Chapter 85 p1
Li Wang’s features were actually average, but when combined, they had a unique handsomeness. With his tall figure and bronze skin, he looked particularly masculine, the tough guy type.
Those who liked his type liked him very much, and those who didn’t, didn’t.
Coincidentally, Ye Qinglan was not very fond of this type. She preferred the fair-skinned scholar type, preferably with a soft temper, the kind who would listen to her.
When Li Wang came over, his first glance was at Ye Qingzhi. There was nothing to be done. Her skin was so fair it glowed, and she stood out in the crowd. You could see her at a glance.
Then he saw Gu Yao and Yang Xiaorou next to her and instantly ruled them out as Ye Qingzhi’s younger sister. Gu Yao looked like she had had children, and Yang Xiaorou had a scholarly air, as if she had read many books.
His gaze turned to Li Yang and Ye Qinglan. Li Yang had a neat short haircut and was heroic and valiant. It probably wasn’t her. Then it was the remaining girl.
If you looked closely, she was four-tenths similar to Ye Qinglan. It was just that her skin was not as fair as her sister’s, and her features were not as delicate. The main thing was her temperament, which was very simple and unadorned.
To be honest, the reason Li Wang had agreed to the blind date was because of the gentle and moving quality that Ye Qingzhi had, which was unique to the water towns of Jiangnan. He had thought that her younger sister would also be a Jiangnan woman and would have a similar temperament, but it turned out to be completely different.
“That’s Qingzhi’s younger sister, Ye Qinglan. Well, isn’t she beautiful?” Li Jinfeng asked, pointing at Ye Qinglan’s comrade and observing Li Wang’s expression. She did not miss the hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Her excited mood instantly cooled down. He didn’t take a fancy to Little Lan. That shouldn’t be. Although Little Lan was not as beautiful as Qingzhi, she was also a pretty little beauty.
Li Jinfeng was taken aback for a moment. Qingzhi? She seemed to understand why Li Wang was disappointed.
That day at her house, Li Wang had had no intention of going on a blind date at first. It was only after he had seen Ye Qingzhi that he had suddenly changed his mind.
Oh my, a mistake, a mistake. She shouldn’t have let him see Ye Qingzhi first, which had raised Li Wang’s expectations too high, which was why he was disappointed when he saw Ye Qinglan.
Li Jinfeng glanced at Ye Qinglan, then at Ye Qingzhi. Ye Qinglan was really pretty, but unfortunately, Ye Qingzhi was too beautiful. The next time they went on a blind date, she would absolutely not let Ye Qingzhi go with them.
“She is very beautiful,” Li Wang replied politely.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingzhi was also observing their expressions. She found that the two of them were very calm and had no chemistry at all. It seemed that this blind date would not work out.
In fact, Gu Yao and Yang Xiaorou had also seen that they had not hit it off. But since they were already here, they couldn’t just leave like that. So everyone just exchanged a few pleasantries.
Li Jinfeng was the first to speak. “Xiaorou, Yangyang, you’re here. You made me look for you. Oh, this is my sworn brother, Li Wang. Li Wang, these are all family members from the military compound. You’ve met Qingzhi. This is Chief of Staff Shen’s wife, Comrade Yang Xiaorou. This is Battalion Commander Li’s wife, Comrade Gu Yao. This is Battalion Commander Li’s younger sister, Comrade Li Yang. And this one is Qingzhi’s younger sister, Ye Qinglan.”
“Hello, my name is Li Wang. I’m a postman in town,” Li Wang immediately greeted them.
“Hello,” the few of them said, and then had him walk next to Ye Qinglan.
Li Jinfeng leaned over to Ye Qinglan’s ear and whispered, asking her what she thought.
She was now afraid that Ye Qinglan had taken a fancy to Li Wang. That would be difficult. After all, if the man did not like the woman, it would hurt the woman’s pride.
Unexpectedly, Ye Qinglan said in a low voice, “Sister Jinfeng, let’s just forget it.”
Ye Qinglan was a meticulous person. Although Li Wang had reacted quickly, she had still seen the hint of disappointment in his eyes. It was clear that he did not like her. Since that was the case, she would absolutely not throw herself at him.
Besides, she did not like Li Wang either. Ye Shuiping had left too big of a psychological shadow on her. She did not like men who were too masculine, or the kind who looked very dominant.
Well, the two of them did not like each other. Li Jinfeng breathed a sigh of relief. It would save her a headache.
Although they did not like each other, it would be rude to just leave like that. So the two of them still talked casually.
They talked about more superficial topics, like how the weather was nice today.
After about ten minutes, Ye Qinglan used the excuse of not feeling well and wanting to go home early, and this awkward blind date finally ended.
