The man quickly returned to his seat. Zhan Chunlan assumed he had already ordered, but seeing his slightly furrowed brow and somewhat annoyed expression, she asked, "What's wrong? Is everything sold out? Anything is fine with me."
"We're out of rice cake and pork ribs today." The man nodded, looking hesitant. "The waiter recommended braised pork, but my mom said they don't put enough sugar in it, it's not sweet enough, and it's not authentic..."
He rubbed his hands nervously. "Wait a minute, I need to think about it some more. My mom specifically asked me to recommend a few dishes before I left, I need to recall them."
When Zhan Chunlan noticed that he mentioned "my mother" in every sentence, she became wary. Perhaps it was because he rarely ate here and didn't know? She maintained her smile and said, "It's okay, just keep an eye on things."
The man took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, carefully unfolded it, and muttered to himself, "My mom wrote this: stir-fried bok choy is fine, tofu soup is okay too, just please don't order fish, she says girls are afraid of bones and it's unseemly..."
Zhan Chunlan nodded. Everything his mother had told her was quite good. Was this man's first blind date? That's why she needed to give him detailed instructions?
He looked up at Zhan Chunlan, hesitated, and asked, "Um... would you mind if I went back and asked? My home is in the next alley, it'll be quick."
Before Zhan Chunlan could respond, he stood up and said, "It's better to ask clearly. My mother said we can't be too casual on the first meeting."
"Ha!" Zhan Chunlan almost laughed in anger. Does she need to go back and ask her mother what to order? She's still breastfeeding, what's with all this blind date stuff?
A moment later, he came running back, panting, with a relieved smile on his face: "I found out! My mom said ordering stir-fried shredded vegetables and a tomato and egg soup would be the safest bet. She even opened a can of oranges, saying that if things go well, she'd like you to come over for a visit."
Zhan Chunlan picked up her teacup and looked at him with a strange expression. This grown man still has to ask his mother what to order for a blind date? It's just a can of oranges, and he has to talk to you before he can even go to your house to eat?
However, she still had to follow the proper procedures: "What are your hobbies?"
"Does listening to the radio with my mom count?" The man's eyes lit up. His mom said it was a sign of being family-oriented, and mentioning it to girls would score points. "My mom only has one son, and my dad works for the railway and is often away from home. I'm almost always the one who keeps my mom company. My mom says..."
Zhan Chunlan gently stroked the enamel mug bearing the inscription "Labor is the Most Glorious." When the man brought up "My mother said" again, she finally put down the mug.
"It's getting late, why don't you head back first?"
"Oh? Would you like to come to my house for a bit? My mom said..."
“Tell your mother,” Zhan Chunlan stood up, picked up her handbag and smiled slightly, “I appreciate her kindness. But you should keep this meal for your family.”
"Hey, comrade? The dishes are all served!" The man watched as the dishes were brought out one by one, but Zhan Chunlan inexplicably left, leaving him somewhat at a loss: "Did I do something wrong? But I was just doing it the way Mom told me to. Why did she leave?"
Zhan Chunlan: I hate that my legs are too short!
The man was forced to finish a meal and walked lazily home. He had a smile on his face, clearly in a good mood: "Haha, my sister said she hates hearing 'My mom said' from blind dates. Sure enough, no girl likes that! I didn't perform well this time, but I'll definitely be more natural next time!"
When Zhan Chunlan returned home, Zhan Xiaoman pounced on her the moment she opened the door, clinging to her body, its tail wagging wildly, whimpering softly. Zhan Chunlan felt extremely sorry for it.
"Oh dear~ Mommy's back~ Mommy was only out for a little while, look how wronged our Xiaoman is." As she spoke, Zhan Chunlan gently rubbed the dog, making Zhan Xiaoman squint and forget to whimper.
Seeing that she had calmed it down, Zhan Chunlan let go and prepared to go to the kitchen. But as soon as she put her hand down, Zhan Xiaoman became unhappy, grabbing Zhan Chunlan's legs with its two front paws and nudging her hand with its head.
