Chapter 23 Looking at Mingxi, she remained silent the whole way, always…
Mingxi remained silent the whole way, finally leading Wu Zhensheng to the agreed-upon restaurant. Huang Pingping had reserved the seats in advance. Mingxi gave her name to the waiter at the door, and the waiter led the two into the restaurant.
As you walk through the revolving door, you are greeted by a high, round dome, crystal chandeliers, and Roman columns carved with exquisite patterns... The restaurant's decor exudes luxury and elegance.
Wu Zhensheng, who was full of energy at the door, became timid and hesitant as soon as he entered, walking very lightly as if afraid of damaging the marble floor tiles.
Mingxi slapped Wu Zhensheng on the back: "What kind of coward are you? Stand up straight, chest out! You're a handsome young man, show me your spirit!"
Wu Zhensheng subconsciously straightened his chest and raised his back.
Mingxi: "That's more like it. Everything was fine the way here, so why did you mess things up when we got here?"
Wu Zhensheng whispered, "I've never been to a place like this before. This place is really intimidating."
The receptionists at the door were all dressed in sharp, shiny white suits, which looked much more upscale than the one he had specially bought.
Mingxi: "Hey, no matter how fancy it is, it's still just a place to eat."
Wu Zhensheng: "That's what you say, but..."
"No buts, I see people." Mingxi waved to Huang Pingping, who was sitting not far away, and pulled Wu Zhensheng over quickly.
Mingxi: "I'm so sorry, we're late."
Grandma Sun quickly waved her hand: "No, no, we just arrived early."
As she spoke, she openly stole glances at Wu Zhensheng behind Mingxi. To be honest, this was the first time Sun Xiuzhen had ever met Wu Zhensheng. The last time Wu Zhensheng visited the Ming family, Sun Xiuzhen and Zhao Sulan were inside and didn't see him at all.
Sun Xiuzhen looked Wu Zhensheng up and down.
Well, I must say, this young man is quite good-looking.
He looked much more energetic than Feng Fan, and his features were quite upright; he seemed like a person who lived a proper life.
Mingxi introduced them to each other: "Aunt Sun, Pingping, this is Comrade Wu Zhensheng. Wu Zhensheng, this is Aunt Sun and her daughter, Comrade Huang Pingping."
Wu Zhensheng stepped forward, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, and said, "Hello, Aunt Sun, hello, Comrade Huang."
Sun Xiuzhen and Huang Pingping were completely dumbfounded by Wu Zhensheng.
Why does this child perform such a grand gesture right from the start?
Mingxi didn't expect Wu Zhensheng to do this, so she quickly grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled him up.
"Hahaha, Comrade Wu is just such a polite person," Mingxi said with a dry laugh, trying to smooth things over.
Sun Xiuzhen: "Being polite is good, being polite is a good thing."
"But we're all family here, there's no need to be so polite."
Wu Zhensheng belatedly realized that he had embarrassed himself again.
He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure where to look. In his confusion, his eyes met Huang Pingping's smiling gaze.
Huang Pingping: This person is quite cute.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone sat down. Sun Xiuzhen took the initiative to greet them, saying, "It's getting late, Comrade Xiaoming, you must be hungry. Here, this is the menu. Take a look and see what you'd like to order."
Mingxi took the menu and casually handed it to Wu Zhensheng.
She's just an introducer, nothing more than an extra; it's inappropriate to let her order the food.
Wu Zhensheng was stunned for a moment, then took the menu and opened it.
Although it's a Western restaurant, it's state-owned after all, so the prices are relatively affordable. Even the more expensive braised beef in a pot only costs three yuan.
Wu Zhensheng flipped through the menu. The names on the menu were flashy and complicated; some dishes were completely unpredictable just by looking at the names. He flipped through two pages but still didn't know what to order. However, he had one good point: he was honest.
He put down the menu, looked directly at Huang Pingping with his droopy eyes, and said honestly, "I've never been here before, so I don't know what good food there is. Comrade Huang, you should be more familiar with this place, so you can order."
Huang Pingping didn't stand on ceremony and readily took the menu: "Then I'll order. Do you have any dietary restrictions or things you don't eat?"
Wu Zhensheng: "No, I eat everything."
Huang Pingping: "Do you like sweets?"
Wu Zhensheng: "I like it."
Huang Pingping: "I like it too. Let me tell you, if you like sweet things, you have to order the borscht here, it's super delicious, as is the braised beef in a pot, which is also super delicious with the bread here."
Wu Zhensheng swallowed hard: "Then let's order this!"
Huang Pingping: "And also, the ice cream here is super delicious!"
Wu Zhensheng: "Then one of these too!"
The two chattered away, discussing what to eat. Mingxi and Sun Xiuzhen couldn't help but smile as they watched their heads almost touching.
After deciding what dishes to order, the two young people started chatting.
Huang Pingping: "You like sweets too?"
Wu Zhen: "Yes, I like it. When I was a child, my family was not well-off. My mother would only buy candy during the Chinese New Year. And the candy she bought was the kind that was hard and didn't taste very good, but I liked it a lot when I was a child. Because the candy was big, I could hold one in my mouth for a long time."
Huang Pingping was momentarily flustered.
Both her parents worked, and she was their only child, so she never lacked sweets growing up. She ate all kinds of candies—fruit candies, milk candies, and even chocolate, which was rare back then—and got tired of them. Without Wu Zhensheng's experience, she didn't know how to respond for a moment.
