Volume 5: Qingming Chapter 16 Research
Jiang You took a sip of soup and said, "I remember she was quite young."
"I just graduated a year ago," Fang Wensong said as he scooped up some soup. "I initially thought it was not suitable, so I refused. But the matchmaker told my mom that this girl had two requirements: one was that she had to be a Tangjiang native, and the second was that she had to work in the system."
“It’s not a high requirement. ”
"She's not tall, but she has a younger brother who is about ten years younger than her. The introducer said that she has been helping with housework and taking care of her younger brother since she was a child. She is different from other girls and is not spoiled at all . When my mother heard this, she was attracted to her."
"If he's in his teens," Jiang You calculated his age, "he's still in school, right?"
"I'm in junior high school. I asked her yesterday if she was really willing. She told me that in her hometown, when a daughter gets married, she doesn't have to worry about her parents' family. So I thought it was probably a betrothal gift, right? If the price is not too outrageous, it's okay for her to marry me as a little girl."
"Indeed." Jiang You opened the beer and poured it into the glass.
Fang Wensong sighed, "As a result , today's incident has completely wasted the entire weekend."
"It's better than bringing it up after you get married."
Fang Wensong thought about it and said, "That's true."
The waiter brought the dishes up one after another. Jiang You picked up a fried chicken wing with shrimp paste. It was a new dish with a strong shrimp paste flavor. After finishing one, he picked up another one. "After this meal, I have to double the amount of exercise tomorrow."
"Are you losing weight?"
“Yes, there are a few indicators that are not very good.”
"I should have ordered some vegetarian dishes."
"Today is a rare day, and it's the weekend," Jiang You picked up a piece of fried tofu and put it into his mouth. "In order to lose weight, I closed all the stores. Health is your own, and everything else is empty. I earned a few more dollars, but I ruined my health, and all the money went to the hospital."
"Yes, my wife is like that," Fang Wensong shook his head gently and took a sip of wine. "I also got a gym membership last year. I really don't have time. As soon as I open my eyes, I make breakfast and send my daughter to school. After work, I pick up my daughter and take her to my parents' house for dinner. Fortunately, I am in the system. Everyone knows my situation. They turn a blind eye when I leave early. When I get home, she does her homework and I clean the house. The day is over. Only on weekends, my parents help take care of the baby so that I can have some time for myself."
“It’s still better to be in the system.”
"Yeah, it's impossible to move up, so we can only muddle along."
"Raising a good daughter is more important than anything else."
Fang Wensong smiled bitterly. "It can only be like this." His expression suddenly became a little dazed. "She can't remember her mother at all. She was too young. She was less than three years old at that time."
Jiang You lowered his head and drank his soup without responding.
After a few seconds, Fang Wensong sighed, "No more talking. I invited you to dinner, but now you have to listen to my complaints. Eat your food," he said, picking up the last piece of chicken wing from the plate and putting it in his bowl. "This restaurant has good food and a high cost-performance ratio."
"Yes, there's a crawfish shop nearby that's pretty good."
"I'd like to try it if I get a chance. Do they only serve crawfish or are there other dishes?"
"They only serve crayfish. It was originally a mutton noodle shop. The owner takes a break from April to August and rents the shop to a crayfish seller."
"Very smart."
"Yes, and his shop is closed during the Chinese New Year. Other shops will open after the Lantern Festival, right? But his shop is not like that. It opens after the first month of the lunar year. I'm quite envious." Jiang You fished out a piece of pork bone from the soup. "Would you like to come to my shop and have a seat later?"
"OK."
"It's a pity that it rains today. Otherwise, we could put two lounge chairs in the yard so we can bask in the sun and drink tea."
"The rain isn't very heavy , it might stop soon."
"I hope so."
At this time, Fang Wensong's cell phone rang. He glanced at Jiang You and said, "I'm going to answer a call." Then he walked out of the store with his cell phone.
Jiang You waved to the waiter and said, "Please serve the rice."
"OK."
A few minutes later, Fang Wensong came back and saw that Jiang You had already eaten half a bowl of rice.
"The girl called me again and said she wanted to meet and talk again, but I refused." Fang Wensong sat down.
"She likes you very much."
"Blind dates are different from dating," Fang Wensong also ate a bite of rice, then he scooped some soup into the bowl and peeled a few fried shrimps on top. "If my wife and I hadn't met when we were in school, we wouldn't have gotten married."
"Did your wife die of illness?" Jiang You asked.
"Yes, she is different from me. She is a workaholic. She works overtime every day and goes on business trips. I do all the housework. My mother can't stand this. So my mother likes this little girl very much," Fang Wensong took a few bites of rice. "Also, I know that she is a bit patriarchal and wants a grandson. But my mother can't do something like throwing Xiaohui to her grandparents."
"She and I had a blind date last year."
"Her?" Fang Wensong was a little surprised.
"Her uncle and I know each other."
"Why didn't it work?"
"She wanted me to quit smoking and drinking, which was fine since I didn't graduate from college. She probably just liked people in the system. She wanted me to get a bachelor's degree and take the civil service exam. It was a few years ago. I could still read books, but now, except for novels, I get a headache when I read anything with more words. I can't remember a single word."
"This is it."
"Besides, I am a lazy person."
"So did you recognize your current girlfriend later?" Fang Wensong asked.
"I've known that for a long time," Jiang You finished his rice and wiped his hands with a wet tissue, "but I just never said it out loud."
"I envy you very much."
"It depends on fate."
"Yes, it's fate," Fang Wensong drank the rest of the wine in the glass, his eyes slightly red, "I live with my daughter, I think it's pretty good. My relatives and colleagues feel sorry for me and want to introduce someone to me. I refused in the first two years, they all thought I haven't gotten over it. Now, if I don't meet them, it will be a bit embarrassing for them, and my mother has been arranging it."
“It’s all good intentions.”
"Yeah, so I have nowhere to say these words."
Jiang You poured some wine into both of their glasses and said, "Drink, drink."
Fang Wensong drank the wine in one gulp. "If my wife feels unwell, I will force her to go to the hospital."
Jiang You looked into Fang Wensong's eyes and said, "Do you want to see her again?"
"Yes, I don't know why, but I never dreamed of her after she left."
