Chapter 139 Here Comes the Work! Mingxi opened the door, and...
Mingxi opened the door and saw Huangli standing at her door with one hand raised, as if she was about to knock.
When Huang Li saw the door open from the inside, she scratched her hair with the hand she was holding up, then lowered it, put her hand behind her back, and grinned at Ming Xi.
Mingxi: "Oh, what brings you here?"
Although she didn't know why Huang Li had suddenly come over, Mingxi still opened the door and warmly invited, "Come, come, come in, have a seat."
Huang Li followed Ming Xi into the room, scratched her head, and said embarrassedly, "Well, I came to thank you. If you hadn't told me, I would never have known that Dong Chunling was so mean, and that the person she said she would introduce to me was actually like that."
To be honest, if Mingxi hadn't stood up and exposed Dong Chunling, she would have almost been swayed by Dong Chunling's words.
Although she knew Dong Chunling wasn't a good person, she didn't expect Dong Chunling to lie about something like this. She thought Dong Chunling was just exaggerating the Gao family's conditions at most.
Perhaps the Gao family has a relative who is a leader, but just a minor, unknown one?
But this is not bad, at least they are from a cadre family.
Huang Li didn't have high requirements. She didn't insist that her partner must come from a cadre family. She just wanted to find a man who was decent enough, presentable, and not too bad in any way.
Her main goal was to get married and move out of her family home as soon as possible.
Her family has three rooms in total. Before her two older brothers got married, things were fine. As the only girl in the family, she had a separate room. Although the room was small, it could only fit a bed and a cabinet, and there wasn't even room for a desk.
But at least it's a separate room.
After her eldest brother got married, her second brother took over her original room, so she had to move in with her parents. As a young woman in her twenties, it was inconvenient for her to get up to use the bathroom at night when living with her parents.
Now that my second brother is getting married and my sister-in-law is pregnant, the three rooms in our house are even more cramped.
In addition, she doesn't have a job and usually eats at home. At the dinner table, her sisters-in-law look at her like she's being pricked with needles. If she eats even one more bite, her sisters-in-law will give her a hard time.
Huang Li had mentioned this to her parents before. Her mother patted her on the shoulder and comforted her, telling her not to care about her sisters-in-law's looks. But despite the comfort, when they ate, her sisters-in-law still reacted the same way, and her parents didn't say anything.
At this time of year, Huang Li couldn't wait to get married and have her own home. She thought that once she got married and had her own little family, she wouldn't have to worry about others' opinions when she ate.
So when Dong Chunling mentioned Gao Jianliang, she had a sudden thought. The Gao family were all leaders, so their conditions must be pretty good. If she married into the family, she should have a place to live and be able to eat her fill.
Huang Li was about to agree when she heard Ming Xi reveal Gao Jianliang's true family circumstances, and she instantly snapped out of her daze.
That was close!
Fortunately, she hadn't agreed to Dong Chunling's offer to introduce her to someone. Otherwise, given Gao Jianliang's family situation, if she married him, there would be four people in the family, with only Gao's mother earning a salary of just a few dozen yuan a month plus a fixed allowance. How could that possibly support anyone?
According to Mingxi, Gao Jianliang is not a responsible person. His mother is the only one in the family who can earn a salary, but he never took on the responsibility of supporting the family or went out to find a job. Instead, he just wandered around the alleys and drifted through society.
If she marries someone like that, she'll likely have to be both a wife and a mother, serving him like a nanny, and constantly worrying about him. She probably won't have a moment of peace for the rest of her life.
Huang Li wasn't a fool. She didn't think that Ming Xi's exposure of Gao Jianliang's actual conditions had ruined her wish to marry a man with good conditions. Instead, she was grateful to Ming Xi for helping her avoid a pit of fire, so she came to thank Ming Xi on a special occasion.
She didn't treat Mingxi as an outsider, and sincerely thanked her, bending down to give Mingxi a deep 90-degree bow.
Mingxi was so embarrassed that she quickly stepped forward and pulled Huangli up, saying, "It's not that serious. I just happened to know Gao Jianliang and was worried that you would be deceived by Dong Chunling, so I just casually reminded you. I didn't do anything."
