Chapter 24 Buying a Washing Machine: Mingxi swung her legs...
Mingxi swung her legs so fast they seemed to spark, and dragging Sun Xiuzhen along, they quickly ran out of the restaurant.
Once outside, Sun Xiuzhen was too exhausted to run anymore. She held her knees and gasped for breath, saying, "No, no, I can't run anymore. Xiaoming, let me rest."
Mingxi scratched her head, thinking of giving the two young people some space to be alone, forgetting that Sun Xiuzhen was not young and had difficulty walking.
She chuckled twice and said, "Hehe, take a break, you should take a break."
Sun Xiuzhen was panting heavily as she looked back into the restaurant. Although she couldn't see anything inside through the revolving door, she still couldn't help but look back.
"Xiaoming, do you think Pingping and Xiaowu can get together?"
Mingxi didn't answer Sun Xiuzhen's question. Instead, she asked, "The two of them seem to be having a good chat. Is there anything you're worried about?"
Sun Xiuzhen pursed her lips: "How can I possibly put my mind at ease!"
Raising a child means worrying for ninety-nine years of your life, let alone something as important as finding a partner and getting married.
Although she saw Huang Pingping and Wu Zhensheng chatting quite well just now, no one can predict matters of the heart.
What if two people get along well but don't actually like each other?
Even if the two of them hit it off, she still couldn't rest easy about it.
Sun Xiuzhen: "Hey, Xiaoming, tell me more about Wu Zhensheng's family situation. Are his parents easy to get along with? And what are his two previous wives like?"
As the matchmaker, Mingxi had indeed inquired about the Wu family's situation. When Sun Xiuzhen asked, she honestly replied, "Wu Zhensheng's parents aren't difficult to get along with. I've heard from them before that everyone in the factory and the neighborhood says they're honest people who don't like to argue with outsiders. However, they're very traditional and hold old-fashioned views. They believe the eldest son is the pillar of the family, so they only value Wu the eldest. Besides Wu the eldest, the youngest son, the fifth child, receives some attention. The other children aren't as well-regarded by the elderly couple."
Mingxi smiled wryly: "I'm not afraid for you to know, Wu Zhensheng came to my door himself and asked my mother to introduce him to a potential partner."
Sun Xiuzhen understood immediately upon hearing this.
The elderly couple in the Wu family didn't just not care about Wu Zhensheng; they didn't care about him at all.
Any parent who cares about their child will worry about their child's marriage, and it wouldn't be Wu Zhensheng's turn to find a matchmaker to introduce a potential partner.
Other families might immediately think this is inappropriate. If they don't care about their own sons, then they can't expect their daughters to receive much help from their in-laws after they marry in.
But Sun Xiuzhen didn't think so.
It's good that my in-laws don't interfere!
Anyway, she's their only daughter. Her in-laws don't care about her, so she and her husband take care of her!
As long as the parents-in-law aren't the type to meddle in the two children's family life every day and like to stir up trouble, it's fine.
Mingxi: "As for Wu Zhensheng's two sisters-in-law, I haven't heard anything special about them. I just heard that they are both quite capable. His elder sister-in-law doesn't have a job, but she often goes to the street office to get work, and she is the fastest worker in their street."
Nowadays, every subdistrict office sets up a small factory. They're not really factories; they just take on manual labor from nearby large factories, like sewing rags or stringing beads, and give it to unemployed residents in the subdistrict. They're paid per piece, and the cheapest ones might only cost a few cents.
But don't underestimate this job. If you're good at it, you can earn more than ten yuan a month, which is enough for a family of three to cover their food expenses.
Mingxi: "As for the second son's wife, I haven't heard much about her. She and Wu Lao Er got married this year. I heard that she and Wu Lao Er were high school classmates. After graduation, she went to work in a cotton mill. She's quite capable."
She concluded, "Anyway, neither of the two daughters-in-law in the Wu family are difficult to get along with. When I inquired, I didn't hear that they had ever argued with anyone."
As long as they're not difficult to get along with.
Hearing this, Sun Xiuzhen felt much more at ease.
Considering his family background, Wu Zhensheng is a good young man. Although his family is not well-off, they are not a burden. At least they are reasonable people. Most importantly, he is ambitious and has a clear mind.
