Chapter 51: Aunt He proposed holding a ballroom dance party: ...
Aunt He: "Xiaoming, you still haven't told me. Who was that person who brought you back just now? Was it your boyfriend? No, I've never heard of you having a boyfriend."
Mingxi smirked: "Of course you haven't heard of it, because I've never even been in a relationship."
"The person who just brought me back was Wei Ning, the youngest son of the Wei family. We happened to be eating in Zhushikou today, and we bumped into each other after dinner. He kindly offered me a ride back."
Mingxi explained helplessly.
If she doesn't explain herself clearly today, the news of her dating someone will spread throughout the entire alley tomorrow.
"We're not dating anymore..."
Mingxi nodded: "No, that's not it!"
Aunt He sighed regretfully. She thought Mingxi was dating someone, and she would have some gossip to read, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
Aunt He rolled her eyes and said, "Xiao Ming, you've been setting up so many couples for others, haven't you thought about your own situation?"
She said, "Look, you're twenty this year, not young anymore, and it's time to find a partner. Have you thought about what kind of person you'd like?"
Mingxi twitched the corner of her mouth. How did this get to whether she was looking for a boyfriend or not?
She pursed her lips: "Aunt He, you're out so late at night, are you just waiting for me to come back and urge me to find a boyfriend?"
Even her mother wasn't this worried.
Aunt He pouted: "What are you saying? Do you think I'm someone who has nothing better to do? I came out to use the restroom."
Mingxi: "Then why aren't you going?"
"Oh dear, now that you mention it, my stomach is starting to hurt again." Aunt He bent over, clutching her stomach. "I really need to go to the toilet right away."
After saying that, she waved to Mingxi, bent over and huddled together, and ran towards the toilet at the entrance of the alley.
Mingxic shook his head as he watched Aunt He's departing figure, then stepped over the threshold and into the courtyard.
It was around nine o'clock. Several families in the courtyard had already gone to bed, and the lights in their houses were all off. However, the light in Ming's house was still on, and a dim yellow light shone through the window.
Mingxi walked to her front door and was about to raise her hand to call Zhao Sulan to open the door for her when she saw the door being opened from the inside. Zhao Sulan said, "Were you talking to someone in the front yard just now? I could tell from the noise that it was you who came back."
Mingxi: "Oh, Wei Ning just brought me back, and Aunt He saw us and we chatted for a bit."
"Wei Ning brought you back?" Zhao Sulan grasped the key point.
Mingxi could only explain again: "I just happened to run into Wei Ning at the restaurant, and I bumped into his car on my way back."
Zhao Sulan: "Oh, I see."
They were all residents of the same alley, and Wei Ning and Ming Xi were the same age, so they saw each other all the time. Getting a ride was nothing special for them.
Zhao Sulan: "By the way, how was today's fortune telling?"
At this point, Mingxi's face lit up with gossip as she shared with Zhao Sulan the story of Wei Yong'an and Ma Meixia's matchmaking.
"Wei Yong'an and Ma Meixia get along very well. When they talk, I can't get a word in edgewise. And the two of them get along really well. I reckon they'll be sending good news soon."
Zhao Sulan: That's great.
Mingxi nodded, and as she spoke, she saw Zhao Sulan yawn again. She nudged Zhao Sulan's shoulder and said, "Mom, if you're sleepy, go to sleep."
Zhao Sulan: "Okay, then I'll go back to my room and sleep. There's hot water in the thermos. You should tidy up and go to sleep too, you have to go to work tomorrow."
Mingxi responded, tidied up quickly, and soon got into bed. She reached out and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. Mingxi closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.
I slept without any dreams.
In June and July, it gets light early; it's already getting light around 4 a.m., and by 6 a.m. the sun is already high in the sky.
Mingxi was awakened by the sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains. She rubbed her eyes groggily and saw that the old-fashioned clock on the wall showed that it was already 6:30. She quickly got up.
Mingxi quickly dressed and put on her shoes. With her messy, unkempt hair, she carried a toothbrush cup and a washbasin, with a towel draped over her shoulder, and went to the sink to wash up.
