Chapter 59

Ming Dong overcame his crisis and was allocated a two-bedroom house. After a year of uncertainty, his family could finally breathe easy. When Guihua moved to Anbei, Grandma Li and Wang Sufen packed plenty of things for her. Li Muwu helped send her off on the train and even made a special trip to the post office in town to call Ming Dong, telling him to meet the train when it arrived.

With Ming Dong’s affairs settled, Grandma Li finally let go of a burden. She wore a constant smile and even told Wang Sufen to cook a couple of nice dishes, planning to have a small celebration with some liquor that evening. But just as she raised her cup, she glanced at Ming Nan, who was eating quietly across from her, and suddenly thought—he wasn’t young anymore, so why didn’t he have a match yet?

Grandma Li immediately grew worried again, losing the mood to drink. She put down her cup, looked at Ming Nan meaningfully, and asked, “Ming Nan, you’ve been working for two years now, haven’t you?”

Ming Nan scooped a big spoonful of braised tofu onto his rice and stuffed it into his mouth. “Yeah, just hit two years at the factory.”

Seeing his carefree attitude, Grandma Li was instantly frustrated. “Then why haven’t you brought a girl home yet?”

“…” The sudden question almost made Ming Nan choke. Zhenzhen quickly handed him a glass of water, and he gulped down three big sips before recovering. Wiping away the tears from coughing, he looked at Grandma Li with grievance. “Grandma, you changed the topic way too fast. Next time, can you at least give me a heads-up? I nearly choked to death.”

Grandma Li couldn’t help but laugh, but she straightened up and took away his bowl and chopsticks. “Tell me, do you have someone in mind? If you don’t talk, you’re not getting your food back.”

Ming Nan picked up a crisp green cucumber, dipped it in soybean paste, and took a loud bite. “How should I put this?”

“What do you mean, how?” Grandma Li shot him a look. “If you do have someone in mind, then take things seriously. When the time comes, we’ll see what the girl wants for the wedding so we can prepare early. If you don’t, then I’ll start looking for you. I’ll find a hardworking girl from a good family and arrange a meeting for you.”

“Really?” Ming Nan’s eyes lit up, and he was so excited he forgot about his cucumber. His gaze sparkled as he looked at Grandma Li. “Then, Grandma, can you help me find someone?”

Seeing his eager expression, Grandma Li grew a little concerned. “So you really haven’t found anyone in these two years? There were so many young women who started at the factory with you. How come you didn’t find a good match?”

Ming Nan’s face turned a little red. Scratching his head awkwardly, he stammered, “Actually, there is someone I like, but I don’t really know her, and I feel too embarrassed to say anything. Grandma, could you see if you know anyone connected to her family and set up a meeting for us?”

Grandma Li sighed, feeling exasperated. She handed his bowl and chopsticks back to him and said, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you say something earlier? Wasting all this time for nothing!”

Ming Nan rubbed his nose, looking a bit embarrassed. “I just felt shy about bringing it up.”

Grandma Li scoffed, “You act all capable most of the time, but when it really matters, you chicken out. Alright, tell me, which girl is it? I’ll ask around for you.”

Ming Nan grinned. “She’s a nurse at the hydrolysis plant hospital, named Meng Xiaoxi. She’s three years younger than me. Her father, Meng Zhiyuan, works at the distillery.”

Hearing this, Zhenzhen burst into laughter. She nudged Ming Nan with her shoulder, winking at him teasingly. “Third Brother, you sure did your research.”

Grandma Li took a sip of her liquor and turned to Li Muwu. “The distillery must get its grain from your supply station. Next time their people come, ask around.” To make sure he didn’t blurt out anything wrong, she carefully instructed him, “When they arrive, just mention Ming Nan and ask if they know of any young women around his age who might be interested. If they bring up this Meng family, then find out what kind of people they are. Our family has no bad intentions, so we need an in-law who is kind and honest. That way, life will be easier in the long run.”

