When the Jia family eats, Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai are there, but Yu Shui isn't. These days, aside from eating and sleeping at home in the mornings and evenings, Yu Shui is rarely seen in the compound. Also, sometimes she shares the factory dormitory with other colleagues.
When Jia Zhangshi said she would introduce a potential partner to Yushui, she wasn't entirely lying. She had actually met several people during her two days in the cell. One of them was a lazy, unmarried man in his forties.
The lazy man joked with Jia Zhangshi that if she introduced him to a potential partner, he would give her a referral fee of 100 yuan. Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately thought of He Yushui.
This girl was a thorn in the side of the Jia family in the courtyard house; they wanted to get rid of her all the time. If they could marry He Yushui off, they would not only receive a bribe, but perhaps even a house.
Sha Zhu never expected that dinner would bring up his sister. These days, He Yushui and he don't talk much; they just exchange greetings when they meet, and they don't even eat together. He didn't want to provoke He Yushui's dislike.
“Yushui is still young. Besides, Yushui has her own ideas about marriage, and it’s not appropriate for me to interfere,” Shazhu said.
"What do you mean by not interfering? Sha Zhu, let me tell you, you're being irresponsible towards Yushui. Since ancient times, children's marriages have always been arranged by their parents and matchmakers. Now that your parents are gone, you, as the eldest brother, are like a father to them, so you definitely have to make a decision."
"Let me tell you, I know someone whose family is very well-off. Their house is even bigger than yours. Besides, his parents are alive and can help take care of the kids. I think this young man is a perfect match for Yu Shui," said Jia Zhangshi.
As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere became cold. Except for the three children, everyone else put down their bowls and chopsticks, waiting for her to continue.
"Why are you all looking at me? This is true. I'm only telling you this good news because we're all neighbors. I don't usually tell just anyone," Jia Zhangshi continued shamelessly.
"Where did you meet this person? Which side are they from? Let me see if I recognize them," Yi Zhonghai asked.
"You don't know this person, so I can't tell you. If I were to tell you, I could only tell Shazhu and Yushui," Jia Zhangshi said, keeping everyone in suspense.
Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, everyone knew that she wasn't someone with any respectable connections. Aside from staying in the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi spent her time eating and drinking outside; she didn't have a job and couldn't possibly have any legitimate friends.
"Don't all look at me like that. Okay, I'll tell you. His name is Hu Youyu. He works at the recycling station on the next street."
When Jia Zhangshi saw that no one believed her, she had no choice but to reveal the source of the information.
"Who is this? I've never heard of him. I should know everyone at this scrap yard," Sha Zhu muttered.
"Hu Youyu, from the scrap yard, there seems to be only one person with the surname Hu, isn't that Hu Lanyu? Sister-in-law Jia, it can't be him, right?"
Yi Zhonghai knew many people, and as soon as they heard he worked at the scrap yard, he came up with a nickname. This "Lazy Fish Hu" was a nickname; nobody knew his real name. Anyway, he was a notorious lazybones who was over 40 and still hadn't gotten married.
Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai mention Hu Lanyu, everyone had an "Oh, it's him!" expression. This guy is like Sha Zhu; nobody knows his real name, but everyone recognizes his nickname.
"Lazy Fish is just a nickname; actually, he's quite diligent," Jia Zhangshi said weakly.
"Mom, how do you know her? I don't remember we have anything to sell," Qin Huairu asked suspiciously, worried that her mother-in-law was selling things while she was away.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I've only known her for the past few days," Jia Zhangshi explained, understanding the meaning behind her daughter-in-law's look.
“These past few days, he’s been in jail. Aunt Jia, how could you introduce such people to Yushui? And that lazy Hu, everyone in the alley knows who he is, he’s the kind of lazy scoundrel who’s practically oozing pus.”
Sha Zhu was extremely unhappy that Jia Zhangshi had introduced such a person to his sister. Although Yu Shui and he didn't get along well now, she was still his sister, and he couldn't possibly harm her like that.
"You don't understand what it means to live a good life. He's lazy, but as long as the rain is plentiful, that's fine. Isn't living a good life all about complementarity?"
Don't let his laziness fool you; he comes from a well-off family. Besides, he works for a legitimate government agency, so his circumstances are quite good.
"Silly Zhu, don't be upset by what I'm about to say, but in terms of qualifications, you're really not as good as them." Jia Zhangshi said, putting Silly Zhu down.
“Aunt Jia, you can’t insult me like that. I can’t bear to be compared to Hu Lanyu.”
The meal ended hastily because of Jia Zhangshi's incoherent ramblings, mainly because all the meat had already been eaten.
Originally, they thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, Jia Zhangshi brought Hu Lanyu into the courtyard the next night.
"Rain, Rain, are you off work yet?" Jia Zhangshi knocked on He Yushui's door.
"Aunt Jia, what's the matter?"
He Yushui pushed open the door and saw Jia Zhangshi standing at her door with a man in his forties. The man looked unpleasant; his eyes were lewd and he was looking around erratically.
“Rainwater, this is Comrade Hu Youyu from our scrap yard. He not only has a proper job, but also a big house,” said Jia Zhangshi.
"Aunt Jia, what does it have to do with me that his house is big?" He Yushui asked, puzzled.
“Oh, no, didn’t Sha Zhu tell you? Hu Youyu is your blind date. Look at the small house you’re living in now, it’s inconvenient for everything. If you marry Youyu, you can immediately live in a big house,” Jia Zhangshi said.
“Nobody told me. Besides, even if they had, I wouldn’t have agreed. My partner doesn’t need to worry about this right away. Aunt Jia, if there’s nothing else, I still need to cook.”
He Yushui never expected that the Jia family would come knocking on her door when she didn't want any contact with them. At that moment, she really wanted to leave this courtyard house.
"That won't do. Rain, since no one's coming over, you should at least talk to them. Youyu, come here, I'll carry you inside."
Madam Jia was determined to force the two of them into a blind date. She refused to believe that this little girl could cause any trouble.
"He Yuzhu, are you just standing there waiting to die? Come over here... Look what you've done."
He Yushui was so angry when she saw that her brother was still standing behind watching the commotion that he refused to shout.
Sha Zhu hadn't expected that He Yushui would see him after just one glance. He wasn't really there to watch the show; he just wanted to know Yushui's attitude, but he never expected his sister to misunderstand him.
"What are you doing, Hu Lazy Fish? Do you want to get beaten up?" Sha Zhu pushed through the crowd, squeezed in, and raised his fist at Hu Youyu.
"Zhu Zi, it wouldn't hurt to set them up on blind dates, would it? Let them talk first, and no one can force them if they really don't want to," Qin Huairu suddenly said.
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