Chapter 88 Being a matchmaker isn't easy. Mingxi suspected, deep...
Mingxi was suspicious, deeply suspicious.
If Dong Chunling could come to her senses, she would have divorced Yan Zhiwen long ago.
It's not like no one has advised her to get a divorce before. Her life with Yan Zhiwen has become such a mess, so she shouldn't force herself to stay together. She should just get a divorce. She'll definitely find someone better after the divorce.
But Dong Chunling just wouldn't have it. She said she'd rather die than divorce Yan Zhiwen.
Why did she suddenly change her personality?
While brushing her teeth, Mingxi was thinking about this, and before she knew it, she almost swallowed the toothpaste foam.
Not to mention Mingxi, there are many people in the alley who can't understand it, even Mr. and Mrs. Dong are very doubtful now.
At the Dong family's dinner table, early in the morning, the Dong family ate a simple meal: cornmeal porridge with steamed buns, plus two small dishes of pickled vegetables.
While eating, Dong Chunling complained, "Mom, why are you only eating this? You should try to make more variety in the future, like steamed buns or pies. What's the point of just eating steamed buns with pickled vegetables?"
Brother Dong frowned: "If you think Mom's cooking isn't good, then you should cook it yourself."
Dong Chunling doesn't cook, so it's good enough that she has something to eat, yet she still has the nerve to complain.
Dong Chunling pouted and muttered under her breath, "I was just saying it casually, why make such a big deal out of it..."
Brother Dong glared at Dong Chunling with his eyebrows raised and a fierce look on his face, forcing Dong Chunling to swallow the complaints that were on the tip of her tongue.
Brother Dong is the person in the Dong family who distrusts Dong Chunling the least.
Mr. and Mrs. Dong were skeptical of Dong Chunling's claim of wanting a divorce. They wanted to believe her, but their long-standing experience made them doubt her words.
But Brother Dong didn't believe it at all. He firmly believed that Dong Chunling was up to something again and wanted to deceive her family.
So at this moment, he looked at Dong Chunling with a completely different expression.
Dong Chunling couldn't eat because of Dong's brother's stare. She took a couple of bites of her steamed bun, picked up her bowl, and finished the rest of her corn porridge in one gulp. She said, "I'm done eating. I'm leaving now. I need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce before I go to work."
Mr. and Mrs. Dong stared wide-eyed as Dong Chunling slung her bag over her shoulder and left home.
Dong Chunling came out with her bag on her back and bumped into Mingxi, who was leaving for work, at the entrance of the alley.
Mingxi glanced at Dong Chunling curiously. Dong Chunling glared at her, looking like she was not to be trifled with. Mingxi glared back without backing down. In the end, Dong Chunling backed down first, shrank her neck, and left with her head down.
Mingxi looked in the direction she left, not towards her workplace, but towards the neighborhood office.
no?
Is Dong Chunling serious this time?
Are you really going to get a divorce?
Mingxi clicked her tongue in surprise twice and walked towards the Women's Federation.
Today was another busy day. September is almost here, and the Women's Federation has new activities coming up. The bulletin board posters outside the Women's Federation office building also need to be changed. Sister Wang, who was in charge of this task before, has been assigned to coordinate other work with various streets. The bulletin board posters are also being urgently requested. Director Shen looked around the office and her eyes fell on Mingxi.
"Xiaoming, I remember you said before that you can draw, right?"
When Mingxi's name was called, she immediately stood up, nodded, and humbly gestured with her fingers, saying, "I know a little."
"A little knowledge is enough." Director Shen immediately handed the materials in her hand to Mingxi: "Hurry up, all the other departments have finished drawing their blackboard bulletins and brought them out for display, but our Women's Federation's bulletin board is still from the last issue. You need to hurry up and design a new layout based on the theme of 'Respecting and Caring for the Elderly and the Strength of the Women's Federation in the Golden Autumn of September'."
Mingxi: "Ah, I..."
Director Shen: "Are you short-staffed and overwhelmed? Hey, Xiao Yu, you and Mingxi go work on the blackboard bulletin. You can get whatever you need from the logistics department. Hurry up and get started!"
After giving his instructions, Director Shen left in a hurry.
Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin exchanged a glance, then both gave each other a bitter smile before taking the documents and going downstairs.
