Chapter 6

Qin Qingman had a fair amount of courage, but she was still startled by the man whose entire presence radiated coldness.

When his gaze landed on her, she felt a bit awkward and could only offer a slight smile to ease the tension, as it was her fault for starting the interaction in the first place.

After smiling apologetically, Qin Qingman didn’t wait for the man to respond, quickly lowering her head to continue eating her noodles.

She didn’t want to provoke the man from earlier again. Her intuition told her that he was dangerous, someone she shouldn’t try to mess with.

Just as the saying goes, “the tree desires peace, but the wind will not stop.”

The conversation from the next table reached her ears without missing a word.

“Excuse me, after marriage, can I follow the troops?”

“I have a younger brother, he’s only eight years old, very clever, and he’s always with me, very attached to me. Can I bring him along with me when I follow the troops?”

“My parents aren’t in good health, could I send them some money every month?”

“I have a younger sister, she’s twenty this year, and she struggles with walking. Could you arrange a lighter job for her?”

“I heard the army canteen is short-handed. My cousin is in great health, can carry heavy loads, and he can manage the work. Could you help him get a job there? I also have another cousin, he…”

The girl kept talking non-stop.

—o—o—o—

Qin Qingman, who heard everything clearly, didn’t expect the girl who was on a blind date with the man to be so emotionally unaware.

She made so many pre-marriage demands before they even had a basic connection.

This wasn’t about getting married; it was clearly about finding a big sucker to take care of the family!

If it were her, she would have wanted to ask, “Why should he do this?”

Just because she had a big face?

As expected, the answer she anticipated came.

“No.” Wei Ling interrupted the girl’s incessant chatter, and a trace of impatience appeared in his heart.

He had been tricked by his comrades into going on this blind date.

Had he known it would be like this, he wouldn’t have left the camp today.

“What?” The girl, interrupted mid-sentence, stared blankly at Wei Ling. Something felt wrong. Didn’t the matchmaker say that the blind date would be very honest, not speaking much but agreeing to whatever was asked?

Why wasn’t this situation going as expected?

Wei Ling, in order to dispel the enthusiasm of the girl on the blind date, bluntly said, “I don’t give special treatment to anyone, and I won’t arrange jobs for anyone. Job opportunities are equal for everyone. If you think you are capable, then compete fairly.”

“But… finding a good job isn’t that simple…” The girl tried to explain.

Wei Ling didn’t give her a chance to explain and spoke again, “Sorry, I didn’t come here to meet you. I’m not interested in this blind date. My family has already arranged my marriage. I’m sorry, please understand.”

“You liar!”

The girl stood up in a panic, glanced at Wei Ling with a hint of fear, then covered her flushed face and ran off.

Being rejected face-to-face with such an excuse was an absolute insult.

The girl felt too embarrassed to face anyone.

Wei Ling: “…”

He had also been tricked, okay!

Qin Qingman had listened for a while and finally understood what was going on. It seemed that the cold and unyielding man didn’t want to get married and had been tricked into this blind date.

She wasn’t sure whether the person who had tricked him did so with good intentions or had some ulterior motive.

Fortunately, this man wasn’t stupid.

He knew how to refuse.

Thinking this, Qin Qingman actually felt a bit of fondness for Wei Ling.

“Qingman, today is really unfortunate. Comrade Liu couldn’t make it here due to work, but if you’d like, we could take you to where he works and let you see him from a distance. If you two hit it off, then the marriage is set.”

Just when Qin Qingman still had the time to find humor in Wei Ling’s situation, Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang walked over with wide smiles, offering a different set of blind date conditions.

Qin Qingman: ”…”

They really think they can fool me like a fool!

Originally, Wei Ling had planned to leave, but Zhu Hongxia’s loud voice immediately drew his attention.

From the literal meaning of her words, he could tell that this blind date was definitely problematic.

With this in mind, he looked at Qin Qingman.

In his previous life, as the legitimate heir of the Duke’s family, to be honest, Qin Qingman wasn’t the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but she was definitely the one with the most presence. After just one glance, he had deeply remembered this girl with bright eyes and distinct brows.

