Chapter 249: Big Deal
Suifeng Restaurant.
In a private room, under Deng Shirong's guidance, the two parties on the blind date began discussing bamboo weaving, farming, land reclamation, communal meals, private plots, and land division. Once the conversation started, it flowed naturally, as everyone was from the countryside and shared common life experiences.
In modern blind dates, matchmakers often leave space for the man and woman to talk privately, allowing them to get to know each other better.
But in this era, blind dates were more about meeting in person. Even when Deng Shirong arranged blind dates for people in his hometown, the meetings were often just "chance encounters" while walking around. If they couldn't see each other clearly, they might walk back and forth a few more times.
The main reason for this was the conservative social atmosphere of the time. Rural girls were generally reserved, and the purpose of a blind date was simply to see each other's appearance. Other details had to be relayed through the matchmaker. It was rare to leave private space for the man and woman to talk, as is common in modern times.
It was very unusual for both parties to meet and have dinner together in a restaurant, as they were doing now.
After all, in the countryside, if one party wasn't satisfied during the blind date, the meal wouldn't happen.
Even when they did share a meal, it was usually the elders who did most of the talking. The man and woman might only exchange occasional glances and rarely speak directly to each other.
This was the situation now. The elders from both sides were chatting, with Mrs. Liu Dasao and Mrs. Liu Ersao occasionally chiming in. However, Bu Dashi and Liu Aihong didn't speak to each other. They simply glanced at each other while eating.
Deng Shirong, having experienced modern matchmaking practices, was more flexible than other matchmakers. Seeing that Liu Aihong had finished eating, he suggested, "Dashi, Sister Liu, you two young people can't get a word in with all this talking. Why don't you go to the next room and have a proper chat?"
The man's conditions were excellent, and he had no obvious flaws. Aihong's mother was already very satisfied. When she heard Uncle Jiu's suggestion, she agreed, "Third sister, Uncle Jiu is right. You two young people should go to the next room and chat!"
Since the girl's mother agreed, Bu Dashi didn't hesitate. He stood up, looked at Liu Aihong, and said with a smile, "Then I'll take you to see the other private rooms in our restaurant. Each one has a different decor style."
Liu Aihong's face flushed, but she couldn't back out now. She stood up, softly said, "Hmm," and followed Bu Dashi out of the room and into another private room.
Once inside the private room, Liu Aihong's heart raced. Not only was her face red, but even her ears were tinged with a blush.
Bu Dashi wasn't much better. Although he was a man and had worked in the county for a while, gaining some worldly experience, this was his first time alone with a girl. Moreover, this girl was his blind date and could potentially become his future wife. How could he stay calm?
The private room was a relatively intimate space, and the relationship between the two made the atmosphere both awkward and charged.
As a grown man, Bu Dashi naturally couldn't remain silent. He took the initiative to start a conversation, asking, "Ah Liumei, have you been to the county town before?"
Liu Aihong shook her head and said, "No, this is my first time in the county town."
Bu Dashi asked, "How do you feel? Is the county town what you imagined?"
Liu Aihong replied, "It feels nice, just like I imagined. There are buildings everywhere, and the roads are paved with asphalt. It looks clean. The clothes people wear here are nice, and most don't have patches. It's much better than the countryside."
Bu Dashi nodded and said, "Yes, life in the city is indeed better than in the countryside. In the countryside, it's not easy to watch a movie, but in the city, there are two cinemas—one diagonally across from our restaurant and another not far away. As long as you're willing to buy a ticket, you can watch a movie anytime.
Also, the city has electricity. At night, the streets are brightly lit, and there are people selling midnight snacks. It's completely different from the countryside."
Liu Aihong sighed and said, "No wonder the educated youth who came to our village to work in the fields fought so hard to return to the city. The gap between the countryside and the city is really too big!"
At this point, Bu Dashi mustered the courage to ask, "Ah Liumei, do you want to leave the countryside and live in the city?"
Liu Aihong naturally understood the implication behind his words. Her face, which had just returned to normal, turned red again. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Bu Dashi. After a long pause, she whispered, "Who wouldn't want to leave the countryside and live in the city?"
Hearing this, Bu Dashi knew where things stood.
...
The Next Room.
Deng Shirong gave his third sister and brother-in-law a look, and the two of them found an excuse to leave the room.
