◎ Third update ◎ 

Liang Baozhen was stunned by Xu Shengjie’s smile. This man usually looked cold and serious, but when he smiled, he looked like a melting iceberg. She curled her lips, “Comrade Xu Shengjie, you have quite a sense of awareness.” 

“The organization has taught me well,” Xu Shengjie rarely said something playful to his wife. 

“Sister-in-law, you are the most powerful one in the family now!” Xu Shengya smiled that made her eyes turn into crescent moons, and her dimples showed at the corners of her mouth. She held her sister-in-law’s hand and shook it. 

“Sister-in-law will be the best arm wrestler in our Crescent Alley from now on!” Xu Shengwei generously gave his sister-in-law a title, which made Liang Baozhen feel guilty. 

After this diversion, her mood improved a lot. Perhaps things weren’t as bad as they seemed for her elder sister; she just hoped her brother-in-law would settle down soon and be able to go back to bring her elder sister and Mengmeng. 

*** 

Liang Baozhen returned to her life of going back and forth between the courtyard and the State Cotton Factory. When she had time, she would go back to Damei Village to visit her family. Liang Baoying occasionally heard rumors, but she turned a deaf ear to them, which made her feel more at ease. 

She heard that Song Jianguo went to work at the soda factory, a job his family bought for him for a thousand yuan. He is still a temporary worker now. A few days ago, he received his first month’s salary— nineteen yuan and fifty cents. He kept the nine yuan and fifty cents for himself and gave the ten yuan to Liang Baoying. 

Life at the cotton factory also had calmed down significantly since the incident with Chen Siming earlier in the year. The factory had regained its previous enthusiasm and vitality, and the workers were putting in their full effort. 

“Night shift pay is four yuan and fifty cents, high-temperature allowance three yuan…” Hong Saner calculated and estimated how much he could get this month. “Thirty-one yuan!” 

He looks forward to the day when he is paid for a full month’s work and enjoys the sense of unity that comes with it. 

“Shall we go? Let’s go to the state-owned restaurant for a meal on Sunday.” With the salary received, it wouldn’t be right not to treat oneself. 

Xu Shengjie shook his head. He was busy with his equipment. “I have something to do on Sunday.” 

“Tsk, you’ve become so busy since you got married; you don’t care about your brother at all.” 

“It’s really important.” Xu Shengjie cleared the cotton and looked back at the complaining Hong Saner. “We’ll eat next time.” 

“What’s so important?” Hong Saner thought that even if Xu Shengjie did have something important, he shouldn’t be so unreasonable; there would be plenty of chances to eat together in the future. 

Xu Shengjie didn’t even raise his head. “I’m going to the movies with my wife.” 

Hong Saner: “…” 

Xu Shengjie declined Hong Saner’s invitation, while Liang Baozhen was pulled into something by Wang Xin. Last month, she had attended a matchmaking event organized by the factory and had hit it off with a worker from the coarse sand workshop. They planned to go to the park on Sunday to strengthen their relationship. 

Wang Xin asked Liang Baozhen to help her come up with some ideas and pick out some clothes for her.

Times have changed compared to a few years ago. Many things aren’t as strictly controlled anymore. During weekdays breaks, more and more women are wearing colorful clothes. Everyone’s excited to ditch the usual black, blue, and gray work clothes for bright reds, whites, and yellows. 

Liang Baozhen took Wang Xin to the supply and marketing cooperative where Cheng Caili worked and asked Cheng Caili to help save some cloth, which was a piece of light apricot cloth. 

“Sister Caili, have you been feeling better these past two days?” 

Cheng Caili has moved past the rough first three months of pregnancy and is feeling great. She looks radiant now, though she has gained a little weight. Her cheeks were fuller when she spoke, but it made her look healthier. 

Lu Yuan wanted to nourish her body all day long. The smell of chicken soup and pig’s trotters wafted from the front of their house, making everyone in the courtyard salivate. 

“No problems at all. Look, isn’t this fabric beautiful? Comrade Wang, since you’re Baozhen’s friend, I specifically saved it for you.” 

“Thank you, Sister Caili. It’s fine to call you that, right?” 

“No problem!” Cheng Caili’s belly is now noticeable, and the people in the supply and marketing cooperative take good care of her. As long as business is slow and there are not many people, they let her sit down and rest at any time. 

Wang Xin took five feet of cloth and prepared to take it home to make a beautiful dress. The weather was already warming up, so she hoped to have it ready by Sunday. 

Liang Baozhen also bought some pastries to take home, a pound of mung bean cake. When she returned to Crescent Alley, she heard a commotion in the courtyard, as if there was another happy event. 

“Baozhen, you’re back just in time; come quickly!” Liu Nianhua waved and called her over. Seeing that she had food in her hands, she urged her to go back to the house first. “Put the food back home first. There are too many children in the courtyard. If they start asking you for some, it’ll be hard to refuse.”