Zhao Sulan always gets up earlier than Mingxi. While Mingxi is still hurriedly washing up, Zhao Sulan has already finished getting ready and heated up breakfast.
When Mingxi returned after washing up, Zhao Sulan brought the warmed-up breakfast to the table: "Let's eat."
Mingxi quickly sat down, grabbed a steamed bun, and began to wolf it down.
The hour hand of the old-fashioned clock reached seven, and the minute hand pointed to twelve in the middle. Mingxi and Zhao Sulan had just finished breakfast.
Mingxi wiped her mouth, slung her bag over her shoulder, and said, "Mom, I'm leaving now after I finish eating!"
Mingxi, carrying her bag, jogged out of the courtyard. She met familiar faces in the alley and greeted them one by one.
"Uncle Wang, you've already come back from walking the pigeons so early?"
"Uncle Li, are you going fishing?"
"Hey, Aunt He, where are you taking such a big shopping basket?"
Aunt He: "You don't know? I'm going to the morning market. I heard there's a vegetable market in the western suburbs where the vegetables are really cheap. Oh dear, I can't talk to you anymore, or I'll miss my bus."
Aunt He waved her hand, wiggled her legs, and quickly left.
Mingxi: "..."
"Ring ring—"
The sound of a bicycle bell rang behind Mingxi. She instinctively dodged to the side, but the bicycle did not pass her as she expected. Instead, it stopped right next to her.
Wei Ning, with one foot on the ground, smiled at Ming Xi: "Comrade Ming, going to work? Want me to give you a ride?"
"No need!" Mingxi shook her head vigorously.
Hitching a ride with Wei Ning at night can be excused as being worried about safety while walking at night, but riding in the back of Wei Ning's car early in the morning is a completely different story.
She definitely didn't want any rumors about Wei Ning!
Mingxi: "The Women's Federation and the steel mill aren't on the same route, so you don't need to make a special trip!"
"Besides, the Women's Federation isn't far away; it's just a short walk." Ming Xi waved to Wei Ning, "I'm off now, bye!"
She turned and walked away with light steps, her braid swaying behind her.
The Women's Federation was indeed not far away, and Mingxi arrived at her workplace quickly. She went into her office, put her bag on her desk, and got up to pour herself a glass of water, only to find that the kettle was light. She picked it up and shook it, and there was indeed no water inside.
She picked up the thermos and went to the boiler room to get hot water. It was early morning, and the boiler room staff had probably just started work. Mingxi waited a while before the water turned on.
When Liu Wenhong returned with the water, almost everyone else in the office had already arrived. She caught sight of Mingxi carrying the kettle and immediately went to her with a cup.
She forgets the lesson of being hungry last time and immediately launches into a lecture on Mingxi.
“Mingxi, you’re a new colleague, so as a senior colleague, I’d like to offer you some pointers. Our office is the furthest from the water room, so we have to walk all the way down the corridor to get hot water, which is very inconvenient. Especially since we have several older employees in our office, all in their forties or fifties, and their health isn’t good; it’s unsafe for them to carry the kettle back and forth. As a newcomer and a young colleague, you should fully embody the spirit of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and be helpful to others. Come early every morning to get hot water from the water room. After you’ve gotten it, pour water into everyone’s cups so everyone can drink directly when they arrive.”
Mingxi wasn't going to put up with her. She rolled her eyes and said directly.
"Do you think this is the old society, and you're the Empress Dowager?"
Liu Wenhong shuddered: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Although their Women's Federation is not an administrative unit, it still has strict requirements for ideological awareness. Even if she did nothing wrong, if Mingxi's words get out, she won't get any credit.
Mingxi: "If you don't consider yourself the Empress Dowager, then why do you make me your servant? You make me come every morning to fetch hot water and pour it into your cup. Why don't you let me feed you? You're forty years old, not eighty. You're perfectly capable. What can't you do?"
Liu Wenhong: "You!"
Her eyes were bloodshot with anger, and she glared at Mingxi with puffed-out cheeks, like a frog that had reached its limit of rage.
Mingxi: "What do you mean, 'you'? I haven't finished speaking yet."
