Shen Xuyue led Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youqing to a military green jeep. There was a man sitting in the driver's seat. Zhao Mingyue glanced at him and didn't recognize him. Had Shen's father changed drivers? The man got out of the car when he saw them. He was also a man over 1.8 meters tall and looked even more burly than Shen Xuyue.
Shen Xuyue said with a smile, "Brother, we've picked them up. This is my girlfriend, Zhao Mingyue, and this is her fellow villager, Yu Youqing. Mingyue, this is my older brother."
Zhao Mingyue realized that it was Shen Qixue, Shen Xuyue's older brother. The other party had already extended his hand: "Nice to meet you!"
"Hello, big brother!" Zhao Mingyue politely shook hands with the other party. Shen Qixue looked a little like Shen Xuyue, but his features were slightly more ordinary, which made him look very dignified and imposing.
Shen Xuyue put the luggage in the trunk and explained to Zhao Mingyue, "My older brother only arrived home on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This visit will last for a long time, about a month."
Zhao Mingyue smiled politely at Chen Qixue: "Big brother has always been in Guangdong?"
Shen Qixue said, "Yes, in Zhanjiang."
Shen Xuyue chimed in, "Winter in Zhanjiang is easy; you don't even need to wear a cotton-padded coat."
Yu Youqing asked curiously, "Don't you need to wear a cotton-padded coat?"
Shen Qixue said, "No need to wear a cotton-padded coat, a sweater is enough. I got used to it over there, and now I feel like I'm freezing to the bone."
Zhao Mingyue laughed: "Winter in Beijing is indeed quite cold, and it lasts for too long."
Shen Qixue drove them to the Normal University. Shen Xuyue said, "Mingyue, tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Come to my house for dinner tonight. I'll pick you up. Youqing, are you coming too?"
Yu Youqing quickly waved his hand: "No, I won't go, thank you." He had no relation to them, so why should he get involved?
Shen Xuyue did not insist.
The next morning, Shen Xuyue came to pick up Zhao Mingyue. During their conversation, she learned why Shen Qixue had been able to return for so long. He hadn't been home to visit his family for over ten years, so his leave had naturally accumulated. More importantly, he had a major political task assigned to him by his mother: a blind date. After the New Year, Shen Qixue would turn 30. Over the years, he had achieved some success in the army, currently serving as a deputy battalion commander. It was said that if it weren't for his parents' influence, he would have been promoted to regimental-level officer long ago.
Because he was homeless and no one in his family cared about his marriage, his superiors, though concerned, were powerless to help. So, as soon as his parents were exonerated, they quickly summoned him back to arrange his marriage. How? By setting him up on blind dates.
Shen Xuyue said, "My older brother has already been on the blind date with half a dozen girls since he came back."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Haven't you found one yet?"
“No. The girls my mother arranges don’t care about their looks or other qualities, as long as their family background is similar,” Shen Xuyue said.
Zhao Mingyue thought that Shen's mother was really capable of doing this. In her previous life, Shen Xuyue married Wu Jie, and his mother probably played a part in it too: "Your brother hasn't dated anyone all these years?"
I had a boyfriend before I joined the army.
"And then what happened?"
Shen Xuyue said, "That girl was already married and had children. If it weren't for the Cultural Revolution, they probably would have been together long ago. There are too many unexpected twists and turns in this world."
Zhao Mingyue sighed helplessly.
Shen Xuyue said, "Today is actually my brother's blind date at Uncle Song's house. I'll take you there to see him."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
“It’s fine. My older sister and the others are here, as are Brother Huaihai and Xiaorui, and Wei Qin is back too. Come with me and join the fun,” Shen Xuyue said with a smile.
Zhao Mingyue thought that this elaborate blind date would surely scare the girl.
When Zhao Mingyue arrived at Commander Song's house, the scene was even larger than she had imagined. There were at least a dozen people in the room, and Zhao Mingyue greeted them one by one with a little embarrassment. When Song Xiaorui saw Zhao Mingyue, she happily ran over, took her hand, and introduced her to a man: "Wei Qin, this is Xiao Xu's boyfriend, Zhao Mingyue. Mingyue, this is Wei Qin."
When Zhao Mingyue first met Wei Qin, he was a tall, thin man with a frank look in his eyes, a calm demeanor, and a strong scholarly air. He was clearly a man of substance: "Brother Wei, hello! I've long admired your name!"
