??Chapter 671: 671. Wu Lan the Matchmaker [Illustration]_1
Chapter 671: 671. Wu Lan the Matchmaker [Illustration]_1
Sun Ziqiang had never had such a mont of clarity until now! At this mont, with Song Tan watching, his cheeks were flushed red.
Glancing at Tian Tian, she had gone with Tian Ye to wash the Yuxing Grass again, and he missed seeing the look in their eyes, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
But then, he’d sighed too soon!
He only heard Song Tan whisper:
“How about it? Do you need my mom to matchmake for you or do you want to fall in love on your own?”
Sun Ziqiang’s face, at this mont, was as red as the roots of his ears!
He looked around in a panic, before stamring out: “No… no… it’s not like that!”
It’s not like that?!
Song Tan gave him a half-smiling, half-serious glance:
“Xiaosun, you’d better think this through. With a girl as filial, decent, and responsible as Tian Tian, if you don’t get straight to the point, she probably won’t consider dating until her family’s debts are paid off.”
“She’s not like you, satisfied with full als when the entire family goes hungry—calculating their debts and expenses, with days like these requiring work in the fields, she’ll need at least two or three more years!”
Song Tan pretended not to notice the pained and slightly disappointed look on Sun Ziqiang’s face and continued: “Look, how long has she been working? Her skin is all tanned like that, and she’s looking haggard…”
Isn’t that the truth?
Sun Ziqiang could see it for himself, otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically saved the tea eggs he uses to fill his own stomach for them today.
Just like Song Tan said, Tian Tian was good-natured and responsible; she earned a 200-yuan salary, and her brother was coming for lessons, so she worked till noon every day before stopping.
The won wrapping spices were already ho by nine, but she ticulously tidied up until after ten o’clock. She was also early to arrive in the afternoon, leaving late…
Before he could ease the heartache, he heard Song Tan sigh again:
“You see, Tian Tian is smart, good-natured, and hardworking. How many girls like her can you find these days? That Zhou Tianyu must have bubbles in his brain not to see her worth.”
Exactly, that’s so true! Sun Ziqiang thought to himself: He had noticed this when they were eating fried treats in August; those two were never on the sa wavelength.
“My aunt too—what’s the point in looking at the family? With Tian Tian’s character, young people working hard for a couple of years can surely make a good life!”
She sounded so experienced, but Sun Ziqiang didn’t notice at all; he was just nodding in agreent:
That’s right, absolutely right!
Sun Ziqiang had known poverty too—growing up with partial parents, he had also suffered his fair share of hardship. Don’t think he’s young—actually, he knew quite a lot!
And he knew Song Tan was right.
Given Tian Tian’s character, not wanting to burden others, if he were to pursue her, there was no chance Tian Tian would accept him within two years!
But… but when he saw her silently working by the pond every day, sweating buckets, never skimping on effort…
He couldn’t help but let his gaze linger on her.
Seeing the girl he liked working so hard every day, Sun Ziqiang’s heart ached. He even reevaluated his savings—
The excavator was second-hand, thankfully with not much loan left, just two or three thousand a month, which could be paid off in two years.
He still had savings of over thirty thousand.
On top of that, working for Song Tan seed promising for the long term, even though it didn’t pay much, 1500 a day, but after deducting various maintenance, oil, and other costs, he could still save four to five thousand a month.
Now, looking at Song Tan’s knowing eyes, he felt swayed.
But… but what if it didn’t work out? What if Tian Tian just didn’t like soone like him?
Wouldn’t that make future interactions awkward?
He couldn’t abandon his job, and Tian Tian’s job was even more indispensable. Thinking this way, bringing it up now felt utterly inappropriate.
But if he didn’t speak up soon, Tian Tian would keep overworking herself, pressured by her family to focus on her life’s major decisions, while also trying to assure her family not to worry… Wouldn’t that make life even more anxious for her?
He ant no other, just wanted to tell Tian Tian:
“Don’t be afraid of getting tired; there’s soone here to support you, you can rest.”
As his thoughts were in disarray, before he could make up his mind, he heard Tian Tian calling out:
“Song Tan, I’ve left the Yuxing Grass out to dry; Tian Ye and I will head back first. He’ll co over after three o’clock to turn them over, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Sun Ziqiang was stunned—
Her smile was so beautiful!
Her skin was dark, even darker than the last ti he saw her, making her look thinner and her eyes exceptionally bright. The dimples by her cheeks erged, unimaginably cute! But her face looked a bit cracked, and her lips were dry…
Was she overworking?
Definitely!
As her motorcycle started up, Sun Ziqiang finally gathered his gaze back and solemnly said to Song Tan:
“Then… could I trouble Aunt Wu Lan to ntion this to Tian Tian’s family?”
…
Acting as a matchmaker, how could that be troubleso?
Especially for a young man she particularly admired.
Upon hearing this, Wu Lan laughed so hard that her eyes nearly disappeared:
“Xiaosun, don’t worry! With
on this, it’s as good as done!”
Having spent so much ti together, sharing als at the sa table, and with towns and villages interconnected, where even the most convoluted paths could lead to a relative or acquaintance, Wu Lan knew Sun Ziqiang through and through.
However…
“Xiaosun, you’re three years younger than Tian Tian! I can’t guarantee she’d like soone younger, but rest assured, I’ll do my best!”
She even praised him for his good taste and efficiency: “It’s Xiaosun who has the eye for it. If it were two months later, I might have suggested her to my nephew.”
Sun Ziqiang, who hadn’t even considered the age difference: …
He beca anxious in an instant: “Aunt, please explain to her family that I can make decisions about my own marriage. And even if we hit it off, we won’t rush into marriage—at least two years! I’ll either save up for a down paynt or to build a house in the village, it all depends on her. I definitely won’t let Tian Tian suffer!”
Wu Lan opened her mouth to say sothing but seeing how earnest Sun Ziqiang was, even getting today’s lead contractor involved to vouch for him:
“If you don’t believe , ask Mr. Xu. He and I have already discussed that as soon as the work at our ho is finished, I’ll join him on the construction site to earn even more! With tens of thousands, I can save enough for the down paynt and the bride price!”
His urgency made Wu Lan hesitate to speak her mind.
But she had to say sothing—
“Xiaosun, you’re thinking long-term. I just want to remind you that even if you wanted to get married, you can’t—have you forgotten you’re not yet 22 this year?”
Sun Ziqiang: …
His face flushed with embarrassnt.
In the end, huffing and puffing, and not quite sure what else to say, he added:
“Aunt, I know Tian Tian is the one in charge at ho. If you ntion to her… well, even if we get together and decide to marry, it’s only right that she looks after her family without feeling burdened.”
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