She looked at Liu Wenhong and said, "If you can't even get hot water, then I don't think you can contribute anything to the unit. You might as well retire early and make room for someone else."
Liu Wenhong was furious and embarrassed. Her face turned red, and she waved her hands, her fingers pointing at Mingxi's face.
"How can you say such a thing? I'm making this suggestion not only for myself, but also for the other older colleagues in our office. You're young and strong, so why can't you do more work and take care of the older staff who can't work anymore? How can you not know how to respect the elderly and care for the young!"
She tried to use her moral high ground to manipulate Mingxi.
Mingxi refused to be coerced: "You're right, respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a traditional virtue, and we should respect the elderly and care for the young."
Just as Liu Wenhong was wondering why Mingxi had suddenly changed her attitude, she heard Mingxi speak.
"So shouldn't you take care of me, a young child? I'm the youngest in our office."
Liu Wenhong's eyes widened in disbelief; she hadn't expected Mingxi to be so shameless.
Is she, a person in her early twenties, still considered young?
This is nothing!
Mingxi didn't care; she was only a baby of 240 months old.
Mingxi: "In our office, there are colleagues like Sister Wang and Sister Zhang who are older than you, and there are also colleagues like me and Xiaoyu who are younger than you. As the one in the middle, Sister Wenhong, shouldn't you give full play to the spirit of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and take better care of us?"
Liu Wenhong: "You, you..."
She was completely speechless.
Seeing her like this, Mingxi pouted and said, "It seems that Sister Wenhong's respect for the elderly and love for the young is just lip service."
After she finished speaking, she poured herself some water and turned to leave without even looking at Liu Wenhong.
Standing there, Liu Wenhong gritted her teeth, enduring the scrutinizing gazes from all sides of the office.
Fine, fine, Mingxi, you've embarrassed her again, haven't you!
She'll remember this grudge!
Liu Wenhong was so angry that she didn't even remember that she had come to pour water. She angrily took the empty cup and walked back to her desk.
Just then, Director Shen arrived.
Director Shen glanced at everyone in the office: "Everyone's here, right? Perfect timing, I need to call a meeting to discuss something. Everyone, grab your notebooks and pens and head to the meeting room."
Although she didn't know what Director Shen was going to say today, upon hearing this, Mingxi immediately grabbed a pen and paper and followed Yu Xiaomin into the conference room.
Inside the meeting room, as everyone took their seats, Director Shen took out a document.
"Ahem, these past two days, Xiao Yu and Xiao Ming have been compiling and organizing the materials submitted by various factories. I reviewed the report yesterday and discovered a very serious problem!"
Director Shen: "That is to say, the comrades from various factories are not very enthusiastic about participating in our social gathering."
Pointing to the documents, she said, "In steel mills, less than half of the single people sign up for the social gatherings, and there are even fewer older single people. The situation is even more serious in textile mills than in steel mills."
Director Shen was anxious. This social gathering was the biggest event the Women's Federation was preparing to hold in the first half of the year. It was to prove to the higher-ups that the Women's Federation was not just a department that could only deal with trivial matters such as daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law fighting or daughters-in-law arguing with their husbands.
But now, the number of people who signed up for such an important social gathering has not even reached the expected number, with only a few hundred or so people. What kind of person is this!
Director Shen frowned and tightened his chin: "I'm holding this meeting today to ask for your thoughts. Do you know why things are like this?"
When given the opportunity to impress the leaders, Liu Wenhong immediately raised her hand.
Director Shen: "No need to raise your hand. Just say what you have to say. Xiao Liu, you go ahead."
Liu Wenhong stood up: "I think this situation must be due to a problem with the cooperation between the various factories. Maybe the factory unions and women's federations are just paying lip service and not promoting this social event as we requested, so the employees in each factory are completely unaware of it."
As soon as Liu Wenhong said this, the two comrades next to her immediately frowned.
Mingxi glanced over and saw that the two people were none other than Sister Wang and Sister Zhang, whom Liu Wenhong had mentioned earlier. They were the two most senior comrades in the office, having worked at the Women's Federation longer than Liu Wenhong herself.