She only moved her mouth.
It's nothing.
Huang Li: "Let's keep things separate. If it weren't for you, I would have fallen into the trap Dong Chunling set for me. I have to thank you. This is just a token of my appreciation, nothing much, please don't mind."
Huang Li handed over a thin paper package, but Mingxi didn't even look at it and pushed it back the way she came.
"No need, really no need. Didn't I already say I didn't do anything? I just happen to know Gao Jianliang and know he's no good, so I just casually gave you a heads-up. You really don't need to thank me like this. Take this back."
She knew without even thinking that Huang Li's bag contained all the money she had painstakingly saved up.
Huang Li doesn't have a job; she usually earns money by taking on odd jobs at the neighborhood office. She's finally managed to save some money, and I guess she's put it all here for her to take.
Huangli kept trying to give Mingxi the red envelope, but Mingxi kept refusing. In the end, Mingxi prevailed and stuffed the red envelope back into Huangli's pocket.
Seeing that Mingxi wouldn't accept the money, Huangli had no choice but to give up. She stuffed the money into her pocket, touched her nose, and looked at Mingxi: "Actually, there's another reason I came here today. I want you to help me find someone."
Introducing someone?
That's a good idea, it's her side hustle!
Mingxi invited Huangli to sit down on the sofa and said, "Come, sit down. Tell me, what kind of partner are you looking for?"
"What kind?" Huang Li touched her nose. "I haven't really thought about it yet. I just want to find someone who has a job and is sincere about living a good life. I don't care if he's good-looking or not. I don't require his family to be well-off. After all, I'm just an ordinary person. I just want to live a down-to-earth life."
"Hmm..." Mingxi nodded, Huangli's request wasn't too much.
She flipped through the documents in her hand, looked up at Huang Li with a puzzled expression, and began to ponder. As far as she knew, Huang Li had said at the beginning of the year that she wanted to find a partner, and her family had introduced her to a few people, but none of them had worked out.
She had initially thought that the oriole was just being picky.
Looking at it this way, the problem doesn't seem to lie with the oriole.
Strange, could it be that the problem lies with the gay men who come to find partners?
Mingxi was surprised for a moment, but quickly dismissed the thought. She pointed to an open page in the file and asked Huangli, "What do you think of this young man? His name is Wang Tianyang, he's twenty-four, and he works in a machinery factory. He has three siblings; he's the second oldest. He has an older sister who's already married, and two younger siblings who are also adults. He's quite well-off, and his family atmosphere is good. When he came to me for a matchmaking service, he told me that his family bought him the job, so he has to give five yuan of his salary each month to repay them for the job. His younger siblings receive the same treatment. Even though they have several children, they're very clear about these things. Their family rule is that even close brothers keep clear accounts. Although the family hasn't separated, it's almost like it. Each month, the siblings give ten yuan to the family for living expenses, and the family provides food and lodging. The remaining wages are theirs to manage. If anyone in the family needs money, it's considered a loan from their parents, to be repaid slowly later. They don't ask their parents for subsidies."
Mingxi said all this because she genuinely admired the atmosphere at Wang Tianyang's home.
Don't be fooled by the Wang family's meticulous calculations and seemingly heartless actions; they actually prove that the Wang parents are impartial and treat everyone equally, which is not easy to achieve in families with many children.
Moreover, Wang's parents were not people who did nothing. They paid for jobs for all three of Wang Tianyang's siblings. They said they didn't buy a job for Wang's eldest sister, but that was because Wang Tianyang's eldest sister had her own connections and found a suitable job right after graduation, without her parents having to worry about her.
Mingxi: "Wang Tianyang is a good person. He's a down-to-earth young man with a very honest nature. He's just a little quiet and reserved, but he's a practical person."
To be honest, Wang Tianyang is a bit boring. His family had been pressuring him to find a girlfriend, and through family introductions, he'd met several girls. However, when they actually spent time together, they couldn't really connect. This happened with each of them. Curious, Wang's family asked the girls what was going on. They told the truth: from the moment Wang Tianyang sat down for a meal that lasted over an hour, he barely uttered three words. They weren't sure if he was interested in them, and they also found him too boring to continue seeing him.
