Chapter 4 Blind Date

After the commotion that afternoon, the news that Yu Junsheng was going on a blind date quickly spread throughout the entire courtyard, making all sorts of people with similar interests eager to try.

Some people were jealous, such as Chang Dafeng, who had always looked down on Yu Junsheng. Seeing that he was about to have a girlfriend, she thought it was unacceptable that her outstanding son was falling behind. So she tirelessly asked around to find a partner for her eldest son, Zheng Haiyang, so that he would not fall behind Yu Junsheng.

Some people regretted it, like those who had their eyes on the two rooms in the east wing. They secretly regretted that they were a step too late. They wished they had introduced their relatives to the Yu family boy so that they could have benefited from it. Others were still unwilling to give up and went to Yu Junsheng to say all sorts of things.

Some people were heartbroken and cried at home for days, but that's another story.

No matter how the people in the courtyard tried to probe him, Yu Junsheng remained as calm as ever, continuing with his daily life as usual. His composed demeanor made the neighbors in the courtyard mutter to themselves, "This Yu family boy is about to go on a date, yet he acts like nothing's wrong. Why isn't he excited at all?"

Aunt Hao wondered if Yu Junsheng wasn't very satisfied with the man she had introduced to him.

Aunt Hao wasn't upset, but she was worried for Yu Junsheng. If he didn't like this one, where would he find someone else? She had inquired at several places before, but they all shook their heads when they heard about Yu Junsheng's family situation. She had to search her own circle for a long time before she found Jiang Qiubai.

Sigh, Junsheng is a good kid in every way, except he has no family ties. His parents are gone, and he has no one to help him, so it's no wonder he's hard to find relatives.

————

In the staff quarters of the food factory, some people are also worried about finding a spouse.

On the balcony of the Dong family's house on the third floor, a small, thin figure suddenly woke up from a nightmare.

Cheng Jiajia sat up, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses from the dream.

She transmigrated ten days ago. The original owner of this body was eighteen years old this year. She had grown up with her grandparents since she was a child. After her grandparents passed away unexpectedly this year, it was difficult for her to survive as an orphan in the village. So she went to seek refuge with her biological mother, who had remarried in Beicheng, a neighboring province. Just as Beicheng was right in front of her, the original owner of this body slipped and fell. And that's how Cheng Jiajia transmigrated.

In the original owner's memory, her biological mother remarried to a worker at the Beicheng Food Factory. Cheng Jiajia inquired along the way and finally found the factory's residential compound.

After her biological mother, Liang Shuangyue, remarried, she had another son. The two of them lived a comfortable life with their son and daughter, and naturally did not want her, an unwanted person, to disturb their lives.

His biological mother didn't welcome him, and his stepfather was a smiling tiger. The two of them had no choice but to take him in, and originally they wanted to sell him to a mentally challenged man for a high dowry.

After being publicly and sarcastically complained about several times in front of everyone, she lost face and became hesitant to pursue that wicked idea again. Now, she only wants to find a decent family to marry her off to, sending her far away so she won't be an eyesore.

Whether it was a change of heart or a desire to prove she hadn't mistreated her eldest daughter, her mother had been diligently searching for potential husbands for her these past few days.

Regardless of the reason, Cheng Jiajia wasn't opposed to this arrangement. Going back to the village was out of the question; she'd never farmed before, how would she survive there?

If I stay in the city, I either have to find a job or get married. I have no connections, no money, and know nothing about the city. Finding a job is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

After weighing her options, Cheng Jiajia decided to stay in the city by getting married. Excluding divorced men with children and older widowers, she finally met a young man she was fairly satisfied with.

The man's name is Zheng Haiyang. He is a regular worker at the machinery factory and lives in the factory's staff quarters. He has a widowed mother and three younger siblings.

Although it seems like a heavy burden, we know our own situation. We have a rural household registration and no job. Why would someone with good conditions want to marry a rural girl like us?

Originally, Cheng Jiajia was quite satisfied with this blind date, and even "borrowed" a new outfit from her stepsister Dong Siwei to wear the next day.

Who would have thought that I not only time-traveled, but I also transmigrated into a book!

She was wearing a period novel she had read before.

The story mainly revolves around a man and woman who develop feelings for each other while both are married, but suppress their love due to their families. Ultimately, they overcome numerous obstacles and live happily ever after. Because the plot was so disgusting, Cheng Jiajia only read the synopsis and the first few chapters before moving on, silently cursing the author for their warped values.

