Chapter 68

The day before yesterday, when He Shanshan went on a blind date with that Xiao Wu, both families were very happy and chatted happily. She also felt that she had performed well.

The night before yesterday, she was so excited that she couldn’t sleep all night. She was thinking about how they would definitely send a lot of dowry money, and she had already planned how she would spend it:

First, she would buy a bicycle better than Xia Qingning’s. Then she would see if that stinky girl could still show off in front of her.

Then she would buy a few dresses that were prettier than the ones Maimiao wore. Thinking about it, she felt angry. That dead girl Maimiao was nowhere near as pretty as her. She just dressed up a little, and everyone said she looked better. So she had to dress up too. Then she would see who was prettier.

Then she would buy a watch, preferably an imported one. It would look so stylish. She would make all the young girls and married women jealous.

And, and, she would also buy a gold necklace. After all, Xiao Wu’s mother wore one, and she couldn’t be without one.

Thinking about all this, she was in a good mood all night, as if everything was already within her grasp.

Just as she had thought, the next day, which was yesterday, early in the morning, the matchmaker came to their door again.

He Shanshan and her mother, Wang Mingfang, were overjoyed. They thought she was coming to talk about the engagement, but unexpectedly, the matchmaker didn’t mention the engagement at all. She said hesitantly that she would help He Shanshan find another partner!

Hearing this, both mother and daughter were stunned. Although He Shanshan said that Xiao Wu was “okay,” she was actually quite satisfied. He was handsome, and his mother’s attire was even more enviable. You know, people wearing gold and silver jewelry were rare in this era.

Seeing that the marriage was off, He Shanshan was very unwilling. She kept asking what happened to Xiao Wu.

Finally, the matchmaker couldn’t answer anymore and had to tell the truth. Xiao Wu didn’t like her.

Wang Mingfang immediately asked, “Didn’t they chat well? Why didn’t he like her?”

The matchmaker said, “They are all people with face. The other party was just being polite, so they didn’t immediately express their opinion. After they went back, they were afraid that you would misunderstand, so they asked me to come over quickly to make things clear, so as not to delay He Shanshan’s other good matches.”

He Shanshan’s feeling at that moment was, well, how to describe it?

It was like buying a lottery ticket for two yuan in the real world, fantasizing about winning fifty million, and planning how to spend it: buying a villa, a Ferrari, luxury bags… dreaming all night, only to find out that you didn’t win!

He Shanshan was so angry that she threw bowls and plates all over the house. She kept cursing Xiao Wu for being blind, for not liking her, and told the matchmaker that if Xiao Wu liked someone else, she would definitely let her know. She wanted to see how that person was better than her.

The matchmaker listened to He Shanshan’s words and looked like she wanted to say something. But seeing that she was angry, she thought that it was better to avoid trouble and didn’t mention it again.

He Shanshan was very irritable all day today. She was annoyed by everyone. So when Xia Qingning came home around four in the afternoon, she heard her loudly scolding her niece Yingying, saying that she was loud and noisy and bothering her.

Wang Mingfang, who was standing beside her, knew that He Shanshan was feeling uncomfortable, so she let her vent her anger on her granddaughter.

He Shanshan was scolding her with gusto when she saw Xia Qingning walking into the courtyard. She wanted to pick a fight with her too, but after seeing Lu Jingzhe behind her, she immediately changed her mind.

She didn’t dare to act recklessly in front of him. She hadn’t forgotten how he almost twisted her hand last time. She could only close her mouth resentfully and go back to her room.

Seeing Xia Qingning and Lu Jingzhe come back, Wang Mingfang immediately came to greet them, saying how hard they had worked while helping to take things.

Although Lu Jingzhe and Xia Qingning didn’t pay much attention to her, she still went to make tea for them with a smile.

Seeing the irritable He Shanshan, Xia Qingning understood. Her engagement with Xiao Wu hadn’t gone through. Although she had anticipated it, now that it had been confirmed, she couldn’t help but smile.

After returning to her room, she tidied up. The flowers she had put in a vase before leaving had wilted because of the heat. She took them out and was about to throw them away when she saw Maimiao walk in happily.

“Qingning, you’re finally back.” Maimiao said. She had immediately come to find her as soon as she heard that Xia Qingning was back.

Maimiao was wearing the white dress that Xia Qingning had altered for her last time. She had a good figure, and the dress fit her waist well. It looked really pretty on her.

She also listened to Xia Qingning and didn’t slack off. She put on makeup. After all, who doesn’t want to look beautiful?

“Yeah, what’s up?” Xia Qingning saw that she was a little anxious and asked.

