Chapter 149 The Lan Xin family mentioned by Shi Ge is actually...
The next day, I had a secret conversation with Brother Shi for more than an hour. I told him about my master's care, help, education, and support for me. I also told him about his statement that I should not get married until I was 30 years old, and my family's speculation - whether he wanted to marry Lan Xin to me. I told him everything at once.
Finally, I asked Brother Petroleum to find out for me whether Master had this intention.
Brother Shi stroked his chin and remained silent for a long time. Then he raised his head and stared at me: "Even if you have this intention, you can't marry that girl Lan."
"ah?"
"Her family and my mother-in-law's are from the same village group. Nalan is like her mother. Lan Xin's mother is unreasonable and very aggressive. All the women in the village are afraid of her."
I shuddered: "Lan Xin looks quite innocent and cute."
"You haven't offended her. If you do, she'll become cold and ruthless. Shanhong, Master being nice to you is one thing, but marriage is no joke. If you marry her, your life will either be ruined or you'll get divorced."
I gasped and said after a long while, "Luckily I came to ask you, since you are a local and you know the place well."
Brother Shi blew out a string of smoke bubbles: "I won't hide it from you, and you have to believe that I am fair. My mother-in-law is a good person. She is probably the only family in that group who has never had a quarrel with Lan Xin's family."
I pressed my chest and said, "Brother Shi, I absolutely believe in you. If Master is willing to do so, wouldn't it be a betrayal of Master's painstaking efforts in cultivating me if I disagree?"
Shi Ge smiled and said, "Don't worry, let's talk about it next July. Sister Lan wants to apply to the music college. Even if she gets in, she won't look for you."
Although Shi Ge's words hurt my pride, they were true. People who entered the music academy were all talented and beautiful, and they wanted to be stars. Who would care about a country bumpkin like you?
I said, "You are very thoughtful."
Brother Shi stood up and reminded me: "Remember, if you can't find a wife, don't look for that girl either. Don't blame me for not telling you."
After Brother Shi left, I felt a sense of relief. I sat there for a while, and then Director Ming called: "Master, I'd like to treat you to a Chinese meal. Just the two of us."
How clever am I? I listened to the instructions, walked into the secret room, and closed the door: "Director Ming, you finally got what you wanted. I am here to congratulate you."
He suppressed his excitement and said, "Without Wan Shanhong, there would be no me. So, the first person I thought of is you. I'll announce it tomorrow. The announcement period is seven days. I want to invite you to a secluded place for a meal alone."
I knew it wasn't just a meal, so I said, "Okay, tell me a place."
"That place is quite remote. I'll come over at 11:30 and show the way to you, Master."
The two exchanged a few words and then hung up. Sitting in the back room, I felt like something was on my mind. What was it? I couldn't quite remember. After a long moment of thought, I slapped my thigh, brought in a cup of tea, closed the door, and called Chairman Song.
"Hello, President. Long time no see. I missed you. What have you been busy with lately?" I chatted with President Song idly, and finally asked, "Is Teacher Chen at home? I want to talk to her too."
Teacher Chen's exaggerated voice, typical of an artist, came from the other end: "Hey, Shanhong. It's been a while, come and visit! I made rose tea, and it's been waiting for you to drink it."
"Thank you so much, Master's Wife, for always thinking of me. By the way, I want to ask, has my Master's niece, Lan Xin, made a lot of progress by studying with you?"
"Oh, Lanxin, the intelligent Lanxin, what a good name! You've made rapid progress. Your dancing, piano, and vocal skills were not very good before, but you've made great progress here. As long as you pass the academic subjects, you'll have no problem getting into the music school.
By the way, recently, his family followed my advice and hired a tutor to teach him academic subjects. If this girl passes the exam, she'll have a bright future. She's beautiful, a good singer, and has the potential to be a star. I never make a mistake when judging people."
The more I listened, the happier I became: "If Lan Xin passes the exam, I will come and thank you."
Teacher Chen was silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "You are a very good apprentice. You treat the master's relatives as your own business."
I thought, why shouldn’t I care? The better this relative does, the more secure my marriage will be, and I won’t feel guilty towards my master.
"As I should, Master, you are just like a father."
“It’s rare, rare to find someone as loyal and righteous as you.
After the call, the fog in my heart cleared away, I twisted my hips, and hummed a little tune. Leaving the secret room, I said to Yifan, "Go to the Buddhist supplies store and buy me a Manjushri statue."
"Manjushri Bodhisattva is..."
"He who manages culture, I want to get a psychologist certificate and burn incense to the Buddha every day."
Twenty minutes later, Yifan came back. He was so smart that he even bought an incense burner. He pointed at the incense burner and said, "The one at home is a little damaged. This one looks nice. It even has a line of words printed on it."
I took it and saw the words printed on the incense burner: "Respect once a day and you will pass the imperial examination." I couldn't help laughing and said it was very interesting.
At half past eleven, Director Ming arrived as expected. He honked the horn twice outside. I said a few words to Yifan, got in his car, and drove towards the north of the city.
Ten miles outside the city, we arrived at a house that didn't look like a restaurant. There was only one old man inside. Director Ming didn't introduce me. The old man knew him well. He led us upstairs and then went downstairs to cook.
"My uncle is a little deaf and cooks really well."
"Oh, look closely, you look a bit like him."
"Yes." Director Ming said as he poured tea.
Looking around, although the furnishings were not fancy, they were clean. Director Ming looked at me and said, "Master, what should I pay attention to in the next seven days?"
"Write a word and I'll analyze it for you."
He gestured with his hand: "The word 'ping' in peace."
I nodded. "The original meaning of the word 'ping' is this: in ancient times, when soldiers were on guard duty, if they spotted the enemy, they would shout loudly. If they didn't, they would remain silent during the change of guard. In other words, during this time, if you keep your mouth shut and speak less, you can complete a smooth change of guard."
He nodded and asked, "What if someone complains?"
"If you pretend you don't know, don't respond, and don't argue, then there's nothing you can do if someone complains. The organization will investigate. Just follow your uncle's example and turn a deaf ear to what's happening and just cook."
Director Ming smiled and said, "Anyway, I'll listen to the master."
I frowned and said, "There's one more thing. Just listen and understand it. During this period, you might sprain your left foot."
"Is this also evident from the character 'ping'?"
I nodded, ordered some tea, and wrote the oracle bone script character for '平' on the table. Pointing at it, I said, "When the ancients created this character, the last drop was not straight but tilted to the left."
"I'll still sprain it even if I'm always careful? For example, I could just move to the office and live and eat there. I won't go home and I won't drive."
"I mean it's possible, so you better pay attention."
Director Ming ate this meal very carefully. He was worried about whether he could survive the public notice period and whether he would sprain his leg.
I didn't want to talk to him much, so I walked back after dinner. When we arrived at the door of my shop, we didn't say much. I got out of the car, he honked the horn and left.
Three days later, everyone in the circle of friends was forwarding a message: There was a fire at Zimu Mountain.
Then there was new news: Fortunately, the director of the Zimushan Environmental Sanitation Station was on duty in the office every night and discovered the fire in time. He reported the fire and it was put out in time.
I let out a long sigh: Director Ming has secured his position as director.
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