Chapter 140: She didn't like Huang Li's conversation with Wang Tianyang...
Huang Li and Wang Tianyang were having a good chat, and the Wang family was delighted, thinking that this time it would definitely work out. Aunt Zhang was overjoyed and happily told Uncle Wang to order two more dishes for lunch. It was rare to see her usually quiet son chatting so happily with a girl!
After a pleasant lunch at the Wang family's house, Mingxi, Huangli, and Huang's mother got up to say goodbye. When they left, Wang Tianyang and Wang's eldest sister saw the three of them off at the door.
When they reached the gate, Mingxi waved her hand and said, "Okay, that's enough for now, we're leaving."
Wang Tianyang: "That..."
Mingxi: "Hmm? What's wrong?"
She looked at Wang Tianyang and asked curiously.
Wang Tianyang glanced at Huang Li and her mother, who had already walked some distance away, then turned to Mingxi and said, "Could you ask Comrade Huang Li what her impression of me is?"
Mingxi smiled to herself, thinking that it was obvious. The two of them had been chatting so happily just now, Huangli must have a good impression of Wang Tianyang.
But I can understand it.
Judging from Wang Tianyang's expression, you can tell he definitely has feelings for Huang Li.
It's understandable that a young man might feel nervous when he first develops feelings for a woman.
Mingxi smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll ask Comrade Huang when I get back."
Wang Tianyang: "Thank you."
"Hey, what's the big deal?" Mingxi waved her hand, turned and left to chase after the oriole and her daughter who had already walked away.
On the way back with Huang Li, Ming Xi inquired, "Huang Li, what did you think of today's matchmaking? Was Wang Tianyang alright? Did you like him?"
Mingxi didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
Huang Li paused for a moment, then said, "Wang Tianyang is a good person, and the Wang family is also nice. They are all very warm and easy to get along with. It's just that I feel that Wang Tianyang and I are not a good match."
Mingxi was taken aback; this answer was unexpected.
She scratched her head, puzzled, and asked, "What aspect do you think is inappropriate? I thought you two had a good conversation just now, and Comrade Wang had a good impression of you too."
Huang Li pursed her lips: "I think Wang Tianyang talks too little and is too quiet."
She spoke frankly: "Although you told me before we came that Wang Tianyang wasn't very talkative, I didn't expect him to be this quiet. I talked for ages before he finally managed to say something. You see, we were having a good chat just now, but it was all me trying to make conversation with him."
Huang Li had clearly thought it over seriously. She said, "I know the Wang family is well-off, and Wang Tianyang is a good person. It's not a big problem that he doesn't talk much. But it's really tiring to perform a monologue all by myself. I feel tired just talking to him for a short while, let alone having to do this every day in the future."
"Okay, I understand your thinking."
Mingxi thought about it and could understand Huangli's thoughts. It wouldn't work if one of them was always performing a monologue when they were together.
Mingxi patted Huangli on the shoulder: "It's okay, if this one doesn't work out, there's always another one. I'll go back and pick some more, see if there are any other suitable young men. As for Wang Tianyang, I'll reject him another day."
Huang Li nodded: "Okay."
Huang's mother, who had been listening intently to Huang Li and Ming Xi's conversation, interjected, "It's good that you didn't like him. I don't think Wang Tianyang is anything special. If you really liked him, I would be worried."
Mingxi looked at Huang's mother, not understanding why she said that.
Huang's mother: "I was thinking of saying this at the Wang family's house, but I felt it wasn't appropriate, so I kept it to myself. The Wang family has a bad family atmosphere. Look at the three men in the Wang family, not one of them has any backbone. Wang Tianyang's father is like that, and Wang Tianyang and his brother are like that too. Wang Tianyang's mother makes all the decisions in the family. What does that show? It shows that Wang Tianyang's mother has a strong personality and doesn't forgive anyone at all. Let me tell you, having a mother-in-law like that is going to be a real ordeal. If you're with Wang Tianyang, just wait and see, you'll see his mother interfering in your family's affairs every day!"
Mingxi frowned as she listened, and couldn't help but speak up to say something fair.
"Auntie, your words are too biased. Aunt Zhang is a very nice person. Didn't you two have a good chat just now?"
