Chapter 4 Lively

Chapter 4: The Commotion

Early on the weekend morning, Aunt Han got up early to doll herself up, still wasn't satisfied with Sun Zhi even though he'd already gotten himself all spruced up, so she dug out another outfit for him and even went out to scrounge up some hair oil for him to use.

Aunt Han held the hair oil, "This isn't Sun Zhi's first blind date, so he's got to make a good impression. The girl's a great catch—she's got a bright future. I heard that once the workshop director at her factory retires, she'll become the workshop director, and maybe even move up to management at the factory someday!"

The neighbors in the compound exchanged looks, wondering if that could really be true. Forget being a factory official—at her age, she's already set to become a workshop director?

Aunt Han was basking in all the flattery. Before heading back inside with the hair oil, she shot a glance at the Lu family's place. She'd made sure to speak loud enough for the Lu family to hear.

Lu Yun had heard it, all right. She was annoyed to be woken up on her one chance to sleep in, so she pulled the blanket over her head and tried to go back to sleep. Aunt Han had the loudest voice in the whole compound—nobody could match her racket.

Aunt Han and Sun Zhi headed out, all fired up.

Matchmaker Li had been waiting outside the state-run restaurant for these two suckers. She was also expecting them to foot the bill. She walked up with a smile and led them inside to meet Sun Zhi's blind date.

When they laid eyes on Sun Zhi's blind date, both Sun Zhi and Aunt Han nearly lost it.

Aunt Han had been bragging at home that Sun Zhi's blind date was a thousand times better than Lu Yun. But now that they saw her, Sun Zhi couldn't believe what Aunt Han had said, and Aunt Han couldn't believe Matchmaker Li. Sun Zhi could keep his mouth shut, but Aunt Han couldn't.

Aunt Han: "This is who you set up for our Sun Zhi? Look at her—does she even measure up to our Sun Zhi? Give me my money back right now! I'm not paying a matchmaker like you!"

Matchmaker Li had never been talked to like that before. She immediately shot back, "Take a look at your son—what's he got going for him? With a son like yours, you're holding out for someone better than Lu Yun? Go home and take a good look in the mirror! A refund? I did the introduction—there's no refund for that!"

Aunt Han: "How dare you talk to me like that?"

Matchmaker Li: "I'm talking about you and your son! I was just being nice when I said good things about him. You're really sure of him, or are you just that good at lying through your teeth? If that's the case, you should just become a matchmaker yourself!"

The girl who'd come for the blind date covered her face and ran off after watching the whole fight.

Matchmaker Li: "Pay up! You scared off my client. Pay me now, or I'll march over to your compound and raise hell—let the Lu family hear all about it, let Lu Yun hear it too!"

Aunt Han lunged at Matchmaker Li to fight, but Sun Zhi, his face pale, grabbed her and held her back, then handed money to Matchmaker Li.

Matchmaker Li made a show of counting the money right in front of Aunt Han. Aunt Han was dragged out by Sun Zhi, and she kicked him.

Aunt Han: "How can you be such a pushover!"

Sun Zhi: "You want her to come to the compound and make a scene?"

Sun Zhi didn't care about anyone else, but he cared about Lu Yun. If she found out, she'd definitely be laughing at him on the inside.

Inside the state-run restaurant, Matchmaker Zhao had watched the whole spectacle unfold, thinking to herself that she was glad she hadn't set Sun Zhi up with anyone—otherwise, she'd be the one going at it with Aunt Han instead of Matchmaker Li. Of course, Matchmaker Li wasn't exactly known for her patience or her honesty either; she was always lying through her teeth when setting people up, and anyone who did a little digging wouldn't go near her. Who knows how Aunt Han had managed to land on Matchmaker Li of all people.

Sun Zhi and Aunt Han returned looking completely deflated. When the neighbors asked Aunt Han what happened, she puffed up her chest and said, "The girl was all right, but our Sun Zhi just didn't take a liking to her."

Lu Yun had plans to go shopping with Chen Qiao. As she stepped out of her room, Aunt Han was going on and on about how picky Sun Zhi was—though really, she was just bragging about how great Sun Zhi was. Sun Zhi couldn't take it anymore and was about to head back inside when Lu Yun said to him, "Your standards are way too high. Don't be so picky."

Sun Zhi's face turned bright red.

Lu Yun and Chen Qiao got along well. They had started working together, and since the office was full of older folks and just the two of them were young, they began eating lunch together and eventually hung out on days off.

The department store had a new batch of clothes. Lu Yun wanted to buy a dress but hesitated. It was fine to wear in the heat now, but early autumn was coming, and once it got cold, she couldn't wear skirts anymore. She'd already bought quite a few skirts that summer. She felt the fabric again and decided not to hesitate—she bought the dress.

Chen Qiao: "Another one this week?"

Last week they had gone shopping together too, and Lu Yun had bought one. Now she'd bought another.

Lu Yun: "I can't help it—I love it too much."

Chen Qiao had initially planned to do the same, but then she gritted her teeth and bought one too. She couldn't help it—she loved it too much.

After shopping, they went to a nearby place for cold noodles, each ordering a bowl. Lu Yun's bowl was loaded with chili oil, and she ate until her face was flushed red. Luckily, she'd ordered a bottle of soda—the taste was wonderfully tangy. Chen Qiao envied Lu Yun. She also loved spicy food but couldn't handle it well—she was the type who loved it but suffered. With just a little spice, she'd end up looking like Lu Yun did now.

