Han Yun pulled out a small photo to show Grandma Jiang.

Grandma Jiang, having trouble seeing the small photo clearly, asked Lin Shu to help by putting it in a glass bottle of water to magnify it.

It was a black-and-white photo, which made the person’s skin color and imperfections less noticeable.

Han Yun smiled and said, “She’s really a clever person.”

Grandma Jiang took a look.

Although the girl in the photo wasn’t as beautiful as Lin Shu, she had never seen anyone more beautiful than Lin Shu anyway.

This girl seemed quite nice, with large, lively eyes that seemed to speak for themselves.

After evaluating the photo, she asked about the girl’s background.

Han Yun provided some details.

The girl’s name was Han Xiaofen.

Although they shared the same surname, they were not related.

No blood relation.

Han Xiaofen, 26 years old this year, has been a widow for two years.

Life has been a bit tough for her with two children.

Her parents and older brother are happy to support her, often taking the kids over and inviting her for meals.

However, her sister-in-law is harsh and dislikes her bringing the children over for meals, seeing it as freeloading.

Han Xiaofen didn’t want to remarry at first; she wanted to raise her children on her own.

But her sister-in-law’s constant provocations made her home life uneasy, so she thought about remarrying.

Her elder son is six years old this year, and her younger daughter is four.

The children are still young and can be well cared for.

She also brought photos of the two kids.

Grandma Jiang looked at the photos and saw that the children were quite lovely.

The boy had a chubby face, and the girl had big eyes like her mother’s, making them very endearing.

Grandma Jiang liked children, and even if they weren’t her own, as long as they were good children, she liked them.

She nodded, “They look quite good.”

If Han Xiaofen and her children are doing well, Grandma Jiang thought she might as well push her son into a matchmaking situation, even if he disagrees.

Actually, she felt that her son had feelings for Lin Xia.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so attentive in helping her.

For instance, he had never been so enthusiastic about helping any other female colleague.

Even when female colleagues needed help at the factory, he would let the women’s director handle it.

And Grandma Jiang had never seen him praise any other female colleague as he did Lin Xia.

He himself might not realize it, and he kept distancing himself, telling her to be cautious and not to affect Lin Xia’s reputation.

Last year, when Lin Xia had just divorced, Grandma Jiang had tried to matchmake her son and Lin Xia.

But he shook his head vigorously, saying that it would bring scandal to Lin Xia.

Originally, Grandma Jiang wasn’t very familiar with Lin Xia and her sister.

If someone proposed a divorce, it didn’t matter whether it worked out or not, as long as there were no rumors.

But since they had such a good relationship, and Lin Xia’s divorce had caused him and Grandma Jiang to put in effort, if he proposed to Lin Xia, it wouldn’t just be the Qian family that objected.

The factory staff would also gossip about him and Lin Xia having a secret affair, deliberately causing her marriage to end to benefit himself.

He, as a man, wouldn’t mind too much.

As long as his actions were upright, he wouldn’t be afraid of scrutiny, and his work wouldn’t be affected.

But for Lin Xia, as a female colleague, this could be very damaging and definitely impact her work.

He didn’t explain these details to Grandma Jiang, so she didn’t understand.

Though she felt it was a pity, Grandma Jiang was also open-minded.

In life, while love is cherished, whether or not people can be together depends on fate. No one is destined to be with anyone else.

Since Lin Xia wasn’t available, Grandma Jiang had to continue finding a match for her son.

She had already arranged with Han Yun to set up a meeting with Han Xiaofen.

Han Yun helped arrange the meeting at her home.

They decided on the day after tomorrow, when Han Xiaofen would come over to help with some sewing.

Han Yun wanted to make a summer dress for her daughter.

Grandma Jiang was very pleased and asked Lin Shu to help prepare the gifts.

However, Lin Shu suddenly felt a bit dazed and recalled some details from the original plot.

In the original book, the deputy factory manager’s role wasn’t highlighted but was mentioned in relation to the main antagonist, Lu Panpan.

Lu Panpan and Tiantian had spent a couple of good years at their second aunt’s house.

The second aunt cared for them greatly, and although Qian Mu was dissatisfied, she wasn’t too harsh.

Qian Lisheng was kind to the children and often considered adopting Panpan.

During this time, Tiantian’s leg injury made her somewhat withdrawn and less communicative, while Panpan became increasingly lively and cunning.

Except for his second aunt and Tiantian, he rarely showed his true feelings.

To please his second uncle, Panpan would occasionally call Qian Lisheng “Qian Dad,” which made Qian Lisheng very pleased.

Even the elderly Qian Mu was charmed by him.

Panpan and Tiantian excelled in the factory dormitory; they were the most good-looking, with Tiantian having the best grades and Panpan being the most shrewd and popular.

Many of the other children liked Panpan, but Jiang Xiaomin and Tong Xiaojun didn’t get along with him.

This led to several conflicts between the groups.

Once, Jiang Xiaomin harassed Tiantian, and young Panpan, in retaliation, severely beat him.

