Chapter 40 Caring for He "I am a real person..."
"I'm seriously asking you to introduce me to someone."
Guan Lixin spoke with great conviction, but Mingxi stared at him for a long time before finally shaking her head: "I don't believe it."
Guan Lixin: "Hey!"
Mingxi: "Tell me honestly, why did you suddenly ask me to introduce you to someone?"
Guan Lixin had no choice but to confess honestly: "It's all because of my mother. She nags me every day, saying I'm not serious, I don't look for a job, I don't have a wife, and all I do is mess around all day. Recently, everyone in the alley has been busy adding houses, and she always grumbles at me when she sees it, saying she's too ashamed to join in. People are adding houses to make room for their children's weddings, but in our family, I'm all alone, I don't even have a partner, let alone get married."
Guan Lixin, with his legs crossed and hands behind his neck, said in a domineering manner, "Xiaoming, don't you think my mom is being incredibly unreasonable? There are only three of us in our family, and the house is spacious enough. Even if I get married, we don't need to build anything. Besides, if I don't get married, my mom will have less trouble. Everyone's scrambling for bricks, tiles, and space to build houses these days, but my mom doesn't have to compete with others. Isn't that a good thing? Instead of thanking me, she's even scolding me."
Mingxi kicked Guan Lixin: "Take your leg back, take your leg back. This is my house, not your kang bed."
With Guan Lixin's arrogant attitude, not only Guan's mother couldn't stand him, but even Mingxi couldn't help but want to scold him.
Guan Lixin obediently pulled his leg back and looked at Mingxi with a fawning expression: "Xiaoming, see how loyal I am? My mom said she wanted to find a matchmaker to introduce me to someone, but I thought to myself, aren't you the one who introduces people to others now? So why would I need to find someone else? We should keep our own money in the family, so I came all the way here to find you."
He grinned and said, "You'd better introduce me to a nice girl, since we're childhood friends."
Mingxi rolled her eyes: "Then you should find someone else. I'm afraid you'll ruin some good girl."
Guan Lixin straightened his back: "Hey, what do you mean by that?"
What's wrong with him? Mingxi is afraid he'll ruin other girls' lives.
Although he's a scoundrel and doesn't do anything productive, he still has his bottom line. He's never done anything like messing around with women.
Let alone having casual relationships.
He... he's never been in a relationship even once!
He's still a pure and innocent young man!
Mingxi glanced at him and asked bluntly, "Are you seriously looking for a relationship, or just trying to appease Aunt Liu?"
Guan Lixin: "I...this...I..."
Guan Lixin was speechless.
He scratched his head strategically: "Sigh, I have no choice. I don't care whether I find a partner or not, but my mom is pressuring me. As soon as I appear in front of her, she will definitely start nagging about this. If I don't bring her a daughter-in-law home soon, she will probably kick me out of the house."
"Xiao Ming, Ming Xi, Boss Ming, please help me out by arranging a date for me with a girl. Even if she doesn't like me, I can still explain it to my mom."
Guan Lixin spoke pitifully, but Ming Xilang's heart was as hard as iron. She tossed her braid and opened her mouth to refuse him mercilessly.
"no."
Guan Lixin: "No, why? Why can't it work...?"
Mingxi: "The women who come to me are all serious about finding a partner, not just playing house with you."
Guan Lixin: "I'm seriously looking for a partner, I'm not kidding!"
Mingxi ignored him, stood up, picked up the documents she had just placed on the table, and prepared to go back to her room.
"Hey, Mingxi, don't go!" Guan Lixin stood up and reached out to grab Mingxi's arm, but he didn't control his strength well and knocked Mingxi's arm away, causing the documents in Mingxi's hand to scatter on the ground.
"Guan Lixin!"
Mingxi frowned and turned around.
She's too busy to play house with Guan Lixin.
Mingxi turned around, about to curse, but found Guan Lixin staring intently at a scattered photograph on the ground.
Mingxi bent down and picked it up. Coincidentally, this was the photo He Li had just brought over a few days ago.
