Chapter 116: Chapter 17 Blind Date_2
Sun Dasheng was speechless.
It’s not like I’m short on women. Even if I were, I’d rather find one in a big city than settle for a ’leftover woman’ working in a government job in a small county.
"Mom wouldn’t harm you. In a county this big, with so many single women, there are bound to be a few who are exceptionally outstanding."
Madam Xie inwardly cursed her tactical error; she shouldn’t have said so much earlier. It only made her son more defensive and resistant to the blind date she had arranged.
"I’ve already turned down the others for you, so just meeting this one should be fine, right? She graduated from a prestigious university just like you, works for a Fortune 500 company, and earns hundreds of thousands a year. Her character is beyond reproach; when her parents fell ill, she resigned from her job to come home and join the civil service just to take better care of them. She’s also a top-tier beauty. Her mother and I are old colleagues, and I went to see her specifically for you. She’s even prettier than those girls on short videos with beauty filters."
Madam Xie took a big step back.
Sun Dasheng, however, was unmoved. He was surrounded by beautiful women. If I actually listened to my mother and married an ’official wife,’ wouldn’t that be the foolish act of giving up an entire forest for a single tree?
"Just go take a look. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll drop it, okay?"
This time, Madam Xie had backed herself into the Mariana Trench.
I can’t stay silent any longer, or I’ll face a volcanic eruption.
"Mom, actually, I’ve already started seeing someone new," Sun Dasheng confessed, revealing a sliver of the truth.
"Oh?" Madam Xie’s eyes lit up. "How long have you been together? How old is she? When can you get married?" she asked, firing off a trinity of questions.
"Mom, how long has it been since my divorce?" Sun Dasheng said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Madam Xie realized she was being too hasty. Putting too much pressure on her son wasn’t a good idea. Besides, the fact that he had found a new girlfriend was a good first step toward starting over. It was ultimately a good thing, so she could only adopt an encouraging attitude.
"Fine. Since you’ve found someone yourself, I’ll go cancel that blind date for you," Madam Xie said graciously.
"There won’t be any trouble, right?" Sun Dasheng asked. After all, the woman’s mother was his own mother’s colleague of several decades. It wouldn’t look good if they had a falling out over this.
"No worries. I’ll just say that my son just got divorced, is in a bad state of mind, and doesn’t want to date for now." Madam Xie had already crafted the perfect excuse for him.
Hearing that their son had a new girlfriend put the old couple in a good mood. The light in their room stayed on for a long time that night before it was extinguished. They had so much to talk about. Since their son’s divorce, they had bottled up so many of their thoughts. After being repressed for so long, they finally found a chance to pour their hearts out.
「The next day」
The family of three drove to check out their new home. Calling it a "new home" was a bit of a stretch, as they had only paid the deposit. The plan was to wait for their son to return so the whole family could decide on a unit together.
The villa community was close to the city center. Rumor had it the developer had some serious clout locally; otherwise, they could never have secured such a prime plot of land for a villa development. But no matter how powerful they were, they couldn’t fight the overall market trend. After the community was built, the developer implemented a restrictive sales policy to withhold inventory and drive up prices. As a result, the occupancy rate for the community, which had been completed four or five years ago, was still less than fifty percent.
During the pandemic, prices peaked at eleven thousand yuan per square meter. This price was astronomical for a small county, excluding the coastal regions. When the market was hot, the developer’s restrictive sales policy became even more stringent. This led to a subsequent market crash where they lost their shirts and ended up owing a huge sum to the bank. The once-illustrious local tycoon, a real estate magnate, ended up like Xu Pidai, sent off to push pedals on a sewing machine behind bars.
「Sales Office」
The place was so deserted you could hear a mouse scurry by. Despite a massive price drop to less than six thousand yuan per square meter, there were still hardly any buyers. Chasing the highs and selling off during the lows is just human nature. The more prices fell, the more people held onto their cash and watched from the sidelines.
"Madam Xie, you’re here?" Seeing Sun Dasheng and his parents, a salesperson smiled and trotted over. This was a genuine buyer; the deposit was already paid. "Is this your son? He takes after you, so handsome."
The salesperson’s words were as sweet as honey. Xie Guixiang was tickled pink. "Little Wang, you have to talk to your manager for me. See if the price can be reduced a little more."
