129 Blind Date

◎ She had accomplished another matchmaking job.◎

Song Jinyi wondered who had such a voice. She looked carefully and saw a donkey cart slowly approaching on the mountain road. Mrs. Wang lifted the curtain and greeted her.

Why is she here?

Who was in that carriage? Just as she was wondering, she saw a gaunt figure of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight emerging from behind her. The figure was wearing a half-worn indigo gown, her hair tied up in a bun with a bamboo hairpin.

The donkey cart stopped under the reed shed. Mrs. Wang nimbly jumped off the cart and ran straight to Song Jinyi, waving her handkerchief and saying, "Madam Song, it's so hard for me to find you..."

"This place is so remote," she said, looking around, her eyes settling on a man working not far away. "Madam Song, are you... planning to open a shop here?"

Song Jinyi didn't answer her, but asked her why she came.

Mrs. Wang wiped the sweat from her head with a handkerchief and said, "Mrs. Song, you are so forgetful. Have you forgotten what you said to me before?"

Before Song Jinyi could think about it, Wang Pozi rushed on, "About the meeting? Look, I've brought everyone with me."

The young man who came with Mrs. Wang came up to her and bowed.

Song Jinyi immediately remembered that she had agreed to Wang Po's proposal to see her in the theater without thinking, but she didn't expect her to be so proactive and bring the person here within a month.

The foreman next to him saw the situation, put the drawings away and left silently.

Seeing that everyone of no importance had left, Mrs. Wang stepped forward and introduced the man: "This is Yang Xiu, the man who passed the imperial examination last autumn. He is Master Yang! He is now an official at the Imperial College."

"It's just a teacher." Yang Xiu waved his hand slightly, his eyes casually sweeping across the construction site, and when he touched the dusty corner of Song Jinyi's clothes, he moved his gaze away without a trace.

There was no one to serve here, and Song Jinyi, considering that they were guests coming from far away, poured tea for them personally.

Although it was autumn, the autumn heat was coming fiercely and there was no lush grass or forests in the mountains. Wang Po felt thirsty after coming from the city, so she took the drink and drank it all in one gulp.

Yang Xiu took the coarse porcelain teacup, held it for a while, and did not drink it.

Song Jinyi saw what was happening and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Master Yang. We are such rough folks out here in this wilderness, we can only drink some loose tea to cool down. I'm sorry to have wronged you. It would be better for you to go back earlier to avoid getting a heat stroke, which would delay your subsequent work."

The man tapped the edge of the table with his knuckles, his eyes fixed on it. "Madam Song wants to kick me out?"

The question was too direct, leaving her speechless for a moment. She paused, picked up the teacup, took a sip of the cold tea, and then said slowly, "Look at what you said. How could it be possible? I just saw that the sun was getting hotter and hotter, and I was worried that you would get bored, so I was thinking of you."

Matchmaker Wang Pozi, who was standing by, didn't notice the conflict between the two and tried to smooth things over by saying, "Don't worry, my dear! Our girl is just considerate and worried that you'll get tired from the heat!"

He quickly leaned over to Song Jinyi's ear and whispered, "My lady, what do you think of him? This Doctor Yang is handsome and well-educated. Although his family is poor, he has five or six acres of land.

"Besides, they marry a virtuous woman and do not care about her family background or whether she comes from a merchant family. This can be said to be a very good match."

Song Jinyi agreed halfheartedly, but in her heart she had already blamed herself a thousand times for agreeing in the first place. Why had she been so fooled in the first place? She agreed to this!

But now that the person is in front of me, I can't just turn around and leave.

Just as he was thinking about how to find another excuse to send her away, Yang Langjun opposite him suddenly spoke, his tone a little softer than before: "I heard that the young lady came from Yunzhou?

"Years ago, I was studying in Chuzhou and passed through Yunzhou. I saw a new drink being sold in the streets there called 'milk tea.' I wonder if you've ever heard of it, my lady?"

Song Jinyi didn't expect him to suddenly talk about this. After a pause, she said softly, "I've heard some of it."

"I was lucky enough to try it. It was unique, but unfortunately I was on my way and couldn't stay for a few days. I wonder what other authentic delicacies Yunzhou has?"

Song Jinyi said a few words perfunctorily.