Guan Lixin's gaze followed the photo to Mingxi's face: "Hey, Mingxi, who is this woman in the photo? Is she also asking you to introduce her to someone? What's her name?"
Mingxi: "What other people's names are has nothing to do with you."
Guan Lixin smiled with a heart full of spring fever: "How can it not be related? I think this woman looks very familiar. She looks like my future wife."
Mingxi: "...Have some shame."
Guan Lixin: "Hehe, Xiaoming, I don't need you to introduce me to any other female comrades, this one is fine."
Mingxi pursed her lips and stared at Guan Lixin for a long time before she was surprised to find that he wasn't joking.
Mingxi was truly shocked.
She looked down at He Li smiling in the photo, then looked up at Guan Lixin: "No, are you serious?"
Guan Lixin: "Of course it's real, more real than real gold!"
Mingxi: "Didn't you say you didn't want to find a partner?"
It wasn't that she had a problem with Guan Lixin, she just couldn't understand why Guan Lixin, who had just been planning to go through the motions to appease Guan's mother, had suddenly changed his attitude.
Guan Lixin touched his chest: "Don't you know the term 'love at first sight'? The moment I saw the photo, my heart was struck by Cupid's arrow of love. In that instant, I knew I had fallen for her."
Mingxi: "...You're quite fashionable."
Guan Lixin: "Right, you haven't told me yet, what's this lady's name?"
Mingxi: "Her name is He Li. She is the niece of Aunt He from our courtyard. You know Aunt He, right? She lives across from my house."
"Oh, so her name is He Li. What a nice name!" Guan Lixin asked with a smug smile, "What do you think about naming our child Guan Ai He if we get married? It would have both my surname and hers, representing the fruit of our love. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
Guan Lixin turned to Mingxi, seeking her approval.
Mingxi, Mingxi just wants to punch Guan Lixin.
She saw that Cupid had shot an arrow, but instead of hitting Guan Lixin's heart, it had shot into his head.
The child is still alive; He Li doesn't even know who Li Xin is!
Guan Lixin wasn't embarrassed at not receiving a reply from Mingxi. He continued muttering to himself, "Isn't the name 'Guan Ai He' a bit too straightforward? He Li might be shy, right? So, I'll be more subtle and call her Guan Yu He, Guan Zhi He, Guan..."
Mingxi, speechless, called out, "Don't worry about He Li yet. Calm down first. He Li doesn't even know you."
Guan Lixin: "Hey, what's the big deal? If we don't know each other, you can just introduce us and we'll be friends, right?"
Mingxi: "..."
Guan Lixin: "You're so good, so Mingxi~"
"Mingxi, Mingxi, good Mingxi~ could you please introduce us? I have a feeling that He Li is the woman of my life. If I miss her, I might be a bachelor for the rest of my life. Can you really bear to let your dearest childhood friend be a bachelor for the rest of her life?"
Mingxi: "Heartless."
"Oh dear, Mingxi, Mingxi, Mingmingxixi~"
Guan Lixin kept nagging Mingxi for over half an hour, and Mingxi, finally annoyed, agreed to introduce the two of them.
She said sternly, "Let go of me, sit down, and I'll tell you about Comrade He Li."
"Okay, sure." Guan Lixin sat down immediately.
Mingxi: "Comrade He Li's family is from the countryside, specifically the rural area west of Beicheng. But don't underestimate her just because her family is from the countryside; she's very ambitious. She graduated from high school and now works as a substitute teacher at the village primary school, receiving a government job. When she's looking for a partner, she mainly wants someone with an urban household registration, someone reliable and settled. But don't think that just because she wants an urban household registration, it's a big deal. She has three older brothers and one younger brother. Her brothers are all married, and her younger brother has graduated from junior high school and can support his family. Her family isn't poor. She wants someone with an urban household registration because she has high standards; she can't find a suitable one in the countryside."
"Yes, you're right."
Guan Lixin: "It's normal for Comrade He Li to have high standards, given her excellent qualifications."
Mingxi: "Is that the main point?"
Guan Lixin looked up at Mingxi, his face full of confusion.
That's not the point, what else could it be?