Wei Qin shook hands with her, glanced at Zhao Mingyue with a scrutinizing look, and nodded slightly: "Hello."
Zhao Mingyue whispered in Song Xiaorui's ear, "Xiaorui, have you decided on your wedding date yet? I need to make your wedding dresses."
Song Xiaorui had a face as beautiful as a peach blossom and was very charming. She glanced at Wei Qin with a smile and then said, "Wei Qin has been transferred back to the city and is currently in Xi'an. We plan to get married on May Day."
Zhao Mingyue said, "That's good, then I'll have plenty of time to make you a dress. Brother Wei Qin, would you like me to make him a suit?"
Song Xiaorui had seen Zhao Mingyue's craftsmanship and knew that she made good clothes: "I'll ask him. He's a very principled person, and not just anyone can make decisions for him."
"Even you can't do it?" Zhao Mingyue was slightly surprised. In her opinion, Song Xiaorui's personality was already very strong, yet she was completely under the thumb of the seemingly harmless Wei Qin. It was truly unexpected. Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but glance at Wei Qin again, only to find that Wei Qin was also looking at her. Zhao Mingyue smiled a little embarrassedly.
Song Xiaorui looked at Wei Qin and pinched his palm: "Why are you looking at Mingyue? Do you think Mingyue is pretty?"
Wei Qin didn't seem embarrassed at all and asked bluntly, "Has Qi Xue met Xiao Zhao yet?"
Zhao Mingyue paused for a moment, then nodded: "I've met you before."
Wei Qin said, "I think today's blind date is doomed again."
Song Xiaorui said, "What? I think that girl is pretty, and they seem to be having a good chat."
Wei Qin smiled and said, "That's because the parents were chatting quite well. Didn't you see Qi Xue sitting there without saying a word?"
Zhao Mingyue glanced into the crowd. Shen Qixue leaned slightly forward, his elbows resting on his thighs, his hands unconsciously fiddling with each other. He didn't seem to be talking to the girl next to him. The girl was wearing a red coat, her hair was tied into two buns in front of her. In terms of her attire, she was quite fashionable for that era, and she looked pretty good too.
Zhao Mingyue asked Song Xiaorui, "What does that girl do?"
Song Xiaorui said, "From the cultural troupe."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyue said, "The conditions are quite good."
Song Xiaorui glanced at Zhao Mingyue and whispered, "Her educational level is a bit low; she only graduated from elementary school. They said she was admitted through exceptional singing and dancing skills. Actually, she got in through her uncle's connections. If Brother Qixue had met you, he'd probably be even more picky about his partner. I think how about this, Mingyue, do you see if any of your classmates are suitable for Brother Qixue? Could you introduce them to him?"
Zhao Mingyue said with difficulty, "I don't think it's a good idea. Xu Yue's mother will definitely have objections." Shen's mother already had objections to Zhao Mingyue, and if her eldest daughter-in-law was introduced by Zhao Mingyue, she would definitely resent Zhao Mingyue to death.
Song Xiaorui, who was clearly aware of their relationship, nodded and said, "That makes sense. I think Brother Qi has high standards. The person has to be beautiful, cultured, have a good personality, and be easy to talk to. I think he probably won't settle down by the time he finishes his vacation."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Your expectations are too high."
"There's nothing I can do. She's got good qualities, so of course she has high standards. Besides, there are so many people comparing her to others. She wouldn't be able to accept finding someone with less desirable qualities," Song Xiaorui laughed.
Zhao Mingyue asked, "Was his ex-girlfriend very pretty?"
Song Xiaorui thought for a moment and said, "She's not particularly pretty. We grew up together, got to know each other, and our feelings deepened over time, so appearance didn't seem to matter. Now, suddenly meeting a complete stranger, someone I don't know anything about, naturally raises my standards in all aspects."
Zhao Mingyue thought that made sense; no one can see another person's inner beauty on the first meeting.
Song Xiaorui pulled her along, saying, "Let's not go and join the fun. Let's go to my room and chat."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, I'll take your measurements and make you some clothes."
