Chapter 596

Guo Jianjun is very popular.

Guo Jianjun is very popular.

It got to the point that many coworkers were joking, saying that Guo Jianjun, for just one day at their Red Star Police Station, turned the station into a matchmaking agency.

Long line. We'll translate: "Seeing these idle neighbors who insisted on getting close to Guo Jianjun, Liu Jianguo was also worried sick; he finally had no choice, thinking to first introduce a match for Guo Jianjun. Once a name was taken, it would dash the matchmakers' hopes, saving these people from loitering at the police station all day with various excuses, making outsiders think something big had happened, and even mistakenly reaching the superiors' ears, prompting them to call specially to inquire about the situation."

We need to keep all clauses. Ensure not to drop any.

During dinner, he complained to Yushui, saying Guo Jianjun's situation had put him in a bind; if he had known Guo Jianjun would bring him such big trouble, he shouldn't have hired Guo Jianjun in the first place.

Talent is talent.

There's also a lot of trouble.

The speaker means no harm, but the listener takes it to heart.

He Yushui and Guo Jianjun had the same idea; keeping the benefits within the family, he mentioned to his own elders, suggesting perhaps let You Fengxia try to get in touch with Guo Jianjun.

This young man Guo Jianjun, after Yushui was transferred away from the Red Star Police Station, had seen him several times.

He left a deep impression.

Tall, strong and sturdy, handsome, and his work is good too.

No wonder those girls had matchmakers propose to Guo Jianjun; otherwise I would have written him a love letter.

She said that if she were twenty years younger, she would also be attracted to Guo Jianjun.

She said she thought You Fengxia and Guo Jianjun were quite compatible, could try to matchmake them; if successful, You Fengxia would have support, Guo Jianjun would have a wife, and Liu Jianguo's big problem would be solved.

Liu Jianguo had eaten with You Fengxia several times, knowing she was a pretty, smart and capable girl, so he agreed to this matter, letting He Yushui go ahead and do it.

He Yushui didn't rashly go straight to You Fengxia and say outright 'I'll introduce you to a match'; she didn't do that.

Instead, she found Shazhu, told him she wanted to introduce a boyfriend to You Fengxia.

Shazhu knows the specifics of You Fengxia's situation, He Yushui knows too, and they both know that You Fengxia truly regards Shazhu as her brother.

As the old saying goes.

The elder brother is like a father.

After He Yushui found Shazhu and stated her purpose, she also took out Guo Jianjun's photo and let Shazhu look at it.

Shazhu glanced at the photo.

Really not bad.

A quite spirited young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, thinking he'd also be quite a match for You Fengxia, he nodded, approved the matter, and handed the photo to You Fengxia.

A graceful lady, a gentleman's good match.

When they met, the woman was beautiful, the man handsome, they naturally took to each other.

The only unfavorable condition restricting You Fengxia is that she lacks urban household registration.

At present.

The standard for judging a family's living conditions is whether the couple has work.

That is, the so-called dual-income household; best is a dual-income household from the same unit.

However, because You Fengxia is the person in charge of the second floor at Bai Xu Restaurant, the household registration issue is naturally not a problem, and moreover You Fengxia also has her own house in the Red Star Courtyard.

Although the house was given by Shazhu, the name on it reads You Fengxia's three characters; it's not far from where Guo Jianjun works, the house is fairly large, and the interior decoration is still okay.

Their conditions are also roughly equal.

Both parties entered into a passionate romance.

Today both are off; Guo Jianjun invited You Fengxia to go boating in the park, and also to discuss meeting each other's parents.

Because she is a runaway, having cut ties with her family, You Fengxia's marriage naturally falls to Shazhu and his wife, or alternatively He Yushui and his wife.

You Fengxia, having tidied up at home, thought to first go to Bai Xu to check in with Shazhu; but just as she stepped out of the house, she saw a woman in her early thirties, nearly forty, standing at her doorway, looking toward her home.

The woman's facial contours, when she was younger, could be considered a beauty's embryo; perhaps due to a bad marriage, the passage of years and life's pressures have left traces of time on her face.

Never seen before.

Yet she could tell the woman was obviously coming for her.

In You Fengxia's heart, a sense of vigilance rose.

During her time working at Bai Xu, she hadn't encountered few people who confessed to her; some, emboldened by drink, wanted to do indecent things after drinking, and were eventually driven out of Bai Xu.

She suspected the woman was coming to cause her trouble.

Felt somewhat fucked up.

Your man is flirtatious, what's that got to do with me, You Fengxia? You should discipline your man.

She took off the satchel from her shoulder, grabbed its strap with her right hand; this was a move she learned from Shazhu, allowing her to use the satchel as a meteor hammer when encountering bad people.

One must not have a heart to harm others, but must not lack a heart to guard against others.