Mingxi sighed, "The key point is that He Li has a rural household registration. Can your parents accept a daughter-in-law with a rural household registration?"
Guan Lixin: "Hey, isn't your thinking outdated? So what if you have a rural household registration? Workers and peasants are one family. Whether you have a rural or urban household registration, aren't you all contributing to society and the country? Why do you look down on rural household registration?"
Mingxi: ...
Is she looking down on rural household registration? She's just afraid that Mr. and Mrs. Guan will have a problem with rural household registration!
Guan Lixin: "My parents are much more enlightened than you. They would never look down on their future daughter-in-law for having a rural household registration."
Although his mother never said she wouldn't mind that her future daughter-in-law had a rural household registration, she did say that she would be overjoyed if he brought home a normal female daughter-in-law.
He figured that if he did that, his mother probably wouldn't mind that He Li had a rural household registration.
Although Mingxi was speechless, she felt much more at ease after hearing what Lixin had said.
After He Li finished introducing herself, it was Guan Lixin's turn. He tugged at his collar and earnestly promoted himself: "Mingxi, look at me. I'm a city resident, a serious person who takes life seriously, and I'm a doting husband. Do you remember when we were kids playing house, every time I was the husband, I was the one who cooked with pee and mud, and you never had to lift a finger? For that reason, when you introduce me to her, you'd better put in a good word for me."
“yue——”
Such fond memories.
Mingxi, her face ashen, made a pause gesture: "Fine, stop talking. I'll definitely put in a good word for you, but don't bring up those childhood games again."
Guan Lixin: "Okay, okay, I won't mention it, but don't forget to put in a good word for me. Let me tell you, if He Li and I really get together, I guarantee I'll give you a big red envelope!"
Out of consideration for Guan Lixin's generous red envelope, and mainly because she was fed up with him, Mingxi set off early the next morning for the western suburbs.
She endured a bumpy bus ride for most of the day before finally arriving at Xiaoxishan Production Brigade, where He Li lived. As she entered the village, it was just the time for the production team to finish work. Seeing her, a young woman they didn't recognize, entering the village, the women walking towards her couldn't help but cast curious glances at her.
The first woman, a round-faced older woman, asked, "Young lady, you don't look like you're from around here?"
Mingxi: "Yes, ma'am, I'm here to find someone. May I ask if Comrade He Li lives here?"
Hearing this, the round-faced woman was even more surprised: "You're looking for my daughter?"
Mingxi: !!!
Isn't that a coincidence? She ran into He Li's family as soon as she entered the village!
Mingxi quickly stepped forward: "Hello, ma'am, I'm Mingxi, the matchmaker who introduced He Li to potential partners. Things are looking good for He Li, and I've come to ask for her opinion."
Upon hearing the news, He's mother's face lit up with surprise and delight: "Ah, you must be Comrade Xiaoming! My wife He Li has told me about you. Come on, let's go home, let's go home and talk..."
She didn't even bother to greet the people around her, and enthusiastically grabbed Mingxi's hand as they walked home.
The team members behind him were left in surprise.
Was that young girl a matchmaker who introduced people to potential partners?
Are all the matchmakers in this city so young? Or is it that their rural hometown is outdated?
"Lili, look who's here!"
As Mother He led Mingxi into the house, she called out. Hearing the voice, He Li emerged from the kitchen on the west side: "Mom, who's here?"
"Oh, Mingxi!"
He Li saw Mingxi and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Mingxi: "There's been progress on the matchmaking. I have a guy here who's quite interested in you and wants me to arrange a meeting between you two. I came over to ask what you think."
He Li was somewhat surprised to hear this.
Since her failed attempt to meet Ge Heping, she has been at home for some time now. During this time, she hasn't heard anything from Mingxi, and she thought that the matchmaking attempt had also failed.
Mingxi: "Let me first introduce the man's conditions to you. If you are interested, then let's arrange a time to meet. If you are not interested, then I will go back and help you reject him."
He Li wiped her hands and pulled up a stool for both Mingxi and herself: "Okay, go ahead and say it."