The other party continued, "I heard that there is a Chen Garden in Yunzhou, where chrysanthemums are in full bloom in autumn, with golden petals adorning the branches and the dew tinging them with fragrance. There is also a famous garden in the suburbs of Beijing, with countless beautiful chrysanthemums planted there. They are in full bloom now. I wonder if my lady has any free time recently?"

Song Jinyi knew clearly that the other party was chatting to build a closer relationship and ease the awkward atmosphere. But she didn't want to waste time on this at all, so she replied perfunctorily.

She originally thought that Yang Xiu was a scholar who had passed the imperial examination and must be arrogant. Seeing her so cold, he should get up and leave.

But Yang Xiu did not move, his expression remained gentle, and he said softly, "I am a scholar, very boring. I think what I said just now made you feel bored."

Song Jinyi remained silent.

On the contrary, Mrs. Wang next to her was extremely anxious. This Madam Song was adamant and even a well-educated person like Yang Xiu was speechless. If this continued, there would be no hope for disaster.

When Song Jinyi agreed to meet, she boasted about it among the neighbors for a long time, saying that there was no matchmaker she couldn't make. Even the usually cold-hearted Lady Song was in her power.

She sighed secretly and was about to whisper a few soft words to Song Jinyi. Even if she didn't give him face as a scholar, he had to give herself some face.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Yang Xiu, who was getting more and more courageous after being frustrated, continued to talk, "I heard that the Juxing Tower in the capital is managed by my wife. I have tasted the food there before.

"There's one thing I don't quite understand. What is gluten made of? It's like noodles, but it's not noodles. It has a springy texture, and the more you chew it, the more fragrant it becomes. It's very special."

Song Jinyi explained: "It's not complicated. Just wash the dough repeatedly in clean water until it becomes a gluten ball, and then dry it."

"Washing the dough?" The other party immediately showed a surprised expression, and his tone was full of novelty. "This is the first time I've heard of this method! Madam can come up with such a clever idea. It's me who was ignorant before."

"It's just an imitation of a snack from back home, not something that would be considered high-end. It's no wonder you haven't heard of it."

Unexpectedly, Yang Xiu's tone was extremely sincere: "If this method is really simple, it would not have never appeared in the capital. It is extraordinary that my lady can think of this method.

"Furthermore, listening to what my wife said, this dough is washed into gluten, from soft to hard, and it takes thousands of hammerings to achieve this toughness. If my wife doesn't have a strong and tenacious character, how can it be accomplished?"

The scholar's compliments were subtle, but every word touched her heart, and she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth. Seeing that the other party was interested in the food in the restaurant, she started a conversation and the atmosphere gradually became warmer.

At the end of the conversation, Yang Xiu sighed again, "My wife is only twenty years old now, but she has already run both a restaurant and a theater. It's not easy. She is truly a heroine!"

These words touched her heart, and she stopped talking for a long time.

While looking at Yang Xiu, Wang Po secretly glanced at Song Jinyi out of the corner of her eye. After hearing those words, she saw that Song Jinyi was no longer as invulnerable as before. She talked more and smiled more.

She suddenly felt stable, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise, her eyes filled with unconcealable relief and pride - she had accomplished another matchmaking job.

******

The pale yellow moon hung quietly in the sky. When Song Jinyi stepped into the courtyard gate with a long shadow, he was busy until the end of the hour of Hai before returning. Usually, there would be only one or two corridor lights left in the courtyard.

But as soon as she reached the main hallway, she saw a warm yellow light filtering through the window paper of her room, dimly flickering in the night. She hesitated, wondering who was in her room.

When I opened the door, I saw the two people sitting in the hall turned their heads at the same time.

Li He was still holding a half-eaten snack in her hand, while Zhang Yao was supporting her chin. Both of them had sparkling eyes, and their gazes were fixed on her motionlessly.

Having lived together for so long, Song Jinyi naturally knew their personalities well. She thought to herself that something was wrong. They must have heard something, which was why they were just sitting there waiting for something to happen.

She immediately put on her expression and went to the bedroom, yawning as she walked. "It's getting late. I'm tired after a day. I need to go to bed quickly--"

"Hey——" Before she could finish her words, her arms were held by someone on the left and right.

Zhang Yao spoke first, her voice filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Master! I heard that Mrs. Wang brought a young man for you to see today. Is that true?"

Li He followed up with another question, "Also, Sister Jinyi said she stayed the whole afternoon and had a great chat with me."