Maimiao smiled and took five yuan out of her pocket and handed it to Xia Qingning:

“I’m here to give you the money.”

Xia Qingning looked at the money she handed over, a little confused. She had never borrowed money from her.

Seeing her look puzzled, Maimiao said with a smile, “I can’t really take such a beautiful dress for free, can I? You keep this money first. I’ll give you the remaining fifteen yuan when I get paid.”

Xia Qingning pushed the money back. “No need. I already said I was giving it to you.” Afraid that she would feel burdened, she explained, “You know, those scraps of fabric aren’t worth much.”

Maimiao said again that the fabric wasn’t worth much, but making clothes was hard work. They pushed each other back and forth for a while. Xia Qingning couldn’t resist her, so she symbolically took two yuan as a sewing fee and said that was all.

Maimiao felt that she had taken advantage of Xia Qingning and was very embarrassed.

After talking about the money, Maimiao didn’t go back immediately. Knowing that Xia Qingning’s feet were sore from walking, she volunteered to throw away the trash for her and then came back to chat with her.

“How was it back home? Was it fun?” Maimiao said, then noticed that Xia Qingning’s eyes were a little red. She asked anxiously, “Did you cry?” Then she suddenly thought about the people in Xia Qingning’s hometown. They all thought she had married Lu Lidong. She asked with a sudden realization, “Did the people in your village say something nasty about you and Jingzhe gege going back together?”

Seeing her anxious look, Xia Qingning explained, “No, I just felt a little reluctant to leave my mom and them when I left.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Maimiao felt relieved after hearing this and continued, “With Jingzhe gege there, they wouldn’t dare to bully you.” Knowing that she might make Xia Qingning sad by mentioning it, she quickly changed the subject. “Qingning, you wouldn’t believe it. I went to work today wearing this dress, all dressed up, and the people in our commune didn’t recognize me. So I just went along with it, pretending to be a leader who came to inspect their work, and I tricked them. Hahaha… You wouldn’t believe how funny it was.”

At that moment, He Shanshan came out of the room. She saw Maimiao leaning against Xia Qingning’s ear, talking and laughing.

She was already petty and now she was in a sensitive period. Naturally, she thought they were laughing at her for not being chosen by Xiao Wu. Her face immediately fell. She strode over to them, her eyes filled with anger, and asked loudly, “What are you two talking about?”

Suddenly interrupted by He Shanshan’s scolding, Xia Qingning and Maimiao both looked up at her, their faces filled with displeasure.

“What’s it to you? Our mouths are our own. We can say whatever we want.” Maimiao said, as if reciting a tongue twister.

She and He Shanshan had been at odds for so many years, so naturally, she didn’t have a good tone with her.

Her words and tone made He Shanshan even more convinced that they were gossiping about her behind her back. Her face turned red with anger. She continued to question, “What were you two laughing about? What’s so funny?”

Xia Qingning knew why she was angry. Maimiao, who was standing beside her, thought she was just trying to pick a fight, so she directly retorted, “It’s funny, okay? Our faces are our own. We can laugh if we want to. What’s it to you?”

He Shanshan was already ashamed of not being chosen. Now she was being laughed at by the two people she hated the most. Her emotions immediately went out of control. Without thinking, she said, “Don’t think I don’t know, you two are laughing at me behind my back. That idiot Xiao Wu didn’t like me. He’s blind…”

“Ah?” Maimiao heard her words and suddenly realized, but she didn’t feel any sympathy for He Shanshan. She asked with feigned surprise, “You said your blind date didn’t like you?”

Hearing this, He Shanshan realized that they didn’t know. She was regretting that she had thought too much and spoken too quickly. Then she heard Maimiao continue, “Haha, then he really…” Maimiao deliberately paused, then said with a look of approval, “He really has good taste.” Then she looked at Xia Qingning and winked, asking, “Right, Qingning?”

“Yeah.” Xia Qingning smiled and gave a confirming answer in agreement.

“You two…” Seeing the two of them singing in unison, He Shanshan was so angry that she was about to explode.

She was definitely going to retaliate for being hit like this. Knowing that she couldn’t compete with Xia Qingning in terms of appearance, she directly aimed her anger at Maimiao, sarcastically saying, “What are you so proud of? He didn’t like me, does that mean he’ll like you? Haha… Don’t look at yourself. What do you look like after washing your face? You still dare to laugh at others.”

As soon as she finished saying this, she saw the matchmaker who had introduced her to Xiao Wu walk into the courtyard from the alley.

She thought to herself, “Why is she here again? Did Xiao Wu change his mind and want to be with me again?”

Thinking this, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face. But the next second, her smile froze on her face because she saw that the matchmaker went directly to Maimiao’s door.