Then, Deng Shirong asked, "Cousin, you've all seen the man's situation. I assume you have no objections to this marriage, right?"
Aihong's mother said, "The man's conditions are indeed very good, and he's not bad-looking. Uncle Jiu, you mentioned before that he could help arrange for my third sister to work here. Is that true?"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Of course it's true. Once Liu Mei gets married, she can come here to work."
Hearing this, Aihong's mother had no further concerns. She nodded and said, "If that's the case, then I agree to this marriage. I wonder what the man's opinion is?"
Deng Shirong said, "Don't worry about that. The man has already agreed. Let's talk about the bride price. How much do you want?"
When it came to her daughter's bride price, Aihong's mother didn't ask for too much. She simply said, "As for the bride price, we don't have any specific requirements. Uncle Jiu, you can let the man decide how much to give. As long as it's not lower than the usual standard, it's fine."
She and her husband loved their eldest daughter dearly. She was well-behaved, sensible, and beautiful. They only hoped their daughter could marry into a well-off family and had never thought of making things difficult for the man regarding the bride price. The request for a job arrangement was actually for their daughter's happiness.
After all, once a daughter marries, she becomes part of her husband's family. Whether she has a job or not has little to do with her parents' family. At most, it might bring them some pride. In reality, all the benefits go to the husband's family—or more precisely, to the small family of the daughter and son-in-law.
Of course, this doesn't include those daughters-in-law who are confused and funnel everything back to their parents' home.
Deng Shirong smiled with satisfaction and said, "That's easy. I guarantee that the man's offer will definitely not be worse than others. Next, let's talk about the housevisit..."
...
3:00 PM.
Liu Aihong and her three companions boarded the bus home.
At this time, there were no buses directly back to Double Prosperity, but many buses passed through Pine Mountain.
After all, Pine Mountain was located on the Bolong Highway. Buses from Bobai to Nanning, Beihai, Hepu, and other destinations all passed through Pine Mountain, so there were naturally more buses available.
Although the man's family had offered to arrange for them to stay in the county town overnight, Aihong's mother decided to decline.
When a man and woman meet for a blind date, it's normal for the man to treat them to a meal if both parties are satisfied. However, it's not appropriate to ask the man to arrange accommodation.
If they could avoid taking advantage of such things, they would, to avoid gossip.
If they refused the man's offer to arrange accommodation, they would have to spend money on a guesthouse if they wanted to stay overnight. Even if it wasn't expensive, Aihong's mother didn't think it was worth it. Therefore, taking a bus home while there was still time was the best option.
On the way back, Liu Aihong and the other three were in high spirits.
Not to mention Liu Aihong herself, during her private conversation with Bu Dashi, both had expressed their feelings and even set a date for a follow-up visit. If nothing unexpected happened, the marriage was practically settled. She would live in the county town in the future and even work in such a large restaurant. How could she not be in a good mood?
The same went for Aihong's mother. As a mother, she was naturally happy that her daughter could marry into such a well-off family.
As for the two sisters-in-law, they were also in high spirits. On one hand, they were happy for their sister-in-law, and on the other, they were thrilled about the generous red envelopes in their pockets.
The custom in Bobai, both now and in the future, was for the man to give the woman a red envelope during a blind date. This was essential.
Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Liu Er had received red envelopes when they met their husbands, but even as the main participants in their blind dates, the red envelopes they received were only 2.88 yuan, while their companions received 0.88 yuan.
At the time, the amount wasn't extravagant, but it wasn't stingy either. It was considered normal.
But now, just by accompanying their sister-in-law to a blind date, the red envelopes they received from the man were 3.88 yuan each—more than what they had received as the main participants in their own blind dates. It was truly eye-opening for them.
If the red envelopes for the accompanying guests were this generous, the red envelope for the main participant, Liu Aihong, was even more impressive. The man had given her 8.88 yuan, a truly substantial amount. This was the generosity of someone working in the county town, far exceeding what ordinary rural folk could offer.
For the four of them combined, the man had spent over 20 yuan just on red envelopes. Including the snacks and candies, the total cost exceeded 30 yuan.
To put it in perspective, her family earned less than that in a month from weaving bamboo products in their spare time. The man's generosity was truly remarkable.
(End of this chapter)