Chapter 362: A Casual Meal Turned into a Blind DateMeeting

Chapter 362: A Casual Meal Turned into a Blind DateMeeting

Nanning.

Mazhuang Village.

Mother and daughter Gu Caiwei, carrying their luggage, arrived at a semi-new brick house.

“Dad!”

“Grandpa!”

Seeing the elderly man sitting at the door, the mother and daughter Gu Caiwei greeted him.

The Chen elder grunted and asked Gu Caiwei, “Weiwei, you must be exhausted after sitting on the train for two days, right?”

Gu Caiwei put down her luggagelbag“Grandpa, this time the train ride wasn’t just tiring; I almost ended up as a beggar.”

The Chen elder’s eyes narrowed. “Almost ended up as a beggar? What happened?”

Gu Caiwei sighed, “I was in a rush, didn’t even have time to eat, and only went to the dining car to eat after getting on the train. When it was time to pay, we discovered that all the money in our pockets had been stolen.”

The Chen elder was furious. “These thieves who think they can get something for nothing truly deserve to die. How did you solve the problem? Did you get the money back?”

Gu Caiwei shook her head. “There’s no way we could get it back. When we told the train police, they hinted that it would be very hard to recover the money. Fortunately, we met a kind uncle who treated us to two meals and even called a rickshaw for us when we got off the train, or we would have really ended up as beggars.”

The Chen elder nodded. “You indeed met a kind person. Where is this kind uncle from? Did you ask for his address?”

Gu Caiwei replied, “This UncleDD Uncle Deng is from Yulin Village. When we parted at the station exit, my mother invited him to have hotpot at 5 PM.”

The Chen elder nodded. “Your mother did the right thing. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring, and a hotpot meal is the least we can do.”

Gu’s mother asked, “Father, how is Mother’s hand? Does she need surgery?”

The Chen elder replied, “Fortunately, ItNo surgery is needed. After the bones were set, all she needs is time to recover. She didn’t need to stay in the hospital, but your brother and sister-in-law are worried, so they plan to have her stay a few days in the hospital.”

Gu’s mother said, “A few days is a few days. With doctors around, we can check on her at any time, which is much more reassuring.”

The Chen elder asked, “Have you had lunch?”

“Uncle Deng treated us to a meal on the train.”

“Father, I’ll go boil some water, take a shower, change my clothes, and then go to the hospital to see Mother.”

“Mm, go ahead!”

...

In the afternoon.

Wuyue Square.

Deng Shirong watched the security guards training while waiting for the arrival of the Gu family.

Seeing the boss watching, the security guards were highly motivated, training vigorously, which made the place feel very secure.

Nanning, despite its issues, had not seen much trouble at Wuyue Square since its opening. Thanks to the formidable retired soldiers who made up one platoon and trained militarily every day, no one dared to cause trouble there.

At 4:50 PM, the Gu family finally arrived at Wuyue Square, accompanied by a middle-aged man.

Seeing Deng Shirong already there, Gu’s mother greeted him, “Fellow villager, we’re really sorry for being late!”

“It’s I who came too early!”

Deng Shirong smiled and turned to the middle-aged man beside the Gu family, “And this is?”

Gu’s mother introduced, “This is my brother, Chen Dong.”

Chen Dong extended his hand, “Hello, Cousin, thank you for your help on the train with my sister and niece.”

Deng Shirong shook his hand and smiled, “No need to be so formal, it was nothing much to do.”

After a few pleasantries, they all went upstairs to the Lameimei Hotpot.

Seeing the spacious hotpot restaurant, the Gu family were amazed. Wuhan, a more developed city than Nanning, naturally had hotpot restaurants, but never had they seen one this large.

The interior decoration was also superior to those in Wuhan, especially the gas stove built into the table, which was a marvel.

Gu’s mother marveled, “I never expected to find such a grand hotpot restaurant in Nanning.”

Sitting downdown, the server brought the the menu.

After some polite exchanges, the Gu family finally decided on a mixed broth and a large assortment of dishes, with seven or eight meat dishes and four or five vegetable dishes, enough for four people. The host’s sincerity was evident in the quantity of food.

The hotpot and dishes were quickly served, and even Chen Dong was surprised by the speed.

When they started eating, the authentic Sich hotpot again left the Gu family in awe.

Deng Shirong dipped a slice of tripe in the sauce and said, “Gu Mother, I actually had a question I wanted to ask you on the train, but I was afraid of saying too little and too much, so I held back.”

Gu’s mother laughed, “Villager, you can ask your question, it’s fine.”

Deng Shirong smiled, “I wanted to ask if your daughter is already engaged?”

Gu’s mother was slightly taken aback but then laughed, “Not yet. My daughter just graduated from university this year. It’s too early to think about engagement!”

