176. Matchmaker Guan
On National Day, Lin Sitian and her friends finally met the legendary Comrade Ye Zhiqi.
Ding Xuewen introduced Lin Sitian, Xu Chengcai, and Qin Zilan one by one. When he got to Lin Yiku, Ye Zhiqi smiled and said, "I've seen your husband a few times in the school cafeteria, Senior Sister."
Every time, she saw him bring a net bag full of lunchboxes. Once, when she and her classmates went over to say hello, the enthusiastic senior sister gave each of them a spoonful of chili sauce, which made her tears well up with spiciness.
As for Chen Lizhong and Guan Yuehe, they need no introduction; they are old acquaintances.
After going around in circles, it turned out that all of them knew each other.
Perfect! Eight adults plus their children can squeeze together to make a round table.
Ye Zhi Qiu was naturally good at dealing with people, and before the food was even served, he had already become familiar with the others.
Ding Xuewen, on the other hand, was quiet and busy serving Ye Zhiqiu tea, peanuts, melon seeds, and fruit.
If you didn't know the situation, you might think Ye Zhi Qiu was Lin Si Tian and the others' childhood friend.
"Senior sister, where's your daughter?" Ye Zhi Qiu only remembered that Guan Yue He also had a little daughter when she saw Ding Xue Wen giving Niu Niu and her brother pocket money to buy Beibingyang soda outside.
"Her grandparents took her away." She went to show off to her old colleagues, probably to see whose baby is the fattest.
Just as she was about to call Lin Yiku to go find the child, she remembered that her father had just come to ask Lin Yiku and Gu Mannian for help, and now she didn't know where the two of them had gone.
Guan Yuehe got up and went to find Lin Ting among the elders. Sure enough, she heard Aunt Fang praising Lin Ting to Director Wen of the automobile factory's union for eating a lot and not making a fuss.
Director Wen said with delight, "How wonderful! She knows to pick the good-looking parts of her parents to grow up in, and she doesn't have her father's mischievousness. She's more like Sitian when she was little."
If we really follow the path of reminiscing about our bitter childhood, oh dear... even Director Wen would have to worry about his old colleague.
The chubby little girl was gnawing on a pear when she saw Guan Yuehe coming over to hug her. She laughed and twisted her body to avoid her, thinking that her mother was playing hide-and-seek with her.
Aunt Fang exclaimed "Oh dear!" and quickly hugged her tightly, laughing as she said that this little rascal really couldn't take praise; when she started making a fuss, you couldn't hold her without some strength.
Guan Yuehe grabbed Lin Ting and picked her up. Lin Ting immediately calmed down, seemingly knowing that she couldn't cause any trouble in her parents' arms.
Guan Yuehe had just greeted Director Wen and was about to take Lin Ting away when she was stopped by Zhang Ersao from the next table.
Zhang Ersao gestured with her chin toward Ding Xuewen, "Yuehe, is that woman next to Ding Laosi his girlfriend?"
The other neighbors at the table also looked over.
"I didn't even need to ask, I knew it was him as soon as I saw him," Sister-in-law Xu said confidently.
"Which unit does the woman work for? Who introduced her to you?" A series of questions immediately popped up.
Many neighbors in Ginkgo Hutong wanted to introduce Ding Xuewen to potential partners, but he refused every time. He even asked Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang to help him make connections, but they also declined.
Who knew, she found a partner without anyone noticing.
Ding Xuewen's brothers and sisters-in-law didn't ask any questions, seemingly unconcerned about the issue. In reality, they had stopped shelling peanuts and were listening intently for Guan Yuehe's answer.
"He's not far away, wouldn't it be faster for you to go and ask him in person?"
Guan Yuehe refused to answer her friend's private questions and turned to leave. She lifted Lin Ting up twice, making Lin Ting laugh all the way. Then she was stuffed into the arms of a strange aunt.
Ye Zhi Qiu got up and lifted Lin Ting a couple of times. He finally felt the truth of Ding Xue Wen's words that "Lin Ting is a chubby little girl." She was really sturdy. Her little hands and feet were especially fun to touch, so plump and chubby.
She had only been admiring it for a short while when Ding Xuewen picked her up and told her not to pee on her later.
Guan Yuehe and the others laughed heartily, Ding Xuewen had already accumulated experience.
