051 – Give Miss Wei a Like
Qin Mian subconsciously said “alright” and when he returned to his senses, he slapped Zheng Liu on his head, at a loss whether to cry or laugh, “You boy dare to trick your boss.”
Wang Shun also looked at him with eager eyes. Qin Mian thought for a moment before saying: “All right, the shop’s business is good, and the two of you and the barbecue chef are doing well. This way, your boss and I will invite you three to have dinner in the shop on the evening of every particular day with ‘one(1)’. For example: on the first(1) day, the eleventh(11) day and the twenty-first(21) day.”
Wang Shun and Zheng Liu were so happy that they quickly expressed their thanks and flattered Qin Mian. The spicy hot soup, barbecue and hot pot in the shop were so delicious that once they ate it, they wanted second.
Lei Tie coughed lightly as he swept a quick glance.
Wang Shun and Zheng Liu’s backs felt chill. They quickly left and continued to be busy. They were not afraid of the big boss, but the “small boss” struck their hearts with veneration and fear.
Lei Tie poured the spicy hot soup that had just cooked into a bowl and put it on the counter.
Qin Mian took a look and saw spinach, food balls, mutton, mushrooms and potatoes, all of which he loved to eat.
“Don’t be too nice to them.”
“Ah?” Quan Mian bit half a ball and looked at him stupidly.
Lei Tie didn’t talk and merely watched him.
Qin Mian smiled. He picked up a bamboo stick, poked a meatball from the bowl and handed it to him while beaming with smiles.
Lei Tie reached for it, turned back, and returned to the pot.
Over there, the barbecue chef yelled, “Barbecue at table 2 is ready!”
A busy and fulfilling day passed just like that.
On the other side in the old house, trouble had just begun.
In the house, Du Shi was desperate and quarreled until Lei Daqiang got a headache and gave her a slap at the end of his patience. Du Shi’s left face was red and swollen that she did not dare to go out of the house. She lay down on the bed and cried bitterly.
Lei Xiangren, Lei Xiangyi and Lei Xiangli were helpless in the conflict between their parents. On one hand, they pitied their mother. On the other hand, based on Matchmaker Jin’s words, they thought it was not a bad thing for Miss Wei to join their household. However, the main point was that Lei Daqiang was their father, the so-called elder that they had to respect. As the younger generation, it was improper for them to intervene in the elder’s bedroom affairs. As for Zhao Shi and Qian Shi, they did not even have the right to. Meanwhile, Lei Chuntao was a girl who had yet married, so it was also improper for her to intervene.
In a word, the people in the old house had forgotten about Lei Tie and Qin Mian.
On the day of his appointment with Matchmaker Jin, Lei Daqiang cleaned himself up appropriately and came to the town.
Nearing the appointed teahouse, he didn’t enter the door, but went to a stall that sold dishware on the opposite side according to the agreement, pretended to choose dishware and looked up to the other side.
He saw Matchmaker Jin dressed in red and looked across from her. His heart suddenly jolted. Facing Matchmaker Jin was a gentle and graceful girl dressed in blue. She was indeed 26~27 years old. Her look could not be regarded as beautiful, but she possessed a 6/10 of good looks and her eyes were especially lively. When she spoke to Matchmaker Jin, she wore a smile on her face and her smile was very natural and poised. From the movement of her occasionally raising her hand and nodding her head, he could feel a kind of swift strength.
She was a really nice girl. Such a young and beautiful girl could almost be regarded as a good fortune (in love affairs) to him.
Lei Daqiang’s heart was burning now.
Matchmaker Jin looked at the sun and then looked at the stall opposite. She confirmed that Lei Daqiang had already appeared and nodded to Wèi Wei.
Wèi Wei followed her eyes and looked at the other side. The man by the stand was really a bit old, but she didn’t care. She looked at the man’s facial features and was quite surprised. Matchmaker Jin told her that Lei Daqiang must have been very handsome when he was young, she hadn’t believed it. However, she had to believe it when she saw him with her own eyes. Her heart was slightly relieved. It was fine to marry an old man, but it would be too misery if the man was intolerably ugly. Fortunately, Lei Daqiang did not let her down.
When she took back her gaze, Matchmaker Jin nodded to Lei Daqiang.
Lei Daqiang left first. He was too excited, his feet floated like stepping on cotton. However, there was some anxiety as he worried that Miss Wei would not like him.
“I can tell that Lei Daqiang’s body and bones are still good. I’m afraid that Du Shi bears most of the responsibility for the reason why his body is too thin.” When Du Shi was brought up, Matchmaker Jin’s face showed disdain. “According to the people in their village, the Lei Family only serves two dishes for each meal and they don’t put much oil in it. They also don’t have a few chances to eat meat throughout the year. Which village in our town lacks few poor families? But there’s none like them. It’s fortunate that I don’t say it, or it would be a joke for no reason.”
Wèi Wei picked up the teapot, poured a cup of hot tea for her and said with a smile: “I’ve heard that Granny Jin never talks empty words when acting as a matchmaker. I myself trust Granny Jin wholeheartedly.”
Matchmaker Jin was very puzzled, “Based on your qualifications, it’s really unlikely to find someone that old, is it worth the trouble?” She had a good impression of Wèi Wei, so she couldn’t help but making a few comments.
