan. Five yuan! But it's been going back and forth, and he still hasn't paid me. Every time he sees me, he runs away. Isn't that despicable?"

A hen, and not just any hen, it was a laying hen.

She was furious. "Look at this kind of person, not a bit human, always gambling. His home is completely empty, even rats don't want to go there."

Zhao Guihua asked, "Doesn't he have a wife? He seems quite old."

"A wife? What kind of wife would he get? He did marry once a long time ago, but back then, his family was vicious, scheming against the girl. Taking advantage of her bad background, they bullied her a lot. Later, they even kicked the young wife out, not even keeping their own child. Later, I heard that the child didn't survive. It was a premature baby, and with the mistreatment in their home, it's no wonder. After the young wife left, as someone with a bad background, who knows how hard her life must have been. It's no surprise the child couldn't survive."

Zhao Guihua's eyes flickered. This must be a rumor spread by Bai Fendou. At the time, she had suggested Bai Fendou delay registering the child’s birth, and he mentioned spreading some rumors, though it sounded inauspicious.

But whether it sounded auspicious or not didn't matter much. What mattered was how much trouble it would save the child in the future.

Zhao Guihua asked, "So, he didn't try to find someone else?"

"How could he not? He found a girl from a family with a government official, but before they got married, she saw through their true nature and it didn't work out. Later, he was fired for beating someone in public. Can you believe how much people change? Ten years ago, he was a prominent young talent in our village, but after being fired, he became a street loafer, universally hated. It’s truly disgraceful."

Although strangers, women always find it easy to strike up a conversation.

Auntie Zaohua continued, "His family wasn't easy to find a match for after paying the fines, so he ended up living with a widow, but not even that lasted long, as the widow eventually grew tired of him. Over the years, he couldn't find anyone else and remained a bachelor."

Zhao Guihua laughed, "Isn’t that just karma?"

"Exactly, the Fan Family has bad foundations, so naturally, the offspring are all the same. The old couple is vicious and wicked, and their sons are no better. They fight all the time over a few rooms in the house."

Auntie Zaohua was very energetic talking about other people's gossip.

She found Zhao Guihua to be a genuinely great conversationalist, which only fueled her interest in gossip. Zhao Guihua’s curiosity about the situation wasn't strange; people nowadays had little entertainment, so family dramas were a topic that could go on for 300 episodes, even between strangers.

Speaking of the Fan Family, they were infamous in their village. Initially, the Fan Family thought they could profit by bailing someone out, but it turned out differently. Fan Jianguo was fired. This caused an uproar in the family, as they had already drained their savings to pay the fines.

Because of the fines, the other sons were dissatisfied, thinking their parents and Fan Jianguo shouldn't have paid, and sitting in jail would have saved them three thousand yuan.

This led to a huge family feud.

The money, however, was in the hands of the old couple, and despite the sons' unhappiness, they couldn't stop them. The old couple didn't want to suffer.

Especially since Fan Jianguo had to return to farming, which angered the other brothers, leading to a fierce fight over the family split. Even the old couple was beaten by their sons, with no respect for filial piety. They tried to get Guan Guiling to return the money, but she was ruthless and threatened to frame them again.

The Fan Family had to pay again.

And they were terrified. This woman valued money over her life. Despite their outward arrogance, the Fan Family was actually cowards. Every time they returned, they would curse, so the whole village knew.

The money from Guan Guiling was unrecoverable, and the family feud over the split intensified.

They fought for almost a year until they finally split.

The old couple couldn't stand up to their three grown sons and were kicked out, along with Fan Jianguo.

Even after the split, their lives didn't improve. They used to have money, so even lazy work provided good food and drink. Now, it was tough, and the transition was hard. The whole family was lazy but wanted the good life, leading to constant fights and arguments.

Every branch of the family was the same, always quarreling, providing endless entertainment for the village.

As for the old couple and Fan Jianguo, they moved to an old, mud-walled house.

These three managed to live together. The Fan brothers weren’t willing to work, let alone Fan Jianguo, who found a widow and went to live with her, but they didn’t officially register the marriage, just having a banquet to symbolize it.

However, Fan Jianguo only stayed with the widow for half a year before being kicked out. The widow wanted a man as a support, but Fan Jianguo expected support from her, which obviously didn’t work. He "married" a few more times over the years, but none lasted more than six months.

After three or four years, he couldn't find anyone suitable and had nowhere to go, so he returned to the old house.

The three of them, each hating the other, still lived under the same roof.

Old Man Fan, struggling with the hard life, passed away a few years ago. None of his sons attended his funeral. Fan Jianguo didn’t spend money, just hastily wrapped him up and buried him. After the old man’s death, only Fan Jianguo and Old Lady Fan remained.

