Chapter 137 They've made up? It was right around the time people were leaving work...
It was rush hour, and the courtyard was bustling with activity, but inside the Ming family's house, it was quiet. Wei Ning could clearly hear Aunt He chatting with someone outside.
He sat on the sofa, his long legs slightly bent, curled up in an awkward position.
"Xiao Wei, don't be nervous. We're old neighbors in the same alley. You practically grew up under my nose. In my heart, you're like my own child." Zhao Sulan walked over with a tea tray.
The glass contains freshly brewed jasmine tea; the tea leaves haven't settled yet and are floating on top of the glass.
"I also consider Aunt Zhao as my own mother."
Wei Ning smiled and replied, then quickly stood up, snatched the tea tray from Zhao Sulan's hand, and placed it on the coffee table beside her.
Zhao Sulan was delighted by Wei Ning's sweet talk and patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "No wonder your mother likes you the most. With such a sweet tongue, who wouldn't like you?"
Wei Ning gave a shy smile at the opportune moment.
He likes Mingxi and wants to pursue her, so Zhao Sulan is a crucial hurdle. Given the relationship between Mingxi and Zhao Sulan, if Zhao Sulan has even the slightest dissatisfaction with him, Mingxi will never agree to their relationship.
Making a good impression on Zhao Sulan is the top priority right now.
Fortunately, Zhao Sulan seemed to have a good impression of him.
Zhao Sulan: "Xiao Wei, you're twenty... twenty-one this year, right?"
Wei Ning nodded: "Yes, I was born in 1959. I haven't had my birthday yet, but I'm already twenty-one."
Wei Ning's birthday is in December according to the Gregorian calendar. Although he hasn't celebrated his birthday yet, he is already twenty-one years old.
Zhao Sulan: "Oh, right, your birthday is early, right? Then you're different from my Mingxi. My Mingxi's birthday is early, in February. But my Mingxi was born in 1960."
Mingxi's birthday is on the eighth day of the first lunar month, which is a big birthday whether you count it according to the Gregorian calendar or the lunar calendar.
Wei Ning laughed: "Then I'm the one who benefits."
Zhao Sulan chuckled: "That's true."
Wei Ning was born in December of 1959, and Ming Xi was born in February of 1960. All told, Wei Ning was only three months older than Ming Xi, but in fact, Wei Ning was one year older than Ming Xi.
Isn't that taking advantage of the situation?
Zhao Sulan: "You'll be twenty-two next year, the age to get a marriage certificate. Have you thought about getting married?"
Actually, if it were a year earlier, Wei Ning would already be of legal marriage age. But recently the regulations were changed, pushing the legal marriage age back two years. It was changed from men being 20 years old and women being 18 years old to men being no earlier than 22 years old and women being no earlier than 20 years old to get married.
Although Zhao Sulan was in the matchmaking business, she also thought that the change in the legal marriage age was a good thing.
Despite the previous legal requirement that women must be at least 18 years old to obtain a marriage certificate, many families with limited means still arranged marriages for their daughters much earlier. Zhao Sulan personally witnessed a 15 or 16-year-old girl being pushed by her family to be a matchmaker. Zhao Sulan kept saying it was a terrible thing. The girl was very thin, and although her family said she was 15 or 16, Zhao Sulan thought she looked only 13 or 14. Her body hadn't fully developed yet; she looked like a child, and her voice hadn't even changed yet, still a childish voice.
She said at the time that the girl looked too young and was not of marriageable age, so she could not introduce her to a potential partner, but the girl's family insisted on their position.
They said, "My daughter isn't old enough yet, but if she finds a suitable partner, gets to know him for a while, and goes through the engagement process, almost a year will have passed. After the engagement, let the two of them get to know each other better, and when they're ready to get married, they'll be of marriageable age."
To put it bluntly, it's because their family isn't well-off, they don't care about their daughter, and they think she's destined to marry into another family and be an outsider. So they don't want to spend money to support her, and they're so stingy that they don't even want to give her a bite to eat. They want to find her a partner as soon as possible, send her away, or get a dowry to recoup their losses.
This is happening even in the city; imagine what it must be like in some remote and backward rural areas.
