Blind date
They went up the mountain to dig up medicinal herbs to sell for money, but the herbs on the mountain were becoming increasingly scarce. Li Guorong was finally close to saving up 2,000 yuan. The young boys from several nearby villages were constantly watching their family, which annoyed Li Guorong to no end. She planned to dig up several kinds of herbs the next day, but they were dug up by others, which made them so angry that they couldn't sleep well for several nights.
Today was her eldest sister's blind date. Li Guolan got up early, put on a bright red dress, and applied cosmetics and lipstick that she usually couldn't afford to use.
The little brother shouted, "Big sister is so beautiful!" Several children in the village called out, "Bride, bride!"
Li Guorong and Li Guojian were forbidden by Wu Cuihua from following along. Li Guojian was irresponsible and always finding fault with others. Li Guorong was a girl, so it was inappropriate for her to come along. However, the two knew they were going to the park north of town to watch the excitement. If the red dress didn't work, the two of them would jump out and start arguing again.
"Ah!" the older sister exclaimed.
The two hurried outside. Someone's little child had accidentally smeared mud from their hands onto their dress. They had to leave immediately; there wasn't enough time to wash it clean and dry it.
With tears in her eyes, Li Guolan hurriedly went inside to wash her skirt.
Li Guorong shouted, "Whose kid did this?"
Among a group of children, one was wearing green clothes with dirty hands. Li Guorong grabbed the child and scolded, "You little brat, whose child is this?"
The child didn't dare to speak, only kept crying. Li Guoqiang quickly comforted her, "It's alright, little sister, it wasn't intentional."
Li Guorong was furious. Every child in the village knows that you shouldn't touch new clothes with dirty hands. This kid must have done it on purpose.
While Li Guorong wasn't paying attention, the child bit him. Li Guorong could only let go in pain. Just as Li Guorong was about to chase after him, the older woman inside called her. She had no choice but to settle the score with the child another time, so she hurriedly went inside.
Li Guolan was holding her newly bought blue dress and asked somewhat shyly, "Little sister, I want to wear your woolen blue dress."
Li Guorong opened his mouth and said, "No, you have to wear red."
Li Guolan looked disappointed. There were no other skirts in the house, only her younger sister had two. One was washed, and only the woolen one was still wearable.
Wu Cuihua came in and said, "Guorong, lend this to your older sister. She always thinks of you when she has something nice."
It wasn't that Li Guorong was stingy and didn't want his eldest sister to wear it; it was that if she didn't wear red, how could he expose that the man had mental problems? He knew his mother wouldn't believe him anyway, but he had to say it at this moment: "I heard that the man surnamed Wang has mental problems and goes crazy whenever he sees red, so my eldest sister has to wear red."
Wu Cuihua didn't believe it. "The person I introduced to your sister is a real relative. Would he cheat your sister? Don't talk nonsense. Just wear your dress. I'll buy you a new one when I have the money."
Li Guorong could only shout, "Put it on, put it on."
She ran out the door, found her second brother, and whispered to him, "Mom doesn't believe me. My eldest sister is wearing my blue dress. Let's hurry to the park and lie in ambush." The two of them went to the village chief's house, got on the borrowed bicycle, and rushed to the town.
Li Guolan changed her dress again, got on the bicycle her older brother had borrowed, and headed towards town full of anticipation, while Wu Cuihua followed behind in an oxcart.
Mengshan Town, noon.
Liu Min, with her downturned mouth, drooping eyelids, and a sorrowful expression, waited at the intersection with a young man wearing a polyester shirt. The young man had dark circles under his eyes and pale skin that had never seen the sun for many years.
Wu Cuihua was arm in arm with her daughter, followed by her eldest son. The young man had fair skin and looked upright, but he was a bit gloomy. However, her daughter was also quiet, so it suited her perfectly.
Liu Min said, "It's hot today, and there's no water in the park to the north. Let's go to the small square with water to the west." Wu Cuihua nodded, and the group walked over there in a friendly manner.
