Chapter 104 Introducing a Partner to Bai Ling During the National Day Holiday...
For Mingxi, the last working day before the National Day holiday felt like an eternity—no, to be precise, it felt like an eternity.
Every minute and every second at work is incredibly difficult to endure.
She finally made it to 5 p.m. and was free. Thinking about the holiday the next day, Mingxi stayed up all night, until dawn, and finally finished reading the ending of the romance novel she had scavenged from Huang Pingping before closing her eyes to sleep.
Zhao Sulan came to Mingxi's room in the morning to take a look, but seeing that Mingxi was sleeping soundly, she didn't wake her and tiptoed out.
Mingxi slept until noon, and only woke up to the fragrant aroma filling the room when the sun was shining brightly on her backside.
Mingxi, wearing slippers and rubbing her messy hair, walked out of the room. The aroma in the living room was even stronger. She sniffed and smelled stewed meat. If she smelled it more closely, it seemed to smell mutton as well.
Her eyes lit up, she lifted the curtain, craned her neck, and peered into the kitchen, asking, "Mom, did you stew lamb spine?"
Zhao Sulan: "Yes, that's right. We agreed to invite Xiao Yang and her grandma over for hot pot tonight. When I went to buy mutton today, I saw some nice lamb spine, so I bought some too. I put a lot of broth in when I stewed the lamb spine, and I'll set some aside for hot pot tonight. When Xiao Yang and her grandma arrive, we'll eat the lamb spine first, and then use the broth for hot pot."
Slurp.
Mingxi's saliva was all spilled by Zhao Sulan.
The fragrant and spicy lamb spine soup, with its rich meaty aroma, paired with finely sliced thin lamb pieces, is incredibly delicious!
"Mom, is the lamb spine stew almost done? Let me taste it to check the saltiness."
Mingxi was so hungry she couldn't resist staring at the big pot of stewed lamb spine.
Zhao Sulan didn't know Mingxi's personality. She could tell at a glance that tasting the saltiness wasn't the key issue; the key issue was that this little glutton was craving it.
However, she didn't expose Mingxi. She lifted the pot lid, picked out a bowl with more meat, and put it on Mingxi's plate. She turned to Mingxi and asked, "Is that enough?"
Mingxi nodded hurriedly, "Enough, enough!"
Zhao Sulan handed the bowl to Mingxi, who happily took it, saying with a smug grin, "I just wanted to taste the saltiness, so just give me a small piece. But since you've already given it to me, it's not appropriate to put it back. I'll just eat it like this."
Zhao Sulan glanced at her, smiled helplessly, and instructed, "There are still some steamed buns I left for you this morning in the steamer. They're filled with beef and scallions. I've been keeping them warm on the stove, so they're still hot. If you're hungry, have some first. I won't cook lunch."
"OK!"
Mingxi responded, took the bowl to the cupboard, grabbed a large bowl, found the malted milk powder jar, made herself a bowl of malted milk powder, and ate it with beef buns and a bowl of lamb spine hot pot until she was full.
Hello, is anyone home?
Mingxi had just finished eating and was sprawled on the sofa when she heard a knock at the door. She slipped on her slippers, opened the door, and exclaimed, "Hey, Comrade Bai, what brings you here?"
The white antelope at the door saw Mingxi's appearance and gaped in astonishment: "Uh, Comrade Ming, your hair."
She pointed to Zhixi's hair, looking somewhat puzzled, as if unsure whether she should offer a reminder.
"Hair?" Mingxi subconsciously reached up to touch her head, and when she touched her messy hair, she suddenly realized that she hadn't combed her hair since she got up this morning.
She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, touched her nose, and said apologetically, "Um, please excuse me, Comrade Bai, I just got up and haven't had time to comb my hair yet..."
Bai Ling smiled and said, "I understand."
Mingxi gave an awkward laugh, opened the door, and welcomed Bai Ling in: "Come in, Comrade Bai, please come in and have a seat."
She led Bai Ling inside and sat her down. Under the pretext of getting some water, she quickly ran into the house to comb her hair. After she finished tidying up, Ming Xi came out and said, "I'm sorry, Comrade Bai, for keeping you waiting. Come and have some tea."