Later, Jiang Xiaomin ambushed Panpan and injured him badly.

Jiang Xiaomin’s mother, Han Xiaofen, came to apologize but made a sarcastic remark, suggesting that Tiantian’s skirt attracted her son’s attention and caused the conflict.

She even advised that Tiantian should avoid wearing skirts to prevent attracting other men.

The second aunt, enraged by Han Xiaofen’s comments, scolded her harshly, insisting that Han Xiaofen should manage her own son and not interfere with others’ daughters.

Since her third sister and her husband had passed away, the Second aunt Lin Xia was determined to make Tiantian look beautiful and couldn’t tolerate Han Xiaofen’s accusations.

Han Xiaofen, upset by the scolding, went to the factory office to seek justice.

The factory leaders, respecting Jiang Weidong, mediated the situation, requiring the Jiang family to cover medical expenses and have Jiang Xiaomin apologize.

However, Han Xiaofen’s behavior wasn’t criticized.

Jiang Weidong, Xiaomin’s adoptive father, sincerely admitted the mistake, disciplined Xiaomin, and instructed Han Xiaofen to avoid such behavior in the future.

However, this situation planted seeds of hatred between Jiang Xiaomin and Han Xiaofen.

Originally, Han Xiaofen felt that a remarried man didn’t care enough about her previous children, and her mother-in-law seemed to favor the son she had with Jiang Weidong, which made her unhappy.

Now, naturally, she was even more displeased.

Later, when the second aunt Lin Xia passed away, Lu Panpan and her Tiantian returned to the countryside.

A few years later, when Lu Panpan came to the city to secretly start a small business, Jiang Weidong’s family was mentioned again.

Jiang Weidong’s biological son had died.

He was taken out to play by his older siblings, and while playing in the river, he accidentally drowned and was not saved.

Grandma Jiang was heartbroken over her grandson, and her health deteriorated.

She fell ill for two months and passed away.

Later, Lu Panpan earned some money and got involved with her father’s comrade, Chen Yanming.

Once, when he visited Chen Yanming, he learned that the Public Security Bureau had arrested a batch of criminals, including one named Wei Xiaomin, who was involved in selling steel billets from the rolling mill and stealing steel materials for resale.

He confessed to the Public Security Bureau that the billets were provided by his adoptive father, and that it was his adoptive father who had instructed him to sell them for profit.

At that time, Jiang Weidong was already the factory director and had the authority, but the factory secretary and the factory office director didn’t believe it.

They cooperated with the Public Security Bureau to investigate, and found that Jiang Weidong had no involvement in the matter.

Wei Xiaomin was sentenced to 15 years. Han Xiaofen was desperate and begged Jiang Weidong to help her son, but Jiang Weidong not only didn’t help but also resigned in disgrace.

Although the organization did not take any action against him, he felt ashamed to hold a high position and naturally chose to resign.

What happened to the Jiang family afterward is not mentioned in the book, but it’s likely that things did not end well.

Imagine Jiang Weidong losing his only child and mother in his middle age, being implicated by his adopted son, and having his reputation ruined, his career abruptly halted.

His later years were certainly not happy.

Thinking about this, Lin Shi wanted to quietly remind Grandma Jiang.

She didn’t need to speak ill of Han Xiaofen; she just needed to suggest that Grandma Jiang quietly investigate Han Xiaofen.

How can recommendations from others replace one’s own observations?

In the original plot, Grandma Jiang trusted Han Yun too much because she was the secretary’s wife.

She thought that since Han Yun’s recommendation was surely good, and Grandma Jiang also found her agreeable, she didn’t investigate further and pressed her son into the match.

She was so eager for her son to remarry that even though he was unwilling, she still forced him into marriage.

After the marriage, having a son and grandchildren satisfied Grandma Jiang, and Jiang Weidong also liked it. But no one expected the outcome to be like that.

Lin Shi said to Grandma Jiang, “In the countryside, the quality of a marriage often depends on the matchmaker’s words. Sometimes, if the matchmaker doesn’t do a thorough job, people can be deceived.”

She mentioned a few village examples, where men had hidden disabilities that were only discovered after marriage, or women who had affairs and were looking for a replacement partner.

In the countryside, when arranging a match or discussing the bride price, people can say anything.

If it doesn’t work out, it’s usually blamed on the frugality or calculative nature of the other party.

Once the marriage is settled, especially when it comes to the wedding, even if one is deceived, they have to grit their teeth and endure.

Most people, even if they find out they’ve been deceived after marriage, endure it and live their lives.

Grandma Jiang thought about it and realized that her village had such cases too.

However, she thought Han Yun was a reliable person and trusted her recommendation.

Since Lin Shi had mentioned this, and since she had nothing to do at home, it would be a good idea for Lin Shi to accompany her to investigate Han Xiaofen quietly.

So, instead of waiting for the day after tomorrow, they set off that day to find out more about Han Xiaofen’s work and residence.