Chapter 266: Nine Meals in Three Days

Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Nine Meals in Three Days

Jiang Moli was very satisfied with tonight’s meal.

Meng Wei was full, too—full of anger!

Leaving the restaurant, Jiang Moli said goodbye to Meng Wei and Wen Jingrui with a wide smile:

"Sister Weiwei, Doctor Wen, thank you for your hospitality tonight. Let’s get together again when we’re free. See you later!"

Meng Wei’s face was cold; she couldn’t even be bothered to feign politeness.

After walking a little way away with her arm linked through Jiang Moli’s, Qian Ling couldn’t help but whisper in her ear, "Your friend seemed really unhappy. Do you think she’s mad we ruined her special occasion?"

Even someone as unobservant as Qian Ling could tell that Meng Wei was on a blind date with Wen Jingrui today.

Jiang Moli patted her stomach. "Don’t worry about whether she’s happy or not. All that matters is if you’re happy. So? Did you eat your fill?"

Qian Ling nodded eagerly. "I’m stuffed! That was my first time having Cantonese food. I never knew it was so delicious."

Jiang Moli slung an arm around her shoulder. "Stick with your Sister Li from now on, and you’ll be eating nine meals in three days."

"Okay!"

Qian Ling giggled, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Meanwhile, after watching Jiang Moli and Qian Ling walk away, Wen Jingrui turned to look at Meng Wei.

Meng Wei quickly adjusted her expression, forcing a proper smile.

Wen Jingrui said to her, "It’s getting late. Let me walk you home."

"Mm, okay."

But when she saw that Wen Jingrui was on a bicycle, the corners of Meng Wei’s upturned lips clearly drooped.

She refused Wen Jingrui’s offer to give her a ride on the back and walked back with him instead.

When they were almost at the government family compound, she stopped. "Jingrui, I’m sorry for all the trouble today. My place is just ahead. You should head back and get some rest, too."

"Alright."

Wen Jingrui nodded, then turned his bicycle around and rode away.

Meng Wei stared at his departing figure for a long while before finally turning back toward the compound.

When she got home, Mrs. Meng greeted her with concern. "So, how did it go with Xiao Wen today?"

"It was... fine."

Seeing her distracted air, Mrs. Meng couldn’t help but lecture her, "You’ll be 26 after the New Year. Stop being so picky. When you meet someone suitable, you need to lock it down."

Sister Meng chimed in to persuade her as well, "Wen Jingrui is about your age and has a good job. He was only held back because he was sent to do grassroots work for the past couple of years. Otherwise, he probably would have been married long ago."

In this day and age, a surgeon was a rare, high-end professional, someone quite presentable.

Meng Wei did acknowledge Wen Jingrui’s personal abilities.

But his family background was just too ordinary.

His parents had passed away early, and his siblings were all ordinary working-class people. Because he had just returned to the city, Wen Jingrui didn’t even have his own house and still rode a rickety old bicycle.

’If I end up with Wen Jingrui, I’ll just be sitting on the back of his bicycle, braving the wind and rain.’ The thought alone made her feel hopeless and suffocated.

’If my friends and relatives found out I was with such an ordinary man, who knows how they’d laugh at me behind my back.’ That was why she hadn’t dared let Wen Jingrui see her all the way to the compound gate.

Now, she deeply regretted missing out on a high-quality man like Lin Jianfeng.

「...」

When Qian Ling got home, she saw her aunt, Qian Meizhen, was also there and guessed she had come about Hong Hua.

Sure enough, before she could even sit down, Qian Meizhen started interrogating her about why she had spouted nonsense in front of Hong Hua.

"Mr. Hong was quite satisfied with you, you know. But what happened? The moment you opened your mouth, you scared him away! I went to all this trouble to play matchmaker for you; you can’t make things difficult for me, can you?"

Qian Ling explained good-naturedly, "Aunt, thank you for your trouble, but Mr. Hong and I are not a good match."

"How are you not a good match? Mr. Hong is a respectable public school teacher, and both his parents are state employees. The whole family has iron rice bowls! If you marry him, you’ll have such a good life!"

