Chapter 5

Lin Wanzhen stepped in gracefully, her gaze fixed on Father Zheng and Mother Zheng. “Hello, I’m Lin Wanzhen, the director of the Tinglin Street Office. I hope you don’t mind my abrupt visit to act as a matchmaker today.”

Father Zheng and Mother Zheng had seen her name on the bulletin board outside in the alley.

Lin Wanzhen, the director of the Tinglin Street Office, was about to be promoted to the district office and had recently become a hot topic. She was someone they rarely had contact with.

But who was she here to matchmake for?

The couple exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

At that moment, Xu Yafen had completely lost her ability to think. The words “matchmaker” flitted through her mind, feeling somehow off, but she was too preoccupied with moving the chair aside. “Director, please have a seat!”

“You’re too kind.” Lin Wanzhen smiled, her gaze landing on Zheng Xiaorou’s face. “So this is Xiaorou? Truly remarkable. Zheng family, you are fortunate to have raised such a wonderful daughter!”

Hearing others praise their daughter, especially someone in leadership, felt especially impactful.

Father Zheng’s face lit up with a broad smile. Clearly, he was feeling proud.

The small room suddenly felt cramped with so many people inside. Zheng Xiaorou glanced over at Lu Yongzhang, and their eyes met briefly.

He winked at her as if trying to reassure her.

The embarrassment and anxiety from moments before seemed to vanish instantly. She smiled at him with unwavering confidence.

Lin Wanzhen, on the side, earnestly pointed at Mother Lu and introduced her: “This is Teacher Qin, who works at the Institute of Literature. Next to her is Xiao Lu. I’m not exaggerating. After so many years of working at the grassroots level, I have never seen a more outstanding young person than Xiao Lu.”

Father Zheng unexpectedly nodded as he said: “Indeed.” Yet his gaze subtly flicked towards the net bag in Lu Yongzhang’s hand.

Lu’s mother, Qin Yijun, naturally stepped forward to shake Zheng Xiaorou’s hand.

She then turned to Father Zheng and Mother Zheng and said: “I am Yongzhang’s mother. His father is at a meeting and hasn’t returned yet; he was supposed to come with us. I’m truly sorry for this oversight.”

She gave her son a knowing glance as she spoke, prompting Lu Yongzhang to discreetly place the items he was holding under the square table.

Father Zheng finally had the opportunity to see clearly what was inside the net bag: Guoguang apples, Le Koufu snacks, double-stuffed rice dumplings from an old brand pastry shop, and a box of rare chocolates.

He swallowed hard and waved his hand, saying, “This is too much…”

Just the box of chocolates alone would make a significant impression if mentioned.

The sudden sparkle in his eyes was fully captured in Lu Yongzhang’s gaze.

Meanwhile, Qin Yijun had already taken Zheng Xiaorou’s hand and sat down, her smile warm and gentle, saying, “You must be Xiaorou.”

She was the girl that her cold-hearted son claimed he would marry in this lifetime.

Indeed, she was beautiful, but it seemed like she wasn’t very familiar with her son.

Xu Yafen stared blankly at the scene before her, her head buzzing.

She had made a mistake!

No wonder the girl’s mother had such a strange expression earlier—she had mixed up the information about the boy, confusing the soft-hearted kid her son mentioned with the boy she was supposed to matchmake today.

But why had the girl’s side entrusted her with the matchmaking if the boy’s family had found someone else to matchmake?

She focused her mind on listening to Lin Wanzhen’s words, and the more she listened, the more embarrassed she felt.

Just listen—on the boy’s side, he had served a few years in a field army, with one parent being a cadre and the other a cultured person.

After enduring some hardships, they not only restored their benefits but even received a slight promotion.

The young man worked in the translation department of the Foreign Trade Bureau and spoke foreign languages exceptionally well; he was quite valued.

