CH 17

Chen Guixiang helped Dong Jiahui make up her mind, and Zhao Juhua quickly returned the news. The date of the blind date was set in the afternoon two days later, at Zhao Juhua’s house.

“It seems that the secretary of Zhao was really interested in you.”

The village secretaries, several groups in a village, have a lot of big and small things. They go to the commune for a meeting every day. But the first time they heard about it, they quickly set the date for the blind date. Needless to say, this attitude has shown the attention of the other party.

In the kitchen, Chen Guixiang rubbed the dough happily, while speaking to her daughter Dong Jiahui, who was boiling a pot.

“Mom, things have not even begun to take shape yet, why are you talking about this?”

Dong Jiahui’s face was red under the fire of the stove, she didn’t know if it was from the fire or from Chen Guixiang’s shameful words.

In fact, Dong Jiahui was confused. She really didn’t have any experience on blind dates before crossing. She felt that this behavior was like putting herself on the shelf for people to visit and choose at will. Her sisters around her who had dated said that blind dates were unreliable and that they didn’t meet their true love but instead, met a bunch of weirdos. Because of this, Jiahui became and made up her mind that she won’t do it.

For her, having a mutual understanding of each other was better than the external condition of a person. WIll finding a man with a house, a car, a good job, and a good family will make her happy? Then, why is it that the marriage rate of young people getting lower and the divorce rate getting higher? The external conditions may be suitable, but when you start to genuinely interact with them, you will find the gap between you two was as deep as the Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, and both of you, were not compatible at all.

After dressing as Dong Jiahui she made two small mischief appearances. Each time she didn’t need to be abnormal, Chen Guixiang seemed to have been humiliated, but the situation was different this time. Chen Guixiang obviously had real power and was very satisfied with Secretary Zhao. Dong Jiahui didn’t know what to do at once.

Two days later, the Dong family had dinner. Chen Guixiang asked several daughters-in-law to clean up the pots and bowls. She changed her clothes and went out with Dong Jiahui.

“Mom, what are you doing at noon?”

Liu Xiuyun watched her mother in law went out with her sister-in-law. She stretched out her neck in the kitchen. Liu Xiuyun was very curious. She liked to find out the bottom of everything and couldn’t hide a secret. That’s why Chen Guixiang didn’t tell her third daughter-in-law about the blind date.

Everyone was happy that the marriage between her daughter and Secretary Zhao had the possibility of succeeding. In case it does not work out, it won’t be embarrassing if you don’t make a big deal out of it. This would also prevent people from talking about it in private, saying that her daughter was a toad that wants to eat swan meat.

The other two sisters-in-law were too busy to take Liu Xiuyun’s words. People with clear eyes don’t understand it? Jiahui cleaned up before going out. She was wearing the white shirt only worn when visiting the relatives. She was with her mother. Her hair was also cleaned. The muddy shoes on her feet had been replaced with clean ones.

What was the reason for their serious behavior? It’s not Jiahui’s wedding, but mom didn’t confide a word at home this time and quietly took Jiahui away. Things are really unusual.

The eldest brother and the third family looked at each other, and they could see some interesting looks from each other’s eyes. Only Liu Xiuyun didn’t use her head, but her mouth was very diligent.

The sun at the end of July was very hot. As soon as she went out, Dong Jiahui felt that she was going to be sunburned. She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with her long black straight hair braided behind her head. She was wearing a bamboo straw hat. Under the sun, the brim of the hat cast a mottled shadow on her face.

These days, young women in rural areas are popular Liu Hulan’s hairstyle and double-horned twist braid. Liu Hulan hairstyle was too mature, double-horned twist braid was too childish. Every time she sees the little girl in the village wearing broken flower clothes and two braids, she is reminded of the famous song “Little Fang”.

“There is a girl in the village called Little Fang, good-looking and kind, a pair of beautiful big eyes, braids thick and long ……”

What’s even more amazing is that there are really many girls named “Little Fang” in the village.

The white shirt worn by Dong Jiahui was made by her family with the cloth they bought. Thanks to Dong Jiahui’s skills for sewing and mending clothes, she replaced two cloth tickets with others. She paid with her own money to buy the cloth and made one for her family.

The white clothes look good, but they get dirty easily, so they are usually worn only when they go out to visit relatives.

Before going out, Dong Jiahui was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt. Chen Guixiang asked her to go back to the house and change it. Dong Jiahui looked at herself. There was no problem. As for whether she looked good or not, it was the people who were wearing clothes, not the clothes. However, in order to not let Chen Guixiang continue talking, Dong Jiahui changed to the white one.

