Chapter 9: The Strange Women Who Came to Zuo Ying's Door...
Mingxi noticed the strange looks from the older women, but she was prepared and didn't take them to heart. She shrugged and, while the women were still in a daze, quickly turned into the alley.
When Mingxi returned to the compound, there were hardly any people there; they had probably all gone out to share gossip with others.
Mingxi walked through the front yard and went straight back to the back yard. She took out her key and opened the door.
The two rooms occupied by the Ming family were not large, only about forty square meters in total. The inner room was divided into two smaller rooms by a brick partition, which served as the bedrooms for Zhao Sulan and Ming Xi. The larger outer room was used as the living room.
As for the kitchen?
The kitchen is not inside the house, but outside.
When Ming's father was still alive, he built a half-shed under the eaves, which served as the kitchen for Mingxi's family workshop and also as a small storage room.
Mingxi pushed open the door and walked into the house. Although it was her first time entering this place, she possessed the original owner's memories and was not unfamiliar with this home.
She pulled out a bag, packed two sets of Zhao Sulan's clothes into it, and then packed in all the daily necessities that Zhao Sulan would need in the hospital.
After finishing the installation, she thought for a moment, then went into Zhao Sulan's room and, following Zhao Sulan's directions, retrieved the booklet containing information on female comrades.
Zhao Sulan has a habit of writing down the basic information of everyone who comes to her for matchmaking, including their personal details, family background, personality, and the criteria they are looking for in a partner.
Thanks to Zhao Sulan's habit, Mingxi could easily find everything when she flipped through the pages.
Mingxi flipped through it briefly and got a general idea of what was going on.
It's really not difficult to introduce Du Hai to someone.
Her mother's booklet contains several women who meet Du Hai's criteria.
However, it's still uncertain whether the woman will even be interested in Du Hai.
Mingxi had to take the documents and make a trip to the woman's place himself.
It's getting late today, not a good time. Let's wait until tomorrow.
She'll make that trip tomorrow.
As Mingxi was thinking, Aunt Ma called out from outside the door, "Mingxi, Mingxi, you're back?"
Mingxi put down the document booklet and quickly stood up: "Hey!"
She strode out: "Aunt Ma, were you looking for me?"
Aunt Ma: "Oh, I saw your door was open just now, so I figured it was you coming back and came over to check. When did you get back?"
Mingxi: "I just got back not long ago. I was at the hospital just now, and I took the opportunity to visit my mom and tell her about Du Hai."
Aunt Ma: Oh, how's your mom?
Mingxi: "My mom is fine, she's doing well. I guess the painkillers are working. I just went to see her, and her complexion is much rosier."
Grandma Ma nodded repeatedly, "That's good, that's good."
"Okay, it's getting late, it's about time to make dinner. Come on, come to my house and wait for me. We'll eat right away when I'm done, so I don't have to call you."
Mingxi didn't stand on ceremony with Aunt Ma and nodded quickly: "Okay, Aunt Ma, wait a moment, I'll go find the lunchbox."
She found the lunchbox so she could deliver the food to Zhao Sulan later.
Aunt Ma's family ate a simple dinner: stir-fried shredded pork with cabbage, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and a mixed millet and rice porridge.
Given the conditions these days, Aunt Ma's dinner is considered quite good; at least there's meat in the dishes. In families with limited means, they might not be able to eat meat even once every six months.
So Mingxi didn't complain. During the meal, she obediently ate her rice. After finishing her meal, Mingxi took the lunchbox to the hospital to deliver food and other items to Zhao Sulan.
Fearing that Zhao Sulan might have something to do that night, Mingxi stayed at the hospital to keep her company after delivering the items, and didn't return from the hospital until the next morning after having breakfast with Zhao Sulan.
When she returned, it was during the steel mill's working hours. The people she encountered along the way were all walking out of the alley. When she met someone she knew, she greeted them one by one.
"Grandpa Wang is going to work..."
"Brother Ge, buying breakfast..."
