After Lin Zijin changed her clothes, Yang Qingqiu picked up a comb and tidied her daughter’s hair, braiding it into two large plaits.
Once everything was done, Yang Qingqiu checked the time and, seeing it was about right, took her daughter out of the house toward the state-run restaurant.
She escorted her to a spot near the restaurant and handed her a bag.
“Zijin, hold onto this carefully. Inside are the household registration book, your documents, and the two yuan and meal tickets I’ve saved for a long time.
If it works out, just grab the man and get the marriage certificate done right away. Come straight back after that.
If it doesn’t work out, just eat your meal and come home. I’ll get those aunts and women to introduce someone else to you.”
It wasn’t that she, as a mother, was forcing her daughter to marry early. It was just that this morning Lin Xue had come asking for the household registration book, and she was worried that girl might do something bad—like secretly registering her daughter for going down to the countryside.
So she had told her she couldn’t find the household registration book and would look for it at noon before giving it to her.
Fake registration wasn’t unheard of in their alley. Even biological siblings had registered each other for rural assignments, let alone step-siblings.
That Lin Xue girl looked polite on the surface, but she was full of scheming thoughts. Recently, even Aunt Wang next door had said Lin Xue had been acting mysteriously and dressing up beautifully before going out.
She suspected that girl was also looking for a good match.
And now the street committee was saying every household must have at least one child go to the countryside.
She was extremely anxious.
In their family, there were only three people eligible: Lin Xue, Lin Shu, and her daughter.
Lin Shu was Lin Jiancheng’s precious daughter—he treated her like gold and was definitely already trying to arrange a good job for her behind the scenes.
Lin Xue was plotting on her own.
Only her own foolish daughter was truly innocent, and as her mother, she had to plan for her.
Lin Zijin widened her eyes in shock. “Mom, isn’t this a bit—”
“Enough ‘isn’t this’ already. Go quickly.
Go and meet him. I need to head back—if I didn’t think you’d run off halfway, would I have even come with you?
Hurry up.”
With that, she pushed her daughter forward.
After seeing her take a couple of steps, she added, “Be good. Go on. Mom’s leaving—I’ve got a ton of things to do.”
And with that, she ran off.
She still had to go back and look after her precious son, and do the laundry—hot weather meant washing clothes for both adults and children every day.
After watching her mother leave, Lin Zijin slung the bag over her shoulder and steeled herself as she walked toward the state-run restaurant.
It was still a few minutes before eleven. Not yet mealtime, so there weren’t many people inside.
Standing at the entrance, she glanced inside. There were four people: a couple, a middle-aged man around forty, and a young man in a white shirt with military-green trousers—the one who matched her mother’s description.
She paced outside for a bit. After a few minutes with no one else entering, she took a deep breath and walked in.
She approached the young man, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes. Her mother actually hadn’t lied this time.
He had a slightly cold gaze, but was extremely handsome—sharp features, distinct bone structure, and a striking aura that didn’t seem like someone from an ordinary family. Could it be because he had a relative who was a director?
Even sitting down, he looked at least 185 cm tall. Standing at 165 cm herself, she felt like a little bean sprout in front of him.
“Hello, how should I address you?”
“Lu Jingyu.”
Hearing his deep, magnetic voice, Lin Zijin’s heart gave a small jolt. She silently complained in her mind that her mother was really unreliable—this person was clearly called Lu Jingyu, yet she had heard him as “Jinyu” (goldfish).
What kind of pronunciation and misunderstanding was that?
Seeing that he was indeed her blind-date partner, she sat down across from him and couldn’t help but secretly study him.
His fingers were long and clean, resting casually on the table, his posture carrying an understated elegance.
“Hello, I’m Lin Zijin.
Aunt Hu should have introduced me. I’m eighteen this year, just graduated, and I don’t have a job yet.”
She stated her situation directly.
Lu Jingyu slightly furrowed his brows, a large question mark forming in his mind.
Did he remember wrong?
Yesterday, he clearly heard his mother muttering in his ear that Aunt Hu had introduced him to a girl—surname Zhang or Li.
So how did it suddenly become Lin?
Was he mistaken, or was the message passed incorrectly?
He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, using the moment to quickly observe the young woman in front of him.
She was very beautiful, her face fair and clean, with a hint of youthful innocence that had not yet faded. Her voice was soft and gentle, and especially those bright, lively eyes were full of spirit—she was quite a good girl.
He set down the teacup and responded to her words.
“Comrade Lin Zijing, hello.
My name is Lu Jingyu. I am twenty-four this year and work at a textile factory. I have one older brother and one older sister…”
Lin Zijing did not catch much of what he said afterward. She was only focused on the “textile factory” part. If she remembered correctly, her mother had said something about a steel factory—why was it suddenly a textile factory?
Could it be that she had the wrong person?
Her gaze swept around the restaurant. Quite a few people had arrived, but they were all simply there to eat. None of them looked like someone waiting for a blind meeting as her mother had described.
Only the man in front of her fit the situation. So she hadn’t made a mistake after all. She immediately felt relieved.
These matchmakers really exaggerated things too much. No wonder her neighbor Sun Hongmei often said, “A matchmaker’s mouth is a liar’s ghost.”
A matchmaker’s tongue could turn the dead into living, the ugly into handsome, the short into tall.
Hearing him pause, Lin Zijing casually asked, “Is work at the textile factory busy?”
“Not too bad. The workshop workers have it harder.”
Lin Zijing nodded to show she understood.
The two of them were suddenly left without much to say. Lu Jingyu was quite satisfied with the woman in front of him, but he was not very talkative and didn’t know what else to say. Seeing more people coming into the restaurant, he said, “It’s getting late. Let’s eat first and talk while we eat.
Do you have any food restrictions?”
Looking at the man across from her—so considerate—Lin Zijing’s slight resistance to being arranged on a blind date gradually faded.
To be fair, she was quite satisfied with him. Whether it was his appearance, his calm temperament, or his manner of speaking.
“Alright! I don’t have any restrictions. Just something simple is fine.”
Lu Jingyu nodded and stood up directly to go order the food.
Lin Zijing watched his departing figure and also wanted to learn more about this man—whether he could be the right one for her.
If he truly was suitable, then it would be perfect. She could finally leave the Lin family.
Soon, the dishes were served: a steaming plate of braised fish, stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, and a tomato egg soup, plus two bowls of rice.
Lu Jingyu pushed the braised fish toward her. “Try this. The braised fish here is especially good.”
Lin Zijing nodded. “Okay.”
The two of them began eating, and the atmosphere became much better than before, chatting while eating.
Lin Zijing took the initiative. “Comrade Lu, do you have any hobbies?”
“Reading, running…
And you?”
“I…” Lin Zijing suddenly didn’t know what she liked anymore. The Lin family was not truly her home; not only did she feel it, but the whole family also seemed to treat her like an outsider.
At times she felt stifled and wanted to stay far away from the Lin family, to go to the vast countryside and breathe fresh air.
But she suppressed that thought.
“I… probably also like reading. I like quiet places.”
Lu Jingyu noticed a faint trace of melancholy in her eyes but did not ask further.
“What a coincidence. I like quiet places too.
Sometimes I go for walks in the hills outside the city. The air there is especially fresh, and you can even see squirrels and wild rabbits.”