The moment Zhou Dingbang sat down, he noticed the little girl across from him staring at him blankly, her whole demeanor adorable and dazed—far more pleasant to look at than those two brats at home.
The woman beside her was gently scooping the minced meat from her own bowl into the girl's bowl with a tender expression.
Zhou Dingbang instinctively glanced at Chen Xiang. When his gaze landed on the woman's soft, beautiful face, he paused for a moment before casually looking away.
"Mother, I can't finish all this meat. You should eat more—eat more meat to nourish yourself." Zhao Wansheng pouted and scooped the meat from her bowl into Chen Xiang's.
Perhaps it was because she had become a child again, but Zhao Wansheng couldn't help acting spoiled around Chen Xiang.
In her previous life, her only beautiful memories were of nestling in her mother's arms and being pampered.
She had never been able to forget that. Now that she had returned to this time, she wished she could cling to her mother every moment and be a true little child.
Chen Xiang looked at her daughter's adorable pouting expression and smiled. "You eat first. If you can't finish, I'll eat the rest."
That smile happened to catch Zhou Dingbang's eye, and he couldn't help but take another look at Chen Xiang.
Chen Wen and Chen Xiang were sitting sideways to the man and didn't notice any of this. Zhao Wansheng, however, was facing the man's direction and did notice him looking their way, but she didn't think much of it—her entire focus was on eating.
Chen Wen slurped down half a bowl of noodles in one go. Looking up, he saw that the diners at the nearby tables were all buried in their food, and assuming no one was paying attention to them, he whispered to Chen Xiang, "Little sister, we've found work now, and the factory gave us two days off. How about we go find a matchmaker tomorrow to arrange a match for you?"
Chen Wen was happy about finding work, but he hadn't forgotten his mission to find himself a new brother-in-law.
Chen Xiang was stunned by the suggestion.
Seeing that his sister hadn't responded, Chen Wen thought she still couldn't let go, and his voice rose involuntarily. "Sister, you're not still hung up on Zhao Zhiwen, are you?
That Zhao Zhiwen has now become an official and gotten rich, but don't forget—the moment he came back, he said your marriage was arranged, that the two of you had no feelings, and he even looked down on you for being uneducated and divorced you.
That ungrateful bastard—doesn't he remember who stayed in the countryside all these years taking care of his elderly parents and raising his child?
It's good that you divorced such a heartless man. You can't keep dwelling on it!
Sister, you have a job in the city now. You can definitely find a better marriage partner than him!"
Chen Xiang wasn't as optimistic as her second brother, after all, this would be her second marriage.
"Second brother, I have a job now and can support Wansheng. As for Zhao Zhiwen, I have nothing to do with him anymore. Don't mention him again in the future."
Perhaps the job had given Chen Xiang confidence, or perhaps she had truly moved on—she no longer wore that resentful expression when mentioning Zhao Zhiwen like she used to.
Seeing that his little sister seemed to have genuinely let go, Chen Wen breathed a sigh of relief and even joked with Zhao Wansheng. "Wansheng, do you want a new daddy?"
"Yes!" Zhao Wansheng swallowed the noodles in her mouth and answered crisply.
"Cough… cough…"
Zhou Dingbang had just lifted a chopstickful of noodles to his mouth when he heard Zhao Wansheng's resounding "Yes!" Startled, he accidentally choked on his food.
Chen Xiang noticed someone was eavesdropping, and her face flushed red with embarrassment. Perhaps she was more flustered than angry, or perhaps it was some inexplicable impulse—she turned her head and shot a glare at the man who had been listening in.
Her beautiful eyes held a hint of anger, carrying a charm all their own.
If Zhou Dingbang hadn't paid much attention before, after hearing the siblings' conversation and being glared at by the woman with that mix of annoyance and reproach, he recalled the purpose of his trip home and couldn't help but start forming an idea.