Sister Wang said unhappily, "Xiao Liu, what do you mean by that? The task of notifying the women's federations and trade unions of each factory was assigned to Lao Zhang and me. We went to every factory and confirmed that they did indeed communicate the news of the social gathering to the comrades below as we told them."
"Are you implying that Lao Zhang and I didn't do our job properly, or do you suspect that Lao Zhang and I fabricated something?"
Liu Wenhong didn't expect that her attempt to make a good impression would offend her older colleagues in the office, so she quickly tried to explain.
"No, Sister Wang, you've misunderstood. I absolutely didn't suspect you or Sister Zhang. It's definitely not your fault. I just think the factory might have been deceiving you; they didn't..."
Sister Wang: "Heh, so you mean you doubt that Lao Zhang and I are capable enough to be easily fooled by others?"
The more Liu Wenhong talked, the more she felt like she was mud falling into a pit, unable to explain herself no matter what she did.
Director Shen frowned and said, "Old Wang, you and Old Zhang calm down. Little Liu probably doesn't mean to blame you."
Liu Wenhong's eyes lit up, and she looked at Director Shen excitedly.
Fortunately, Director Shen understands her!
However, Director Shen then added, "But Xiao Liu, you're probably overthinking it. I asked the women's federation and union director of the steel plant yesterday, and they are taking this social gathering very seriously. They're not just going through the motions. The steel plant's employees also know that the women's federation is going to hold a social gathering, but everyone's enthusiasm is still not high."
Liu Wenhong opened her mouth awkwardly, then lowered her head.
Having failed to impress, she should just keep quiet.
With Liu Wenhong's failed example before them, no one else in the meeting room dared to speak easily. For a moment, the huge meeting room was completely silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
At this moment, Mingxi tentatively raised her hand: "Could it be that the format of the social gathering is too boring?"
Director Shen became interested. She leaned slightly forward and looked at Mingxi: "Xiaoming, can you tell me in detail?"
Mingxi: "When I was organizing the data these past few days, I found that various factories in our city have held similar social events in the past two years. For example, the steel factory held two such events last year alone. Each time, they just arranged for unmarried men and women to have dinner and chat, which was no different from a large-scale matchmaking event."
"To be precise, this kind of social gathering is not as good as a matchmaking event. I used to be a matchmaker, and the premise for arranging a matchmaking event for people who came to me for introductions was that I had introduced the other party to both sides, and both sides were satisfied with the other party's situation."
"As for the social gatherings arranged by the factory, the comrades who attended didn't know what the person sitting next to them was like, and they didn't know what to say if they wanted to start a conversation. Usually, they would finish a meal without saying more than a few words to the person next to them."
"Therefore, the results of social gatherings are generally not very good. Over time, people's enthusiasm for social gatherings naturally decreases."
Everyone in the meeting room nodded in agreement after hearing this. Director Shen asked thoughtfully, "So, what do you think is the best way to solve this problem?"
Mingxi: "I think we can change the format of the social gathering and enrich its content, moving away from focusing on meals and turning it into a dance party."
She explained the reason in detail: "There are too many people attending the social gathering, making it too difficult for all attendees to know the information of those present."
Organizing the information of all the participants in the social gathering is a huge task, and distributing the information to all the participants after it is compiled is another considerable workload.
The problem is that even if all the participants' information is distributed, it won't be very effective because there are too many people and it's too chaotic. Even if you see someone you're interested in in the information, it's difficult to find them right away.
Mingxi: "So I plan to skip the step of researching information and directly use ballroom dancing to bring people together at the social event."
Ballroom dancing is a very special activity. Physical contact between the two people dancing is essential. In this situation, the two people can quickly close the distance and develop feelings for each other.
Moreover, a song doesn't last too long, so even if the two dancers don't like each other, they can freely change partners after the song ends.
If two people find themselves drawn to each other while listening to a song and want to continue their relationship, they can go to the self-service food area to eat and chat, thus deepening their understanding of each other.
After Mingxi briefly explained her thoughts, the young comrades present all showed expressions of longing.