Even if some people still take the risk of finding a husband for their daughters early by raising the legal marriage age by two years, at least it will be possible to wait until the girl reaches adulthood.
Of course, this situation is unavoidable in some remote mountainous areas with poor transportation, but at least most girls' lives can be significantly changed by these two years.
Zhao Sulan was lost in thought for a moment, but she only came back to her senses when she heard Wei Ning's voice.
Wei Ning: "My parents have talked to me about marriage, but I haven't thought about it too much yet. I'm not in a hurry, or rather, I want to let things happen naturally. I just want to marry a woman I like and start a family. If she's willing, then I'm naturally willing. If she's not willing, then I'll wait for her."
Both Wei Ning and Zhao Sulan knew who the "female comrade Wei Ning liked" was, but neither of them revealed it.
Zhao Sulan: "Hmm, it's good that you think that way. What about the woman you like? Have you asked her about her thoughts on marriage?"
Wei Ning glanced at Zhao Sulan, touched his nose, and said, "Not yet. We're not dating yet. I'm currently pursuing her. Only after I've won her over will I have the chance to ask about marriage."
Zhao Sulan took a sip of tea, smiled, and patted Wei Ning on the shoulder: "Then you'd better work hard. You never know what a girl is thinking."
Wei Ning hummed in agreement. He wasn't sure what Zhao Sulan meant, but judging from her demeanor, she seemed to have no objection to his pursuit of Mingxi. No objection, but also no intention of offering help.
Wei Ning breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't force Zhao Sulan to support him, as long as she didn't object.
With a huge weight lifted from Wei Ning's heart, he relaxed considerably and spoke less nervously than before. He even brought up family matters to amuse Zhao Sulan.
He has a silver tongue and is very eloquent; he can make even the smallest things sound vivid and funny, which makes Zhao Sulan laugh out loud.
Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation, Mingxi returned. As soon as she opened the door, she heard Zhao Sulan's laughter. Curious, she peeked out and saw Wei Ning sitting on her sofa.
Wait, why is this person still here?
Mingxi glanced at the teacup on the coffee table and thought to herself, "All she asked this person to do was deliver a message, and he actually sat down and started drinking tea?"
Mingxi entered the room and asked curiously, "Mom, what were you talking about with Weining? You seemed so happy."
Zhao Sulan: "Hey, he didn't say anything. Xiao Wei was just chatting with me casually."
Mingxi thought to herself, "Could these two be talking about some secret they don't want to tell me?"
Zhao Sulan stood up: "Well, daughter, come chat with Xiao Wei, I'm going to the kitchen to cook."
"Huh?" Mingxi looked puzzled. She was chatting with Wei Ning?
What should we talk about?
Before Mingxi could voice her question, Zhao Sulan slipped into the kitchen. Mingxi scratched her head, sat down, and looked at the other person sitting on the sofa, asking in confusion, "Why are you chatting with my mom?"
Wei Ning said innocently, "I delivered the message and was about to turn around and leave, but Aunt Zhao insisted on pulling me in and making me sit down."
Okay.
After a moment's thought, Mingxi understood Zhao Sulan's idea.
Her mother had originally wanted to bring the two of them together, and now that Wei Ning had come, it was just the right time.
Mingxi waved her hand: "Alright, alright, I'm back now, you can go."
Wei Ning gave her a mournful look.
Use it and then throw it away.
Mingxi felt a chill run down her spine from the way Wei Ning looked at her as a heartless man.
She glared at me with dead fish eyes: "What, you want to stay and freeload?"
No, not at all.
Wei Ning stood up: "Then I'll head back first."
"Mmm." Mingxi nodded, then tilted her head as she looked at Wei Ning, who hadn't moved yet.
Didn't you say you were leaving? Why aren't you moving? Are you waiting for her to see you off?
Mingxi tentatively stood up: "Shall I see you out?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Ning revealed a bright smile.
Mingxi: to obtain.
This person really was waiting for her to deliver it.
She said helplessly, "Fine, let's go, I'll take you."
Mingxi saw Wei Ning off at the door, through the archway, to the front gate of the courtyard, stopped, and waved to Wei Ning: "Alright, we're at the gate, you can go now."
