“Zhang Yuan,” Cheng Baidong repeated, “the little Zhang who used to help build a doghouse for the white tiger cubs at our house.”
“I knew it was him,” Fang Qiao said. “I was just surprised. I had asked Xiaoyun to inquire about him before, but there had been so much silence, I thought it was over.”
"Oh, you've been asking about him? When was that?"
"That was a long time ago," Fang Qiao said, "when I accompanied Xiaoyun to take the childcare worker certification exam."
"That's quite early." Cheng Baidong asked, "What did you find out?"
"He's a nice person, but a bit stingy. He has four older sisters, so his mother probably won't be easy to get along with."
Cheng Baidong raised an eyebrow: "Doesn't sound like a good place."
“Yes,” Fang Qiao sighed. “Marriage is not just a matter between two people. No matter how good the child is, if the sister-in-law and the mother-in-law don’t get along, there will be many conflicts after they get married.”
"Then let's refuse," Cheng Baidong said decisively. "Xiaojing is soft-hearted and naive. Her personality is fine if she marries into a family with a simple population, but the Zhang family is complicated. She can't handle it. If she marries into that family, she will definitely suffer a lot."
“We’re on the same page. I think so too.” Fang Qiao said with a smile, “I’ll talk to Xiao Jing when I get home, so that she won’t be unaware if Xiao Zhang contacts her later.”
Cheng Baidong nodded: "Okay, you handle it."
Fang Qiao was very proactive. That evening, after dinner, she took advantage of the time before bed to knock on Xiao Jing's door and go to find her.
"Xiaojing, are you asleep? I have a few words I want to say to you, may I come in?"
"Sister-in-law, I'm not asleep, come in."
When Fang Qiao pushed the door open, Xiao Jing was half-lying on the bed, holding a closed high school Chinese textbook in her hand, and had probably been reading it.
"Are you reading? Is the light a bit too dim?"
Xiao Jing shook her head: "It's alright, not too dark."
Fang Qiao looked up at the tungsten filament light bulb above her head and said, "The bulb is a bit yellow. I'll have your brother replace it tomorrow. But try to read during the day if possible; it's too bad for your eyes at night."
"good."
Fang Qiao pulled up a chair and sat down by Xiao Jing's bedside, saying, "Xiao Jing, I'm not here for anything else, it's just that Xiao Zhang asked someone to act as a matchmaker today, and I came to ask what you think."
Xiao Jing's fingers trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Sister-in-law, I still have no intention of getting married."
"Okay, I understand what you mean. If he asks someone else to come again, I'll refuse."
Xiao Jing nodded and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
"No need to thank me," Fang Qiao smiled, changing the subject and asking, "How's your studies going? Can you understand the high school textbooks?"
When it came to studying, Xiaojing's eyes lit up.
She bit her lip and said somewhat shyly, "It's a bit difficult to fully understand it. It mainly involves rote memorization. Once you've memorized it, you can gradually try to understand it."
"It's okay, it's normal, don't be discouraged. I didn't understand it when I first started learning high school textbooks either, but you just need to read, read and memorize more." Fang Qiao patted her shoulder: "I'm learning faster than you. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. If I don't understand either, we can go next door and ask Sister Ling for help."
"good."
Fang Qiao stood up and put the chair back in its original position.
"Then I'll go out first. You should go to sleep early too, don't study too late, this light will hurt your eyes."
"I see."
Having received Xiao Jing's clear message, when Jiang Ling came to the house again the next day to act as a matchmaker for Xiao Zhang, Fang Qiao immediately refused as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Sister Ling, Zhang is a good kid, but the two of them aren't meant to be. Let's just forget about it. You can introduce him to someone better later."
Jiang Ling understood what Fang Qiao meant; it was because she hadn't found the right person.
Marriage requires the consent of both parties; one person's unilateral wish is not sufficient.
If it's not suitable, it's not suitable; there's no point in saying more.
She drank a cup of tea, chatted with Fang Qiao for a while, and then went back. That was the end of it; she wouldn't mention it again.
Xiao Jing's life returned to normal. She continued to buy groceries, cook, read, and operate the sewing machine as usual. Although her life was monotonous, it was regular and fulfilling.
She likes her current life very much and feels that maintaining the status quo is good enough.
A few days later, on her way back from grocery shopping, she encountered Zhang Yuan, who had been waiting for her at the intersection.
He mustered his courage, walked to the middle of the road, and stopped Xiaojing.
"Cheng, Cheng Jing, I..."
"I have something to tell you."
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