The provincial capital of Guangxi Province.

Xiao family villa.

Xiao Min sat on the sofa with a big belly and talked to her mother.

She is already six or seven months pregnant. Before she became pregnant, Master Jiang said that her first son would be born on June 2, 2024.

When she was checked after she became pregnant, the doctor gave her the due date, which was exactly this day, which made Xiao Min and Wang Wenjie's awe of Master Jiang reach a new level.

"Mom, I remember you used to love playing mahjong, but later you became my manager and I stopped you from doing this hobby because I was afraid it would have a bad influence on you. Now that I'm retired, you don't have to worry about it so much. Just go out and play mahjong with your friends to kill time."

"Mahjong is a magical thing. If you play it often, you will want to play it every day. If you don't play it for a day, you will feel uncomfortable all over. It is especially torturous when you are short of one person."

Mother Xiao recalled the time when she had to call to fill in the gaps, and couldn't help but sigh: "But once it stopped for a while, the appeal of mahjong has greatly decreased. I'm fine now, and I don't want to sit at the mahjong table all day long like before."

Xiao Min smiled and said, "So what do you do to kill time now, mom?"

Before Xiao's mother could answer, Xiao's father came out of the kitchen and said, "Your mother is very capable now. She is concentrating on writing her autobiography and preparing to publish a book!"

"Ah?" Xiao Min opened her mouth in surprise.

Xiao's mother rolled her eyes at Xiao's father, then said to her daughter, "Don't listen to your father's nonsense. I was just bored and recorded some things that happened when I was your agent."

Xiao Min then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I see, Dad, the way you talk is really scary."

Father Xiao laughed and said, "I'm not wrong. Your mother wrote about things that happened to her or around her. Isn't this almost like an autobiography?"

Mother Xiao glared at him and said, "You only know how to make sarcastic remarks. How's your old duck soup going?"

Father Xiao sat on the other side of the sofa and said, "The aroma is already wafting out. It will be ready to drink after stewing for about half an hour."

Because his daughter liked to drink the old duck soup he stewed, he would stew a pot of delicious old duck soup for her every time she came back from work.

Even if my daughter is married now, this is no exception.

Xiao Min smiled and reminded, "Dad, my mom used to be busy accompanying me everywhere, but now she's completely free, why don't you take her out for a trip?"

Father Xiao immediately cried out in injustice: "Xiao Min, this is not my fault. I wanted to take her out to see the world, but she was not interested. What can I do?"

Xiao's mother said, "In the past ten years, I have been to so many places with Xiao Min. Sometimes I was so busy that I had to catch a plane every day. I almost became a frequent flyer. Now I don't want to go out at all. I just want to stay at home and live my own life."

Xiao Min was well aware of how hard her mother had worked for the past ten years. She patted her mother on the shoulder and said, "It was really hard running around to make more money back then. Now we don't have to worry about money anymore. We can live our lives the way we want. Anyway, you and my father are still young, and we have plenty of time to enjoy life."

Next, the family of three began to recall the good old days.

…

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

At a pork stall in a vegetable market in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, a couple was busy. The man was cutting slices of pork while the woman was greeting customers.

The couple’s surname is Chen, they are in their fifties and are from Yulin City, Guangxi Province.

The pork is being cut and looks extremely fresh. Customers are willing to wait in line even if they have to, as this is also the busiest time for the stall.

The man surnamed Chen has been in this business for more than ten or twenty years. As an old butcher, his technique of cutting pork has become extremely skillful, not much worse than that of Pao Ding.

Therefore, the man surnamed Chen can cut a piece of pork in less than three minutes, and his movements do not look hurried at all, which is a pleasure to watch.

Many customers are willing to wait in line, not only to see the freshness of the pork, but also to be fascinated by the pork cutting skills of the man named Chen.

In less than half an hour, the man surnamed Chen had finished cutting all ten pieces of pork.

His wife was busy cutting meat, weighing, chopping bones and packing bags.

The couple was busy until about 6:30 in the afternoon, when they finally sold all five pigs. Together with the eight pigs sold in the morning and at noon, they sold a total of thirteen pigs in one day. Business was booming.

Now the profit from selling a pig is about 400 yuan. The couple earned more than 5,000 yuan that day, which can be said to be very impressive.

