Chapter 275 Create Opportunities?

While Fu Zhengzheng and Zhu Linglong are talking, her father Zhen Mingzhi shouts in the yard suddenly. She rises immediately and responds while going out quickly.

“Dad, what’s up?”

“Honey, today I…” Seeing Zhu Linglong is here too, Zhen Mingzhi swallows back the words.

“Hi, uncle.” Zhu Linglong greets him and then points to the kitchen sensitively, “I’ll help in the kitchen.”

After Zhu Linglong goes away, Zhen Mingzhi drags Fu Zhengzheng to his room, cranes his neck to look out and then closes the door.

Fu Zhengzheng asks restlessly, “Dad, what happened?”

“Honey, today I went to the interview scene again.”

Then Fu Zhengzheng notices her father looks excited. Reflecting he went to the interview scene to look for a girlfriend for her brother yesterday, she sighs with relief secretly.

When she is about to speak, her father takes out a piece of creased paper from his pocket. She is amused, “Dad, is it the paper you showed me yesterday?”

“This is the first-hand information I’ve got. Honey, come to look.” Zhen Mingzhi walks to the desk and spreads the paper flat carefully.

Fu Zhengzheng gets close to the desk and has a look. Many names are written on the paper, but most of them have been crossed off. Three names are underlined and one of them is double underlined.

Zhen Mingzhi explains, “We won’t talk about those that have been crossed off. So far, I find only these three girls are qualified to your sister-in-law candidates.”

Fu Zhengzheng looks at the name that is double underlined. She thinks it looks familiar and can’t help reading it, “Yan Weixao?”

Seeing that name, Zhen Mingzhi puts on a smile, “I like this girl most. She is quite pretty and has a good education background. The most important is that she is nice in nature. Yesterday, I took advantage of various opportunities to test the girls whose names are on the paper. Her performance was the most satisfying.”

When the interview was nearly over, Zhen Mingzhi fell over deliberately. There were not many people at the interview scene. It’s time for them to have interviews, so they feel nervous. Seeing him fall over, some candidates wanted to lift him up but hesitated and some even ignored him. Only Yan Weixiao ran over, lifted him up and asked if he needed to go to the hospital.

Zhen Mingzhi reminded her on purpose that if sending him to the hospital, she would miss the interview. Unexpectedly, Yan Weixiao said lightly that it’s only an interview. So long as she was capable, she would find other opportunities, but if he was hurt and went to the hospital late, his body would be greatly influenced.

Zhen Mingzhi was deeply moved. When Yan Weixiao was interviewed, he looked aside secretly. All examiners were satisfied with her performance, which meant she passed the interview. He was delighted.

Hearing what her father says, Fu Zhengzheng, who has recalled Yan Weixiao, says smilingly, “The girl is really great.”

Then she tells him Yan Weixiao gave the position to her after she was misunderstood to jump the line and got criticized.

Zhen Mingzhi becomes excited at once, “I’m right. I tell you she is great. It seems that we don’t need to consider the other two girls. She is chosen. I have asked the girl. She is single. What do you think about my idea?”

He looks at his daughter expectantly, hoping she can reach a consensus with him.

“I think…” Fu Zhengzheng pauses deliberately.

Zhen Mingzhi asks, “What?”

Fu Zhengzheng has a good impression of the girl, but finding a girlfriend for her brother isn’t so simple as employing a clerk. She thinks it’s only her father’s one-sided wish.

What kind of person is her brother? He is surrounded by many excellent girls. Moreover, her brother is an adult. How can he allow his father to arrange his marriage?

Thinking of that, she puts a damper on her father, “Dad, don’t worry about my brother’s marriage. We can’t help him with it. Besides, many girls like him. Maybe he has had a plan.”

Zhen Mingzhi thought his daughter would be doubtful about the girl he chose at most, but unexpectedly, she disapproves of his action without hesitation. His face darkens instantly and snorts, “I asked your brother when he came back last time. He still said he hadn’t considered it. That means he doesn’t have a plan at all, and he isn’t interested in the girls around him. I think your brother probably likes a girl like Yan. Perhaps your brother will fall in love with her at the first sight when he sees her.”

Zhen Mingzhi beams with joy again.

Fu Zhengzheng is amused but continues to put a damper on him, “You don’t live in my brother’s heart. How do you know he likes this kind of girl?”

Zhen Mingzhi glares, “I’m his father. He was trained by me. How can I not know about him? If you don’t think so, we can bet.”

“Bet? How?” Fu Zhengzheng looks at her father with great interest.

“You create some opportunities for Yan and your brother to come into contact. If they can’t kindle the spark of love, I lose.”

Hearing the expression of “kindle the spark of love”, Fu Zhengzheng throws herself on the bed instantly and laughs out.

Of course, she knows the so-called bet is to stimulate her to help create opportunities.

Zhen Mingzhi snorts, “I’m sure you will lose.”

After quite a while, Fu Zhengzheng stops laughing and says, “Dad, it’s you that will lose certainly.”

Zhen Mingzhi looks glad, “That means you are willing to create opportunities?”

“Even if Yan Weixiao works in Siqi’s company now, my brother is not in C City. Will you ask me to send her to my brother’s troop to create opportunities? Or make up an excuse to ask my brother to come back? He is always busy. What if his work is affected because of my ‘ulterior motive’? Don’t you always teach him to place the state before the family? It’s contradictory to your instruction.”

Zhen Mingzhi pauses, thinks for a while and says without giving up, “So long as Yan works in Siqi’s company and is single, we’ll have a chance. Your brother often comes to C City actually. He just has no time to come home. Pay more attention to your brother’s whereabouts. Once finding that he comes to C City, you can create opportunities to arrange his meeting with Yan.”