"Aunt Liu is taking her child to school..."
When she reached the entrance of the alley, she bumped into a young man pushing a bicycle. Mingxi subconsciously apologized, "I'm sorry."
She only realized what she had said after it had already slipped out.
No, why is she apologizing? The other person bumped into her.
At this moment, the person on the other end realized that they had bumped into Mingxi: "I should be the one apologizing, comrade. Are you alright? I didn't bump into you anywhere, did I?"
A voice somewhere between a teenager and a young adult rang in Mingxi's ears, and Mingxi subconsciously rubbed her ears.
That sound... oh, it's really nice.
In later generations, she could become a voice actor.
Mingxi was momentarily distracted, but quickly came back to her senses. She looked up at the young man in front of her. He had short, neat hair with wisps falling across his forehead, and his jet-black hair made his skin appear even whiter and more like jade.
Mingxi was taken aback for a moment, but she recognized the young man as Wei Ning, the youngest son of the Wei family who lived in this alley.
After realizing Wei Ning's identity, Ming Xi immediately took a step back: "No, it's nothing. Comrade Wei, you're going to work, right? Then hurry up and go, or you'll be late."
Wei Ning looked up and stared at Ming Xi for a while before speaking, "Okay."
He took long strides, got on his bicycle, and soon disappeared from Mingxi's sight.
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Wei Ning leave.
That sickly fellow is finally gone.
The sickly one refers to Wei Ning.
If we're talking about who's the most untouchable in this alley, Mingxi and Weining are definitely number one.
The reason you can't mess with Mingxi is because she has Zhao Sulan, who's a doting mother.
The reason we shouldn't mess with Wei Ning is because he's in poor health.
When Wei Ning's mother was pregnant with him, she was already quite old. In addition, there was a famine at the time, and she did not receive good care during her pregnancy, so Wei Ning was born with poor health.
I heard he has some kind of heart problem.
I remember someone in the alley once whispered behind Wei Ning's back that he looked like he wouldn't grow up. Wei Ning overheard this and immediately had a seizure and fainted. It is said that Wei Ning was attacked by the angry Wei family members who then smashed up his house.
From then on, the Wei family protected Wei Ning like the apple of their eye, and no one in the alley dared to speak ill of Wei Ning anymore.
Mingxi wasn't afraid of the Wei family.
But Mingxi was afraid that Weining would fall ill again.
If Wei Ning suddenly has a seizure and faints because of her, she has no responsibility and has to pay for Wei Ning's medical expenses.
That won't do.
She can't bear to part with money!
Mingxi, who loved money more than anything, patted her pockets. Luckily, Weining was alright.
She walked towards the courtyard, and as soon as she passed through the front yard, she saw a woman standing at her door.
The woman was wearing a dark blue coarse cloth work jacket, and her face looked somewhat unfamiliar.
Mingxi was puzzled. Who was this person? She didn't recognize him.
She quickened her pace, approached the woman, and asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"
"Is this Comrade Mingxi's home? I'm looking for Mingxi."
Mingxi tilted her head: "I am Mingxi, and who are you, comrade?"
Upon hearing this, the woman introduced herself: "Comrade Ming, my name is Zuo Ying, and I am also an employee of the steel rolling mill."
Mingxi was even more confused.
She had never heard of the name Zuo Ying before. Why was this person looking for her?
Fortunately, Zuo Ying took the initiative to explain: "I came here today because I heard that Comrade Du Hai asked you to help him find a partner, so I came to volunteer myself."
Mingxi: "Huh?"
Mingxi was taken aback again. These days, women are generally more reserved. It's really rare for someone to come to your door and offer themselves up for a blind date!
Normally, even if someone is interested in a man, they would ask through elders in the family or friends. Zhao Sulan has never encountered someone coming in person before!
However, Mingxi admires this kind of female comrade.
Be bold when pursuing love!
Mingxi thought for a moment and said, "Then let me open the door, let's go in and sit down, and I'll explain in detail."
