Chapter 248: This Might Be the Best Person She Could Meet in Her Life
Three days later.
Bobai County Bus Station.
Deng Shirong led Liu Aihong, Aihong's mother, Liu Dasao, and Liu Ersao out of the bus station.
In this era, when rural people visited the city for the first time, they were naturally curious about the urban environment. Liu Aihong and her companions were no exception. As they followed Deng Shirong out of the station, they began to look around in awe.
They saw asphalt-paved roads with bicycles and motor vehicles passing by, and in the distance, four- or five-story buildings stood tall. They couldn't help but think, "This is what a county town is supposed to be like."
Deng Shirong waited for them to take it all in before smiling and saying, "Cousin, let's go. We'll head straight to the restaurant."
Aihong's mother asked, "Uncle Jiu, he's working at the restaurant right now. If we go directly there, will it affect his work?"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "The restaurant is busiest around eleven or twelve in the afternoon. It's almost one o'clock now, and very few people come to eat at this time. So, going there now won't affect his work."
Aihong's mother nodded and said, "That's good. Please lead the way, Uncle Jiu."
"Of course, follow me!"
With that, Deng Shirong led the way, walking along South Street Road toward Suifeng Restaurant on West City Road.
Liu Aihong and the others followed behind, looking around as they walked. Everything they saw in the county town was new and fascinating to them.
The distance from the bus station to Suifeng Restaurant wasn't far. After about ten minutes of walking, the five of them arrived at the restaurant's entrance.
The moment they saw Suifeng Restaurant, Liu Aihong and the other three were stunned!
Although Deng Shirong had mentioned that the man worked at the largest restaurant in the county, the description had been too vague for them to fully grasp. Now, standing in front of the restaurant, they were struck by its grandeur.
Mrs. Liu exclaimed, "Oh my God, this restaurant is so huge!"
Aihong's mother was equally shocked. "So this is the largest restaurant in the county. It's dozens of times bigger than the state-owned restaurant in Double Prosperity."
Mrs. Liu poked her sister-in-law and said enviously, "Third sister, if you end up with him, you could work in this restaurant. That's so enviable!"
Hearing her second sister-in-law's words, Liu Aihong looked at the magnificent restaurant and felt a surge of excitement. She hoped the man wouldn't look down on her or reject her. This might be the best person she could ever meet in her life.
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Let's go in!"
...
Suifeng Restaurant.
At this time, most of the diners had already finished their meals and left. Only three tables remained, with customers chatting over drinks.
At the cashier counter, Deng Yuntai, Zhang Xiuping, Deng Yunzhen, Deng Shilan, Bu Erzhu, and others were gathered together, chatting.
Deng Shilan and Bu Erzhu had arrived in the county town the previous day. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, they were still shocked when they saw their younger brother's restaurant. No wonder he had invested so much money—the restaurant was enormous.
With their arrival, everyone knew that the girl would be meeting Bu Dashi for a blind date at the restaurant today. Everyone was excited. Even in later generations, watching people go on blind dates was entertaining, and in this era, it was even more so. No one wanted to miss such an event.
While waiting for the girl to arrive, Deng Yuntai said, "I don't know what Dad is thinking. Why does he want us to pretend we don't know him?"
Zhang Xiuping thought for a moment and said, "Maybe Dad doesn't want to reveal too much in front of the girl, which could affect her judgment. Once they meet and the girl shows a clear attitude, Dad probably won't need to hide these things anymore."
Deng Yunzhen nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, your analysis makes sense. Dad must want to find a suitable woman for cousin Dashi to live with. If these things are revealed in advance, the woman would definitely agree, and the purpose of the blind date would be lost."
Deng Yuntai thought about his own marital situation and said, "I don't even know what it feels like to go on a blind date."
Deng Yunzhen rolled her eyes at her brother and said, "Brother, don't be so ungrateful. If Dad hadn't put in a good word for you and let you meet my sister-in-law directly, it's still unclear whether she would have liked you!"
Deng Yuntai was speechless. "Ah Zhen, is there anyone who would disparage their own brother like you?"
Deng Yunzhen said innocently, "Brother, I'm just telling the truth. How is that disparaging? Haven't you ever looked in the mirror?"
Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The siblings joked for a while. Seeing that the third aunt and uncle were staring outside, Deng Yuntai said, "Third aunt, third uncle, don't be anxious. Go sit over there and wait patiently."