Lin Shaocheng had just finished collecting the medicinal herbs when a splash of blue caught his eye—a dress. He turned his head and pondered deeply.
The grove of trees in the small square to the west was bathed in the midday sun, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
Li Guolan lowered her head, a little embarrassed. Usually, the villagers were all tanned like dark monkeys, and she had never seen such an elegant man before.
The man spoke first: "Are you satisfied with me?"
Today, Li Guolan was wearing a blue woolen dress, which gave off a quiet vibe. She's likely to be a woman of few words and good at managing the household chores.
Li Guolan nodded shyly.
The man continued, "Once my parents retire and start working, it will just be the two of us. You can then have a guaranteed food supply and won't have to work in the fields."
Li Guolan was even more satisfied; becoming a worker was something she had never dared to dream of before.
A series of firecrackers crackled and popped, causing the man's pupils to shrink and his face to turn red. He strode out of the grove of trees, where several children were playing with firecrackers, and his mother was trying to stop them.
The child yelled shrilly, "Just play! Just play!"
The other children were also crying and screaming. Suddenly, the man covered his head, his eyes were bloodshot, and he raised his fist to hit the child. His mother quickly stopped him, but was kicked away.
The child was terrified and started crying loudly. Lin Shaocheng, dressed in a flashy red shirt, appeared, grabbed the man's arm, and threw him to the ground. Lin Shaocheng sneered, "Isn't this Wang Yang? If you have mental problems, why aren't you staying home and taking care of yourself? What are you doing out here?"
Li Guolan turned pale when she saw Lin Shaocheng hitting the child, and Wu Cuihua quickly protected her own girl.
Wang Yang had lost all reason at this moment. He only saw the red in front of him and heard the children screaming in his ears. He attacked Lin Shaocheng like a mad bull.
Wang Yang's rudimentary skills were no match for Lin Shaocheng, and he was beaten so badly he cried out in pain.
Seeing her son at a disadvantage, Wang Yang's mother, Liu Min, rushed forward and slapped Lin Shaocheng's strong arm, crying loudly, "Let go of my son! Let go of my son!"
In the park to the north, Li Guorong and Li Guojian were getting so impatient they were practically covered in weeds, wondering why he hadn't arrived yet.
"Someone's gone mad in the square, and a fight has broken out." Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance and quickly followed the crowd.
Li Guorong pushed through the crowd and saw a strange middle-aged woman about to hit Lin Shaocheng. She couldn't stand it, so she quickly squeezed in, pulled Liu Min away, and yelled, "Men are fighting, what are you doing here? If you want to fight, fight me!" She grabbed Liu Min's hair, and Liu Min screamed.
When Wu Cuihua saw Liu Guorong hitting someone, she quickly went inside, saying, "Little sister, you can't hit him like that."
Lin Shaocheng was still holding down Wang Yang, who was mentally ill. Wang Yang's face was red and he still wanted to attack him. Someone nearby had already called the police.
Li Guorong cursed, "They tricked my sister into marriage and they're not even ashamed. I can't even hit them." Li Guolan silently shed tears. Was she really that bad? Being introduced to someone with mental problems, what was she going to do?
The police finally arrived late and took Wang Yang away, giving Liu Min a lecture. Now Wang Yang was famous throughout the surrounding area, and no family that loved girls would marry their daughter to him.
Later, when Liu Min returned home, Wang Yang's father learned about the embarrassing incident and beat her. Liu Min still had to endure the pain and cook for the father and son.
Wang Yang's condition worsened. He would yell and scream whenever he heard someone close their door loudly. He would not only hit his mother but also fight with his father. If he couldn't be kept in check, he would go out and beat people. His family had no choice but to chain him up at home.
Wu Cuihua and Li Guolan were extremely grateful to Lin Shaocheng, who had almost harmed their daughter. They never expected that even relatives would harm their own child.
Lin Shaocheng quickly declined, saying, "Guo Rong and I are friends; it was just a small favor."
