Chapter 149 Taking a liking to the bound feet led by Aunt He...
Aunt He's "Little Feet Detective Team" has achieved remarkable results during this period.
First, they caught the "baked meat thief" they had been chasing for so long and got their compensation back; then they caught the neighbor from the next alley who had been littering at the entrance of their alley after dark; they even caught a street urchin who was trying to blow up a latrine...
They just haven't met the suspicious man that Mingxi mentioned at the beginning.
Mingxi was a little confused for a moment. Could it be that she had made a mistake, and that the person was not a bad person, but just happened to be waiting for someone at the entrance of the alley?
Regardless of who the other party was, it was true that two robberies had occurred in their vicinity.
So far, the police have not caught the robber. Because of this, the police station and the street office have been distributing and posting "fire prevention, theft prevention, and prevention of loitering" guides in the nearby streets and alleys.
The Women's Federation has been busy lately, taking the lead in organizing a winter health lecture in conjunction with the street office and hospital.
The Women's Federation has held similar activities in previous years, not limited to health and hygiene. They have also previously held lectures on knitting techniques, handicraft making, fire safety, and so on.
The lectures are very popular in winter. Since everyone has nothing else to do anyway, and it's cold everywhere in winter with nowhere else to go, it's better to go to the neighborhood office for a lecture. It's warm and you can chat with other people.
It's tough on Mingxi and the other junior staff members, who have to run around everywhere all day.
Mingxi had been running around for a week, and finally got a day off on Sunday. She was ready to stay in bed all day, but Zhao Sulan dragged her out of bed as soon as she lay down in the morning.
"It's already nine o'clock, and you're still not up? Weren't you supposed to take Ran Jing to meet Wang Tianyang today?"
Mingxi suddenly sat up in bed: "Oh my god, I forgot!"
She said she felt like she had forgotten something, and it turned out she had forgotten this matter.
She quickly got up, washed up, changed her clothes, and tidied herself up. She grabbed a steamed bun from the table, stuffed it into her mouth, and walked out.
"Mom, it's getting late, I have to go now."
Zhao Sulan quickly grabbed a cup and chased after her: "Don't eat while walking. It's windy outside. If you eat too much wind, you'll get diarrhea when you get back, and then you'll complain again. Even if you're in a hurry, it won't make a difference if you drink some water and eat slowly. It's the same if you finish eating before you leave."
Mingxi couldn't leave, so she had to stay home and finish her steamed buns, drink a large glass of water, and dress warmly before riding her bike out.
Mingxi was in a hurry, but when she arrived at the agreed meeting place, it was still early.
Wang Tianyang and Ran Jing have not arrived yet.
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief. The place she was supposed to meet today was a teahouse. The first thing she did after sitting down was to take off her scarf. It was so cold that the scarf was damp from her breath.
Not long after Mingxi sat down, Ran Jing arrived.
Ran Jing dressed up specially today, wearing a dark black long wool coat. After sitting down and taking off the coat, her slightly tight beige turtleneck sweater and close-fitting jeans made her look tall and slender with long legs.
Mingxi warmly invited Ran Jing to sit down: "Comrade Ran is here? Come, sit down. How are you feeling, are you cold here?"
Ran Jing smiled and said, "It's alright, the weather is fine today, not particularly cold."
Mingxi: "That's true. It's good that the sun is out today. The past two days were very cold because the sun wasn't out."
Ran Jing chimed in, "Yes, it was the coldest a few days ago when it was cloudy. Those were the busiest days at our workplace, and the hospital was full of children with colds."
Mingxi: "Children are weak and easily get sick when it gets cold."
Ran Jing: "Yes, the most common patients in our hospital during winter are children..."
Mingxi and Ranjing were exchanging pleasantries when they saw a tall man enter through the door. The man glanced at Mingxi, his eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately walked over.
That's right, the person who came in was none other than Wang Tianyang.
Wang Tianyang walked up to Mingxi's table and said, "Sorry I'm late."
Mingxi stood up with a smile: "It's not late, it's not late. There's still a minute before our agreed meeting time."
She introduced them to each other: "Comrade Ran, this is Comrade Wang Tianyang, whom I introduced to you before."