Li Muwu nodded. “Got it. We just brought in a fresh batch of sorghum, and the distillery will be placing orders soon. I’ll ask around then.” He gave Ming Nan an approving nod. “Good eye, Ming Nan. Having a father-in-law in the distillery means getting liquor more easily.”

Wang Sufen immediately shot him a glare. “That’s not the point! You better not mess this up just because you’re thinking about alcohol. Make sure to ask properly.”

“I know, I know,” Li Muwu nodded quickly. “Old Li from my shift knows people at the distillery. I’ll ask him tomorrow.”

Ming Nan was thrilled to see things moving forward so quickly. He eagerly shoveled food into his mouth before suddenly looking up at Grandma Li. “Grandma, can you find someone to make my wedding kang table now? I really like the paintings on my sister-in-law’s table from her family home. Can she paint some flowers and vines on mine too?”

Zhenzhen burst out laughing. “Third Brother, you’re just like Second Brother! You’re both obsessed with Sister-in-Law’s kang table, like you’ve never seen anything nice before.”

Ming Nan chuckled. “Out of all the tables at home, my brother and sister-in-law’s is the best-looking—so festive! I want mine to be just as nice when I get married.”

Grandma Li looked at him with a mix of amusement and frustration. “Are you getting married because you like the girl or because you want a fancy table?”

Ming Nan grinned. “Why not both? Besides, a wedding means decorating the house nicely.”

There wasn’t anything wrong with that logic. Grandma Li rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Wang Sufen. “Last month, when you secretly brought food to Guihua’s mother, how were things over there? Were they being watched closely?”

Wang Sufen shook her head. “Her family lives in the forest station. The roads are bad, and it’s far away. There wasn’t much commotion here to begin with, and the guards all went to the officials’ houses. No one went looking in the forest station. Guihua’s father has been honest all these years and hasn’t caused any trouble. Her mother is capable and sociable, with a good reputation at the station. I heard from her that the station only went through the motions of struggle sessions with a couple of perfunctory criticisms each day, but life still went on as usual. I saw that their house had been newly renovated, and they even built two more rooms nearby. I heard they’re planning to arrange a marriage for Guihua’s older brother.”

Grandma Li nodded. “Since that’s the case, take the cotton quilts we replaced and send them over. The cotton inside has only been used for two years, so it’s still warm. The outer fabric has been used before, so it won’t attract attention. You don’t know this, but their life is tough right now, and because of that, no one is picking on them. But if they attract even a little attention, who knows what trouble might come their way.”

“Exactly,” Wang Sufen agreed. “That’s what Guihua’s mother said too. Even with all the wood on the mountain, they didn’t dare to build a house. This year, it was only because the people at the station couldn’t stand it anymore that they helped get things in order and finally got the house fixed up.”

Grandma Li took the last sip of wine from her cup. “Go there again tomorrow. Let them know that Guihua has gone to Anbei. Also, when winter comes and work slows down, ask if she’d be willing to come over and paint the bed panels.”

Wang Sufen looked a bit uncertain. “Last time, I asked her to come over and see Meat Bun and Bean Bun, but she wouldn’t. She said her family background isn’t good and was afraid of causing trouble for us. I think even if we asked her to paint the bed panels, she’d be in a tough spot. If she comes, she’s afraid of stirring up trouble; if she doesn’t, she’s afraid of offending us. It’s a dilemma either way. I think we shouldn’t even bring it up. Whether the bed panels have paintings or not doesn’t really matter—Mother, you’re just spoiling Mingnan.”

Grandma Li pondered for a moment before nodding. “You’re right. That was foolish of me. We can’t put Guihua’s mother in a difficult position just for our own sake. Tomorrow, just take the quilts over, have a chat, and don’t mention anything else.”

Wang Sufen agreed. Mingnan, hearing that painting the bed panels could cause trouble, kept quiet. Zhenzhen, knowing that Mingnan had been thinking about these bed panel paintings for years, leaned over and whispered to him, “Don’t worry. I’ll make a few good paintings for you later. You just need to buy some glass to frame them.”