Although Mingxi hadn't interacted with the Wang family many times, her few encounters with Aunt Zhang left her with the impression that she was a very tactful person. While she had a strong personality, she wasn't the type to meddle in other people's business. Regarding finding a partner, she fully respected Wang Tianyang's wishes and didn't make any demands.
This is quite remarkable.
Mingxi has introduced many potential partners to people, and she's encountered quite a few where parents set requirements for their daughters' partners, demanding that they find someone filial, obedient, capable, and who wouldn't support their own family financially...
These are considered good; some are even worse, demanding a certain amount of dowry from the bride's family, or specifying certain financial conditions of the bride's family...
But when Aunt Zhang came with Wang Tianyang, she said one thing: "I won't interfere, I'll just find something my son likes."
Mingxi felt that the other party was a very open-minded parent, and the things that Huang's mother was worried about would never happen to Aunt Zhang.
Before Mingxi could speak, Huang's mother waved her hand and said, "Xiaoming, you're young, you don't understand. Whether someone is easy to get along with or not has nothing to do with whether they're a good mother-in-law. Anyway, I think Wang Tianyang's mother is too domineering. Being her daughter-in-law will definitely be a hardship. And Wang Tianyang's older sister, as the saying goes, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. She's already married, she shouldn't be involved in her parents' family affairs anymore. Wang Tianyang is looking for a partner, and she still has to come back to check on him. If Huang Li really marries Wang Tianyang, will she still interfere in her brother and sister-in-law's affairs?"
Mingxi frowned: "Auntie, you must have misunderstood. Sister Wang Tianyang didn't say she would come back to take the lead. I was the one who said she would take the lead."
Huang's mother: "Sigh, whether she said it or not, what she meant was that she was coming back to take a look."
Mingxi felt that Huang's mother might have a misunderstanding about the Wang family.
Although Wang Tianyang's older sister is married, she lives nearby, and it only takes her less than twenty minutes to go back to her parents' home. Besides, her younger brother's marriage is a big deal, so it's perfectly normal for her to come back and check on things, right?
I don't know why Huang's mother had such a strong opinion.
Mingxi tried her best to explain calmly: "Auntie, you might be overthinking it. Maybe it's just that we happened to be there. Sister Wang Tianyang didn't marry far away and often goes back to visit her parents' home when she has time."
Upon hearing this, Huang's mother's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly waved her hand, "No, no, that's even more unacceptable. The Wang family has many children, and Wang Tianyang has an unmarried younger sister. If Huang Li marries into the family, she will be caught between her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, which is already difficult enough. If there is also an older sister-in-law who goes back to her parents' home at the drop of a hat, wouldn't that be even more difficult?"
After she finished speaking, she patted Huang Li's hand and said with relief, "It's a good thing you didn't fall for Wang Tianyang, otherwise you would have suffered a lot."
Huang Li awkwardly pulled her hand away: "Mom, don't talk nonsense. The Wang family isn't as bad as you say..."
Huang Li didn't like Wang Tianyang because she felt they weren't a good match, and it had nothing to do with the Wang family.
Moreover, they had only met the Wang family once, so it was inappropriate for them to speak ill of them behind their backs.
Huang's mother pursed her lips, reluctantly shutting her mouth.
Mingxi didn't say anything more. Huang's mother was determined, and it wasn't something that could be changed by a few words. Besides, Huang Li hadn't taken a liking to Wang Tianyang anyway, so even if Huang's mother had reservations about the Wang family, the two sides wouldn't have any further dealings. Let Huang's mother have her opinions if she wanted.
Mingxi and her two companions returned to the alley. Mingxi said, "Huangli, why don't you come with me to my house and see if there are any other suitable men?"
Before Huang Li could speak, Huang's mother interjected, "Alright, shall we go now?"
Mingxi then led Huangli and her mother home, settled them down, and then took out a booklet containing information on male comrades, flipping through it noisily.
At this moment, Huang's mother spoke up from the side: "Xiaoming, you know that our Huang Li is simple-minded and not very cunning. Could you find her a family with simple financial conditions, without too many sisters-in-law or cousins?"
Mingxi: "Auntie, from what you're saying, you're looking for an only child?"
Huang's mother nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, an only child, preferably an only child."
With only one child in the family, the population is simple. Moreover, since there is only one child, there is no need to divide the family property or worry about how to divide the family property when the elders get old. Everything can be left to the only child, which is convenient.