Mingxi's idea of a social gathering sounds so interesting, they all want to attend!
Several older comrades, especially Liu Wenhong, showed their disapproval.
She already had a problem with Mingxi, and she was particularly annoyed to see Mingxi appear at the meeting. Just as she was thinking of finding fault with Mingxi's words, she heard Mingxi say that she wanted to hold a ballroom dance party.
She immediately stood up and said, "No way! Ballroom dancing is a capitalist thing, a petty bourgeois thing! Besides, a group of men and women, holding hands, arms around each other, dancing so close together, what's the difference between that and being a hooligan! It's too indecent!"
Liu Wenhong was focused on Mingxi, and disregarding the fact that they were still in a meeting, she put on airs and lectured Mingxi in front of Director Shen and several senior colleagues in the office.
"Xiaoming, I understand that as a new comrade, you want to make a name for yourself and are eager to earn merit, but you can't ignore what kind of organization the Women's Federation is and come up with such a ridiculous idea. If you ruin the social gathering, it will be a disgrace to all the comrades in our Women's Federation!"
Upon hearing Liu Wenhong's words, Director Shen's expression turned displeased.
In her opinion, Liu Wenhong's words went too far.
Before any of her superiors had even said anything, Liu Wenhong jumped out in a hurry to criticize Mingxi. Wasn't that disrespecting her?
Director Shen's face darkened, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to see what Mingxi would say.
Mingxi certainly wouldn't remain silent about Liu Wenhong's blatant targeting.
Mingxi's gaze pierced Liu Wenhong like a sharp sword: "You say ballroom dancing is petty bourgeois? Then don't you know that a ballroom dance was held at the Spring Festival Gala in the Great Hall of the People two years ago? Or do you think that the people who held the ballroom dance and those who attended it were all petty bourgeois?"
Liu Wenhong's throat tightened, and she fell silent instantly, like a rooster being choked.
Mingxi turned around and faced the crowd: "It's not just the Spring Festival Gala two years ago. In the past two years, ballroom dancing has become a legitimate activity for young people to socialize and have fun. Various universities have held ballroom dancing parties on important holidays. This April, the Beicheng Workers' Cultural Palace even held a ballroom dancing competition, which was reported in the newspapers at the time. So I think we don't need to regard ballroom dancing as a monster."
Director Shen nodded slightly.
Mingxi continued, "However, introducing ballroom dancing into the social association is indeed a challenge for our Women's Federation."
"First, we need to strictly control the number of people attending the social gathering to prevent unscrupulous individuals from causing trouble. At the same time, we need to pay attention to security at the gathering to prevent people from using ballroom dancing as an excuse to engage in indecent behavior. These are the only two points I can think of for now. I'm sure everyone can think of more. If we decide to hold a ballroom dance party, I look forward to your additions."
After Mingxi finished speaking, Director Shen showed an appreciative expression.
No wonder she specially recruited this comrade.
Although Mingxi's idea is still somewhat immature and incomplete, it is novel and brings fresh blood to the Women's Federation.
Director Shen's gaze swept over everyone in the conference room, and he asked, "Xiao Ming has finished speaking. Does anyone else have any other thoughts?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Director Shen: "Then let's end our meeting here for now. I need to ask for the higher-ups' opinion on holding a ballroom dance at the social gathering. We'll discuss it further once we've confirmed their thoughts."
She stood up: "Let's adjourn the meeting."
After she finished speaking, she led the way out of the conference room, and the others in the conference room also stood up and followed her out.
Yu Xiaomin strode over to Mingxi's side: "Wow, Mingxi, you're amazing! I was so nervous when Liu Wenhong was arguing with you just now, afraid that Director Shen would say the same thing to you. I didn't expect you to be so calm and refute her so logically that she couldn't say a word!"
Mingxi smiled and said, "No, I was nervous just now too."
"However, I trust Director Shen. Director Shen is different from Liu Wenhong. She lets us speak our minds, and even if we say something wrong, Director Shen won't criticize us."
Yu Xiaoming thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. Although Director Shen is serious, he won't criticize people for no reason."
