Zhou Jinyan walked alongside her, appearing calm and collected, but in reality, his hands trembled uncontrollably in the sub-zero temperatures.
Suddenly, a voice came from the alleyway beside them:
"Son, I set you up on a blind date yesterday, and you said you had a girlfriend. Could this be the one? Did the girl come specifically to see our Jinyan?"
The two looked over at the same time. Zhou Jinyan glanced awkwardly at Jiang Ci and explained:
"Excuse me, this is my mom. She simply doesn't want to go on blind dates."
Jiang Ci nodded and politely greeted Zhou's mother:
"Hello, Auntie. I'm here to visit a relative. I have nothing to do with him."
Zhou's mother was slightly plump and had a kind face as she said:
"It's so late now, why don't you stay at my place for the night and we can look for something else tomorrow?"
Just as Zhou Jinyan was about to try to persuade her to stay, Jiang Ci immediately refused, saying:
"Excuse me, Auntie, my mom doesn't allow me to stay at other people's houses. I'd better find a hotel to stay in."
Zhou Jinyan paused, a layer of melancholy appearing in her eyes, and then said:
"Then I'll take you to the hotel."
Suddenly, Zhou's mother grabbed her arm and led her home:
"We'll talk about accommodation later. Tonight we're going to Auntie's house for dumplings. It's usually just Jinyan and me at home, which is quite boring. We'll just keep Auntie company."
Jiang Ci didn't move, and said with an embarrassed look:
“This is not good. My mother specifically told me before I came that I was not allowed to do this.”
Zhou's mother insisted:
"You and Jinyan are friends, right? What's wrong with having a meal together?"
Zhou Jinyan noticed her strong refusal and reached out to stop his mother, saying:
"Mom, don't make things difficult for her. There are food stalls near the hotel, which is very convenient. Besides, I have no relationship with her. This will only make things difficult for her."
Zhou's mother disagreed, saying:
"It doesn't matter now, it will matter in the future. It's just a meal."
"Mom, don't make things worse."
Zhou Jin's tone was unpleasant, and Zhou's mother didn't dare to interrupt, so she let go of his hand and said:
"Then come eat next time, little girl."
Jiang Ci breathed a sigh of relief. She genuinely liked Zhou Jinyan, but her upbringing told her...
If you visit the other party's home without any formal status or agreement between the two families, it will be looked down upon, regardless of your social standing.
The two arrived at the hotel, and Zhou Jinyan escorted her to her room:
"Um, what would you like to eat? I'll go downstairs and buy it for you."
After handing him the clothes, Jiang Ciduan sat down on the edge of the bed and said gently:
"No need, I ate on the train."
The two looked at each other in silence. Zhou Jinyan nodded and left. As soon as she got home, her mother started asking her all sorts of questions:
"Where is this young lady from? How do you know her? What are her parents like? Does she have any relatives around here?"
Zhou Jinyan's expression wasn't very pleasant as she said:
"Mom, don't ask anymore. She's a rich girl and has nothing to do with us."
Zhou's mother understood that her family's circumstances were considered decent in this area, but in bigger cities, they were insignificant. She sighed and said:
"Jinyan, you're not young anymore. Your mother is so old and wants to have a grandson. You can't put it off any longer. We have to go and meet someone tomorrow."
Zhou's mother has been inquiring everywhere about families with young daughters so that she can take advantage of the Spring Festival to finalize Zhou Jinyan's marriage.
Otherwise, if you go away for a year and come back a year older, you'll still be all alone.
This year, she has given money to more than a dozen families for their postpartum care, and while others are surrounded by their children and grandchildren, she is still all alone.
Zhou Jinyan also believed in his heart that he had no connection with Jiang Ci whatsoever, and he nodded helplessly, saying:
"Um."
The next day, Zhou Jinyan took Jiang Ci to Wen Zhaoye's house, but Wen Zhaoye asked him to stay, saying:
"Let's eat here before we leave."
Jiang Ci got off the motorcycle, glanced at him but didn't say anything. Zhou Jinyan refused outright:
"I have an appointment with someone at noon, so I won't be here."
Wen Zhaoye asked curiously:
"Who can you invite? I haven't heard of any other guys getting together."
Zhou Jinyan sat back on the motorcycle:
"You're getting married, can't I find someone?"
Wen Zhaoye raised a brow slightly, offered him a cigarette, but didn't smoke it himself:
"So many companies in Gangcheng are interested in you, why don't you want them, and insist on looking for someone at home?"
Zhou Jinyan took the cigarette, lit it, and brought it to her lips, chuckling softly:
"There's nothing I can do. My mom always thinks girls from other places are unreliable and wants me to find someone I know well. But I don't really care about marriage, so I'll just leave it at that."
His last words sounded faint and ethereal.
Jiang Ci lowered her long eyelashes, pursed her lips, and walked into the house without stopping.
Wen Zhaoye glanced at Zhou Jinyan's cashmere coat and, seeing through his brother's thoughts, said:
"Aren't you going to try? Or should I talk to your dad for you?"
Zhou Jinyan watched Jiang Ci's retreating figure and said bluntly:
"No need, I'm not interested in her."
Wen Zhaoye knew him perfectly well, and he hit the nail on the head:
"You're being ridiculous. Dressed so provocatively today as a gift? You must have been shaking a lot while riding your motorcycle."
Zhou Jin said, "Aren't you going on a blind date today? Dress nicely and try to make it work on the first try."
Wen Zhaoye said in a serious tone:
"Okay, I'll take Jiaojiao to see it later, and then we'll see how you agree."
Zhou Jinyan joked:
"Aren't you stealing my thunder? Aren't you afraid your Jiaojiao will get jealous? But hey, your mom said that if you and Jiaojiao can't make it work, I'll take over."
Wen Zhaoye's smile froze, and his eyes darkened slightly as he said:
"You...really said that?"
Zhou Jinyan joked:
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