Liu Yuning turned to glance at her and smiled.
She’s just a little slip of a girl who hasn’t faced any real storms yet. When it came to a matter like vetting men, it was better if he handled it himself.
He said nothing more, driving in silence all the way to the entrance of the Textile Factory Worker Community, where he pulled over and turned off the engine.
“Thank you for your hard work today.” He handed over a mesh bag. “Take this, let your auntie and uncle give it a taste.” Inside was a plate of pastries from the restaurant that hadn’t been touched.
“No need, really, no need,” Lin Wanshu waved her hands frantically.
“Take it.” His tone brooked no refusal.
Lin Wanshu could only accept it. Muttering a quick “thank you,” she pushed the car door open and bolted down the street as if a wolf were chasing her.
Liu Yuning shook his head and let out a sigh. Only then did he restart the engine, turn the car around, and head back toward the veteran cadres’ compound.
……
When Liu Yuning arrived home, only the housekeeper was in the living room wiping down the tables; the old master was presumably in the study. Without greeting anyone, he strode straight up to the second floor.
Back in his room, he shut the door and tossed his jacket onto a chair. Sitting on his desk was still the dossier his grandfather had prepared for him containing information on twenty blind date candidates.
Two dates a day—one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
Although he had dragged Lin Wanshu along as a temporary shield last night, it didn’t seem to have done a single bit of good. His sister had already been dumped into the military camp, and he would likely be next!
No way… He had to get out of here!
……
Early the next morning, before the sky had even fully brightened.
Liu Guoxing woke up exceptionally early. After practicing a set of martial arts forms in the courtyard to stretch his muscles and bones, he felt thoroughly refreshed.
Today, he was going to take action personally to crush his grandson’s unrealistic fantasies. The Lin girl was wonderful, but she wasn’t someone his grandson could realistically hope for.
Holding his large tea mug, he blew at the rising steam and walked leisurely into the house.
“Auntie, is Yuning up yet?”
“Old Chief, I haven’t seen him. There’s been no movement on the second floor at all.”
Liu Guoxing frowned. That brat usually wakes up at the crack of dawn to train; why would he be sleeping in today?
He went thud-thud-thud up the stairs and pushed Liu Yuning’s bedroom door straight open.
The room was perfectly tidy, the blanket folded into a crisp, military-style “tofu block” without a single wrinkle. Except there was no one there.
His heart skipped a beat as a terrible premonition washed over him. He pulled open the wardrobe; a few pieces of civilian clothing were still there, but the sharply pressed military uniform that usually hung upright was gone.
On the desk, the stack of documents on the young women he had painstakingly gathered was being weighed down by a teacup. Beneath it lay a slip of paper.
“Grandpa, urgent matters have come up at the unit, so I have returned to duty early. Regarding my sister’s situation, let’s proceed according to what we discussed yesterday and settle on one from those three candidates. As for my own affairs, please don’t worry about them. Your grandson, Yuning.”
“Why, you little brat!”
Holding the slip of paper, Liu Guoxing’s hands shook with rage. “You’re rebelling against me! Running away? Let’s see just how far you can run!”
He rushed downstairs, grabbed the telephone on the table, and prepared to dial the military unit. But halfway through dialing the number, he froze.
Recalling someone back from the frontlines just to go on blind dates? Did he want to keep any dignity for his old face?
He slammed the receiver down heavily and let out a long, weary sigh.
Running away? Did that brat honestly think his problems were solved just because he ran away? No way!
Liu Guoxing sat in his study for the entire morning, consuming three large mugs of strong tea. His grandson had run off, out of his reach. His granddaughter was at the military camp, also beyond his touch. But this matter couldn’t just be dropped like this.
He sat there, his mind whirling for a long time. In the end, he kept picturing Lin Wanshu’s clean, earnest face.
Didn’t that brat say he had feelings for her? Though it sounded a bit like absolute nonsense, it wasn’t entirely impossible if some effort was put in. The more he looked at that girl, the more he liked her. She was educated, polite, level-headed, and neither servile nor arrogant. She was a hundred times better than his own troublemaking granddaughter.
