Chapter 96: Old Lady Yang's Matchmaking
After the two exchanged phone numbers, Shi Yue took his daughter home.
When the two of them returned to the compound, there was no one there and it was quite deserted.
Shi Yue said in surprise, "Where are the people? Why is there no one in the yard? No one has come back? This shouldn't be the case."
The other people in the hospital came out of the studio with him. He also went to Old Qutou's house once and came back. It doesn't make sense that the others haven't come back yet.
At this moment, Li Juan came out of Yang's house, carrying a kettle. Shi Yue asked her, "Hey, Li Juan, have you seen the others in the courtyard come back?"
Li Juan nodded. "Are you asking about Aunt Li and the others? They came back a while ago, but they left again."
Shi Yue: "Out? All of them out? What did they go out for?"
Li Juan pursed her lips and replied somewhat sheepishly, "Auntie Li and the others went out to chat with other aunties in the alley."
Shi Yue understood immediately: "Oh, so he went out to show off, right?"
Li Juan nodded slightly.
Speak of the devil, and here he comes. Shi Yue was talking to Li Juan about Aunt Li and the others when he heard Aunt Li's voice coming from outside the gate.
"Oh, didn't you see the look on Old Mrs. Chen's face when she heard us talking about going to the studio? She was so jealous..."
Li Xiuying walked in from outside while talking to Ma Yulan and the others. Seeing Shi Yue, she exclaimed, "Hey!" and said, "Shi Yue, you and your daughter are back?"
Shi Yue: "Yeah, just got back."
Li Xiuying glanced at Shi Yue and asked, "Didn't you say you were going to the department store to buy something? Why did you come back empty-handed?"
Shi Yue: "Oh, I didn't see anything suitable, so I didn't buy it."
He deliberately changed the subject and said to the aunties, "Hey, Xiao Jiang moved out. I'm still not used to it. Although she just lived in our courtyard not long ago, I just feel like she's already a part of our community."
Li Xiuying: "Well, who says it's not true? Jiang Ling is really quite likable."
Gao Cuifen: "Yes, Jiang Ling is a beautiful girl. She is also sweet-mouthed and knows how to deal with things, but she is a little naive."
Ma Yulan: "That's right, this girl is really good at dealing with things. You all don't know. I just came back and found an envelope on our coffee table. There was 150 yuan in the envelope, and there was also a letter inside. It was written by Jiang Ling to our family, saying that the 150 yuan was her thank you for taking her in. When I brought her home, I told her that I wouldn't charge her any money, but at the last minute, she still left some money. Tell me..."
She frowned, as if the money was hot, and said, "To be honest, I'm embarrassed to take this money."
Seeing that the attention of the aunties was successfully diverted, Shi Yue breathed a sigh of relief. He kept quiet and listened quietly. Li Juan, on the other hand, left with the kettle. After all, she was hired by Yang Zhiqiang to take care of Old Lady Yang. It would not be appropriate for her to leave Old Lady Yang in the house while she came out to chat with the people in the yard.
Li Juan hurried to the sink with the kettle to get some water, and then hurried back to Yang's house.
Li Xiuying patted Ma Yulan and said, "Since she left you some money, just keep it. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Ma Yulan: "I'm sorry, Jiang Ling bought a lot of things for our family when she lived here. She even bought a can of milk powder for Xiaodong's son for about 20 yuan a few days ago."
Li Xiuying: "She gave it to you, so you have no choice but to accept it. Do you want to go to the studio and return the money to her?"
Ma Yulan: "That's not the case..."
"That's it," Li Xiuying said casually, and continued with a sigh: "Hey, Jiang Ling is really a good girl, but it's a pity that Yang Zhiqiang is unlucky. She didn't like him."
Yao Dazui said, "Hey, Lao Li, didn't you tell me before that you were going to go find Jiang Ling and ask her what she really thinks? Have you gone yet?"
Li Xiuying: "I went there and asked her. She's not interested in Yang Zhiqiang, and she hasn't considered dating yet..."