Sun Xiuzhen wasn't afraid that Huang Pingping would marry someone from a poor family; she was afraid that Huang Pingping would marry someone from a poor family who was not clear-headed, who was struggling to make ends meet himself, and who was already thinking about helping other members of his family.
There was a family like that in their apartment building. The husband earned seventy yuan a month, but he had to give sixty-five yuan to his family, saying it was for his younger siblings' tuition, his parents' retirement, and to support his married sister and his brother who was about to get married. His family was doing well; she heard they even had the money to rebuild their house this year. But his wife and daughter were emaciated and pale from hunger. She always felt sorry for them when she saw them in the hallway.
Sun Xiuzhen had a lot of random thoughts on her mind, and her eyes couldn't help but dart into the restaurant. Mingxi stepped forward and took her arm.
"Aunt Sun, stop looking. If you keep looking, Pingping and Wu Zhensheng will come out soon."
She pulled Sun Xiuzhen along, saying, "Let's go first and let the two of them be alone. If there are any problems, you can ask Pingping when she gets home tonight."
Sun Xiuzhen thought it made sense, so she followed Mingxi away.
Mingxi led Sun Xiuzhen toward the department store.
She wasn't lying to Huang Pingping; she genuinely had heard that the department store had received a new batch of goods that day and was planning to go check it out.
Mingxi and Sun Xiuzhen stepped into the department store together. It happened to be the store where Sun Xiuzhen worked. As soon as they entered, Sun Xiuzhen's colleagues came to greet them.
"Hey, Lao Sun, didn't you take the day off to go with your daughter to find a husband? Why are you here again?"
Sun Xiuzhen: "Sigh, it's just young people looking at each other. I, as an elder, won't join in the fun. Let the young people spend their time alone."
Upon hearing this, the person on the other end knew that Huang Pingping's matchmaking process must have gone quite smoothly, so they smiled and said, "Oh, so your daughter's wedding is just around the corner?"
Sun Xiuzhen said modestly, "That's not necessarily true. I don't understand the affairs of young people."
Amidst the teasing from across the room, she noticed Mingxi standing next to Sun Xiuzhen and asked curiously, "Hey, Xiuzhen, who's this...?"
Everyone knows that Huang Pingping is the only daughter in Sun Xiuzhen's family. So when she suddenly brought a strange girl over today, she was a little confused.
I couldn't help but wonder, could this be a relative of Sun Xiuzhen?
Sun Xiuzhen patted her forehead: "Oh right, I haven't introduced you yet. This is the matchmaker who introduced my daughter to him, Comrade Ming Ximing."
The person opposite her was taken aback for a moment, then looked Mingxi up and down with a strange expression, as if they had discovered a new continent.
Mingxi was used to it; this was the first thing people thought when they heard she was a matchmaker.
She held her head high, letting the person opposite her stare at her without any hesitation, which made the person opposite her feel embarrassed.
No matter how curious the man was about why a young girl like Mingxi was a matchmaker, he turned his gaze away.
Although Mingxi didn't say anything, Sun Xiuzhen was afraid that the curious gaze from the other side would offend Mingxi, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem, by the way, Xiaoming, what did you want to buy today? Let me help you find it?"
Mingxi: "Oh, I'd like to see the washing machine."
She mentioned wanting to buy a washing machine last time, but she'd been too busy to come and look at them. She just happened to be here today, so she thought she'd take a look.
“Washing machine…” Sun Xiuzhen didn’t think much of it. She just thought that Mingxi and Zhao Sulan had discussed buying a big item. She had no idea that Mingxi had never mentioned this to Zhao Sulan at all.
Sun Xiuzhen: "We do have washing machines here, but Xiaoming, do you have a ticket?"
Mingxi was taken aback.
Oh no, she forgot that the 1980s were the era of ration coupons, and you needed coupons to buy a washing machine.
Sun Xiuzhen whispered, "You don't have a ticket?"
Mingxi nodded.
"It'll be difficult to do without a ticket," Sun Xiuzhen muttered. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her eyes lit up, and she said, "We have a defective one in our shop, do you want it?"
She explained, "Although it's a defective product, it still functions perfectly. It can wash and spin-dry clothes normally. It's just that it wasn't protected well during transportation, and a large piece of paint was scratched off, so it doesn't look good."