That's roughly this kind of mindset.

Seeing the woman walk up to her, looking at her with an envious face, her eyes not hiding jealousy, You Fengxia slightly furrowed her brows.

Her gaze fell on Xiao Dang; after looking at Xiao Dang's attire, she overturned her previous thoughts, guessing Xiao Dang was a woman who had just returned from the countryside to the city.

She carried an aura of a rural woman.

You Fengxia is very familiar with this aura; when she first came to the capital, she also had the same earthy fragrance.

Suddenly she felt some sympathy for Xiao Dang.

They are both rural girls who came to the city to make a living, knowing each other's hardships, being looked down upon in every aspect; encountering a wicked mother-in-law like Jia Zhangshi makes life even more dire.

The only difference is that You Fengxia met Shazhu and became He Yushui's adopted sister, while the woman before her can only rely on herself and her man.

You Fengxia, overthinking, thought Xiao Dang was a rural girl who married a male educated youth sent to the countryside; after the youth returned to the city, he didn't act like Chen Shimei, but brought the woman from the countryside into the city.

Unconsciously she looked down on the Jia Family's Bangeng, who, in order to return to the city, essentially did the Chen Shimei thing of abandoning wife and children, and still wanted to marry her.

He doesn't even bother to look at himself, just that Bangeng's conduct.

I spit.

He steadied his mind and hurriedly asked a question before Xiao Dang could speak.

Auntie, you're looking for me?

Xiao Dang, whose heart was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, was instantly left defenseless by You Fengxia's words.

Auntie.

You dare call me auntie?

I, Xiao Dang, am only twenty-four this year; have you ever seen a twenty-four-year-old auntie?

But knowing that You Fengxia was a distant relative of Shazhu, worked at Bai Xu, and was a minor leader there, thinking that a county official is no match for a direct supervisor, and worrying that if she later went to work at Bai Xu she would be given a hard time by You Fengxia, she swallowed her displeasure and replied to You Fengxia: "You must be Dang Xianghong, right?"

Do you know me?

I know you, but you don't know me; I've only been back a few days, you're busy with work every day, leaving early and returning late. When I was in the courtyard, you were at work; when you came back, I was asleep. So I know your name is Dang Xianghong, you work at Bai Xu, but you don't know who I am.

Xiao Dang, with an eager tone, drew her closer to You Fengxia.

She learned this from Qin Huairu.

Her tone shifted.

She began to introduce herself.

My name is Xiao Dang, surname Jia.

By the time she finished speaking, You Fengxia already knew who the woman before her was.

Within the Siheyuan, there is only one household with the surname Jia.

The Jia Family, whom the folks of Zhong Yuan dislike as much as a bothersome dog.

When they first moved in, Shazhu, to prevent You Fengxia from being taken advantage of by the Jia Family, specifically told her about the Jia Family members: the lazy and gluttonous Jia Zhangshi, the scheming 'white lotus' Qin Huairu, the petty thief saint Bangeng, the little white-eyed wolf Xiao Dang, and Huaihua.

There is also the saying: "If you want to live well, guard against fire and theft, stay away from the Jia Family."

Upon hearing the other party announce her name, saying she was Xiao Dang of the Jia Family, You Fengxia's heart instantly surged with twelve parts of vigilance.

Within the Siheyuan, this saying is circulated.

Whether the Dayuan is chaotic or not, the Jia Family decides.

Knowing that the Jia Family had no good intentions in seeking her out, just as Bangeng had returned, Jia Zhangshi and Huaihua staged a show of force by slapping a label on her, sending Huaihua to call her to the Jia Family for a stewed chicken meal.

What are they scheming?

Do they really think You Fengxia can't see through it?

Mistaking Xiao Dang, who was blocking her path, for someone trying to set her up with Bangeng, she instantly lost any desire to speak to Xiao Dang.

After more than half a year of experience at Bai Xu, You Fengxia's scheming has grown considerably.

Whether she likes it or not, she doesn't like it.

Yet her facial expression gave nothing away.

She smiled at Xiao Dang and said, "Oh, you're Xiao Dang of the Jia Family; I've heard about you. When did you get back? Are you leaving again?"

Without waiting for Xiao Dang's reply, she added another sentence.

"Sorry, I have something to attend to; you go ahead and be busy, I'm leaving."

Xiao Dang heard this as an excuse from the other party, thinking that Shazhu's relationship with the Jia Family was very bad.

As the saying goes, icy cold does not form in a day.

Easing the relationship between the two families cannot be done with just a few words right now.

It must be gradually planned.

Xiao Dang perceptively saw the icy coldness in You Fengxia's eyes that kept people at arm's length, and in her heart she cursed Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu; since they weren't there, only the Jia Family widow could make You Fengxia so wary of the Jia Family.

