Back on the main street under the scorching sun, the number of pedestrians had already dwindled by seventy to eighty percent.
Zhang Yuanlin glanced at his watch and, realizing the time was about right, suddenly halted and slapped his thigh.
“Oh dear! Uncle and Auntie, you came today to meet someone for a matchmaking, didn’t you? I just remembered—I’ve delayed your plans!”
The three members of the Qin family exchanged bewildered glances, utterly confused.
Matchmaking?
What matchmaking?
Meeting whom?
After a long pause, Qin’s father and mother finally wore expressions of sudden realization.
“Oh, oh, oh! The matchmaking with the Jia Family!”
Qin’s father, holding the address, was the first to react, but he didn’t seem the least bit anxious.
“Yes, we forgot about this. We promised to meet them.”
Qin’s mother also clapped her hands together but didn’t move her feet, clearly unwilling to go.
As for Qin Huairu, she was even more detached, leaning close to Zhang Yuanlin and watching her parents fret without any reaction.
This was something her parents had agreed to with another family—she was just following their instructions. Now that she had someone she liked, they could figure it out themselves!
Seeing the family staring at each other with wide eyes, showing no intention of going to meet the Jia Family, Zhang Yuanlin was amused.
“I wonder what the situation is with the Jia Family right now. Knowing that Jia Dongxu as I do, he’s probably already been bragging all over the place, hasn’t he?”
“Well, it’s about time to head back. Can’t let my good buddy wait too long. Snatching his matchmaking prospect is one thing, but not even letting them meet—that would be downright unkind!”
Thinking this to himself, Zhang Yuanlin looked at the reluctant Qin family and said with a serious expression:
“Uncle, Auntie, Sister Qin, this matter started because of me. I know you’ve missed the time and don’t know how to explain it to the other party. Don’t worry—you go ahead and take the bus at the street corner first. I’ll catch up on my bike shortly. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes, and I’ll explain everything for you then.”
Zhang Yuanlin’s acting skills were quite impressive, and his earnest tone made the Qin family think he was worried they’d be gossiped about for standing up the appointment. Little did they know this was Zhang Yuanlin’s final move.
Killing the heart!
After a whole morning of maneuvering, the Qin family was completely won over.
Even if Zhang Yuanlin didn’t make any declarations today, they would definitely refuse any other matchmaking arrangements after returning home.
With someone as outstanding as Zhang Yuanlin to compare to, how could they possibly take a liking to anyone else?
Moreover, they’d likely be thinking about him after going back, and might even encourage Qin Huairu to take the initiative.
But this wasn’t the end of it—Zhang Yuanlin had no intention of letting the Qin family leave just like that.
Winning over Qin Huairu was one thing; striking at Jia Dongxu was the essence of the plan.
One characteristic of living in a courtyard compound is that when there’s drama, everyone flocks to it. Plus, in these times with few entertainment options, people often sit around bragging and gossiping, so any news spreads incredibly fast.
News that breaks in the courtyard today will be known throughout the neighborhood, alleys, and major workplaces by tomorrow.
A person’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow—once you’re caught up in it, you’ll know what it means!
With Zhang Yuanlin speaking up and even offering to help explain the situation, the Qin family couldn’t bring themselves to stubbornly refuse to go.
Crucially, they had followed Zhang Yuanlin and met those big bosses, learning quite a bit about proper etiquette.
As the saying goes, people strive for higher grounds while water flows to lower places—why else would rural folks break their necks trying to enter the city?
Back in the countryside, surrounded by folks of similar standing, they never gave it much thought. But now things were different. They’d learned about manners, reason, trustworthiness, and saving face.
After all, with Zhang Yuanlin setting the example all morning, he hadn’t just shown the Qin family what a good life looked like—he’d also taught them a proper lesson.
“Alright, we’ll listen to Xiao Zhang. Whether it works out or not, we should still go since we agreed.”