If he could marry such a granddaughter-in-law into the family…
A sudden spark of light reignited in Liu Guoxing’s weathered eyes. He refused to believe that he, a dignified former commander of the military district, couldn’t secure a single granddaughter-in-law!
By evening, the old master had changed into a clean, old military uniform, fastening the collar hook all the way to the top. He checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked sharp and energetic before putting his hands behind his back and stepping out the door.
……
Song Lianying was in the kitchen kneading dough, preparing to wrap dumplings for dinner, when she heard a knock at the courtyard gate.
“Who is it?”
Wiping her hands, she walked out to open the door. The moment it swung open, she froze entirely.
Standing at the threshold was Liu Guoxing.
“Liu… Old Chief Liu?” Song Lianying stammered slightly, temporarily unsure of what expression to make.
This was a grand figure you usually only caught sight of inside the military district compound. What brought him to their tiny worker community? Was he here to demand answers regarding that brat Zhang Rong?
“Comrade Song Lianying, right?” Liu Guoxing wore an amiable smile, without a shred of pretension. “I was just passing by and thought I’d pop in to ask for a cup of water. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Not at all, not at all! Please, come right in!”
Song Lianying hurriedly ushered him inside, frantically pouring water and setting out candies in a flurry of nervous energy. “Old Chief, please sit, please sit.”
Lin Yongzhong hadn’t returned from work yet, so she was all alone in the house. Facing such a powerful figure, she was so anxious she didn’t even know where to put her hands. She kept waiting for him to bring up Zhang Rong, having already rehearsed her response: she knew nothing about the children’s affairs.
Liu Guoxing sat on a chair beside the square table and took a sip from the enamel mug. He surveyed the small room; though it wasn’t large, it was kept spotlessly clean and organized with meticulous care.
“Are you the only one home?”
“Yes, our Old Lin is still at the factory. Wanshu… Wanshu left this morning.”
“She left?” Liu Guoxing’s brows quirked upward.
“Yes,” Song Lianying replied. Sensing that the old master was about to ask about Zhang Rong any second now, she looked at him nervously. “She left early this morning, heading out toward the southwest…”
The southwest? Liu Guoxing’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Why did she go all the way to the southwest? She ought to be at our military district hospital! It’s so close to home! Do you want me to put in a word with the higher-ups?”
Huh? Song Lianying was utterly bewildered.
The Old Chief wasn’t going to ask about Zhang Rong? And he could even pull some strings to get Wanshu transferred back to the Yongcheng Military District Hospital?
This was far too pleasant a surprise, leaving her completely at a loss for words.
“Oh, that was an internship assigned by her university. As for the future, if you could perhaps…”
“Sure thing. Whenever she wants to come back, just let me know anytime. It shouldn’t be much of an issue,” Liu Guoxing agreed readily. Then, seamlessly shifting the conversation, he added, “Wanshu is a truly accomplished child. If our Xiaofan were even half as sensible as her, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams.”
“Oh, you flatter her,” Song Lianying waved her hand modestly. “Our Wanshu is just a bookworm, she doesn’t have Xiaofan’s lively and lovable charm. Besides, Xiaofan is blessed to have a grandfather like you and a capable brother like Yuning.”
These words warmed Liu Guoxing’s heart immensely. Setting his teacup down, he asked as if entirely in passing, “Wanshu is so outstanding; has she started dating anyone at her university?”
Huh? Song Lianying was puzzled once again.
This Old Chief first asked about Wanshu’s work, and now he’s asking about her relationship status—what exactly does this mean?
“Yes, well, there are a few suitors,” she chose her words carefully. “The child says they’re quite outstanding. She’s still evaluating them to see who ends up assigned to the same work unit.”
“Oh? Still evaluating them?” Liu Guoxing’s spirits instantly deflated.
She already has suitors! It seemed his grandson truly didn’t have that kind of good fortune.
“Young people nowadays place a lot of importance on free-choice dating. As parents, it’s not good for us to interfere too much,” Song Lianying said with a smile. “As long as she likes him herself and his character is decent, we won’t have any objections.”
Liu Guoxing felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped directly over his head. Just as he had managed to kindle a small spark on his end, she flatly informed him that the flower already belonged to a garden—and there was even a queue of several families waiting.
There was absolutely no chance!