Chapter 131 Finding a Partner for Zhao Jian'an

Molly never imagined that so many things would happen to Zhao Jian'an in just one year.

Does Ji Hefeng know about Zhao Jian'an's leg injury?

When they went to bed that night, Molly brought it up with Ji Hefeng, who was dumbfounded. "He didn't say anything."

Zhao Jian'an didn't say anything, and he didn't ask.

"I might have to go back to Xiaonan Village," Ji Hefeng said without any hesitation.

Molly wasn't surprised at all. She nodded. "Go back. Are you going back tomorrow?"

"Yes, the sooner the better. I'd like to trouble you to help me rent a place this time," Ji Hefeng said, then thought for a moment, "to rent a place that's convenient for living."

"How about around my restaurant? If he doesn't want to cook, he can just eat at a restaurant. Also, what kind of job are you planning to arrange for him?" If the job location can be determined, it would definitely be more convenient to be near the workplace.

“I plan to have him come with me; I happen to be short-handed,” Ji Hefeng said.

Molly: "Then I'll go look near the school."

Ji Hefeng: "We can buy it. Once the school opens, the surrounding area will definitely be bustling."

The next day, Ji and Feng left before dawn, and after having breakfast, Molly also drove out.

Over the next few days, Molly went out early and returned late every day. Finally, the day before Ji Hefeng returned, she bought a house with blue bricks and red tiles, four large rooms, a small courtyard, a well, and a mimosa tree in the courtyard.

Molly spent a day cleaning the house and buying furniture, and didn't get home until dark.

She was covered in dust. When she got home, she took a shower first, then went to the dining room and saw Zhao Jian'an sitting on the sofa. She immediately noticed his empty trouser leg; his left leg was completely gone from the knee down.

On the phone, Aunt Guihua only said that Zhao Jian'an's leg was lame, but she didn't say that he had lost a section of his lower leg.

The situation was more serious than she had anticipated.

"Why do you look like you're about to cry?" Zhao Jian'an laughed, but it was a bitter laugh.

“I didn’t cry, there’s nothing to cry about. I should be glad you’re still alive.” Molly sat down next to him. “I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you for a year. I didn’t know you had gone through something so terrible.”

Back in the camp, Zhao Jian'an had always helped her and the children with everything, big or small. But this past year, she had been so busy with various things that she had forgotten about Zhao Jian'an and hardly thought of him at all.

Zhao Jian'an shook his head, "He Feng said you've been very busy this year too."

"That's your fault. Why didn't you say anything when such a big thing happened?" Molly felt both angry and heartbroken.

Zhao Jian'an was taken aback, then smiled helplessly and obediently admitted his mistake, "Yes, it's my fault."

Molly wanted Zhao Jian'an to stay at the Ji family's house for a few days and drive him around Beijing for a few days, but she found that he was not himself and had an anxious and uneasy feeling about him.

“I’ll take him to work,” Ji Hefeng said. “Maybe I’ll find him something to do, and if he’s busy, he won’t overthink things.”

Molly could only agree, "Okay. I've already cleaned up the house and furnished it. I'll buy some rice and vegetables today so he can cook for himself."

Ji Hefeng: "Don't you have any spare bicycles at home? Let's take one over to him."

Molly hesitated. "Can he ride a bicycle?"

Ji Hefeng: "He can't overcome it on his own. He still has one leg."

The tone was absolutely uncompromising.

Molly felt sorry for Zhao Jian'an, but riding a bicycle was indeed more convenient than walking, and she thought Zhao Jian'an could overcome the difficulty and travel by bicycle.

Molly specifically chose a lighter bicycle and went to the cake shop to buy some bread that could be stored for a long time, so that Zhao Jian'an could have it for breakfast when he didn't have time to cook in the morning.

At noon, Molly cooked in the house. She had told Ji Hefeng in advance that she would bring Zhao Jian'an over to check out the house at noon. When the food was almost ready, Molly called Ji Hefeng. Molly and Ji Hefeng had brought back two cell phones from the port city, one for her and one for Ji Hefeng. Having a phone had indeed made things much more convenient.

Just as Molly put the cooked food on the table, Ji Hefeng and Zhao Jian'an arrived.

"Is this the place? I can smell the aroma of food." Ji Hefeng pushed open the door.

Zhao Jian'an leaned on his cane and peered into the house. It was a clean farmhouse, much like the one in his hometown, which reassured him. As long as it wasn't a luxurious courtyard like the Ji family's, it would be fine.

He saw the bicycle in the yard and was eager to try it out.

Ji Hefeng followed his gaze and couldn't help but smile. "Let's eat first. After we eat, I'll help you push the car out."

Molly chopped down the threshold of the gate to make it easier to push a bicycle in and out.

"You're back. Wash your hands and come eat." Molly greeted them with a smile, serving them rice, a large bowl for each of them.

There were only five dishes on the table: a plate of smashed cucumber, a plate of roast duck, a plate of braised pork ribs, a plate of stir-fried bean sprouts, and a fish head tofu soup.

"It's been too long since I've cooked, I'm a bit rusty," Molly said with a smile.

"It smells delicious, it must taste good." Ji Hefeng tasted a piece of rib first and gave Molly a thumbs up.

Zhao Jian'an drank the soup first, saying, "It still tastes the same as before."