"hiss--"
Mingxi pouted and scratched her brow, looking troubled. "Only children are hard to find."
These days, most families have several children, and families with only one child are rare.
Mingxi rummaged around for a while and found one: "I have a guy here named Zhao Lei. He's an only child, the only son in his family. This young man is quite good. He graduated from high school and works on the railway."
Railway workers are different from train attendants. They are generally responsible for the maintenance of railways or trains. They work hard every day, exposed to the wind and sun. Although it is tiring, the salary and benefits are quite good.
Mingxi: "Don't underestimate the railway workers. Although they may not be as glamorous as train attendants, they earn quite a bit. Zhao Lei, for example, makes more than 120 yuan a month."
Huang's mother exclaimed, "More than 120 yuan! Isn't that almost the same as the factory manager's salary?"
Mingxi twitched her lips: "That's still incomparable. Zhao Lei gets a lot of subsidies, field work subsidies, high temperature subsidies, low temperature subsidies... What the factory director gets is just his salary."
Huang's mother: "Whether it's salary or a subsidy, it's all money in hand."
Huang's mother nudged Huang Li: "What do you think of Zhao Lei that Xiaoming mentioned? I think he's good. He's an only child, and there aren't any messy sisters-in-law in his family, so it'll be easy for you to marry him. Besides, this young man is quite capable, so you won't have to suffer if you marry him."
Huang Li sighed deeply, frowned, and said, "Mom, don't assume he's a good person just because you've heard he can make money."
Mingxi smiled and replied, "Yes, we still need to understand the other party's situation before making a conclusion."
Even if Huangli hadn't said it, Mingxi would have said it anyway.
After all, if the person you're introducing isn't clearly explained, there will be a lot of trouble and disputes later on.
If she's vague and doesn't explain things clearly when introducing someone, and the relationship goes well, but then they discover something's wrong when it's time to get married, then she'll have committed a terrible mistake.
"Ahem." Mingxi cleared her throat and said, "This Zhao Lei is pretty good in every way. He has a good job and is easy to get along with. The only problem is that his family is a bit of a burden."
Huang's mother: "What does this mean?"
Mingxi: "Zhao Lei's father has asthma. It's hard to say whether he was born with it or developed it later. Anyway, he's in poor health now and can't do any heavy work. He has to stay in bed for a long time."
"Asthma!" Huang's mother exclaimed in alarm. "Won't that be contagious?"
"No, no."
Mingxi quickly waved her hand: "You can rest assured, asthma is not contagious."
Huang Li knew a little bit about it, and tugged at her mother's sleeve, saying, "Mom, don't talk nonsense if you don't know. Asthma isn't contagious; it can only be hereditary."
The brows that had just relaxed around Huang's mother furrowed again: "Hereditary? Zhao Lei doesn't have this problem, does he?"
Mingxi quickly explained, "No, no, Zhao Lei is normal."
"That's good." Mrs. Huang patted her chest, finally relieved. But then she became nervous again: "Wait, if Zhao Lei's father is in poor health, then who was working to support the family when Zhao Lei wasn't working?"
Mingxi: "It's Zhao Lei's mother. She used to work at a steel factory, but she's retired now. She's old and in poor health and can't work anymore. Plus, Zhao Lei is grown up and can earn money to support the family, so she persuaded her to retire."
"Oh, that's alright."
Huang's mother thought to herself that Zhao Lei's father was indeed a burden, but there was still Zhao Lei's mother. His mother was retired and could take care of him. Even if Huang Li married into the family, she wouldn't need Huang Li. In addition, Zhao Lei's mother was retired and had a pension. So, although she was a burden, it wasn't too bad.
After pondering for a while, Huang's mother looked up at Huang Li and said, "Daughter, I think Zhao Lei is a good catch. You should go and meet him. What do you think?"
The oriole hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Mingxi: "Okay, I'll go to the Zhao family in a bit and arrange a date for the matchmaking."
Oriole: "Okay."
Mingxi saw Huangli and her daughter off at the door, and without resting for a minute, immediately went out and headed towards the Zhao family.
It just so happened that Zhao Lei was home. Mingxi told Zhao Lei her purpose, and they quickly agreed to meet at Zhao's house on Monday night.
