bookbashuk Chapter 134 Blind Date
Chapter 134 Blind Date
Xu Sui nodded; she understood.
Time flies, and Du Mei has been in the city for a while now.
The letter of introduction has a time limit. She has a rural household registration and cannot stay in the city indefinitely. Otherwise, she will be arrested as a vagrant once discovered.
Therefore, Du Mei only had two paths before her: one, when the time came, she could return to her hometown and marry a country man; two, she could find a city man to marry as soon as possible.
Xiao Fen pulled Xu Sui to sit down next to her and whispered in her ear, "Do you know who the matchmaker Chen introduced Du Mei to?"
Xu Sui shook her head; she really didn't know.
Du Mei's marriage was handled by her elders. With the elders around, her cousins-in-law basically didn't need to worry about it.
Xiao Fen whispered, "It's quite a coincidence. It's Liu Shunsheng, the son of the Liu family who lives in the same courtyard as ours. You probably know that Liu Shunsheng had two wives before, and both of them died, leaving him with three children. His eldest daughter is already ten years old."
"He's about the same age as your brother. His youngest son is less than a year old. The woman he married later died in childbirth because of this child."
"Some people say he's a jinx to wives, and he has several children to support, so no one wants to marry him. Even if he has a good job, like working in a textile factory's motorcade, it's the same. Who wouldn't be afraid of death? And even if they weren't, they'd have to take care of several children for him right after they married him. Who could stand that?"
"Moreover, don't be fooled by Aunt Liu's amiable demeanor to outsiders; she's actually quite picky about her daughters-in-law, and none of them are easy to get along with."
She wasn't too happy about having an extra mouth to feed in the house, and even joked that she could pair Du Mei and Liu Shunsheng together. But these days, Du Mei has been quite diligent in the house, and she even secretly helps her with chores from time to time.
She really couldn't bear to let Du Mei marry Liu Shunsheng.
After hearing this, Xu Sui quickly recalled Liu Shunsheng from her memory.
They were all from the same compound; she had heard about them since she was a child.
Speaking of which, Liu Shunsheng is one of the more capable men in the compound. He's almost thirty years old now, and if he were five or six years older, he could have given birth to Du Mei.
He used to be a hot commodity in the eyes of matchmakers, and with his ability to drive a large truck, his conditions were definitely considered good in the whole tenement.
However, the most important thing for him when looking for a wife is her appearance. He once said that he likes a wife who is pretty, gentle, and filial.
His first two wives were both beautiful.
Xu Sui felt there was something wrong with this. She glanced at the matchmaker who was chatting enthusiastically with the old lady, then at Du Mei who was slightly shy, and finally leaned close to Xiao Fen and asked in a low voice.
"Does Liu Shunsheng know about this? I remember he likes handsome men, the more handsome the better."
Xiao Fen pursed her lips. "Who knows? This guy went out to drive a car and hasn't come back for quite some time. I bet he doesn't know. It's probably Aunt Liu's own idea."
"But Liu Shunsheng is indeed well-off. I heard he can earn forty or fifty yuan a month driving a truck, not even counting the extra money they make from long-distance driving."
"There's another point. Their family lives in the same courtyard as ours. I guess the old lady means that since the two families live so close, if Xiaomei marries into the Liu family, the Liu family won't dare to bully her under the old lady's nose."
To be fair, Liu Shunsheng is indeed quite capable, but he has too many children, his mother is difficult to deal with, and most importantly, he's considered unlucky in marriage.
Xu Sui didn't really believe in the concept of "clash" or "harmony," but the Liu family certainly wasn't a good family.
Liu Shunsheng was particularly fond of beautiful women and had many children. After marrying into the family, she became the stepmother of three children, and the youngest child had to be carried and held by someone at all times.
This isn't about finding a wife; it's about finding a free maid.
The matchmaker, holding Du Mei's hand, began to speak again, "Xiao Mei, look at Shun Sheng's photo. He has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he's quite good-looking. Although he's a bit older, he's very caring."
"Also, Shunsheng's salary is high, so you don't have to worry about money when you marry him. His family lives in this small courtyard. If you marry him, it's just a short walk to your maternal grandmother's place. You can see her just by looking up."
"Of course, there are bound to be some drawbacks, otherwise we wouldn't have chosen a country girl like you. Let me tell you again, Shunsheng is always away driving, and there are elderly people and children at home. You'll definitely have a tough time if you marry him."
"However, there are advantages too. Putting everything else aside, with Shunsheng's abilities, at least you won't starve to death. That alone is enough to make many young girls from the countryside eager to marry into our family."
Du Mei lowered her head, fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, and looked at Liu Shunsheng's photo, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Although he was much older than her, he didn't look old at all. He was only a few years older than her cousin and his family. He was also quite tall and seemed very reliable.
Given her own limited circumstances, the conditions proposed by the Liu family were not a problem for her, and she was quite satisfied with them.
Old Mrs. Qin glanced at Du Mei, snatched the photo from her hand, and threw it directly on the table.
Having lived for so many years, she had seen it all; she could easily understand the meaning behind the matchmaker's words.
"Juanzi, we've lived in the same compound for so many years. You can't cheat an old woman like me, you can't cheat anyone else."
"Putting everything else aside, does Liu Shunsheng even know about this? And since they live in the same courtyard, why doesn't the Liu family come to our door to discuss this matter themselves?"
"Although Xiaomei is from the countryside, she is still a young and capable woman. If the Liu family really has their eye on her, they should at least send someone to tell her in person."
Grandma Qin knew that with her granddaughter's circumstances, she definitely wouldn't find a good man in the city. People always want something, and they always have to give something in return.
All Xiaomei has to offer is her competence, hard work, and status as a first-time bride.
But no matter what, you have to have the right attitude, and you have to make things clear beforehand. You can't keep hiding it and only find out you've been deceived after you're married.
The matchmaker held Old Lady Qin's hand and comforted her, "Oh, my dear sister, I would never cheat you, I just didn't have time to say it."
"That's not what the Liu family meant. Aunt Liu originally wanted to visit you first to ask, but for these kinds of things, we matchmakers have to go and sound out your attitude first, right?"
"Don't worry about Shunsheng. Since Aunt Liu dared to ask, Shunsheng won't object much."
"He'll be back in a few days. If there are no problems on your end, I can arrange for the two of them to meet and get to know each other better. We'll see if it works out later."
"What do you guys think?"