Chapter 7 An Unexpected Blind Date I'm here to go on a blind date with you, not to give you...

Not far away, Ji Yu was carrying an extra-large bamboo basket into the carriage, completely unaware that she was the center of gossip among the female workers.

To make it easier to work, he had already taken off his original jacket and thrown it on the car, and now he was only wearing a white tank top.

The muscles on both arms were strong and powerful, with smooth lines, and the female workers who secretly watched from the farm came one after another.

The picking work was both tiring and boring. After a while, everyone had already talked about all the mundane things in life. They knew everything about whose child was doing poorly in school and whose husband was having an affair.

Ji Yu rarely comes back for the weekend, and since many people here know about his recent blind date story, some even want to join in the fun and introduce their nieces to him.

Liu Juan curled her lip in disdain: "Don't you even know what you look like? You dare to claim kinship with Sister Yu."

"If you ask me, Sister Yu's son must have too high standards. Otherwise, how could he still not find a wife after being back for a year or two?"

While Liu Juan was still chattering away, Chen Mian's attention had already returned to the picking work in front of her.

Other people's business is none of her concern; she's here to work and earn money. She goes to work mindlessly every day, and after work, she thinks about what she likes to eat—that's enough for her.

However, Ji Yu's aura suggests he's been in the military; I might ask him about it sometime. My older brother is serving in the military in Kashgar; I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to meet him.

Chen Mian was busy picking goji berries, and her speed increased. In no time, she had filled a small basket.

His mind was wandering, which was a way to pass the time. He was carrying a bamboo basket to the roadside and emptying the contents into a larger basket.

"Ah!" She bumped into Ji Yu, who was turning around, without noticing. The bamboo basket was knocked over, and the red berries inside scattered all over the ground. Chen Mian quickly squatted down and gathered the goji berries back into the bamboo basket.

"Are you alright?" Ji Yu also squatted down to help pick up the goji berries. Chen Mian shook her head without saying anything, and after finishing, she hurriedly picked up the bamboo basket and went to another place.

She dared not get too close to Ji Yu at the farm, lest she become the next center of attention.

Although she hadn't been there long, she could tell that Ji Yu was just like a celebrity on TV among the picking workers.

He's tall and handsome, comes from a good family, and has a stable job. I bet his bosses would be chasing after him to introduce him to potential partners.

Ji Yu slowly got up, not understanding what the girl was thinking, but she didn't say anything and turned back to work.

The midday sun was very strong, so everyone went back to rest. The pickers gathered in small groups; some took out their own dry rations and sat down on the spot, while others took out a small stove from their tents, put a small pot on it, and cooked some noodle soup.

Liu Juan also cooked noodles with the female workers she knew. She put some greens in the pot, poached an egg, took out her homemade chili sauce, poured a chopstickful of chili into the bowl, added some vinegar, and a comfortable meal was ready.

It's just a bit strange that I didn't see Chen Mian again this morning, and I still haven't seen her even though we're having lunch now.

On the other side, Chen Mianmian, along with Ji Yu and Yu Xiaoyue, first delivered the last truckload of goji berries from the morning to a place to dry in the shade before taking a car back to the courtyard.

In just one morning, she was so tired that she could barely lift her arms. She didn't even want to eat; all she wanted to do was go back and collapse into bed.

Although the morning sun wasn't as scorching as at midday, it still made her face slightly red. It seemed she'd have to wear a headscarf like the other female workers; being pretty was worthless in the fields.

On the way, Yu Xiaoyue saw Chen Mian swaying with her head drooping and asked with a smile, "Did you work too hard this morning? You look sleepy now."

"When you go there this afternoon, you can observe the picking posture and speed of the skilled workers next to you. This job looks simple, but there are actually some tricks to it," Yu Xiaoyue offered her some ideas.

"If you rely solely on brute force, your small frame won't last long."

Chen Mian yawned and nodded obediently; she was actually already mentally prepared. At home, she could be lazy in front of her parents, working for a while before going home to cook.