Li Xiuying was talking non-stop, but Shi Yue was not surprised, because he had heard Shi Qiushui tell him about this before.
It was a pity that Yao Dazui and Gao Cuifen, the two people who had never heard of this, felt that way. Yao Dazui said, "Oh, I really don't know what young people are thinking nowadays. Why aren't they in a hurry to fall in love or get married?"
Gao Cuifen frowned. "That's right. Our fourth son is the same. When we asked him to find a partner, he said there was no rush. He said he was busy with work and would look for a partner after his job stabilized."
It's a good thing that there's someone like Yang Zhiqiang in the hospital who's 30 and still single to take the lead, otherwise Gao Cuifen would be so worried.
Gao Cuifen turned her head and said, "Hey, Shi Yue, you're young too. Tell me, what are you young people thinking? Why don't you want to get married? It wouldn't be so nice for two people to live together."
Yao Dazui also set her eyes on Shi Yue. She said, "Oh, yes, Shi Yue, I heard someone at the factory wanted to introduce you to someone before, but you refused, right? What were you thinking? It must be so tiring to raise a child by yourself. Why don't you want to get married and find someone to live with?"
In fact, it was not appropriate to say this in front of Shi Qiu Shui, a child, but when Yao Dazui asked this question, he didn't think much about it and just said it casually.
Shi Yue glanced at Shi Qiushui, whose face was tense, smiled, and said, "Well, Aunt Yao, I'm different from others. I don't want to remarry because I still miss Xiaoqiu's mother, and I'm also afraid that after remarriage, the other party will treat Xiaoqiu badly. Although being a stepmother doesn't necessarily mean badly to the child, no one can guarantee it, so I haven't considered remarriage. Xiaoqiu is sensible and obedient. Although I raise her alone, she has never caused me any trouble. Xiaoqiu, don't you think so?"
Shi Qiushui nodded seriously: "Yes! I am a good baby and have never caused any trouble for my father!"
Yao Dazui was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, our Xiaoqiu is a good baby and has never caused any trouble for Daddy. Grandma Yao's words just now were inappropriate. Our Xiaoqiu, don't mind it."
Shi Qiushui said generously: "It's okay!"
Yao Dazui laughed, but Gao Cuifen was still quite worried. She sighed and thought, if Shi Yue doesn't want to remarry, then don't worry. He has been married anyway, unlike her Zhang Peng.
Ma Yulan heard Gao Cuifen sigh and comforted her, "Don't worry, Old Ma. Your Zhang Peng is still young anyway. It's unlikely that..."
She nodded towards the Yang family, meaning that Zhang Peng was not like Yang Zhiqiang, who was already thirty years old.
It is said that people are afraid of comparison, but after Gao Cuifen compared Yang Zhiqiang with her own son, she felt more balanced.
Yes, although her son is not in a hurry to find a partner, at least he is young. He is only twenty-two or twenty-three years old now, unlike Yang Zhiqiang, who is already thirty and will soon be thirty-one.
Gao Cuifen felt balanced, but Old Lady Yang, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation in the yard through the window in the house, felt unbalanced.
She was very upset. Seeing that Yang Zhiqiang seemed unwilling, she didn't want to urge him to find a partner. But after listening to the conversation between the aunties, she became stubborn again.
She has to find a partner for Yang Zhiqiang this year, not just for money!
Old Mrs. Yang thought so, and the next morning at around eight o'clock, when most of the people working in the hospital had left, she asked Li Juan to go find Ma Yulan.
Her injury hasn't healed yet, so even if she wants to find a partner for Yang Zhiqiang, she has to ask someone else for help.
Needless to say, the person she was looking for was Ma Yulan, who was on leave at home.
Ma Yulan was doing housework at home at the moment. She was a little surprised to see Li Juan coming to see her, but she thought that Old Lady Yang must have something to ask her, so she quickly put the rag aside and hurriedly followed Li Juan to Yang's house without even taking off her apron.
When they arrived at the Yang family's house, Ma Yulan went into Old Lady Yang's room, while Li Juan went into the kitchen.
