Chapter 110: “caught His Eye”
Lin Zhao liked this kind of person who didn’t spoil the mood and pulled her into the room.
Yuan Xiang didn’t look around curiously, with “honest and dutiful” written all over her forehead.
“Da!” a sound.
The wardrobe opened, and Lin Zhao took out a set of clothes.
She said enthusiastically, “These two pieces, I reckon I’ve altered them to your size. Sister Xiangxiang, try them on. If they fit, wear them. They’ve all been washed.”
After speaking, she walked to the door and turned her back.
Yuan Xiang hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, and changed into the clothes.
After putting them on, she found they fit perfectly, with no patches on the top or pants, looking almost new.
Her heart warmed.
“Zhaozhao, done.” Yuan Xiang said softly.
Lin Zhao came back to her senses and saw her cousin’s red ear tips, her mouth curving up.
Then she looked her over.
“Good-looking, very suitable for you.” Lin Zhao praised, with undisguisable appreciation in her eyes.
Sister Xiangxiang worked in the fields every day, her skin tone not fair, but her features were delicate, her hair naturally black and thick. Wearing the light gray new clothes, she could be called neat and attractive.
Her good looks were the virtuous kind, looking like someone who knew how to manage a household well.
Yuan Xiang was praised until her ears turned red to her cheeks, not knowing where to look with her eyes, and said shyly yet firmly, “In front of you, how could I be good-looking.”
Who doesn’t love to hear nice words?
Lin Zhao’s red lips curved up, her brows and eyes full of smiles, “Everyone has their own good looks.”
Then she found a cloth bag to pack Yuan Xiang’s old clothes and pulled her out of the room.
“Sister Xiangxiang, did you eat yesterday’s vegetable box?”
Yuan Xiang nodded, “Yes, it tasted really good.”
“I wasn’t stingy with the oil, so however I made it, it was delicious.” Lin Zhao smiled, “What did my parents think? Did they all like it?”
“They all liked it!” Yuan Xiang said, “Uncle said your cooking skills are getting better and better, Aunt said it was delicious, and Da Dan and the others were happy too.”
Lin Zhao slightly lifted her chin. That’s right, she was just that great!
She remembered the azure vine root she sent back and looked at Yuan Xiang seriously, “By the way, the things I asked Elder Brother and Second Brother to bring back, did my dad find them useful?”
Yuan Xiang wasn’t so sure and shook her head, saying, “I don’t know about that. But when we left, Uncle hadn’t gotten up yet. Aunt said Uncle rarely sleeps well, so let him sleep more.”
Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up.
She knew her biological father had severe insomnia, so sleeping well meant it was useful.
Da Zai and Er Zai walked over, the two little friends holding flatbread and a bowl of malt extract in their hands.
They put down the things.
“Mom, your breakfast. Dad went to the new house and told us to supervise you eating. You have to finish it all. The flatbread is what Dad made, crispy and crumbly, still oily and shiny, very delicious.” Er Zai’s little mouth chattered on.
Lin Zhao leaned in to smell it and laughed, “It is fragrant. Have you eaten?”
“We ate.” Da Zai was seeing Dad cook for the first time today. He had secretly learned a bit. When he mastered it, he would cook for Mom.
The little friend’s eyes darted around, showing cunning.
Lin Zhao felt something was off and looked at the two boys inquiringly, “Why haven’t you two gone back to sleep? Do you have some plans?”
The two little brothers smiled mysteriously and didn’t say a word, doing an excellent job of keeping the secret.
Lin Zhao didn’t press the children and just said, “Play as you like, but you must pay attention to safety. Dangerous places like the riverbank or in the mountains, you absolutely can’t go without an adult.”
“We’re not little friends anymore.” Da Zai said with a serious expression.
Er Zai also felt Mom was underestimating them and gave Lin Zhao a disapproving look, “Brother’s right. We know where we can go and where we can’t. Mom, don’t always treat us like little friends!”
Lin Zhao: “?”
She laughed inwardly, “Okay, okay, okay. From now on, I won’t treat you like little friends. Comrade Da Zai and Comrade Er Zai are all big friends now, with plenty of sense.”
The two little comrades were delighted.
“Mom, you eat. We’re going to find Mao Dan’er to play.” Da Zai was thinking about what Mao Dan’er said yesterday, to take them to find bird eggs.
“Is there any more flatbread? Take one. If Mao Dan’er hasn’t eaten, give it to him.” Lin Zhao said.
The brothers were overjoyed, their voices light and cheerful, “Okay.”
They went back to the kitchen to get a flatbread, stuffed a few pieces of candy into their bibs, and bounced away.
“Er Zai, don’t bounce. If you bounce more, the candy will fall out.” Da Zai reminded his younger brother.
Er Zai didn’t look back, “It won’t. My bib is very deep. I specially asked Mom to sew it extra deep.”
Their voices faded into the distance.
“Sister Xiangxiang, you sit first. I’ll go wash up.” Lin Zhao, while going to brush her teeth and wash her face, mixed another bowl of malt extract for Yuan Xiang.