Not only the two parties involved, but also Ye Qingzhi and the others who were accompanying them all breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere was really too strange.
“Oh my, really. Next time, we shouldn’t go with them. If Little Lan is on a blind date, we should find a place and let them chat alone. Today was really too awkward,” Gu Yao said with a shiver.
“It’s fine, Little Lan. If this one doesn’t work out, we’ll find another one,” Li Jinfeng said, her fighting spirit renewed.
This blind date was not well-organized by her. Practice makes perfect. She would definitely not make this mistake next time.
Back at the family compound, Li Jinfeng put her things away and went to find Ye Qingzhi. She pulled her outside and whispered, “Qingzhi, next time there’s a blind date, you shouldn’t go with Little Lan.”
Ye Qingzhi was not stupid. She immediately understood what Li Jinfeng meant. And thinking of Li Wang’s appearance, she couldn’t help but frown.
“I know. Sister Jinfeng, you’ll have to help me sound out Platoon Leader Jin. In fact, Little Lan was more inclined towards him from the beginning,” Ye Qingzhi said.
Li Jinfeng’s tone was a little regretful. “Li Wang is really not bad. His qualifications are good, and look how manly he is!”
She understood. Li Jinfeng liked the tough guy type. No wonder she had recommended Li Wang so strongly.
Ye Qingzhi couldn’t help but think of Li Hanxing. His features were on the delicate side. Although his body was strong because he was a soldier, his frame was there. He was definitely not as tall and strong as Li Wang.
Tsk, tsk. Ye Qingzhi patted Li Jinfeng’s shoulder and teased, “Sister Jinfeng, you’d better hide this little thought of yours. If your man finds out, you’ll be done for.”
Li Jinfeng almost choked on her own saliva. She glared at Ye Qingzhi unhappily. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m a married woman.”
It was precisely because she was a married woman that it was dangerous to have such thoughts.
Ye Qingzhi did not continue this topic. She told her not to forget about Platoon Leader Jin’s matter and then went into the house to find Ye Qinglan.
“Little Lan, I’ve already told Sister Jinfeng to forget about Li Wang. We’ll meet with Platoon Leader Jin in a couple of days.”
“Alright,” Ye Qinglan said. She had originally planned to just marry whoever was suitable and not let her fourth sister worry. But after her first blind date today, she found that just having suitable qualifications was not enough.
Her fourth sister was not a mind reader. If she didn’t say it, she would certainly not know what she was thinking. So some things had to be said clearly.
“Fourth Sister, it’s fine if the man has shortcomings. I also have them. As long as he’s not too ugly, it’s fine if he’s a little short or a little fat. It’s also fine if his qualifications are a little worse. Am I not also empty-handed? I just want to find someone with a good temper, preferably someone who will listen to me,” Ye Qinglan said, a little shy for a rare occasion.
“Alright, then let’s meet Platoon Leader Jin first. If this one is not suitable, we’ll continue to look,” Ye Qingzhi nodded in understanding.
According to Ye Qinglan’s requirements, it didn’t have to be a military officer. Then the choices would be much more. There were so many non-commissioned officers below. She could always find a suitable one.
On the fifth, Li Yang was going to the school for an exam. She had been studying these few days and was much more confident than before.
This time, even if she didn’t pass, she would still have to quit her job at the cotton factory. There was nothing to be done. Although Yin Linfeng had explained and had not continued to look for Li Yang, the rumors had not only not decreased, but had actually gotten worse.
Just as Li Yang had guessed before, many people in the factory were now saying that Yin Linfeng had been hot-headed and had now come to his senses, so he no longer wanted her, a widow.
It was very speechless. No matter what, in the end, it was always the woman who was at fault.
Of course, these words would not be said in front of Li Yang. She was a martyr’s widow, and insulting a martyr’s widow was also a crime.
But that strange look was still very uncomfortable. Li Yang considered herself to be strong, but she was still affected quite a bit.
“Yangyang, go and take the exam with confidence. It’s fine even if you don’t pass. Brother will find you another job,” Li Jiang said, patting Li Yang’s arm, not wanting her to have too much pressure.
“Don’t worry. You know what my personality is like,” she said. Li Yang had never been a person who pitied herself.
There were only three people taking the exam. The other two were also military wives, and one of them was a high school student. Seeing Li Yang come in, she even nodded at her.
“Hello, my name is Liu Ye. I’m 20 this year, a junior high school graduate. What about you?” Liu Ye was a new wife from Yangcheng, fair and chubby, with pretty features.
“Hu Sijun, 22, a high school graduate,” Hu Sijun’s voice was a little cold.