“Second Aunt, Little Aunt, didn’t you both say you had agreed to meet Comrade Liu today? Why is it that he couldn’t come because of work? This wouldn’t be an excuse for him to avoid me, would it?” Qin Qingman had no intention of giving Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang a chance to cause trouble.

Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang’s expressions froze.

Qin Xiang smiled as she patted Qin Qingman’s shoulder and teased, “You’re being silly, this Comrade Liu really likes you. Since he saw your photo, he’s been very pleased with you.”

“Wait…”

Qin Qingman’s expression turned serious, and she interrupted Qin Xiang, furrowing her brow slightly. “Little Aunt, how could Comrade Liu have my photo? When did you show him my picture?”

Qin Xiang, having slipped up, almost slapped herself in frustration. But while berating herself, she quickly scrambled for an explanation. “Of course, when it comes to blind dates, photos are always shown. How else would Comrade Liu know how excellent you are?”

“Little Aunt, that doesn’t make sense.”

Qin Qingman’s gaze grew colder as she looked at Qin Xiang. “Little Aunt, matchmaking is a tradition, but unless one party is far away and can’t meet in person, no matchmaker would show photos without the person’s consent. And, I had no idea my photo was even shown.”

Qin Qingman’s voice wasn’t loud, but gossiping people were everywhere.

Many eyes in the restaurant turned toward them.

At this hour, most people in the restaurant were here for blind dates, so they knew the process. Upon hearing Qin Qingman’s words clearly, many frowned in surprise.

The looks directed at Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang were filled with suspicion.

It was like they were looking at human traffickers.

Under such scrutiny, Qin Xiang’s heart trembled, and she felt uncomfortable all over…

Wasn’t this niece of hers usually a bit slow? Why was she so sharp today?

This was getting difficult to handle!

Seeing the situation deteriorate, Zhu Hongxia grew anxious and quickly tried to explain.

“Qingman, you don’t understand. People with jobs don’t have that much free time. When something happens at the farm, Comrade Liu, being the leader, naturally has to handle it right away. Once he starts dealing with it, he can’t leave. Don’t worry, Comrade Liu wasn’t avoiding the blind date; it’s just that something came up at the farm and he couldn’t get away.”

Seeing that Zhu Hongxia was trying to shift the topic, Qin Qingman wasn’t about to let it go. She seized the opportunity to press further. “Second Aunt, even if Comrade Liu is busy, that doesn’t justify looking at my photo without my permission, unless he somehow knew in advance that we wouldn’t meet today.”

Zhu Hongxia was also at a loss.

This girl suddenly became so stubborn.

Wasn’t she usually the one with no opinions?

Up until now, Qin Qingman had already reclaimed many debts, but her aunt still hadn’t realized that her niece had changed. She thought that Qin Qingman had just stumbled upon some help from Zheng Anguo, like a blind cat finding a dead mouse.

“Are you talking about Liu Hechang, the president of the farm union?”

At that moment, an unexpected voice suddenly rang out in the restaurant.

The mention of Liu Hechang’s identity caused many people to turn in shock toward Zhu Hongxia and her group.

An older woman, who had brought her daughter to meet a potential match, couldn’t help but scold Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang. “You’re actually trying to match her with someone like Liu Hechang? Pah! You two are definitely up to no good. You’re not the girl’s family; otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing something so harmful.”

“Shut up! Didn’t you hear Qingman call me Second Aunt? How am I not her family? I’m her real Second Aunt!” Zhu Hongxia, not thinking before speaking, immediately revealed her relationship with Qin Qingman to everyone.

“Shh—”

As soon as it was known that Zhu Hongxia was Qin Qingman’s Second Aunt, a loud chorus of disapproving murmurs filled the restaurant.