This woman was divorced with a daughter—she'd be a good match for an old bachelor like him who had sons. Why not go over and ask?
Zhou Dingbang had always been decisive and straightforward. When he wanted to do something, he did it immediately.
With a clatter, he set down his chopsticks and strode over to Zhao Wansheng's table.
Seeing the man approaching with a fierce bearing, Chen Xiang thought he was coming to retaliate because she had glared at him. Noticing his tall, imposing build and powerful frame, her face went pale with fright.
Her second brother was a man, but he was just a farmer, not very tall either. If a fight broke out, she wasn't sure her brother could withstand even one punch from this man.
As Chen Xiang watched the man approach, her mind raced with chaotic thoughts.
But to her surprise, Zhou Dingbang plopped himself down beside Chen Xiang, his gaze sweeping over her face with a predatory intensity before finally settling on Chen Wen with a hint of a smile.
"Comrade, hello. My name is Zhou Dingbang. I'm from the capital, 28 years old, currently single. Would it be convenient to get acquainted?" The last sentence was directed at Chen Xiang.
Before Chen Wen could think it through, he instinctively replied, "My name is Chen Wen. This is my sister Chen Xiang, and my niece Zhao Wansheng. We're from Chen Family Slope…"
After the two exchanged pleasantries.
Zhou Dingbang didn't beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly. "I just heard that this female comrade is looking for a partner. Comrade Chen, what do you think of me?"
"Huh? What do I think of you…" Chen Wen was momentarily caught off guard.
Chen Xiang, upon hearing this, nearly popped her eyes out of her head.
No, this man wasn't here to cause trouble? He was here to…
Chen Xiang thought of the man's purpose, and her cheeks flushed hot.
Zhao Wansheng noticed that when this man said those words, his ears were tinged with a barely noticeable red, and for a moment she was both surprised and delighted.
Just moments ago she had been thinking that if only this man could become her new father, and before she could blink, he had voluntarily jumped into the bowl.
Zhao Wansheng saw her biological mother's face gradually turn from pale to red, her gaze darting away, unable to look at anyone, and she secretly laughed to herself.
After experiencing that scumbag Zhao Zhiwen, Zhao Wansheng wouldn't assume someone was a good person just because they wore a military uniform.
Zhou Dingbang smiled, pulled a piece of paper from the inner pocket of his jacket, and handed it to the three of them.
It was a military travel permit, with the issuing unit's seal, serial number, and date on it.
North China Military Region.
Zhao Wansheng furrowed her brow—wasn't this the same military region Zhao Zhiwen was in?
She remembered that a few years later, the military region would be reorganized and renamed as the Capital Military Region, with its main defense areas covering the capital city, Tianjin, the northern province, the western province, and so on…
Zhao Zhiwen was lucky; he had always stayed in the military region responsible for the capital area, even though his post was in a remote mountain.
"I'm currently at the rank of full colonel in the army, with a monthly salary of 200 new dollars—more than enough to support the two of you." Zhou Dingbang said calmly.
More than enough? In this era, a salary of 200 was simply outrageously high!
And this man was a regiment commander, a higher rank than her scumbag father—thinking of this, Zhao Wansheng couldn't be more satisfied!
Chen Wen also looked at his younger sister with eager eyes.
Even if he found the best matchmaker in the city, he couldn't guarantee finding his sister a marriage prospect with such good conditions, and crucially, he was a soldier and an officer too!
"Little sister, look… why don't you get to know Comrade Zhou first?"
Not to mention rank and salary, just Zhou Dingbang's appearance alone was far better than Zhao Zhiwen's. If his character was decent, he would naturally be happy to have Comrade Zhou as his brother-in-law.
How could Chen Xiang not understand her second brother's meaning? She glanced at the man—his eyes were clear, his features well-proportioned, and he radiated an air of righteousness. Chen Xiang didn't dislike the man before her, but this was just too sudden…
Just moments ago, he had looked so fierce and menacing.