The Wang family had no other choice but to send Wang Tianyang's information to Mingxi, hoping that Mingxi could help him find a suitable partner.
Mingxi was also worried about not having a suitable female comrade to introduce to Wang Tianyang.
To be honest, he's a good catch, but his personality is difficult to deal with.
Mingxi didn't hide anything from Huangli and gave a detailed introduction to Wang Tianyang, saying, "So, what do you think of Wang Tianyang's conditions? I actually think you two are quite suitable. You are outgoing, and he is introverted. You two complement each other perfectly."
Being quiet isn't a big problem.
Wang Tianyang is a decent guy; we could meet him and see how he is.
Huang Li thought this way, and she also told Mingxi this.
Mingxi: "Okay, I'll go to the Wang family to arrange a time later, and I'll let you know when it's settled."
Oriole: "Okay."
That was settled so simply. After sending Huangli away, Mingxi went to the Wang family. After hearing Mingxi's description of Huangli's conditions, Wang Tianyang also felt that they could meet. Considering the convenience of both sides, Mingxi finally arranged the meeting for noon on Sunday at Wang Tianyang's house.
On Sunday, Huang Li got up early in the morning, got ready, and brought her mother to the Ming family to report for duty.
When Mingxi got up, she saw the two people sitting in the living room and felt a little embarrassed.
But no matter how embarrassed I am, I still have to eat breakfast.
Under the watchful eyes of Huang Li and her mother, Mingxi calmly finished washing up, then sat down at the table, slowly ate breakfast, tidied up, and then stood up and said, "Okay, I'm ready, let's go."
Huang's mother: "Finally, I can walk!"
As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself: "Hehe, look at me, I don't know how to talk. It's okay, no rush, Xiaoming, take your time. There's still plenty of time..."
Mingxi smiled, not taking her words to heart, and said, "Let's go, I'm all packed."
Huang's mother chuckled twice, but this time she didn't say anything more. She pulled Huang Li along and followed Mingxi out the door.
Because there were two people following behind her, Mingxi didn't ride her bike today.
Fortunately, the Wang family and the Ming family are not far apart, and it doesn't take long to walk there.
As they walked, Mingxi introduced the Wang family to Huangli's mother: "The Wang family is run by Wang Tianyang's mother. Her surname is Zhang, and outsiders call her Aunt Zhang or Sister Zhang. We can call her that too."
The oriole nodded obediently to Grandma Huang.
Mingxi: "Aunt Zhang is easy to get along with. She just speaks very directly and doesn't like beating around the bush. She says what she thinks, so you don't need to be afraid."
Mingxi: "Besides Aunt Zhang, there's Uncle Wang, who is Wang Tianyang's father. In the Wang family, the man stays at home and the woman works outside. Uncle Wang has a very good temperament, he's a cheerful old man, and he's easy to get along with. I heard from the Wang family that Uncle Wang is a great cook, so we're all in for a treat today at noon!"
Huang's mother was taken aback: "Do the men in the Wang family cook?"
Mingxi: "Ah, right, in the Wang family, the men do the cooking. The women are in charge of external affairs and the men are in charge of internal affairs. I heard that the boys in the Wang family all learn to cook from elementary school."
Mingxi had no idea how much of a ripple her casual remark had stirred in the hearts of Aunt Huang and Huang Li.
Aunt Huang felt uneasy. How could a perfectly good family be divided into a husband who stays at home and a wife who works outside the home? She had heard that Wang Tianyang's father was a respectable man with a proper job, so how could he be being treated like this by a woman?
Could it be that Wang Tianyang's mother is particularly difficult to deal with, even her husband can't handle her? If her daughter Huang Li really marries into the Huang family, won't she be destined to be bullied?
Aunt Huang shook her head. She hadn't even met Wang Tianyang yet, but she already felt that he and her Huang Li might not be a good match.