Although she didn't know why Aunt Yang was looking for Aunt Ma, she felt that they must have something to talk about, so she'd better not disturb them.
Ma Yulan entered the room and saw Old Lady Yang leaning against a pile of quilts. She looked unhappy. She thought she was feeling unwell and asked hurriedly, "Old Yang, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Old Lady Yang: "I feel sad."
Ma Yulan was shocked: "Ah? Your heart is not feeling well? Then hurry up and go to the hospital. Wait inside for a while, I'll go out and call someone for you."
As she spoke, she stood up and was about to go out. Old Lady Yang quickly grabbed her arm and said, "No, Old Ma, I'm not feeling unwell in my heart. I just feel uncomfortable in my heart. It's not a physical discomfort, not a pain."
Ma Yulan was confused for a while, and finally reacted: "Ah, I see, you are in a bad mood, right."
She sat back down on the bed and said, "If you're in a bad mood, then you're in a bad mood. You insisted on saying you were upset. I thought you were having a heart attack. Look at what you've done."
Ma Yulan wanted to complain to Old Lady Yang again, but when her eyes met Old Lady Yang's bitter face, she couldn't say anything no matter how much she was holding back in her heart.
She sighed, "Hey, Lao Yang, you asked Li Juan to call me over because you wanted to tell me you were feeling uncomfortable. Now that I'm here, just tell me what's going on. Why are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Old Lady Yang sighed deeply and said, "Alas, don't you know what I could be upset about? I'm upset because my son Zhiqiang isn't looking for a partner."
Ma Yulan: "Why are you upset about this again? Didn't I comfort you a few days ago? Why, was my last time comforting you in vain?"
Old Lady Yang: "Well, that's not the case. After you told me that, I think you're quite right. But, these past two days, when I had some free time, I couldn't help but start thinking about this. I still think that Zhiqiang can't live alone without finding a partner."
Ma Yulan thought for a moment and asked, "Lao Yang, last time I told you to ask Zhiqiang what he thinks. Have you asked him yet?"
Old Lady Yang: "I did ask. I asked Zhiqiang that night, but Zhiqiang didn't tell me anything. He just kept saying the same old story, saying that he wanted to find a girl he really liked, so he wasn't in a hurry to find one. He also said that he was very busy at work in the store and didn't have time to think about these issues, so he wanted to talk about it later."
Ma Yulan nodded: "Yes, that's right, he said the same thing to Jiang Ling."
"Jiang Ling?"
When Old Lady Yang heard Jiang Ling's name, she couldn't hold it in anymore and sighed repeatedly, saying, "Ah, I really think Jiang Ling is a good girl. I even told my Zhiqiang that Jiang Ling is a good girl. If he is interested in Jiang Ling, he can pursue her boldly. But our Zhiqiang told me that he is not interested in Jiang Ling. He just regards Jiang Ling as a sister. He also said that he first looked for Jiang Ling because he wanted to find out about those profiteers in the Northeast. Zhiqiang said that there are people in the Northeast who take the train to Russia and resell our country's products with those in Russia. He said that those people are making a lot of money."
Ma Yulan: "Hey, I also saw a report about this in the newspaper."
She pulled Old Lady Yang aside and said, "But don't let your Zhiqiang do this. I heard it's a very complicated business. They say there used to be all kinds of people on the trains. If they were petty thieves or robbers, they'd be considered lucky. There are also those who get so angry that they grab a knife and don't even care about their own lives. Isn't your Zhiqiang's business doing well? Just let your Zhiqiang focus on his business and don't get involved in that kind of business."
When Old Lady Yang heard what Ma Yulan said, she nodded repeatedly with a look of horror.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell Zhiqiang when he comes back."
Ma Yulan: "But you don't have to worry too much. I think your Zhiqiang is a successful person. He probably won't rashly decide to do this."
Old Lady Yang: "Zhiqiang told me the other day to wait and see. I don't know what he decided."
Ma Yulan: "Since he said so, then don't be too anxious."
