Chapter 42 Disobedient Mingxi inside the house...
Mingxi and Qin Qiaorou inside the room turned around in unison, only to find He Li standing at the door.
Mingxi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "Oh, He Li, you're here. Come on in."
He Li walked into the house and handed the things in her hand to Mingxi: "These are the cherries I brought this time. They were picked from our own tree. I said I would give them to you yesterday, but I forgot. I just remembered and brought them to you."
She turned to Qin Qiaorou and said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you guys seemed to be talking about me just now?"
Qin Qiaorou was embarrassed. She hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence that He Li had overheard what she said.
Mingxi smiled and said, "He Li, it's just in time. Sister Qin was asking me to apologize to you earlier. Now that you're here, it saves me the trouble of making an extra trip. You two can just talk to each other in person."
Qin Qiaorou pursed her lips.
She was a little embarrassed, but since He Li had already heard her, she might as well just say it directly.
"Comrade He Li, I want to say sorry to you. I...I, although you may not believe it, I am really sorry. That day when you were looking at Ge Heping, I called Ge Heping away. I didn't know..."
He Li's voice interrupted Qin Qiaorou: "It's okay."
She said, "This has nothing to do with you. You didn't know I was looking at Ge Heping that day, and you called him away because you were having difficulties. I don't think there's anything wrong with what you did. Besides, you're not the one who abandoned me and embarrassed me, so you don't need to apologize to me."
Qin Qiaorou had considered that He Li might be angry, and she also considered that He Li might not care about her apology.
But I never expected He Li to be so nonchalant, saying it was okay without taking it to heart at all. I also never expected her to speak about these things so objectively, like an outsider.
All the prepared remarks she had made before coming couldn't be uttered at this moment.
He Li quietly looked at Qin Qiaorou, who had a conflicted expression.
Although she only met Qin Qiaorou today, she had heard about Qin Qiaorou's experiences from her aunt yesterday, and she felt quite sorry for her.
Despite having a lover she had been with for many years, she was forced by her family to marry someone else, and to make matters worse, she married the wrong person—an alcoholic and abusive man. When her husband finally left, she was bullied by her in-laws. At this critical moment, her own family did nothing and simply refused to see her.
Fortunately, Qin Qiaorou met Mingxi, who guided her to the Women's Federation. The leaders of the Women's Federation helped her get rid of her husband's family and take back what was rightfully hers.
Qin Qiaorou was already embarrassed, and being stared at so intently by He Li made her even more awkward. She bit her lower lip and said softly, "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
After saying that, she got up and left in a hurry.
"Hey!" Mingxi tried to call out to her but didn't even have time to speak.
In the end, she handed the net bag that Qin Qiaorou had brought over to He Li and told her that it was an apology gift from Qin Qiaorou.
Mingxi chatted with Heli for a few more minutes before Heli left.
After seeing He Li off, Mingxi began organizing the documents.
The information Zhao Sulan left her contained records of single gay men and women in the area.
Mingxi hadn't even been sitting here for ten minutes when another person arrived.
The person who came said they heard that she had introduced four couples in less than a month as a matchmaker, so they came specifically to ask her to introduce potential partners.
Wait, four pairs?
Mingxi was taken aback.
She then realized that, including Guan Lixin and He Li who had just gotten together yesterday, she had already brought together four couples.
However, Guan Lixin and He Li just got married yesterday, and now outsiders already know?
Mingxi found out that Guan Lixin, that show-off, was always bragging about it. He would even brag to people when he bought breakfast in the morning that he was out buying breakfast for his girlfriend.
When people heard that Guan Lixin, this alleyway hustler, had a girlfriend, they were naturally curious and started asking around. Guan Lixin was more than happy to be asked, and immediately launched into a long boasting about how he and He Li fell in love at first sight and started dating.
Of course, he didn't forget Mingxi, mentioning that it was Mingxi who helped introduce him.
Because of this, all the residents in the area knew that Mingxi had been introduced to another couple.
