June 1975.
At a state-run restaurant, the Su and Zhou families were meeting for a matchmaking date.
“Comrade Xu, I’ll be frank. Manning and our Xiaozheng are well matched in every respect. It’s only her job that I’m not entirely satisfied with.”
“I heard Manning studied traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine isn’t like Western medicine. There are too many risks involved. If Manning marries into our family, I think she’ll have to transfer to a different job…”
Before the woman could finish, her son interrupted her. “Mom, studying traditional Chinese medicine is pretty good too.”
Zhou Zheng’s gaze swept, seemingly casually, over the young woman sitting across from him.
Su Manning’s skin was so fair it seemed to glow. Her hair was half tied up, and her fitted shirt could not conceal her impressive figure; instead, it made her waist look even more slender, like a willow branch.
She clearly had a face that was both pure and alluring, yet her gentle, waterlike temperament pressed down that hint of seductiveness, so no one would think her frivolous.
He fell for her at first sight.
Su Manning said nothing, feeling only helpless inside.
If a madman hadn’t barged into her life and scared off every fish in her pond, she never would have agreed to this matchmaking date
Zhou Zheng was fairly refined-looking, and he was also a technician, a highly desirable position in this era.
But his mother was truly difficult to deal with. From the moment she entered, she had been scrutinizing Su Manning without pause.
She was either criticizing Manning for being too voluptuous, afraid that she would seduce her son, or complaining that her job was unsuitable for a married woman and would keep her from taking proper care of her husband and children.
Her elder uncle, Su Jianguo, and Aunt Xu Hui’s expressions had already darkened. Clearly, they had not expected Zhou Zheng’s mother to be such a piece of work.
“Comrade Zhou, I think this matchmaking date should end here. Our Manning is outstanding, and she has a good job too. There’s no need for her to hurry into marriage.”
Zhou Zheng’s mother sneered. “No need to hurry into marriage? If she’s not in a hurry to get married, then why did she come on a matchmaking date?”
Did they think she didn’t know? Factory director Su’s vixen of a niece had bewitched the son of Deputy Director Cheng of the Revolutionary Committee[1]Revolutionary Committees were local administrative bodies established during China’s Cultural Revolution jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3446347_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3446347_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, leaving him completely infatuated with her.
If she had not been desperate to get away from that man, would she have come on a matchmaking date with her son?
Xu Hui’s face sank completely, and she shot Su Jianguo a glare.
What sort of people had he found? With a mother like that, how much suffering would her Ningning have to endure after marrying into their family?
Su Jianguo suppressed his anger. Zhou Zheng had tested into the position of technician at the machinery plant half a year ago.
The factory’s assessment of him was that he was honest and skilled, but now it seemed that being too honest was not necessarily a good thing.
His mother had slandered Ningning again and again, yet he had done nothing more than make a token attempt to stop her twice. The entire time, he had simply kept his head lowered and secretly stealing glances at Manning, without showing the slightest bit of backbone.
Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was turning unpleasant, Zhou Zheng hurriedly spoke up. “Mom, Manning and I are both still young. I think we can take our time getting to know each other. There’s no need to rush into marriage.”
Su Manning really could not bring herself to like him. She was just about to refuse when an arrogant male voice came from outside.
“Well, well. A matchmaking date?”
Cheng Shuo walked in, his expression unreadable. His gaze swept over Zhou Zheng and his mother’s frightened faces before settling on Su Manning, a mocking half-smile curling his lips.
“You can actually take a liking to a man like this?”
Su Manning’s back stiffened, and disgust surged through her. How had this madman come here?
She had first met Cheng Shuo six months ago at the hospital. The traditional Chinese medicine department rarely saw many patients, so despite her considerable skill, Manning was frequently sent to help in other departments.
That day, her colleague had gone to the restroom, leaving her alone in the examination room. That was when she happened to encounter Cheng Shuo, who had come in to treat internal injuries.
The moment this man laid eyes on her, he stopped caring about his illness and forgot all about his injuries. He kept asking around about her.
After learning that she had several suitors, he had tracked them down one by one and warned them off.
