Chapter Forty-Nine: Proposing Marriage
Supermarkets best embody the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year. The New Year's goods street is almost entirely filled with red gift boxes, and the music is the festive "Happy New Year." Now that everyone is on holiday, it's no exaggeration to describe it as crowded with people. For promotional items, just like when we stayed up all night on Singles' Day, it's a must-buy. My dad was right to bring me along; being thin, I always managed to squeeze through the gaps to the front and grab something.
"This line is way too long!" Looking at the long queue in front of them, and most importantly, everyone's shopping cart was almost full. How long are we going to have to wait?
"Is there a self-checkout?" I asked my dad.
"They have them over there, but we don't really know how to use them. Even though someone can explain it to us, it's all online payment. You know, people our age always associate the internet with fraud."
Dad is right. Although mobile payments are very convenient now, the older generation still prefers paper money transactions.
I pushed the shopping cart with my dad to the self-checkout area. Sure enough, there were very few people, and most of them were young people. I didn't have many bags or small items. Soon, a machine became empty, so I went to check out.
"Lin Dang?" Just as I was about to settle the account, someone called me from behind.
"Wang Sihong, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?" I turned around and saw that it was my junior and senior high school classmate. However, his chubby appearance was completely gone, and he had completely transformed into a different person. Fortunately, his face hadn't changed much.
"I came back for the Chinese New Year, and I'm here with my mom to buy some New Year's goods. You look much prettier!"
"Thank you for the compliment. Girls change a lot as they grow up, don't you get prettier and prettier?" Wang Sihong and I sat at the same desk in junior high and high school, but we've lost touch since college. We only see each other's updates on social media. "But you've changed a lot! Share some tips on how you lost weight."
"How can you talk like that, kid?" My dad couldn't stand my blunt conversation anymore.
"It's alright, Uncle, that's how we always communicate~" Wang Sihong has always been very polite. He used to come to my house to play when he was in school, so my dad still remembers him to some extent.
"Then come over to our house more often if you have nothing to do!" Dad said enthusiastically.
I chatted with him for a bit, exchanged contact information, and then went home with our parents. I always thought our paths would cross that point, but I never expected that the very next day, someone would come to our door to propose marriage.
This morning, a relative I somehow connected with came to visit. He praised me, which made my parents very happy. Although they didn't know what the matter was, they treated him with great hospitality.
"You and Wang Sihong are classmates, right?" The person who told me to call her aunt finally got to the point.
"Yes, you know him too?"
“You know, this kid is really successful now. He went to university in the capital and could have stayed on as a faculty member, but he said he wanted to go back to his hometown. Now he works for the government, as a civil servant. His father works for the tax bureau, his mother works for the civil affairs bureau, and his grandparents were battlefield doctors. They receive a good retirement pension now…” The aunt in front of me started to get excited when she talked about Wang Sihong.
“That child is really quite promising. I remember when he came to my house to play when he was in school, he was a chubby little guy!” the mother chimed in, but she also agreed with the description of Wang Sihong.
“What chubby boy? I almost didn’t recognize him at the supermarket yesterday. He’s quite the handsome young man now!” Dad said.
"Yes, yes, this child is as handsome as Pan An!"
......
My aunt continued her long-winded explanation, and my parents and I finally understood. The Lin family had a daughter who had come of age, and the Wang family had a son of marriageable age—they were a match made in heaven! It was obvious that this was a marriage proposal.
“Auntie, look at my Lin Dang. On the surface, she seems quite nice sitting here, well-mannered and knowledgeable. But we’ve spoiled her rotten since she was little, and she’s actually quite unruly.” My mother started to criticize me.
"I think it's pretty good, and Sihong's mother has met Lin Dang before, otherwise she wouldn't have asked me to come over." My aunt looked me up and down, leaving my parents with no more excuses.
"Excuse me, my boyfriend is on the phone~" Huang Yanyan was my savior. Just when I was in a dilemma, she called me. As soon as I finished speaking, I saw my aunt's obviously surprised expression. I pretended to be shy and went to the balcony to talk to Yanyan quietly on the phone, but my facial expressions were very dramatic.
"Did you take the wrong medicine?" Huang Yanyan sensed that something was wrong with my words.
"Someone's come to propose marriage. You can play the part first, and I'll treat you to a nice meal when we get back," I whispered.
"Oh, this is great! I just got home and someone's already come to propose marriage! Tell me, which wealthy family's young man is he? What does he look like? Lin Dang, what's our relationship? You'd better give me a break, you're taken, but I'm still single. Help me find out more about him!"
After chatting and laughing with Huang Yanyan for a while, I hung up the phone. I figured this aunt would be completely devoted to me now.
Sure enough, when I returned to my original spot with my phone, my aunt gave me a somewhat embarrassed smile.
"I don't know the situation either. She already has a boyfriend, and I'm still interfering. Lin Dang, don't blame me. I'm only doing this for your own good. After all, there are too many single women over 30 these days."
"Yes, I understand, it's okay~"
My aunt didn't linger any longer; after exchanging a few pleasantries, she left.
"I never imagined my daughter would be so popular. If I weren't so satisfied with Chu Zhen, Wang Sihong would truly be the best son-in-law." My mother looked me over carefully. "See, it's a good thing my daughter takes after me. If she took after you, she'd really be stuck at home as an old maid."
My mom really knows how to talk; she praised herself while simultaneously belittling my dad.
I haven't received a single message from Chu Zhen since I got home two days ago. Because of my mother's arm injury, I took the initiative to do the housework. Once you get busy, you can't think about anything else.
"Daughter, how did you spend New Year's Eve last year?" Dad suddenly thought of last year while putting up the couplets.
"Dad, you finally remembered that you left me all alone last year~" I didn't answer directly because I really missed Chu Zhen at this moment. But these past few days, he still hasn't sent a single message, and I'm a little unsure if it's over between us.
"I'm spending this Chinese New Year with you this year. I don't know how many more years I'll be able to spend at home. Sigh, my daughter's grown up, I can't keep her here anymore~"
I'm truly exasperated with my dear old father. He didn't say a word when he abandoned me last year, but now he's throwing a sentimental ballad at me~
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