Mingxi: ...
So she should thank Guan Lixin.
After all, he really did bring her business.
Mingxi shook her head, putting Guan Lixin out of her mind, and asked the person opposite her with a smile, "Auntie, what's your name? And did you come here to introduce someone in your family to a potential partner?"
The woman who came was a middle-aged woman in her fifties, wearing a white top, with her gray hair tied up in a low bun, and she seemed quite approachable.
She began, "Young comrade, my name is Bai Shuzhen, you can call me Aunt Bai. I'm here today because I'd like you to introduce me to a girl for my eldest son. My eldest son's name is Wei Yong'an, he's the head of the publicity department at the textile factory, and he's thirty years old. I'd like you to introduce him to a girl with a good temper who can settle down and live a good life. As for the girl's conditions, we're not picky, as long as she has a good temper and can live a good life with my son. As for the bride price, my family can afford that amount."
She held up two fingers.
This means two hundred yuan.
Mingxi frowned, sensing that things weren't so simple.
The head of the propaganda department at the textile factory was a hot commodity, and judging from what he said, he wasn't demanding and was quite generous, offering a dowry of two hundred yuan right off the bat. So how could he be thirty years old and still unmarried, unable to find a partner, and needing her to introduce him to someone?
Sure enough, the next second Bai Shuzhen said, "My son was married once. His first wife had a bad temper. After the marriage, my son was busy and not often at home. She always argued with him because of this. Later, they got divorced because of some small things that they couldn't get along."
"However, she probably harbored resentment towards my son, so when she got married, she said some bad things in front of my neighbors, which damaged my son's reputation, making it difficult for him to find a wife later."
Mingxi frowned almost imperceptibly.
Bai Shuzhen's words seemed to say everything, but in reality, they were vague and didn't reveal any key information.
Wei Yong'an's previous wife had a bad temper. Was she in a bad situation before they got married? If so, why did Wei Yong'an still marry her?
If Wei Yong'an's previous wife didn't have a bad temper before marriage, then why did her temper improve after marriage?
Is it just because Wei Yong'an is too busy with work to be home?
Most importantly, the reason for their divorce was stated by Bai Shuzhen as a trivial matter—they simply couldn't get along. If it were truly that simple, why would the other party have gone out of their way to ruin Wei Yong'an's reputation after the divorce?
Most importantly, Wei Yong'an, a dignified director of the publicity department, actually allowed the other party to ruin his reputation without standing up to explain?
Mingxi knew without even thinking that there was definitely something wrong here.
She said directly, "Aunt Bai, I don't like beating around the bush. If you really want me to introduce your son to someone, just be direct. Can we talk things out?"
Bai Shuzhen's expression froze: "Comrade Xiaoming, what do you mean by that? I didn't hide anything from you."
Mingxi: "Since you put it that way, I'd like to ask you a few questions, and I hope you will answer them truthfully."
"What exactly was the reason your son divorced his previous wife? What did she say behind his back after the divorce?"
Bai Shuzhen's face darkened: "Why are you asking so many questions? I asked you to introduce someone to my son, so just introduce someone!"
Mingxi straightened her face: "Since you are unwilling to say, then I am sorry I cannot agree to introduce a potential partner to your son."
There's clearly something fishy going on here. If she introduces a girl to someone without understanding the situation, what's the difference between that and pushing someone into a fire pit?
She would never do something so heartless.
Upon hearing Mingxi's words, Bai Shuzhen's eyebrows furrowed together, forming a deep frown. Her face darkened to the extreme, as if she could wring water out of it at any moment.
She gave Mingxi a cold look, then stood up: "If you don't want to agree, then don't agree. There are so many matchmakers in Beicheng, I don't need another one. But young comrade, as an elder, I must give you a piece of advice: don't be too arrogant!"
Mingxi was so angry she almost laughed.
Is she arrogant?
How is she arrogant? Just because she asked Wei Yong'an why he got a divorce?