Downstairs on the bulletin board, several colleagues from other departments were also drawing blackboard bulletins. A plump woman who seemed to know Yu Xiaomin well came over to say hello.
"Xiao Yu, isn't it always Lao Wang who's in charge of the blackboard bulletin board at your Women's Federation? Why is it the two of you this time?"
"Sister Gao, Sister Wang has gone out to take charge of another task area."
Yu Xiaomin smiled and explained, then turned to Mingxi and introduced, "This is Sister Gao from the labor relations department."
"Sister Gao," Mingxi greeted her politely.
Yu Xiaomin turned around and introduced him to Sister Gao: "Sister Gao, you may not know him, this is Comrade Xiaoming who joined our office a few months ago."
Sister Gao smiled warmly: "I know, I know, Comrade Mingxi, although she's a new comrade who just started working, she's very enthusiastic about her work. That ballroom dance party that your Women's Federation organized was her suggestion, right? I heard that!"
She was very outgoing: "I also heard that Xiaoming is a matchmaker, and he's really good at introducing people to potential partners? Oh, perfect timing, I have a nephew who doesn't have a girlfriend yet, Xiaoming, could you introduce him to someone?"
Mingxi: "Sure, Sister Gao, tell me about your nephew's conditions and requirements, and I'll see if I have any suitable girls here."
Sister Gao chuckled, "My nephew is quite eligible, really. He's very good-looking, but he's too picky. He doesn't like most girls. Over the years, his mother and I have introduced him to a few, but he's too demanding. He either thinks they're not good-looking or that their family background is average. I've tried to persuade him to be less picky and lower his standards a little, but he won't listen. There's nothing we can do but let him have his way. As a result, he's been letting his way, and now all his childhood friends are married and have children, while he still hasn't found a girlfriend. His family is getting anxious and is asking us relatives to help them find someone suitable to introduce him to."
Mingxi sensed something was off about the tone of those words.
Sister Gao went on and on, only saying that her nephew had good taste, without saying anything useful.
Sister Gao: "Hey Xiaoming, what are the conditions of the women you know here? Can you help me see if there are any good-looking local only children whose parents are both working?"
Before Mingxi could answer, she continued, "My nephew likes good-looking girls, but my sister-in-law and I, his mother, definitely think the girl's family background is more important. But don't get me wrong, we don't want to live off the girl's family. It's just that girls from well-off families have a broader perspective. Some girls from average families are so petty and calculating, nitpicking over every little thing. We're not an ordinary family; if we married a woman like that, people would laugh at us."
Mingxi nodded with a smile, inwardly cursing wildly.
What the heck is this?
He said in every word that he didn't want to live off the woman's family, but he kept emphasizing that the woman's family had to be well-off.
Sister Gao: "Also, the woman's education level must not be low. She should at least have graduated from high school, and it would be even better if she were a college graduate. My nephew didn't do well in school and dropped out of junior high. If he marries a woman with a low education level, who will take care of the children's education? Education is so important. Some people in society are just talking nonsense, saying that going to college is useless and that even if you graduate from college, you will still be assigned to work in a factory. You are all workers, and there is no difference between going to college and not going to college."
She glared at him and said, "I disagree with that. Although we are all workers, college graduates start as managers as soon as they enter the factory, with a starting salary of fifty-five yuan. Many people work themselves to the bone in the factory for half their lives, but they can't get promoted and their salary doesn't even reach fifty-five yuan."
"Don't you think so?" After talking for a while, Sister Gao turned her head to look at Mingxi, seeking Mingxi's support.
What else could Mingxi say? She could only nod and smile, saying, "Yes, yes."
Sister Gao: "That's right! So education is still useful. For the sake of the children, Xiaoming, you have to introduce my nephew to a highly educated partner."
"Well, Sister Gao, the most important thing when looking for a partner is that the conditions match. If your nephew wants to find a girl with a high level of education, he himself can't be too bad either."
Mingxi gave a slight smirk, offering a tactful reminder.
Sister Gao didn't realize what Mingxi meant at all, and nodded naturally, saying, "Yes, I know. My nephew is quite well-off. You haven't met him yet, but you'll know when you do."
Mingxi didn't want to be too direct, but the other person kept rambling on and on, not saying a single serious word.