At this point, she glanced at Liu Wenhong, who was not far ahead, and said, "No wonder Director Shen is the real leader. Unlike her, who can't distinguish right from wrong and always tries to lecture people whenever she gets the chance, acting like she's so great."
There is no doubt that Yu Xiaomin is subtly criticizing Liu Wenhong.
Mingxi didn't say anything, but Yu Xiaomin laughed out loud before she could say anything: "But this time, she was rendered speechless by you, a newcomer, at the meeting, and completely lost face!"
Yu Xiaomin felt incredibly relieved!
She laughed and chatted as she returned to her desk with Mingxi, completely oblivious to Liu Wenhong's dark and gloomy face.
Director Shen returned to her office, thought for a moment, picked up the phone, and dialed her husband's number.
"Hey, Lao Yang, do you have a moment right now? I have something to ask you."
When Director Shen's husband answered the phone, he was taken aback. He knew that his wife wouldn't call him during work hours unless there was something important.
He coughed twice: "You have time, so tell me what it is."
Director Shen: "It's about the social gathering that the Women's Federation wants to organize. Do you think it would be a bit too much if we organized it in the form of a ballroom dance?"
Her main concern was whether anyone in the organization would object to this.
Director Shen's husband thought for a moment and said, "It's alright. The atmosphere within the organization isn't as tense as it was a few years ago. Besides, there have been plenty of ballroom dances in society, so they won't hold a grudge against your Women's Federation this time."
"However, I am curious, how did you suddenly come up with the idea of holding a ballroom dance?"
Director Shen used the phone and then threw it away. After getting the answer he wanted, he ruthlessly hung up the phone: "We can talk about all that stuff when I get home tonight. I have something to do here, so I'm hanging up now."
Director Shen's husband on the other end of the phone: "..."
Just then, someone knocked on the door and came in. He put down the phone and asked, "What's wrong?"
"District Chief Yang, there is a document that needs your signature."
"Bring it here."
After Director Shen confirmed that organizing a ballroom dance would not exceed the permitted limits, he immediately began to make plans.
To host a ballroom dance party, you first need venue support, as well as sound equipment, a stage, security, and most importantly, funds to purchase drinks and food for the buffet.
Director Shen thought for a moment, then picked up the receiver and dialed another number.
-
The details of the social gathering are still undecided, but the wedding arrangements for Wei Yong'an and Ma Meixia have been finalized.
When Mingxi heard that Wei Yong'an was going to propose marriage to Ma Meixia, her mouth dropped open.
Although she had expected that the two of them should be getting married soon, she didn't expect it to be this close!
Wei Yong'an said politely, "I'd appreciate it if Comrade Ming could accompany me on this trip tomorrow."
Mingxi touched her chin and closed her mouth, waving her hand: "No trouble at all."
The following Sunday, Mingxi didn't have to go to work, but she still got up very early.
With her regular work schedule, her biological clock has become fixed, and she wakes up at 6:30 every morning.
After she finished getting ready and had breakfast, Wei Yong'an led Bai Shuzhen to her door.
Since it was a marriage proposal, Wei Yong'an had a happy expression on his face, and Bai Shuzhen beside him also looked delighted.
She wasn't happy for Wei Yong'an; she was happy that she could soon shed the labels of "wicked mother-in-law" and "heartless stepmother."
She's suffering so much!
Because of what happened before, she has been called an evil mother-in-law and a heartless stepmother for the past few years. Her neighbors in the courtyard don't like to talk to her and gossip about her behind her back.
This caused even her own children to have a problem with her.
Bai Shuzhen's own son had the strongest opinion, in particular.
Her son is twenty years old this year. Before the Lunar New Year, he went on blind dates, but every single one ended badly. Her son said it was all her fault. He said that with a mother with such a bad reputation, no one would want to marry him.
This broke Bai Shuzhen's heart. She had gone through so much trouble just for her biological son, but now her son would be a bachelor for life because of her inability to find a partner. What was she going to do?
Bai Shuzhen was hoping that Wei Yong'an would get married soon. After the marriage, she would put on an act and perform a scene of a close mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship with her new daughter-in-law to wash away her previous bad reputation.