The young man stated that he would consider the girl’s thoughts, whether she wanted to continue her studies through the college entrance exam or pursue a formal position; in any case, he wanted to consider her opinions and plans and make an “overall consideration.”

Xu Yafen’s face grew hotter the more she listened.

She had just said that the boy and the girl had been pen pals for years, when in fact they had only met after the girl returned to the city!

She was so close to ruining this whole thing!

Fortunately, they arrived just in time. If they had been a few minutes later, she would have truly messed things up.

Losing face would have been one thing, but leaving a bad impression on the leaders and, even worse, ruining someone else’s romantic prospects—what could she do then?

What was even more terrifying was that, despite both families having sons, she saw the enormous gap between herself and Qin Yijun.

The girl’s own mother had been able to find such a big-shot matchmaker!

Not to mention that she was just an outsider; it was clear that the girl’s mother was immensely satisfied.

So, when her son started dating in the future, could she expect to match this standard?

The two families chatted for a while, with the conversation mainly driven by the two mothers.

Qin Yijun kept her demeanor very humble, allowing Mother Zheng to control the direction of the topics.

Father Zheng listened in, looking contented on his face, clearly quite pleased with today’s visit: “You both are so polite; it’s just two kids getting to know each other. Nowadays, everyone favors free love. It’s really too courteous of you to bring so many gifts.”

Lin Wanzhen chimed in, “This is just a matter of courtesy, and it shows that they value your Xiaorou! I haven’t done many matchmakings, but I’ve seen quite a few, and I must say this pair is the best I’ve encountered. Zheng family’s mother and father, do you have any opinions on this matter?”

Father Zheng’s vanity was greatly satisfied at that moment, and he spoke eloquently: “If they like each other and want to marry, we as parents naturally have no objections. After all, it’s free love!”

“Truly, great minds think alike!” Qin Yijun said with a smile, her gaze shifting towards Lu Yongzhang, hoping for a look of praise from her son.

The visit ended on a happy note for everyone.

Lin Wanzhen even generously added, “If there are any issues in daily life that our street officials haven’t handled well, feel free to come to me anytime!”

She glanced at Qin Yijun, intentionally leaving a thought unspoken.

Zheng Xiaorou was an educated youth who returned to the city. If she had guessed correctly, the girl was likely struggling with work right now.

However, the Lu family had plenty of ways to help her out, so Lin Wanzhen would not rush to sell that personal connection.

This visit had been quite rewarding for her—opportunities to connect with the Lu family were rare.

Xu Yafen waited until Lin Wanzhen and Qin Yijun left before she waved goodbye with a light-headed feeling, while Mother Zheng saw them off at the door.

On the other side, Lu Yongzhang walked his mother to the alley entrance and then stopped: “Mother, I won’t walk you home.”

Qin Yijun looked at her increasingly inscrutable son and asked, “Was everything satisfactory?”

Lu Yongzhang nodded, “Thank you, Mother. It was good.”

At that moment, darkness fell, and the lights from the houses at the alley entrance cast a slanted glow on Lu Yongzhang’s face, highlighting a cold, sharp profile that made Qin Yijun feel unfamiliar.

She thought for a moment but couldn’t help but want to remind him: “You’re still young and might think that looks are important, but a wife needs more than just beauty. Matching social status is the foundation of marriage. Take me and your father, for example; our families were quite similar. You only realize as time goes on that if the backgrounds differ too much, sometimes you can’t even find common ground in conversation…”

Lu Yongzhang turned his face towards her, displaying an utterly unapologetic sarcastic smile: “Only useless men would focus on other people’s family backgrounds. Mother, I don’t want to hear you say that again.”

Qin Yijun opened her mouth, feeling an unusual distance from her son.

However, his sudden aura of hostility made it impossible for her to doubt the conviction behind his words.

“Goodbye, Mother,” Lu Yongzhang said before turning to walk back, his back straight as a rod.