Deng Shirong’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Mrs. Gu, what kind of person is your daughter looking for?”

Hearing this, Gu’s mother sensed the underlying meaning. She responded with a question, “Villager, are you trying to set up a match for my Weiwei?”

Gu Caiwei, who was busy dipping lamb in the hotpot, blushed at the mention of this topic, which was still somewhat embarrassing for a girl her age.

Deng Shirong nodded, “Mrs. Gu, to be honest, my second son is also not engaged yet. He is 25 years old, graduated from Peking University, and currently works for the Fuqing County Government in Fujian. I think Xiao Gu is a wonderful girl, and my son is also quite accomplished. If you don’t mind, they could write to each other. Even if it doesn’t work out romantically, they could still be pen pals!”

In those days, exchanging letters with strangers was very popular, and it was much more reliable than online dating in the future.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dong, Gu’s mother, and Gu Caiwei were all quite surprised.

They were not ordinary people and understood the weight of the words “Peking University graduate.”

Chen Dong couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, how long has your second son been working?”

Deng Shirong replied, “He has been working for more than three years.”

Chen Dong asked, “Peking University graduates usually start at a high level. What position does your second son hold in the county government?”

Deng Shirong smiled, “He is currently the Deputy County Chief.”

Chen Dong was stunned. He was also in the system and, in modern terms, was a genuine second-generation official. His father was a vice-provincial official before retiring, but even at 40 years old, he was only at the level of a full-section chief. He needed to wait for the right opportunity to advance further.

This man’s second son was only 25 years old and was already a deputy-section chief, just half a level below him, and even more impressive than the Peking University graduate in their district government.

Chen Dong gave a thumbs up, “Brother, your second son is truly remarkable!”

Gu’s mother was originally a government official’s daughter, and her husband was also a person of status. She understood the system well and knew how rare it was to be a deputy-section chief at 25, especially with the prestigious Peking University background.

Therefore, she was very supportive of the idea of pen pals. She praised, “Villager, this is a great suggestion. It’s good for young people to make friends. If they can get together, I would be delighted. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s still nice to have a friend.”

Gu Caiwei didn’t join the conversation. She just listened to the elders while quietly enjoying the delicious hotpot.

Seeing that the other party was also interested, Deng Shirong was pleased and asked, “Xiao Gu, what do you do for work?”

Gu Caiwei swallowed the lamb in her mouth and replied, “Uncle Deng, I am not working. I am currently at home learning embroidery.”

Gu’s mother added with a smile, “My Weiwei has been interested in embroidery since elementary school. She started learning from a master in middle school and has been practicing for nearly ten years. The embroidery pieces she makes can sell for a good price.”

Deng Shirong praised, “Embroidery is a traditional art form that rivals calligraphy and painting. Only someone with a skillful heart and hands can excel in this field. I can see that Xiao Gu has a remarkable presence, which must have been cultivated through her embroidery practice.”

Gu Caiwei modestly replied, “Uncle Deng, you flatter me.”

Deng Shirong had a very good impression of Gu Caiwei. After being reborn, his ability to judge people had become increasingly accurate.

After a few interactions, he could generally assess a person’s character. With his spatial perspective, even the best actors couldn’t deceive him.

During the two days on the train, Deng Shirong had observed Gu Caiwei closely. Her every move showed good upbringing, her personality was gentle, her figure was impressive, and her appearance was pleasant, giving off the aura of a traditional noblewoman.

In short, her appearance and figure were on par with his eldest daughter-in-law, and her temperament was even better.

Of course, his eldest daughter-in-law had also improved significantly since marrying into their family and was much better than she was a few years ago. He believed she would continue to excel in the future.

Gu’s mother was clearly interested in Deng Yunheng, the Peking University graduate who had already made a name for himself in the system. Both sides seemed to agree, and this simple thank-you meal turned into a matchmaking dinner, albeit without the male lead.

The meal lasted nearly an hour and a half before it concluded.

When Chen Dong tried to pay the bill, Deng Shirong stopped him, “Cousin Chen, there’s no need to pay. Just leave.”

Chen Dong waved his hands, “Brother Deng, that’s not right. This meal is to thank you for your kindness on the train. If you pay, we won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Gu’s mother also nodded, “Yes, Brother Deng, this meal should be on us. We need to have a chance to repay your kindness to my daughter and me.”

Deng Shirong smiled, “I’ve already said it was a minor favor. And you really can’t pay for this meal. They won’t accept your money if you try.”

Gu’s mother became anxious when she heard this: “Villager Deng, that’s not right. We had already agreed to treat you to a meal, you can’t change your mind now!”

“Not that I want to change my mind, but it’s just too coincidental!”