“Sister Xiangxiang, drink the malt extract. Have you eaten? If not, have a piece of flatbread with it.”
Yuan Xiang hurriedly waved her hands, “I ate…”
“Then drink the malt extract. By the time you finish, I should be done eating too, and we can set off.” Lin Zhao nibbled on the flatbread unhurriedly.
It was the first time in Yuan Xiang’s life drinking malt extract, and she just thought it was so sweet.
After finishing breakfast, Lin Zhao put on her hat, slung her shoulder bag over her back, pushed her bicycle, and went out.
She took Yuan Xiang toward the county.
This was Yuan Xiang’s first formal blind date after being jilted, and she was a bit nervous, gripping the bicycle’s rear seat tightly, her lips pale from pursing.
“Sister Xiangxiang, are you nervous?”
Yuan Xiang nodded, then realizing Zhaozhao couldn’t see, said, “A little.”
“Zhaozhao, he’s from the city. What if he looks down on me?”
She knew city people were superior, with a strong sense of status superiority. She had rural household registration, no job, no education. No city person would want to date her.
Lin Zhao’s pedaling legs paused for a moment, the bicycle gliding forward by inertia.
She was very confident and couldn’t understand her cousin’s thinking.
“If he looks down on you, so be it. There are plenty of good men.” Lin Zhao laughed, a helpless laugh, “As if if he looks down on you, you can’t get married!”
“Don’t think that way at all. Blind date, blind date—the focus is on the mutual looking. It’s both sides checking each other out, absolutely not the man picking at the girl. While he’s picking you, you’re picking him too. If he looks down on you, no big deal. We don’t force it. Worst case, change to another one. What’s the issue? Like my mom says, not getting married won’t kill you. I think it’s better to marry a bit later than to marry casually.”
Yuan Xiang listened in a daze.
After a long while, she asked, “Zhaozhao, Aunt isn’t rushing you. Why are you in a hurry to get married?”
“I actually don’t want to get married that much, but I have no choice.” Yuan Xiang smiled bitterly, “My reputation is ruined. The whole village is laughing at me, laughing at my family. If I don’t marry, my family won’t be able to hold their heads up. My grandparents won’t agree.”
Lin Zhao understood.
Village girls faced the same problem. If not engaged by eighteen, the gossip could crush a person.
“Why am I in a hurry to get married?” Her eyes sparkled with laughter, her tone slow and leisurely, “At first, the idea of getting married… was to save grain for the family. Not long after the idea, I met… the right person, and then it went smoothly to marriage.”
Yuan Xiang looked up at the deep blue sky, her gaze a bit dazed.
“That’s good. You’ve had it smooth all the way.”
Not surprising.
Aunt’s whole family protected Zhaozhao, and Zhaozhao herself was capable, so naturally her life was good.
“Away from that big scumbag, you’ll be smooth sailing too from now on.” Lin Zhao’s tone was light and cheerful, “Your blind date today will definitely go very well. Once you marry into the city, the Li family members will definitely help you find a job. By then, that scumbag’s family will regret it so much their guts turn green. When that happens, won’t it feel great?”
Scenes flashed in Yuan Xiang’s mind, making her feel utterly refreshed.
“Refreshing!” she said.
“Zhaozhao, borrowing your lucky words.”
Lin Zhao: “You’re welcome.”
Time flew by.
The bicycle stopped right on time at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.
For her younger brother’s blind date, Li Fen had been restless all night, only falling asleep at dawn. She woke up groggily, grabbed a quick bite, and arrived half an hour early.
Hearing the sound at the door, she subconsciously straightened her clothes and walked out pretending to be calm.
Seeing Lin Zhao, Li Fen smiled and greeted, “Zhaozhao’s here.”
As she spoke, her gaze glanced at the other girl.
Two thick black braids, wheat-colored skin, clear brows and eyes, very clean gaze, not a trace of impatience, looking very steady.
“Sister Fen.” Lin Zhao smiled back, noticing her gaze, and introduced, “This is my sister, Yuan Xiang.”
“Nice name. Which Xiang?” Li Fen’s eyes and brows were full of satisfaction.
Lin Zhao locked the bicycle, dusted off her hands, and explained, “The Xiang from Xiang River.”
Li Fen understood and looked at Yuan Xiang with a face full of smiles, “I’ve confirmed with little Song. He’ll come to the supply and marketing cooperative at nine. Then he can take you around to get to know each other.”
“Almost forgot to say, my brother is called Li Song, the Song from Song Mountain.”
Her first impression of Yuan Xiang was good, hoping the two young people would hit it off.
“Mm.” Yuan Xiang responded. It was their first meeting, they didn’t know each other, she didn’t know what to say and could only stay silent.
Lin Zhao pulled Yuan Xiang into the supply and marketing cooperative, “Sister Xiangxiang, you sit inside and wait.”
“Will it be inconvenient?” Yuan Xiang was afraid of affecting her cousin’s work.
“No problem!” Li Fen returned to her counter.
She waved her hand, “It won’t affect anything. Just be careful not to let rushing customers step on your feet.”
Yuan Xiang smiled.
She sat in the corner.
