Chapter 83
Marriage was a major event, equivalent to a second reincarnation. Of course, Ye Qinglan had to make her own decision.
In any case, Ye Qingzhi would only give her reference opinions. It concerned Ye Qinglan’s entire life, and she could not bear such a great responsibility.
“Fourth Sister.” Ye Qinglan had already cut the clothes and was sewing with a needle and thread. Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw Ye Qingzhi, revealing a faint smile.
Her features were four-tenths similar to Ye Qingzhi’s, with pretty features. When she smiled, she had two dimples, which were very cute. It was just that her skin was a little dark, but like the original host, her foundation was not bad. With less sun and good nourishment, she could be even more beautiful.
“Little Lan, it’s not that Fourth Sister is in a hurry to marry you off. It’s just that there are many men, but not many good men. It’s even harder to find a good and suitable one for you. I don’t go out much usually and don’t know many people. But my good friend, Sister Jinfeng, loves to socialize. Before you came, I asked her to help me find a partner. I just went to ask, and there are three who are not bad. Of course, they also have shortcomings. I’ll tell you their qualifications and shortcomings first. You can consider who you want to go on a blind date with, or you can meet them all,” Ye Qingzhi said. She was more inclined to meet them all. In any case, it wouldn’t hurt.
Ye Qinglan had already been prepared before she came, but she had not expected Ye Qingzhi to be so attentive to her.
“Fourth Sister, thank you. I know you’re doing it for my own good. You can say it. I’m listening,” Ye Qinglan said, putting down her needle and thread and listening seriously.
Ye Qingzhi told her in detail about the three candidates Li Jinfeng had introduced, and then let Ye Qinglan make her own decision.
“Fourth Sister, although the second one is tall, good-looking, and has the highest rank, his family relationship is complicated, and there are such rumors. There’s no smoke without fire. I just want to find an ordinary and simple life. Let’s forget about him,” Ye Qinglan said, eliminating the company commander of the 351st Regiment first.
“You won’t meet him before you make a decision?” Ye Qingzhi felt that the rumors were not to be trusted. She had to meet him and chat with him to get a feel for the situation.
Ye Qinglan pondered for a moment. “Let’s meet the first one first. We’re from the same province, so our customs are similar. He’s already a platoon leader. With a little more effort, when he becomes a company commander, I can join the army. It’s fine if he’s a little short, as long as he’s a good person.”
“Li Wang is not bad. He has a job, a house, and a pasture in the countryside. Many people say that his parents are both dead and he has no siblings, so he has no one to help him. But in my opinion, not having in-laws is a good thing. You can be the head of the house as soon as you get married. Isn’t that better than being controlled by your in-laws? As for siblings, we have many, but what’s the use? After you get married, you have your own small family, and you always put your own small family first,” Ye Qingzhi said, seeing that she had not mentioned Li Wang, and couldn’t help but say a few more words.
Ye Qinglan lowered her head. Of course, she understood these principles. Li Wang was not bad, but he was too good. She knew her own limitations.
“Sister, let’s just meet this one from Zhejiang Province. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll see others,” Ye Qinglan said, pursing her lips and making a decision directly.
Qi was not a suitable match for a commoner. Ye Qinglan was very clear about her own qualifications. She was not as good-looking as her fourth sister and had not studied. If it weren’t for her fourth sister and fourth brother-in-law, never mind a platoon leader, even an ordinary soldier might not have taken a fancy to her.
“Alright, let’s meet the fellow villager first. What’s wrong with being a little short? Concentration is the essence. Besides, 1.65 meters is not considered short,” she said. At this time, everyone was not tall, especially in Zhejiang Province. 1.65 meters was alright.
After confirming the candidate, Ye Qingzhi immediately went to find Li Jinfeng and had her go and sound him out first. If the man had this intention, they could choose a time and place for a blind date.
“Are you sure you want to choose Platoon Leader Jin?” Li Jinfeng had thought that the Ye Qingzhi sisters would choose Li Wang.
“Little Lan feels that Li Wang’s qualifications are too good, and they are not a good match. She wants to find someone who is also from a rural household and whose qualifications are not too different,” Ye Qingzhi said, holding Li Jinfeng’s hand. “Can you help me sound out Li Wang? I think it’s worth a try.”
It was just a blind date. It wasn’t like they had to get married after they met. Maybe the two of them would hit it off. In any case, more choices meant more opportunities. There was nothing wrong with that.
Li Jinfeng raised an eyebrow at Ye Qingzhi. She knew that she definitely preferred Li Wang.
Don’t look at Ye Qingzhi’s gentle temperament and soft-spoken manner. In fact, she was more opinionated than her, Xiaorou, and Gu Yao and the others.
A person like her did not like to be suppressed by her in-laws. It was a good thing she had joined the army. If she were back home, Ye Qingzhi and her mother-in-law would definitely argue.
Li Jinfeng did not know that Ye Qingzhi had offended her in-laws as soon as she got married, and they had almost fallen out when she went back last time.
“Alright, your younger sister is my younger sister. I will definitely take her lifelong matter to heart,” Li Jinfeng said, patting her chest.
Li Jinfeng followed Ye Qingzhi to the He family’s house. She wanted to see what Ye Qinglan was like, so that she could make a better introduction.
When they entered the house, Ye Qinglan was sewing clothes. Seeing them, she quickly put down what she was doing and greeted them reservedly.
“Fourth Sister,” she said, looking at Li Jinfeng, not knowing how to address her.
“This is Sister Jinfeng. We’re from the same city. When I first came to the Northwest, I happened to be on the same train as her. She even helped me a lot on the train,” Ye Qingzhi said, turning to look at Li Jinfeng. “Sister Jinfeng, this is my younger sister, Ye Qinglan. She’s 22 this year. She’s a little timid. You’ll have to take more care of her in the future.”