*** 

It’s not easy to buy food. It’s fine if you’re generous and give some away, but there are so many people in the courtyard. It wouldn’t look good to give something to just one person in front of everyone, so it’s much better not to give anything at all. 

Liang Baozhen put away the mung bean cake before heading outside. The people who had finished their meal were relaxing in the courtyard, sitting on stools and chatting loudly. 

“Brother Haiyuan has been promoted to a fourth-level worker, and everyone is clamoring for him to treat us to a meal.” Xu Shengjie was just drying wood in the courtyard when he heard the story. Seeing that his wife was very interested, he talked about the second important thing, “And Uncle Sun is going on a matchmaking date.” 

Uncle Wei’s second son, Wei Haiyuan, is a worker in a steel factory. He has been a third-level worker for several years, and this time he was finally promoted to fourth level. It is not easy to go from third to fourth level and the most noticeable benefit is a salary increase. It is estimated that he can get nearly seventy yuan a month’s salary plus subsidies, which makes him a high-income earner. 

Liang Baozhen looked at Wei Haiyuan in the crowd. He was nearly thirty years old, with a ruddy face and a bright smile. He was really happy. He listened to the cheers of the people in the courtyard and responded one by one and said that he would give candies to everyone. 

He can’t afford to invite guests. Generally, banquets are only held at weddings, and those cost a lot of money. 

However, in the courtyard, some people were looking forward to a banquet. That’s why when they learn that Sun Zhiqiang, who has been single all his life, is finally going on a matchmaking date they are quite excited for it. 

“With whom?” Liang Baozhen knew Sun Zhiqiang was somewhat unlucky in matters of marriage.

He had just turned forty-one this year and had never been married. He is currently a pig butcher at the food station. In his younger years, he was decent-looking and seemed respectable. He had been set to marry when he was twenty, but his fiancée died unexpectedly from choking on a date. A year later, he found another match, but just as they were about to get married, she backed out to marry her childhood sweetheart. 

In the third attempt, the woman broke her leg. In the fourth attempt, when she went to buy wedding cloth, she was hit on the head by a flowerpot. It seemed as if Sun Zhiqiang was cursed. Every time when the marriage seemed to be about to be successful, an accident would happen. As time went on, the matchmakers nearby were afraid to arrange marriages for him, as they always felt that he was unlucky in marriage! 

Although nowadays people are promoting the destruction of the four olds and resolutely clearing away the feudal superstitions, it was not taken seriously back then. People were afraid, and no one wanted to marry their daughter to Sun Zhiqiang. 

Sun Zhiqiang was fed up after several attempts, and after listening to the rumors outside, he finally gave up and simply remained single. 

More than ten years had passed in a flash. As he got older, he envied and felt sad when he saw the happy families in the courtyard. His own family did not survive the famine, and he didn’t have a lot of blood relatives left, so he wanted to find a companion. 

Especially now that so many years have passed, most people have forgotten what happened and no one blames him for being unlucky in marriage anymore. 

A while ago, he bought a gift and went to Aunt Jiang, the matchmaker from the neighboring courtyard, and asked her to help with the matchmaking. Even though Aunt Luo was also known for arranging marriages, her bad temper made Sun Zhiqiang choose to go to Aunt Jiang instead, which drew some criticism from Luo Hongmei. 

“Sun Zhiqiang, what kind of good marriage can Aunt Jiang arrange for you? Don’t be fooled, or all your eggs will be lost.” Luo Hongmei’s eyes were filled with sorrow, thinking that Sun Zhiqiang wasn’t looking for someone from the same courtyard for a matchmaking date but had to look for someone else, and all the eggs were wasted. 

“Luo Hongmei, Aunt Jiang is definitely better looking than the one you found. She is trying to find the girl with all sincerity.” Wu Changlong stretched her neck and spoke sarcastically to Luo Hongmei. 

“What do you mean? I’m not sincere?” 

“I didn’t say that! You admitted it yourself!” 

“Hey, are you looking for a fight today?” Luo Hongmei got angry and rolled up her sleeves to curse but was yelled back by Wei Jinrong. 

“Comrade Luo Hongmei, look at you. Where is the spirit of uniting with your comrades and making progress together?” 

“That’s right, Uncle Wei. Luo Hongmei’s family has a low level of ideological awareness. They even have a thief in the family who stole cabbage. They really should be sent away to undergo some reform.” 

When she heard about the cabbage theft, Luo Hongmei wilted. She used to be formidable in Crescent Alley, but now her son was holding her back. They would always bring up this matter no matter what she talked about in the future! 

“Who is Brother Sun going on a matchmaking date with?” Liang Baozhen felt that Xu Shengjie must know. This guy didn’t seem like the type to listen to rumors, but he appeared to know everything. 

