Chapter 90: Ning Weidong's Blind Date (Please Subscribe)

Zhang Dajun knew Ning Weidong was a relative of Chu Zhongxin, but he did not know exactly what kind of relative.

Last time Ning Weidong said he would treat him to a meal, he hadn't taken it to heart.

Today, when Ning Weidong took the initiative to call him, he guessed there might be something up.

Out of respect for Chu Zhongxin, he could not refuse to come; that was why he brought a bottle of good liquor, so he wouldn't feel obligated after eating someone else's food.

In fact, Zhang Dajun was so cautious mainly because he did not understand Ning Weidong and was afraid that Ning Weidong was a reckless fool with no sense of propriety.

Like Zhang Dajun, who held a little power at the grassroots level, what he found most annoying were greenhorns with connections.

They didn't understand any rules, only knew how to charge around blindly, and yet they were the very people one couldn't afford to offend.

Zhang Dajun was not sure if Ning Weidong was that kind of person.

Coming over today could be considered a test; if Ning Weidong was that kind of person, this would be the last time, and there would be no need to keep in touch in the future.

Zhang Dajun was very clear that getting mixed up with such a person who lacked a sense of propriety was definitely not a good thing.

Ning Weidong said with a smile, "Brother Zhang, it's like this: there's a neighbor in our courtyard who wants to find a job..."

He gave a rough summary of Bai Fengyu's situation, and at the end said, "Brother Zhang, your connections are broad, could you see if you can help think of a way?"

Zhang Dajun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his previous worries were unnecessary.

Ning Weidong really did have a sense of propriety; the favor he asked for today was not difficult for him.

It didn't require using the power in his hands, nor would there be any bad consequences in the future.

More importantly, Ning Weidong's meaning was very clear: what should be spent would be spent, what should be given would be given, and he wouldn't be asked to trade in his own personal favors.

Zhang Dajun pursed his lips and thought for a moment: "Weidong, jobs nowadays... you should know without me saying it. If it were a few years ago, a Temporary Worker position would just be a matter of a single word. But now... I really don't dare to guarantee it to you. How about this, wait until next Monday and I'll find someone to ask."

Ning Weidong hurriedly thanked him: "Then I'll wait for your news."

Afterwards, the two of them ate and drank for a while, and it wasn't until nearly seven o'clock in the evening that they came out of the restaurant, burping.

Ning Weidong watched as Zhang Dajun got on his bicycle and wobbled away before he retrieved his own bike.

The two of them had split a bottle of Moutai, half a catty of liquor each; it wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a little either, and Zhang Dajun was half-drunk.

Ning Weidong had a stronger constitution; he had broken into a sweat while eating the hot pot, which had helped flush out most of the alcohol, so he felt nothing after getting on his bike.

It was just that he was drenched in sweat, which had soaked his undershirt, and it felt a bit uncomfortable when the wind blew.

Tomorrow he had to go to the Wang Family for a blind date, and Ning Weidong hadn't forgotten Wang Yuzhen's instructions.

He rode home, greeted the Upper Room, took two clean sets of underwear, and headed straight for the bathhouse at the entrance of the hutong before it closed.

Soaking, scrubbing, shaving, and getting a haircut—by the time the whole process was done, it was already past eight o'clock.

Ning Weidong was wrapped in a military overcoat, carrying a bag with his bathing supplies, strolling back; just as he reached the entrance, he got a fright.

"Damn it!"

Ning Weidong dodged to the side and saw a dark figure sitting inside the courtyard gate; he could smell the alcohol from far away.

Looking closer, it was that guy Wang Kai, who must have drunk too much outside and passed out in a heap before he could make it home.

Ning Weidong frowned; although the temperature had risen these past few days, it was still over ten degrees below zero in the middle of the night.

If he curled up here and slept all night, the man would surely be dead.

He had a mind to help get him back, but Wang Kai had drunk so much he had vomited all over himself.