"Comrade Wang, this is Comrade Ran."
Ran Jing was the first to extend her hand. Since she was there to make a date, she should be open and natural. She extended her hand to Wang Tianyang and said, "Hello, Comrade Wang, I am Ran Jing."
Wang Tianyang: "Hello, Comrade Ran. I'm sorry I'm late."
Ran Jing: "No, we just arrived early."
Wang Tianyang nodded, but said nothing.
Ran Jing couldn't find a suitable topic for a moment, and the two fell into silence.
Mingxi looked at Ran Jing, then at Wang Tianyang, and suddenly felt that today's matchmaking might not go so smoothly.
However, whether it works out or not, she, as the matchmaker, still has to do her job.
Mingxi first gestured for the two to sit down, then smiled and said, "Sit down, please sit down. Comrade Wang, before you came, I was talking to Ran Jing about her work. I introduced her to you before; she's a nurse at the hospital, but you didn't know that she actually graduated from a proper vocational school with a medical and nursing degree."
These days, graduating from a vocational high school guarantees a job, so getting into a vocational high school is just as difficult as getting into a university.
Wang Tianyang looked surprised when he heard this.
Mingxi: "Comrade Ran is amazing. My mom wanted me to go to a vocational school to study medicine and nursing. She said that I could get a job as soon as I graduated, have a government job, and have connections in the hospital, which would make it much easier to see a doctor. But I'm not cut out for it. My high school entrance exam scores were far below what I could get for a vocational school. I'm not as good as Comrade Ran."
Ran Jing blushed with embarrassment.
She waved her hand: "No, it's not as amazing as you say. I was just lucky."
Mingxi: "No, that's not true. You might get lucky and guess one or two questions right, but you can't possibly guess every single question on the whole test, right? The fact that you got a high score and went to vocational school shows that you have real talent."
After Mingxi finished her long-winded explanation, she didn't forget to call out Wang Tianyang: "Comrade Wang, you're right, aren't you?"
Wang Tianyang nodded: "Yes, Comrade Ran, you are very capable."
Ran Jing blushed completely, her face turning as red as a tomato. She lowered her head slightly and said, "No, not really..."
Ran Jing lowered her head in embarrassment and remained silent, but Wang Tianyang also fell silent after he finished speaking. An awkward silence fell over the table, as if the air itself had frozen.
Having no other choice, Mingxi started to find a topic: "We just finished talking about Comrade Ran Jing's work. Now let's talk about Comrade Wang's work. Comrade Wang is a fitter at the machinery factory."
Wang Tianyang: "Yes, I am a level two fitter."
Mingxi: "A Level 2 fitter is really impressive. When you first enter a machine factory, you start as an apprentice, helping your master. Only when your master is satisfied and thinks you're good enough can you take the exam. If you pass, you become a Level 1 fitter; if you don't, you're still an apprentice. Comrade Wang, don't you agree?"
Wang Tianyang nodded: "Yes, that's how it is in our factory."
Mingxi: "The same goes for grading exams. You can't take the exams every year. You have to take a year off in between. Comrade Wang has only been working for a few years, but he is already a Level 2 worker. That's quite remarkable."
Wang Tianyang: "Not really, there are quite a few people in my unit who are more capable than me."
Upon hearing this, Mingxi wanted to facepalm.
Although Wang Tianyang's words were not problematic, the problem was how Ran Jing was supposed to respond.
Ran Jing really didn't know how to respond, and could only remain silent for a moment.
Having no other option, Mingxi changed the subject: "I wonder if Comrade Wang has been busy with work lately. Comrade Ran was just saying that he's been quite busy. With the cold weather and changing seasons, there are a lot of sick children, so Comrade Ran is quite busy at the hospital."
Ran Jing nodded.
Wang Tianyang: "It's alright. Our factory has always been doing well. There's not much difference between being busy and not being busy."
Mingxi: "Really? I read in the newspaper that your factory got a big order at the Optoelectronic Fair this year. I thought you would be quite busy."
Wang Tianyang: "That was before."
Mingxi: "So you're okay now, right?"