Mingxi: "That guy's name is Guan Lixin. He's 21 this year and he's my neighbor in the same alley. He graduated from high school but couldn't find a job after graduation, so he's staying at home for the time being. His family is well-off. His father is a level 5 fitter at a steel rolling mill, and his mother is an accountant at a textile factory. Actually, his parents had thought about arranging a job for him, but he's the kind of person who likes to make things difficult and doesn't want to work in a factory in a routine way, so he's just staying at home."
"Well, besides being idle, he has occasionally set up a street stall with others a few times."
Although Mingxi and Guan Lixin were childhood friends, she didn't intend to hide it from He Li and told her the truth about Guan Lixin's situation.
Before He Li could speak, her mother, who had been eavesdropping nearby, exclaimed in alarm: "Setting up a street stall? Isn't that speculation and profiteering?!"
“No, no, Lili, this won’t do.” Mother He: “Speculation is a crime. What if he gets arrested by the police one day? You’ll be implicated.”
He Li pursed her lips and comforted her mother: "Mom, it's okay. The city is different from here. The atmosphere in the city is more open, and there are many street vendors. Even if you get caught, you will only have your goods confiscated and be fined. Unless you are reselling goods from other places at huge prices, you will not be arrested by the police."
He Li had observed the street vending situation during her last trip to the city, so she wasn't too opposed to Guan Lixin setting up a stall.
“That’s not appropriate either. If you ask me, it’s better to have a proper job and rely on your family for a living…” Mother He wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Mingxi was still there, so she didn’t feel comfortable speaking up.
Mingxi pretended not to see He's mother's look and took out Guan Lixin's photo from her bag.
"This is a photo of Comrade Guan. He specifically asked me to bring it to you."
Guan Lixin, sporting a short, side-parted hairstyle, is all smiles in the photo.
Guan Lixin, that show-off, went to the photo studio yesterday afternoon to have the photos taken, and had them rushed to be developed overnight. He then rushed to Mingxi's house early this morning and shoved the photos into her hands.
Guan Lixin's original words: "I saw Comrade He's photo in secret, so I have to let her see mine too, otherwise she'll be at a disadvantage. If you show the photo to Comrade He, maybe she'll fall in love with me at first sight, just like I did."
Mingxi had no choice but to give the photos to He Li.
He Li picked up the photo. The man in the photo didn't have the currently popular, righteous, and tough-guy look; his slightly raised eyebrows and high-flying smile made him seem somewhat slacker.
However, it doesn't look unpleasant.
Mingxi: "So, what do you think, do you want to...?"
He Li: "Yes, we can meet and see."
Mingxi laughed: "Okay, is this Sunday convenient for you?"
He Li: "It's convenient."
Mingxi: "Then let's meet at the state-run restaurant this Sunday? Come to my house first, and I'll take you there."
"OK."
After finishing her business, Mingxi declined He's mother's warm invitation to stay for dinner and hurriedly boarded the bus back to the city.
The first thing she did after getting off the bus was to go to Guan's house.
When Mingxi arrived at the Guan family home, she happened to run into Mr. and Mrs. Guan returning from get off work. Mrs. Guan said, "Oh, Mingxi, you're here. Are you looking for Lixin?"
Mingxi: "Hello Aunt Liu and Uncle Guan, I'm here to see Guan Lixin. The thing he asked me to introduce to someone is going well; the girl has agreed to meet him."
Guan's mother was overjoyed: "Really? Oh, that's wonderful!"
"Lixin, Guan Lixin, you brat! You brat, come out here right now, Mingxi has good news to tell you."
Guan's mother called out to the inner room and pulled Mingxi to sit down on the sofa: "Hey, Mingxi, why don't you tell Aunt Liu about that woman's qualifications? I asked Lixin before, but he wouldn't tell me. He just said that Comrade He is exceptionally outstanding and has excellent qualifications, and that he is not good enough for her. I feel really uneasy after hearing that."
Mingxi gritted her teeth.
This Guan Lixin is really something!
They didn't even tell their family about He Li's situation!
What kind of mess is this?!
Mingxi quickly explained He Li's situation, and Guan's mother was pleasantly surprised after hearing it.