Hmph, she must be furious that Bai Shuzhen was so incisive in pointing out the truth!
Mingxi wasn't the type to tolerate being insulted to her face. She immediately retorted, "Aunt Bai, I thought you were an older person and knew a lot, so I didn't need to advise you much. But I didn't expect you to be so old. Since that's the case, then I'll give you a piece of advice: don't be so heartless, or you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later."
Mingxi didn't know the real reason for Wei Yong'an's divorce, nor did she know what role Bai Shuzhen played in it. She said that Bai Shuzhen was heartless, which was just a wild guess.
Anyway, Wei Yong'an and Bai Shuzhen definitely didn't do anything good.
But Bai Shuzhen didn't know that.
From the moment Mingxi asked Wei Yong'an about the reason for the divorce, she felt that Mingxi knew something. Now, Mingxi's words about being heartless struck the darkest part of her heart.
She was shocked, angry, and furious, and almost fainted from lack of breath. She clutched her chest, panting heavily, and glared fiercely at Mingxi.
Mingxi, not to be outdone, glared back with wide eyes.
Bai Shuzhen: "You, you...you, well done!"
Mingxi, hands on hips, said, "I know I'm good without you saying it."
Bai Shuzhen died of anger.
She was being sarcastic; surely Mingxi could tell!
Ming-hsi said that she could tell from Bai Shu-chen's voice, but she took it as Bai Shu-chen praising her.
What, you're not convinced?
If you're not happy about it, then keep it to yourself!
Mingxi was smug and smug, while Bai Shuzhen's face was dark and gloomy.
She finally understood: Mingxi was sharp-tongued, unforgiving, and shameless; she couldn't win an argument with her.
beat?
Although Mingxi is a young girl, she's still a young woman in her twenties. Bai Shuzhen, on the other hand, is fifty-two this year, her bones are still fragile, and if she were to fight Mingxi, it would probably be the death of her!
Unable to win a fight or a verbal argument, Bai Shuzhen had no choice but to glare fiercely at Mingxi before storming off.
Seeing Bai Shuzhen leave, Mingxi didn't chase after her.
She was afraid that she might really upset the other person and get seriously ill, and then she would have to pay medical expenses.
After Bai Shuzhen left, two more people came to Mingxi.
The first one was also a middle-aged woman, not tall, thin, and with a naturally bitter look on her face.
She came to ask Mingxi to introduce a potential partner to her son.
“My son’s name is Lin Hai. He’s 25 years old this year. He works at a car repair shop with his father. He’s still an apprentice and his salary isn’t high. As for conditions, there aren’t any special conditions. My family isn’t well-off. I’m looking for a girl who doesn’t mind my family’s circumstances and is willing to settle down with me.”
The conditions sound normal, but there's one thing: he's 25 this year and still an apprentice? Normally, he'd start working in a factory right after graduating high school. How come he's still an apprentice after all these years?
Even if someone is not very bright or not ambitious, it's still wrong, right?
Mingxi: "Auntie, if I may ask, Lin Hai is twenty-five years old this year, how come he's still an apprentice?"
Upon hearing this, Lin's mother became flustered and hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand, my Hai Zi works very hard. He's not unambitious; he only started working at the factory this year. After graduating from high school, he went to the countryside and stayed there for four years. After returning, he couldn't find a job and had been doing odd jobs. This year, my husband finally found an opportunity to use his connections to get him a job at the factory."
"Oh, I see."
Mingxi nodded, "It's not surprising that they're going to the countryside."
"Okay, I'll take this job. I'll look around carefully these next few days, and I'll write to you when I find a suitable girl."
Lin's mother nodded: "Okay!"
The second person to come over was a young woman. This woman had a sallow complexion and dark circles under her eyes. After introducing herself as Jin Juan, she pleaded with Mingxi to introduce her to a potential partner for her sister-in-law.
"Comrade Ming, I heard that you are very good at matchmaking, so I came here specifically to ask you to find a husband for my sister-in-law and help her get married."