Lu Yun went home carrying not only the new dress but also cold noodles packed up for her family.

Aunt Han watched Lu Yun carrying her purchases and thought to herself that this girl really knew how to spend money. She wouldn't want a daughter-in-law like that. With the Sun Zhi incident, she kept quiet today and didn't say a word.

Chen Cai returned home and hid in her room, refusing to come out. She was the one who had gone on the blind date with Sun Zhi. Humiliated by Aunt Han and Matchmaker Li, Chen Cai was too embarrassed to face anyone. She didn't want to go on blind dates anymore—never again.

Chen Cai was somewhat introverted. After being bullied by Aunt Han and Matchmaker Li, her family only found out what happened after pressing her repeatedly. Chen Cai's eldest brother then led the family's brothers to find Matchmaker Li.

Matchmaker Li was cornered at home, and the Chen family cursed her out.

"How can someone like you be a matchmaker? Look at what you've done!"

"Do you think the Chen family is easy to bully? Apologize! You must apologize to my sister today, and tell me where that blind date of hers lives!"

Matchmaker Li: "I'm innocent! If I didn't think highly of your Chen Cai, why would I introduce her to Sun Zhi? It was that Han family who kept bragging about their son, and not only that, they belittled Chen Cai!"

Chen Cai's eldest brother angrily said, "Do you think we're fools? Didn't you join in belittling my sister, or were you only focused on demanding money from the Han family? Everyone, look—this is Matchmaker Li! Don't ever hire her for matchmaking again!"

Chen Cai came running over, and hearing what was being said, she felt so fragile she could barely stand. Worried someone might recognize her, she covered her face and ran back quickly.

Cold noodles were perfect for this time of year. Lu's father and mother loved them but wished there were more cucumber shreds, so they added some themselves—not too much, afraid it might ruin the flavor.

Lu's father: "This cold noodle place is great—tastes really good."

Lu Yun: "Next time I go, I'll bring some back for you."

In the evening, the family was watching TV when they heard a commotion outside the compound. Lu Yun listened and thought they seemed to be looking for Aunt Han. She pushed open the door and went out, and the other compound residents came out too—it was quite lively.

The Chen family saw Sun Zhi and immediately attacked him. Aunt Han and Sun's father tried to hold them back, but the Chen family had many sons, and the Han family was losing ground. It was only when the compound residents stepped in, unwilling to let outsiders bully people in their compound, that they stopped.

Chen Cai's eldest brother pointed at Sun Zhi and said, "So this is your so-called promising young man—over six feet tall, handsome face, and destined for promotion?"

Aunt Han realized who these people were. Relying on the compound residents' help, she stood there and cursed, "That Chen Cai—the one who's supposed to become a workshop director and then an official, the pretty girl!"

Chen Cai's eldest brother said sternly, "We never said any of that to Matchmaker Li! She made it all up to arrange the blind date. As for the praise of Sun Zhi—Matchmaker Li said it was all your words! With a son like yours, you dare to be picky about our Chen Cai? You looked down on her? On the first meeting, you belittled my sister right in front of the matchmaker? I'm telling you now—take your son and apologize to my sister immediately, or I'll go to your son's workplace and make a scene!"

Matchmaker Li had explained the whole situation. Aunt Han was afraid they'd come to the compound to cause trouble, and even more worried they'd go to Sun Zhi's workplace.

Aunt Han was furious, but Sun's father said, "I'll go apologize—I'll take Sun Zhi to apologize. This was her mistake. She wasn't targeting Chen Cai; she was provoked by Matchmaker Li. It's all Matchmaker Li's lies."

Sun's father really didn't want to keep arguing in the compound. He dragged Sun Zhi to go apologize, but Sun Zhi felt like he might faint. He saw Lu Yun in the crowd. She didn't look amused or scornful—just disgusted as she watched him. That made Sun Zhi want to cover his face and run back even more.

Sun Zhi: "I'm not going."

Sun's father: "A real man takes responsibility, you hear me?"

Sun Zhi followed his father to the Chen family to apologize, and Aunt Han went along too. When they arrived, they found Matchmaker Li was also there. The Chen family demanded an apology from her as well. Aunt Han and Matchmaker Li glared at each other, itching to start fighting right then.

Aunt Han: "It's this matchmaker—she's the one who lied and caused all this mess! I was just confident in my son, but she's completely unfit to be a matchmaker!"

Matchmaker Li: "Confident in your son? You can be confident, but you can't demand so much! You want someone prettier than Lu Yun from your compound!"

The compound residents had followed along, and upon hearing this, they wanted Matchmaker Li to keep talking. Sun Zhi stepped forward to stop her, saying it was Aunt Han's fault.

Chen Cai's eldest brother led Matchmaker Li, Aunt Han, Sun Zhi, and Sun's father to apologize to Chen Cai, but she refused to come out of her room.

Chen Cai's older brother: "Come on, open the door, they've come to apologize to you."

Chen Cai: "I don't need their apologies. Tell them all to leave, just leave!"

Lu Yun had just finished washing up and was getting ready for bed when Sun Zhi came to see her.

Author's note:

None