The older woman who had just scolded Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang now held nothing back, almost pointing a finger at Zhu Hongxia as she shouted: “You’re the one talking nonsense! You’re her Second Aunt, but you’re pushing your niece into a pit of fire! You’re both heartless! Everyone in the town knows what kind of person Liu Hechang is. No wonder you didn’t want to bring him here. Any girl would be crazy to marry a man like that, especially with his old face.”

No matter how much power Liu Hechang had at the farm, he couldn’t control everything in the town, and there were always people who couldn’t stand him.

With the older woman’s words, others began to lift the veil on Liu Hechang’s reputation. “Liu Hechang is nearly fifty years old, already married, with four children who aren’t exactly young. And you, as her Second Aunt, introduced your beautiful niece to him? What were you thinking?!”

“I don’t think the girl knows anything about Liu Hechang’s situation. You didn’t trick her, did you?”

“Girl, don’t trust these two ill-intentioned relatives. Liu Hechang is no good. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be looking for a wife in the countryside. He’s probably trying to deceive someone who doesn’t know his situation. No family in our town would let their daughter marry him.”

“Girl, do your parents know what these two relatives are up to?”

As the well-meaning warnings came in, Qin Qingman couldn’t help but smile inwardly, but she kept up a shocked and saddened expression on her face.

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words. Not explaining anything often makes people think more.

Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang had unwittingly invited even more scolding.

At this moment, both of them wished they could crawl into a hole and hide.

If they had known so many people would meddle in their business, they never would have brought Qin Qingman to the restaurant. These busybodies really had nothing better to do than stick their noses into other people’s affairs!

They were absolutely furious.

“Second Aunt, Little Aunt, is Comrade Liu really like how everyone is saying?” Qin Qingman then delivered the final blow, digging the knife in deeper.

Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang didn’t know how to respond.

It was Qin Xiang who was quicker on her feet. She stomped her foot in frustration and snapped, “Well, this matchmaker really dares to lie! She kept praising Comrade Liu in front of your Second Aunt and me, and we thought he was a rare good match. Turns out this matchmaker has been deceiving us all along, pulling the wool over our eyes!”

“That’s right, Qingman, your Little Aunt and I have been wronged. With the heavy snow and the mountain roads blocked, we don’t usually come to town. Everything we knew about Comrade Liu was based on what the matchmaker told us. We never meant to deceive you, so don’t worry. We’ll definitely go back and ask the matchmaker for an explanation.”

Seeing that they had angered everyone, Zhu Hongxia dared not keep lying to Qin Qingman. She quickly went along with Qin Xiang’s words.

After hearing Qin Xiang and Zhu Hongxia’s seemingly sincere explanation, the kind-hearted people in the restaurant began to worry that they had wrongly accused them.

It was true that the character of the blind date was entirely dependent on the matchmaker’s words. In more isolated areas, it was easy for matchmakers to deceive people, and such incidents had happened before.

Once they thought this through, the people’s gazes toward Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang softened somewhat.

However, the most concerned individuals still leaned in and whispered to Qin Qingman, sharing more about Liu Hechang and his family background, warning her not to be fooled by his appearance.

With her goal accomplished, Qin Qingman thanked the kind people, then left with Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang under their watchful eyes.

The blind date had been thoroughly ruined by the meddling crowd, and there was no way Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang could continue to deceive her.

But on the way back, the two women’s faces were anything but pleasant.

As they thought about the rooster and grain they had just returned to Qin Qingman the day before, they were so enraged that it felt like their insides might burst.

In stark contrast to Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang, Qin Qingman’s mood was soaring, even as the cold wind blew against her.

Despite not having completely solved the Liu Hechang issue, she was confident that her cousin Qin Caiyun would help take care of things, as she had seen her cousin’s figure across the street when they had just left town.

What Qin Qingman didn’t know was that everything that had unfolded in the restaurant, her seemingly unintentional unveiling of Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang’s true faces, had been watched closely by Wei Ling, who had taken note of every detail.

Having grown up in a noble family, Wei Ling instantly saw through Qin Qingman’s nature.

She was beautiful and smart, delicate yet strong—an intriguing little fox who could easily deceive people.

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