After finishing their business, Mingxi left the Zhao family's house and then went to the Wang family's house. When the Wang family saw Mingxi coming, they were all overjoyed and asked Mingxi if she had any good news to share.
Mingxi forced a smile and said somewhat awkwardly, "Well, I came here to tell Wang Tianyang that Huang Li told me she felt the two of you weren't a good match, so..."
The smiles on everyone's faces froze instantly. Aunt Zhang couldn't help but mutter, "They were having such a good chat, why does it still feel inappropriate?"
Wang Tianyang's face also stiffened, but he knew that when Huang Li said she didn't like him, she really didn't like him.
This is something that cannot be forced.
Wang Tianyang: "Okay, thank you for making this trip, Comrade Ming. I understand."
"Yes, thank you, Comrade Xiaoming." Aunt Zhang patted Wang Tianyang on the shoulder and echoed her sentiment.
Although it's a pity that such a wonderful woman like Huang Li didn't take a liking to her son, well, if she didn't like him, she didn't like him.
Mingxi smiled and said, "You're too kind. Don't worry, I'll come back to you when I find another suitable woman."
"well……"
Aunt Zhang and Wang Tianyang nodded in agreement.
Mingxi returned to the alley and hurried to find Huangli to inform her of the time and place for the matchmaking, reminding Huangli to prepare in advance.
With everything settled, Mingxi was finally able to go home and sit down to catch her breath.
"I ran around all day, and I'm so tired..."
Zhao Sulan glanced at her sideways: "Then why didn't you say you'd come back and ride a bicycle?"
Mingxi slapped her forehead: "Oh dear, I forgot."
She just bought a bicycle and hasn't gotten used to it yet. Before she knew it, she had forgotten that she owned a bicycle.
Zhao Sulan: "Alright!"
Whose fault is this? It's just that Mingxi forgot.
"Hehe." Mingxi rubbed her calves and grinned at her mother for a while before saying, "Mom, look how tired I am after running around all day. Shouldn't I get some nourishment?"
Zhao Sulan: "Tell me, what do you want to eat?"
She knew immediately that Mingxi was craving it.
Mingxi: "I want to eat braised pig's trotters."
Zhao Sulan learned a lot from the head chef in the cafeteria, even stealing his unique recipe for braised pig's trotters.
Actually, what they call a secret recipe is just a set of braising spices.
A braising sauce made with more than a dozen seasonings, plus rock sugar, cooking wine, and soy sauce, is boiled in a pot. It's so delicious that it can make not only braised pig's trotters, but even braised shoe soles.
It's just that braised dishes are time-consuming and laborious, so Zhao Sulan is usually too lazy to make them.
Mingxi hadn't thought about eating it before, but she suddenly remembered it today and started craving it.
"Braised pig's trotters? Sure." Zhao Sulan: "But if I braise them today, I'm afraid we won't be able to eat them. We'll have to wait until tomorrow morning at the earliest."
The most important part of making braised pig's trotters is the braising process; they need to be soaked in the braising liquid to absorb the flavor. It's almost evening now, so we'll start braising them tonight and let them soak overnight. They'll be ready to eat the next morning.
“We can have it tomorrow morning.” Mingxi’s eyes sparkled, like a puppy staring at Zhao Sulan.
Zhao Sulan: "Okay, I'll go to the market now and see if they sell pig's trotters. If they do, I'll stew some for you tonight. If not, then we'll have to talk about it tomorrow."
Mingxi immediately jumped up from the sofa: "Mom, I'll go to the market with you!"
Unfortunately, when Mingxi and Zhao Sulan arrived at the market, they found that the pig's trotters were already sold out.
The butcher was surprised to hear that Zhao Sulan had come to buy pig's trotters.
Normally, pig's trotters, which don't have much meat, don't sell well, but today, someone who was hosting a banquet bought them all.
There was nothing Zhao Sulan could do since they were sold out. She could only order pig's trotters from the stall owner for the next day, and then lead a dejected Mingxi home.
Mingxi is very easy to coax. One second she was upset because she couldn't buy pig's trotters and couldn't eat braised pig's trotters, but the next second she was happy when she heard Zhao Sulan say that she planned to make big dumplings with cabbage and pork for dinner.
Dumplings are delicious too!
Mingxi happily went home with Zhao Sulan to make dumplings.