Huang Li looked on with envy, thinking that the Wang family was really good, because all the men cooked, unlike her family, where the men never went into the kitchen. When she was six or seven years old, her mother dragged her to the kitchen to learn how to cook, while her brothers were playing outside at that time.
She felt it was unfair and asked her mother why her brothers didn't have to learn to cook, but she did.
Her mother said it was different because she was a girl who was going to get married. If she didn't know how to cook, her in-laws would look down on her and talk about her.
She asked why her brothers didn't have to get married; why you have to know how to cook to get married; and why your in-laws would look down on you if you couldn't cook. Her mother couldn't give a clear answer, only saying that it had always been this way.
It seems that not every family follows this "ancient" rule.
After talking about Mr. and Mrs. Wang, Mingxi spoke about the four siblings in the Wang family: "There are four siblings in the Wang family. The eldest and fourth are girls, the second is Wang Tianyang, and the third is a boy. The four siblings get along very well. I've met them once, and they don't seem like difficult people to get along with. But you'll have to meet them to know for sure."
The oriole nodded.
As they were talking, the courtyard where the Wang family lived came into view. A young man and a young woman were standing at the gate. Mingxi took a closer look and immediately raised her hand to wave at the two of them.
At the same time, he said to Huang Li next to him, "See that? The man standing in front is Wang Tianyang, and the one standing next to him is his older sister."
Huang Li subconsciously squinted and looked in Wang Tianyang's direction. At that moment, Wang Tianyang happened to be looking over, and Huang Li could get a general idea of what he was looking like. Wang Tianyang looked quite thin, with extremely short hair, almost just a stubble close to his scalp. He had thick, dark eyebrows, and his eyes, though not large, were dark and deep. Huang Li's eyes met his, and she subconsciously blushed and looked away.
However, when Huang's mother heard Mingxi say that the person standing next to Wang Tianyang was his eldest sister, she subconsciously frowned.
"Xiaoming, didn't you say his older sister is already married?"
Mingxi was taken aback, feeling that Huang's mother's question was a bit strange, but she still said, "Yes, she is married. She probably knew that the matchmaking was today, so she came back specially to help Wang Tianyang make an assessment."
Huang's mother unconsciously frowned again.
She's already married, yet she's still meddling in her parents' family affairs. This sister-in-law is restless; who knows, she might interfere when Wang Tianyang gets married in the future.
Huang's mother felt another layer of displeasure.
However, having just met the person, even if she felt dissatisfied, she knew she couldn't say anything, so she remained silent.
Just as Mingxi was talking to Huang's mother, Sister Wang and Wang Tianyang came up to greet them. Mingxi greeted them with a smile and then introduced them: "This is Comrade Huang Li, and this is Huang Li's mother, Aunt Xu."
Although he had already told Huang Li about it before, Ming Xi still introduced her to Huang Li when they met.
"Huang Li, this is Comrade Wang Tianyang."
Huang Li extended her hand: "Hello, Comrade Wang."
Wang Tianyang also extended his hand, and the two shook hands briefly. After releasing their hands, Wang Tianyang turned to Huang's mother and politely greeted her, "Hello, Aunt Xu."
Sister Wang also greeted, "Hello, Aunt Xu."
Huang's mother smiled and politely said, "Hello, hello to you all."
Those present didn't take Huang's mother's politeness to heart; they just thought she was shy around strangers.
After a brief greeting, Sister Wang warmly invited, "Come on, let's go inside. We've prepared some fruit and snacks. Come in and sit down so we can talk."
Mingxi: "Yes, let's go, let's go inside and sit down to talk."
Upon entering the Wang family home, they were greeted with a long exchange of pleasantries. Everyone in the Wang family knew that Wang Tianyang was going to conduct a fortune-telling today, and everyone made time to welcome their distinguished guest. After Huang Li and her mother greeted the entire Wang family, they sat down.
The Wang family was very tactful. When they saw Wang Tianyang and Huang Li sit down to start looking at each other, everyone else made excuses to leave or went to other rooms. In the end, only Wang Tianyang, Huang Li, and Ming Xi remained in the room where they were looking at each other.
