Chapter 248: This Could Be the Best Match She'll Ever Have
Chapter 248: This Could Be the Best Match She'll Ever Have
Three days later.
At the Bobai County Bus Station.
Deng Shirong led Liu Aihong, Aihong’s mother, Liu Dage, and Liu Ergou out of the bus station. In this era, it was the first time for most rural folks to visit a town, so they were naturally filled with curiosity about the urban environment. Following their matchmaker, Deng Shirong, they began to look around, taking in everything they saw.
The road outside was paved with asphalt, and bicycles and motor vehicles passed by from time to time. In the distance, four- and five-story buildings stood tall, and they couldn’t help but think, "No wonder this is a county town."
Once they had a moment to recover, Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Aihong, let’s go straight to the restaurant."
Aihong’s mother asked, "Uncle Jiu, he works at the restaurant. Will it affect his work if we go there now?"
Deng Shirong smiled and replied, "Around noon, the restaurant gets a lot of customers, but it’s almost one o'clock now, and there are very few people eating at this time. So, going now won’t affect his work."
Aihong’s mother nodded. "That’s good. Uncle Jiu, thank you for leading the way."
"It’s my pleasure. Follow me!"
With that, Deng Shirong led the way down Nan Street toward Xufeng Restaurant on Xicheng Road. Liu Aihong and the others followed behind, still looking around in amazement at everything they saw in the county town.
The bus station was not far from Xufeng Restaurant. After about ten minutes, they arrived at the restaurant’s entrance.
The moment they saw Xufeng Restaurant, Liu Aihong and the others were speechless! Although Deng Shirong had mentioned that the man worked at the largest restaurant in the county, this description was vague to them, and they had no real concept of what that meant.
But now, standing in front of the restaurant, they could see it clearly, and the impact was overwhelming.
Liu Dage exclaimed, "Good heavens, this restaurant is huge!"
Aihong’s mother was equally amazed. "This is the largest restaurant in the county? It’s so much bigger than the state-owned restaurant in Shuangwang."
Liu Ergou was also deeply impressed. She nudged her sister-in-law and said enviously, "Sister-in-law, if you marry him, you’ll be able to work at this restaurant. That’s so enviable!"
Hearing this, Liu Aihong looked at the magnificent restaurant and felt a surge of excitement. The idea of working here was incredibly appealing, and she hoped the man would find her suitable and not reject her. This could be the best match she would ever have in her life.
Deng Shirong smiled. "Let’s go in!"
...
Xufeng Restaurant.
By this time, most of the customers had finished eating and left. Only three tables were still occupied by people chatting and drinking.
At the cash register, Deng Yuntao, Zhang Xiuping, Deng Yunzhen, Deng Shilan, and Bu Erzhu were gathered, chatting.
Deng Shilan and Bu Erzhu had arrived in the county town the day before. Even though they were mentally prepared, they were still shocked by the size of their brother’s restaurant. No wonder he had invested so much money; the restaurant was indeed enormous.
With their arrival, everyone learned that the woman’s family would be coming to the restaurant the next day for a matchmaking meeting with Bu Dashan, and they were all very interested. Even in the future, watching a matchmaking session was a fascinating experience, and in this era, it was even more so. No one wanted to miss such an exciting event.
While waiting for the woman’s family to arrive, Deng Yuntao said, "I don’t understand what Father is thinking. Why does he want us to pretend we don’t know him?"
Zhang Xiuping thought for a moment and said, "Father probably doesn’t want to reveal too much to the woman, as it might influence her judgment. Once both sides have met and the woman has a clear opinion, Father won’t need to hide anything anymore."
Deng Yunzhen nodded. "You’re right, Sister-in-law. Father definitely wants to find a suitable wife for Brother Dashan. If he revealed everything beforehand, the woman would definitely agree, and the matchmaking would lose its meaning."
Deng Yuntao thought of his own marriage and said, "I don’t even know what it’s like to go through a matchmaking session."
Deng Yunzhen rolled her eyes at her brother. "Brother, don’t act so innocent. If it weren’t for Father’s help, you might not have been able to meet Sister-in-law at all."
Deng Yuntao was speechless. "Yunzhen, is it right to speak like that about your own brother?"
Deng Yunzhen looked innocent. "Brother, I’m just speaking the truth. How can that be speaking ill of you? Have you ever looked in a mirror?"
Zhang Xiuping couldn’t help but laugh.
After laughing and joking for a while, Deng Shilan noticed that the three aunts and uncles were watching outside. She couldn’t help but smile. "Aunt, Uncle, don’t be so anxious. Go sit down and wait patiently!"