Mingnan laughed and tugged at her little braid. “You little brat, how old are you? You think you can paint?”

Mingbei, finishing one bowl of rice, went to get another. “I heard from my classmates that even people who know how to paint don’t dare to anymore. They say it’s part of the decadent lifestyle of the capitalist class. Some of my classmates have been putting up big-character posters criticizing it.”

Wang Sufen was startled. “Then what about the paintings already on the bed panels? Do we have to remove them too?”

“It’s fine,” Mingbei explained. “Every household has bed panels, and more than half of them have floral and bird paintings on them. If they wanted to remove them, they’d have to break the glass covering them, and no one would be willing to do that. Besides, everyone around here knows each other well. No one’s going to cause trouble over this.”

Wang Sufen scoffed. “Most people are fine, but Zhang Defu’s family is rotten. Luckily, last year he got caught stealing liquor from the hydrolysis plant and was locked up for ‘undermining socialism.’ Otherwise, with Zhenzhen coming and going all the time, I’d be really worried. Who knows if he’d try to snatch our kid and sell her off?”

Zhenzhen nearly spat out her rice. She stared at Wang Sufen with a dark expression. “Mom, did you forget how strong I am? Honestly, if he and I ran into each other, who knows who’d win? He might not even be able to lift me, but I’d have no problem throwing him out.”

Wang Sufen didn’t like hearing that. “You’re getting older; stop saying things like that. If people find out how strong you are, who’s going to dare marry you? If you fight with your husband, won’t you end up beating him to death?”

Zhenzhen looked helpless. “Mom, don’t worry. I won’t get married before I’m twenty-five. Besides, there’s no one around here I like. Your daughter is this pretty and adorable—who could possibly be good enough for me, right?” Seeing that Wang Sufen was about to speak again, Zhenzhen quickly cut her off. “Mom, stop worrying about me. I’ve got plenty of time. Why don’t you think about Fourth Brother instead? He’s graduating in a year. Let’s not have him end up like Third Brother, who worked for years before even talking about dating.”

All the siblings knew that Mingbei had been secretly in love with Yu Wanqiu for the past two or three years. It was a classic case of love at first sight. To see her more often, he had made countless trips to the hydrolysis plant and even studied hard to get into the plant’s affiliated high school. But he had never mentioned this at home, and none of the siblings had exposed him.

Mingbei, hearing Zhenzhen shift the attention to him, looked both happy and nervous. “Ah, don’t worry about me. I won’t be like Third Brother—so stiff and silent, liking someone but not saying a word.”

Mingnan laughed. “As if you’ve said anything.”

That one remark left Mingbei speechless. Grandma Li chuckled at him, her laughter sending chills down his spine. He rubbed his arms and quickly promised, “I’ll confess after I graduate high school, okay? So you all don’t have to worry about me.”

Grandma Li finally nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing.”

Watching her four grandsons grow up, Grandma Li felt relieved. Mingdong, of course, was already settled. Mingxi had left for the military two years ago, and aside from having no direct contact, he sent home a hefty sum of money every six months. The first time Grandma Li saw the amount on the withdrawal slip, she was so shocked she thought there was a mistake. But after some calculations, she realized Mingxi’s monthly salary was 98 yuan—on par with an eighth-level worker at the hydrolysis plant.

Mingxi’s marriage was out of her hands for now, so Li Laotai could only focus on Mingnan and Mingbei. She considered their house and discussed with Li Muwu and his wife, “Should we build a few more rooms? Even though we don’t know when Mingdong will be transferred back, we’ve already given him the back rooms, so we shouldn’t move them again. Mingnan and Mingbei are getting close to marriage, so we should build houses for them first and start preparing things. We can’t wait until their marriages are arranged before thinking about housing, right?”

Wang Sufen immediately looked at Li Muwu, who was uncertain. “Mom, building houses costs a lot of money, and we still need to prepare dowries for Mingnan and Mingbei. Where would we get all that money?”