"Okay, okay, Mommy will continue." Zhan Chunlan had no choice but to squat down and pet it gently, speaking in a sweet, coquettish voice: "You like this, don't you? You like Mommy petting Xiaoman's head? Are you hungry? Pet it a little longer, then Mommy will go cook, okay?"
Zhan Xiaoman didn't care; it hadn't seen its mom all afternoon and needed to be petted to feel better!
To comfort herself and Zhan Xiaoman's wounded hearts, Zhan Chunlan cooked a sumptuous dinner for them, with meat in each of their bowls.
Indeed, blind dates are really risky!
That night, Zhan Chunlan went to bed early, and just before falling asleep, she uttered this sigh!
On the next day off, Zhan Chunlan started a new round of blind dates. This time, Zhan Chunlan found out in advance that he was not a "mama's boy," and that he had both parents alive and many siblings, which is the most classic structure of this era.
As Zhan Chunlan looked at the dishes being served, she nodded to herself in approval. "Very good, at least we can order food independently."
After thinking it over, she secretly despised herself. "Pah! When did my standards become so low?"
The man opposite me was about 178 cm tall, not particularly tall, but not short either. His appearance was fairly average, but his mannerisms were a little affected: "I heard you're from Jiangcheng?"
"Yes!"
Seeing that Zhan Chunlan's expression was normal and she showed no embarrassment, the man was somewhat disappointed: "I am a native of Haicheng. My ancestors have been Haicheng people since my great-great-great-grandfather's generation."
Zhan Chunlan sighed inwardly, "They're here!"
But a look of surprise crossed his face: "Really? Your family is amazing!"
The man was somewhat dissatisfied with her reaction. Although she was surprised, it was far from what he had expected. Why didn't she, a person from a remote area, envy him, a native of Haicheng?
“I am the only son in my family. After we get married, my parents will help us a lot. There are three main rooms in the house. It is a separate house with its own entrance. It will all be mine in the future. I won’t have to squeeze with others.”
Zhan Chunlan was genuinely surprised this time.
The man finally saw the expression he wanted to see, and contentedly lowered his head to eat.
"But the matchmaker said you have seven siblings?"
The man showed no fear at being exposed for his lie; instead, he nodded matter-of-factly: "That's right, I have six older sisters!"
"Then you said you're an only child?" Zhan Chunlan was genuinely confused. Was this a unique way of calculating things, typical of native Haicheng residents?
“Yes! I’m the only son in the family, not an only child. And all six of my older sisters are married and living elsewhere. Now, and forever, I’ll be the only child in the family!” The man continued, somewhat proudly, listing the family’s possessions:
“When my eldest sister got married, the groom’s dowry included a sewing machine. My second sister’s dowry included a radio. My third and fifth sisters were not very successful and married men who were not capable, so they only received 300 yuan as a dowry. The bicycle I ride now was my fourth sister’s dowry.”
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his left hand in front of Zhan Chunlan, making his already conspicuous watch appear even larger: "This was bought by my sixth brother-in-law, a Haicheng brand!"
Startled, Zhan Chunlan leaned back repeatedly, increasing the distance between herself and her watch.
To prevent him from acting too aggressively again, I immediately gave a very clear response: "Really? Your sisters are so lucky to have married well!"
Clearly, the man was dissatisfied with her reaction. He frowned slightly, looking at Zhan Chunlan with an expression as if she were a piece of rotten wood: "I'm not trying to tell you that my sister and her husband married well. What I mean is, I already have a sewing machine, a radio, a watch, and a bicycle. If you marry me, all of these will be yours."
Seeing his expression of "you've hit the jackpot," Zhan Chunlan quickly paid the bill and left, afraid that she would become part of his family just because she ate a meal with him.
The man watched her flee in disarray, completely bewildered: "We're eating, where did she go?"
Zhan Chunlan ran quite a distance before daring to stop, patting her chest in relief that she had run fast.
What she didn't know was that after the man got home, he told his family that the girl liked him and they all insisted on paying for the meal.
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