Who would have thought that one day I would be transmigrated into such a brainless book?

She also became the wife in the male protagonist's memories, who worked hard and endured hardship until she eventually died from exhaustion.

That's right, the male protagonist in the book is her blind date, Zheng Haiyang.

Cheng Jiajia is nothing more than the male lead's ex-wife, and a tool used to highlight the male lead's doting on the female lead and their happy life together.

According to the plot, she chose to marry the male lead in order to stay in the city, and from then on, she became the Zheng family's maid. Every day, she had to please her mean-spirited mother-in-law and take care of her selfish and domineering younger siblings. She worked hard from dawn till dusk to serve the male lead's family, and she didn't even dare to eat her fill. She devoted her whole life to this family.

After the male and female leads developed feelings for each other, the male lead "sensibly" died of illness, which conveniently made room for the female lead.

After the female lead marries the male lead with her child, the contrast between her married life and that of his ex-wife Cheng Jiajia further highlights the female lead's happiness and the male lead's love for her.

With that, Cheng Jiajia's mission was successfully completed, and from then on, she would only live in the male protagonist's memories.

Occasionally, the female lead would get jealous and throw a little tantrum, adding some spice to the couple's relationship. This continued until the couple lived happily ever after, surrounded by children and grandchildren.

Bah! Isn't this like squeezing every last drop of blood from someone's bones, and then dragging them out to whip their corpse every now and then?

This disgusting plot made Cheng Jiajia want to curse. What the hell is this?

Could she really be such a selfless person?!

No way, she has to ruin tomorrow's blind date. Let whoever wants to be the mother hen or the control group tool, do it!

————

A matchmaking event at a state-run restaurant.

The state-run restaurant was much quieter after lunchtime, with only two tables of customers remaining. One table was filled with beautiful and radiant girls, while the other table featured elegant and quiet girls; they were both on blind dates.

One or two waiters were lingering nearby with rags, seemingly wiping the table, but actually eavesdropping on gossip.

Last time, a couple was on a blind date at their restaurant. Midway through, one of the women came over crying and accused the man of cheating on her. The two women almost got into a fight. They watched quite a show.

The time before last, there was a couple who were about to get married when a baby suddenly ran over and called the man "Dad." The two families immediately started fighting.

The time before last...

These blind dates are the most interesting, hehe!

Their intuition told them, "Today, there's some juicy gossip!"

Cheng Jiajia, who was on the blind date, didn't think so at all. She watched the dignified and elegant girl at the next table shyly glancing at the man across from her who kept talking non-stop. She really wanted to say, "Girl, since you like him so much, we can switch places."

Really, she doesn't mind!

Before setting off, she deliberately picked out the most patched clothes from the original owner's wardrobe and put them on. Unexpectedly, Zheng Haiyang's eyes lit up as soon as he saw her, and then he started to launch into a long speech.

What a miscalculation!

Cheng Jiajia simply lacks a clear sense of self. She is beautiful and a high school graduate. Although she has a rural household registration, her stepfather is the director of a food factory and her biological mother is a worker. To outsiders, she can benefit from this and might be able to get a job sometime.

These girls are far better off than the average rural girl. If some ambitious men met one, wouldn't they want to hold on tight?

Zheng Haiyang was quite confident that this woman from the countryside would agree. "Comrade Cheng Jiajia, I am a regular worker at the machinery factory. My monthly salary is 35 yuan. I have two rooms in the family compound. I also have an elderly mother and three younger siblings at home, but they don't need you to worry about them."

“My eldest brother has already graduated. I’ll buy him a job and arrange his wedding, then we won’t have to worry about him anymore. My second sister is in junior high school. If she can get into university, I’ll definitely continue to support her. Otherwise, like my brother, I’ll give her a job and a dowry after she graduates, then we won’t have to worry about her anymore. It’s just that my youngest brother is a bit young, and my mother is getting old and not as strong as she used to be, so we need to take care of her a lot…”

Having humbled himself to be on the same level as this country girl, Zheng Haiyang, who considered himself a rising star among the younger generation in the compound, was very confident that she would treat him with respect.

Cheng Jiajia was dumbfounded. Wait, how come in this person's mouth, this job is like cabbage, something that can be bought for whomever he wants?