Of course, there are many pork stalls in the vegetable market, and not every stall makes so much money. Although they are all selling pork, some stalls have difficulty selling three or five pigs a day, while the Chen couple can sell more than ten pigs every day, which is also due to their ability.

When the couple was closing their business and preparing to go back, Mr. Chen received a call from his son Chen Yanren.

As soon as the call was connected, his son Chen Yanren asked, "Dad, have you closed the shop?"

Father Chen said, "We just finished selling pork and are preparing to close the stall."

"I'm at XX food stall now. I'll help you and your mom order whatever you want."

"When did you come here? Why didn't you call?"

"I arrived at around five o'clock. I thought you were busy, so I didn't call you. Tell me what you want to eat so I can order and eat quickly. I'm starving."

"Then give me some white-cut goose!"

"Okay, what about my mom?"

"I'll ask her... She said she wanted to eat chopped green onion eggs, you can handle the rest yourself!"

"OK, I'll take the order, come over as soon as you close."

"Um!"

After he hung up the phone, Chen's mother asked, "Why did the boss come here suddenly? Don't you have to go to work?"

Father Chen packed up his things and put them on the tricycle. He said, "Who knows him? Didn't he call you a while ago to complain about his job? Maybe he quit. It's not the first time."

Mother Chen frowned and said, "This child is almost thirty years old, but he still hasn't made up his mind."

Father Chen urged, "Okay, your son has already ordered the food, hurry up and get in the car to eat. It's not too late to talk to your son in front of him."

…

Seven o'clock.

XX food stall.

The Chen family of three are having dinner.

Mother Chen watched her son wolfing down his food. After he had eaten a large bowl of rice and satisfied his hunger, she asked, "Boss, it's not a holiday now. Why did you suddenly come here without telling anyone? Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"

Chen Yanren poured himself another bowl of rice and said nonchalantly, "I've already resigned!"

As expected, Chen's mother and father looked at each other and frowned, "Why did you quit again? Tell me, how many jobs have you changed since you graduated from college?"

Chen Yanren said: "I don't want to keep changing jobs, but I haven't found a job that suits me. What can I do?"

Chen's mother was so angry that she laughed: "I asked you to come and help us sell pork, but you refused. You are not satisfied with any job. You either dislike this or that. Why don't you just be your own boss?"

Chen Yanren chuckled and said, "Mom, to be honest, I'm planning to become my own boss after I quit my job. Working for others isn't really for me, so I might as well try to start a small business. Maybe I can find a way that suits me."

Father Chen interrupted, "It's not easy to work, but it's not easy to be a boss either. Since you've already resigned, you must have made some plans. So tell us, what kind of business do you plan to start?"

Chen Yanren swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "I have thought about it. I plan to find a shop in my neighborhood and open a Laoyou noodle shop. What do you think, mom and dad?"

Mother Chen shook her head and said, "Boss, your idea is a little unreliable. If you open a Laoyou noodle shop in the provincial capital, it might be a little bit feasible. If you open a Laoyou noodle shop in Yulin, I'm afraid it won't adapt to the local climate."

Father Chen also said: "As far as I know, the most authentic Laoyoufen is only in the provincial capital. Outside the provincial capital, I have never seen Laoyoufen that can be made well."

Chen Yanren said: "This is what I think. We can just spend money to recruit people from the provincial capital. I believe the food made by the same chef will not be much different. The core of catering is taste. As long as we build a good reputation, the business will definitely be booming."

Hearing this, Chen's father and mother looked at each other again.

They were indeed not optimistic about their eldest son's business, but it was rare to see that he was so motivated, and they did not want to discourage his enthusiasm. Anyway, the investment in a noodle shop did not need to be too big, so why not let him give it a try?

Thinking of this, Father Chen decided: "Since you are confident, then give it a try. Our family's conditions are better than most, and this small investment can still support you."

Chen Yanren said happily: "Thank you, Dad."

After finishing her business, Chen's mother started talking about the same old things again: "Big brother, your sister is married, your brother has a girlfriend, but you, as the eldest brother, have not made any moves. You are almost 30 years old, but you have never brought a female classmate home. What are you thinking?"