Hearing from other people in the alley that Huang Li had gone to look at potential partners during the day, Dong Chunling immediately jumped up and started asking about it.
"Seriously, you guys aren't kidding, did Huang Li really go on a blind date today? Who did she go on the blind date with? Do I know that guy? Is he from our steel mill?"
Seeing her jumping around happily, someone nearby couldn't help but say, "Dong Chunling, why are you asking so many questions? It's other people's choice to meet, not yours."
With her hands on her hips, Dong Chunling said matter-of-factly, "What's wrong with me asking around? Huang Li and I have known each other since we were kids. She wants to go on blind dates, so can't I help her choose someone?"
"Tch, you want to help Huang Li with her judgment? Didn't you just get beaten up by the Huang family a few days ago? Are you trying to help her or are you trying to sabotage her?"
"Is that even a question? They're definitely trying to cause trouble!"
There are no secrets in the alley. The commotion caused by the Huang family attacking the Dong family was quite significant. The news had already spread throughout the alley. Not only in the alley, but even in the entire steel mill area, everyone knew about it.
Everyone knows the reason why the Huang family came to their door.
These past few days, people in the alley have been gossiping about Dong Chunling, saying she's malicious and heartless, introducing all sorts of people to the alley. If Mingxi hadn't exposed her, Dong Chunling would have really introduced Gao Jianliang, that good-for-nothing alleyway guy, to Huang Li.
Dong Chunling's already poor reputation has suffered even more because of this.
However, Dong Chunling was too embarrassed to go out for several days because she had been beaten so badly by the Huang family that day and had a swollen face. So she didn't know about this.
Today, her facial injury had finally healed quite a bit, and she had just come out when she overheard everyone talking about the oriole's matchmaking. She couldn't help but chime in.
She just didn't expect that the people present would be so disrespectful to her.
Dong Chunling stared wide-eyed at the person who had just accused her of trying to sabotage Huang Li.
The person who had just spoken pursed her lips and quietly looked away when Dong Chunling stared at her like that. It wasn't that she was afraid of Dong Chunling, but she just didn't want to get involved with someone as unreasonable and domineering as Dong Chunling.
Seeing that the other person had looked away, Dong Chunling assumed that the other person had admitted defeat, and proudly raised her head like a victorious rooster.
Dong Chunling: "You still haven't said who Huang Li is looking for?"
Someone couldn't help but say, "We don't know either. We didn't introduce her to Huang Li. If you really want to know, ask Ming Xi. Ming Xi introduced her to Huang Li."
Upon hearing Mingxi's name, Dong Chunling pursed her lips.
However, if possible, she still didn't want to provoke a monster like Mingxi.
She cleared her throat twice and said, "Let's not talk about that for now, let's talk about the results. Do you know how Huang Li's matchmaking went this time? Did it work out?"
"It didn't work out. Old Huang's family was just saying in the yard that Huang Li didn't like the other one." It's true that someone actually knew this.
Upon hearing this, Dong Chunling burst into laughter: "I knew it! I knew that the match between Huang Li and her lover would never work out."
"Hey, why do you say that?"
Dong Chunling: "Given Huang Li's qualifications, how many people could possibly be interested in her?"
"That's not quite right. Apart from not having a job, Huang Li isn't doing badly. Besides, the Huang family isn't saying that Huang Li didn't like the other party."
Dong Chunling glanced at everyone present, crossed her arms, and said disdainfully, "You guys are really brainless. You believe everything Huang Li's mother says? If she told the truth and said that the other party didn't like Huang Li, wouldn't Huang Li be embarrassed and lose face? She must be saying that Huang Li didn't like the other party."
After saying that, Dong Chunling shook her head, clearly disapproving of their departure.
These people are too stupid to talk to her.
To be honest, Dong Chunling's words really misled quite a few people.
Everyone thought about it and realized that Dong Chunling was right. Huang's mother was Huang Li's biological mother, so she would definitely speak up for Huang Li. Regardless of whether Huang Li didn't like the other person, for the sake of face, Huang's mother would definitely say that Huang Li didn't like the other person.
However, most people still have brains.
Knowing that Huang's mother had no need to lie, even if the other party didn't like Huang Li, there was no need to lie; just saying it didn't work out would suffice.
Only a small number of people had their doubts.
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