As a man, Fan Jianguo held power, and if Old Lady Fan displeased him, he would beat her. Though he was a coward outside, he was ruthless at home. Old Lady Fan probably realized that her other sons were unreliable.

Fan Jianguo, though bad, could still handle the funeral arrangements, so she became completely dependent on him, treating him like a master. In fact, they had a daughter, Fan Lian, who, seeing the family in chaos, quickly married someone and left, never returning.

When Old Lady Fan approached her, Fan Lian also disowned the family.

The Fan Family was fundamentally cold and selfish.

Old Lady Fan couldn't control her son or Fan Lian, so she relied on Fan Jianguo. Although she served him like a servant, outside, she was very good at causing trouble, taking advantage endlessly, hated by everyone.

The whole village avoided her, but she was pleased, thinking everyone was afraid of her.

And Fan Jianguo, three years ago, learned how to gamble while visiting a neighboring village, and he couldn't stop. This type of person is a bully within his own household—he started stealing from his relatives, specifically his three older brothers, who were constantly harassed by him.

Anyway, he didn't fear getting beaten up, since his brothers couldn't send him to jail, so he just didn't care anymore.

These three families were severely affected by him; they were already impoverished, and now their homes were stripped bare, thanks to his thievery.

Now, Fan Jianguo's actions have led to the divorce of his second brother, whose wife took their child and left. The eldest brother didn't leave, but his grown sons regularly beat up Fan Jianguo when they encountered him. So, Fan Jianguo now dared not go there.

Seeing that only he was left, Fan Jianguo's third brother took out an introduction letter, sold the house, and left with his wife and children to work in the south. It seemed like he didn't plan to return.

A decade ago, the Fan family, with their large numbers and the money they got from He Lan, lived a prosperous life. They were among the top families in the village, but now they are the worst off. Fan Jianguo, unable to steal from his brothers anymore, turned his attention to the villagers. He didn't dare steal too much—just a chicken or a fish at a time.

He often got beaten up.

Now at the age of thirty-four or thirty-five, he looked like he was over fifty, a filthy old bachelor, detested by everyone. Whenever he had a bit of money, he would rush to the gambling den in the neighboring village.

Gambling was a losing game, and he kept pouring money into it, yet he remained hooked.

The Fan family was completely shattered.

Zhao Guihua had not heard any gossip from this side in ten years, and when she finally did, it was more satisfying than she had imagined. As normal people, they naturally detested such disgusting individuals. Seeing them end up in such a state, Zhao Guihua could only say, "Deserves it," and kept saying it.

She also felt fortunate that she had suggested back then to ensure that Bai Qingqing and the Fan family had no connection. Otherwise, being entangled with a gambling addict for a father could have been a life-threatening situation. Zhao Guihua once again praised her own wisdom.

The gossip about the Fan family gave Zhao Guihua immense satisfaction; meanwhile, Auntie Zaohua, after sharing a lot of gossip, also felt very fulfilled. Both sides expressed that this chat had been very pleasant, and the other person was truly a nice companion.

Ah, gossiping until one's belly is full.

Zhao Guihua chatted for most of the morning, while Auntie Zaohua also felt parched. She said, "I'm going home to drink some water. Do you want some?"

Zhao Guihua replied, "No, thank you."

She primarily listened, while it was Auntie Zaohua who did most of the talking.

Auntie Zaohua went home to drink water, and Zhao Guihua turned back to look at the Yang family. It seemed they hadn't resolved their issues yet. Feeling a slight discomfort in her stomach, she decided not to enter the yard and headed for the public restroom she had seen when she entered the village.

Zhao Guihua made her way to the restroom. There were no people around, and it looked quite clean.

She mumbled, "The countryside isn't dirty at all."

Actually, Zhao Guihua was mistaken here. The reason it wasn't dirty was that no one used it. Now that farming land had been divided among families, everyone believed in keeping the "fertilizer" within their own fields. If they could go home to use the restroom, they certainly wouldn't waste it on the village.

This was also for feeding the fields.

Since they had their own use for it, they wouldn't use the public restroom.

As no one used it, it naturally stayed clean.

Zhao Guihua entered the restroom but hadn't even untied her belt when the door suddenly got bumped. A person rushed in quickly, holding a knife pointed directly at Zhao Guihua. He said fiercely, "This is a robbery! Hand over the money!"

Zhao Guihua: "!!!"

Looking closer, oh, it was none other than Fan Jianguo, the gambler they had gossiped about all morning.

Fan Jianguo gave a cold smile—he had been watching this city-dwelling old lady for some time now. She must have money!

Fan Jianguo glared menacingly at Zhao Guihua and said, "Hand over all the money you have on you!"

Zhao Guihua: Mingmei, save me!