She thought for a moment and said, "I have lots of different flavors of candy at home. If you like, I'll bring you some next time."
Wu Zhensheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed, revealing his two tiger teeth, and said, "What do you like to eat? I'll bring it for you next time."
Upon hearing this, Mingxi, who had been pretending to be invisible, couldn't help but wink at Sun Xiuzhen.
The two agreed to meet again, so there's hope for this.
After the meal, Sun Xiuzhen was extremely satisfied with Wu Zhensheng. Coincidentally, her daughter also seemed interested in him, and Sun Xiuzhen was almost ready to settle things between the two of them right away.
However, Sun Xiuzhen still had some worries.
She pursed her lips and said, "Xiao Wu, I heard you have quite a few brothers?"
Wu Zhensheng nodded: "Yes, there are five brothers in my family, including me."
Sun Xiuzhen: "Xiaoming told me before that there is quite a big age gap between your brothers. Your eldest and second eldest brothers are already married, and your youngest brother is still in junior high school, right?"
Wu Zhensheng nodded again.
Sun Xiuzhen: So what are your family's plans? After you get married, do you plan to live with your whole family?
She chuckled twice and said, "Don't think I'm trying to sow discord between you and your family. I just want to ask."
Sun Xiuzhen's question wasn't just a simple inquiry. The Wu family has many children. If Huang Pingping were to marry into the Wu family, she would have to deal with her mother-in-law, her two sisters-in-law, and her two younger brothers-in-law.
Only you know your own child.
Huang Pingping was well protected by her family from a young age. After graduating from high school, she went to work in a factory, and was under the supervision of her father. She never experienced complicated interpersonal relationships and had a simple mind.
With so many people in the Wu family living under one roof, minor squabbles are inevitable. If Wu's two sisters-in-law and mother are all easygoing, things will be fine. But if one of them is scheming, Huang Pingping will always be bullied.
Therefore, Sun Xiuzhen naturally hoped that Wu Zhensheng could separate the family property after marriage.
If she can't do that, then she'll have to reconsider whether Wu Zhensheng is a good match for her Pingping.
Wu Zhensheng wasn't stupid. He said, "Aunt Sun, I understand what you mean. I've thought about this before. I'll move out of my family home after I get married. But I'm still an apprentice, and I won't be allocated housing by the factory, so I'll probably have to rent a place first. It would be best if the factory could allocate housing later. If not, I'll buy a house. I've saved up some money over the years."
Sun Xiuzhen nodded in satisfaction.
Wu Zhensheng really surprised her. He not only suggested that she move out and live separately after marriage, but also considered the house.
To be honest, whether he gets a house or not, or whether he has the money to buy one, is not the key issue. After all, the Huang family is wealthy, and Huang Pingping is their only daughter.
It's just a matter of being short of money, isn't it?
They would be willing to pay for the house directly.
What's truly admirable is Wu Zhensheng's willingness to consider these things in advance.
Huang Pingping listened to Sun Xiuzhen and Wu Zhensheng talking.
At first she was a little confused, but then she realized that the reason her mother asked Wu Zhensheng these questions was because she was considering what would happen after she married Wu Zhensheng.
After marriage.
Thinking about this, Huang Pingping couldn't help but feel shy.
Her mother really thinks far ahead.
She had only just met Wu Zhensheng when her mother started thinking about what would happen after they got married!
However, Huang Pingping herself couldn't help but start imagining.
Did she marry Wu Zhensheng?
She had heard from a colleague that marriage should never be impulsive; one must thoroughly investigate the other person, especially their food preferences. Her colleague had a mild palate and couldn't handle spicy food, while her husband's family, who had moved from Sichuan, were addicted to spicy food and needed chili peppers in every meal. Sometimes, they could even finish a bowl of rice with just chili powder. Her colleague and her husband's family couldn't get along at all, and there were frequent fights and conflicts within the family.
However, Huang Pingping felt that she and Wu Zhensheng should not have such a problem.
After all, the two of them have similar tastes in food.
However, after they get married, they might have conflicts because they both like to eat the same things and fight over the food.
Huang Pingping thought about it seriously, but quickly realized that she was overthinking it.
She wasn't stingy, and Wu Zhensheng wasn't possessive of his food.
Wu Zhensheng just served her some food!
Seeing that she liked braised beef in a pot, Wu Zhensheng gave her most of his portion!
So they probably won't argue about what to eat.
Hmm, probably not!
Huang Pingping was deep in thought. By this time, Sun Xiuzhen and Wu Zhensheng had finished their conversation.
Mingxi glanced at the time. "Aunt Sun," she said, "we've almost finished eating. Shall we pack up and go?"
Before Sun Xiuzhen could reply, she affectionately took Sun Xiuzhen's arm and said, "Aunt Sun, I heard that the department store has new goods today. Shall we go and have a look? As for Comrade Huang and Comrade Wu, let's just leave them alone and let them find somewhere to have fun!"
As she spoke, she winked at Sun Xiuzhen.
Sun Xiuzhen immediately understood what she meant: "Okay!"
The two exchanged a glance, immediately stood up, and before Huang Pingping and Wu Zhensheng could react, they disappeared in a flash.
Wu Zhensheng: ? ? ?
Huang Pingping: ? ? ?
A note from the author:
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Speaking of which, whether or not you can eat the same things is a very important issue in marriage!
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