As the matchmaker, Mingxi started to find topics for conversation between the two young people. She glanced at them and said with a smile, "I thought you two were a good match before, and now that you're sitting together, I think you're even more so."
Seeing the two looking at her with puzzled expressions, Mingxi said, "Wang Tianyang, aren't you a man of few words and quiet? It just so happens that Comrade Huangli is a chattering little bird, so I immediately thought that the two of you were a good match."
Huang Li paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, and Wang Tianyang also gave a simple, honest smile.
The two were sitting face to face, and when they laughed, the invisible ice between them seemed to melt away silently.
Huang Li's nervousness and embarrassment eased somewhat, and she continued the topic Mingxi had brought up: "People say that my name is well-chosen. I've been chattering away since I was little. My mom said that I was born like this. When I was first born and couldn't speak, I was already making little noises. Later, when I grew up, I was able to speak earlier than other children."
Wang Tianyang: That's great.
Huang Li: "Comrade Wang, you really don't talk much. Have you always been like this?"
Wang Tianyang nodded, this time only uttering a single syllable: "Mmm."
Huang Li pursed her lips. After all, Ming Xi had given her a heads-up before she came, so she knew that Wang Tianyang wasn't being difficult because he had a problem with her; he was just quiet.
She smiled and said, "Did you cry very little when you were little? My mom said that I cried a lot when I was little, except when I was talking. She said that in our area, she had never seen a girl who could cry more than me. When I was little, my parents cried so much that they wanted to throw me out."
Wang Tianyang: "Then you're pretty amazing."
Upon hearing this, Mingxi almost couldn't hold back her smile.
She glanced at Wang Tianyang, and if it weren't for the sincerity in his expression, she would have suspected that he was provoking Huang Li.
Fortunately, Huang Li didn't seem angry. Instead, she brought up Wang Tianyang's work and asked him curiously, "Are you always so quiet? Are you like this at work too?"
Wang Tianyang nodded and said, "My colleagues don't talk much either."
Oriole: "So, do you guys use sign language to get to work?"
Wang Tianyang: "That's not true. We still have normal communication."
Huang Li concluded: "So you guys are just a bunch of silent sullen people?"
Wang Tianyang didn't think there was anything wrong with the description of the oriole; on the contrary, he nodded seriously.
Mingxi couldn't help but rub her forehead and smile wryly. What on earth was all this about?
These two are truly a case of one daring to speak and the other daring to admit it.
However, to be fair, these two actually managed to have a good chat, which is quite nice.
So Mingxi didn't interrupt the two of them and just watched silently.
Once the two had a proper chat, Mingxi made an excuse to slip out, leaving the room for them to talk.
She slipped out of the house and saw Aunt Zhang and Huang's mother chatting in the next room. She went in and greeted them.
"Are those two middle-aged women chatting?"
Huang's mother and Aunt Zhang nodded, then asked in unison, "How did Huang Li's chat with Wang Tianyang go?"
Although they were in this room, they were actually keeping an eye on the two children next door.
Mingxi smiled and said, "The two of them had a very pleasant chat."
Mother Huang: "Really?"
Aunt Zhang: "No, I have to go and take a look secretly."
Wang Tianyang had been on so many dates, but he had never been able to have a good conversation with any of the girls. When she heard Mingxi say this, her first reaction was disbelief.
Aunt Zhang crawled out of the house and went to the wall of the room next door where Huang Li and Wang Tianyang were looking at each other. She leaned on the windowsill with her arm and pressed her eyes against the glass, secretly observing the situation inside.
To my surprise, Wang Tianyang and Huang Li were indeed having a lively conversation inside the room.
Even Wang Tianyang had a smile on his face.
Although her smile wasn't very obvious, as Wang Tianyang's biological mother, Aunt Zhang could tell at a glance that Wang Tianyang was in a very good mood.
Aunt Zhang quietly retreated from the wall, smiling as she patted Mingxi on the shoulder: "Comrade Ming, you were right, the two kids are having a good chat."
Mingxi smiled. She had already said it!
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