Li Laotai crossed her legs and picked up her tobacco pipe. “Over the years, we haven’t spent much money on food and vegetables since we grow our own. Your salary has been saved up quite a bit, and besides, your eldest brother and younger brother send me money every month.”

Wang Sufen quickly waved her hand. “The money my eldest brother and Laosi send is for your retirement. How can we use it for them? That wouldn’t be right.”

“If I didn’t have this money, would you not take care of me when I get old? Would you refuse to pay for my medical bills if I got sick?” Li Laotai looked at Wang Sufen and Li Muwu. Seeing them shake their heads repeatedly, she laughed. “Then that means this money can be used for now. Besides, Muwu’s salary is in my hands, and I make the decisions.”

Since Li Laotai had made the call, the family decided to start building the house after the grain store finished selling the autumn harvest. In the meantime, they needed to notify the local authorities and apply for land.

A few days later, when the liquor factory came to the grain station to pick up sorghum rice, Li Muwu hurried over to put in a word. The liquor factory’s buyer, Old Wang, listed several girls before finally saying, “We also have an old master brewer named Meng. His eldest daughter is just three years younger than your third son and works as a nurse at the hydrolysis plant hospital.”

Li Muwu had been waiting for this moment. Excited, he clapped his hands. “This sounds great! A nurse has a stable job and isn’t overworked. Why don’t you introduce us?”

Old Wang chuckled. “Sure, I’ll put in a word. If Master Meng agrees, we can arrange for the kids to meet.”

Meng Xiaoxi was pretty and efficient at work. Although she had only been at the hospital for six months, many people had already introduced her to potential matches. Just a few days ago, she had gone to meet a family, but as soon as she entered and saw a dozen children running around, she felt overwhelmed and left with her mother after only a short visit.

During dinner that evening, Master Meng chuckled, “Old Wang from procurement said there’s a family named Li at the grain store whose third son is about the same age as our Xiaoxi. He wants to set them up.”

“What does their third son do?” Mother Meng placed some dry food on the table, distributing it to the children without even looking up.

Pouring himself a small cup of wine, Master Meng took a sip before answering, “He works at the hydrolysis plant power station. He got in after graduating high school. His name is Li Mingnan, three years older than Xiaoxi.”

Meng Xiaoxi was scooping porridge when she heard this and got distracted, accidentally scalding herself. She let out an “ouch” and quickly put down her bowl to rinse her hand under the tap.

“Why are you getting burned just hearing a name? Do you know him?” Mother Meng craned her neck to look at Meng Xiaoxi and noticed her flushed face, prompting her to ask.

After drying her hands with a towel, Meng Xiaoxi sat back down and nodded slightly. “At the end of last year, an old master at the power station was hospitalized, and Li Mingnan took care of him for a while.”

Mother Meng grinned. “So, you already had your eye on him? Why didn’t you mention it before?”

“What could I say?” Meng Xiaoxi bit her lip. “He never showed any particular interest, and after the master was discharged, I never ran into him again.”

“I bet the boy was just too shy to say anything,” Mother Meng laughed. “Otherwise, why would his family specifically come looking at the hydrolysis plant instead of anywhere else? And why ask people from the liquor factory?”

Master Meng suddenly realized, slapping his forehead. “No wonder Old Wang said that when he mentioned several girls earlier, Old Li didn’t react at all, but as soon as he brought up Xiaoxi, they immediately agreed to a meeting. They were aiming for Xiaoxi from the start.”

Since both the girl and her parents seemed interested, Master Meng didn’t delay and gave his answer the next day. They scheduled a meeting at the Li family home for the following Sunday.

Raising four sons, this was the first time a girl’s family was coming to their house for a formal meeting, and Wang Sufen was beyond nervous. She wiped the house spotless with a rag and even went to the street to buy some candies and oranges, clearly more anxious than Mingnan himself.

On Sunday morning, Mingnan dressed himself up neatly and rode the family’s big bicycle to meet them halfway. When he spotted them, he quickly jumped off the bike, his ears burning red. “Meng Daniu, Nurse Meng.”