Deng Shilan sighed. "How can we not be anxious? Your cousin is already 23!"
In the future, 23 was just the beginning of one’s career, and many people didn’t start thinking about marriage until they were nearly 30. But in this era, 23 was a cause for parents to worry, especially since most of their peers in the village were already married and had children.
Deng Yuntao was just about to say something when Zhang Xiuping suddenly shouted, "They're here! They've arrived!"
Everyone turned their heads to look outside.
Then they saw Deng Shirong walking in front, followed by four women.
The older woman was likely the bride's mother or aunt, while the other two, who looked like young married women, were probably the bride's elder sisters-in-law. The girl dressed simply, with a neat ponytail and a fresh, clear face, was undoubtedly the main reason for this visit—the bride-to-be.
Deng Shirong soon led them inside.
Upon meeting, Deng Shirong introduced everyone, "Let me introduce you. These are Bu Dashi's parents. This is Liu Aihong, this is her mother, this is her elder sister-in-law, and this is her younger sister-in-law."
After exchanging polite greetings, Deng Shirong guided everyone to sit down in the private room.
Once everyone was seated, Zhang Xiuping personally brought in some tea.
Deng Shirong said, "Aibao, have some tea first. Dashi should be in the kitchen. I'll go get him."
Seeing such a "luxurious" restaurant, Liu Aihong's mother and the others felt a bit uneasy, only nodding and saying, "Okay."
Deng Shilan couldn't let the atmosphere become awkward, so she asked, "Cousins, did you have a good trip? Did anyone get carsick?"
Liu Aihong's mother replied, "We're fine, no one got carsick. But on the bus, we saw someone who did, and it was really bad. It was quite a shock to see someone get so sick from just a bus ride."
Deng Shilan said, "People are different. Back in the day, I heard some people got seasick so badly on boats. I've never been on a boat, so I don't know what it's like, but I don't get carsick, so I guess I wouldn't get seasick either!"
Liu Aihong's mother laughed, "Whether you get carsick or seasick, it doesn't really affect us much. I've lived for decades and this is the first time I've taken a bus. As for boats, I've only been on small bamboo rafts, but I doubt I'll ever get a chance to ride on a big ship."
Deng Shilan laughed, "Who knows? The country has changed a lot in the past few years. Who can predict what the future holds?"
Just then, Deng Shirong returned with his nephew, Bu Dashi.
The moment Liu Aihong saw Bu Dashi, her anxious heart finally calmed down. He was a healthy young man, though not particularly handsome, his features were well-proportioned, and his honest face put her at ease.
Liu Aihong's mother also breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried about any potential flaws in the groom, as even if he were otherwise satisfactory, she couldn't risk her daughter's future.
Now that she saw him, she felt much more at ease.
Deng Shirong introduced everyone again, and after they exchanged greetings, the waiter began to serve the dishes.
Dishes like poached chicken, poached pig's trotters, and poached pig's stomach, which were already prepared, were quickly chopped, sliced, and served, making the service very efficient.
Since Deng Shirong had already explained the situation to both sides, there was no need to repeat the same topics. During the meal, Deng Shirong steered the conversation towards the Liu family's side business of weaving bamboo and rattan products in their spare time.
"Aibao, when I visited your home the other day, I saw your whole family weaving. Your skills are quite good. I imagine you must be making a decent income from those bamboo and rattan products?"
Liu Aihong's mother shook her head. "We only do it in our spare time, and we work quite slowly. We sell to the cooperative, so we don't earn much in a month. But it's better than doing nothing. Any little bit helps, no matter how small the income."
Deng Shirong said, "Since your family has this skill, you could work at a factory. There are many bamboo and rattan weaving factories now."
Liu Aihong's mother replied, "We've thought about that, but there are no factories in our village. Our brigade has one, but it's quite far away. If we worked there, we'd waste a lot of time commuting, and the wages might not be higher than what we earn by selling our products at home. That's why we haven't joined a factory."
Deng Shilan asked, "Cousins, are there many people in your village who can weave bamboo and rattan?"
Liu Aihong's mother said, "Quite a few. Many families in our village use their spare time to weave at home and then sell the products to the cooperative after a while."
Deng Shilan suggested, "You could start a bamboo and rattan weaving factory in your village. If everyone works together, you might earn more than you do now."
Liu Aihong's mother laughed, "Many people in the village have thought about that, but no one has acted on it. The main issue is the lack of a market. If we start a factory and still sell our products to the cooperative, it would be like going through the motions for nothing."
(End of Chapter)
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