"Aunt, I don’t like him."

Qian Meizhen pulled her down to sit, saying earnestly, "Marriage is about firewood, rice, oil, and salt. All that ’love’ stuff is just fluff. Having enough to eat and warm clothes to wear—that’s what’s real. If you end up with him, your life won’t be bad. Would your own aunt steer you wrong?"

Remembering Jiang Moli’s words, Qian Ling said directly, "Aunt, I think Mr. Hong and Xiao Lan would be a good match, too. Why don’t you introduce him to Xiao Lan instead?"

Xiao Lan was Qian Meizhen’s eldest daughter, who was eighteen this year.

Qian Meizhen said, "Xiao Lan is still young. I’ll arrange something for her when she’s a bit older."

"Eighteen isn’t that young. It’s the perfect age to start dating. If they get along well, they can get married in two years."

Seeing that Qian Ling was completely unreceptive, Qian Meizhen’s face darkened. "I’ve said all I can. Take my advice or leave it, but don’t come crying to me with regrets later!"

"Your Lingling is turning 22 after the New Year. She’s not getting any younger, yet she’s still being picky. If she waits until she’s an old maid, no one will want her."

Before leaving, Qian Meizhen griped to Mrs. Qian some more.

Mrs. Qian was furious after listening to all this. She turned to Qian Ling, her expression sour. "What’s so bad about Hong Hua? Why do you look down on him so much?"

"He’s short, ugly, and bald!"

In front of her mother, Qian Ling held nothing back, rattling off all of Hong Hua’s flaws.

Mrs. Qian was skeptical. "No way. He’s only 24 and he’s already balding?"

Qian Ling retorted, "If he were such a great catch, why wouldn’t our aunt introduce him to Xiao Lan? It’s not like she’s closer to me than she is to her own daughter, right?"

That shut Mrs. Qian up.

「...」

After morning exercises, Lu Cheng returned to his dorm in the camp. After a quick wash-up, he grabbed his mess kit and prepared to go to the mess hall for a meal.

Just as he stepped out of his dorm, he saw a group of soldiers laughing and roughhousing in the hallway.

"What’s all this commotion?"

Seeing him, the soldiers immediately snapped to attention and saluted.

Lu Cheng walked up to one of the soldiers. He glanced at the plastic bag in the man’s hand, sniffed a strange smell in the air, and frowned.

"What’s in the bag?"

The soldier opened the plastic bag, revealing fermented tofu mixed with dried chili powder. "It’s fermented tofu my wife sent from back home. Camp Commander Lu, you should try some. It’s great with rice."

Lu Cheng picked up a small piece with his chopsticks. "Didn’t your wife just send you fermented black beans and pickled vegetables last month? She sent something again?"

The soldier scratched his ear shyly. "Well, it’s almost the New Year. She was worried I’d be cold, so she sent a newly-knitted sweater and long johns, and threw in some food too."

Lu Cheng nodded. "That’s nice. You found yourself a good, caring wife."

The soldier’s face bloomed into a sunny smile.

Lu Cheng left the barracks and headed for the mess hall, but his mood was anything but cheerful.

Almost all the soldiers in the camp had received care packages of food and clothing from home. He had never received a single one.

It didn’t matter when he was single, but now he was a married man with a wife. Yet, he still felt like a lonely old man with no one thinking of him. He couldn’t help but feel a little empty inside.

’But my wife must just be busy with work and hasn’t had time for me,’ he thought. ’I’ll call her tonight and give her a little reminder.’

With that in mind, Lu Cheng began to silently list the things he wanted.

’I can skip the long johns, but I definitely need a sweater. The beef sauce from last time was good, and some cured meat...’

Just as he was thinking about it, his orderly suddenly ran up to him. "Camp Commander Lu, someone sent you a package!"

’Talk about perfect timing!’

Lu Cheng was so happy he tossed his chopsticks aside. "Where is it?"

"It’s still at the camp gate..."

Before the orderly could finish his sentence, Lu Cheng had already shot past him like a gust of wind, heading for the camp gate.