Deng Shilan sighed and said, "Oh, how can I not be anxious? Your cousin is already 23 this year!"
In later generations, people at 23 are just entering society, and many don't consider marriage until they're nearly 30. But in this era, being 23 made parents very anxious. After all, nine out of ten people of the same age in the village were already married with children.
Deng Yuntai was about to say something when Zhang Xiuping suddenly exclaimed, "Here they come! They're coming!"
Hearing this, everyone looked outside.
They saw Deng Shirong walking in front, followed by four women.
The older woman was likely the girl's mother or aunt, and the two younger women were probably her sisters-in-law. The girl, dressed simply with a ponytail and a pretty face, was clearly the one here for the blind date.
Soon, Deng Shirong entered with his group.
When the two sides met, Deng Shirong introduced them: "Let me introduce you. This is Bu Dashi's father and mother. This is Liu Aihong, her mother, her eldest sister-in-law, and her second sister-in-law."
After exchanging polite greetings, Deng Shirong led them to a private room to sit down.
Once seated, Zhang Xiuping personally brought tea.
Deng Shirong said, "Cousin, have some tea first. Dashi should be in the kitchen. I'll go call him over."
Arriving at such a "luxurious" restaurant, Aihong's mother and the others felt a bit restrained and could only nod in agreement.
Deng Shilan, not wanting the atmosphere to become awkward, asked with concern, "Dear relatives, you came by bus. Did anyone get carsick?"
Aihong's mother said, "Fortunately, none of us got carsick. But on the bus, we saw someone who got so sick they vomited. It was scary to watch. I didn't expect someone could get that sick just from riding a car."
Deng Shilan said, "People are different. Before there were cars, I heard some people got sick on boats. I've never been on a boat, so I don't know what that's like. But I don't get sick in cars, so I probably wouldn't get sick on a boat either."
Aihong's mother smiled and said, "Actually, whether we get sick in cars or boats doesn't matter much to us. I've lived for decades, and this is my first time taking a bus. As for boats, I've only been on small bamboo rafts. I doubt I'll ever get to ride a big boat in my lifetime."
Deng Shilan smiled and said, "That's not certain. The country has changed a lot in the past two years. Who knows what the future holds?"
As they chatted, Deng Shirong returned with his nephew, Bu Dashi.
The moment Liu Aihong saw Bu Dashi, her nervousness eased. He was a healthy man. While not particularly handsome, he had no obvious flaws. His honest appearance made her feel at ease.
Aihong's mother also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The man had such good conditions but was still unmarried at 23. She had worried he might have some hidden flaw. Even if she was satisfied, she couldn't push her daughter into an uncertain situation.
Now, seeing him in person, she felt reassured.
Deng Shirong introduced them again, and after exchanging greetings, the waiter began serving the dishes.
Ready-made dishes like boiled chicken, boiled pork feet, and boiled pork stomach were quickly served after being chopped, sliced, and plated.
Deng Shirong had already discussed both parties' situations, so there was no need to revisit the topic during the meal. Instead, he steered the conversation toward the Liu family's bamboo weaving.
"Cousin, when I visited your home the other day, I saw everyone weaving bamboo products. Your skills seem quite good. You must make a decent amount from those, right?"
Aihong's mother shook her head and said, "We only weave in our spare time, and it's slow work. We sell to the supply and marketing cooperatives, so we don't make much in a month. But since we have nothing else to do, any money we earn is good. No matter how little, it's still income."
Deng Shirong said, "Your family has this skill. You could work in a factory. There are still many bamboo weaving factories around."
Aihong's mother said, "We've thought about that, but there's no bamboo weaving factory in our village. Someone in our brigade opened one, but it's quite far from our village. If we went there to work, we'd waste a lot of time commuting. Besides, the salary might not be higher than what we earn weaving at home, so we've never worked in a factory."
Deng Shilan asked, "Relatives, are there many people in your village who can weave bamboo?"
Aihong's mother said, "Quite a few. Many families in our village weave in their spare time. After accumulating enough, they sell to the supply and marketing cooperative."
Deng Shilan said, "Then you could set up a bamboo weaving factory in the village and pool the village's resources. You'd probably earn more than you do now."
Aihong's mother laughed and said, "Many in the village have thought of that, but no one's done it. Mainly because there's no market. If we open a factory and still sell to the supply and marketing cooperatives, it'd be like taking off your pants to fart—pointless!"
(End of this chapter)