“Hello, my name is Li Yang. I’m 28, a junior high school graduate,” Li Yang said, glancing at Liu Ye. You could tell at a glance that she was from Yangcheng. Her accent was very heavy. Could she really be a teacher like this?
“Your Mandarin is so good. I don’t know if I can be accepted with this accent of mine,” Liu Ye said, hearing their self-introductions and then thinking of her own Cantonese Mandarin. Her face immediately darkened.
Although it was not good to think this way, Li Yang had not been that confident before. But after hearing Liu Ye’s Mandarin, she felt that her chances of being accepted had increased a lot.
Although she thought so in her heart, of course, she could not show it on her face. But to have her praise Liu Ye’s Mandarin as standard against her conscience, she really couldn’t do it.
Hu Sijun also did not say anything. She had the same thought as Li Yang. No matter how good Liu Ye’s written grades were, with her thick accent, she was really not suitable to be a teacher.
Seeing that they were not speaking, Liu Ye’s face became even uglier. If she had known, she would not have come to humiliate herself.
After the written and oral exams, sure enough, Liu Ye was eliminated.
Her oral exam results were actually not bad, but her Mandarin was not good. The school leaders suggested that she do logistics work.
“I knew it wouldn’t work. My husband insisted that I come and try,” Liu Ye said, unable to help but complain after leaving the school. She looked at Li Yang and Hu Sijun and still politely congratulated them, “Congratulations on becoming teachers.”
“Your written grades are not bad. You should go back and practice your Mandarin. You might be able to apply next time the school is hiring teachers,” Hu Sijun comforted her.
“Forget it. It’s not that I haven’t tried to correct it, but I’ve been speaking it since I was a child. It’s really hard to change,” Liu Ye said, glancing at them and leaving with her head lowered.
“Comrade Hu, I have something to do at home, so I’ll be going now,” Li Yang said, seeing Liu Ye leave and saying a polite word to Hu Sijun.
“Yes, I should be going back too,” Hu Sijun nodded and turned to leave.
Back at home, Li Yang saw that Ye Qingzhi, Li Jinfeng, and the others were all there. She did not hide it and directly announced the good news that she had been accepted.
“I told you Yangyang is so amazing. She would definitely be accepted. Oh my, Yangyang is a teacher now,” Li Jinfeng said, slapping her thigh excitedly.
It was good for one of their own to be a teacher. With one of their own as a teacher at the school, she could help watch the children. At least they wouldn’t be bullied at school.
“It was just good luck,” Li Yang said with a smile, telling everyone about Liu Ye.
“She went to apply with a bad Mandarin? What was she thinking?” Li Jinfeng’s own Mandarin was not very standard. The one she admired the most was Ye Qingzhi. At first, she was even worse than her, but now she could speak fluent Mandarin just like Yang Xiaorou. “If she hadn’t signed up, it would have just been the two of you. Two spots, it would have been a sure thing. You wouldn’t have had to study so hard during this time.”
“You can’t say that. Even without her, I would have had to read and take notes. I’ve been out of school for so many years, and I’ve forgotten a lot of knowledge. I’m going to be a teacher for the children. I can’t mislead them,” Li Yang said with an embarrassed smile.
Teaching and educating people was a great responsibility. There could be no carelessness.
“You’re right to think that way. A child is a blank slate. He learns whatever you teach him. If you don’t learn well, how can the children learn well?” If Li Yang was that kind of irresponsible teacher, even if their relationship was good, Yang Xiaorou would not let her continue to be a teacher.
Since Li Yang had become a teacher, of course, they had to celebrate. It just so happened that their few families had not gathered for a long time. They could take this opportunity to get together.
Li Jinfeng thought of Platoon Leader Jin and wanted to call him over, so that everyone could vet him.
“Let’s not. With so many people, don’t scare him away,” Ye Qingzhi said, pulling Li Jinfeng aside and whispering, “Have you already asked Platoon Leader Jin? What does he mean?”
“He agreed without a second thought,” Li Jinfeng said. She felt there might be a chance this time.
“Did you tell him about Little Lan’s situation?” Ye Qingzhi asked.
“I did. Why wouldn’t I? It’s just a rural household registration and she hasn’t been to school. What’s the big deal? We’re also from a rural household and haven’t been to school. Our men didn’t dislike us, did they?” Li Jinfeng asked confidently.
“I have no other meaning. I just feel that these things have to be said upfront. If the other party minds, then there’s no need to meet, so as not to waste each other’s time,” Ye Qingzhi explained.
Their situations were different. Li Jinfeng was a childhood sweetheart, and she and He Qiming were a remarried and reorganized family.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already told Little Jin. He feels that these are not problems. He just wants to find someone to live a down-to-earth life with,” Li Jinfeng said, linking her arm with Ye Qingzhi’s and telling her not to overthink it.