At lunchtime, because there were so many people, two large tables were full, one for the young people and one for the older people. Shen Qixue and the girl he was going to meet were also at a table with Zhao Mingyue and her group. Zhao Mingyue noticed that Shen Qixue kept his head down and ate his food. The girl tried to talk to him several times, but he just responded with "uh-huh," "ah," and "oh." Song Xiaorui whispered to Zhao Mingyue, "I told you, this won't work out."
Zhao Mingyue smiled but didn't say anything.
After lunch, the elders suggested the young people go for a stroll in Beihai Park, hoping to set up Shen Qixue and the girl on a date, with Shen Xuyue and Zhao Mingyue as their foils. Shen Qixue made an excuse and slipped away. Since the parties involved were gone, the foils naturally didn't need to go either.
Mother Shen's face immediately fell. Zhao Mingyue followed Shen Xuyue to the Shen family home, knowing that the meal would be unpleasant since they were going to spend the holiday there that evening. Shen Qixue was already home, having taken off his cotton-padded coat and was fiddling with something in the yard with a hammer. Shen Xuyue and Yang Maolin rolled up their sleeves and went over to help.
Mother Chen said angrily, "What kind of person are you looking for? You don't want someone from a department store, you don't want someone from a performing arts troupe, are you planning to stay single forever?"
Shen Qixue said, "Mom, it's not like I can't find a wife, why are you in such a hurry? This is about two people dating and getting married, not like breeding animals. It's not a one-time thing. If it doesn't work out, you can just put up with it. It's a lifelong commitment." His words were rough, but the reasoning was sound.
Shen Fuyu and Zhao Mingyue listened with great amusement.
Shen Qixue bent down and hammered nails, making a loud thumping sound. Shen Xuyue said, "Brother, why don't you try getting to know that girl? Maybe you'll get along."
Shen Qixue said, "We talked, but we didn't have anything in common and we didn't get along."
Listening to the brothers' conversation, Zhao Mingyue felt that Shen Qixue was quite an idealist.
All afternoon, Shen's mother had been nagging, talking about her three children, none of whom she was satisfied with. Shen Fuyu shook her head helplessly at Zhao Mingyue, and everyone tacitly lowered their heads to work, not responding, letting Shen's mother nag alone. Indeed, at this age, her children were either unmarried or completely unsatisfactory; how could Shen's usually strong-willed mother not be upset?
After dinner, Shen Xuyue offered to take Zhao Mingyue back to school. Shen Qixue offered to drive her, even though Shen Xuyue had already learned to drive but hadn't yet obtained his driver's license.
On the night of the fifteenth, the moon was exceptionally bright, its light like cascading mercury, enveloping the ancient capital. Such tranquility in Beijing was something she could never have imagined in her dreams. Zhao Mingyue felt a sense of disorientation, as if she had somehow traveled through time to arrive here; the hand of fate was truly wondrous.
Shen Xuyue broke the silence: "Big brother, there's a lantern festival on Qianmen Street, shall we go and take a look?"
Shen Qixue tapped the steering wheel with his hand: "The moon rises above the willow branches, and we meet after dusk. You think I'm all alone? What am I doing at the lantern festival? You two, stop trying to provoke your brother."
Shen Xuyue couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Big brother, the ones Mom introduced you to were actually not that bad, not that terrible."
Shen Qixue said, "My mother always finds me wives according to her standards: similar family background, similar age, and she doesn't consider anything else. She doesn't care about the girl's personality, education level, appearance, or height, as long as she's a woman, it's fine. She's afraid that I'll find a local wife in Guangdong, so she's in a hurry and insists that I settle down within a month. Can you believe how annoying that is?"
"That's true. The more you rush them, the more resentful they become," Shen Xuyue sighed.
Zhao Mingyue felt deep sympathy for Shen Qixue.
When the car arrived at the gate of the Normal University, the headlights were on, illuminating a person struggling to carry two large suitcases towards the gate. Zhao Mingyue said, "Brother, stop for a moment."
Shen Qixue slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a stop. Shen Xuyue asked, "What happened?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "I saw my classmate, so I helped her carry her things."
Zhao Mingyue jumped out of the car and said, "Jianlan!"
Mao Jianlan smiled happily when she saw Zhao Mingyue: "Little Zhao, when did you arrive?"
Zhao Mingyue took a bag from her hand: "It arrived yesterday, and I ran into you as soon as I came in."
