Chapter 4

Shi Tingyu trusted Shi Muhuan’s judgment.

Shen Ziming had been close to Shi Muhuan for a long time, and when he said Shen Ziming had good character, that must be true. With this in mind, Shi Tingyu felt more confident about the upcoming blind date.

In the afternoon, Shi Muhuan took Shi Tingyu to the department store to buy clothes.

After browsing around, they found that most of the clothes were in colors like green, blue, black, and grey, with limited styles. After one round, Shi Tingyu lost interest.

“Since there’s nothing you like, let’s forget it. Everyone in our family looks good anyway. With your appearance, you’d look good even in a sack,” Shi Muhuan remarked.

In the end, they didn’t buy any clothes but did purchase some other daily necessities.

When Shi Muhuan and Shi Tingyu returned home that evening, their parents heard they hadn’t bought clothes and scolded Shi Muhuan.

In the end, Shi Tingyu couldn’t bear to see her older brother criticized and intervened.

The Shi family was currently in Jinling, and Shen Ziming’s aunt was married there. Shi Muhuan had originally wanted Shen Ziming to accompany him. Shen Ziming, however, said he needed to go back to prepare something and would arrive a day later. They agreed to meet for lunch at a state-owned restaurant at noon.

Early the next morning, Shi Muhuan’s mother got up early to help her daughter pick out clothes.

Shi Tingyu smiled and coaxed her mother out. “Mom, do you doubt my sense of aesthetics?”

Thinking about it, Shi’s mother realized her daughter, who was good at painting, was much better at dressing herself than she was. So she stopped worrying.

This blind date was arranged by Shi Muhuan for Shi Tingyu, while their parents continued their routine work.

In this special period, even taking a day off could become a liability.

Shi Tingyu pulled out a long white Braggy skirt from the closet. The sleeves were puffy, making it look better than the blue, black, and gray tops and trousers on the street.

She looked very beautiful with her hair down, but considering the current situation, she braided two twisted braids and combed thin bangs.

It’s not contrary to the current dress, but it’s indescribably beautiful.

When the Shi family arrived at the state-owned restaurant, it was half past eleven.

The appointment time was twelve o’clock, and Shen Ziming usually came a little earlier, so the timing was perfect.

This is the first time Shi Tingyu has seen a state-owned restaurant in this era after crossing over.

The upper half of the door is red and the lower half is wood. The walls above the door are painted with red letters saying “State-owned Hotel”, with a red star almost as large as the text above.

On both sides of the door, the wall is divided into hard and self-reliant.

Shi Muhuan saw his sister standing still staring at the door and couldn’t help but pull her wrist. “What are you looking at? Didn’t you come here many times before?”

Shi Tingyu smiled and followed Shi Muhuan’s strength into the restaurant.

Now is the time for meals, and there are more people than usual, but there are only a few people who eat at the state-owned restaurant in this era, and many people only come for meals.

They chose a table on the right-hand side of the door and sat down.

“I’ll go for food first.” Shi Muhuan said.

State-owned restaurants sell everything, and today’s dishes are written on a small blackboard.

According to the three meals, Shi Muhuan ordered some western dishes, a soup, and a five taels of rice.

He was wearing military clothing and was much better than other people’s attitudes.

Sitting at the dinner table, Shi Tingyu watched Shi Muhuan bustling around and started to feel some anticipation towards Shen Ziming.

If he gets along well with her brother, he should be a decent person.

As for concerns like whether Shen Ziming and the original host liked each other or whether it was appropriate for her to go on a blind date with him, she had no psychological barriers in that regard.

In the original host’s memory, Shen Ziming had only met her a few times, and their mutual attraction was based on looks. They hadn’t established a relationship, so Shi Tingyu felt no pressure in this regard.

Moreover, having crossed over and taken over the original host’s family, she didn’t mind meeting a man who had a bit of a favorable impression on her.