The salesperson, Little Wang, was quick-witted. "Madam Xie, rest assured. Even if it costs me my skin, I’ll get that price reduced for you. Please have a seat. I’ll go ask the manager for a discount."
Little Wang served the three of them hot tea, then turned and walked toward an office in the back. While they waited, another family of three walked in. This time, it was parents with their daughter. The daughter looked to be in her early thirties, with superior looks and an excellent temperament, though her eyes held a certain coldness.
Sun Dasheng glanced at her before looking away, a flicker of surprise in his heart. I can’t believe a small county like this has a woman whose beauty rivals that of the women I know. It’s quite rare. Not that small towns don’t have beauties, but most of them get siphoned off to the big cities. It’s unusual to run into one.
"Old Xie, you’re here to buy a house too?"
It turned out to be an old acquaintance of his mother’s. This small county really was tiny; you could run into familiar faces everywhere.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Xie Guixiang’s face, but it vanished in an instant. Her smile returned as she rose to greet them. Before she walked over, she leaned in and whispered in her son’s ear, "That’s the girl I wanted to introduce you to."
Is that so? He looked over again.
At that exact moment, the daughter from the other family also turned her gaze toward him. Their eyes met. They both gave a slight nod before looking away.
What Sun Dasheng didn’t know was that a similar mother-daughter conversation was happening on the other side.
"What do you think? The man Mom introduced to you isn’t bad, right?"
"He looks alright." The daughter maintained her cool demeanor.
But her mother smiled happily. She knew her daughter well. If she hadn’t been interested, she would have said he wasn’t suitable, just like all the times before. Saying he "looks alright" meant, to her, that her daughter had taken a liking to him. At the very least, his appearance met with her approval.
"That’s his mother, Xie Guixiang. We’ve been colleagues for decades. I know their family’s character well. When you marry into their family, they definitely won’t let you suffer or be wronged."
"Mom... that’s getting way ahead of things. Why are you already talking about marriage?" her daughter said, still sounding detached. "I don’t want to get married yet. Your health isn’t good, and you need someone around to take care of you."
Her daughter’s words made the mother a little unhappy.
"I’m not asking you to marry far away. Our families don’t live far apart, and it’s not like you can’t come home to visit often. You need to let go of your old ideas. Marrying into a good family is the greatest form of filial piety you can show us. Now, stop talking, they’re coming over. Greet her," the mother reminded.
"Old Xie, this is my daughter, Si Ruoqi. You can just call her Qi Qi."
Si Ruoqi politely said, "Hello, Auntie Xie."
Madam Xie walked over, a wide smile on her face. She looked at the beautiful young woman, feeling a pang of regret. What a beautiful girl, such a pity. If my son didn’t already have a girlfriend, she would be my ideal daughter-in-law.
"Hello to you too, Qi Qi. The last time I saw you at the hospital, I thought you were so lovely. Seeing you again now, you’ve gotten even more beautiful."
This praise made Si Ruoqi a little shy. For the first time, a small ripple disturbed her cool eyes. "Auntie, you flatter me."
Standing to the side, her mother was visibly elated. It seems my future in-law and daughter-in-law are getting along quite well.
"Old Lee, is your family here to buy a house too?" Madam Xie asked. Her old colleague’s surname was Li, and her given name was Qiu. Everyone usually just called her Old Lee.
"Yes, I can’t believe we had the same idea," Li Qiu said happily. "The quality of the houses here is quite good, and the price is right. It’s perfect for a young couple’s marital home."
As she spoke, she glanced at Sun Dasheng, who had just walked over. She quickly approached him and affectionately grabbed his arm. "Oh, this must be Da Sheng! I haven’t seen you in years, but you haven’t changed a bit. Still as handsome as ever. If you were my son-in-law, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams."
Faced with the older woman’s overwhelming enthusiasm, Sun Dasheng was at a loss. All he could manage was, "Hello, Auntie Li."
Just then, a voice cut in. "Qi Qi is mine, and no one is taking her from me! Auntie Li, you can’t be biased. How is this guy better than me?"
The interruption wasn’t friendly, but it conveniently rescued Sun Dasheng from his awkward situation.