Meng Xiaoxi blushed and nodded slightly. Seeing her shy expression, Mingnan felt much more at ease. As they walked, he introduced the surroundings along the way. When they reached his house, before he could even call out, Li Laotai and Wang Sufen were already stepping out to greet them.

Li Laotai warmly welcomed them inside while sizing up Meng Xiaoxi. The girl was of medium height, with an oval face and large, lively eyes—very likable. “This must be your daughter. She’s so pretty,” Li Laotai said with a smile, taking Meng Xiaoxi’s hand. “I heard you’re a nurse. Is your job tiring?”

“It’s not tiring. I’m used to it,” Meng Xiaoxi replied with a shy smile, revealing two small dimples, which made Li Laotai even more fond of her.

Inside the eastern room, a table was already set on the kang, laden with candies, fruits, and biscuits. Wang Sufen ushered them in while she went to the kitchen to make honey water. She brought out a few bowls, beaming. “This is wild honey we collected from the forest. It’s especially pure. Try some.”

Madam Meng looked around the Li household and saw that everything was clean and tidy, clearly well-maintained. There was a large radio on the cabinet, which appeared to be a Shanghai brand. She had also noticed earlier that the bicycle Li Mingnan rode was one of the best models. From what she could see, the Li family had decent living conditions. Their courtyard had chickens and a variety of vegetables growing—definitely a household that knew how to live well.

Since the hydrolysis plant was quite a distance away, Wang Sufen chatted with Madam Meng for a while before heading to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Just as she started soaking mushrooms picked from the mountains, Zhenzhen silently walked in carrying four or five crucian carp and a mountain chicken.

After washing her hands, Zhenzhen greeted everyone. Madam Meng’s eyes lit up upon seeing her and turned to ask Granny Li, “Is this your granddaughter? She’s really beautiful.”

“This is my youngest granddaughter, Zhenzhen,” Granny Li said, beaming with pride. “Not to brag, but she’s not only good-looking but also smart. She speaks and acts like a little adult, so well-behaved.”

Madam Meng nodded in agreement and smiled. “Granny Li, you’re blessed. You’ll enjoy the happiness of your children and grandchildren in the future.”

Granny Li quickly responded, “I don’t ask for much—just seeing my grandsons all married would be enough for me.”

Madam Meng smiled knowingly. Just then, the sound of sizzling oil came from the kitchen. She nudged Meng Xiaoxi with a grin and said, “Go help your aunt with cooking.”

Granny Li was delighted—this marriage was as good as settled.

After meeting the family, the Mengs had no objections to the match. It was clear that the Li family valued their children. The meal they prepared for the meeting—with mountain chicken and braised crucian carp—was as grand as a New Year’s feast. They could tell that if Xiaoxi married into this family, she wouldn’t have a hard life.

After lunch, Granny Li got straight to the point. “Actually, our Mingnan has had his eye on Xiaoxi for a while, but he’s too soft-hearted and shy to say anything. If we hadn’t brought it up, he’d still be keeping it to himself. A few days ago, Mingnan’s father and I discussed it. Next spring, we’ll build separate houses for Mingnan and Mingbei, furnish them with new furniture, and once they’re married, they can decide whether to eat at home or live independently—we won’t interfere. Xiaoxi’s mother, do you have any thoughts on this?”

Madam Meng was grinning ear to ear. “You’ve thought of everything already! What else is there for me to say? I’m very satisfied.” Then she turned to Xiaoxi. “Daughter, what do you think?”

Xiaoxi blushed deeply, lowered her head, and under Mingnan’s expectant gaze, gave a small nod.

—

#Author’s Note:

I find old-fashioned arranged marriages quite interesting. I even asked my grandma about her own matchmaking story. Since my grandpa was incredibly handsome, while my grandma was as average-looking as could be, I asked her, “How did you two meet?”

She said, “He came to my house for a matchmaking meeting. I told him, ‘If you’re interested, we’ll get married right away. If not, let me know early so I can move on to the next one.’”

I laughed so hard I cried~~~