"I hope Zhiqiang agrees with you." Old Lady Yang frowned and returned to the point of urging Yang Zhiqiang to find a partner. She said, "He still has to find a partner. If Zhiqiang has a partner, he will know not to make others worry about him, and he will definitely not participate in such dangerous things."
Ma Yulan twitched her lips and said nothing.
She now understood that Old Lady Yang had developed a grudge against Yang Zhiqiang for not finding a partner, so no matter what happened, Old Lady Yang would think it was Yang Zhiqiang's fault for not finding a partner.
At this time, as an outsider, no matter how she tried to persuade her, it was useless because Old Lady Yang would not listen.
Ma Yulan had no choice but to follow Old Lady Yang's lead and said, "Well, just find a partner. After you find one, Zhiqiang will definitely stop worrying about you."
"Old Ma, do you think so too?" Hearing Ma Yulan say this, Old Lady Yang's eyes lit up and she said, "That's great that you think so too! Old Ma, I'll tell you the truth, I asked Li Juan to find you here today because I want you to help introduce a partner to our Zhiqiang."
Ma Yulan: "Ah...this..."
Although Ma Yulan seems to be a kind-hearted person, she is not willing to take on everything, especially introducing a girl to Yang Zhiqiang. After all, she had watched Yang Zhiqiang's blind dates several times before and knew that this was not an easy job.
Besides, Yang Zhiqiang himself is not willing to find a partner. She can't force him to drink water, right?
Ma Yulan stammered, "Well, Lao Yang, it's not that I don't want to introduce Zhiqiang to a date, it's mainly because I don't have anyone suitable around me. You know, the people I'm close to are all old ladies, so how can they introduce someone to Zhiqiang?"
Old Lady Yang asked desperately, "Is there really no suitable candidate?"
Ma Yulan: "No, not to mention that I don't have any left. Even the old ladies who are good friends with me don't have anyone to introduce to your Zhiqiang."
She counted on her fingers: "Look, Old Mrs. Chen, her daughters are almost adults, so this is definitely not possible, right? And Old Mrs. Lin, she has no daughters, only three sons. You can't find a male wife for your Zhiqiang, right? The rest is Old Feng. She does have a daughter, and her daughter is not married, but her daughter is only thirteen this year. If I introduce her to Yang Zhiqiang, then your Zhiqiang and I will both have to go to jail..."
Old Lady Yang: "Uh...that's true..."
Ma Yulan spread her hands and said, "Look, it's not that I don't want to introduce you, it's just that there's really no one suitable."
Old Lady Yang waved her hand: "Okay, okay, I understand. I'll think about it."
Ma Yulan nodded quickly: "Well, Lao Yang, think about it again. If you think of a suitable candidate, tell me. Although I can't introduce you to someone, I can still do the matchmaking work for you."
Old Lady Yang held her forehead and said, "Okay, I'll think about it and tell you when I'm done."
"Okay, then I'll go back first. When you've made up your mind, just let Li Juan come find me." Ma Yulan walked out of the Yang family's door and breathed a long sigh of relief. She had finally gotten rid of Old Lady Yang.
She figured it would take Old Lady Yang several days to find a suitable candidate, so she would take advantage of these few days to find an opportunity to talk to Yang Zhiqiang about this matter, and let Yang Zhiqiang have a good talk with Old Lady Yang, so as to resolve Old Lady Yang's knot in one go.
However, to Ma Yulan's surprise, before the next day, that afternoon, Old Lady Yang sent Li Juan to see Ma Yulan again.
Li Juan took Ma Yulan back to the Yang family. Just like in the morning, she tactfully hid in the kitchen and let Ma Yulan go into Old Lady Yang's room to talk about things.
Ma Yulan frowned and walked into Old Lady Yang's room and asked, "Hey, old sister, why did you ask Li Juan to call me over again?"
Old Lady Yang opened her eyes wide and said, "Didn't you tell me to have Li Juan call you over after I think of a suitable candidate?"
Ma Yulan sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, "You thought of the right person so quickly?"