Shen Xuyue also came down: "Give me all the luggage. Did Xiao Mao just arrive?"
Mao Jianlan nodded: "Yes."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? It's a holiday today, and you're probably still hungry. Let's go get something to eat," Zhao Mingyue said.
Mao Jianlan quickly waved her hand: "No need, I've already eaten dry rations."
Shen Xuyue said, "Get in the car."
Zhao Mingyue pulled Mao Jianlan into the car, and Shen Xuyue got into the front seat. He said to Shen Qixue, "Big brother, this is Mingyue's classmate, Xiao Mao, Mao Jianlan. She just arrived at school, let's take her to eat."
Mao Jianlan felt quite embarrassed: "I really don't need it, I've already eaten something."
Zhao Mingyue said, "You've been on the bus for so long. Don't forget, you have a sensitive stomach. Don't just let it slide. Let's go. Have some food before we go back."
Shen Qixue drove the car forward and saw a restaurant that was still open, so he parked. The group got out and ordered a few dishes. Mao Jianlan saw they had ordered three or four dishes and assumed everyone wanted to eat, so she didn't stop them. But when the food arrived, she was the only one eating: "Aren't you all going to eat?"
Zhao Mingyue said with a smile, "We've already eaten at his house. They took me back to school, and I didn't expect to run into you."
"You guys are being too wasteful. How can I possibly finish all this? You should eat some more." Mao Jianlan was used to being frugal and couldn't stand seeing food go to waste.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Let's eat something together."
Mao Jianlan laughed: "That's more like it. I feel embarrassed watching you eat."
The group chatted and ate, recounting their experiences on the journey. Mao Jianlan said, "When I got off the train, it was incredibly crowded. Everyone was in a hurry, carrying their luggage, so it was quite packed. Suddenly, I heard a woman shout, 'Oh no! Don't push! Don't push! My baby has fallen! My baby has fallen!' Everyone was startled and quickly stopped pushing so she could retrieve her child. She searched for a long time on the ground and finally found a cloth shoe. Haha, it cracked me up! This woman is probably from Hunan."
Several people couldn't help but laugh: "You Hunan people call shoes 'children'?"
Mao Jianlan laughed: "Ah, right, we call shoes 'hai' (meaning 'child')."
Shen Qixue said, "The Cantonese dialect is also very interesting. In Cantonese, the pronunciations of 'have you eaten?' and 'are you dead?' are very similar. Newcomers don't understand the difference in stress. I have a comrade from the north who loves to learn Cantonese. He often asks people 'Have you eaten?' but he asks 'Are you dead?' instead. He gets scolded every time. Even now, he still can't distinguish between 'have you eaten?' and 'are you dead?' and he still says it every time."
The group of people at the table chatted happily. After the meal, there were still quite a few dishes left on the table. Mao Jianlan took out a teacup from her luggage: "I'll take this to wash and pack up the leftovers. Wasting food is shameful."
Zhao Mingyue felt that Mao Jianlan was particularly simple and kind; if it were her, she probably wouldn't even feel comfortable taking the leftovers home.
After finishing their meal, Shen Qixue paid the bill, and Mao Jianlan took out two yuan and gave it to Zhao Mingyue: "Xiao Zhao, please pay that man for the meal."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Forget it, Jianlan. It's a rare chance to run into him. Let him treat you this time."
"No, I can't accept something for nothing. I don't know this person, I can't just eat their food for free, you must help me give it to him." Mao Jianlan had just come from home, and it was a holiday. She was eating a cold rice ball alone on the bus, which was very sad. But as soon as she arrived at school, she met a lovely classmate who ate with her, which warmed her heart.
Zhao Mingyue held the money in her hand, not intending to give it to Shen Qixue, but planning to return it to Mao Jianlan the next day. Mao Jianlan was the kind of person who would stretch every penny to two; if they hadn't insisted, she would never have been willing to spend two yuan to eat out.
Shen Qixue escorted them to their dormitory. Zhao Mingyue said to Shen Xuyue, "Jianlan just gave me two yuan and told me to return it to your older brother."
Shen Xuyue said, "What's wrong with that? My older brother is rich. He gets a monthly allowance and has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. What's wrong with letting him treat us to a meal? Just tell her that you've already given him the money, but my brother doesn't want it."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "That's what I'm planning to do too."