Bai Ling picked up her water glass and took a small sip, then Ming Xi couldn't help but ask, "By the way, what brings you here today...?"
Mingxi was quite curious. Although Bai Ling was her contact when Li Xiangdong was arrested, to be honest, the two of them didn't have a very good relationship. If you had to say, it was only so-so.
Bai Ling had privately discussed with Ming Xi twice about her idea of switching jobs to work at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, but Ming Xi was lazy and knew her own limitations, so she rejected Bai Ling's suggestion.
Bai Ling didn't force the issue, and after learning that Ming Xi was unwilling, she didn't bring it up again.
Mingxi had no idea why Bai Ling had suddenly come looking for her.
Bai Ling didn't keep anyone in suspense and stated her purpose directly: "I've come here this time to ask Comrade Ming to introduce me to a potential partner."
"Huh?"
Mingxi was taken aback. Bai Ling asked, "Huh? What's wrong? Is it inconvenient?"
Mingxi quickly waved her hand: "No, no, it's not inconvenient. I'm just curious. Aren't there many men in your unit? Why didn't you look for someone within the unit?"
Wouldn't it be easier to find a partner among colleagues? Besides, there are so many men in the Municipal Public Security Bureau. If Bai Ling really wanted to find someone, it wouldn't be difficult for her to find one in her unit, right?
Surely it's not like Bai Ling didn't fancy any of the many men in the Municipal Public Security Bureau?
Otherwise, Mingxi really couldn't understand why Bailing would specifically come over to ask her to introduce her to a potential partner.
Hearing Mingxi's words, Bai Ling gave a bitter smile: "Sigh, Comrade Ming, you have no idea how busy our unit is. We work at least 350 days a year. Even on holidays, we can't really rest. If there's a case, the bureau calls us to work overtime, not to mention regular overtime duty, a long day and a long night shift, just toughing it out. It's the same for both men and women. Our leader said that once you join the municipal bureau, women are treated like men, and men are treated like animals. It's okay if you're single and busy, but it's different when you're in a relationship. If both of you are so busy, you can't even see each other once in a while. How can you date? Let alone get married. If you're never home and never see each other day or night, what's the point of the marriage? So, when we're looking for a partner, we will definitely not consider anyone from our unit."
"Too……"
Mingxi nodded; what Bai Ling said was true.
Although people from the same unit are more likely to understand each other's difficulties, the municipal bureau is too busy, and both of them are so busy that they simply cannot live together.
Bai Ling: "The male colleagues in our unit are alright, since some of the female colleagues work in clerical positions, which means they have regular office hours and don't work overtime much. In our unit, most couples are paired up by a male colleague who works in the field and a female colleague who works in the clerical position. But it's tough for the female colleagues. There are too few male colleagues who work in the clerical position, and they are mostly out in the field, braving wind and rain every day. They can't see each other often, so how can they find a partner?"
Mingxi: "You've worked hard."
Bai Ling smiled, revealing two sharp canine teeth: "It's alright. Although it's really tough, it's my dream. Don't be afraid, Comrade Ming, you know that my dream since I was a child was to become a policeman and work in the municipal bureau. My dad is a policeman, but he's uneducated and has spent his whole life working in police stations."
Speaking of this, she sighed with emotion: "Actually, working at the police station is quite remarkable. They have to manage and do everything. They handle catching thieves, fighting, and even marital disputes. It's exhausting. When I was little, I thought my dad was incredibly cool as a policeman. Once he put on his uniform, no one in the neighborhood, adults or children, dared to mess with me. Later, I realized how tough it was for him. Ever since I was a child, my dad would say when he was drunk that his biggest dream in life was to join the city's Public Security Bureau and solve a major case, not some small case like someone losing cabbage or a clove of garlic. But unfortunately, he never fulfilled his dream in his lifetime."
Seeing her listless expression, Mingxi hesitated, pursed her lips, and asked cautiously, "May I ask, is your father currently...?"
Seeing Mingxi's reaction, Bai Ling belatedly realized that something was wrong.