Wei Ning: "Okay, then I..."
Mingxi and Weining were halfway through their conversation when they saw Dong Chunling walking past the door, tossing her hair and looking smug.
Mingxi's attention was instantly drawn to Dong Chunling.
"What is she showing off about?"
Wasn't Dong Chunling recently giving everyone the cold shoulder because of her breakup with Hu Mingyi?
Why are you showing off again now?
Not only did Guangxi notice Dong Chunling's smugness, but everyone else in the alley also noticed that Dong Chunling was unusually smug today, and some people couldn't help but ask her out of curiosity.
"Dong Chunling, what good thing happened to you? Judging from your expression, did you find some money on the street?"
Dong Chunling pouted: "You make it sound so easy. Where would I get so much money to pick up? Why don't you throw a few dollars on the ground and let me pick them up?"
The person who first asked Dong Chunling a question curled their lip. She didn't say anything. Why was Dong Chunling so impulsive?
"You didn't find any money, so why are you in such a good mood? Weren't you feeling down about your breakup this morning?"
Dong Chunling's face darkened further: "What nonsense are you talking about? Who's heartbroken? When have I ever been heartbroken?"
"Huh? Didn't Wang Chuncao ruin your relationship? Didn't you break up with your boyfriend?"
Dong Chunling: "Don't talk nonsense. My boyfriend didn't break up with me. He was just provoked by Wang Chuncao to be sulking with me. I've already made up with him and we're back together now."
The person opposite Dong Chunling stared wide-eyed, and Mingxi also looked at Dong Chunling in surprise.
No way, Dong Chunling actually made up with Hu Mingyi?
hiss--
What is Hu Mingyi trying to achieve?
Knowing that Dong Chunling was looking for him to spite Yan Zhiwen, he was still willing to date Dong Chunling.
I didn't realize he loved it so much.
The person opposite was even more shocked. She looked Dong Chunling up and down for a while, thinking to herself: Could it be that Dong Chunling has some unknown charm? Otherwise, why would Hu Mingyi not care about Dong Chunling's bad deeds, such as being divorced, dating a swindler, and dating him only to spite her ex-husband?
But no matter how I looked at it, I couldn't figure it out.
No matter how Dong Chunling looks at it, she's just an ordinary person.
Feeling the scrutinizing gaze, Dong Chunling tossed her head triumphantly.
snort.
Don't think she doesn't know what the people in the alley are thinking. Don't they just think that she finally managed to hook up with Hu Mingyi, and now Wang Chuncao has ruined it, so she probably has no chance of turning things around?
She, Dong Chunling, would never let these people laugh at her!
Others thought she and Hu Mingyi had broken up and could never be together again, but she insisted on getting back together with Hu Mingyi!
Dong Chunling was very smug, but she didn't realize that the person opposite her was looking at her with increasing suspicion.
"You're not making this up, are you? Hu Mingyi really made up with you?"
Dong Chunling sensed the doubt in the other person's words and immediately jumped up: "Of course it's true! Why would I lie about something like this? You can't just not find a good partner yourself, so you can't stand me finding one, right? I'm prettier than you, and my family is better off than yours. People can still choose me and not you. There's no use in being jealous! Someone like you will never get married in your life and will only be an unpopular old maid at home!"
Dong Chunling has a sharp tongue; she can easily launch personal attacks against her opponent.
The other person wasn't one to be trifled with either, and immediately retorted, "Who's jealous of you? What do you have that's worth my jealousy? Am I jealous that you're divorced, or that you're dating a conman? Even if my circumstances aren't great, I'm still not married, and I'm looking for someone who's getting married for the first time, unlike you, who can only find someone who's been married twice!"
Dong Chunling: "What's wrong with finding a divorced man? Even if a divorced man has the means, you're still not good enough for him. You want to marry a divorced man like that? He wouldn't even look at you!"
"I don't care!"
"They don't even like you!"
"Hey, Dong Chunling, do you want a beating? Want to hit me?"
"Go ahead and attack, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
If it were Mingxi on the other side, Dong Chunling might be scared, but since the person on the other side wasn't Mingxi, she wasn't afraid at all. She rolled up her sleeves as soon as she was told to make a move, looking ready to strike.