Ning Weidong was too lazy to clean up this mess.

He simply stepped over him and went to the front courtyard to knock on Lu Daye's door: "Grandpa Lu~ Grandma Lu~"

A voice asked "Who is it?" from inside, and Lu Daye came out draped in his clothes.

Ning Weidong turned his head and gestured toward the gate: "Wang Kai collapsed over there. I didn't know what was going on so I didn't dare move him; could you hurry over and take a look?"

Ning Weidong certainly couldn't say he found it disgusting; in such situations, by increasing the perceived severity and emphasizing his own lack of professional expertise, he could successfully offload the task, and others wouldn't be able to say anything—they would even have to praise him for being cautious.

Lu Daye blinked; he was an old fox.

One look at Ning Weidong and he could tell he had just come back from the bathhouse, and he guessed the gist of it.

But he was the elder of the courtyard; when something happened, Ning Weidong could push it off, but he couldn't.

Whether he wanted to or not, he had to bite the bullet and deal with it.

"I'll go take a look~" Lu Daye put on his cotton-padded jacket and glanced at the gate, but didn't go over immediately; instead, he went to knock on Zhou Kun's door first: "Erkun, hurry and come out, it looks like something happened to Wang Kai."

Ning Weidong laughed inwardly; this Lu Daye was worthy of having been an elder for over a dozen years, handling these courtyard matters with ease by calling someone to do the heavy lifting first.

Zhou Kun responded and came out: "Grandpa Lu, what's wrong?"

Then he saw Ning Weidong was there too, felt a moment of awkwardness, and hurriedly greeted him.

Ever since that incident last time, although Zhou Kun had apologized and Ning Weidong had forgiven him, it was only on the surface; once a relationship was broken, it could never be the same as before.

What's more, since Ning Weidong had been transferred to the Office, Zhou Kun was even less willing to interact with him.

The original owner had a good relationship with Zhou Kun not only because their personalities were similar and they were birds of a feather, but also because Zhou Kun had an advantage: he earned more money and felt superior in that regard.

But now, Ning Weidong was in the Office; although his salary still wasn't as high as Zhou Kun's, the nature of his position was fundamentally different from before.

Previously, Ning Weidong was just a lowly gatekeeper, but now he was a Security Officer and a Reserve Cadre at the Manager.

Without anyone else even saying it, Zhou Kun felt inferior himself.

Ning Weidong nodded and called out "Second Brother."

Lu Daye's voice hadn't been quiet, and others nearby had heard the commotion and come out; that was the characteristic of a Dazayuan—usually it was quiet, but once something happened, the whole courtyard knew immediately.

Lu Daye had knocked on Zhou Kun's door so loudly on purpose for this very reason.

Everyone swarmed over to take a look, and Ning Weidong casually hung back and returned to the East Cross Courtyard as if nothing had happened.

They had heard the commotion here too, and Ning Weiguo came out of the room; seeing Ning Weidong return, he asked what was going on.

Ning Weidong said: "Wang Kai, he drank too much and is completely unconscious."

Ning Weiguo nodded; there was no need for him to join in the excitement, so he called Ning Weidong into the room instead: "By the way, your sister-in-law said, for your blind date tomorrow, you should wear this watch of mine first; later, I'll find someone to ask and get you a new one."

Ning Weidong couldn't help but look at Yuzhen; it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved.

He also felt a bit envious of Ning Weiguo for being able to find such a wife.

Why was Wang Yuzhen so good to him? It was simply because of her love for him, she extended her affection to his family.

Otherwise, with the original owner's dog-like temper, he would have been kicked far away long ago.

Ning Weidong said, "No need, sister-in-law. Actually, I bought a second-hand one at the Trust Store a few days ago."

Ning Weiguo was stunned; he hadn't expected Ning Weidong to have bought a watch without a sound.

Wang Yuzhen blinked, "When did you buy it? You didn't even say a word! Bring it here and let sister-in-law take a look, don't let people fool you."