“By the way,” Guan Yuehe gestured for him to look at the tables where the neighbors were sitting, “everyone is curious whether you have a boyfriend or not, and they were just about to ask me about it.”
Ding Xuewen glanced back and saw his older brother and sister-in-law looking over, but they quickly looked away.
"They really want to know; they'll find out sooner or later."
Indeed, the elderly folks in Ginkgo Alley are incredibly good at gathering information.
Ding Xuewen didn't intend to introduce Ye Zhiqi to his brothers and former neighbors. Instead, he said gently to her, "In a while, we'll visit Aunt Jiang and Aunt Fang again."
"Okay." Ye Zhi Qiu patted his hand reassuringly.
Before confirming their relationship, Ding Xuewen told Ye Zhiqi about his family situation. He knew that although Ye Zhiqi had many brothers, they did not get along well, had separated from each other, and did not plan to visit each other again.
The neighbors wisely refrained from gossiping at this time, but they happened to hear the commotion outside and knew that the wedding procession had returned. The empty tables were now filled with the bride's relatives and friends.
Guan Yuehe then noticed Lin Yiku and Gu Mannian, with Gu Yu following behind, running in and out to join in the fun.
Lin Sitian leaned against Guan Yuehe and sighed, "Even Guan Aiguo, that snotty-nosed girl, is married and has a family now."
Only after having a reference point did I realize how many years had passed.
Who can argue with that?
Many years have passed, but Guan Yuehe still feels young. The nickname "Little Guan" is quite misleading, although the words following "Little Guan" have changed repeatedly—from Comrade Little Guan to Classmate Little Guan, Section Chief Little Guan, and now Department Head Little Guan…
And among all the people who come and go, there are always a few who never leave. That's what makes time seem to pass exceptionally slowly.
It was rare for Guan Yuehe to be so sentimental; she was interrupted before she could even raise her glass.
"Second sister, second brother-in-law." Guan Aiguo came over to offer a toast with a grin. Guan Yuehe glanced at the red flower on his chest and thought that today was a joyous occasion, so she would let him off the hook.
—
After lunch, Ding Xuewen was the first to say he had to leave. He still had to go to the department store with Ye Zhi Qiu to buy gifts, as they were going to visit Ye Zhi Qiu's home the next day.
When this matter was just mentioned, it was Chen Lizhong who was sharing his experience.
Xu Chengcai's mother-in-law is his mentor, and Lin Yiku's mother-in-law is her own mother's old friend. They know what's best to buy.
Only Chen Lizhong's experience has some reference value.
No sooner had they left than Ding Lao Er and his wife chased after them, while Ding Lao Da, Ding Lao San, and their wives remained silent.
Guan Yuehe stood there for a while, and seeing that they had only exchanged a few words, she turned her head away.
We ate dinner in Courtyard No. 3 that evening. All the family members were there, and we had to set up two tables inside to accommodate everyone.
If it weren't for the family planning policy, we might have had to set up an extra table at home specifically for the children.
Jiang Guiying remembered and asked Guan Yuehe, "Is that woman sitting next to Ding Laosi his girlfriend? She's really beautiful, and she looks like a cultured person."
Guan Yuehe immediately put down her chopsticks. "Do I look like a cultured person?"
"Yes, she does." Jiang Guiying nodded perfunctorily, then continued to ask, "Is that woman also from the TV station?"
Guan Yuehe then remembered that she had never mentioned Ye Zhiqi to her family. "She is a junior from the same major at my school, and she works at a foreign trade company."
"You introduced them?"
"No, they negotiated it themselves."
"That's quite a coincidence."
Two days later, Guan Yuehe heard the latest gossip in the alley from Aunt Hu: Ding Laosi had started dating a girl who worked at the Foreign Trade Corporation, and she was Yuehe's junior from university, whom Yuehe had introduced to him.
"Me?" Guan Yuehe pointed to herself suspiciously.
"There's no other woman named Yuehe in our alley," Aunt Hu said, trying to get closer to him. "Look at all of us neighbors, when my son Gangqiang is looking for a partner, could you introduce him to someone?"
Guan Yuehe glanced at Aunt Hu's grandson, a slovenly boy in the third grade who always came home covered in dirt.
When he reaches the age where he can date, it will be at least ten years from now.
No matter how Guan Yuehe and her family explained it to outsiders, the neighbors in Ginkgo Hutong were convinced of one thing: Ding Xuewen was able to find such a good partner because Guan Yuehe introduced him to her.
