First meeting

Winter break of 2014.

When the doorbell rang, Shen Anxia and her family of four were having dinner in the small dining room next to the kitchen.

Zhao Ping put down his chopsticks and went to open the door first.

Actually, the family of four was quite surprised. After all, they had lived in Yian City for nearly six years. The couple worked in the surrounding counties during the day and returned to the city to rest at night. Their two children were also in school and taking extra classes. Their time was so tight that they worked from dawn till dusk every day. They only knew a few neighbors who did not usually visit each other, and they only got to know them because of some unpleasant accidents.

That's right, it was an accident, not a story.

The house the Shen family bought wasn't much better than the oldest apartment complex in the city. It was a five-story building with stairs, but it was large, in a good location, and cheap. It had everything you could need nearby: hospitals, restaurants, shopping centers, large entertainment plazas, bus stations, and train stations. Even better, the No. 1 Middle School of the city was not far away.

These convenient facilities solved Shen Anyi's problems with going to school and having lunch. After all, high school was too tiring, and Shen Ke and Zhao Ping were too busy with work to take Shen Anyi to school or cook lunch for her. Shen Anxia is now attending Xinfeng University and doesn't need to be picked up or dropped off. It's her last winter break from university, and she's preparing for graduation.

As for the "accident" with the neighbor—

Each building in the residential complex has five floors. The Shen family bought the top floor. When they first moved in, the water supply to the complex was unreliable, and the Shen family didn't know when the water would be available. So they left the tap running while they went to buy groceries. When they returned, things were terrible. The water was flooded from the fourth floor to the second floor, especially the fourth floor, which was a complete mess. Needless to say, the Shen family's newly purchased old building was a mess. The Shen family had just moved in and hadn't had time to exchange contact information with their neighbors, so they couldn't reach them because of the flood. Now, the Shen family had to deal with everyone in the building because of the flood.

The Shen family paid compensation and apologized, and the matter was considered closed.

But this summer, water resources were scarce, and she had to run out of water again. Shen Anxia turned on the tap to wash her face, but there was no water. Just then, Shen Ke asked the family to go to Dongyang to see the newly built fountain. They were having a great time when Shen Anxia suddenly remembered that the tap was still on. She quickly rode her beloved little electric bike home. She had just climbed between the fourth and fifth floors when she saw the older brother on the fourth floor—whose name seemed to be Xu Qingjing, but the neighbors called him Da Jing—knocking on her door.

"Big, Brother Jing," Shen Anxia greeted him nervously.

Xu Qingjing, a refined gentleman, heard the sound of climbing stairs, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, turned around and looked at Shen Anxia with a smile, saying, "Sister Shen, it's good that you're back. I think the bathroom seems to be leaking."

Shen Anxia quickly took out her keys to open the door, apologizing as she did so: "I'm sorry, Brother Dajing, I was just about to wash my face, but I didn't expect that even though the water pipes had been modified, the water would still be cut off."

"It's nothing, go check what's going on in the bathroom." Xu Qingjing stood outside the door.

Shen Anxia didn't even take off her shoes before running to the bathroom to turn off the tap.

Seeing the thin layer of water on the bathroom floor, she quickly picked up a mop to clean up the leak. She heard Xu Qingjing ask from the doorway, "Sister Chen, do you need any help?"

Shen Anxia called out towards the door, "Brother Dajing, please sit in the living room for a moment. I'll be ready soon."

Xu Qingjing stood outside the door without coming in, and said to those inside, "If it's not serious, I won't go in."

Shen Anxia roughly cleaned up the water in the bathroom. Seeing that Xu Qingjing was still waiting outside, Shen Anxia went out and asked Xu Qingjing, "Brother Jing, is the leak serious?"

Xu Qingjing laughed: "It was just about to leak; I saw water dripping from the crack in the wall."

Shen Anxia breathed a sigh of relief and apologized again: "Sorry, Brother Dajing, I forgot to turn off the water."

Xu Qingjing didn't mind and comforted Shen Anxia with a smile: "It's not your fault. It's been many years since the water was cut off, so it's a bit hard to get used to. Fortunately, there was no damage. Sister Shen, if you don't need my help, I'll go back now."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Da Jing." Shen Anxia watched Xu Qingjing leave. She felt that it was really unlucky for the fourth floor to be connected to their family's floor.

Shen Ke and Zhao Ping specifically chose this large house so that Shen Anxia could have a spacious place to practice dancing, but the house was really not in good condition! However, it has been more than half a year since the summer vacation was ruined by floods, and Shen Anxia has not dared to tell her family.

These were the only two times Xu Qingjing visited the Shen family, both times because of a water leak. Other neighbors didn't like to visit each other, and the Shen family members left early and returned late, so they didn't have much opportunity to get to know each other.

Especially visiting other people's homes during dinner time.