She waved her hand first, then clutched her stomach and explained with a laugh, "No, no, my dad is still alive. He's doing just fine. He even went fishing with his buddies at the reservoir in the suburbs this week. He's just retired."
"oh!"
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief; that put her mind at ease.
This blunder was so funny that it took Bai Ling a long time to calm down.
She wiped away the tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes: "My dad retired normally, he reached the age limit. He didn't want to retire at first, but the leaders said that we should give the new young people a chance to perform, so he retired. But there's nothing to regret. He retired, and I stepped up to take his place. I even fulfilled his lifelong dream of working in the city bureau to solve major cases."
Mingxi nodded.
She felt that Bai Ling must have a very good family background, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to raise such a confident woman.
Bai Ling: "We've gone off-topic. Let's get back to the main point."
Mingxi nodded: "Okay, Comrade Bai, I know. But when I introduce someone to someone, I always have to mention my own conditions and the conditions I'm looking for. Would you mind telling me about them?"
White Antelope: "Okay."
Mingxi: "Then tell me about your family's financial situation first."
Bai Ling: "It's like this. My dad just said he's a retired police officer. My mom is a high school teacher, teaching at the No. 2 Middle School, which isn't far from here. Besides me, I have an older sister, but she lives in another city. She's a doctor, and a few years ago she married a soldier and moved to another city with him."
Mingxi had some idea of Bai Ling's family's financial situation. Everyone in the family had a job, and their jobs were all pretty good. Overall, their financial situation was considered above average in Beicheng.
Such conditions mean that the requirements for the target audience will not be too low.
Moreover, Bai Ling's family only has two girls, and her older sister married far away. Therefore, Bai Ling would only consider local families, families that are close by, or even families where she could marry into the family.
Sure enough, Bai Ling spoke up the next second: "I don't have high requirements for finding a partner. The most important thing is that he must be a local and live in this area. Otherwise, my parents will have no one to take care of them after I get married. Of course, it would be even better if he could live with me at home."
These days, no one would agree to a son-in-law marriage unless there were serious flaws in the conditions, so Bai Ling simply didn't even consider it.
Seeing that she didn't mention it, Mingxi understood what she meant and nodded.
Bai Ling: "Oh right, there's one more thing, the other party has to accept my job. Many men think that it's too dangerous for a woman to be a police officer, that it's too much suffering, and that it won't be convenient for her to take care of the family after marriage. I can understand these things, but I don't accept them."
She put on a serious face and said, "My childhood dream has been to be a police officer in the city bureau. Now that my dream has finally come true, I will absolutely not give it up for a man. So, Comrade Ming, you must make it clear to him that if he has such thoughts, even if we are dating, we will definitely break up in the end. That would be a waste of time, which is not good."
Mingxi: "I understand. I will definitely make this clear to the other party in advance."
Bai Ling rubbed her hands together and smiled as she pinched her fingers: "Besides that, I have one more small request, which is that the other person's work should not be too busy."
She shrugged and said, "As I just told you, I'm quite busy with work, and when I'm busy, I can't take care of my family. I need someone to help me take care of the family."
Mingxi compared the white antelope's request, thought carefully for a while, and said, "I have something that can meet your conditions."
She flipped through the notebook filled with information on gay men, then stopped on a particular page: "Found it!"
"Here, take a look." Mingxi handed Bai Ling a photo and said, "This is the man. His name is Cong Kai. Like you, he's a teacher, but he's a primary school teacher. He teaches children at our steel mill primary school. His parents are both steel mill workers. He has an older sister who got married a few years ago. His family situation is quite simple."
Mingxi: "I showed you his information because I think you two are a good match. Your family situations are both simple, both parents work, and you are well-matched. He is a primary school teacher, his daily work is not busy, and he has winter and summer vacations every year, so he can spend more time with his family. Moreover, I have met this man before, and he has a good personality and temperament, and is a good person."
Cong Kai is not a bad person, he's just a bit introverted.
This introversion is within the realm of ordinary people, unlike Lü Ping, who becomes speechless when he sees female comrades.
He asked Mingxi to introduce him to a potential partner, thanks in large part to He Li.