When the food was served, however, Shen Ziming had not yet arrived.

Shi Muhuan frowned slightly, checking his watch. It was already past twelve.

This was unusual.

Being in the military, they both had a strong sense of time. Even if Shen Ziming couldn’t arrive early, he would never be late.

Neither of them touched their chopsticks. As the food started to get cold and several waves of people came and went in the state-owned restaurant, there was still no sign of Shen Ziming.

Even the waitress, who had been somewhat friendly to Shi Muhuan, now looked displeased.

She approached them, urging, “Comrades, are you going to eat or not? Don’t wait until we’re off duty and you haven’t finished eating.”

“Sorry, our companion might have been delayed on the way,” Shi Muhuan said, then turned to Shi Tingyu. “Little sister, let’s eat.”

Shi Tingyu picked up her chopsticks upon hearing her brother’s words, but as the food had cooled down, her heart sank slowly, just like her mood.

Seeing this, the waitress snorted and turned back to the counter.

Shi Muhuan observed his sister eating with her head down, feeling like she was just going through the motions.

Seeing that his sister wasn’t enjoying her meal, he picked up a piece of spare rib for her.

“Focus on your meal first. After we finish, I’ll go check on his aunt’s house,” he said.

Shi Tingyu nodded and watched as Shi Muhuan’s expression grew colder. In turn, she tried to comfort him, “Brother, don’t be angry. Given our family’s current situation, it’s normal for someone to cancel plans. Worst case, I’ll go down with Mom and Dad, and there’s no need to rush into marriage just because of a blind date.”

Shi Muhuan patted her on the head. “You eat your meal. This is something big brother can handle.”

At a table behind them, two men in military uniforms were also seated.

One of the men sitting was much taller than everyone else in the restaurant.

He ate with his head down, making it hard to see his features clearly. But the other man beside him, also in military attire, occasionally glanced in the direction of Shi Muhuan and his sister.

He thought to himself, what could have happened that the man didn’t show up for the blind date? Judging by the siblings’ expressions, the man hadn’t even bothered to inform them.

Considering the woman was from a military family, the men’s gaze seemed somewhat awkward and bitter.

The taller man opposite kicked him under the table. “Focus on eating.”

The man glanced at the tall man who had kicked him, noticing the scar on his face that made his scowl even more menacing. He sighed involuntarily. “Forget it, I shouldn’t bother you.”

After they finished eating, they left the restaurant.

Just as they stepped out, Feng Wei turned to Lu Weiguo, whose face bore the scar. “When are you going to go on a blind date and get married?”

Lu Weiguo hesitated for a moment, then replied calmly, “I’m fine on my own.”

“Bullshit!” Feng Wei couldn’t help but retort.

“Your junior, Lieutenant Li, is the same age as you. His kid is already about to start elementary school.”

Lu Weiguo glanced sideways at him. “Someone as mischievous as Li Tiedan, I’m glad I didn’t get married and have children.”

Li Tiedan was the son of Lieutenant Li, notorious for his mischief in the camp.

Every day, you could hear his wife chasing him around the family compound, yelling at their child.

Feng Wei couldn’t help but slap his own mouth quietly. He really shouldn’t have brought that up.

Just mentioning Li Tiedan’s name could give anyone in the family compound a heart attack.

Feng Wei sighed and, as they walked forward, said with emphasis and sincerity, “Old Lu, you’re already 28 this year. It’s time for you to get married. As the captain of our company, you need to set an example.”

Lu Weiguo nearly kicked him. “You’re overstepping here. Aren’t there enough soldiers under you to worry about?”

Feng Wei sighed in frustration. If he wasn’t the camp’s instructor, he wouldn’t be having this conversation. “If you don’t solve this issue soon, the higher-ups will have a word with you again.”

Lu Weiguo pursed his lips involuntarily. For once, he spoke the truth. “I’ve been on blind dates so many times before. Every woman sees me and runs away.”