Are we going to fight?
Hey, this is interesting, isn't it?
Mingxi stood at her doorstep, arms crossed, watching the excitement with an excited expression.
She completely ignored Wei Ning, who was standing next to her.
Wei Ning: ...
However, he didn't leave. Instead, he chose to stand next to Mingxi and watch the excitement with her.
Dong Chunling and the girl with two braids across from her rolled up their sleeves and glared at each other, looking like they were about to fight. Aunt Ma walked in from the alley entrance, saw the two of them and her face immediately darkened.
"Dong Chunling, Huang Li, what are you doing? Are you going to fight? What's going on today?"
She looked at Dong Chunling and said, "Dong Chunling, you got into a fight in the alley a few days ago, and you're thinking of starting another one today? Can't you just behave yourself and not cause trouble?"
Dong Chunling felt extremely wronged: "Why are you blaming me again? This time it's not my fault, she started it!"
She pointed at the girl with two long braids across from her and said, "She was the one who accused me of lying first, saying that my reconciliation with my boyfriend was a fabrication. If you don't believe me, ask Mingxi; she was watching the whole time!"
Dong Chunling was good at diverting trouble, and she immediately dragged Mingxi, who was watching from the sidelines, into the fray.
The girl with two braids across the street also saw Mingxi, her eyes lighting up instantly. She tugged at Aunt Ma and said, "Yes, Aunt Ma, you can ask Mingxi. Mingxi heard everything. I didn't say that. I do suspect that Dong Chunling is making things up, but my meaning is different from Dong Chunling's. I just said it casually. She got angry first and accused me. If you don't believe me, ask Mingxi."
Both sides said to let Mingxi make the decision, so Aunt Ma could only look to Mingxi.
To be honest, when Aunt Ma saw Mingxi there, she couldn't help but want to say, "Why is it you again?"
Mingxi was watching the fight between Dong Chunling and Wang Chuncao last time, and she was there again this time.
Fortunately, Mingxi was there, so there was someone to ask about the situation.
Aunt Ma asked, "Xiao Ming, tell me, what just happened?"
"OK."
Just say it.
Mingxi was just watching the show, not taking sides, and objectively repeated the conversation between Dong Chunling and the other person. After listening, Aunt Ma understood what was going on.
The girl was wrong; what she said was inappropriate. But Dong Chunling didn't tell the truth either.
Rather than saying that the girl was the one causing trouble, it was actually Dong Chunling's foul mouth that was to blame.
If she hadn't made the first personal attack, none of this would have happened.
Aunt Ma turned her head and said, "Okay, I understand what happened. Don't say the other party is wrong; you two are both at fault."
She said, "Huang Li, you shouldn't suspect Dong Chunling of lying. Whether Dong Chunling and her boyfriend have gotten back together or not is Dong Chunling's business. Your suspicion makes it seem like you're hoping for things to go wrong between them."
The girl with two braids nodded obediently when she heard what Aunt Ma said.
She now realizes that what she said back then was indeed inappropriate, and Aunt Ma said she was wrong, which she accepts.
Aunt Ma: "As for you, Dong Chunling, your mistake was in making personal attacks on Huang Li. Huang Li may have had some issues with what she said, but couldn't you have just spoken properly? You came up to her and started talking about her family's circumstances, poking at her sore spot, telling a young woman that she would never get married in her life. Do you think that was appropriate?"
Dong Chunling pouted unhappily.
"That's because she brought it up first..."
Aunt Ma: "Alright, then Huang Li, you apologize to Dong Chunling first, and then Dong Chunling, you apologize to Huang Li. Once you two have apologized to each other, this matter will be over."
Huang Li was quick and decisive. As soon as Aunt Ma finished speaking, she called out to Dong Chunling, "I'm sorry!"
Dong Chunling felt awkward and didn't want to apologize to Huang Li, but last time she had been scolded by her father for disobeying Aunt Ma and not giving her face when she went home.
Her father said he had long since given up on her, but he let her stay at home because she was his own daughter and he knew she had nowhere else to go. However, if she continued to be unreasonable and caused trouble everywhere, offending everyone in the alley, then she should just move out and rent a place.