Ning Weidong was caught between laughter and tears; the old saying goes that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, and a younger brother-in-law is like a son.

Wang Yuzhen always treated him like a child.

However, since his sister-in-law had spoken, he could only comply. He had taken off his watch when he went to bathe earlier, so he went to the earthquake shelter and retrieved it from under his pillow. Ning Weiguo took it first and was somewhat surprised: "It's even a Shanghai Brand! Not bad!"

Wang Yuzhen was also quite surprised. When she heard Ning Weidong had bought a watch, she had assumed it was some ten or twenty yuan off-brand one; it would be fine for checking the time, but it would be embarrassing to wear on a blind date.

"Weidong, this watch of yours must have cost quite a bit, right?"

Ning Weidong scratched the back of his head: "Not much, after all, it's second-hand. I saved up some money after working for this long and bought it."

"The watch issue is solved." Wang Yuzhen nodded, muttering, then suddenly added: "Right, tomorrow besides a handkerchief, carry a shoe-polishing cloth in your pocket. Riding a bike all the way there, no matter how shiny your leather shoes are at home, they'll get a layer of dust." As she spoke, she shot a glance at Ning Weiguo: "I originally said to just borrow a car from the small vehicle team, but your brother insisted it was too flashy."

Ning Weidong grinned, not knowing what to say.

……

The next day, Ning Weidong was called up early.

Washing his face and brushing his teeth, inside and out, after a bit of grooming, he was already spirited by nature, and today, dressed up, he looked even more outstanding.

The group of four came out of the house and happened to run into the sisters Bai Fengyu and Bai Fengqin.

Today was Sunday, so Bai Fengqin didn't have to go to school and was at home helping with the washing and cleaning.

The two were holding a bed sheet, just about to go into the courtyard to shake it out, when they happened to see Ning Weidong in a Zhongshan Suit and black leather shoes.

His posture was like a pine tree, with thick eyebrows and large eyes; he was almost catching up to the male lead in a movie.

Both Bai Fengyu and Bai Fengqin were seeing Ning Weidong in this state for the first time, and both were stunned.

Wang Yuzhen gave a light cough and said with a smile: "Sister Fengyu, tidying up the room, are you~"

Although she didn't think much of Bai Fengyu, Wang Yuzhen wouldn't use harsh words to her face; after all, they were in the same courtyard, and they saw each other every day.

Bai Fengyu came back to her senses and hurriedly replied: "Brother Weiguo, Sister-in-law Yuzhen, you all are..."

Wang Yuzhen said with a smile: "Introducing a match for Weidong, going over to take a look."

A complex emotion surged in Bai Fengyu's heart, and she smiled reluctantly: "Is that so~ That's great."

Beside her, Bai Fengqin pouted, secretly feeling a sense of rivalry, and was even more curious about what kind of woman was going on a blind date with Ning Weidong.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the four members of the Ning Family pushed their bikes out.

The smile Bai Fengyu had been maintaining vanished instantly, and Bai Fengqin's expression also fell.

The sisters looked at each other, but neither spoke.

Once outside, Ning Weiguo carried Ning Lei, while Ning Weidong and Wang Yuzhen each rode a bicycle, heading all the way toward the Wang Family.

Wang Yuzhen's parents had returned from the south and were still living in the original government compound.

Leaving the Dazayuan, they headed west out of Fuchengmen, then south to Fuxing Road.

Following Fuxing Road, there was a row of compounds here.

Wang Yuzhen's family of three came every week, so they were very familiar with the route.

Ning Weidong followed, and after about half an hour, they arrived outside the compound gate.

The Security Guard at the gate was very vigilant; Wang Yuzhen's family of three all had passes, but Ning Weidong was a visitor and needed to register separately.

After finishing, they entered the compound, first passing a tree-lined path, and not far ahead were the compound's club and canteen.