“Do you even have to say that?” Li Jinfeng asked, sitting opposite Ye Qinglan, holding her hand, and saying warmly, “Just like your sister, you can call me Sister Jinfeng. You’re so beautiful. Are all the Ye family members so good-looking?”
“Then you’re wrong. In our family, only Little Lan and I are the best-looking,” Ye Qingzhi said in a joking tone.
In fact, the Ye family’s genes were indeed not bad, especially their skin, which was relatively fair and not prone to spots or acne. And they all had high-bridged noses, so the whole family was good-looking.
“She’s just too thin,” Li Jinfeng said, looking Ye Qinglan up and down. She leaned over to Ye Qingzhi’s ear and whispered, “You should take your younger sister to see Old Hu for a pulse check and take some Chinese medicine to recuperate. She’ll be more beautiful if she’s a little chubbier.”
The aesthetic at this time was different from that of a later generation. In a later generation, thin was beautiful. At this time, people preferred a more voluptuous figure.
But Ye Qinglan was indeed very thin, with a large head and withered and dull hair. She should indeed recuperate.
Li Jinfeng held Ye Qinglan and talked for a long time. It was almost mealtime before she reluctantly left.
As soon as she left, Ye Qinglan let out a long sigh of relief. Li Jinfeng was really too talkative. She almost couldn’t stand it.
At night, Ye Qingzhi told He Qiming about these few candidates. He was at the base and might have had contact with them, and might know more than Li Jinfeng.
“Platoon Leader Jin from the 1st Battalion? I really don’t know him. I’ll have to ask someone tomorrow,” He Qiming said. He knew him, but he was not familiar with him.
The next day, Li Jinfeng was just about to find Platoon Leader Jin to sound him out when she saw Li Wang, who had come to deliver a package, at the main gate.
“Li Wang,” Li Jinfeng said, beckoning to him.
“Sister Jinfeng, are you here to get a letter or a package?” Li Wang asked, revealing a bright smile when he saw Li Jinfeng.
“I’m just taking a walk,” Li Jinfeng said, sizing up Li Wang. A 1.8-meter-tall Northwest man, just looking at him made one’s face red and heart pound. “Li Wang, come here for a moment.”
Li Wang followed Li Jinfeng to the side in confusion.
“You’re not young anymore. How about I introduce you to a partner?” Li Jinfeng asked in a low voice.
“Introduce a partner? Who is it?” Li Wang was even more confused.
Li Jinfeng felt that this was not a place to talk. After applying with the soldier on duty, she took Li Wang to the family building.
Just as she entered the house, she saw Ye Qingzhi come knocking.
“Sister Jinfeng, you… you have a guest?” Ye Qingzhi asked, seeing Li Wang. She nodded at him, then smiled at Li Jinfeng and said, “Sister Jinfeng, you’re busy. I’ll come and find you again later.”
“Wait a minute,” Li Jinfeng called out to Ye Qingzhi and pointed at Li Wang. “This is my newly acknowledged sworn brother, Li Wang. He’s a postman in town. Li Wang, this is Regiment Commander He’s wife, with the surname Ye. You can just call her Sister Ye.”
“Hello, Sister Ye. My name is Li Wang. You can call me Little Li or Little Wang,” Li Wang said, standing up and speaking politely.
“Hello,” Ye Qingzhi said, giving Li Jinfeng a look. What was she up to?
“Li Wang, the partner I want to introduce to you is her younger sister. She looks four or five-tenths like her. Although she’s from the countryside and hasn’t been to school, she’s very smart and hardworking. She’s a good girl who can live a down-to-earth life,” Li Jinfeng said, whispering in Li Wang’s ear.
Li Wang glanced at Ye Qingzhi and immediately withdrew his gaze. This Sister Ye was so beautiful. Even if her younger sister was only four or five-tenths as beautiful, she must be very beautiful.
Ye Qingzhi was also sizing up Li Wang. His features were rather rugged, not ugly. On the contrary, he had a very masculine handsomeness. With his qualifications, he was indeed not bad.
“Qingzhi, what do you want? Li Wang is not an outsider. You can just say it,” Li Jinfeng said with a chuckle.
“It’s nothing. I’ll go back first. I’ll come and find you again later,” Ye Qingzhi said, nodding at Li Wang and turning to leave.
She had come to find Li Jinfeng in such a hurry because she had learned from Yang Xiaorou that the company commander of the 351st Regiment was already married and had several children. She didn’t know why he had hidden it.
It was a coincidence. Shen Qingyuan had gone to the 351st Regiment to help before and had seen his file, so he knew some of the situation.
She had told Li Jinfeng so that she would not introduce that company commander to anyone else, so that everyone would not be embarrassed later.
“Alright then. You go and get busy,” Li Jinfeng said, waving her hand. When Ye Qingzhi’s voice had disappeared from the main gate, she lowered her voice and asked Li Wang, “Li Wang, give me a definite answer. Do you want a wife? If not, I’ll find someone else.”
“I do,” he said, thinking of the beautiful Ye Qingzhi and saying with a smile, “I’m indeed not young anymore. Sister, please help me introduce her.”
“Alright, I’ll introduce you. But I’ll say the ugly words first. I’ve already told you the girl’s qualifications. You can’t dislike her later,” Li Jinfeng said seriously.
“Absolutely not. What kind of person am I? Don’t you know, Sister Jinfeng?” Li Wang asked, patting his chest.
“Alright, I’ll go and sound her out. You go back and wait for my news,” Li Jinfeng said with a chuckle.
As soon as Li Wang left, Li Jinfeng immediately went to find Ye Qingzhi and told her the good news that Li Wang wanted to go on a blind date with Little Lan.