Chen Guixiang turned her head and looked at her daughter. She was happy and sad. She was happy that her face looked young, as if she were only 18 years old, just like when she was still an young maiden[1]. Chen Guixiang was sad that her daughter had suffered a lot in recent years. If it weren’t for the stubble of the Lu family, what kind of man wouldn’t be worthy of her girl? She didn’t need to worry about gain and loss with Secretary Zhao.

Dong Haotian’s family and Zhao Donglin have arrived. Zhao Juhua asked him to drink tea in the main room, and Dong Haotian was the host and guest.

“Donglin, you sit and rest first, Aunt Guixiang and sister Jiahui should be here later.”

Zhao Donglin picked up the cup of tea and drank a sip of water, hiding the smile that played at the corners of his mouth.

It is reasonable to say that he has long passed the age when a brat can’t sleep at night and scratch his ears when he sees a girl he likes, but since he has made a decision in his mind, he does think of Dong Jiahui from time to time.

He admired her dignity and beauty, her thorough understanding and knowledge of things, and her teaching and concern for her juniors, a feeling of admiration mixed with appreciation that he had never felt before.

If Dong Jiahui was like a quietly fragrant lotus flower, his ex-wife Wang Mei was a fiery red.

“Here they come.”

Zhao Donglin’s thoughts were drifting away when Zhao Juhua’s voice pulled his attention back. Following the direction of Zhao Juhua’s finger, Zhao Donglin saw the girl who had been on his mind for a few days.

“Auntie, Jiahui, I’m looking forward to you two.”

Dong Haotian’s family planted a lot of bamboos around the courtyard. Bamboos liked to be wet and are planted by the river. When they come all the way along the river embankment, they seem to blow a natural air conditioner, which reduces Dong Jiahui’s restlessness.

A few people stood under the eaves to welcome them, Dong Jiahui bowed her head a little less than kindly, Zhao Donglin’s eyes had long been subtly fixed and circling around her, and when people came closer, he was steady, as a proper gentleman, did not look at Dong Jiahui, and focused his attention on Chen Guixiang.

“Hello aunt, I’m Zhao Donglin.”

Zhao Donglin was tall and upright, with a righteous face, his eyes were steadfast and sincere when he looks at people, and his face with a smile, that was a little strange, mixed with a sense of solidity and stability, making people have a sense of intimacy. Chen Guixiang first impression of him was very good!

“Oh, well, this is Secretary Zhao, right?”

Zhao Donglin face bloomed with a smile, he slightly held Chen Guixiang’s arm to bring her into the house. He said implicitly and humbly, “Why am I secretary Zhao? Aunt, you can just call me Xiao Zhao or Donglin.”

In a few words, Chen Guixiang had been coaxed by Zhao Donglin to smile. Dong Jiahui stood aside and watched, admiring this Zhao secretary from the bottom of her heart.

“Today, our family is busy. Everyone should sit and talk. Drink some barley tea to quench your thirst. Come, Jiahui, don’t stand alone. Come and sit here with your sister-in-law.”

According to the position arranged by Zhao Juhua, Dong Jiahui and Zhao Donglin were sitting in front of each other, and Zhao Juhua brought a cup of barley tea for Dong Jiahui to drink.

“Auntie, you really didn’t tell me that Jiahui looks gentle, and when she drinks water, she was a little more delicate than others.”

Zhao Juhua praised Jiahua. Dong Jiahui almost choked when she drank the water. She coughed twice with a red face. When she felt Zhao Donglin’s eyes stopped on her, Dong Jiahui’s ears turned red.

Dong Jiahui had taken off her straw hat when she entered the house. A small white face, dark hair and thick eyebrows, with a smile in her eyes, When she smiles under the crouching cicada, it added a gentle flavor.

Zhao Juhua was surprised. Jiahui was really getting better and better. Not to mention how different she was from when she came back a few months ago, but when she was a child, Jiahui was really a pretty girl, but it didn’t look like this. No wonder Zhao Donglin took a fancy to her at a glance.

It can only be said that “the phase was born from the heart”[2]. Dong Jiahui’s appearance was getting closer and closer to her own appearance. Because her changes were accumulated day by day, the Dong family couldn’t see any difference. Only those who haven’t seen her for a long time can spot the difference, like Zhao Juhua.

References