Some people even brought up Chen Lizhong, insisting that Guan Yuehe was the one who introduced him to her.
The title "Matchmaker Guan" has now been truly fitting.
The title became so famous that it even reached the coal mine's residential compound.
Li Xuelian laughed and said, "I'll ask you to introduce potential partners to my two kids in the future."
Seeing that she couldn't clarify the situation, Guan Yuehe readily accepted the title, jokingly saying, "Sure, let me know in advance what kind of person they're looking for, and I'll make sure they find the right one."
Finding a partner for her child can be put aside for now; Li Xuelian is more interested in something else.
"I heard you were selected for the inspection team?"
"It's only the beginning." Her name and personal information were reported the day before yesterday. There's no need to hide it; the list will be posted on the bulletin board in a few days.
This trip was to Japan for a business trip, one of the projects being to visit car companies. She happens to be in charge of a car joint venture project and has recently taught herself Japanese.
Guan Yuehe was especially grateful to Li Xuelian at this moment. If Li Xuelian hadn't said she wanted to learn Japanese, she wouldn't have thought of learning it herself.
"What you're saying..." Li Xuelian waved her hand, "Even without me, you would have learned it sooner or later. I'm too embarrassed to take credit for it."
"I'm thick-skinned, I'll admit it if it's me."
Li Xuelian almost burst out laughing at her serious joke, and then chimed in, "With that kind of shamelessness, you'll learn any language well."
Guan Yuehe did not deny it, after all, not everyone would be so embarrassed as to practice their spoken English by shouting in school.
Speaking of which, she also needs to express her gratitude to her college roommates.
Two weeks later, Chunmei received a thank-you letter from Guan Yuehe. After reading it, she laughed with her husband and said, "She's saying we're shameless."
Chunmei's husband smiled. Ever since they started dating, he had often heard the name "Yuehe" from Chunmei. He wore Zhuoyue brand sportswear outside of work, and Chunmei said she wanted to support the Zhuoyue Garment Factory more.
He had previously thought that Yuehe's support stemmed from her past work at the Zhuoyue Garment Factory.
But I later found out it was because of Director Zheng.
He had never been to Beijing, but he had already "met" quite a few friends there.
—
The neighbors in Courtyard No. 1 noticed that Guan Yuehe's evening study time had been extended, and she was only practicing Japanese.
"How do you know this is Japanese?" Aunt Hu asked Yuanbao, who was so confident.
“I just know.” Yuanbao had been listening for more than two years. Although he couldn’t understand what Guan Yuehe was saying, he could distinguish several languages after listening to her so much.
Jin Junwei seemed to have discovered something extraordinary. Before going to bed that night, he discussed with Zhou Hongqi, "Why don't we send Yuanbao to the Children's Palace to learn a foreign language?"
Zhou Hongqi thought he was provoked by the couple across the street. Seeing that Lin Ting was not even a year old yet and had already started learning a foreign language, while Yuanbao spent his days playing with cats and dogs in the alley, he was afraid that Yuanbao would fall behind in the future.
He advised, "Our Yuanbao doesn't necessarily need to go to university and learn several languages. He can learn a skill from me and live a good life."
But upon hearing Jin Junwei say that Yuanbao could distinguish foreign languages even without formal foreign language training, Zhou Hongqi sat up abruptly and declared, "Let her learn! Take her to the Children's Palace to register this Sunday!"
On Sunday morning, Yuanbao, dressed in martial arts attire, was laughing and chuckling in the yard with a rolling pin. Lin Ting was practicing standing on the back of the sofa, laughing and chuckling several times. He was a clever little kid.
Jin Junwei sighed at least three times while washing just one piece of clothing. It was rare to see him so worried, so Guan Yuehe casually offered her concern.
He sighed again.
"I was thinking of enrolling her in a foreign language class, but when we passed by a martial arts class, she just stayed there."
"...That's good. With a stronger body, you'll be able to learn things faster and your mind will work faster." Even if you can't learn something, your sheer strength will ensure you get by.
Jin Junwei was about to sigh when he suddenly looked up at Guan Yuehe and his mood immediately improved: there was a perfect example right in front of him.
"Yes, it's good."
Author's note: This is the first update. The second update might be a little late. I'll continue writing after I finish eating mooncakes.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! [cat paw][cat paw][cat paw]
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