Chapter 246: A Good Match

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: A Good Match

Zhang Minzhen lowered her head, her face growing even redder. "That’s not a good idea, is it?" she said awkwardly. "What if he isn’t willing? We’ll still have to see each other all the time... And won’t that put Big Brother in a tough spot? What if it ruins their friendship?"

"You’re overthinking things. Your big brother and him have always been good friends, and their bond has only grown stronger over the years. They’re both very straightforward. How could something so trivial affect their friendship?"

Wen Xiu, however, wasn’t worried about that at all. For the past two or three years, she’d been watching Song Yong, and the more she saw, the more she liked him—a classic case of a mother-in-law approving of a potential son-in-law. It wasn’t just her, either. Even Zhang Dazhuang had been observing him closely in secret. The old couple had both concluded that Song Yong and Gu Lihui were two completely different kinds of men. Song Yong’s sense of responsibility was the kind you could truly entrust your life to.

"Mom..." Zhang Minzhen mumbled, "I’ll leave it up to you. You don’t need to tell me... I’ll listen to whatever you say." After speaking, she lowered her head, her face so red it looked like it might drip blood.

"Hehe..." The smile on Wen Xiu’s face could no longer be contained. "If this works out," she said with a hopeful sigh, "your father and I will have no more regrets. Song Yong is just like your big brother—a man of good character with a strong sense of responsibility. I didn’t see it clearly before, but after living for so long, I’ve learned that whether you’re a man or a woman, you can’t do without those two qualities. They’re what make life peaceful and satisfying."

Zhang Minzhen looked up at Wen Xiu, a pensive expression in her eyes.

They soon arrived at Fish Spring, where they saw Zhang Dazhuang and his son, Zhang Weiqiang, hard at work. The two women quickly pitched in to help. As they worked, Wen Xiu recounted the morning’s events, and then, of course, told Zhang Weiqiang about the dreams she and Zhang Dazhuang had shared. Her words finally extinguished the last trace of pity Zhang Weiqiang felt for his two younger brothers.

Later, when she found a moment of downtime, Wen Xiu quietly told Zhang Weiqiang her idea of matchmaking Zhang Minzhen and Song Yong. "...The more I look at them, the more I think they’re a good match. When you have a chance, could you ask Song Yong what he thinks? If I’ve misread the situation and he’s not actually interested in our Minzhen, don’t worry about it. After all, we can’t mix business with our private lives. We have to keep them separate, right?"

"Mom, have you already checked with Little Sis about this?" Hearing that his mother wanted to pair his younger sister with Song Yong, Zhang Weiqiang’s interest was piqued. The more he thought about it, the more suitable the match seemed.

"Would I be asking you to go if I hadn’t?" Wen Xiu gave him a playful glare.

"Alright. As soon as I get back to the city, I’ll go ask Song Yong. Don’t worry. No matter what his answer is, I won’t let it affect our work." Zhang Weiqiang agreed readily.

"But you’re supposed to stay for another week. The three of us are enough to handle things here. Why don’t you head back to the city tomorrow?" Before, when it was just an unspoken thought, she hadn’t been bothered. But now that the idea was out in the open, Wen Xiu felt as if she were on pins and needles, desperate to get things settled as soon as possible.

"Mom, you know Song Yong’s in charge of sales. He’s still on a business trip in Beijing right now. He should be getting back around the same time I do," Zhang Weiqiang said, chuckling at his mother’s impatience.

"Doesn’t he have plenty of people working for him? Why does he still have to go himself?" Wen Xiu asked, confused.

"It’s true that his subordinates handle most of the work these days, but he still has to go in person for important clients. Take this trip to Beijing, for example. You know the clients there are mostly from powerful, aristocratic families. How could he rest easy if he didn’t supervise things personally and just left it all to his team?" Zhang Weiqiang explained.

"Oh, I see." Wen Xiu nodded in understanding, her smile returning. "Then we won’t rush it. We can wait until he’s back from his trip."

--

"Great. Still not here." Zhang Weihong kicked the locked iron gate in frustration. ’Another closed door. How many times has this been in the past few days? It’s useless, no matter how early we get here.’

He, Zhang Weimin, Fang Juxian, and Guo Xiuying—who was holding Zhang Tianci—sat dejectedly on the stone slabs by the gate. "They’re definitely avoiding us," he said indignantly. "So what do we do now? Camp out here tonight or come back tomorrow?"

The two families had come so many times over the past few days, only to be met with a locked gate every single time. ’Still hoping for the noodles-and-eggs welcome we got on the first day? Hah! We haven’t even seen a shadow of them since...’

It wasn’t as if the two families hadn’t tried checking the distribution center in Lihua Village, the two farms, or the family-owned steamed bun shop in town. They figured if no one was home, they were bound to find their parents at one of those places. But who would have thought their own mother and father had already given everyone a heads-up? They had expected to be treated with extra respect upon announcing their identities, but the exact opposite happened. When they kept quiet about who they were, people were polite.

But the moment they revealed who they were, the guards’ attitudes changed completely. They all became dismissive and evasive, refusing to give a straight answer, let alone allow them inside to look for anyone. When they lost their tempers out of sheer frustration, the guards dared to physically shove them out without a shred of courtesy.

’The absolute nerve! They live off the Zhang family’s money, yet they don’t even recognize their masters. That’s why for the past few days, our two families have had no clue where our parents are.’

’These underlings must be following Big Brother’s orders. Hmph, he’s really something else, our big brother. Not only did he set a trap for us, but he’s also stooping to these despicable tricks...’

"Looks like we have no choice but to stake it out," Zhang Weimin said, staring gloomily at the locked gates. "They can’t possibly stay away all night, can they?"

"Exactly. I suggested we just stay here yesterday, but you wouldn’t listen," Fang Juxian chimed in, nodding in agreement. It never occurred to her that they had two children back home. If the adults really did wait here all night, the long journey back would be impossible. What would happen then, with the children left to fend for themselves and them locked out of this house?

"But what if they really don’t come back tonight? What about Tianci?" Guo Xiuying hesitated. "We adults can handle it, but Tianci is still so little. If Mom, Dad, and Little Sis don’t return, are we just going to have Tianci sleep out here by the gate?" Her hesitation, however, wasn’t for her daughter who would be coming home from school to an empty house; she simply couldn’t bear the thought of her young son suffering. "Why don’t we come back tomorrow? We can be better prepared, bring some food and water, and then stake it out." ’That way,’ she thought, ’I can take my son over to my mother’s for a couple of days.’

"That could work. Let’s do it tomorrow, then." Fang Juxian quickly calculated that they were indeed unprepared and that coming back tomorrow was the better option. Still, she couldn’t resist taking a jab at Guo Xiuying. "But Xiuying, no offense, you’re always so high-maintenance. You can’t handle the slightest bit of hardship."

"If you disagree, you can stay here and keep watch by yourself! Why are you agreeing with the plan then?" Guo Xiuying snapped. Fang Juxian sneered. ’As if she could tolerate being provoked by someone she could so easily put in her place.’ But just as she was about to retort, Zhang Weihong grabbed her arm, his expression sour.

At the same time, Zhang Weimin stepped in to stop Guo Xiuying. "That’s enough," he chided. "Haven’t you caused enough of a scene?"

Guo Xiuying and Fang Juxian shot each other a vicious glare before reluctantly falling silent.