Dong Chunling was reluctant to give up her home. She lived there, ate and drank there, and her mother felt sorry for her and didn't want her to have any living expenses. In other words, she didn't have to spend a penny on food, drink, or lodging.
If you move out, you'll never find such a good deal again.
She'll have to pay for rent and food; her monthly salary won't be enough to cover it all!
Dong Chunling didn't want to be kicked out, so she had to listen to her father and not offend anyone in the alley.
Hearing what Aunt Ma said, even if she was unwilling, she could only lower her head and obediently apologize to Huang Li.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you. But to be honest, you should really dress up a bit. You're not as good-looking as me, and you still don't know how to take care of yourself. No wonder you're in your mid-twenties and still can't find a boyfriend. If you take care of yourself, I might be kind enough to introduce you to someone. Don't worry, although you're not as good-looking as me, I certainly can't introduce you to someone as good as my boyfriend, but someone a little less attractive might still be okay with you."
Mingxi shook her head.
You have to admit Dong Chunling has a sharp tongue.
Just apologize properly and say you're sorry.
She insisted on rambling on and on, saying nothing that was pleasing to the eye.
Sure enough, Huang Li, who was sitting opposite Dong Chunling, got so angry when she heard what Dong Chunling said that her nose almost twisted out of shape.
Aunt Ma demanded an apology, and she sincerely apologized to Dong Chunling. But what about Dong Chunling?
Dong Chunling claimed to be apologizing to herself, but she also mocked her appearance and used the pretext of introducing her to potential partners to belittle her, almost dragging her down to the bottom!
Huang Li felt wronged and angry. She tugged at Aunt Ma's arm and pointed at Dong Chunling, grumbling.
She was so angry that she couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
Aunt Ma frowned, also feeling that Dong Chunling's words were inappropriate.
"Dong Chunling, what do you mean by that?"
Dong Chunling looked completely innocent: "Aunt Ma, I didn't mean anything by it?"
She didn't really think she was belittling the oriole, because that's what she truly felt.
She still didn't understand why the oriole and Aunt Ma were angry when they heard this.
Grandma Ma was utterly helpless. Dong Chunling was like a piece of meat that couldn't be cut, cooked, or chewed up; she was shameless and brazen. If you really angered her and she started acting like a rogue, there was nothing anyone could do.
Aunt Ma could only turn to comfort Huang Li: "Don't be angry. You know Dong Chunling. Don't believe a word she says. I think you're a good person. You're good-looking and capable. If you want to find a partner, you'll find one sooner or later."
Dong Chunling: "Hey, no need to worry about it sooner or later, I'll introduce you to someone. I can arrange it for you right away. I know a guy named Gao Jianliang, he's twenty-eight or twenty-nine this year, his family is quite well-off, and his relatives all say he's a person of status. As for his age, although he's a few years older than you, he's older and more caring, and you're not young anymore, so you should be secretly happy that he's interested in you."
"Come on, if you're really that satisfied, why don't you date him?" Mingxi couldn't help but chime in.
Previously, no matter how much Dong Chunling and Huang Li talked, it was just a verbal battle between them, and Mingxi was too lazy to get involved.
But upon hearing the name Gao Jianliang, Mingxi couldn't sit still.
If Dong Chunling were to introduce someone else, it would be fine if Mingxi didn't know them.
But it just so happens to be Gao Jianliang. She knows him, and not only does she know him, she's even beaten him up.
Gao Jianliang is the nephew of Gao Yongfen, a colleague at her workplace. He is a good-for-nothing, unemployed, and at almost thirty years old, he is still idle and does nothing of substance.
Forget about all of that.
Most importantly, Gao Jianliang had his eye on Lin Xi, a girl from Lin Hai, and even after Lin Xi explicitly rejected him, he still waited for her at the entrance of her workplace.
Mingxi was the one who beat up Gao Jianliang that time.
Although Gao Jianliang didn't accomplish anything because of Mingxi's appearance, his act of blocking people shows that he had ulterior motives and was not a decent person.
A person like that is a living hell.
Although Mingxi didn't know how Dong Chunling knew Gao Jianliang, she wanted to push Huangli into such a pit of fire.
Don't even think about it!
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