“With Widow Zhou from East Street next door. Aunt Zhang mentioned that Widow Zhou’s husband died five years ago. She has a daughter and has had a hard time raising her. Now that the child is a bit older, she’s looking for a new husband.” 

“I think Sun Zhiqiang has a good chance. I’ve heard that Widow Zhou is capable and of good character, with a decent reputation in the area.” Zhang Rong heard the young couple talking and joined in. 

People in the courtyard were naturally happy to see that this bachelor also had his spring. 

Liang Baozhen recalled the things in her dream. The single neighbor did end up marrying. However, Xu Shengjie said at that time that although the two of them lived a good life, the first time they met, the woman didn’t like Sun Zhiqiang at all. She always felt that Sun Zhiqiang was unkempt and wanted to look for someone else. It was only after several delays and some chance encounters at the food station that they eventually connected, which took more than half a year. 

Sun Zhiqiang wasn’t unattractive; he had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He just didn’t take care of himself. Living alone, he often has an unshaven beard, forgets to cut his hair, and shows little interest in food, clothing, housing, or transportation. He prefers to save money rather than spend it. Because of this, everyone in the courtyard calls him Sun Youqian (Sun Rich). 

This time, Sun Zhiqiang was also prepared to wear his usual blue work clothes to the matchmaking date and meet the girl. At most, he would cut his hair shorter and shave his beard. 

“Brother Sun, go get some new clothes and dress yourself up.” Liang Baozhen shouted loudly to Sun Zhiqiang, trying to remind him not to waste his time with others. 

A lifetime is neither long nor short, so they must cherish it. 

“Oh, I’m this age. How can I dress up like a young man?” Sun Zhiqiang waved his hand, feeling embarrassed. He found it awkward to make an effort to look presentable as an older man. 

“Baozhen is right.” Cheng Caili enjoyed Lu Yuan’s service of fanning her with a palm-leaf fan and agreed, “Brother Sun, how can you go on a matchmaking date without looking your best?” 

When it came to dressing up, everyone became excited and gave Sun Zhiqiang advice. As a result, Zhou Jun and Wei Jinrong took him back to his house, but they couldn’t find a single new set of clothes. All nine pieces had been worn for many years and were wrinkled. It was really frustrating. 

The matchmaking date is tomorrow. 

“Don’t say so much. Go to the department store early tomorrow morning to buy some clothes and pants. No need to wash them; just change into them so you can be on time for the matchmaking date at noon.” Uncle Wei made the decision for him. He saw that the man looked good, but he had lived a shabby life. 

Being a butcher at the food station was a good job with decent pay and benefits, so it was confusing how this person was living! 

Clearly, a household without a woman just doesn’t work; a matchmaking date is a must! And it has to succeed! 

“Department store? The clothes there are too expensive. No, no, I can’t afford them.” It’s not that Sun Zhiqiang really can’t afford it. He has saved money over the years, but he just can’t bear to spend it. It was tough for him to spend cloth tickets and money on new clothes, let alone buy expensive outfits. 

“Brother Sun, people rely on their clothes. If you’re going on a matchmaking date, you should really dress up well. When the girl sees you, she would definitely fall in love with you at first sight.” 

“Yes, Sun Zhiqiang, listen to these young people; they understand best.”

“Do you still want to get married? We are all worried about you.” Qian Jingjing thought of Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie, who also started with a matchmaking date. “Look at Xiao Xu. He is so handsome, but on the day of his matchmaking date with Baozhen, he changed into new clothes and looked extremely good before going out. Can you compare to him? That’s why you need to make an effort to look good too.” 

Xu Shengjie was suddenly called out, and he thought about what he wore on the matchmaking date. It was indeed all the newest clothes that he had, but Xiaowei and Xiaoya insisted that he change into them. Of course, before entering the state-owned restaurant, he unconsciously adjusted the corners of his clothes to make sure there were no creases on them. This was what he did. Before leaving, his family said that he was handsome and would definitely be able to have a successful matchmaking date. He also took another look at the glass window of the state-owned restaurant and thought he looked good. 

Of course, he wouldn’t say this. 

“Did you really dress up specially that day?” Liang Baozhen turned her head to look at Xu Shengjie, as if she had heard his little secret. 

Xu Shengjie almost blushed, but luckily the darkness covered it up. “No.” 

The brief and deep response covered up all his emotions. Xu Shengjie looked at Liang Baozhen, who was trying to suppress her laughter, “Did you dress up in advance for your matchmaking date?” 

Liang Baozhen was wearing a dark blue ruffled blouse that day, looking bright and beautiful. When she smiled, it was as if golden sunshine was shining down on her. Xu Shengjie still remembered how beautiful she looked. 

“Of course, I dressed up properly. Otherwise, what if you ran away?” 

Xu Shengjie: “…” ?? 

The author has something to say: 

There’s a couple who uses honey trap on each other ~~🤭