Thinking of this, Bai Shuzhen put on a friendly face towards Ming Xi, giving him a kind smile and saying politely, "Thank you for your help today, Comrade Ming."
Mingxi couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
Look at Bai Shuzhen's mental fortitude.
We had such a bad argument last time, but now I can still smile at her when we meet.
She couldn't do that.
Mingxi nodded indifferently: "It's no trouble at all."
The three of them headed straight for the Ma family's house. The Ma family knew that Wei Yong'an was going to propose marriage today, so they were waiting at the door early in the morning.
Upon seeing Mingxi and the other two arrive, Ma Meixia quickly introduced them to her parents: "Mom and Dad, this is Wei Yong'an. You can just call him Xiao Wei."
"Wei Yong'an, these are my parents, and this is my brother."
Wei Yong'an greeted them politely: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt, hello, elder brother."
Mr. Ma's face flushed red as he looked at Wei Yong'an, unsure of what to do with his hands.
Mr. Ma was an honest and unassuming man who never amounted to anything in his life. His wife was the same—honest and unassuming—and their son was the same. The only exception was their daughter, Ma Meixia, who had a strong and outspoken personality.
He knew his daughter had high aspirations and was determined to marry into a wealthy family, but he didn't have any hope for that. After all, in his eyes, his daughter was just an ordinary person.
Unexpectedly, this actually happened. His daughter really did marry into a wealthy family and hit it off with Wei Yong'an. He even came to propose marriage today.
He didn't put on any airs of being Wei Yong'an's future father-in-law.
Although Wei Yong'an is here today as his son-in-law, who is Wei Yong'an? He is the director of the propaganda department of the textile factory, a leader!
As an ordinary worker, how could he dare to put on airs with a leader?
Mr. Ma stammered, "This...this is Director Wei, oh no, Little Wei, welcome...welcome to today, Little Wei, um..."
Seeing that her father was having trouble speaking clearly, Ma Meixia stepped forward to interrupt: "Dad, are you saying to let them into the house?"
Mr. Ma nodded, and Ma Meixia said, "Let's go, Wei Yong'an, don't stand outside, let's go inside and talk."
Mingxi smoothed things over, saying, "Yes, yes, let's go inside and talk."
So the two families went inside and sat down.
Mr. Ma, Mrs. Ma, and the eldest son of the Ma family are all honest people. When they encounter Wei Yong'an, their leader, they feel uneasy. Even though they are at home, they feel more awkward than when they are outside.
Seeing the Ma family's behavior, Bai Shuzhen's smile became more genuine.
She held the Ma family in utter contempt; they were completely beneath her dignity. If she were to find a partner for her own son, she would absolutely refuse to accept in-laws like them.
But Wei Yong'an wasn't her biological son, so she couldn't care less what kind of person her in-laws were.
She actually thinks it's good that the Ma family is like this. Honesty is good, timidity is good, such in-laws are easy to manipulate.
After Ma Meixia married Wei Yong'an, even if she made things difficult for Ma Meixia, Ma Meixia's family could not support her and dared not cause trouble.
At this time, Bai Shuzhen was unaware that Ma Meixia didn't need anyone's support; she could make her cry all by herself.
Mingxi could tell the Ma family was nervous, so she put on a friendly smile and said, "Uncle Ma, don't be nervous. We've come here today to discuss Meixia and Comrade Wei's marriage."
Mr. Ma nodded: "Yes, I'm not nervous. Let's discuss... discuss the wedding arrangements..."
He stammered out his sentence.
Mingxi: "Comrade Wei discussed it with me, and he can offer 300 yuan as a bride price. In addition, he is also willing to buy Comrade Ma Meixia a bicycle and a watch."
This was something Wei Yong'an had discussed with Mingxi beforehand.
With his wealth, a bicycle and a watch are nothing.
Moreover, these two items were bought for Ma Meixia, and after the marriage, they could be brought to the Wei family, so he wasn't losing out at all.
Wei Yong'an had also mentioned this to Ma Meixia, so she didn't show any surprise at the moment. On the contrary, the three members of the Ma family and Bai Shuzhen were shocked and their mouths were wide open.