If they were too busy with work and didn't want to cook, they could come directly to the canteen to eat.

If one had a certain rank, they could even call a chef to go over directly.

Ning Weidong looked left and right as he walked; before transmigrating, he had never been to such a place, and his understanding of so-called compounds came entirely from movies and TV shows.

The tree-lined path was about a hundred meters long, and inside was an area of gray two-story buildings. To the left and right of the small buildings were three-story dormitory buildings; depending on the rank, there were three-room units, two-room units...

Ning Weidong followed them inside and saw several half-grown children gathered in a pile ahead, not knowing what they were playing.

One of them spotted them and immediately shouted "Ning Lei."

Ning Lei saw his familiar playmates and immediately shouted: "Mom, I'm going over to play for a while."

Today Wang Yuzhen didn't have the energy to deal with him and said impatiently: "Go on, go on~"

Ning Lei, as if granted amnesty, mimicked riding a horse, patted his bottom, and ran over. Before he even reached them, he shouted: "Weizi, what are you guys playing!"

In the compound, Wang Yuzhen wasn't worried about danger, so she called Ning Weidong to continue along the fork in the road to the front of a two-story building.

The building had no courtyard and was surrounded on the outside by a circle of waist-high cypress shrubs.

The three of them parked their bicycles in front of the door, and Wang Yuzhen pushed the door open and went in, shouting as soon as she entered: "Dad, Mom, we're back~"

Ning Weidong followed behind, carrying the gifts he had brought for Wang Yuzhen's parents; it was his first time visiting, so it wouldn't do to go empty-handed.

However, the items had all been prepared by Wang Yuzhen, so Ning Weidong didn't have to worry about it at all.

Ning Weidong began to size up the inside of the building from the moment he stepped in.

The floor was terrazzo; after entering, there was a corridor, with the kitchen on the right and the bathroom on the left.

Passing through the corridor was a large hall of considerable size, with the living room in the south and the dining room in the north, and a U-shaped staircase in the middle...

A woman in her fifties, wearing a light blue sweater with a vest over it, came out to greet them. She caught sight of Ning Weidong at a glance and said with a smile: "This must be Weidong, right~"

Wang Yuzhen took off her coat while introducing: "This is my mom."

Ning Weidong hurriedly stepped forward and called out "Auntie."

Mother Wang looked him up and down and nodded with a smile: "He really is our Weiguo's own younger brother; the two brothers look like they were carved from the same mold. He really is a man of talent."

Ning Weidong smiled honestly; it was clear that this mother-in-law was quite fond of Ning Weiguo.

After some pleasantries, the group went to the living room and sat down.

Only then did Mother Wang remember she hadn't seen her eldest grandson: "Where is Xiao Lei?"

"He went outside to play with some people," Wang Yuzhen said, then looked toward the door next to the dining room: "Where is my father?"

Mother Wang said: "A phone call came just now, and Li Shu called him away; I don't know what it's about."

Wang Yuzhen wasn't too surprised; at Wang Fu's level, there were basically no holidays, as matters were handled whenever they arose.

She then asked: "Did the Zhao Family say what time they are coming over?"

Previously, only today had been set, but the specific time hadn't been finalized, and Wang Yuzhen didn't know what time it was yet.

Mother Wang looked up at the large grandfather clock next to the stairs: "They said ten o'clock, probably a bit earlier; I estimate they'll arrive in about half an hour."

After finishing, she looked at Ning Weidong, broke a banana off the fruit platter on the table, and said: "Weidong, treat this place like your own home, no need to be reserved."

Ning Weidong smiled and took it: "Auntie, I know; my sister-in-law is just like my own sister." As he spoke, he peeled the banana and finished it in a few bites.

Mother Wang nodded; she had also come through the war years and had seen all sorts of people.

The young man before her could be considered composed and proper; he was neither too reserved to the point of appearing flustered, nor too relaxed to the point of appearing frivolous.

——