She had no objection to He Li's rural household registration. Rural household registration was fine; her family was well-off and they didn't lack food for their future daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Even without a food ration book or quota, it didn't matter.
Moreover, Guan Lixin's family background isn't that great.
Although family members know their own situation, Guan Lixin earned quite a bit from his stall and brought a lot of money home. In fact, he earned much more than the elderly couple.
But outsiders don't know that, in their eyes, Guan Lixin is just a hutong hustler, a speculator who could end up in jail at any time.
Although He Li is a substitute teacher, a substitute teacher is still a teacher and has a government job!
In the eyes of Guan's mother, Guan Lixin's statement that he was not good enough for He Li was not an exaggeration.
Completely unaware that he was being disliked, Guan Lixin walked out of the house wearing a tank top and shorts. He rubbed his eyes and asked, "Mom, what's wrong? I just fell asleep and I heard you calling me."
Guan's mother slapped Guan Lixin on the back: "Sleep, sleep, all you do is sleep! Look who's here!"
"Who's here?" Guan Lixin opened his eyes: "Oh my god, Mingxi, you're here!"
He instantly snapped to attention: "Mingxi, come here. Is there any news from Comrade He?"
Guan Lixin rubbed his hands together, chuckled, and asked, "What did Comrade He say?"
Mingxi didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "He Li has agreed to meet you. The meeting is scheduled for this Sunday at noon, at the state-run restaurant near us."
"well!"
Guan Lixin jumped for joy, clapping his hands and saying, "Mingxi, I'll remember your kindness in introducing me. When I marry Comrade He, you'll sit at the head table. No, not just the head table, you can sit wherever you want. Even if you want to sit on the platform, I'll bring you a chair and take you up there."
Mingxi: "Then I'll pass, I don't have that kind of fetish."
Mingxi stood up: "I came here today to deliver this message. Now that the message has been sent, I should go back..."
Before she could finish speaking, Guan Lixin interrupted her, saying, "Wait a minute, Mingxi, don't leave yet."
Mingxi: "Hmm?"
Guan Lixin: "Can you stay and help me figure out what to wear on Sunday? Should I dress more fashionably or more conservatively? Hmm, wait a minute, can you take a look at my hair first? Is it a bit too long? Does it make me look listless? Should I cut it? Or should I just get a perm? I see that perms are popular in Hong Kong, maybe I should get one too?"
"You dare—"
Guan's mother: "If you dare to curl your hair, I'll break your legs!"
Guan Lixin: "Mom!"
Guan's mother glared at her: "Your hair is fine as it is now. Wash it before the meeting, make it clean and neat, that's much better! Why bother with all those fancy things?"
Guan Lixin: "Oh no, Mom, you don't understand."
He looked at Mingxi: "Come on, Mingxi, what do you think looks good?"
Mingxi decisively stood on the same side as Guan's mother: "I'm just like Aunt Liu, you're perfect as you are."
Guan Lixin scratched his head: "Really?"
Seeing his hesitant expression, Mingxi felt uneasy. She was really afraid that Guan Lixin would secretly get his hair permed.
She was certain that He Li would never want her blind date to have the same hairstyle as Zhuangzhuang's mother.
Fortunately, when Mingxi led Heli to the state-run restaurant on Sunday, Guan Lixin still had his hair neatly styled.
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with a smile: "Come, let me introduce you two. This is Comrade Guan Lixin, and this is Comrade He Li."
She smiled and said, "Actually, you two have both seen each other's photos, so you should be able to recognize each other. I'm just going through the motions."
Guan Lixin stared intently at He Li, and didn't react for a long time after Mingxi finished speaking.
Mingxi: Seriously, bro? You're letting me down here?
She swung her arm behind her back and gave Guan Lixin a hard elbow: "Say something! Say hello! What are you spacing out for!"
Guan Lixin then realized what was happening and quickly reached out his hand: "Hello, Comrade He. I'm sorry, you're even more handsome in person than in the photos. I didn't realize it for a moment."
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Author's Note: Everyone is so amazing! Almost all the comments guessed correctly [starry eyes] That's right, it's about introducing Guan Lixin to Lili.
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