Qin’s father broke the silence first, thinking that since they were already in the city, it was just a matter of going through the motions. The final say was in their hands anyway—showing up didn’t mean they had to agree.
With the head of the household saying so, Qin’s mother had no choice. Beside her, Qin Huairu wasn’t the willful type either; she was willing to follow her parents’ arrangements. Besides, it was Big Brother Zhang who suggested it, and she told herself she ought to listen.
And so, Zhang Yuanlin pushed his bicycle and escorted them to the bus stop. He carefully instructed them which stop to get off, which way to go afterward, and which alley to ask for—leaving nothing unclear.
Qin’s father and mother, being older, were a bit confused at first. Fortunately, Qin Huairu was clever and quick-witted—she understood immediately and repeated the directions perfectly.
“Great! With Sister Qin here, you won’t get lost. You go on ahead—I’ll catch up later!”
With that, Zhang Yuanlin saw them onto the bus before leisurely pedaling back toward the compound.
Given Zhang Yuanlin’s stamina and taking shortcuts, he could have reached the compound much faster, but he wasn’t in a hurry.
“No rush, no rush. In this slow-paced era, we should take things easy. Let my good buddy jump around for a bit first!”
…
With a creak, the bus doors opened.
The three members of the Qin family stepped off one by one, then followed Zhang Yuanlin’s instructions, asking for directions as they walked. Soon, they arrived at the alley leading to the compound.
Halfway there, Qin Huairu suddenly stopped and said:
“Dad, Mom, could the two of you go instead? I don’t want to meet anyone. Anyway, it’s just straight ahead and then a turn—you can find it even without me pointing the way.”
Qin’s father and mother stopped as well, but they weren’t the least bit surprised. In fact, Qin’s mother smiled and said:
“Huairu, tell me—you’ve taken a liking to Xiao Zhang, haven’t you?”
Qin Huairu shyly turned her head away and softly hummed in agreement.
No matter the era, once a girl has set her heart on someone, she no longer wants to meet anyone else.
Qin’s father was happy that his daughter had made the right decision, but when he thought about their family’s circumstances, his face clouded with worry.
“Actually, when Shopkeeper Wang said the two of you were a perfect match, I really wanted to speak up. But what can we do? We’re just country folks, and we’re not as capable as Xiao Zhang. I’m afraid he might look down on us!”
Hearing this, both Qin’s mother and Qin Huairu grew upset.
Though everyone hoped for a perfect match, since ancient times, matching social and family status has always been the most important.
Zhang Yuanlin had said he had no elders at home and wasn’t from a wealthy family, but his city household registration was a solid fact. That alone put the Qin family’s rural registration at a disadvantage.
On top of that, Zhang Yuanlin was so outstanding—probably every city girl was eager to marry him. How could they possibly compete?
If one were to truly pinpoint Qin Huairu’s standout qualities, they would simply be her youth and beauty, her resilience and diligence, her intelligence and quick-wittedness, and her virtuous, family-oriented nature.
Yet despite possessing so many merits, the Qin family remained deeply concerned, because in their hearts, Zhang Yuanlin’s excellence seemed utterly unattainable!
“Xiao Zhang is such a fine young man. He knew we came from the countryside, yet he welcomed us so warmly and even introduced us as friends in front of all those bosses. He really gave us immense face.”
“It’s a shame, though. It’s your father who’s useless. We don’t have the family background or connections to speak openly with him. I can see you like him, daughter, but I don’t dare say anything. Ah!”
The more Qin’s father spoke, the more distressed he became. It was rare to encounter such an outstanding young man, yet he couldn’t even voice his thoughts due to their own limitations, leaving him feeling nothing but guilt toward his daughter.
Beside him, Qin’s mother also sighed, holding Qin Huairu’s hand and comforting her repeatedly.
Qin Huairu, however, bit her lip and kept her head lowered, silent, making it impossible to discern what she was thinking.
Only her tightly clenched fists hinted that she had made some significant decision.