Chapter 93: 'Xiang Jia' and people are honest and don't talk much

In the living room of the main house of Sha Zhu's house.

The deaf old lady sat at the top, and Yi Zhonghai sat next to her, both of them with smiles on their faces.

Sha Zhu walked back and forth scratching his head, and from time to time he would walk to the table, pick up a mirror and look around.

Today he wore a new cotton-padded jacket, a pair of shiny leather shoes, and his hair was sleek and shiny. He went to the bathhouse to take a bath early in the morning and then went to the barber shop to have a shave.

Not to mention, after this cleanup, he looked completely different from his usual image. Although he still looked old, he didn't look as sloppy as before.

Wang Mengde led his two younger brothers to stand at the door of his house to watch the fun. Sha Zhu looked up and saw him, and waved, "Mengde, come here quickly and help me take a look at this outfit."

"Not bad, very energetic. The girl will definitely like you." Wang Mengde walked closer and said casually.

"Haha, Meng De, this is all thanks to the idea you gave me a few days ago. On Monday, I queued up to buy several hundred kilograms of cabbage for their family and delivered it to their home. The girl's parents were very enthusiastic towards me." Sha Zhu said with a smile.

After they had a drink last Sunday, he went to find Aunt Yi and asked her to help him inquire. He learned that the girl's family would buy cabbage on Monday, so he volunteered to go and help.

Although he didn't spend any money, he did put in a lot of effort and the girl's mother was quite satisfied with him.

"What does the girl look like? Have you seen her?" Wang Mengde asked curiously.

"When I went to her house, she happened to go to work, so I didn't see her. By the way, she works in a thermos factory now." Sha Zhu shook his head and said with regret.

"That's unfortunate."

"Hehe, luckily my buddy was smart. After he packed up the cabbage, he secretly asked people in the alley near her house when he left. Others said that this girl is very nice and virtuous."

Sha Zhu said proudly.

Seeing his smug look, Wang Mengde had a premonition that Sha Zhu, the blind date, would probably end up in failure.

While the two were chatting, Liu Guangtian ran into the middle courtyard and shouted loudly: "Here she comes, here she comes, Sha Zhu's blind date is here."

Hearing that his blind date had arrived, Wang Mengde hurriedly said, "Shazhu, I'm going back first."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards his door.

"Meng De, wait, don't go back yet. I'm a little nervous. You can stay here with me on the blind date." Sha Zhu hurriedly stopped him and said.

Glancing at him, Wang Mengde thought to himself that if he were really here, standing next to Sha Zhu, he probably wouldn't have a single chance of success even if he tried a hundred times.

When the deaf old lady in the room heard what Sha Zhu said, she immediately showed a look of disappointment on her face: "Sha Zhu, you should ask Meng De to go back quickly."

"Let's go. You go on a blind date. This is my business here." Wang Mengde was very smart and went straight home. If he didn't leave, the old lady would get angry.

Seeing Wang Mengde leaving, Sha Zhu couldn't help but mutter, "Old lady, why did you let Mengde go? I asked him to stay with me."

"Humph!"

The deaf old lady didn't say anything. Should we ask her to say directly that having Wang Mengde standing next to you will make you look even uglier and you will never be able to find a partner in your life?

The deaf old lady's attitude left Sha Zhu confused for a moment.

Just at this time, Aunt Yi led a few people into the central courtyard through the hanging flower gate.

In front, a middle-aged couple was walking and chatting with Aunt Yi, and behind them, a girl of about eighteen or nineteen was following.

The girl's parents also came to the house for the fortune-teller's visit.

The second step in the old Beijing wedding customs is also called blind dating. If the meeting place is chosen at the man's home and the woman's parents come along for the meeting, it is called "matchmaking."

Because after getting married, the girl will live in the boy's home, the girl's parents need to take a look at the environment of the boy's home and the temperament of other relatives in the family in advance to weigh how their daughter's future life will be like.

The girl looked pretty good. She was wearing a flowery cotton jacket, had short hair that reached her ears, and a pair of big watery eyes that seemed to be able to speak. There was a shrewd look on her face, and it was obvious at first glance that she was a person with a strong opinion of her own.

Her figure is like most people of this era, skinny, but her butt is obviously good for childbearing.

When the neighbors saw the real person coming, they all gathered together to watch and comment. In the end, everyone felt that this girl was more than qualified to play the role of Shazhu.

After entering the house, they exchanged a few words and sat down. Aunt Yi took out the peanuts, melon seeds and pastries that she had prepared in advance.

Song Xiaoyun sat on a chair and looked carefully at the furnishings in the room.

Before He Daqing ran away, he earned a lot of money every month. In addition to eating, drinking, having fun and supporting the widow, he also bought a lot of furniture for his home.

At first, when she saw Sha Zhu, she felt a little resistant because he was only 22 years old but had a face of a 30-year-old.

This is obviously not the same as what Aunt Yi and my parents said about 'an honest man'. It should be 'old man'.

When I saw that the furniture was complete, including a wardrobe, a kitchen cabinet, a long table, a dressing table, an eight-immortal table, etc., and that this was the main room of a courtyard house, the ear room next to it was said to also be his.

Song Xiaoyun's bad impression of Sha Zhu when she first met him gradually changed.

Several people sat in the living room, eating melon seeds and peanuts and chatting.

It was mainly Song Xiaoyun's parents, the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai who were talking. Aunt Yi would occasionally intercede and praise the two young people.

And Sha Zhu remembered the instructions of the deaf old lady and Aunt Yi, and sat beside them, listening silently without saying a word, unless he was asked a question, then he would say a few simple words.