She said, "Since you've asked me to introduce you to someone, I need to know at least your basic information. And I also need to tell you Du Hai's requirements."
Zuo Ying readily nodded: "Okay, let's go inside and talk."
Mingxi took out her key, quickly opened the door, and welcomed Zuo Ying inside. She settled Zuo Ying down to sit, then went to the kitchen to pour her a glass of water and brought it out, placing it in front of her.
"Tell me about yourself first. How old are you? What's your family situation like? And what are your requirements for a partner?"
Early in the morning, the courtyard was filled with the sounds of talking, footsteps, and bicycle bells, creating a very noisy atmosphere.
However, Mingxi's house was very quiet.
Zuo Ying picked up her water glass, took a sip, and said, "I'm twenty-three this year. I work at a steel rolling mill and I'm a level two fitter. My dad passed away a few years ago, and my mom remarried and moved to another city. Now, there's no one else in my family except my sister and me."
Mingxi was taken aback.
Zuo Ying continued, "My requirements for a partner are that he must agree to let me bring my younger sister with me when I marry him. My sister has no other relatives besides me, and she is still young. I can't abandon her. Also, I won't give up my job. As for whether he has a house or a car, I don't care. My family has a house, and I have a car."
Mingxi frowned, somewhat puzzled. Ignoring Zuo Ying's requirements, just looking at her own conditions—city residency, a house, a car, and a job—she already surpassed many of her peers in Beicheng.
Logically speaking, even if she has a younger sister, finding a partner should be a very simple matter, right?
Why would someone come to me and offer their services?
Zuo Ying paused, then said truthfully, "When my father passed away, I had a lot of unpleasantness with my uncle and aunt because of the succession issue. They ruined my reputation a lot, and because of that, I haven't met a suitable partner in the past few years. Some men who didn't care about my reputation approached me, but all they said was that after marriage, they wanted to transfer my family's house to them and make me give up my job so I could stay home and do housework. It's obvious they're just after the house and the job. I'd rather not get married than marry a man who's just after my family's wealth."
Mingxi asked curiously, "Then what about you and Du Hai...?"
Zuo Ying: "I don't know Du Hai. I heard about his aunt's situation and felt that his situation was similar to mine. I also heard that he asked you to find him a partner, so I thought I would come over and give it a try."
Mingxi nodded. In terms of conditions, Zuo Ying and Du Hai were indeed a good match.
They both have no elders in their families, both have a younger sister to support, and both own a house, a car, and a job.
Zuo Ying: "My main reason is that I heard he has a younger sister, and I also have a younger sister. It's perfect, since we both have younger sisters, neither of us can look down on the other."
That's definitely a valid point.
This is similar to divorce and raising a child. Both people are actually quite good, the only drawback is that they have a child.
However, since both sides have younger sisters, they really can't look down on each other.
Thinking about it this way, Mingxi also felt that the two were quite a good match.
However, when it comes to dating, it's not enough for people to be compatible in terms of their circumstances; they also need to be attracted to each other.
Mingxi thought for a moment and said, "This isn't up to me. How about this, I'll tell Du Hai about your situation and see what he thinks. If he's willing, we can find a time to meet and see. But I can't guarantee that he'll definitely be willing."
Although Du Hai and Zuo Ying seem to be similar in terms of qualifications, the matchmaking market is always more demanding on women. In addition, Zuo Ying is three years older than Du Hai, so it's not certain whether Du Hai will be willing.
Zuo Ying: "I know."
This matter really depends on Du Hai's willingness; if Du Hai is unwilling, then it's all for nothing.
Mingxi: "Okay, I'll go ask Du Hai after get off work today. Give me your address so I can let you know whether it works out or not."
“Okay, my home is in Mianhua Hutong…” Zuo Ying told Mingxi her address and stood up: “It’s getting late. If you need anything or have any news, come to my home or the steel mill to find me. I’m in Workshop 4.”
Mingxi: "Okay, I'll contact you if I hear anything."
A note from the author:
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