Unlike now, when you come out to work as a fruit picker, you not only have to work from morning till night, but your income is also tied to the number of fruits you pick. When you see others carrying away basket after basket of fruit in the morning, you can't help but feel a little anxious.

Now that she's rested, her mind has cleared up. The wages here are high; even if she only picks half the work of a skilled worker each day, she can still earn a considerable amount over a month. Her family isn't in a situation where they need her to earn money.

Even if she's just coming out to broaden her horizons, it's fine; there's no need to make things difficult for herself. After figuring this out, she stopped worrying about every penny and decided to take it slow. She'd already done a great job just by being able to show up on time.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, Chen Mian greeted Yu Xiaoyue and went back to her room to rest. She ate lunch after waking up from her afternoon nap.

The food Yu Xiaoyue left for her in the pot was still warm: simple scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried pork with chili peppers with rice. There was also a bunch of washed grapes on the table.

Chen Mian was touched by the food in front of her. They had only met by chance, but Aunt Yu was so kind to her. She would help with the housework more often and share some of Aunt Yu's burden.

At 7 p.m., when it was still bright outside, the pickers were still working enthusiastically.

Chen Mian moved from the morning's location to another area and was mechanically picking fruit when she vaguely heard familiar voices and words.

"Our family farm has been running for many years, and we mostly grow goji berries..."

"...Goji berries ripen two to three times a year...only during the harvest season do we need to hire a large number of people to rush the harvest."

Isn't this what Ji Yu said when he introduced himself yesterday? He's hired a new picking worker.

Chen Mian carried her small basket and moved stealthily toward that direction, only vaguely able to tell that the other person was a girl.

On the other side, Ji Yu was indeed introducing a farm to a girl, but it wasn't a newly hired harvester; it was his new blind date, Qin Muya.

The girl was wearing a white dress with a floral ribbon at the waist, her long, smooth hair cascading naturally over her shoulders, and delicate little leather shoes.

She had obviously dressed up carefully, but Ji Yu not only took her around the farm, but also stuffed a bamboo basket into her hands, saying, "We have nothing to do right now, so why don't we chat while we work?"

Qin Muya was stunned for a few seconds. When she learned that the blind date was to be held at the Ji family farm, she didn't think much of it and assumed it was just a visit.

I didn't expect that we would have to experience fruit picking now. Ji Yu is quite good at arranging date activities.

“Okay,” Qin Muya said with a light smile, “but I’ve never done these things before, can you teach me?” She then looked at the man with a smile.

Qin Muya said this because she wanted the two of them to get closer through interaction; he taught her, and they enjoyed each other's company.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yu had no idea about this at all. After demonstrating the precautions to her, she grabbed a basket and started picking them herself.

Every now and then I would check on her progress, showing off how much I had picked and urging her to hurry up and work harder.

Qin Muya felt increasingly aggrieved as she picked the fruit. She was a full-time employee of the credit union, and it was bad enough that she had come all the way to the suburban farm on a weekend for a blind date, but she had been tricked into doing farm work here.

She wasn't one of those uneducated women from the countryside who couldn't find work and could only do manual labor. Qin Muya grew angrier the more she thought about it, and even considered throwing down the basket and leaving.

Before leaving, she remembered what the matchmaker had said: "Ji Yu is a bit too honest, but at least he's handsome and has a respectable job. Several members of his family are earning money, and he can buy an apartment in the city without hesitation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

She then picked up her small basket and walked towards Ji Yu. "Officer Ji, look, we've almost finished picking these goji berries. I'm tired too. How about we find a place to sit and chat for a while?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yu didn't stop what she was doing, only replying, "There are still many more on these trees, come and pick some more together. If you're not in good physical condition, you need to exercise more..."

"Ji! Yu!" Qin Muya stomped her feet in anger, her voice rising as she pointed at him and yelled, "What do you take me for? I'm here for a blind date, not to work for you!"

"I didn't..." Ji Yu's slow-witted radar finally picked up on the other party's anger, and she quickly turned around to explain seriously, "I won't make you work for me for free. If you're unhappy, I can also pay you according to the price for picking workers."