Bai Shuzhen, being a seasoned veteran, quickly composed herself, though her nails continued to dig into her palms, secretly harboring resentment.
Why, why, why should I have to pay so much in betrothal gifts to marry a wretched girl like Ma Meixia?
Not only did they give me 300 yuan, but they also gave me a bicycle and a watch.
That adds up to over six hundred yuan!
Although it was Wei Yong'an's own money that was spent, in Bai Shuzhen's heart, Wei Yong'an's money was her money, money she wanted to leave to her son.
Her eyes reddened, and she could barely maintain her smile.
The Ma family was terrified.
When they get married, the dowry is usually only a little over a hundred yuan.
Wei Yong'an immediately offered them three hundred yuan, which really startled them.
Mr. Ma: "This...isn't this too much?"
With such a large dowry, their family can't afford a corresponding dowry!
Wei Yong'an saw through Ma's father's thoughts and said with a smile, "It's not much, it's just my heartfelt gift. Meixia, a young woman in her prime, is marrying a divorced old man like me, I'm the one who's getting a good deal. If I don't give more dowry, I'll really feel bad."
He said, "I don't plan to disclose how much the bride price is. After all, in my position, my every move is being watched. If it gets out, it might have a bad impact. We can keep it to ourselves. Similarly, we don't need to talk about the dowry either."
That's what he said, but he was actually just giving the Ma family a way out.
This means that they knew the Ma family was not well-off, so they did not intend to disclose the bride price and dowry. This way, the Ma family would not have to go bankrupt to raise money for Ma Meixia's dowry just to save face.
Mr. Ma was a simple-minded man.
They didn't realize that Wei Yong'an was saying this to save face for his own people. They just thought that as a leader, he really had someone watching him, and they were even thinking to themselves, "So being a leader has its downsides too."
After reflecting on his feelings, Mr. Ma felt relieved. Since he didn't need to announce it to others, he didn't need to give too much dowry. He thought for a moment and said, "Then we'll give eighty-eight as a dowry."
The dowry he had originally discussed with his mother was sixty-six.
This is quite a lot for an ordinary family.
However, Wei Yong'an gave a bride price of 300 yuan, which made him feel that the amount they had previously discussed was too small.
Eighty-eight is a good number, and it won't cause any major problems for our family.
If we give them any more, the family will be a little strapped for cash.
After all, Brother Ma isn't married yet, so we still have to consider his situation.
Wei Yong'an hadn't expected the Ma family to give much dowry at all, so she was quite surprised when Ma's father said eighty-eight.
Surprisingly, the Ma family dotes on their daughter.
After discussing the bride price and dowry, Wei Yong'an brought up the wedding date: "I hope Meixia and I can get married as soon as possible. I've roughly chosen a time, how about next Sunday?"
Ma's mother hesitated for a moment: "Isn't this a bit too hasty?"
She loved her daughter dearly and didn't want the most important day of her life to pass by in such a rush, without even being able to prepare properly.
Wei Yong'an: "Fortunately, I have friends at the restaurant. I can arrange the banquet and such by just asking them."
Ma's mother and father hesitated, unsure of what to do, and subconsciously looked at Ma Meixia.
Ma Meixia didn't hesitate at all; she nodded and said, "Then let's do it next week."
Wei Yong'an: "Okay."
With the wedding date set, the remaining task is to arrange the details of the wedding, such as how many relatives and friends can attend and how to make arrangements for them.
Wei Yong'an had his own plans for these matters. After finding out the number of people, he made the decision on his own.
Although he symbolically asked for the Ma family's opinion, the Ma family had no objection whatsoever.
Bai Shuzhen was too lazy to interfere in Wei Yong'an's wedding.
Wei Yong'an isn't her biological son, so why is she taking on this job?
Mingxi, the matchmaker, had even less say.
And so, under Wei Yong'an's dictatorship, all aspects of the wedding were settled one by one.
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Author's Note: Haha, didn't expect that Ma Meixia and Wei Yong'an would be the first to get married, did you? [doge]
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