Chapter 10: Blind Date, No, No, I’m Not Going

“Blind date? I’m not going. I have military training and no time.”

Zhou Xingze was extremely unhappy with his mother’s autocratic attitude towards his personal matters. He sat down angrily on his neat and tidy single bed.

Even though he was angry, he still maintained the demeanor of a soldier.

His back was straight, his long legs folded at a 90-degree angle, his large hands with clearly defined bones resting naturally on his thighs, palms down.

He looked straight ahead, his voice loud and strong.

He rejected her so bluntly again.

His stubbornness instantly angered Zhou’s mother. Knowing her son’s temperament, she briefly calmed herself and changed her approach.

What is the duty of a soldier? Obedience, absolute obedience.

She couldn’t do anything about him, but would he disobey his superior’s orders?

Did he dare?

“This blind date is my idea, and also the idea of your superior, Chief of Staff Jiang. Personal matters and serving the country are not mutually exclusive; they can proceed simultaneously. This is a direct quote from your superior. Are you really going to disobey orders?”

Zhou Xingze hesitated for a moment, casting a suspicious look at his mother.

His mother had a history of this.

Last month, to force him to go on a blind date with a nurse from a certain military hospital, she had feigned illness, claiming dizziness and nausea caused by high blood pressure.

Holding a handkerchief to her forehead, she pleaded with him, “Sigh, I’m this age, my body… how many years do I have left? If I die without seeing the continuation of the Zhou family line, I’ll die with regret!”

That’s his mother.

She never yelled or cried; she would only use moral coercion, emotional manipulation, and public pressure.

A soft knife, it hurts without bleeding.

At that moment, a crisp knock came from the door.

“Enter.”

Zhou Xingze sat up straighter, his spirits lifted.

“Report, Captain Zhou, Chief of Staff Jiang wants to see you, over.”

Zhou Xingze, grabbing a lifeline from the swamp, quickly stood up and returned a standard military salute.

He was about to rush out.

“Where are you going? You haven’t given me a clear answer! Stop!”

Like an arrow leaving a bow, he pushed open the door and disappeared in a flash.

The disgruntled Zhou’s mother stood alone at the door, staring into the air.

Out of consideration for the fact that it was a military dormitory, she maintained a necessary level of composure.

She was furious.

She could only stomp her feet on the cement floor to vent her anger.

The other participant in the blind date had a completely different attitude.

“Mom, I’ll go.”

“That’s right. Your eldest daughter is so insightful. Let me tell you, this family has connections and background. If your daughter marries into this family, she’ll be living in luxury. With such in-laws, your family will be able to do whatever you want in this village. It’s getting late, they’re waiting for my reply, so I’ll go back. Hehehe.”

The moment she heard Ruan Xiaotang’s immediate agreement, the matchmaker Hao’s mouth stretched to her ears.

She thought, if this marriage was successful because of her, she would have established herself in the Zhou family.

The matter of her eldest son enlisting in the army would be settled.

Her family would have hope for the future.

After sending off the matchmaker with a smiling face, Liu Guifang didn’t feel any joy; instead, worry overwhelmed her.

This matchmaker always exaggerated things.

She didn’t want her daughter to escape one pit only to fall into a bigger one.

Holding her apron, she said worriedly, “Xiaotang, I think…”

Ruan Xiaotang got up, took her hand, and comforted her, “I know what you’re worried about. I know what I’m doing, I won’t be fooled. You saw what happened today, the feud between our family and the Wang family is settled. You know better than I do what kind of people the Wang family are. If we don’t find a powerful backer, we’ll be suppressed by them forever.”

Ruan Xiaotang’s words were calm and firm, like a soft knife, precisely piercing her mother’s heart.

Her children sacrificed their happiness for the family, and she was moved to tears.

“You’ve suffered so much.”

She wept in guilt.

“Mom, don’t cry. I’m grown up, it’s my duty to contribute to the family.”

This scene deeply stimulated Ruan Xiaotang, a 21st-century soul inhabiting this body. She had been an orphan since she could remember, and she knew she was her own strong support.

For years, she had been used to being alone, without emotional attachments. She was used to it.

But now.

Looking at her frail mother and disabled brother, people she once looked down upon, so weak, so unimpressive, yet, inexplicably, they filled the ruins in her heart.

Her wandering heart began to take root.

Perhaps this was the meaning of family.

Ruan Xiaotang’s emotions reached their peak, and she hugged her weeping mother.

Warm currents flowed between them.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Ruan Xiaohai entered the room, lifting the curtain.

His dark face showed a warm smile.

“Okay, let’s eat.”

Liu Guifang quickly wiped her tears, picked up the small table in the corner, and placed it in the center of the kang bed. She showed no sign of her previous sadness.

Her mother was a strong woman in front of her children.

But the food was too simple.

Even her casual jokes were more flavorful than this.

Ruan Xiaotang looked at the steaming food on the table with a lifeless expression.

Sweet potatoes, sweet potato porridge, sweet potato pancakes, dried sweet potatoes.

Was this a sweet potato meeting tonight?

All-natural, green, and pollution-free, but she found it hard to swallow.

“Eat, sis, you love sweet potato pancakes.”

Ruan Xiaotang forced a smile.

Looking at Ruan Xiaohai, she quickly changed the subject.

She asked with concern, “Xiaohai, does your injury still hurt? Should we ask Wang Damazi from the village to take a look, lest it leaves a lasting effect?”

Seeing a doctor cost money.

Rural people weren’t that delicate; seeing a doctor was a luxury for the rich, while the poor could only endure.

Ruan Xiaohai immediately refused.

“I’m fine. Look, I can move, I can eat, don’t worry.”

Her mother was preoccupied, though she hid it well.

But Ruan Xiaotang, always sensitive, noticed.

This family was too poor, and their lives were difficult.

After dinner,

Ruan Xiaotang lay on the kang, her hands behind her head, legs crossed, lost in thought.