Mingxi: "Huh?"
Jin Juan harbored a lot of resentment towards her husband's older sister, and couldn't hold it in any longer when she spoke to Ming Xi: "My husband's older sister has been domineering and unreasonable since she was little. She's the boss at home, and everyone has to listen to her, even my parents-in-law. But because she looks a lot like my husband's grandfather, my husband's grandmother and my parents-in-law spoil her. If my husband's older sister had a good temper, it would be fine, but she has a bad temper. She's lazy and doesn't do anything around the house. She won't even pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle."
"The main problem is that she is too domineering. The morning after I married my husband, we were having breakfast at home, and I noticed that only my husband's older sister had eggs, while everyone else did not. I asked her about it, and she immediately turned on me and threw down her chopsticks."
"Is it wrong for me to ask? All I asked was why only she had eggs, and neither my husband nor I did. I didn't even ask her to divide the eggs, and she threw down her chopsticks, saying it was the family rule and if I was craving them, I should just buy them myself. Was it really just about being craving them?"
As Jin Juan spoke, tears welled up in her eyes: "I feel so wronged. These days, when a family has something good, the men or elders usually get to eat it first. But my husband's family is different. All the good stuff in the house goes to my husband's older sister. I can't get a single bite! Not even my baby gets a chance! Let alone me, even my unborn child doesn't get any."
Mingxi then realized that Jinjuan was pregnant, and she quickly tore off a piece of paper and handed it to her.
"I understand, I understand your grievances, but don't cry, not even for the sake of the baby in your belly," Mingxi comforted her. "Does your in-laws know that you're trying to find a partner for your sister-in-law?"
Jin Juan: "I know, I know, my husband's family knows, and my sister-in-law herself is also willing to find a partner and get married. Women, after all, still want to find someone who understands and cares for them to marry."
She said, "Actually, my husband's older sister had been married before. They got a marriage certificate, but before they even consummated their marriage, she got into a fight with her husband's family at the wedding. She beat up her parents-in-law, the groom, and a bunch of relatives at the wedding, leaving them all bruised and battered. Then she dragged the groom off to get a divorce and moved her things back to her parents' house."
At this point, Jin Juan sighed heavily, tears streaming down her face as she murmured, "What kind of mess is this? Who gets into a fight with their in-laws and divorces on their wedding day? I'd heard she was difficult to get along with, and I only agreed to my husband's proposal because I heard she was getting married. Who would have thought that my sister-in-law would get married, but then divorce and come home the same day? Am I destined to have this troublesome sister-in-law...?"
Mingxi, unable to contain her curiosity, interrupted the other person as they kept rambling on: "What did your sister-in-law do that caused her to fight with her in-laws?"
Jin Juan: "Well, it's nothing serious. It's just that my husband's family has some customs they want my sister-in-law to do, but she doesn't want to."
"What custom?"
After asking the question, Mingxi's expression suddenly darkened: "Could it be a wedding prank? Pranking the bride?"
Jin Juan quickly waved her hands: "No, no!"
She said, "Actually, it's just some old customs, like stepping over a fire basin when entering the house, and having my sister-in-law sit on a winnowing basket splattered with chicken blood. People say that the longer she sits on the winnowing basket, the better, so that the bride and groom can have a smooth married life. My sister-in-law just didn't want to do this, and she got into a fight with the other party."
Sitting on a winnowing basket?
Mingxi had indeed heard of this bad habit.
She saw it while scrolling through her phone in her past life.
It's considered a bad habit because it has nothing to do with blessings. It was invented by the groom's family to test the bride's temperament. It's no different from an obedience test. If the bride does it, it means she's easy to bully, and after marriage, the groom's family and husband can suppress and bully her without restraint.
Mingxi curled her lip, disdainful of her in-laws' disgusting behavior.
She said, "Your sister-in-law did nothing wrong. Someone who can be so disgusting on their wedding day must not be a good person. It would be better to get a divorce decisively."
"ah???"