Cong Kai was He Li's new colleague. When He Li got married, Cong Kai gave a gift of money. After returning home, he casually mentioned that He Li's boyfriend was introduced to him by Ming Xi, which made Cong Kai's family take it to heart.
Cong Kai is almost of marriageable age, but he has been single for years and doesn't even have a close female friend. Cong Kai's family is worried about this, so they brought Cong Kai to Mingxi's place.
Mingxi had met Cong Kai and thought he was a decent person with a good family background. She figured he wasn't single because he couldn't find someone, but because he didn't want to. Now that Cong Kai was willing to come with his family, she figured he must want to find a partner, so she agreed.
Mingxi told Bailing about Cong Kai's conditions. After listening, Bailing also felt that Cong Kai's conditions were quite suitable. She also thought he looked quite pleasing to the eye in the photo, so she nodded: "Okay, then Comrade Ming, could you arrange for us to meet and have a face-to-face consultation? Try to do it in the next couple of days. After the holiday, I might have to work overtime again."
The white antelope gave a wry smile at the opportune moment.
Mingxi cast a sympathetic look at him.
Being busy with work means you have to make time for blind dates.
She can understand.
Mingxi thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Okay, I'll go to Cong Kai's house now and ask him what he thinks. If he agrees, we can arrange for you two to meet tomorrow."
Mingxi told Bailing to wait for her at home, then quickly went out. Cong Kai's house wasn't far; Mingxi turned into two alleys and soon arrived at Cong's house. It was a holiday, so the Cong family didn't go out; everyone was gathered at home, even Cong Kai's married sister had come back to her parents' home.
When the family saw Mingxi arrive, they warmly welcomed her into the house.
Mingxi doesn't usually come here, so her coming today must mean that things are looking up when it comes to introducing her to a potential partner.
The family warmly welcomed Mingxi into the house. Mingxi didn't keep them in suspense and immediately told them that some female comrades were interested in Cong Kai. Then, Mingxi introduced Bai Ling's conditions.
Sister Cong Kai: "Wow, a female police officer, amazing!"
Cong Kai's mother: "She's a female police officer working at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, so she must be one of the best in the police force. For a woman like that to be interested in my Cong Kai, Ming, are you just trying to make us happy?"
Mingxi: "..."
Why would she use something like this to fool people?
Cong Kai, who was standing to the side, fell silent.
Are these really his mother and sister? They despise him so much!
Mingxi: "Auntie, Sister Cong, please don't get agitated. It was only after Comrade Bai Ling agreed that I came. I have something else to say. Comrade Bai Ling has a request regarding her job. She really likes her current job and doesn't plan to change jobs in the future. She doesn't want her future husband to interfere in this matter."
She said, "Some men feel that women should be more family-oriented, and might want to transfer her to an office job, but Bai Ling doesn't have that idea."
Cong's mother said, "A man who thinks like that is either stupid or malicious. Bai Ling was doing a good job, and she finally got into the Municipal Public Security Bureau. To make her transfer to an administrative position is to ruin her future."
As Cong's mother spoke, her expression darkened, and she raised her hand to slap Cong Kai on the back: "Cong Kai, you better not think that way, or don't blame me for turning against my own family for the greater good."
Cong Kai: I'm innocent!
What a misunderstanding!
He didn't say a word, so why would his mother want to betray her own family for the greater good?
He quickly said, "Mom, Comrade Ming, don't worry, I absolutely have no such evil thoughts. It is a great honor for Comrade Bai Ling to join the Municipal Public Security Bureau based on her own abilities. It would be a waste of her talent and hard work to transfer her to a clerical position."
Cong Kai spoke from the heart. In his opinion, transferring Bai Ling to an administrative position was just as wasteful as dropping out a high-achieving student.
Cong's mother knew her son well. She knew that Cong Kai was not the kind of person who would let Bai Ling transfer to an administrative position. What he said just now was only to show his attitude in front of Ming Xi.
Mingxi could indeed see the Cong family's sincerity. She said, "If you are also satisfied with Comrade Bai Ling's conditions, then let's meet tomorrow and get to know each other in person."
Cong Kai: "Tomorrow? Won't that be a bit rushed?"
