SFS Chapter 24 The Matchmaker Arrives
Chapter 24 The Matchmaker Arrives
Lu Ran was overjoyed; two thousand experience points meant he could open two more King's Treasure Chests.
Wu Meimei brought over a plate of melon seeds and peanuts, and a plate of oranges.
"There's not much to offer at home, Xiao Lu, please don't mind."
Lu Ran laughed and said, "How could that be, Auntie?"
Wu Meimei put down her things and turned to go into another room. A little while later, she came out carrying a hoe and a basket on her back.
"Xiao Lu, you sit and play for a while. I'll go to the field to get some vegetables and dig up some potatoes to cook dinner tonight."
"We have some cured pork at home. Tonight, Auntie will wash some cured pork and stir-fry it with chili peppers, and also stew some pig's feet soup. That's all we can offer. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Xiao Lu."
Goodness, these dishes alone are already top-tier!
If it weren't for the fear of appearing frivolous if I said it out loud.
Lu Ran really wanted to say: "Auntie, are you in Versailles?!"
Lu Ran stood up: "Auntie, I can't accept all this trouble you've gone to for me."
Wu Meimei shook her head and said, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Once you're here, you're a guest, and it's only right to entertain guests."
Lu Ran thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony, but I can't let you be busy all by yourself, Auntie."
"How about this, I'll take care of picking vegetables and digging potatoes, Auntie, you can just stay at home."
Lu Ran then looked at Cheng Ning and said, "You stay home and help Auntie. I'll be back soon."
Cheng Ning knew that Lu Ran was creating an opportunity for her and her mother to be alone, but she hadn't answered yet.
Then I heard my mother say, "You're not familiar with our place, how are you going to find it? Since you want to help, Xiao Lu, that's fine. Let Cheng Ning go with you and show you the way."
Cheng Ning nodded obediently: "Okay."
Wu Meimei placed the basket and hoe on the ground.
"Then you guys go ahead, I'll go wash the meat."
"Okay, Auntie."
Judging from the situation, Cheng Ning's relationship with her mother was unlikely to improve anytime soon, so Lu Ran didn't say anything more.
With baskets and hoes on their backs, they set off with Cheng Ning and Duo Duo.
Reaching the roadside, Lu Ran asked, "Is your vegetable garden far? Do you want to drive there?"
Cheng Ning shook her head: "No need, it's only a ten-minute walk."
Lu Ran nodded: "Then let's walk there."
The two people and their dog walked along the wide asphalt road in the countryside.
About half an hour after the two left.
A middle-aged woman appeared outside the Cheng family's gate, peeking out three times as she took a few steps, muttering to herself.
The woman's name was Zhang Changlian, and she was known throughout the village as a kind-hearted person.
He can exchange pleasantries with anyone, always saying nice things to people, and he always likes to help out or meddle in other people's business.
His main job was to act as a matchmaker for unmarried men in the village.
Over the years, people have accumulated interpersonal relationships and have unknowingly become professionals who specialize in matchmaking, collectively known as matchmakers.
Today, Zhang Changlian came to Wu Meimei to act as matchmaker, at Old Li's behest.
Everyone in the village knows that Wu Meimei has a blind daughter who comes back from out of town every year around this time.
Every year around this time, Zhang Changlian would be asked to go to Wu Meimei's house to arrange a marriage for her daughter.
This is Zhang Changlian's seventh visit; she comes once or twice a year.
Zhang Changlian clearly remembers that Wu Meizi's daughter worked in the city, and it seemed that she could barely make ends meet each month. Every time she came back, she had to catch a bus.
A blind little girl is so pitiful; she felt sorry for her when she saw her.
But this time... she actually saw a big Mercedes parked in the yard?
"My goodness, this car must have cost a fortune!"
Zhang Changlian walked around the car with her arms crossed, feeling a mix of doubt, surprise, and envy.
"Could it be that Sister Wu's daughter has found a wealthy boyfriend?"
Zhang Changlian immediately thought of this possibility.
After looking at the Mercedes-Benz for a while, Zhang Changlian crossed her arms and walked inside.
"Miss Wu, are you home?"
"Wu Meizi..."
"Strange, where did the person go with the door open?"
Zhang Changlian walked into the house and heard noises coming from the kitchen, so she pushed open the kitchen door.