Wang Tianyang nodded.
This conversation has gone awry again, and Mingxi is sweating profusely.
She's been introducing people to potential partners for a while now, and she's never met two people who are so difficult to talk to.
She took a deep breath and continued to try to find a topic of conversation: "Hey, I heard that Comrade Ran and Comrade Wang both like watching movies. I wonder what kind of movies you both like to watch?"
Ran Jing: "I watch all kinds of movies. What kind of movies do you like, Comrade Wang?"
Wang Tianyang: "I'm fine too."
Mingxi rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
The next hour was the most agonizing hour Mingxi had ever endured since she started introducing potential partners to people.
No matter what topic she brought up, Wang Tianyang and Ran Jing would run out of things to say after a couple of sentences. In order to avoid an awkward silence and keep the two of them staring at each other in silence, Mingxi could only keep trying to find topics to talk about.
They talked about work, family, hobbies—Mingxi talked about everything she could. In the end, she ran out of things to say, and could only pretend to drink water to hide her helplessness.
The meeting ended so hastily and hastily.
After exchanging home addresses with Wang Tianyang, Ran Jing left with Ming Xi.
On the way home, Mingxi comforted Ran Jing as she pushed the cart, "It's okay, if you don't like this one, there's always another. Don't worry about it, Comrade Ran, I'll help you find some other men when we get back..."
Mingxi was talking when she saw Ran Jing turn her head with a strange look on her face.
Ran Jing: "Comrade Ming, I am quite satisfied with Comrade Wang."
Mingxi: "Huh?"
Her eyes widened. Ran Jing was actually quite satisfied with Wang Tianyang?
They barely exchanged a few words, and were completely silent together. It's surprising that Ran Jing seems quite satisfied with Wang Tianyang.
Mingxi really didn't realize it; she thought Ran Jing didn't like Wang Tianyang.
Mingxi: "Ah... well, maybe I misunderstood, haha."
Mingxi didn't know what to say, so she could only laugh awkwardly.
After dropping Ran Jing off at home, Mingxi rode his bike to Wang Tianyang's house again.
Upon seeing Wang Tianyang, she didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Comrade Wang, Comrade Ran seems quite satisfied with you. I wonder what your impression of Comrade Ran is?"
Wang Tianyang blushed instantly upon hearing Mingxi's words.
He stammered, "I...I'm quite satisfied with Comrade Ran too."
When Mingxi saw him like this, she knew that he must have also taken a liking to Ran Jing.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. She really hadn't expected that the two of them would be so silent when they met. She would say one sentence and the other would remain silent. The total amount of words that Wang Tianyang and Ran Jing said during their meeting was less than what she said alone.
But these two people, by some strange twist of fate, fell in love.
Really...
That's really surprising.
However, it's definitely a good thing that the two of them are attracted to each other, and Mingxi is happy for them.
Before leaving, she added, "If you're interested in Ran Jing, just say so. Next time you meet her, don't be like today and not say a word."
After all, when Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang meet again, Ming Xi won't be there like she is today.
Without her trying to find topics to talk about, and the two of them not saying a word, it would really be like a meeting of the silent.
After giving Wang Tianyang his instructions, Mingxi rode her bicycle leisurely home. When she returned to the alley, she happened to run into Aunt He patrolling with a red armband.
This red armband was issued by the neighborhood committee, and it says "Peace Volunteer" on it.
A few days ago, when the police station and the neighborhood office came to promote safety knowledge, they were very surprised to hear that several elderly women, including Aunt Ma and Aunt He, had spontaneously organized patrols. Aunt Ma explained the whole story, which made Director Wang of the neighborhood office feel embarrassed.
If suspicious persons are found in the alleys under the jurisdiction of this subdistrict office, the subdistrict office has the responsibility to investigate.
Instead of sending anyone to investigate, they completely ignored the matter, leaving it to the residents of the alley to organize their own investigation and patrols. This can be considered a dereliction of duty.
It would have been fine if this matter hadn't been brought up in public, but now that it's been brought up, especially with colleagues from other units present, Director Wang of the subdistrict office is in a very awkward position.