Over the past two or three years, every time they met, her mother would urge her to get married. Chen Yanren had long been accustomed to it and could only smile and reply, "Mom, I know. As long as I meet someone suitable, I will definitely bring her back to you as soon as possible."

Mother Chen rolled her eyes at him and said, "You always say that. Have you never met a girl you like in all these years?"

Chen Yanren sighed, "Of course I have met one, but unfortunately the girls I like are either already taken or don't like me. It's not that I don't want to find a girlfriend, it's just that there is no chance!"

Chen's mother said, "You can't go on like this. How about I ask a matchmaker to introduce you to someone? Your aunt called me a while ago and told me that there's a very famous matchmaker in Bailiang County. I think it's more reliable to ask him to help you find a match than to find one yourself."

Chen Yanren said with embarrassment: "Mom, in this era, people generally get married late. I'm not even 30 years old yet, so there's no need to hire a matchmaker, right?"

"When your father was your age, you three siblings were already born. Do you think it's too early?"

Mother Chen glared at him and said without question, "This is settled. I can't let you keep putting it off. They say you should start a family and a career. If you don't start a family, how can you start a career?"

Father Chen drank a mouthful of soup and said, "Listen to your mother about this matter. Once a man has a family and a sense of responsibility, it will be easier for him to succeed in anything he does."

Anyway, whether the blind date is suitable or not is still up to him, so Chen Yanren did not object anymore, but followed his parents' wishes and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I agree to ask the matchmaker to help introduce a partner, but if I meet someone who is not suitable, you must not force me to marry him!"

Chen's mother said angrily, "Are your father and I unreasonable people? It's you who is going to marry a wife and live with her. We can only give you advice based on our own life experience, but we won't make the decision for you."

Chen Yanren smiled and said, "I feel relieved with your words, mom."

Chen's mother also has an impetuous personality. After deciding to ask a matchmaker to introduce a partner to her eldest son, she couldn't wait to finish her meal and took out her mobile phone to call her sister-in-law.

After the call was connected and they exchanged greetings, Chen's mother went straight to the point and said, "His aunt, last time you called me and told me that there was a very famous matchmaker in Bailiang County who was super good at matchmaking. I was going to ask him to find a partner for the eldest brother. Do you know the matchmaker's phone number?"

Aunt Chen said, "Sister-in-law, I don't have Master Jiang's phone number, but Master Jiang opened a matchmaking agency in the provincial capital. The address of the matchmaking agency can be found by searching it on the Internet."

Mother Chen asked, "What is the name of this Master Jiang's matchmaking agency?"

Aunt Chen said, "It's called the Happy Marriage Agency, and the address is near the train station."

Mother Chen said, "Okay, I understand. When I have time, I will go back to the provincial capital and ask Master Jiang to help the boss find a partner."

Aunt Chen said, "It's time to find a partner for the eldest brother. He's almost thirty years old this year, right?"

Chen's mother hummed and said, "He's already 29 this year. If he were to date on his own, I don't know when he'd find a partner. After thinking it over, it would be more efficient to ask a matchmaker to introduce him."

Aunt Chen said, "Sister-in-law, you have chosen the right person to ask Master Jiang to help you. I have already told you how powerful Master Jiang is. He has been a matchmaker for many big stars and wealthy people. The person he helps you find will definitely not disappoint you."

Mother Chen said expectantly, "Then I'll wait and see."

Next, the aunt and sister-in-law chatted for a while before hanging up the phone.

Mother Chen looked at her son and said, "Your aunt said that you can find the address of Xingfu Marriage Agency on the Internet. Please send the address to me on WeChat. I will see when I can find the time to go to the provincial capital to find a matchmaker."

Chen Yanren nodded. He had almost finished eating, so he put down his chopsticks, picked up his phone, opened a search engine, typed in "Happy Marriage Agency" and clicked "search". Then the detailed address of the Happy Marriage Agency appeared before his eyes.

Chen Yanren looked at the address and thought for a while, then said, "Mom, you and my dad are busy selling pork every day, so how can we spare the time? Anyway, I have to go to the provincial capital to recruit people to open the Laoyou Noodle Shop, so why don't I just go and find a matchmaker myself, saving you the trip."

Mother Chen thought about it and it made sense, so she nodded and said, "Okay."