Let alone the fact that due to the massive downsizing of the past two years, jobs in the city are so scarce that even money can't buy them. Even if Zheng Haiyang had connections to buy one, where would he get so much money?

She had already inquired and found out that a regular factory job in Beicheng now costs 500 to 600 yuan. Zheng Haiyang made it sound as simple as drinking water, saying he would buy one for his younger brother and another for his younger sister in two or three years, totaling 1,200 yuan. Where was he going to get so much money?

Don't even mention saving it. His monthly salary of 35 yuan sounds high, but he didn't start at 35 yuan; it all came up gradually. Besides, one salary has to support five people's food, clothing, and the education of his three younger siblings. How could he possibly save any money?

As far as she knew, the Zheng family was just an ordinary working-class family with no real wealth.

What's wrong with you? You made such a boast in front of her, and then acted like it was no big deal, like you got a free ride. Are you trying to get me to pay for his/her siblings' jobs?

A hint of impatience appeared on Cheng Jiajia's pretty face, and she said arrogantly, "Comrade Zheng, I also have a few requirements regarding marriage."

"I'm not in good health. The doctor said I can't overwork myself, so don't expect me to do any housework, or it will shorten my lifespan. Also, your house isn't very big, and I'm a bit of a loner. I don't like the whole family crammed together, so your mother has to move out with your younger siblings! After we get married, you have to hand over all your salary to me. You can't secretly give it to your mother. If you can meet my requirements, then we can talk about other things."

Zheng Haiyang's smug speech abruptly stopped. He looked at Cheng Jiajia in disbelief, as if she were some kind of monster.

"Comrade Cheng Jiajia, you can't have this kind of thinking. I married you to take care of the family. You're a housewife and don't work. If you don't do the work, who will? My mother has worked hard all her life to raise us siblings. She finally gets to enjoy her retirement after I get married. We can't let her suffer anymore. We're both married now and at our age. Is it right for us to make our parents work so hard?"

"Women need to be more diligent, otherwise it'll be harder to find a husband. My mother is getting old, and my younger siblings are still minors. How could you kick them out? How could you be so selfish? Women need to be more generous and tolerant to have a good life. And a man is the pillar of the family; how can he hand over all his salary? My mother, my younger siblings..."

I thought a country girl would be easy to manage, and that marrying her would allow her to serve the whole family and lighten my burden. But she turned out to be quite forceful. Look at the things she's saying! Huh?

Even a woman with a stable job in the city wouldn't dare to say something so outlandish. Doesn't she have any self-awareness? She's so immature!

Zheng Haiyang thought this woman was completely insane!

The dignified young woman at the other table nodded repeatedly. How could a woman not do housework? What would that make her? Being filial to one's parents-in-law is a matter of course. How could a man kick his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law out after getting married? It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous! How come such a good man can't find a good partner?

Zheng Haiyang's face was ashen, and he was furious.

Cheng Jiajia saw this and was about to add fuel to the fire, but before her smile could even form, she heard a self-righteous voice coming from the next table:

“I injured my body while taking care of a sick elderly person. Now I want to find a girl with a stable job to take good care of me. After we get married, I will sell my job. You will go to work to support the family, and I will stay at home to take care of my health. Our family will depend on you.”

"Household chores? Of course you should do them! What man does housework? He'd be laughed at."

“Your salary can only be spent on me. Don’t even think about using it to subsidize your family. As for your brother, cut off contact with him as soon as possible. Our Yu family’s money cannot be used to support outsiders.”

Cheng Jiajia's eyelids twitched, feeling that this line of dialogue was extremely familiar.

Cheng Jiajia turned her head, and the two exchanged a glance, their eyes slightly narrowed—

Good grief, I've met my match!

Crackling and sparks flying everywhere.

The next second, he heard the man smile and say to him:

"Comrade, let's be boyfriend and girlfriend!"

“I’m an only child; there’s no large family crammed together.”

Let's do the housework together!

"After we get married, I will hand over all my salary to you."

The dignified young woman was dumbfounded.

Zheng Haiyang's face turned completely black.

Cheng Jiajia, who was just about to fool the ghost, was also dumbfounded, looking at the tall and thin man opposite her with delicate and fair features and a pair of phoenix eyes.

This...this...long-term meal ticket with long legs delivered right to my door?

The two waiters who were secretly gossiping behind them looked excited. Sure enough, there was some big gossip!