Wu Meimei was washing meat when she saw the visitor. She frowned at first, then said politely, "Sister Zhang, please have a seat. I'll pour you some tea."
"No need, no need, you go about your business, I just came to see you."
Zhang Changlian leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, looking around.
Upon seeing a pile of gifts beside the sofa, she asked, "Girl, do you have guests over?"
Cheng Ning rarely brings anything home because Wu Meimei always refuses to accept it.
But since so many gifts were received this time, there must be other people who came.
Wu Meimei smiled faintly and said, "Yes, they've arrived. It's Xiao Ning and her boyfriend. They just went out to dig for vegetables."
"Xiao Ning's boyfriend?"
Zhang Changlian exclaimed in surprise.
"So, that big Mercedes outside really belongs to your family?"
Wu Meimei didn't answer that question, but instead asked, "Sister Zhang came to my house today; it couldn't have been just a simple visit, could it?"
"Ha ha···"
Zhang Changlian laughed heartily.
"I come here several times a year, which makes you laugh at me, Sister Wu, but I can't help it. There are just too many unmarried men in the village."
"Your Xiaoning is so beautiful, who wouldn't want to marry her?"
"You know Li Shuai from the Li family, right? He's the one who asked me to come this time."
"Let me tell you, Old Li's family is something else. This year they contracted a fishpond in the county town, and they make several hundred yuan a day just from fishing fees, which adds up to ten or twenty thousand yuan a month."
"Moreover, their family has more than just this one business. They can earn five or six hundred thousand, six or seven hundred thousand, or even over a million every year. That's quite remarkable."
"If Xiao Ning could marry into that family, she would definitely live a good life, eating and drinking the finest things in the world."
"If I had a daughter, I would have married her off to Old Li's family long ago."
She had received a 1,000 yuan red envelope from Li Shuai's father this time, so even though she knew Cheng Ning had a boyfriend, she still had to try to help Li Shuai.
After all, you're obligated to do something.
While busy with her work, Wu Meimei said calmly, "It's enough for Xiao Ning to have someone who loves her. As long as she can get by, that's fine."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Changlian smiled and said, "Xiao Ning will definitely be loved and cared for after marrying into the Li family. Li Shuai is a good young man and will surely treat Xiao Ning well."
Wu Meimei stopped what she was doing and glanced at her.
"But I heard that he's almost thirty and still does nothing all day. Most importantly, he keeps asking his family for money to go out and fool around. He's even gotten into fights with his elders a few times."
"Hehehe."
Zhang Changlian gave an awkward smile.
"Young people are always immature at times, but they'll get better with time."
In this village, everyone sees each other all the time, so even if she wanted to make up a good story, she really couldn't find a reason.
"Auntie, do we have guests?"
Just then, the two people who had gone out to dig for vegetables returned.
Wu Meimei put down her work and stepped forward to take Lu Ran's basket.
"This is Sister Zhang. She was just passing by, so she came in and sat down for a bit."
Lu Ran smiled and nodded: "Hello, Aunt Zhang."
This was the first time Zhang Changlian had ever seen such a handsome young man. Standing there with Wu Meizi's daughter, they looked like a match made in heaven.
Zhang Changlian pursed her lips. She had thought that Cheng Ning's wealthy boyfriend would be an older man in his thirties, but she hadn't expected him to be such a handsome young man.
For a moment, she couldn't think of anything that scoundrel Li Shuai had to compare with others.
Thinking about his purpose, he became increasingly uneasy.
He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Hello."
Wu Meimei brought over several cups of tea, and handed one to Zhang Changlian, saying:
"Sister Zhang, please don't take offense at my harsh words, but let me make it clear to Xiao Lu: you are welcome to visit anytime, but if you're here to arrange a marriage for someone else, then there's no need."
Zhang Changlian smiled and took the teacup, took a sip, then put the cup down and said, "Well, I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Since that's what they said, how could she possibly stay any longer?
After saying that, he turned around and went out the door.
But after taking only a few steps, he heard a voice behind him.
"Aunt Zhang, wait a moment."
Zhang Changlian turned around and found that it was Cheng Ning's boyfriend who had chased after her.
She couldn't help but feel a little scared. Would this young man cause her trouble? After all, Wu Meimei had just made things clear.
But Lu Ran's next move left Zhang Changlian stunned.