Mingxi explained, "It's like this, Bai Ling is usually quite busy and only has these two days off. If it's inconvenient to meet tomorrow, it will be difficult to find another day off..."
Before Mingxi could finish speaking, Cong's mother interrupted Cong Kai, saying, "Tomorrow, tomorrow is the perfect time to meet. There's no rush at all."
Cong Kai: "Mom, I..."
"You have a problem with that?" Cong's mother glared at him, and Cong Kai immediately shook his head: "No, no."
Mingxi pretended not to see the eye contact between the mother and son, and said with a smile, "Then let's meet at the state-run restaurant at 10 a.m. tomorrow?"
Cong Kai nodded: "Okay."
After finishing his business, Mingxi said goodbye to the Cong family and turned to leave. Cong's mother smiled and saw Mingxi to the door, saying, "Comrade Ming, take care on your journey. If anything happens, just let us know..."
Mingxi walked quite a distance before turning back to see that Cong's mother was still standing at the door, watching the direction she had left in.
The Cong family is genuinely warm-hearted, and after several interactions with them, Mingxi found them all to be quite easy to get along with.
Speaking of which, Bai Ling is an extroverted person, and she is quite suitable for the Cong family.
As Mingxi thought about it, she hurried home. Once home, she told Bai Ling about Cong Kai's promise to meet her. Bai Ling was quite happy to hear this and said, "Okay, then let's meet at the state-run restaurant tomorrow."
After saying that, she got up to leave. Mingxi wanted her to stay for dinner, but before she could say anything, she was already gone.
Watching her retreating figure, Mingxi sighed: "She's really as swift and energetic as a gust of wind."
After seeing Bai Ling off, Mingxi looked up at the time and said, "Is Yang Weihong coming soon?"
Zhao Sulan glanced at the time and said, "About the same."
As Zhao Sulan spoke, she picked up a snack box and placed it on the coffee table, instructing Mingxi, "Remember to order some later, and have Xiao Yang take it with her when she leaves with her grandmother."
Mingxi: "Okay, Mom, I know, don't worry."
Zhao Sulan: "I also packed a lunchbox of lamb spine here. You can tell Xiao Yang to take it back later. I picked out the ones with lots of meat and stewed them until they're very tender. Xiao Yang's grandma has bad teeth, so she can eat it too."
Mingxi glanced at the lunchbox and said, "Mom, why don't you put it in a net bag too, so Yang Weihong won't have trouble taking it back later?"
"You know, I was just saying I was going to find a net to put it in, but I forgot!" Zhao Sulan slapped her forehead and started rummaging for a net.
Yang Weihong has been cooking a lot of delicious food and sending it over to the Ming family lately. Ming Xi and Zhao Sulan felt embarrassed to eat for free, but when they wanted to give Yang Weihong something, she wouldn't accept anything expensive, only food.
Mingxi finally managed to invite Yang Weihong and Grandma Yang over for a meal today, using the holiday as an excuse.
Actually, she wasn't unaware that Yang Weihong brought her food as a way of thanking her.
But she didn't feel like she had done anything wrong. She felt bad about letting Yang Weihong's food go to waste. Besides, isn't it true that relationships last only when there is give and take?
So regardless of whether Yang Weihong accepted it or not, Mingxi and Zhao Sulan prepared a return gift.
Mingxi was talking to Zhao Sulan when she heard a noise outside the door. She quickly went to open the door and, sure enough, saw Yang Weihong's figure.
Yang Weihong: "Comrade Ming, we're here. Oh, right, these are peaches for you. I saw them at the market this morning. The seller said they were grown by his family. They're pitted sweet peaches. I tried one and they tasted good, so I bought them all. It's perfect for our two families to share, half for you and half for me."
Mingxi: "Hey, you said you were coming, so why did you bring anything?"
She spoke politely, inviting the two of them in: "Come, come, Grandma Yang, please come in too. My mom has everything ready. We're having hot pot today."
"You and your daughter have to spend so much money..."
"Grandma Yang, please don't be so polite. Haven't I eaten enough Wei Hong food? Don't be shy today, eat to your heart's content. We prepared a lot, and it won't be good to leave leftovers for the next day."
"Yes, yes, don't be shy today..."
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