At this moment, the three people in the restaurant were all listening intently to the sound of the door opening from the entrance.

"Da Jing! Come in and sit down." Zhao Ping's voice rang out as the door opened.

The three people in the small restaurant exchanged glances upon hearing that the visitor was indeed Xu Qingjing. They put down their chopsticks and got up to check all the water pipes, but found no leaks. So what was Xu Qingjing here for? After checking, the three politely went to the living room to greet Xu Qingjing.

After exchanging pleasantries and taking their seats, Xu Qingjing smiled gently and took the lead in starting the conversation: "Uncle Chen, Aunt Zhao, the reason I came here today is actually for Sister Chen."

Xu Qingjing paused for a moment at this point.

Shen Anxia's face was chapped, and she roared inwardly: What kind of talk is this? Has this guy downstairs gone mad? Is he trying to complain about the flooding? How long has it been since he last brought this up? And what kind of tone is that? People who don't know the details will misunderstand, right? Isn't this guy afraid his wife will beat him up? His wife is only five or six months pregnant!? At this moment, Shen Anxia felt that Xu Qingjing's smiling face was hiding a knife and ill intentions.

Shen Ke and Zhao Ping, the couple, were also a little confused and waited for Xu Qingjing to continue.

"Actually, I overheard Uncle Shen talking to Aunt Zuo from the next building about how Sister Shen doesn't have a boyfriend and asked Aunt Zuo to introduce someone to her. So I came here today to confirm. If it's true, I'll introduce someone to my sister. What do you think, Uncle Shen and Aunt Zhao?"

Shen Anxia's face darkened upon hearing this. For the past six months, Shen Ke had been telling everyone he met, "Please introduce my daughter to a good boyfriend!" There was even a time when an aunt joked, "This girl looks quite pretty! How come she hasn't had a boyfriend since starting university? That's so unambitious! This won't do! Look at young people these days, they've already brought their boyfriends home before they've even graduated... blah blah blah."

She didn't know what kind of skill it was to be good at dating.

So even though Shen Anxia doesn't leave her house now, she's already a household name in all four buildings of the North Building. Everyone knows that the Shen family in the North Building has a daughter who doesn't have a boyfriend.

Shen Anxia was speechless and confused. She really didn't expect that she would become famous in the neighborhood just because she was single.

However, upon hearing Xu Qingjing's words, Shen Anxia breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he wasn't going to complain about her. So what if he wanted to introduce her to someone? In order to avoid Shen Ke and Zhao Ping keeping her at home, she had met at least three blind dates during her vacation, as her mother had instructed. Although she felt helpless, she had gotten used to it.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ke's face lit up with a smile: "Yeah! No boyfriend! Da Jing, what do you think?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Xu Qingjing continued to express his purpose: "I have a brother who works in the government, at the Land Bureau. He's a very nice person, but he doesn't talk much, so he hasn't had a girlfriend all these years. If you and your aunt agree, you can get to know him."

Shen Ke asked, "How old is your brother?"

“28,” Xu Qingjing asked, “How old is Sister Shen?”

“She’s 23, and she’ll graduate from university in six months. She doesn’t have a boyfriend.” Shen Ke proactively reported Shen Anxia’s situation.

“My brother is a little older,” Xu Qingjing calculated, “I wonder if my sister would mind?”

“…I don’t mind.” Shen Anxia, ​​who was being called on, said, mainly because she didn’t think it was that much bigger.

Of course, I had to say I didn't mind, otherwise I would lose face for the guy downstairs. Besides, she really didn't mind.

"Don't you only have one younger sister?" Shen Ke pressed Xu Qingjing for an answer.

"Oh, he's a sworn brother of mine. There are five of us who have become sworn brothers. The person I'm talking about is my third brother. Uncle Shen may have met him; he sometimes stays at my place."

Shen Ke's workplace is far away, and he is the first person to leave home and the last to return home. He thought about it carefully and shook his head: "Recently, in order to find a boyfriend for Xiaxia, I got to know some of the people in our community, and there are many more I don't know. I don't think I've ever met the person you're talking about before."

Xu Qingjing smiled and said, "It's alright, Uncle Shen. Actually, I was also worried that Sister Shen would think that her third brother is too big for her, so I came to ask for her opinion."

Xu Qingjing's words made sense. In this city, a 28-year-old man with a high-quality job within the system would be highly sought after if he didn't have some kind of problem. He might even have two children by now. It's truly unbelievable that this man still needs someone to introduce him to a potential partner.

"Hey, it's fine if he's a bit big, as long as he's a good person," Zhao Ping stated his request.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. We’ve known Third Brother for almost 20 years. He’s a perfect person, but he’s not very good at dating. If you two agree, could you arrange for them to meet?” Xu Qingjing asked with a promise.