The two of them chattered back and forth as fast as jumping beans, and the chirping sound was louder than the loudest cicadas on a summer night.

Song Jinyi turned to Li He first and deliberately put on a stern face: "I just met that young man once, and we haven't even started dating yet. But you--" She changed the subject and reached out to touch Li He's forehead, "How is the 'chance' between you and Mr. Huo going?

"How long will it take before I can drink your wedding wine?"

Li He's hands loosened, and her cheeks flushed red, spreading from her ears to her neck. She hurriedly turned her face away, mumbling, "No, no, that's not happening..."

Seeing her extremely embarrassed, Song Jinyi couldn't help laughing out loud: "Why not? Last time I saw you secretly giving someone a purse you embroidered yourself."

"Sister Jinyi, why are you so mean!" Li He was angry and ashamed. She raised her hand and gently hit Song Jinyi's arm twice.

Complete victory!

Song Jinyi laughed inwardly, "You're still too young to fight me." After solving Li He's little problem, she turned her gaze to Zhang Yao, who was still pulling her arm, and quickly brought up a new topic.

"Have you mastered the dish 'Pickled Goose Feet and Duck Tongue' that I taught you a few days ago?"

Zhang Yao heard this, lowered her head, and let go of her hand, muttering softly, "I've only learned half of it... The incense trough sauce is very difficult to make, and removing the bones is also very laborious..."

Song Jinyi was just about to take the opportunity to lecture the girl and let her back down, but she suddenly raised her head, her eyes shining like stars: "But this happened the day before yesterday, and now I can do it!

"You've been so busy seeing Mr. Yang these past few days that you haven't had time to ask me!" She suddenly changed the subject and leaned closer, saying, "Master, you can examine me anytime you want, but right now, why don't you tell us how things are going between you and Mr. Yang?"

Li He also agreed: "Yes, yes, let's talk about this first!"

Song Jinyi looked at these two faces that were full of the expression of "not giving up until hearing the answer", helplessly held her forehead, sighed deeply, but couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth with a helpless smile.

"Never mind, just ask whatever you want to ask."

Zhang Yao and Li He immediately perked up and leaned forward. "Master, is Young Master Yang handsome? Is he like the gentlemen who study at the Imperial College?"

This question stumped Song Jinyi. After thinking about it for a while, she didn't have any special impression, so she replied vaguely, "It's... okay, a typical scholar."

"Huh?" Zhang Yao yelled in dissatisfaction, "What do you mean by 'normal'? Does it look good or not?"

It's not ugly, but it looks good, right? But another image quietly passed through my mind.

Li He didn't care about this and started talking about something else. "So, Sister Jinyi, what did you talk about?"

Song Jinyi talked about a few topics, and the more she talked, the funnier it became. The conversations were as trivial as the meshes of a sieve, one sentence after another, but none of them touched upon the sincerity.

Li He blinked as he listened, and then asked, "Since he passed the imperial examination and became a juren, his family must be well off, right?"

Song Jinyi smiled and said, "Who says that passing the imperial examination means one's family is well-off? I heard the matchmaker mention that there was a scholar in their ancestry, but now their family only has a few tiled houses and a few acres of thin land."

The two of them chatted back and forth, asking every question they could think of.

Song Jinyi patiently answered them one by one. At the end, she rubbed her sore temples and said with a smile, "Are you satisfied now? You've asked all the questions you should have. My legs are almost giving out."

Zhang Yao suddenly leaned forward and said, "Master, I have one last question."

Song Jinyi raised her eyebrows: "Ask."

"Master, do you like him?"

Song Jinyi said without thinking, "Of course I don't like it."

The air suddenly became still. The wind outside the window had died down without anyone noticing.

Zhang Yao and Li He were silent for a while, and one of them asked, "Master, will you meet Mr. Yang again later?"

Another said, "If Sister Jinyi doesn't like this one, you can just change it. Out with the old comes the new. Just stop thinking about the old one."

Song Jinyi wanted to ask Li He who she was referring to when she said "the one before." But she swallowed the words back.

"I don't know either," she answered Zhang Yao's question.

Zhang Yao exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?" and said in shock, "So there are times when Master doesn't know something?"

Song Jinyi laughed and said, "I'm not some god, how can I be omniscient and omnipotent?"

【Author’s words】

Xie Wuyang who returned to Xirong said: My house was robbed!