Shen Qixue helped Mao Jianlan take her luggage out of the trunk and felt how heavy it was. How could such a thin girl carry two big bags of things over and over again? Wasn't she tired?
Mao Jianlan smiled and said, "Thank you, big brother, I can do it myself." She didn't actually know who Shen Qixue was, but when she heard Zhao Mingyue call him big brother, she followed suit.
Shen Qixue carried two bags and walked towards the dormitory entrance. Shen Xuyue quickly ran over and took one bag from his older brother. The dormitory supervisor stopped them at the door, and Shen Qixue took out his military ID: "I'm from the military, here to visit relatives, please let me in." These days, military personnel are popular everywhere, so when the dormitory supervisor heard that they were from the military, she didn't say anything and let them in.
Zhao Mingyue and Mao Jianlan walked behind empty-handed. It has to be said that men are quite useful when it comes to physical labor.
The Shen brothers carried the luggage upstairs before returning. After seeing them off, Zhao Mingyue came back and returned the money to Mao Jianlan: "Jianlan, here's the money, keep it safe."
Mao Jianlan looked at her: "Didn't I tell you to return it to that older brother?"
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "We've already eaten the food, how could we let you pay? Take it, consider it Brother Shen Xuyue's treat. Here, take the money."
Tang Weihua and Li Chunmei had already arrived at the dormitory, but the other two hadn't: "What are you talking about?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "It's nothing. I just had a meal with Jianlan. She insisted on paying for it herself. There are a bunch of people who are richer than her, so why doesn't she take advantage of them? Don't you think she's incredibly stupid?"
Mao Jianlan said, "That's not how it is. I just got back, and they had already eaten. Then they accompanied me to a restaurant for dinner. How could I let them pay?"
Tang Weihua laughed: "It's okay, it's nothing to take advantage of others once in a while. Let men have a chance to show off too. Don't be too stubborn. Hurry up and get ready to sleep, you've been traveling all day."
After Mao Jianlan finished washing up and got into bed, she suddenly remembered something: "Xiao Zhao, was that older brother of Shen Xuyue's? His biological brother?"
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Yes, he's his older brother."
Mao Jianlan scratched her head: "Ah, I thought it was the driver."
Zhao Mingyue laughed: "That's right, he's the driver who brought us back."
Mao Jianlan thought about it and realized that she hadn't done anything disrespectful. If she left a bad impression on Brother Shen Xuyue, it would be a disadvantage for Zhao Mingyue.
On the way back, Shen Xuyue said, "Xiao Mao just said he wanted to pay you back for the meal, but I declined."
“What money? It’s just a dollar or two. That girl has quite a strong sense of self-respect,” Shen Qixue said, then smiled. “But she’s quite interesting to talk to, not at all reserved.”
Shen Xuyue's heart skipped a beat. This was the first girl his older brother had shown interest in since his return. Shen Xuyue said, "Brother, would you like to get to know her?"
Shen Qixue glanced at Shen Xuyue and said indifferently, "That little girl isn't very old, is she?"
Shen Xuyue said, "She's a little older than Mingyue, around 20 years old."
Shen Qixue said noncommittally, "You guys are lucky to be able to date freely. I still have to go on blind dates."
Shen Xuyue said, "You can find someone yourself; you don't necessarily have to go on blind dates."
"I think so too. Judging by Mom's attitude, she'd probably never be satisfied unless I married a woman she approves of." Shen Qixue realized his mother was indeed a bit unreasonable. Before meeting Zhao Mingyue, he'd heard his mother criticize her countless times, which made him very curious about her. But after meeting her, he found her to be a very pretty girl, polite, and composed. Aside from her slightly less affluent family background, everything else about her was excellent. His mother's nitpicking seemed utterly unreasonable. Judging from the blind dates she'd arranged for him these past few days, they were all either the daughter of a commander, the niece of a political commissar, or a relative of a minister. In short, everything was about matching social status; it was clear she wanted to turn his marriage into a political one.
Shen Xuyue said, "Don't bother with this. How can we please her in everything? Marriage is our own business, a lifelong commitment. Like I told you, it's not like we're breeding. We can't just bring someone over and call it a day."
Shen Qixue sighed: "Let's wait and see."
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