Mingxi, not wanting to waste time with her, said directly, "Sister Gao, are you not very good at Chinese? Don't you know what it means to talk about your nephew's conditions? Name, age, job, education, that's what conditions are. You've been rambling on and on for so long, and all you can say is that your nephew's conditions are good. I can tell when I see him. I've been listening for so long, but I haven't heard anything good about him. He doesn't even have a junior high school diploma, does he?"
Sister Gao's expression changed, and she pointed at Mingxi's nose: "You're insulting me!"
Mingxi blinked innocently, feigning confusion, and asked, "What? Sister Gao, what are you saying? I didn't insult you!"
Then, as if she had just realized something, she slapped her forehead and said, "Oh dear, Sister Gao, you don't think that I was insulting you by saying your Chinese grades were bad, do you? You're wronged! I didn't mean that. I was just genuinely suspicious. Otherwise, why would you have been giving me irrelevant answers for so long?"
"You...you!"
Sister Gao was so angry that she pointed at Mingxi's nose and breathed heavily, one breath after another, like a water buffalo.
She stared directly at Mingxi with a fierce glint in her eyes, looking as if she might rush up and attack him at any moment.
But just then, someone from her office called out to her, "Old Gao, the work is almost done, let's go back!"
Despite her anger, Sister Gao could do nothing but glare at Mingxi resentfully before turning and leaving.
Mingxi rolled her eyes as she watched Sister Gao turn and leave.
Who is this person?
After Sister Gao left, Yu Xiaomin, who was standing to the side, hesitated and was too embarrassed to even look Mingxi in the eye. She clutched the hem of her clothes and said apologetically, "Xiaoming, I'm so sorry, Sister Gao is usually a very nice person and very warm-hearted. I was thinking of introducing you two..."
That's how it is in the workplace these days. Having more friends means having more options, and having more acquaintances makes things easier. Yu Xiaomin's introduction of Mingxi and Sister Gao was well-intentioned, but unexpectedly, they didn't become friends and even had a falling out.
Mingxi waved her hand: "Hey, is that all? I didn't even think about it, so you don't need to worry about it either."
That's what she said, but Yu Xiaomin still felt bad and was listless all morning. She hadn't even recovered by lunchtime.
When Sister Wang returned, she noticed that Yu Xiaomin seemed off. Curious, she poked Mingxi, who then recounted what had happened that morning to Sister Wang.
Sister Wang scoffed and pointed at Yu Xiaomin, saying, "You silly girl, do you really think Gao Yongfen is some kind of good person?"
She said, "You're still young. Don't be fooled by Gao Yongfen's ever-present smile and her seemingly warm and kind demeanor; she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. If you treat her like a confidante, you're in for a world of trouble!"
Fearing Yu Xiaomin wouldn't believe her, Sister Wang said, "Think about it carefully. Gao Yongfen only talks a good game, but has she actually done anything she said she would do?"
Thinking about it, Yu Xiaomin realized that Sister Gao really hadn't done anything besides talking a good game.
Sister Wang: "Also, did Gao Yongfen mention introducing you to someone?"
Yu Xiaomin nodded. Sister Gao had indeed mentioned it before, but after hearing that her family was not well-off and had a heavy burden on them, she hadn't thought about marriage for the time being, so she stopped bringing it up.
She also thought that Sister Gao was quite considerate.
When Sister Wang heard Yu Xiaomin's words, she laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Oh my silly girl, you really think Gao Yongfen is thinking of you? She's thinking of herself."
After she finished laughing, she said, "You think Gao Yongfen is going to introduce you to some good person? She wants to introduce you to her nephew, and that nephew of hers is no good at all."
Mingxi interjected, "Sister Wang, isn't Gao Yongfen's nephew quite old, unemployed, and not highly educated? His family's financial situation must not be very good either. Either both of his parents are unemployed, or only one of them has a job?"
Sister Wang stared wide-eyed in surprise: "Oh my god, Xiaoming, you know Gao Yongfen's nephew?"
Mingxi shook her head: "I don't know him."
Sister Wang: "Then how did you know about his situation?"
Yu Xiaomin: "Huh? Sister Wang, Xiaoming got everything right?"