"You!" Qin Muya was even angrier after hearing this. She threw the bamboo basket on the ground with a "smack" and turned to leave.

Her little leather shoes stomped heavily on the ground, and she wished she was stepping on that clueless, unromantic man.

Hmph, what good is being handsome if you can't even speak properly? She'll find someone even more handsome when she gets back! Someone who lives in the city!

Ji Yu himself was also confused. He had no idea what had happened and didn't quite understand why the other person would suddenly throw things away and leave.

"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter..." A low chuckle came from the side.

It was Chen Mian who finally couldn't help but laugh after watching the whole thing. These two are hilarious; one is trying so hard to flirt with the guy, while the other is as clueless as a block of wood.

They've already angered the other person and don't even know what happened. Officer Ji usually seems like a pretty normal person, so why does he become so funny on blind dates?

Ji Yu felt a little embarrassed and frowned angrily: "What are you laughing at? Instead of doing your job properly, you're slacking off here."

"I wasn't slacking off, I was just taking a break," Chen Mian explained. "I was laughing at some people for being so clueless, haha, no wonder they're still single..."

"How am I being unromantic? Other people go on blind dates to see a movie and have dinner, but I brought her to the farm. Isn't that more interesting?" Ji Yu defended herself righteously.

Chen Mian offered some advice: "It's interesting to come to the farm, but you can't just show people around a few times and then keep them doing work all the time."

"And she was wearing little leather shoes and dressed up so nicely, she didn't look like she could do any work at all. No wonder I was angry."

Ji Yu remained silent after hearing this, still not believing he had done anything wrong. Chen Mian then pressed him further, "You let a young woman leave like that. How is she going to get back from the suburbs?"

Ji Yu: "There are buses not far from the farm." (Sound of confidence.jpg)

Chen Mian was speechless after hearing this. Oh well, let him be. She decided to go back to her work.

Ji Yu, however, came over with a basket in his hand, picking goji berries as he asked, "Tell me, how exactly do I find a wife?"

Chen Mian looked up at him twice, her hands still moving, and said, "This matter isn't that difficult..."

"You're handsome and have a respectable job, which already puts you ahead of many other people."

"Then why do I keep failing at blind dates?" Ji Yu asked, puzzled.

Chen Mian fell silent again. How could she explain to him that he was prone to offending people with his words? If she spoke directly, she was afraid of hurting his feelings; if she spoke tactfully, she was afraid he wouldn't understand.

"Oh, just be more considerate and attentive next time. How much have you picked? I've already finished picking from this tree," Chen Mianmian changed the subject.

Ji Yu's attention returned to the farm work, but he couldn't help thinking about what it meant to be considerate. He felt that he was quite considerate.

He turned to look at Chen Mian, his hands moving faster and faster, silently competing with her in picking speed.

While picking goji berries, Chen Mumian mentally complained about Ji Yu. They were both young men, but her older brother always smiled at everyone and spoke and acted very gently. He had many girls chasing after him when they were in school.

Unlike Ji Yu, who's a blockhead and a waste of his good looks.

I wonder how my older brother is doing in the army, and whether I'll be able to see him when I go home for Chinese New Year this year...

A note from the author:

----------------------

My friends, is something on your mind?

Send a cute little hand to the author and add it to your favorites so it can grow!

1. Regarding the question of how old the baby cotton ball and the crucian carp are.

Little Cotton: Twenty years old.

Crucian carp: 25 years old.

The two are five years apart in age, which is why the carp keeps calling her "little girl".

2. Cuiping, the female lead's friend, will appear again later; I haven't forgotten her.

Since this is my first time writing, I always feel that some of the logic doesn't hold together. As a result of struggling with this, I actually finished the first two chapters in February, but the third chapter was delayed until December. So now I'm forcing myself to finish it first.

I'm thinking of turning the female protagonist's family into a series because I think I chose a really good name, haha. But for now, the brother and sister's story only involves their identities as a soldier and a college student. I'll put it on pre-order when I come up with a good story.