After the supply and marketing cooperative officially opened, customers flooded in, and the quiet counter was suddenly full of people.
So many people.
Yuan Xiang stared in astonishment.
She had never seen a newly opened supply and marketing cooperative before and didn’t expect so many people.
Li Fen glanced at the corner when she had a moment and saw the girl sitting quietly, very patient. She liked and approved of her even more.
Little Song was in the transportation team, often not home. She needed a wife with a steady temperament.
She silently hoped in her heart that her brother would perform well and not scare off the girl again.
Time passed bit by bit in Li Fen’s anxious worry.
The supply and marketing cooperative’s customers had mostly left, and finally it was nine o’clock.
Lin Zhao and the others had just caught their breath when a young man walked in.
His posture was upright, walking as if measured with a ruler, still carrying the habits from being a soldier.
He walked forward a few steps, not fast, but still revealing the inconvenience in his left leg.
The young man stopped in front of Li Fen’s counter and called out loudly, “Sis.”
Li Fen covered her face, “Lower your voice. You’re not in the troops, no need to shout at the top of your lungs.”
Then she gave Lin Zhao and the others an embarrassed smile.
Li Song smiled, the stern aura unique to soldiers instantly vanishing, his presence doing a complete one-eighty, now like a mild and approachable neighbor brother.
Not strikingly handsome, but definitely not ugly.
Features upright, righteous and awe-inspiring.
Li Fen looked over her brother’s outfit and nodded in satisfaction, introducing to Lin Zhao, “Zhaozhao, this is my brother, Li Song.”
Li Song nodded, “Comrade Lin.”
“Comrade Li.” Lin Zhao smiled in greeting and beckoned to Yuan Xiang.
Almost the moment she saw Li Song, Yuan Xiang guessed this was her blind date, and then she started feeling restless.
Her mind was a mess.
Should she take the initiative to go up? What to say after? If she did nothing, would it seem impolite, leaving a bad impression…
Hearing Zhaozhao’s voice, she walked forward, almost pinching her palm, and greeted Li Song, “…Comrade Li.”
She tried to stay calm, but didn’t know her voice was trembling slightly.
“Sis, you all go chat outside.” Lin Zhao saw her cousin’s discomfort and suggested.
Sometimes fewer people made it more comfortable.
Li Fen nodded repeatedly and chimed in, “Yes, yes, go chat outside. Little Song, take Xiangxiang to see a movie, then treat her to a meal.”
As she spoke, she gave her younger brother meaningful looks.
Don’t be dumb and silent, take the initiative, take the initiative!!
Li Song had been an outstanding reconnaissance soldier before. The moment he entered, he spotted the blind date object and quickly noted her features—
Thick black braids, serene, neat-looking, seeming a bit nervous, hands clasped together.
First impression good.
He also wanted to get married and have a home, so he took the initiative, “Comrade Yuan, shall we go chat outside?”
Yuan Xiang looked up at him, meeting the young man’s serious gaze.
She felt respected.
“Okay.”
Yuan Xiang blushed as she looked at Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao waved at her, signaling her to go with peace of mind, best to come back in the afternoon.
…
After the two left, Li Fen came to Lin Zhao’s side, grabbed her hand, “Zhaozhao, it’s promising! Promising!! They seem to have good impressions of each other.”
Lin Zhao, worried about spilling the water, set down the enamel mug and smiled, “Yes, it’s good. Now it depends on them.”
“Right, depends on them.” Li Fen clasped her hands together.
It has to work.
Lin Zhao’s mouth twitched.
Was it necessary?
She shook her head, quietly withdrew her hand, sat down, and continued drinking water.
Li Fen muttered on, anxious all morning, unable to sit still, glancing at the door from time to time, afraid of seeing Yuan Xiang return.
Until lunchtime.
Seeing the blind date pair hadn’t returned, she felt it was steady, her mouth almost grinning to the back of her head.
“Zhaozhao, when they get married, I’ll give you a big red envelope.” Li Fen said happily.
Lin Zhao also felt it was promising and smiled in agreement, “Good.”
Her aunt could finally relax.
After a while, Song Yuncheng came to the supply and marketing cooperative to deliver lunch.
As soon as he entered, he went straight to Lin Zhao, “Sis, I came to bring you lunch.”
Lin Zhao was stunned, “Where’s Yun Jin?”
“School had something, that kid went back to school.” Song Yuncheng said as he took out the lunchbox and opened it, taking out chopsticks.
“What could school have?” Lin Zhao took the chopsticks and asked one more time.
“Probably telling them about the next arrangements.” Song Yuncheng didn’t leave in a hurry, pulled up a stool and sat in front of the counter, “Sis, I heard Sister Xiangxiang has a blind date today. When did they meet?”
“They already met.” Lin Zhao answered.
Song Yuncheng widened his eyes, straightened up, and asked, “What was the result? Did they hit it off?”
“At nine, they went out to chat and haven’t come back yet. They should both be satisfied.” Lin Zhao said.
She raised her eyes and glanced at her cousin.
“Why are you asking so much?”
Song Yuncheng said, “It’s not me asking, it’s my mom who told me to ask…”