Knowing her father is stubborn, Fu Zhengzheng can’t be bothered to go on talking about it with him. Anyway, she doesn’t know when her brother will come back. Moreover, before her brother comes back, if either of them has found his or her beloved, it must stop. Thinking of this, she turns to stalling tactic and promises her father, “OK. When my brother comes back, I’ll arrange for them.”

Zhen Mingzhi reminds her at once, “You must keep it in your mind!”

“Got it!”

“Honey, lunch is ready.” Chen Yuying calls her outside.

“OK. Coming.” Fu Zhengzheng responds immediately, rises and stretches herself, “Dad, let’s have lunch.”

“Honey, you must keep it in your mind. Don’t forget it.” Zhen Mingzhi reminds her again worriedly.

Fu Zhengzheng smiles, “Don’t worry. It’s about my brother’s lifetime happiness. How can I not keep it in my mind?”

Just because it’s about her brother’s lifetime happiness, she must be very prudent, she says in the heart.

Fu Zhengzheng and her father come to the dining room. Han Tengyue and Zhu Linglong are seated at the rectangular table. Seeing her mother scooping rice, Fu Zhengzheng goes over instantly.

But Ji Yashu, who is standing by Chen Yuying, signals her to sit down smilingly.

“Zhengzheng, come on, sit here.” Zhu Linglong moves the chair beside her and calls her to sit there.

Fu Zhengzheng looks at Ji Yashu with flattering eyes, but she sits down at last.

Jia Yashu takes over the rice Chen Yuying has scooped and passes it to Zhen Mingzhi.

Zhen Mingzhi moves it to Han Tengyue, “Old Han, you first.”

Han Tengyue moves the bowl back at once, “Old Zhen, you have a big appetite. You first.”

Old Han? Old Zhen?

They call each other so familiarly?

Fu Zhengzheng is flabbergasted.

Zhu Lingkong looks at Zhen Mingzhi and grins, “Uncle Zhen, you have it first. I want to watch you and my uncle play chess after lunch.”

Zhen Mingzhi waves right away, “I can’t rival your uncle. I’m going to take your uncle as my teacher.”

Han Tengyue laughs, “You are joking. We can learn from each other.”

He speaks suddenly as if something occurs to him, “I can’t play chess today, Old Zhen. I taught Xingxing calligraphy when he was in B City. He has been out of practice for a long time. Maybe he has forgotten it, so I went out to buy writing brushes, ink and paper this morning. Please help me watch him practice later.”

Zhen Mingzhi looks awkward at once, “I am good at guns and swords, but I’m a layman in calligraphy.”

Han Tengyue smiles, “You don’t need to teach Xingxing. You just need to help him tidy the table and I’ll teach him after he comes back. Siqi can teach him after I leave.”

Fu Zhengzheng has seen Han Tengyue’s handwriting. But hearing Han Siqi teach Xingxing, she asks at once, “Is Siqi good at calligraphy too?”

Ji Yashu puts a bowl of rice before her and explains smilingly, “Siqi is best at calligraphy among the three brothers and his handwriting looks like his father’s most.”

“Yes, Siqi’s handwriting is beautiful. I’ve seen it.” Zhu Linglong proves it.

Han Tengyue says again, “Calligraphy is a tradition of our family. Xingxing must learn it well. But he used to knock over the ink in B City. You will be troubled.”

Zhen Mingzhi responds happily, “So long as I don’t need to teach him calligraphy, other things are all easy for me.”

After two mothers sit down, Fu Zhengzheng rises to pick up a piece of chicken for each of them and says earnestly, “Thank you, moms.”

Ji Yashu responds with a smile, “You’re welcome. Your mom deserves the thank.”

Zhu Linglong picks up some food for Fu Zhengzheng and laughs, “Eating more is the best way to return two moms’ love.”

Hearing that, all people laugh out. The lunch is full of joy.

After lunch, Fu Zhengzheng plans to collect bowls and chopsticks. Ji Yashu stands up quickly too, but they are both pushed out by Chen Yuying.

Chen Yuying collects bowls and chopsticks while saying with a smile, “I’m enough here. I will be hindered with more people to do it instead.”

Fu Zhengzheng understands her mother’s meaning, so she doesn’t insist but turns around to cut fruit. Then she takes fruit to the sitting room. But she finds everyone is in the study, so she enters it with the fruit too.

In the study, writing brushes, ink and paper have been laid out. Han Tengyue is standing before the desk and measuring the paper.

“Uncle, what are you going to write?” Zhu Linglong asks curiously at the desk corner.

Han Tengyue glances at her and smiles. Then he picks up a writing brush, dips it into ink, flourishes it quickly and dexterously and finishes at one go.

Zhu Linglong reads the sentence, “Neither anxious in poverty nor eager for wealth.”

Then she claps smilingly, “Uncle, I understand its meaning. A person is not anxious when he is in poverty and not wild about honor. Is it a portrayal of Uncle Zhen?”

After writing his name down, Han Tengyue laughs, “I wanted to write a sentence of Mencius, ‘Neither riches nor honors can corrupt him; neither poverty nor humbleness can make him swerve from principle; and neither threats nor forces can subdue him. These characteristics constitute the great man.’ It’s a pity that I asked the assistant to cut the paper in the shop. It’s too small. If many Chinese characters are written on it, the calligraphy majesty can’t be shown, so I wrote this sentence. But they have the same meaning.”

Zhen Mingzhi’s face lights up with pleasure. He says modestly, “I’m flattered.”

Fu Zhengzheng puts down the fruit tray, holds her father and smiles, “It’s typical of soldiers to be devoted to the state safety without time to think about anything else. Look at my brother. He is almost 30 but is too busy to look for a girlfriend.”

They all laugh out.

Just then, Fu Zhengzheng’s phone rings.