"That's right!" Sister Wang said, "Not a single one is missing. Gao Yongfen's nephew is twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old this year. He doesn't have a job. He finished junior high school and then followed the Red Guards to get by. He didn't continue his studies. In those years when the Revolutionary Committee was still in power, he followed the henchmen of the Revolutionary Committee to persecute people everywhere. Later, when the Revolutionary Committee was dissolved, he didn't do anything proper. He just hung out with those street thugs in the alley every day."
When Yu Xiaomin heard Sister Wang say that Gao Yongfen's nephew used to be a member of the Revolutionary Committee, her face turned pale.
When she was in junior high school, she saw people from the Revolutionary Committee come to her school to arrest people. The person arrested was a Chinese language teacher at the school. She heard that the Chinese language teacher was a very good person. He was a conscientious teacher, patient with his students, and treated them the same regardless of their grades. If he encountered a student from a poor family, he would secretly use his salary to help them.
However, no one knows how the other party offended the Revolutionary Committee, and the Revolutionary Committee officially accused him of privately disseminating capitalist books and promoting capitalist culture.
When the Revolutionary Committee members stormed into the school, they started smashing and looting, even attacking innocent students. When the teacher stood up to protect the students, he was beaten like a dead dog by the Revolutionary Committee members until he was barely alive. Even then, they didn't let him go and dragged him away.
The scene of the teacher being dragged away covered in blood was a childhood nightmare for Yu Xiaomin. Even now, when she thinks about it, she feels scared and her teeth chatter uncontrollably.
Before Sister Wang could finish speaking, she glanced at Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin and whispered, "You don't know, Gao Yongfen's husband used to be in the Revolutionary Committee. Before the movement started, he was just an ordinary employee. Later, by reporting and criticizing others, he gradually climbed up the ranks in the Revolutionary Committee and became a minor leader. Once he gained power, his entire family benefited. Relying on his small amount of power in the Revolutionary Committee, he arranged for his younger brother, wife, and all his relatives to work in the labor and wages department."
The Labor and Relations Department is in charge of wages and benefits. It decides everything, including what gifts to give during the Lunar New Year, what holiday benefits to receive, and who gets housing allocation quotas.
Therefore, the Department of Labor and Personnel is widely recognized as the most lucrative and easiest department.
The intention behind Gao Yongfen's husband arranging for his entire family to work in the labor relations department is quite obvious.
Mingxi: "And then what happened?"
The Revolutionary Committee has been dissolved for several years now, has Gao Yongfen gotten away with nothing?
Sister Wang: "Later, when the Revolutionary Committee was dissolved, Gao Yongfen offended and persecuted many people when her husband was in charge. After those people were exonerated, they retaliated against him and transferred him to clean toilets."
Mingxi: "Serves you right!"
Sister Wang: "The head of the labor and personnel department had no choice but to let him arrange so many people to work in the unit. Now he has been sent to clean toilets. Of course, he doesn't need to care about his relatives. The head of the labor and personnel department found some excuses to fire those people one by one. In the end, only Gao Yongfen was left."
At this point, she snorted coldly: "Don't be fooled by Gao Yongfen's current friendly demeanor and warm attitude towards everyone. She used to be so arrogant and never even looked at people. It's just that her backing has fallen, and she's afraid that if she offends too many people at work, she won't be able to stay in the company."
Yu Xiaomin's eyes widened: "So that's how it is!"
She still thought Gao Yongfen was a really good person and a good senior!
Sister Wang: "Oh, right, Xiao Yu, you should be glad, glad that your family isn't well-off, so Gao Yongfen didn't take a liking to you."
She said, "Gao Yongfen's nephew is a good-for-nothing. He spends his days hanging out with street urchins. No decent girl would even look at him. Gao Yongfen is close to her nephew and is eager to introduce him to a woman with good prospects. At first, she looked around in their office, and later she looked around the whole unit. But everyone in our unit knows what kind of person she is, and no one takes her seriously. Only you and Xiaoming, who are new here, don't know what's going on."
Once Sister Wang explained it that way, Yu Xiaomin understood.
No wonder Gao Yongfen didn't say anything more after she mentioned that her family wasn't well-off; it turns out she didn't like her because she thought her family wasn't good enough.
Fortunately, Gao Yongfen didn't take a liking to him!
Yu Xiaomin narrowly escaped disaster; otherwise, if she had really gotten involved with Gao Yongfen's nephew, she would have been in deep trouble!