Jin Juan said this so that Ming Xi would join her in complaining about her sister-in-law, but unexpectedly, Ming Xi agreed with her behavior instead.
Jin Juan: "But, but don't you think it's ridiculous to get divorced on the day of the wedding? My sister-in-law has been unable to get married because of this."
Mingxi shrugged: "That's still better than marrying the other person, being tormented by their whole family, and then getting a divorce because you can't take it anymore, right?"
Seeing that she couldn't reason with Mingxi, Jin Juan simply gave up: "Forget about that, let's get down to business and introduce a potential partner to my sister-in-law."
The important thing is to get her sister-in-law married off as soon as possible, so she can stop tormenting her at home!
Jin Juan: "Although my sister-in-law has a bad temper and is lazy, she's really amazing. She went to a worker-peasant-soldier university and graduated from an industrial university. She's a top student and is now a level 7 welder at the machinery factory. She's the first female welder in our machinery factory, and also the first level 7 welder!"
Speaking of this, Jin Juan is still proud.
Although her sister-in-law was lazy, greedy, and had a bad temper, she was capable. She was the first female welder and the first level seven welder. That was such a prestigious thing!
Not to mention her sister-in-law earns over a hundred yuan a month just from her salary!
Mingxi's eyes widened; a level seven welder is truly impressive.
The current system is an eight-level worker classification system, with the highest level being level eight, which is equivalent to a senior technician in later times. Although Jin Juan's sister-in-law is not a level eight worker, she is only one level away, which is still quite remarkable in the factory.
To put it bluntly, a level seven worker is someone even the factory manager wouldn't take seriously.
Mingxi: "Your sister-in-law is really amazing!"
Jin Juan: "Yes, yes."
Mingxi: "Tell me more about your sister-in-law's situation, and I'll write it down."
Jin Juan: "My husband's older sister is named Meng Dongchun. She is 28 years old this year and works in a machinery factory. She wants a good-looking man with a gentle and obedient personality, and preferably her parents-in-law can also be obedient. This is not my opinion, but my husband's older sister's original words. She is a person who is decisive and can't stand people who nag and try to set rules for her."
Mingxi: "...Your sister-in-law is really direct, huh?"
"You also think my sister-in-law is very direct, right?"
Jin Juan gripped Ming Xi's hand as if she had found her tribe: "She can be very direct and sarcastic when she speaks, and she doesn't know how to be even slightly tactful. I get scolded by her every day at home."
Mingxi didn't know what to say, so she just laughed twice.
Jin Juan: "Also, my sister-in-law said that she doesn't need a bride price and can even give 500 yuan as dowry, but there is one condition: the man must be honest and obedient and not have any ulterior motives."
She said, "My sister-in-law's last boyfriend was a womanizer. Although I don't think she should have turned against him at the wedding, to be honest, he didn't tell us beforehand that there were these customs on the wedding day. If he had told us beforehand, my sister-in-law wouldn't have had such a big fight with him."
"But then again, he's really bold to do something like this. I don't dare to hide anything from my sister-in-law. Her eyes are terrifying, like a scanner, they can see right through you. If I do something stupid, my sister-in-law will just scold me a couple of times, but if I dare to do something stupid and hide it from her and she finds out, she'll really beat me up."
Mingxi could tell that Jinjuan and her sister-in-law were genuinely at odds, but she was also genuinely afraid of each other.
Mingxi: "Okay, I'll take this job. I'll see if there's anything suitable in the next few days. If there is, I'll let you know."
Jin Juan: "Okay, okay, then I'll leave it to you."
She stood up and repeatedly urged, "You must help my sister-in-law find a partner. You must find one carefully. It's best to find one quickly. And remember, my sister-in-law likes men with good tempers and who are obedient. No disobedient men."
Mingxi: "..."
Someone who didn't know better might think they were buying a pet.
However, she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll keep an eye on it."
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Author's note: Ms. Meng is also a legendary figure. [Sunglasses]
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