Before long, nearly every suitable prospect who had shown interest in her had backed away.
Not only did people at the hospital point and whisper about her, but even some of her friends began avoiding her.
Any time she became even slightly friendly with a man, Cheng Shuo would catch wind of it and come over to issue a warning.
It was true that Cheng Shuo came from a good family and was not bad-looking. At only twenty-five, he already held considerable influence among the revolutionary cadres, largely thanks to his family background. He also seemed to be sincerely devoted to her.
But this man was ruthless in his dealings. He and his father had worked together to ruin more than a few families through underhanded means.
Treacherous officials had rarely met good ends throughout history. Getting involved with a man like Cheng Shuo seemed like a fine way to shorten her own life.
Su Manning held back her anger. “Who I marry is none of your concern.”
Cheng Shuo’s expression instantly darkened. Quick-tempered as ever, he kicked the table over without warning.
The bowls and chopsticks shattered across the floor with a clatter, drawing the attention of many people nearby.
“None of my concern? Su Manning, I’d like to see who dares marry you without my permission!”
All three members of the Zhou family turned pale with fright.
“This… Let’s forget about the matchmaking date. Factory Director Su, your Su Manning is simply too high above us for our family to reach.”
Zhou Zheng was reluctant. “Mom!”
Zhou’s mother shouted angrily under her breath, “Mom, what mom? Hurry up and leave! Are you willing to throw your life away for some vixen?”
Xu Hui’s face turned livid with anger. “Zhou Zheng, what exactly do you mean? Before this meeting, we made the situation perfectly clear. You were the ones who agreed to come!”
A look of disdain flashed through Zhou’s mother’s eyes, and she snorted. “Comrade Xu, this matter is our fault, but Old Zhou and I have only this one son. We truly can’t afford to take the gamble.”
Cheng Shuo had dared to flip over a table in front of everyone, acting crazier than a rabid dog.
The Zhou family were merely ordinary workers. What good would marrying into a prominent family do if her son lost his life before he ever got to enjoy the benefits?
Seeing the way the three of them had cowered, Su Jianguo did not even spare them a glance. He turned coldly toward the man sitting across from him.
“Comrade Cheng, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Cheng Shuo ignored the strange looks everyone was giving him. He raised his brows and smiled disdainfully. “Nothing in particular. Manning wants to go on a matchmaking date, so let her continue.”
Su Jianguo restrained his anger. “Cheng Shuo, do you really think the Cheng family owns Su City?”
Cheng Shuo chuckled. “Uncle, don’t be angry. I simply like Manning too much. We’ll be family sooner or later anyway, so why make Manning go on matchmaking dates?”
“Manning just has a few misunderstandings about me. She’ll come around. Marriage is our business. We can sort it out ourselves. Uncle, you should stop interfering.”
Su Jianguo had met shameless people before, but he had never seen anyone as shameless as this.
He drew a deep breath and forced down the anger in his heart. “Our Manning will never marry a man like you.”
With that, he pulled Su Manning out of the state-run restaurant.
When they returned to the Su residence, Xu Hui put her arms around Su Manning and began to cry.
“What kind of god has our Manning offended? How did she end up being hounded by a madman like this?”
Su Manning felt miserable too, but she comforted Xu Hui. “It’s all right, Aunt. Cheng Shuo wouldn’t dare force the matter. At worst, I simply won’t go on matchmaking dates for the time being.”
Su Jianguo sighed with a worried frown. “If it really comes to that, we can send Manning to her Second Uncle’s place.”
“To the military district?”
Su Manning suddenly remembered the military officer her Second Uncle had introduced to her.
Over the past year or so, she and the man had exchanged letters several times, and they had even sent each other photographs. She had liked both his appearance and the way he conducted himself.
However, he seemed to be very busy with his missions. Their last correspondence had already been three months ago.
These past few days, she had almost forgotten about him.
Never mind. Once she got to the military district, she could ask what was going on. Perhaps he had been delayed from replying because he had gone on a mission.
Surely he could not have found someone else in the span of three months?
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