She sighed silently in her heart, thinking that this time Old Lady Yang was determined to find a partner for Yang Zhiqiang, otherwise she wouldn't have come up with someone so quickly.
She asked, "Who is it?"
Old Mrs. Yang waved at Ma Yulan, motioning her to come closer.
Ma Yulan moved her buttocks and moved closer to Old Lady Yang. Old Lady Yang leaned over, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "What do you think of Li Juan?"
Ma Yulan widened her eyes: "Li..."
Before she could utter the second word, Old Lady Yang covered her mouth.
Old Lady Yang: "Oh, please be quiet. She is outside. It would be bad if she heard it."
Ma Yulan nodded and made a "wuwuwu" sound with her mouth, obviously wanting to say something. Seeing this, Old Lady Yang quickly released her hand that was covering her.
The first thing Ma Yulan did after being freed was to ask Old Lady Yang in shock: "Old Yang, you were kidding me just now, right? You want to…"
She lowered her voice and whispered, "You want to introduce Li Juan to Yang Zhiqiang? These two people don't get along, do they?"
It’s not that Ma Yulan looked down on Li Juan because she had been married once and had a child. It’s mainly because she felt that Yang Zhiqiang and Li Juan were not suitable for each other at all.
In terms of age, Li Juan is two years older than Yang Zhiqiang; in terms of occupation, Li Juan doesn't even have a proper job and is currently working for Yang Zhiqiang; besides, as for family, not to mention that she has a daughter, Li Xi, she also has the burden of her parents' family.
Even though Li Juan's family didn't stand up for her when she got divorced, Ma Yulan had inquired about it and found out that her family would suck their daughter's blood. If they knew that Li Juan and Yang Zhiqiang were together, they would definitely come and blackmail Yang Zhiqiang.
Of course, Li Juan also has her merits. She is honest, hardworking and efficient at work, but it is precisely because of this that she and Yang Zhiqiang are even less suitable.
Yang Zhiqiang is a businessman. To put it nicely, he has a smooth personality and doesn't like to make enemies. To put it bluntly, he is too cunning and definitely cannot get along with Li Juan.
Ma Yulan wanted to express her disapproval, but Old Lady Yang didn't give her a chance to speak.
"Why not? I feel like Li Juan and Zhiqiang are a good match. Look, one of them is responsible for the interior, and the other for the exterior. How perfect of a match."
Ma Yulan: "What about Li Xi?"
Old Lady Yang: "What's wrong with Li Xi? If Li Juan is really with Zhiqiang, then Li Xi is our Zhiqiang's child. I will definitely treat Li Xi as our own child."
She said, "And Li Juan, I know she's suffered a lot in the past. When she marries into our family, don't worry, I will definitely not let her suffer anymore."
Ma Yulan couldn't bear it any longer. She took a deep breath and said, "Stop!"
She said, "Old Yang, please stop for a moment. You haven't even started talking about marriage yet, and you're already talking about whether to get married or not. It's not nice for people to hear that."
Li Juan is different from Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling is an unmarried girl. No matter what, people are at least kind to her. But Li Juan is different. Li Juan is a divorced woman who lives alone with her daughter. Moreover, her divorce from her ex-husband Song Chunsheng was a high-profile matter and was accompanied by a lot of criticism. In addition, she has been working as a caregiver for Old Lady Yang in the Yang family during this period. If anything comes out of this, it will definitely not be good.
After hearing what Ma Yulan said, Old Lady Yang shut up in grievance.
Ma Yulan frowned and thought for a while, then said, "How about this, I agree to what you said, but I have to ask Li Juan what she thinks first. If Li Juan doesn't agree, we can just pretend that this never happened. Is that okay with you?"
Old Lady Yang nodded hurriedly: "Okay, okay, let's do as you say."
Although she said this, she actually never thought that Li Juan would refuse.
After all, her son is much better off than Li Juan. It would be stupid for Li Juan to refuse.
Ma Yulan was also an old hand, and she could tell at a glance what Old Lady Yang was thinking.
She shook her head gently and thought to herself, Lao Yang, Lao Yang, you underestimate Li Juan too much.
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