“It takes ten minutes to walk to work from here, and less than five minutes by bike,” Ji Hefeng said. “The only problem is that there aren’t many people around here, so it’s not very convenient to buy groceries and cook. The construction site now provides lunch and dinner, so you can eat there before coming back.”

Zhao Jian'an nodded, "This place is good. I'll bring you the rent in a bit."

"I bought this house, so you can think of it as you looking after the house for me here," Molly said.

"Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. I have money." Zhao Jian'an has saved quite a bit over the years.

Seeing his insistence, Molly had no choice but to say, "This location is desolate, just give me five dollars a month."

This price is very cheap. In a better location, you can't even rent a room for five yuan a month.

“Okay. Then I’ll pay a year’s rent first.” Zhao Jian’an took out sixty yuan from his pocket and gave it to Molly. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Molly take it.

After lunch, Ji Hefeng took Zhao Jian'an out for a bike ride. Molly cleaned up the dishes, and by the time she finished washing them, Zhao Jian'an was already riding his bike in circles.

Looking at Zhao Jian'an on the bicycle with a faint smile on his face, Molly leaned against the doorframe, her eyes stinging with tears.

fine.

It's not too bad.

Half a month later, Zhao Jian'an had adapted to life and work in Beijing. Molly called back to Aunt Guihua and told her about Zhao Jian'an's situation.

Aunt Guihua cried on the phone, "Molly, I will remember your great kindness."

Molly: "Auntie, you're too kind. Brother Zhao has helped me a lot in the past. We just provided him with a job, it's nothing."

Aunt Guihua, however, did not think so. "Without you, Jian'an would be completely devastated and his life would be over."

Aunt Guihua didn't forget that when Ji Hefeng drove back, he kicked open her son's bedroom door as soon as he entered. She didn't know what the two of them said in the room, but her son let out a suppressed cry.

The next day, her son shaved his head, cleaned himself up, and said he was coming to Beijing.

"Molly, could you keep an eye out for me? If you find a suitable girl, could you set her up with your brother Jian'an? I don't have any special requirements, as long as the girl doesn't look down on your brother Jian'an. I've already prepared the betrothal gifts; do you think a thousand yuan is enough?" Aunt Guihua said cautiously.

Molly: "......."

This may not be easy.

"I'll try my best." In her opinion, Zhao Jian'an was good-looking, had some savings, and a decent income, making him a good prospect. But his leg was definitely a drawback.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that." Aunt Guihua was at ease.

That evening, Molly brought up the matter of Aunt Guihua asking her to introduce Zhao Jian'an to a potential partner.

"These things depend on fate." Ji Hefeng didn't approve of introducing Zhao Jian'an to someone at this time, as he was worried that Zhao Jian'an would get hurt again.

Molly also felt that this matter couldn't be rushed. "Brother Zhao is thirty years old this year, right?"

Ji Hefeng: "Exactly thirty. Thirty is the age to focus on one's career."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Go tell that to Aunt Guihua. Thirty is still okay, but in a few years he'll be an old man. Alright, stop settling. If I meet a suitable girl, I will definitely tell Brother Zhao the truth about his situation. Only if she agrees will I arrange a meeting."

"If he's a scoundrel and his character is questionable, it's better for him to stay single." Ji Hefeng himself is not one to settle, and he doesn't want Zhao Jian'an to just marry anyone for the sake of marriage.

“That’s your idea.” Molly felt that they should find a suitable person first before asking Zhao Jian’an for his opinion.

Finding the right person isn't easy; Molly searched for two years without success.

Ji Yi's six younger children have started kindergarten. Every day, Ji's retired mother and father take them to kindergarten and pick them up in the evening.

The university has been built, with teaching buildings, dormitories, canteens, and libraries, and even more than a dozen laboratories. It will be able to enroll students next year.

The factory is now on the right track, and a new batch of machine tools has been purchased, expanding the production line to more than twenty.

Molly's cake shop opened several more branches, and her restaurant also opened two more branches.

Now, even if Molly does nothing, she still earns money while lying in bed every day.

In the past two years, Molly has bought several shops and houses, spending all the money she has.

That day, Molly was driving to look at the shop renovations when it started raining heavily on her way back to her room. As she passed through a small alley, a little girl fell down in front of her car.

The little child was as thin as a monkey, long and thin, and walked unsteadily, looking about one year old.

Molly got out of the car with her umbrella and was about to pick up the child when a woman rushed up from behind and hugged the girl tightly.

The heavy rain was still falling when Molly saw a face that was so thin it was almost unrecognizable, yet somehow familiar.

"Mo Honghong?" she asked.

The woman froze, looked up, and was stunned. "Molly?"

Molly never imagined she would see Molly again, especially under these circumstances.

“Where do you live? I’ll take you back,” Molly said.

Mo Honghong shook her head, holding her daughter and hiding under the eaves. Her smile was bitter. "The rent just expired, and we were kicked out."

Molly frowned. "With such heavy rain, this landlord is being incredibly unreasonable."

“It’s been half a month overdue, but the landlord hasn’t been chasing me for the rent for that half month. She’s already a very kind person,” Mo Honghong explained. “When we went out, it wasn’t raining yet.”

Molly fell silent. "How have you all been coping these past few years?"

"I do odd jobs, wash dishes and plates, and wander around." Mo Honghong found it difficult to talk about.

"Did you never get married after that?" Molly asked again.

Mo Honghong shook her head, "I've never thought about it, and I don't dare to think about it."

"How about I introduce you to someone?" Molly thought of Zhao Jian'an.