After listening for a while, Sha Zhu began to carefully look at Song Xiaoyun who was sitting opposite him. At the same time, he couldn't help but compare her with his sister Qin. This comparison made him feel a little disappointed.

This girl's looks are much worse than Sister Qin's.

At this time, Song Xiaoyun on the opposite side also noticed that he had been staring at her, so she immediately glanced at him and chuckled politely.

It didn't matter that she glanced or smiled. The charm that was revealed unintentionally made Sha Zhu's heart flutter, and his mind was filled with the beautiful scenes of her smile and frown.

This is so similar to the demeanor Qin Huairu usually displays.

He wants this girl!
Sha Zhu was overjoyed and made up his mind to marry this girl.

Then he threw the instructions of the deaf old lady and Aunt Yi behind his back and began to show off himself whenever he had the chance. Even when Yi Zhonghai reminded him with a cough, he didn't come to his senses.

Gradually, Song Xiaoyun and his parents realized something was wrong. When he mentioned that he had learned cooking since he was a child and now was proficient in Tan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine and halal cuisine, Song Xiaoyun frowned.

Her eyes rolled, and then she suddenly covered her stomach with her hands, a painful expression on her face, and groaned a few times.

"Xiao Yun, what happened?" Song Xiaoyun's mother Chen Qiaoyu asked anxiously.

The other people also looked at her worriedly. Aunt Yi said, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere? There's a doctor living in our hospital. He's resting at home today. Let him come and see what's going on."

As he said this, he was about to get up and call Wang Mengde to help take a look at the girl's condition.

"No, this is an old illness. I will be fine after going home and lying down for a while." When Song Xiaoyun heard that Aunt Yi wanted to call a doctor, she hurriedly stopped her and winked at her mother.

"Yes, yes, my daughter has been suffering from stomach discomfort whenever she catches a cold recently. Go home and drink some hot water and have a good sleep and she will be fine. There is no need to call a doctor." Chen Qiaoyu said quickly when she saw her daughter winking at her.

"Well, aunt, the child is not feeling well. Let's go back today. I'll give you a definite answer within three days. Old Song, come and lend a hand and support your daughter."

As he said that, he stood up, supported Song Xiaoyun and prepared to walk out.

"Ah, let's go now. The food is ready at home. How about letting Xiaoyun go to my house and lie down for a while, and leave after lunch." Aunt Yi's face changed and she tried to persuade her to stay.

He came to my house for a blind date, but left without eating. It seems like he is not interested in Shazhu.

"No, no, I'll go back today."

"Okay, then Zhuzi, you go with us to see him off." Aunt Yi said unwillingly.

Outside the courtyard, Chen Qiaoyu supported her daughter with one hand and turned back to say, "His aunt, and Xiao He, don't send us off."

"Well, girl, go back and drink more hot water." Sha Zhu, who was standing aside, scratched his head and said with a concerned look on his face.

After turning a corner in the alley, Song Xiaoyun took off her disguise and returned to normal.

"Xiao Yun, what happened just now?" Chen Qiaoyu asked in confusion.

"Humph, this He Yuzhu is not like what Aunt Yi said, 'he is honest and doesn't talk much', it's obviously 'he is old and doesn't talk much'.

Mom and Dad, you heard what he said just now. He is proficient in four cuisines at the age of 22. Isn’t that just bragging?

My distant cousin is also a student of cooking. He is one year older than him this year. He is still following his master to chop vegetables. At most, he can cook a big pot of food."

"Yes, that's right. I felt something was wrong just now, but I didn't think about it for a moment. I think you are smart, my girl. You shouldn't marry a man like this." Chen Qiaoyu suddenly realized.

"Should we ask around nearby, just in case what he said is true?" Song's father said cautiously.

"No need to ask. This kind of thing doesn't sound reliable." Chen Qiaoyu said with finality.

After the few people walked away, Yi Zhonghai, Aunt Yi and Sha Zhu walked towards the yard.

Back in the middle courtyard, the chatterbox Aunt Li asked curiously, "Hey, Silly Zhu, why did your blind date suddenly leave? Did he not like you?"

"Aunt Li, she is not feeling well. Besides, how could she look down on me? I am the only one who looks down on others." Sha Zhu boasted.

Xu Damao, who was standing nearby watching the fun, couldn't help himself when he saw him showing off.

"Silly Zhu, you look down on others, is it because you peek at your sister Qin every day?"

Jia Dongxu, who had just left the house, happened to hear the second half of this. When he heard Xu Damao say that Sha Zhu peeked at his wife every day, he immediately became angry:

"Shazhu, you shameless bastard, if you peek at my wife again, I will never forgive you. Someone like you, still looking for a date, will sooner or later become like your father, helping others."

"Hahaha, Shazhu, did you hear me? Don't go on blind dates anymore. You will just be picking up other people's remaining lives in the future." Xu Damao laughed and quickly added.

Sha Zhu pretended not to hear what Jia Dongxu said, but he could not bear it when Xu Damao laughed at him. He seized an opportunity, took two quick steps forward, and punched Xu Damao in the face twice.

"Shazhu, just wait for me." Covering his face with his hands, Xu Damao hurriedly retreated to the backyard. If he didn't leave, he would be beaten again.

The next day, Wang Mengde rode his bicycle and just arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw Sha Zhu squatting by the wall with a depressed look on his face.

Seeing him coming back, Sha Zhu stood up as if he had found a life-saving straw, and said:

"Meng De, you are finally back."

(End of this chapter)