Sun Xiuzhen: "If you want, I can take you to see the back warehouse."
Mingxi nodded immediately; she wanted to go and take a look.
Seeing Mingxi nod, Sun Xiuzhen greeted her colleague, took the key from her, and led Mingxi to the back warehouse.
Mingxi arrived at the warehouse and soon saw the washing machine that Sun Xiuzhen had mentioned. It was an old-fashioned twin-tub washing machine of the Baiju brand, which Mingxi found quite familiar.
The orphanage where Mingxi lived in her previous life used a washing machine just like this one. It was older than Mingxi, but it was still in use until Mingxi went to university and left the orphanage. Its quality was extremely reliable.
Mingxi went up to check and found that, just as Sun Xiuzhen had said, all the functions were intact, except for a scratch on the paint. Moreover, the scratch was on the front, right in the middle, a very conspicuous spot that could be seen at a glance.
Perhaps that's why this washing machine isn't selling.
Mingxi didn't care whether the paint chipped or not, as long as it worked normally.
She just wanted to free her hands as soon as possible.
Mingxi: "Aunt Sun, how much does this washing machine cost?"
Sun Xiuzhen: "I don't need the 370 yuan ticket."
Mingxi: "Okay, Aunt Sun, please give me the receipt."
She happened to have money on her, so she bought it immediately, thinking that the sooner she bought it, the sooner she could install it and enjoy it.
A hint of surprise flashed in Sun Xiuzhen's eyes, but she quickly nodded: "Okay, I'll find someone to issue you a receipt."
Mingxi followed Sun Xiuzhen out of the warehouse and leaned against the counter near the door, waiting for Sun Xiuzhen's colleague to issue her an invoice. Just then, a familiar voice came from inside.
"You little brat, you're running away from home again! Are you just trying to annoy me? I've been looking for you all morning, and here you are, having a good time!"
Mingxi looked up and saw Ding Yumei pulling Wei Ning's ear and nagging him not far away.
Mingxi: ...
Does this scene look familiar?
She felt like she had seen it just recently.
As luck would have it, Wei Ning's gaze also turned over at that moment, and the two people's eyes met.
Mingxi blinked, and saw Wei Ning's fair face instantly flush red.
Mingxi: Wow.
This person can change their expression.
A note from the author:
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Here's a preview of the upcoming story. Those who are interested can check it out and bookmark it!
"The Daily Life of a 90s Girl Gossiping"
Yu Zhen was unexpectedly bound to a gossip-eating system.
Everywhere she looked, everyone's secrets were revealed to her by the system.
[Teacher: I'm having hemorrhoid surgery tomorrow, and I'm feeling anxious.]
[My roommate has a crush on the top student from the next class, and she gets nervous when she sees him.]
[My childhood friend: I stole some of Yu Zhen's instant noodles, hopefully I won't get caught?]
It doesn't mean that she truly understood the origin of the system, and that's how she learned that her mother was hospitalized and unconscious.
To earn money for her mother's medical treatment and to catch the culprit who caused her mother's hospitalization, Mingxi drives a red Xiali taxi, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift, taking over as one of the many female taxi drivers shuttling between the northern part of the city.
The unreliable gossip system became Yu Zhen's best assistant.
[Backseat passenger, destination Jinhai Hotel, objective: to catch someone cheating.]
[The passenger in the front seat is heading to the proctology department of a hospital. The objective is to remove a foreign object that was accidentally inserted into their body.]
[Visitor ahead! Car thief! Please be careful, host...]
Yu Zhen was eating melon seeds and making money at the same time, until a handsome man who spoke broken Mandarin got into her car.
The system's barrage of comments exploded.
[Passenger Shen Yu's father is connected to the case of the host's mother.]
Passenger Shen Yu found the host to be quite special.
Passenger Shen Yu likes host Yu Zhen.
Yu Zhen: "..."
What's going on?
She just wanted to follow the drama and find out who the killer was, she didn't intend to bring a man home!
Reading Guide:
A dashing wild rose from the north vs. a refined young master from the port city
The main plot revolves around catching a criminal, while the side stories involve gossiping and lighthearted humor.
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