Of course, in the end, Director Wang shifted the blame to Xiao Wang, saying that Xiao Wang was new and didn't know anything about the work, and that he would definitely give Xiao Wang a lecture when he got back.
In order to smooth over the work mistake, or rather, to save face for the street office, Director Wang immediately sent Xiao Wang, an assistant, to deliver red armbands to Aunt He and the others.
They recruited Aunt He and her self-organized "Little Feet Detective Team" into the government.
So now, Aunt He and her colleagues are volunteer peacekeepers appointed by the neighborhood committee. Although they don't receive a salary or any subsidies from the neighborhood committee, it makes their actions more legitimate.
Aunt He and the others didn't care about the subsidies, since they weren't doing this for the money, but for the safety of the residents in the alley.
Wearing a red armband now makes you look even more imposing.
Recently, Aunt He has stopped going out to set up her stall. Every day, she wears a red armband and patrols the neighborhood, showing off her new title of "Peace Volunteer" to everyone she meets.
Upon seeing Mingxi, Aunt He immediately approached, deliberately turning to the side with her arm bearing the red armband facing Mingxi, and said, "Little Ming is back?"
Mingxi: "Yes, Aunt He, are you on patrol?"
Aunt He: "Of course, we're on patrol."
Mingxi: "You've worked hard."
"It's not hard work, it's all about serving the people." Aunt He waved her hand, her back straight. Although she didn't say it aloud, she was clearly proud of her identity as a volunteer for public safety.
Mingxi couldn't help but laugh, "Alright then, you continue your patrol, I'm going home..."
Aunt He: "Hey, wait a minute."
Mingxi stopped in her tracks: "Hmm?"
Aunt He: "Well, a new farmers' market has opened in the west of the city. It's held every three days, and next Sunday is market day. She wants to go to the market, and I'm planning to go with her. Old Li also said he wants to go. Do you and your mother want to go?"
Mingxi nodded without hesitation: "Go!"
She's never been to a market before!
Aunt He: "Okay, then I'll include you and your mother."
Mingxi: "Hey, is Aunt Li going too?"
She just remembered that Aunt He said Aunt Li was going too, "Is Aunt Li's leg better?"
Aunt He: "It's almost done. Old Li's leg has been resting for more than a month. Today she went to the hospital with Teacher Hou for a check-up. The doctor said that she can walk around a bit. Otherwise, it won't work if she doesn't move around at all."
Mingxi: "That's good."
Aunt He: "Okay, it's settled then. Let's meet at six o'clock next Sunday morning, and then we'll go to the bus together."
The big market in the west of the city is quite far away; it takes a while by bus to get there. Leaving at six o'clock is just right; any later, and the market will probably be closing by the time we get there.
Mingxi: "Okay!"
The excitement of going to the market outweighed her laziness, and even when she heard that they were leaving at six o'clock, Mingxi didn't complain at all.
Before we knew it, a week had passed, and the day had come for our agreed-upon trip to the market.
Everyone gathered at the gate of the courtyard, and the market procession was even larger than what Aunt He had told Mingxi before.
First, there was Aunt Liu, who had heard about the market in the west of the city, and her eldest daughter-in-law. Then there was Mingxi's tagalong—Wei Ning.
This story begins last week.
Wei Ning had originally planned to ask Ming Xi out on a date last week, but Ming Xi declined because she had to take Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang on a date last week.
Wei Ning didn't give up and sent another invitation this week, only to find out that Mingxi had made an appointment with Aunt He to go to the market.
Wei Ning gritted his teeth and said, "I want to go to the market too!"
As long as I can stay by Mingxi's side, I don't mind going to the market!
Mingxi didn't care at all. If Wei Ning wanted to go to the market, then let him go. It wasn't her business, and she couldn't stop him anyway.
And just like that, the market-going group grew by three more people.
Aunt Ma glanced around and said, "Everyone's almost here. Let's go, let's take the bus."
The group of people rushed out in a hurry.
There were eight of them, and Wei Ning was the only man among them. Inevitably, Wei Ning became the center of attention.
Aunt Liu: "Wei family's third son, how old are you this year? If I remember correctly, you're twenty-one, right?"