Yu Xiaomin patted her chest, still feeling a lingering fear.
But then she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Mingxi.
"Hey, Mingxi, how do you know about Gao Yongfen's situation if you don't know her nephew?"
Yu Xiaomin didn't mean anything by it; she was just curious.
Mingxi smiled and said, "Have you forgotten what I do? I've introduced at least a dozen, if not dozens, of people to me for dates. Generally speaking, those with good family or personal qualities can't wait to show off all their good points. They can usually say ten out of eight points. Gao Yongfen said her nephew was good, but she talked for a long time without giving any specifics. I knew there was something wrong with her as soon as I heard that."
Yu Xiaomin's eyes widened, but then she nodded, agreeing with Mingxi's statement.
When it comes to blind dates, conditions are quite important. If the conditions are good, they will definitely mention them right away.
Mingxi: "Moreover, generally speaking, no matter what the family's financial situation is or how good-looking they are, as long as they have a job, they will definitely say what kind of job they do. Gao Yongfen didn't mention this for a long time, so her nephew must not have a job."
"The same logic applies to family circumstances. If her nephew's family were well-off, she would definitely have talked about it in detail. The fact that she doesn't give specifics means that their circumstances are probably average. Anyway, her brother and sister-in-law are definitely not both employed; one of them must be unemployed. Or either of them are unemployed. Even if they are, it's not Gao Yongfen's brother who has a job."
"That's right!" Sister Wang exclaimed. "You were absolutely right! Gao Yongfen's brother is unemployed. Like her husband, he used to work in the Revolutionary Committee. But when the committee was dissolved, he was sent back to the factory workshop. He complained about the hardship and was lazy, working only sporadically. Eventually, he was fired. Gao Yongfen's sister-in-law, on the other hand, has a job selling goods in a department store. Her husband arranged that job for her."
Mingxi shrugged, not surprised at all.
Yu Xiaomin, standing to the side, widened her eyes and quickly asked, "Then, what about his education? How can you tell that Gao Yongfen's nephew doesn't have a high level of education?"
Mingxi: "Like I said, when it comes to blind dates, you can always get to the bottom of things. In this case, if Gao Yongfen said his grades weren't good, then they really weren't. The most important thing is that Gao Yongfen said he didn't continue studying in junior high school, not that he stopped studying after graduating from junior high. Don't think that just because he's missing two words, it makes a big difference. I bet he definitely didn't graduate from junior high school."
If it were a junior high school graduate, Gao Yongfen would definitely have emphasized that.
Yu Xiaomin: "Amazing, you're truly amazing!"
She opened her eyes wide, her face filled with emotion: "You said I was right next to you, and I heard Gao Yongfen's words. How come I didn't think of that!"
Mingxi sighed and said, "It's nothing. You'll understand once you see more of the world. Some people aren't well-off, so when they ask a matchmaker to introduce them to someone, they'll be vague. But an experienced matchmaker can tell right away."
Yu Xiaomin: "Being a matchmaker isn't easy either; you have to solve cases just like the police."
Mingxi smiled and said, "Well, you can't say that. Similarly, some irresponsible matchmakers do the same. When introducing someone to someone who isn't well-off, they'll deliberately be vague."
"Yes, Qian Jinhua used to do it this way!"
When Mingxi said that, Yu Xiaomin remembered it. She said, "Qian Jinhua is like that. When she introduced him, she said that he was an honest man, not talkative, and a family man. But it turned out that he was old, not talkative, stayed at home all day, and did nothing productive."
Mingxi nodded: "Yes, that's how Qian Jinhua is."
Speaking of Qian Jinhua, Yu Xiaomin gets angry. Not to mention those with ulterior motives who know what kind of person Qian Jinhua is, many people who ask Qian Jinhua to introduce them to potential partners are actually being deceived by her.
She deliberately went to places where no one had heard of her bad reputation, using the promise of marrying into the city to deceive women. In the end, she introduced them to men who were either abusive or disabled, ruining their lives.
Fortunately, Qian Jinhua has now been sentenced to reform through labor in the Northwest, so she can no longer make fun of people.
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Author's Note: I'll be going home for a couple of days, so updates will be shorter. Regular updates will resume on the 6th.
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