"Then let's meet first. When would be a good time?" Shen Ke asked.

"How about tomorrow night? My third brother and I can meet at a coffee shop after he gets off work?" Xu Qingjing suggested tentatively.

"No need, brother. Coffee is too strong for me, it's too late. If you don't mind, how about we go to your place? I'll have my mom come with me, and I can chat with your wife too. It won't be awkward with more people around." Shen Anxia quickly declined, since it was just a meeting anyway. Since her family wanted her to go on a blind date, she had to bring Zhao Ping with her; she couldn't go alone.

Zhao Ping had been forced to go on two blind dates with Shen Anxia, ​​so he knew Shen Anxia's aversion to blind dates. So he suggested, "If going to your house is too inconvenient, how about coming to my house? How about 7 pm?"

“Then let’s go to my house! But Jingyi has gone back to her parents’ home and won’t be back until next week,” Xu Qingjing said.

Zhang Jingyi is Xu Qingjing's wife.

Shen Anxia raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. After all, she had been on far too many blind dates this winter break, even though she didn't believe that blind dates could really keep her tied down.

They're all going to be failures anyway.

——

The following evening, at Xu Qingjing's home.

Shen Anxia felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Seven men were crammed into two sets of double sofas opposite the coffee table. Three of them, who weren't too fat, were squeezed into one of the double sofas, looking incredibly close together. The other two, who were fat, occupied the luxurious booth, but somehow looked so bulky, with their belly fat piled up like cushions. The remaining two, who couldn't fit, simply sat on the armrests of the sofas. On the double sofa side of the coffee table, only Shen Anxia and Zhao Ping were there.

It doesn't look like a blind date, it's more like—

Onlookers.

Shen Anxia felt this was a trap.

This was the first time she had encountered this kind of blind date.

Although she said that it's not awkward with a lot of people, isn't there just too many people?

Xu Qingjing greeted them with a smile, "Auntie, have some water. Little sister, have some fruit. As for you guys, help yourselves to whatever you want to drink." He pushed the fruit and water in front of Shen Anxia and Zhao Ping, then pulled out a high stool from the next room and sat down next to the coffee table.

"Hey! Why do I have to take it myself?" the fat man A asked loudly, his tone full of joking.

"That's right! Pour some for me too!" the skinny man B insisted.

"You're treating your sister like an outsider. You should let her take it herself," the fat man said bluntly.

"That's right, what a waste of all those years of friendship between us." Skinny Ding continued to stab him in the back.

"Give me a break," Xu Qingjing laughed. "You guys come here more often than you go home, you're not thirsty at all."

With so many people talking, the atmosphere was relaxed and lively. Shen Anxia was no longer as nervous as before. She looked at the people who were talking one by one, but she didn't dare to look at her blind date—who was sitting on the armrest of the sofa next to Xu Qingjing.

Ten minutes ago, Xu Qingjing knocked on the Shen family's door and personally led Shen Anxia and her daughter downstairs. Before they even entered, they heard bursts of laughter emanating from the living room, which sounded like a man's masculine energy. Shen Anxia figured it was either a drinking party or a gambling session.

Xu Qingjing smiled apologetically, "I heard that Third Brother was going on a blind date, so the brothers insisted on coming along to watch."

As the door opened, the living room fell silent. All fourteen eyes of the seven men turned past Zhao Ping and looked toward Shen Anxia.

Shen Anxia looked at the seven people in different positions around the two sofas—some had their upper bodies lifted up with one leg draped over the back of the sofa and the other dangling; some were squeezing to sit down; and some had just been pushed out… In addition to the jokes she had vaguely heard outside the door, she guessed that these people had just been playing some kind of game of musical chairs.

Xu Qingjing pointed to one of them and said, "Sister, this is my third brother."

Meanwhile, the man in the strange position, who seemed to have snagged a seat but hadn't had a chance to sit down yet, and whose sitting down now seemed inappropriate, remained in a half-squatting position. Before he could stand up, the pot-bellied man next to him, who also seemed to have missed out on a seat, stretched out his leg and delivered a powerful kick to his buttocks, sending him flying. The man jokingly said, "Go, Pikachu!"

So, the man staggered forward two steps until he was about a meter away from Shen Anxia before he could stand still.

These things happened in an instant, accompanied by a burst of unscrupulous laughter. Zhao Ping also laughed, and Shen Anxia tried to hold back, but couldn't help herself.

After regaining his footing, he didn't hold a grudge against the fat man who had kicked him. Instead, he introduced himself to Shen Anxia in a very gentle voice: "Hello, I'm Yang Zheng."

Before Shen Anxia could even wipe the smile off her face, she looked at the tall, straight, and slender man in front of her, a head taller than her, and coughed lightly. Her mind suddenly went blank, and she blurted out, "Hello, Pikachu, I'm Shen Anxia."