He Yuzhu watched the System Currency grow at a frantic pace, but he still did not take out the photograph just yet.
There were people everywhere in the Canteen. If he took out the photograph of Xu Damao committing hooliganism in public, the trouble would be enormous!
In 1961, daring to commit hooliganism naked on the street—such a crime would be nearly as serious as a death sentence.
Besides, judging by the situation, Miss Xiao'e had already developed an aversion to him, so there was no need to use this trump card.
While He Yuzhu was pondering this, Xu Damao hurriedly pulled his girlfriend along and left through the door in just a few steps. The Canteen workers burst into laughter.
Originally, quite a few people in the Canteen called him Silly Zhu, and there had indeed been some contempt in it.
But on his first day taking office, he had immediately demonstrated his ability and even his talent, making everyone see him in a new light!
The System Currency continued to rise steadily, and even two hours later, it was still ticking upward slowly. This showed just how depressed Xu Damao was.
He Yuzhu had already made up his mind. He had to find out where Lou Xiaoe lived as soon as possible, take the initiative, and marry this beautiful, kind girl as his wife!
But now there was a problem. First, whom should he ask where Lou Xiaoe lived? Second, what excuse could he use to visit her?
This was 1961. If he rashly went to a young woman’s home to court her, he might very well be treated as a hooligan.
At this time, relations between men and women were extremely conservative. For example, people in the same factory or neighbors could pursue free love.
If they had not known each other before and did not work or study together, there had to be a matchmaker before the man and woman could meet openly and legitimately.
Since He Yuzhu did not know where Lou Xiaoe lived, while Xu Damao did, someone must have introduced them.
Even Widow Qin Huairu knew about this matter, so the matchmaker must have come from his own Siheyuan.
After thinking it over, it was either Second Uncle or Third Uncle who had arranged it.
Second Uncle was an officialdom enthusiast and was cut from the same cloth as Xu Damao. Birds of a feather flock together, so he was very likely the matchmaker.
Third Uncle was petty-minded. He usually put on a righteous appearance and pretended to be warmhearted, but he was best at winning people over through such means.
Xu Damao screened films for extra money and had plenty of cash on hand. He might very well have offered small favors, so he too could have helped arrange the match.
After work, He Yuzhu, as usual, prepared two full lunchboxes, packed with what was supposedly leftover food from the Canteen.
In truth, it was called leftover food only because it had been set aside in advance while the dishes were being prepared, and all the most nutritious and delicious portions had been selected.
In 1961, the value contained in these two lunchboxes absolutely could not be measured in money.
As soon as he reached the entrance of the Siheyuan, he saw Third Uncle stamping his feet with his hands tucked into his sleeves, apparently waiting for someone. When he saw He Yuzhu arrive, he came over with a smile.
“Silly Zhu, I want to discuss something with you. Let’s not talk here at the entrance. Come a little farther away.”
As he spoke, Third Uncle pulled He Yuzhu toward a small side street, looking furtive.
Judging by this behavior, it was obvious that something troublesome had happened today.
Normally, Third Uncle considered himself one of the three people in charge of the compound, and his tail was practically raised to the heavens.
Aside from fawning over First Uncle and Second Uncle, he always displayed a baffling sense of superiority toward everyone else.
Yet today, when he saw He Yuzhu return, he was actually smiling ingratiatingly and refused to speak at the entrance. He definitely had something to hide!
After walking several dozen meters away from the Siheyuan entrance, Third Uncle poked his head around and looked about for a long while before finally lowering his voice.
“Silly Zhu, your Third Aunt fainted today. When I heard the news at school, I was scared out of my wits. I rushed back and took her to the hospital, but after the doctor examined her, guess what he said?”
As the saying goes, one must listen for the meaning behind words and observe people’s expressions. He Yuzhu noticed that Third Uncle kept staring at his lunchboxes, and immediately understood most of the situation.
“Do I even need to guess? Has she been eating too little lately? Third Aunt’s health was already weak. Could she have fainted from hunger?” He Yuzhu said.
“Fainting from hunger would be an exaggeration, but it is related to what she’s been eating!” As Third Uncle spoke, he wore an expression of utter anguish.
“Silly Zhu, what did you feed Deaf Old Madam yesterday? Don’t get me started on that aroma. It made everyone in my family crave it so badly that they couldn’t even drink their cornmeal porridge.”
“Your Third Aunt nagged me for half the night yesterday. I guess the combination of craving, hunger, and frustration got to her. The doctor said she was suffering from malnutrition, anemia, and edema, and told her to eat more nutritional supplements.”
He Yuzhu could not help laughing. After all that talk, Third Uncle was clearly coveting his two lunchboxes.
Like father, like son—or rather, like family, like family. Who knew whether this business about fainting from hunger, anemia, and edema was true?
Still, to be fair, edema was normal in those years. Almost every household suffered from it to some degree, so he could not conclude that everything Third Uncle said was false.
“Silly Zhu, ever since you became a chef, you’ve been bringing things home every day, but they all end up with Qin Huairu and Deaf Old Madam. Could you spare my family something for once?”
Third Uncle’s nerve was truly impressive. Normally, he was always asking others for help but never helped anyone else. He was famously selfish and stingy.
In the television drama, Silly Zhu once asked him to introduce him to someone, but after accepting the gift, he did nothing. He was truly an untrustworthy person!
Today, who knew whether it was true or not? He was simply asking for food without offering any proof.
No wonder he had dragged He Yuzhu all the way here. He was afraid Qin Huairu and Deaf Old Madam would see them!
Looking at Third Uncle again, the tip of his nose was red from the cold, and he kept rubbing his hands and stamping his feet. It seemed he really had been waiting for quite a while.
If this was true and he refused to help, and Third Aunt’s anemia led to something serious, it would truly become a sin.
Thinking this, He Yuzhu put on a solemn expression and said, “I respectfully call you Third Uncle, yet you call me Silly Zhu every day. Wouldn’t that sound bad to outsiders?”
“Let me make my position clear first. You can take one of the lunchboxes, but there’s something I need to understand. Why did you introduce Xu Damao to someone, but not introduce anyone to me?”
He Yuzhu was using strike the mountain to shake the tiger, testing whether Third Uncle was really the matchmaker.
He saw a trace of awkwardness flash through Third Uncle’s eyes, and the way he addressed him immediately changed as well.
“Zhuzi, this really was my mistake. I’ve simply been used to calling you that since you were little. I’ll definitely change how I address you from now on. That match was indeed arranged by me, but you never asked me.”
“How about this? As long as you bring me some nutritional supplements every day and nurse your Third Aunt back to health, I’ll take care of this matter for you!”
He Yuzhu slowly took one lunchbox from the net bag and opened the lid to smell it, as though he was somewhat reluctant to part with it.
“All right, this lunchbox is yours. I’m not interested in anyone else—just introduce me to Lou Xiaoe!”
When Third Uncle heard this, he opened his mouth in astonishment and nearly dropped the lunchbox in his hands!