Wu Cuihua then took a closer look at the young man in front of her. He was wearing a red floral shirt, dark blue trousers, and a pair of new leather shoes. He had deep-set eyes and an air of nobility. She was shocked. How could her younger sister afford to mess with a man like this?
Wu Cuihua quickly pulled Li Guorong away, preventing her from getting too close to Lin Shaocheng. Lin Shaocheng, however, didn't react much and continued to act obediently and sensibly in front of his elders.
Li Guoqiang, covered in sweat, pushed his bicycle over and asked, "What happened?"
Wu Cuihua quickly said, "Elder sister, Comrade Lin helped Guolan, you should thank him quickly. Little sister, please comfort your elder sister. The three of us should go home first."
Wu Cuihua quickly left with her two daughters, while Lin Shaocheng's gaze followed Li Guorong until his figure disappeared.
Li Guoqiang was intimidated by the man's imposing presence. Fine beads of sweat stung his eyes, making it hard to open them. The man's body emanated a stench unlike that of the farmers in the village. The honest and taciturn man was speechless and could only bury his head even lower.
Lin Shaocheng took out a cigarette, lit it, put it in his mouth, and handed it to Li Guoqiang. Li Guoqiang quickly shook his head, and the two faced each other in silence.
Lin Shaocheng silently finished his cigarette and said, "Brother, I have to go now. Don't worry about this little thing. Guorong and I are friends."
Li Guoqiang then relaxed and said, "Thank you so much. You can come and play on our shore sometime."
On both sides, cicadas chirped, and the trees provided ample shade. A warm breeze occasionally carried a hint of coolness from the water.
Li Guorong smiled, her clothes swaying with her steps. She had finally changed her eldest sister's fate of marrying a mentally ill person.
The eldest sister, Li Guolan, was soaked with sweat, which clung tightly to her body. Sweat streamed down her forehead, and she trembled uncontrollably. Wu Cuihua kept comforting Li Guolan, but Li Guolan was lost in her own world and had no reaction to the outside world. She mechanically followed Wu Cuihua's lead.
Wu Cuihua cried out, "Lan, you're trying to kill me! I shouldn't have been greedy for that worker's spot, and I wouldn't have scared you like this."
Hearing the two women crying, Li Guorong, the eldest sister, looked sullen and scolded, "Li Guolan, who are you trying to fool with that deathly expression? Do you want to marry a mentally ill person? Then let Aunt Liu tell that mentally ill person that you're willing."
Li Guolan was shocked, tears streaming down her face. She cried out, "I'm not as lucky as you. I'm already 22 years old and still haven't found a husband. You're liked by the Qian family in the village, and you can make money too."
Li Guorong continued to curse: "Then you should marry him. Let the mentally ill beat you to death. It's a waste that you asked my friend to help you. He almost got beaten up too."
Wu Cuihua quickly stopped Li Guorong from scolding Li Guolan further, saying, "It's our fault, your father and I. We wanted to save more money for your weddings, to give you all a grand and glamorous occasion, but who knew..."
Wu Cuihua and Li Guolan hugged each other and cried bitterly. Li Guorong was a little confused. He thought that even if someone never got married, no one would die of worry. He said, "Let's go quickly, or we'll miss our chance to cook dinner."
The two women stopped crying and stared blankly at Li Guorong. Li Guolan said, "Little sister, aren't you sad that our family is looked down upon?"
Li Guorong rolled his eyes and said, "Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. Do you think other people's affections are food? I'm starving, let's go."
Wu Cuihua added, "Yes, let's find an honest man, not those pretty boys." Li Guolan felt a little relieved and said, "Then let's hurry home, little brother must be hungry."
Wu Cuihua then had time to ask the young stranger, "Little sister, are you helping us with that today?"
Li Guorong ran home like a little pony, shouting, "I'm so hungry!"
Wu Cuihua could only follow behind Li Guorong with worry, determined to explain things clearly to her younger sister that night.
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