Deng Shirong said with a smile, “To be honest, the owner of this hotpot restaurant is my youngest daughter. Do you think I can take your money?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Dong and the Gu family were all taken aback, their eyes wide open in surprise: (⊙ｏ⊙)



Gu’s mother suddenly understood: “No wonder I thought your expression was a bit strange when I suggested we treat you to a meal at Lameimei Hotpot. It turns out this is your daughter’s business. What a coincidence!”

“I’ll have her come over to greet you.”

Deng Shirong waved to his youngest daughter, who had been watching from a distance. When she approached, he introduced her: “This is my youngest daughter, Deng Yunzhu. Yunzhu, this is Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, and this is your contemporary, Sister Gu.”

Deng Yunzhu immediately greeted them with a smile: “Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, Sister Gu, nice to meet you!”

Gu’s mother and her daughter also greeted her one by one.

Gu’s mother praised, “Mr. Deng, you are truly remarkable to have opened such a large hotpot restaurant at such a young age.”

Gu Caiwei also looked at this contemporary with admiration. After all, as a woman, achieving such success at this age was indeed impressive.

Deng Yunzhu humbly smiled, “Aunt Chen, you flatter me. My father has paved the way for me, and I just followed his steps. It’s nothing much.”

After a few more pleasantries, Gu’s mother and her daughter took their leave.

The matter of paying the bill was naturally not mentioned again.

After seeing the Gu family off, Deng Yunzhu, Zhang Xiuping, Deng Yunhong, and Xiao Dong, who had been observing from other tables, gathered around.

Deng Yunzhu asked curiously, “Dad, is that Sister Gu the one you plan to introduce to Second Brother?”

Deng Shirong nodded with a smile, “Yes, that’s the idea. What do you think of her?”

Deng Yunzhu, who had observed her closely, answered immediately, “She seems very nice. She’s as beautiful as my sister-in-law, and she would make a good match for Second Brother.”

Zhang Xiuping laughed, “I’m not as beautiful as she is. This Sister Gu’s behavior and manners are quite different from those of our rural girls. She clearly comes from the city and has received a good education. She is indeed a good match for Yunheng.”

“I’ve already gotten her address for Yunheng. They can start writing to each other and see if they can spark some romantic feelings.”

Deng Shirong then looked at his youngest daughter and said, “Yunzhu, remember the photos I asked you to take? Did you get them?”

Deng Yunzhu smiled, “Don’t worry, I took several photos from different angles. Once they’re developed, they should be clear enough.”

Deng Shirong nodded, “Good. Send them to your second brother when they’re ready, so he has a reference.”

Deng Yunzhu praised, “That’s a clever move, Dad. With the photos as a reference, if your second brother likes her, he’ll definitely take it seriously.”

Deng Shirong smiled, “I hope they can get along. Your second brother is 25 this year, and it’s time for him to settle down.”

...

On the other side.

After leaving the hotpot restaurant, Chen Dong couldn’t help but say, “Sister, this Villager Deng’s son seems to have excellent conditions. It’s worth considering seriously.”

“He’s already a real deputy-section chief at 25. Such a young and accomplished man is indeed rare. We didn’t deliberately investigate his family background, but just by the fact that his youngest daughter can run such a large hotpot restaurant in Nanning, we can tell his family is quite well-off.”

At this, Gu’s mother looked at her daughter and said, “Weiwei, you should take this correspondence seriously. If your views don’t align, you don’t have to force it, but if you get along well, I am in favor of this match.”

Gu Caiwei nodded and replied, “I understand!”

...

Time passed without notice, and it was now the twelfth month of the lunar calendar.

The seventh day of the month was the grand day for the opening of the Naye Deng Clan’s ancestral hall. All the aunts and elders had been notified, and all the branches of the clan had been informed as well.

For the Bo Bai people, the opening of an ancestral hall is a grand ceremony. On the day of the opening, the clan provides a unified meal. The Naye Deng Clan has over 3,000 members, with about 500 aunts and elders who have married out. The number of branch members attending is still unknown.

However, it is conservatively estimated that at least 1,000 branch members will attend the opening ceremony, and it’s not impossible that the number could reach 2,000.

The Naye Deng Clan has invested over a million yuan in the construction of the ancestral hall. The branch members are eager to see how beautiful it is. With the invitation to attend the opening, most branch members are likely to come and see for themselves.

Therefore, on the day of the opening, at least 5,000 people’s meals need to be prepared, with an additional 1,000 to 1,500 meals as a buffer in case more branch members attend. If there isn’t enough food, it would be a disgrace to the Naye Deng Clan.

The tables, chairs, and tableware had been ordered in advance by Deng Shirong when the construction of the ancestral hall began.

