Chapter 177 Zhang Lan Acts as Matchmaker
After taking the letter back to his room, Chang Zhong told Zhang Lan what had happened.
After listening, Zhang Lan sat up and leaned against the headboard, asking thoughtfully, "Old Chen's son seems to be getting on in years, but he's still not married, is he?"
Chang Zhong shrank into the blankets and asked in a muffled voice, "What? You want to tell the Chen family about Lu Bai?"
The two have been married for many years and know each other so well that they can tell when the other is about to fart by subtly shifting their bottom.
Zhang Lan nodded and said, "I'll ask Chen Weiliang tomorrow if he has a girlfriend. If he doesn't, I'll mention it to his mother. You see how well they match. They're from the same hometown and both work in the same city. If they get together, they can come back together in the future."
Chang Zhong also thought this marriage was a good match.
He often heard his neighbor, Old Chen, brag about how filial his son, who was serving in the army in Xinjiang, was. His son sent all his salary and allowances home, and the amount he sent back each month was as high as sixty.
If it weren't for Chen Weiliang's salary, the Chen family wouldn't have been able to support so many children, and their lives certainly wouldn't have been as comfortable as his.
Old Chen's son is filial, family-oriented, earns a high salary, and is handsome and refined—a perfect match for Song Lubai.
next door.
Chen's parents were asking Chen Weiliang what he had been doing nearby. After they found out, they learned that he knew Zhang Lan's niece, who was also in Shicheng. The two of them couldn't help but have some thoughts about each other.
"You're not young anymore, didn't your boss help you find a job?"
Chen Weiliang, while eating a large bite of pancake, said, "I've made arrangements, but I don't think any of them are suitable."
Their son lives far from home, and in recent years he has only been able to communicate with his family by sending letters. In his letters, they have repeatedly urged him to get married as soon as possible. They even thought that they could arrange a marriage between their son and a girl so that he could come back to visit and get married. This would be considered to have settled their son's life-long matter. However, in the letters they sent back, their son strongly refused. The family had no choice but to wait until their son got older and older. Mr. and Mrs. Chen were extremely anxious.
"Does that girl surnamed Song you mentioned have a boyfriend?"
Chen Weiliang really didn't know if Song Lubai had a boyfriend.
He shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"Does she also work in Shicheng? How old is she this year? I remember seeing her staying at the next door for a few days last May or June. Only half a year has passed, she definitely doesn't have a boyfriend."
As Chen's mother spoke, she became more and more excited. Chen Weiliang's younger sister said, "That older sister is pretty, but her stepfather beats people. In the summer, her face is covered with bruises from her stepfather's beatings. She looks very pitiful. I wish she could be my sister-in-law."
The whole family thought it was a good match.
It just so happens that they both live in Shicheng and are from the same hometown; this is fate.
The more Chen's mother thought about it, the more excited she became. Seeing that her son didn't object while they were talking, she said, "Tomorrow I'll go and ask Zhang Lan. If that girl doesn't have a boyfriend, I'll go to her house and bring it up."
Chen Weiliang's silence was tantamount to acquiescing.
He is indeed not young anymore, and most importantly, that person has abandoned him and married someone else.
The next day at noon, Zhang Lan had just returned from get off work when Chen's mother eagerly came to her door.
However, Zhang Lan understood her meaning as soon as she started to speak.
The two hit it off immediately.
Zhang Lan said, "I'll go to the city tomorrow to ask my sister, and then I can deliver the letter to her."
Chen's mother smiled and said, "You know what kind of person my Weiliang is. If this works out, our two families will be even closer than before."
Zhang Lan didn't seek any personal gain by acting as matchmaker for Song Lubai; she simply thought Chen Weiliang was indeed a decent person, which is why she was willing to go through the trouble.
The next morning, Zhang Lan went into the city.
Zhang Cui worked the night shift yesterday, and she was sleeping in the room when Zhang Lan arrived.
Food factories only have three days off during the Chinese New Year, and production tasks are heavy throughout the year.
Zhang Lan sat on the edge of the bed talking, and Zhang Cui became more and more awake as she listened. She took the letter, sat up, and opened it.
After reading it, she yawned and said, "Lu Bai didn't mention in the letter whether she had a boyfriend or not."
After reading the letter, Zhang Lan said, "They worked in the farm for several months before, so they must have been exhausted. I just don't know where she will be assigned."
"Write a letter to her and ask. If there's no match, let them get to know each other. If she thinks it's okay, have her send a message back. If it works out, they can get married over there. At least we know the Chen family's son well. I think he's a good guy."
Zhang Cui nodded: "Alright, I'll ask Lu Bai."
Zhang Lan: "If you write a letter now, I'll take it back and give it to him directly. It'll be faster if he takes it with him. It would take a month or two to mail it."
After finishing the letter, Zhang Cui started looking for food at home that she could send to Song Lubai.
There were still some radish balls left over from the Chinese New Year. Fried food doesn't spoil easily, and it keeps even longer in the cold winter. Zhang Cui packed up all the remaining radish balls.
Zhang Lan said, "My family made a lot of watermelon sauce this year. Find me a bottle, and I'll fill it up for her."
In those days, everyone was short of food, and Zhang Cui didn't want to take advantage of her sister's family, so she said she didn't have any bottles.
Zhang Lan glanced sideways and said, "I can afford a bottle of watermelon sauce beans. I'll go back and find the bottle myself."
There was a knock on the door while the two sisters were talking inside.
When Zhang Cui opened the door and saw who it was, she frowned.
The person who came had a face covered in bruises, hands covered in chilblains, and a face chapped like tree bark. Despite the freezing weather, he was wearing only a single layer of clothing, his clothes were all patched, and his shoes had his toes sticking out.
"Auntie, Jianxi beat me so badly that I miscarried. Can you let me stay at your house for a few days?"
Zhao Dongmei's face was full of pleading, and her body was trembling.
Although Zhang Cui felt sorry for her, she had no intention of taking her in.
Not only do you have to provide her with food and lodging, but you also have to guard against her husband causing trouble when he comes to her house to demand her return.
“Go away, go back to your parents’ home. My family can’t take you in. If your husband comes to my house and makes a scene, my family can’t handle it.”
Zhao Dongmei cried, her eyes brimming with tears. "I really have nowhere to go. He's already aborted both of my children. My family won't let me go back. I really have nowhere to go..."
Zhang Cui hardened her heart and refused: "My family can't keep you here. Go back to your parents' home."
Zhao Dongmei staggered downstairs, sobbing, and waited for Lin Dahai to return.
Inside the house, Zhang Lan asked, "Who is this?"
Zhang Cui didn't want to talk about it anymore and said with annoyance, "I haven't seen Lin Dahai's relatives many times. This year, she and her husband suddenly came to visit. I can't do anything about it."
Zhang Lan muttered, "What kind of people are Lin Dahai's relatives? I don't think there are any good ones among them."
Zhang Cui thought to herself: Who can say otherwise?
The men in the Lin family all have a hereditary love of beating people, and they even beat their own family members; they're all a bunch of cowards.
Zhao Dongmei waited outside in the cold all afternoon until Lin Dahai finally returned. Seeing how pitiful she was, Lin Dahai led her home.
Upon opening the door, Zhang Cui saw the person and said with a stern face, "If you insist on bringing her back, then you can go out with her."
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