Qin Yijun watched him until his figure disappeared into the shadows of the tall buildings, and only then did she remember that she had intended to use this opportunity to call him back home to live with her.

At that moment, she found herself too afraid to say anything.

—o—o—o—

The neighbor, an old lady from the Zheng family next door, watched them see Lu Yongzhang and the others off and nudged her daughter-in-law: “Who was that just now? He has a remarkable presence!”

The daughter-in-law squinted her eyes, realizing there were two groups of people: “I don’t know the first two, but the one who looks like a cultured person, I think… I’ve seen her before. She should be Lu Yongzhang’s mother; she has been to Sanzhu Town. The one behind… seems to be from the street office next door. I met her last time when you sent me to register for the families in need.”

The old lady was taken aback: “Ah? So that means it’s not a scam?”

“A scam?” The daughter-in-law rolled her eyes. “Mom, didn’t you see Lu Yongzhang come out with them too? How could it possibly be a scam! You should be careful about what you say—Mother Zheng might scold you!”

“I know!” The old lady muttered: “I still can’t believe it. What does Xiao Lu see in the Zheng family? They have nothing of value!”

“The young girl is beautiful! She’s the prettiest girl around here,” the daughter-in-law replied, glancing at her mother-in-law.

Just then, Lu Yongzhang walked past their home, and the mother and daughter quickly fell silent.

—o—o—o—

Zheng Xiaorou was absentmindedly listening to Mother Zheng talk about the gossip she had just heard outside.

She mentioned that a local thug, whom they often saw in the alley, had apparently offended someone tough and was beaten up badly, losing half of his teeth.

He didn’t even see what the person who attacked him looked like.

“Good for him! Serves him right for trying to mess with my sister!” Zheng Tianlei said bitterly.

At that moment, there was a knock at the Zheng family’s door.

When Zheng Xiaorou opened it, she saw Lu Yongzhang standing there.

Before she could express her thanks, he shook his head and said, “I have something to discuss with you.”

The room fell silent instantly, and Zheng Xiaorou, feeling awkward, bit her lip and replied, “Let’s talk outside. “

With a bit of clumsiness, Zheng Xiarou pulled out her keys, aimed them at the lock, and turned the handle.

At this point, Zheng Xiaorou wasn’t worried about anyone seeing them.

The matchmaker had already come, and surely everyone would know they were dating by tomorrow, so there was no need to be discreet.

She stepped outside and said, “Thank you so much for today; I didn’t expect everything to be arranged so well.”

Remembering the bag of expensive gifts left at her house, she bit her lip and added: “I’ll pay you back for those things, but I don’t have any cash…”

Lu Yongzhang reached into his pocket and pulled out a neat stack of bills, then handed them to her: “I couldn’t give this to you in front of them earlier; take it and use it.”

Zheng Xiaorou quickly pushed it back, saying, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve already helped me so much. I can’t take your money. Stop giving me more things! Are you crazy?”

She didn’t need to open the stack; she recognized at once that they were fabric tickets and industrial tickets.

She had seen Mother Zheng take them out from a locked drawer and count them—she even treated them like precious gems.

Lu Yongzhang: “I don’t need them.”

Lu Yongzhang remembered from their past life how she loved to buy beautiful fabrics to embroider and tailor, crafting one-of-a-kind clothing.

Even when she later became an official in the palace, she managed to make the standardized gowns issued to female officials fit her perfectly.

He couldn’t help but think that she still enjoyed that now.

The tickets felt like fire in Zheng Xiaorou’s hands, and she stubbornly shoved them back into his hands: “Then I can’t accept them. You can give them to your mother if you don’t need them!”

Her hands were slightly cooler than his, and Lu Yongzhang, longing for the warmth at her fingertips, spoke with a slight tightness in his voice: “Please take them, Xiaorou.”

Crossing the tides of time, he finally returned to the way they had been in their youth—just as he had dreamed in his past life, he can finally call her “Xiaorou.”