In the future, the Naye Deng Clan’s ancestral hall or the Ahzu Gong Hall would prepare hundreds of tables, chairs, and bowls. With these tables and chairs, the clan members wouldn’t have to borrow students’ desks and chairs from the school when they had a celebration.

During the fundraising for the reconstruction of the ancestral hall, the clan members were enthusiastic about donating to be listed on the merit stele. The donations exceeded the budget for the reconstruction, and Deng Shirong used part of the extra money to order tables, chairs, and bowls.

Now, the new ancestral hall had 500 tables and 5000 chairs. The large bowls that could hold both rice and dishes were purchased from a bowl factory in the thousands, and there were also thousands of pairs of chopsticks. Setting up 500 tables for a feast was no problem at all.

Even if the number of attendees exceeded 5000, it wouldn’t be an issue. When the feast started, many clan members would be busy preparing and serving dishes, so they wouldn’t be able to sit down and eat immediately. After the branch members finished eating, the tables could be cleared and set up again for the next group.

If this wasn’t enough, clan members could also bring their own tables and chairs, which wouldn’t be a problem.

For the dishes, vegetables were not a concern. Every household in the clan grew various vegetables, which could be picked and used directly, and no one would mind.

Therefore, the only thing that needed preparation was the meat dishes.

The main meat dishes would be pork and chicken and duck. At least 25 pigs, 500 chickens, and 500 ducks needed to be prepared, with an additional 100 to 200 as backups.

Other miscellaneous items also needed to be prepared in advance, as it would be too late to do so on the day of the ceremony.

Thus, on the fifth day of the month, the clan members started to mobilize.

First, they built two rows of temporary stoves on both sides of the ancestral hall’s entrance, capable of holding two to three dozen large pots simultaneously, and prepared the firewood.

The Ancestral Hall Council also made arrangements, assigning tasks for the next day to avoid chaos and confusion.

While the Naye Deng Clan was making various preparations for the ancestral hall’s inauguration, the branch clans from various regions were also holding clan meetings to decide on their participation in the inauguration ceremony on the sixth day of the month (they needed to arrive a day early as the ceremony day would be too tight).

...

In Bobai Xintian Township, Nahua Village.

The Deng Clan members were holding a clan meeting.

The clan head, Deng Changfa, said, "Fellow clan members, the Naye Deng Clan’s ancestral hall inauguration is the day after tomorrow. The brothers from the ancestral land informed us some time ago. We need to decide today how many people will attend the inauguration ceremony, and we will set out after breakfast tomorrow."

A clan member asked, "Clan head, how many vehicles will be available tomorrow? How many people can they carry?"

Deng Changfa replied, "We have confirmed four trucks, and each can carry 30 to 40 people if we squeeze."

Originally, according to traffic rules, people shouldn’t be in the truck bed, but in this era, regulations were not as strict as in the future, and using trucks to transport people was common practice.

"I want to go."

"I want to go too."

"Count me in."

The clan members quickly volunteered. If it were a regular ancestral hall inauguration, to be honest, they had been separated from the Naye Deng Clan for several hundred years, and their sense of belonging to the ancestral land had diminished. Many clan members were not enthusiastic about attending such events.

However, when the ancestral hall was being rebuilt, the brothers from the ancestral land had informed them, and the clan head and a few respected clan members had even gone and donated a significant amount of money.

When the clan head and these members returned and shared the news, the clan members learned how impressive the reconstruction of the ancestral hall was, with a budget exceeding one million yuan. Everyone was shocked by this news.

Now that the ancestral hall, which cost over one million yuan, was completed and ready for inauguration, most clan members were curious and wanted to see how beautiful the hall was.

Thus, the number of people who volunteered to attend the inauguration exceeded the capacity of six trucks.

Deng Changfa counted the number of people and said, "We’ll hire two more trucks."

...

At the same time.

In Hepu Basha, Najiang, Shankou, Gongguan, Changle, Dadun, Lingshan, Zhangmugen, Zhutoujiao, Shanling, Bobai Qutian, Shuhe, Lingjiao, Jiangning, Nailin, Basha Dengwu, Beiliu Licao, and other branch clans of the Deng Clan, clan meetings were also being held to discuss their participation in the ancestral hall inauguration ceremony.

If it were a regular ancestral hall inauguration, sending ten to twenty people from each branch would be considered significant.

However, with the ancestral hall costing over one million yuan, all the branch clans who knew about it were curious and wanted to see how beautiful the hall was.

Thus, the branch clans enthusiastically volunteered to participate. The Xintian Deng Clan, for example, sent over 200 members, while the smaller branches sent at least 20 to 30 members. This was the closest connection between the various branches and the Naye ancestral land in hundreds of years.

After counting the number of participants, the branch clans set out early the next morning on the trucks prepared by their clans, heading toward the Naye Deng Clan.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end