Wei Wei nonchalantly smiled and didn’t mind telling her, “Some people had introduced a few men. Among them, one was a cripple and two wanted a second wife[1]; one has a 6 years old son, the other has an 8 years old son. Children at 6 and 8 years old already remember things and can only remember the good of their birth mothers. It’d be even more difficult for me to cultivate feelings with them after I join the household. If I’m a little careless, I’ll be a person neither inside nor outside[2]. Is it worth the trouble that I come here? Although Lei Daqiang is a bit older, his children can already acknowledge that they and I just need to be on courteous term. If I help them to make more money, they aren’t necessarily unable to be inclined towards me. What’s more, from what you said, Du Shi is a failure. As long as I hold Lei Daqiang’s heart close and have children with him, even if he can only live for another 20 years, I’ll have my own children to rely on in the future. Whether my children are married in or married out, they’ll be no worse than his children.”
Matchmaker Jin secretly admired her. She has proven herself to have been serving in a rich family household; turns out, she had already considered so much.
Since the other person was willing, she certainly would not object.
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“In that case, I won’t say much. Today I’ll go to Lei’s house to inform that you’ve agreed and discuss the next step.”
“Thanks for your trouble, granny.” Wei Wei smiled confidently.
Two days later, Qin Mian received the exact news. The matter of Lei Daqiang and Wei Wei had been settled. Lei Daqiang was not only willing to marry Wei Wei as his equal wife, but also too impatient to wait and set the date on 18th of November.
Qin Mian was beyond excited when he thought that Du Shi would soon have a strong opponent.
At the beginning, he disguised himself to find a matchmaker and asked her to find Lei Daqiang an assertive woman to be his equal wife. The purpose was only to contain Du Shi; he had no other bad intentions. Moreover, he specially told Matchmaker Jin that the woman must have a good heart. Sure enough, Matchmaker Jin had the ability to find Wei Wei.
According to Matchmaker Jin, Wei was indeed a competent person. As long as Du Shi, Lei Xiangren and the others were behaving themselves, Wei Wei might be able to let the people in the old house live a good life.
Besides, it was Wei Wei’s own free will. Qin Mian had nothing to feel guilty about, just waiting to watch the drama.
Du Shi completely had no free time to find trouble with him and Lei Tie. Every day, in addition to quarreling with Lei Daqiang, she cursed Wei Wei. It was unknown how rowdy the old house would be in the future.
Without Lei Daqiang and Du Shi taking the initiative, Lei Xiangren, Zhao Shi and Qian Shi also temporarily stopped thinking about how to get along with Lei Tie.
Qin Mian disguised himself again and paid the other half of the money to Matchmaker Jin.
From beginning to end, apart from Lei Tie and Qin Mian himself, no one knew that Qin Mian was responsible for Lei Daqiang’s ability to marry a beautiful young wife.
Two days later, Lei Xiangli and Lei Xiangzhi came to the shop together, their expressions looked a bit distress.
“Eldest brother.”
The two didn’t call Qin Mian “eldest sister-in-law” in front of outsiders making Qin Mian breathe a sigh of relief, “You two came. It’s almost noon, have you eaten yet?”
“No yet,” Lei Xiangzhi said with a smile, “Fourth brother and I came here to eat.”
Qin Mian also smiled, “Very much welcome. Would you like spicy hot soup or barbecue? If you want to eat hot pot, you have to wait for a while to be seated.”
Lei Xiangli said: “I’ll eat spicy hot soup then.”
Lei Xiangzhi said: “I’ll have the same as fourth brother.”
“Go pick your dishes first and let Lei Tie simmer them.” Qin Mian asked Zheng Liu to move two stools and put them at the counter.
When the two picked out the dishes, Qin Mian said: “If you two have nothing to do, help in the shop in the afternoon. We are having hot pot or barbecue in the evening.”
“Sure,” Lei Xiangli smilingly said, “I’ll listen to you arrangement.”
Lei Xiangzhi pulled at his clothes, “Of course we’ll help; I purposely wore stain-resistant clothes.”
Qin Mian said: “Actually, your eldest brother and I have planned to invite you to have a meal, but you know what’s going on, so I won’t say more. When you go back in the evening, you bring a pot of soup and some dishes for the family to taste.”
Lei Xiangli lightly sighed, “We understand. You and eldest brother can be at ease.”
“Based on your expression, is there something wrong at home?” Qin Mian could guess what they were coming for and pretended not to understand.
At those words, Lei Tie lowered his head while cooking the spicy hot soup and then looked at the innocent and confused expression of the little wife; the corners of his lips rose into an imperceptible radian.
Lei Xiangzhi and Lei Xiangli knew that Qin Mian could represent Lei Tie, in which if they told him, it was equal to talking to Lei Tie. Therefore, they didn’t hold back, “Do you and eldest brother know about father?”
Qin Mian nodded while internally said: not only I know, but it is also my doing.
“I see. This matter… We, the younger generation don’t know how to say…”
Lei Xiangzhi sighed, “Mother makes trouble at home every day and because of the quarrel, fourth brother and I got a headache. So, we might as well come to see you and eldest brother.”
“In my opinion, since this matter has become a foregone conclusion, it’s useless to oppose it any more. Why should mother act thus?”
Qin Mian took an attitude of thinking for Du Shi, “I’m afraid that if she goes on like this, father will feel vexed with her. Fourth brother, fifth brother, you two should persuade her when you have chance. Family harmony is the basis for success in any undertaking.”
Eldest sister-in-law was a good person. Lei Xiangli and Lei Xiangzhi looked at each other. They both secretly regretted that the separation was too early. If it weren’t for their mother who was too much – it was too late to say anything now.
“It’s just that I still don’t understand. How can that Miss Wei took a liking to father?” All along, Lei Xiangzhi couldn’t get over this.
Note:
[1] second wife after one’s first wife’s death
[2] a metaphor for doing things that are not pleased, and people are complaining everywhere. [1]
Side’s note: The weather is bad, the connection is unstable. I might not be able to upload as frequently as I did before (and I already planned reach 060 this month, but well). Thank your for support and comments!
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