night.
Chu Fang drove his mother to a classmate reunion.
Because she hadn't seen her old classmates for decades, Chu's mother was particularly lively and excited, chattering to her child about things from their old school days.
Upon arriving at their destination, Chu Fang reached out and took out a coat to put on his mother. It was October, and the weather in Shanghai was getting cooler, so he wanted to prevent her from catching a cold.
"Mom, once you're inside, don't drink. Try to sit with classmates you know well; you'll have common topics to talk about and have a better time. As for classmates you don't know, just be natural and pretend you remember them to avoid awkwardness..."
What's it like to have a simple-minded mother? Like Chu Fang now, meticulously explaining every detail of the gathering, afraid that her mother might not handle the relationships with her classmates well and upset her mother.
There's a poem that says, "A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles."
But between the two of them, the mother worries about her son even when they are just a hundred meters apart.
Chu's mother put on her coat and took his arm, saying, "Since you're worried about me, let's go inside together."
"I won't bother you anymore."
“It’s okay, other classmates have kids too…” Chu’s mother answered subconsciously. She was almost finished speaking when she suddenly realized she had made a mistake. She covered her mouth, then shook his arm and said in a coquettish tone, “Come on, come on, you can go in with him.”
Chu Fang raised an eyebrow: "Mom, did you do something bad?"
No, absolutely not.
Every time you deny something completely, it's a 100% affirmation... Chu Fang knows his mother too well; she can't lie. Although he sensed something was wrong, he still nodded and agreed.
Seeing this, Chu's mother beamed with joy, and the two of them walked into the restaurant together.
Upon entering the restaurant, Chu Fang's eyes showed obvious surprise. He saw many middle-aged men and women of similar age to his mother, who were probably his classmates. However, each of the middle-aged men and women was accompanied by one or two teenagers of similar age to Chu Fang, and their faces looked somewhat similar.
He tilted his head and looked at his mother, who shrank back, trying not to meet his gaze, and looked around excitedly.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he called out to a middle-aged woman next to him, "Minmin."
The middle-aged woman was around forty years old. Her face was weathered rather than still. She was dressed appropriately, with a perfect color scheme.
A young woman was linked arm-in-arm with a well-dressed middle-aged woman. She had delicate features, fair skin, and wore a flowing long dress that was both fashionable and elegant. She also wore a delicate bracelet and sparkling earrings.
"Lan Yufang?" The middle-aged woman looked Chu's mother up and down carefully and asked in confusion.
"Yes, it's me." Chu's mother nodded repeatedly, overjoyed. "It's been decades since I last saw you, and you're still so beautiful."
“You haven’t changed at all.” The middle-aged woman, Minmin, found it hard to believe that her old classmate was so young, and replied softly.
"Hehe, it's alright, it's alright." Chu's mother was quite embarrassed and wanted to be modest, but her old classmate was indeed a bit older than her, and being modest would be too hypocritical, so she could only respond awkwardly.
Looking at the girl next to her old classmate, she tugged at Chu Fang's arm and said with a smile, "This is my son, Chu Fang. Good boy... Chu Fang, this is your Aunt Li Min, she's an old classmate of yours."
"Aunt Li Min," Chu Fang greeted.
"Handsome young man." Li Min looked at him and couldn't help but sigh. She nudged the pretty girl next to her and introduced her as well: "This is my daughter, Liu Siyi."
After introducing themselves and getting to know each other briefly, Chu's mother and Aunt Li Min went upstairs to meet other old classmates, leaving Chu Fang and Liu Siyi behind.
Chu Fang turned his neck to observe the surrounding environment. On the second floor, Chu's mother's old classmates were gathered, chatting and laughing from time to time. On the first floor, there were young men and women brought by the old classmates. They were all about the same age and were talking quietly, usually in pairs.
Looking at the awkward expressions on the faces of the young men and women, it was clear that this was their first time meeting.
Combined with Chu's mother's little scheme, Chu Fang immediately understood the purpose of today's class reunion.
So, the real intention wasn't the wine, but rather to play matchmaker and act as a go-between.
A large-scale matchmaking banquet.
"No wonder you insisted on dragging me in earlier, you had ulterior motives." Chu Fang looked up at his mother on the second floor.
While Chu's mother was chatting with Aunt Li Min, she noticed the gazes below, gave her biological son an awkward smile, and then turned her head to continue chatting with her old classmate Li Min.
"Minmin, do you remember our promise? If our child is of the opposite sex, then we'll become in-laws."
"Hehe." Li Min chuckled, her wrinkled face contorted with laughter. Instead of answering, she asked, "Are you still in your hometown?"
"Yes," Chu's mother answered honestly, "You've all left, and I'm the only one living in my hometown, where I usually play mahjong with a few of my sisters."
With economic development, people in rural towns have bought houses in cities and moved there. Only a few poor rural residents cannot afford houses in the city and can only live in rural towns.
Most of Chu's mother's classmates have left their hometowns for cities, and some, like Li Minqiao, have even settled down in Shanghai, which is quite impressive.
"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Li Min pursed her lips and said slowly, "We were too young back then, we didn't understand the world, and we made promises casually. It was really wrong of us. Marriage is a matter for the children themselves. We adults shouldn't interfere too much. It all depends on the wishes of the two children, don't you think?"
"Yes, it's just getting to know each other and exchanging contact information. Minmin, what's wrong with you?" Chu's mother was completely confused.
"It's nothing." Li Min shook her head, staring at Chu Fang downstairs. "Your son is very handsome. He must have met a lot of girls."
"No, I'm a good boy/girl..."
Just as Chu's mother was about to explain her child's character, Li Min interrupted her: "I'm really sorry, my Siyi is not good enough for your Chu Fang."
"Huh?" Chu's mother was taken aback for a moment, then waved her hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing, my darling is indeed very outstanding."
“... ..."
There were obvious signs of twitching at the corner of Li Min's mouth.
... ...
While Chu's mother and Li Min were chatting, Chu Fang turned his gaze away and spoke to the beautiful woman in front of him, saying, "You are very beautiful."
"Thank you." Liu Siyi nodded gently, turned off her phone, straightened her skirt, and finally looked him in the eye. Her eyes sparkled, and she said slowly, "Um... I'm sorry to disappoint you. I only attended this matchmaking event today to fulfill my mother's request, and I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now."
"Disappointed? Not disappointed at all." Upon hearing this, Chu Fang replied, "I was tricked into coming here by my mother today, otherwise I would have just waited outside and wouldn't have bothered to come in."
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