She silently thought, "Not enough to succeed, more than enough to fail."

She forced a smile onto her face and tried to make her tone as gentle as possible.

"I'm looking for you for nothing special; I just came back and heard from my grandmother." Originally I wanted to quote Jia Zhangshi, but considering her character, I quickly changed it to the neighbors: "I heard from the neighbors that a celestial maiden has newly moved into the courtyard, and I wanted to get to know you. We all live in the same big courtyard, as the old saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, so we should interact more. The elders' affairs are none of our business as the younger generation; we will associate among ourselves. My personality, Xiao Dang, you'll come to know over time."

Although unaware of what scheme Xiao Dang was hatching, based on the experiences recounted by Shazhu and You Fengxia, she guessed that Xiao Dang harbored great ambitions and wanted to gain some benefits from her.

She muttered to herself, "Are the Jia Family treating her like a three‑year‑old?"

She turned and walked straight away.

Xiao Dang wasn't angry either; watching You Fengxia's retreating back, she slowly waved her hand and shouted.

"Dang Xianghong, watch your step on the road; if anything happens, give me a shout."

She wanted to achieve this through such a relationship.

To artificially create the appearance that we get along well.

When You Fengxia's figure disappeared at the junction of Zhong Yuan and the front courtyard's porch, Xiao Dang lowered her raised right hand and softly sighed.

"Ay!"

Just as the words fell,

a mocking voice rang in her ears.

Xiao Dang turned her gaze toward the direction the sound came from.

She saw Qin Jingru leaning against the doorframe at some point, wearing a scornful look at Xiao Dang, who was gazing longingly at You Fengxia.

One does not strike a smiling person.

The returning Xiao Dang.

She thought that with a thicker skin she could have anything.

Xiao Dang sweetly called out to Qin Jingru.

"Little Aunt."

Qin Jingru felt as if someone had stepped on her tail; she jumped up a foot or more on the spot, then, landing, she flusteredly said to Xiao Dang: "No, no, no, don't call me little aunt; I, Qin Jingru, have a thin fate and shallow blessings, I truly dare not have any kinship with your Jia Family; I, Qin Jingru, currently have no benefits that your Jia Family could scheme to gain from me, so don't try to get close; the Jia Family's attempts at closeness, I, Qin Jingru, dare not accept."

Xiao Dang was stunned.

Qin Jingru's words had a hidden meaning.

His resentment toward the Jia family widow grew ever stronger.

The entire Dayuan had at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight households, yet the Jia family widow, with her superb methods, actually caused twenty-five or twenty-six households to become wary of the Jia family.

He's really a talent.

This matter is settled.

"Auntie, what are you saying? Breaking bone still connected to flesh—I am Qin Huairu's daughter, you are Qin Huairu's paternal cousin, you must be my aunt."

"Bang!"

Qin Jingru, not wanting to waste words with Xiao Dang, turned and went back inside, slamming the door shut.

Seeing the wooden door still trembling, Xiao Dang's heart also turned cold; hoping for help from Xu Damiao was out of the question, so he could only hope for Shazhu.

He was dazed for a moment.

He said a sentence to Qin Jingru, who was hiding inside the house.

"Auntie, I'm heading back first."

He walked back to the Jia family with heavy steps.

He had just entered the door.

Jia Zhangshi, who could see clearly through the glass what was happening in the courtyard, immediately started complaining to Xiao Dang, blaming him for not knowing how to behave, for doing something that embarrassed the Jia family, and putting on a show of fawning over someone who was cold.

Xiao Dang glanced at Jia Zhangshi, sat down on the stool, motionless, lost in thought about the matter.

Jia Zhangshi reached out and handed the large tea jar to Xiao Dang.

Inside was cooled boiled water.

After taking the cooled boiled water from Jia Zhangshi's hand, Xiao Dang drank it all in one gulp, continued to think about the matter; the situation inside the Siheyuan seemed somewhat different from what Jia Zhangshi had described.

Qin Jingru did not live in the back courtyard, but had rented He Yushui's house.

You Fengxia also kept her distance from the Jia family.

Troublesome.

Worry appeared on Xiao Dang's face.

Jia Zhangshi looked at Xiao Dang's worried face and thought he was angry because Qin Jingru had given him the cold shoulder, so she first waved her hand in front of his face a few times.

Seeing Xiao Dang's eyes still dazed and unmoving,

She began to worry.

Bangeng would not be able to return for ten years; Qin Huairu had also broken ties with the Jia family; Laoqianpo, in order to secure her own old age, could only focus her efforts on Xiao Dang.

"Xiao Dang, what's wrong with you? Don't scare Grandma—your brother isn't here, your mother is about to remarry, Grandma only has you as her relative; if something happens to you, what will Grandma do?"

Tears streamed down.

She performed a tearful, sorrowful drama.