Wei Ning nodded: "Yes, I'm twenty-one this year."
Aunt Liu: "Oh my, time really flies! You're already twenty-one in the blink of an eye. I still remember when you were just born, you were such a tiny little baby. When I went to visit you, you weren't even as long as my arm. Oh, right, you're not young anymore. Have you thought about finding a partner? Don't think that just because people talk about late marriage and late childbirth these days, you should start considering it, don't you think?"
Wei Ning: "Yes, Aunt Liu, you're right."
Aunt Liu: "That makes sense, doesn't it? So tell me, what kind of woman do you like? Let me introduce you to one."
As soon as Aunt Liu said this, Aunt He, Aunt Li, Aunt Ma, and her eldest daughter-in-law were all stunned and immediately looked up at her.
No, it's all over the alley. The three young men of the Wei family are pursuing Mingxi. Doesn't this person know?
Before Aunt Liu could figure out what was going on, she saw her eldest daughter-in-law winking at her and gesturing towards Mingxi. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead, thinking she understood what was happening.
"Oh, right, I forgot, Mingxi is still here. Well, Weining, just pretend I didn't say anything. I was just showing off in front of Guan Yu. Mingxi is a professional matchmaker, right in front of me. Why would I bother to introduce you to someone? Weining, if you want to find someone, let Mingxi introduce you to someone. She's a professional at this."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the first half of her sentence, thinking that she had finally come to her senses. But then they heard Aunt Liu say that Mingxi should introduce a partner to Wei Ning, and their vision went black.
What kind of potential partner should Mingxi introduce to Wei Ning?
Wei Ning likes Ming Xi!
For a moment, no one knew what to say, and even Mingxi felt a little embarrassed.
Liu's eldest daughter-in-law was afraid that her mother-in-law would say something she shouldn't, so she quickly tugged at Liu's sleeve. Liu's mother probably realized something was wrong at this moment and was thinking about it when she heard Wei Ning say something.
"No need for introductions, I have a girl I like and I'm currently pursuing her."
Aunt Liu: "Oh, oh!"
She wanted to find out who Wei Ning liked, but her arm was suddenly pulled by her eldest daughter-in-law, diverting her attention, and she didn't have time to ask.
After Wei Ning finished speaking, he looked at Ming Xi. It was just dawn, and Ming Xi couldn't see Wei Ning's expression clearly, but she could feel the heat in his eyes.
She was unusually stunned.
To be honest, she still doesn't understand why Wei Ning likes her, or what he likes about her.
Similarly, she couldn't quite explain her feelings for Wei Ning.
Do you like it?
That doesn't seem quite right.
However, she didn't find Wei Ning's advances offensive, and she actually enjoyed spending time with him. Wei Ning was very thoughtful and caring. He knew what kind of movies she liked and would take her to see similar films next time; he paid attention to her preferences during meals, and if she explicitly stated she didn't like a certain dish, he wouldn't include it at the table next time; knowing she liked the scent of jasmine, he specially asked a friend to bring back a set of jasmine-scented hand cream and perfume from Guangdong…
Overall, Wei Ning is a very comfortable person to be around.
This is why Mingxi knew Wei Ning was pursuing her, yet she didn't refuse to contact him.
"careful--"
While Mingxi was lost in thought, she suddenly felt herself being pulled.
She paused, only to realize that there was a roadblock blocking her way, and she almost crashed into it.
Mingxi turned around and thanked Wei Ning, who had pulled her back: "Thank you."
"It's nothing." Wei Ning: "Why do you seem so absent-minded? Did you get up too early and not wake up properly? Would you like some tea?"
As he spoke, he took a thermos from the bag he was carrying.
Mingxi shook her head: "No need."
Wei Ning didn't say anything, but silently put the thermos away.
Mingxi had been walking for a while, and the bus stop was right in front of her when suddenly a bus whizzed past them. Aunt Ma quickly called out, "Hey, wait!"
Everyone quickly ran after the bus.
Everyone was panting heavily, but they managed to catch up with the bus in the end.
And we were lucky today, the bus wasn't crowded, and everyone had a seat after buying their ticket.
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