Chapter 424 - 209: Wait, Bro, Are You For Real?

Chapter 424: Chapter 209: Wait, Bro, Are You For Real?

"What do you mean by ’winning over Teacher Song and getting in the door of the Song Family’?" Zhou Ming asked, looking at him.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Zhou Yan said.

"But..." Zhou Ming scratched his head. "Isn’t that a little inappropriate? I’ve only known Teacher Song for a short while."

"Bro, you met her through proper channels. No need to be shy," Zhou Yan said, rolling his eyes at him.

"But..."

"Besides, you two already eat together and commute to and from work every day. Isn’t that much better than an arranged marriage, where a matchmaker introduces you, you meet once, and the wedding is set? Way better than all that ’marry first, love later’ stuff. Don’t be a block of wood. When she does something, you have to respond enthusiastically," Zhou Yan said with a serious expression. "But you also have to get the boundaries right. Even though Teacher Song is nice to you, it might just be because she’s a kind person who cares about a new colleague. If you maintain the relationship well, then one day, when you’re walking her home, if she invites you in for a cup of tea, just go in. Wouldn’t that be your chance to meet Grandmaster Song Changhe?"

"That makes sense." Zhou Ming nodded repeatedly as he listened, looking like he was about to take out a notebook and start writing things down.

After a moment, Zhou Ming looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Zhou Yan, you seem to know a lot about this. Have you dated before?"

Zhou Yan: ...

’Way to bring up a sore subject.’

’He might not have dated before, but was he really someone starved for affection?’

’In his past life, people who wanted to date him had formed a virtual line on the internet, and he hadn’t let a single one of them succeed!’

’The number one model of purity and integrity in the entire influencer world.’

’The occasional young ladies he met up with offline didn’t count, of course.’

In his view, when it came to human interaction, sincerity was always the ultimate move.

Zhou Ming was a sincere and simple person. Just being himself was enough.

But being too naive wasn’t good either. Some progress had to be made, or he’d never even dare to enter the Song Family’s home. Grandmaster Song wasn’t getting any younger.

After a few more words of idle chat, Zhou Yan went back to the kitchen to braise the vegetarian dishes.

Zhou Ming followed him into the kitchen, greeted Mrs. Zhao and the others, and pulled up a small stool to sit nearby and join the Dragon Gate Formation.

In those days, without cell phones, people loved to gather for a Dragon Gate Formation whenever they got together.

"So, has Zhou Ming been transferred back to the No. 1 High School for good? Or will you have to go back to Mount Emei later?" Mrs. Zhao asked.

"This is considered a temporary assignment. I’ll probably have to go back to Mount Emei after the New Year," Zhou Ming replied.

"It would be great if you could get transferred back for good. You’d be closer to home, and your aunt is always wondering when you two brothers will finally get married," Zhao Hong said with a smile.

"Well, Zhou Ming here has nothing to worry about. He’s handsome and distinguished, a national martial arts champion, and a teacher. Finding him a match will be a piece of cake." Mrs. Zhao looked at Zhou Ming with a wide smile and said, "How about a girl from Mount Emei? Want me to ask around for you later?"

"Mrs. Zhao, no, no, there’s no need. I’m still young, I’m not in a hurry." Zhou Ming waved his hands repeatedly, already struggling to fend off the enthusiastic aunties.

After soaking for long enough, the braised meats were taken out of the pot one by one.

Zhou Yan picked out a pig’s ear and a piece of pig snout, sliced them for an assorted platter, then added half a pound of sliced pig head meat, packing it all into the lunch box Zhou Ming had brought.

"Isn’t this a little too much? Especially the braised pig head meat. I don’t think she likes fatty meat," Zhou Ming said hesitantly, looking at the two aluminum lunch boxes that were packed to the brim.

"It’s perfect that she doesn’t like fatty meat. You just eat a little less later. If you can’t finish it, let Teacher Song pack it up and take it home," Zhou Yan instructed him. "As long as Elder Song gets to taste this braised meat, it might even create some other connections. People who like to drink can rarely resist a bite of braised pig head meat like this."

"Okay, I’ll listen to you." Zhou Ming nodded, carefully placing the lunch boxes into a net bag and tying it tight. Looking at the pile of braised pig’s trotters in a wicker basket to the side, he asked, "Should I bring a braised trotter too?"

"Are you made of money or something? A braised trotter, and what’s next, half a pound of beef?" Zhou Yan said with a hint of exasperation. "You have to reveal good things slowly. A perfect sense of boundaries is what makes people feel comfortable, not pressured."

"You’re right. That was presumptuous of me," Zhou Ming reflected deeply.

"Just bring something every now and then. It’s the back-and-forth that counts."

"How much is it?" Zhou Ming asked, taking out his wallet.

"It’s on the house," Zhou Yan said, waving his hand.

"I can’t do that. I’ll be coming back to buy other things next time." Zhou Ming glanced at the menu, took out three yuan, and placed it on the table. He picked up the lunch boxes and headed for the door. "I’m off."

With a sigh of resignation, Zhou Yan put the money into the cash box and went back to the kitchen.

"Bringing that to a girl?"

"A girlfriend?"

"How long have you been seeing her?"

The moment Zhou Yan stepped into the kitchen, he was pinned by three pairs of eyes. The trio’s gossiping souls were burning brightly.

"A colleague, not a girlfriend," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"A female teacher, is it? Not bad, not bad. So Zhou Ming has finally gotten the hint!" Mrs. Zhao said with a beaming smile. "Maybe we’ll even be drinking at their wedding feast by the New Year."

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was taken aback. "The New Year is just over a month away, isn’t it? How could there be a wedding feast already?"

Mrs. Zhao laughed. "What’s so strange about that? Your father and I were introduced by a matchmaker, met once, and were engaged within a week. We picked a suitable date and got married the very next month."

Zhao Hong chimed in with a laugh, "It was the same for me and Zhou Fei. Our aunt brought Zhou Fei over to my house to meet. We hit it off, and the next month we got our marriage license and held the wedding. In the blink of an eye, it’s already been sixteen or seventeen years."

Seeing the smiles on their faces, Zhou Yan couldn’t help but smile himself.

In this era, this was how most love stories began.

Old Xu just had to nod his head and he got himself a beautiful wife.

When Xiuzhi fled the famine, she took ninety-seven percent of a Sichuan woman’s gentleness with her. All that was left was the threat, "I’m gonna count to three."

While not every marriage was a happy one, at least the women who married into the Zhou Family all lived well.

Zhou Yan didn’t say much more about Teacher Song. The girl’s reputation was at stake, and he wouldn’t dare to gossip carelessly.