Chapter 51 – Going Together
But what about tomorrow…
Wen Yulan looked at her reflection in the water, lost in thought.
Tomorrow, when she meets Xu Xiangdong, will she reveal her true self?
Wen Yulan’s attractive eyebrows furrowed slightly, feeling conflicted.
In the end, Wen Yulan thought it would be better to wait a little longer, to see.
She didn’t want Xu Xiangdong to marry her just because of her face.
If possible, she hoped he would fall for her before seeing her face.
However, she decided to change her clothes; even though her house was usually well-kept, a little rearranging wouldn’t hurt.
*
On the other side, after receiving Wen Yulan’s affirmative response, Aunt Sun returned to Qinghe Production Brigade and informed Zhang Ailian that Wen Yulan had agreed. Tomorrow, they would bring Xu Xiangdong to see her.
[Oh, I really want to go too! I want to see what Wen Yulan looks like!]
When Aunt Sun, Zhang Ailian, and Xu Xiangdong discussed it, Xu Jinning was also present.
She really wanted to go because she was curious about Wen Yulan’s appearance.
In the book, although there weren’t many descriptions of Wen Yulan’s looks, a few lines hinted at her being astonishingly beautiful.
Wen Yulan’s character was also good, and she hoped Wen Yulan could become her sister-in-law.
However, she knew that marriage couldn’t be forced; both Xu Xiangdong and Wen Yulan had to like each other.
Wen Yulan liked her elder brother Xu Xiangdong, as mentioned in the book. But whether her brother would like Wen Yulan was uncertain.
She wanted to go and see, but as the younger sister-in-law, it seemed inappropriate to be present during such a meeting.
Xu Xiangdong naturally heard the thoughts of the little girl and raised an eyebrow slightly.
This little girl seemed quite interested in Wen Yulan.
Did she want to know what Wen Yulan looked like, or was she curious about how unattractive Wen Yulan might be?
Moreover, on what basis did this little girl think that he and Wen Yulan were a good match? It seemed like she really hoped that he and Wen Yulan would be together.
“Little girl, do you want to come with your big brother to see your sister-in-law tomorrow?” Xu Xiangdong asked.
“Ah, can I… can I really go?” Xu Jinning didn’t expect Xu Xiangdong to invite her. However, was it appropriate for her to attend such an occasion?
“Why would you want Ningning to go?” Zhang Ailian found it a bit strange, and such meetings for mutual observation usually didn’t involve bringing the younger sister-in-law.
“This sister-in-law will be part of the family in the future. Let Ningning, this girl, also see Wen Yulan’s character and whether the two can get along well.”
Xu Jinning slightly widened her eyes. Could it be like this?
[Is my cheap big brother really considering me? Does it mean if I’m not satisfied with the prospective sister-in-law, you won’t marry, and if I’m satisfied, you will?] Xu Jinning thought sarcastically in her mind.
Of course not! Xu Xiangdong replied in his mind.
However…
Since the little girl came to this family, she hadn’t made any requests or expressed any desires.
Honestly, although Xu Xiangdong was just her elder brother, he felt a sense of indebtedness to this little girl, especially considering his initially poor attitude towards her.
So, he wanted to pamper and indulge the little girl a bit more.
If the little girl had any requests, he wanted to fulfill them as much as possible.
Now, since she wanted to know what Wen Yulan looked like and seemed so excited about it, he decided to take her along.
“You little girl, do you really want to go? If you don’t want to…”
“I want to go!” Xu Jinning immediately agreed before Xu Xiangdong could finish his sentence.
Since Xu Xiangdong had actively invited her, she had no reason not to go.
“Alright, then we’ll go together tomorrow.”
The next day, after Aunt Sun arrived, they set off for the Dahe Production Brigade.
Aunt Sun was slightly surprised when she saw Xu Jinning also joining, but she didn’t say anything.
Holding Xu Jinning’s hand, Zhang Ailian walked beside her, while Xu Xiangdong and Aunt Sun led the way.
Probably considering Xu Jinning’s not fully recovered health, they didn’t walk too fast; in fact, they moved slowly with occasional stops.
Xu Jinning originally worried about whether she could make it through, but unexpectedly, she managed to endure the journey all the way.
Although she sweated on her forehead and felt a bit sore in her legs due to the extended walk, overall, she felt okay.
Perhaps her body, though weak, was accustomed to labor due to regular work.
However, she still preferred sitting in a vehicle over walking; without a car, even a bicycle would have been good.
Fortunately, Qinghe Production Brigade and Dahe Production Brigade were not too far apart. After walking for a little over an hour, they finally arrived.
“Hey, Sister Sun, why are you here at our Dahe Production Brigade? Is there something good happening?”
“Sister Sun, who’s the young man you’re bringing for a meeting? He looks quite handsome. How about considering him for my daughter?”
“Oh, isn’t this Xu Xiangdong? Sister Sun, are you bringing Xu Xiangdong to the Dahe Production Brigade for a meeting?”
…
Along the way, they encountered quite a few people. Everyone knew Sister Sun, a well-known matchmaker in the nearby production brigades. Seeing her accompanied by a young man, it was clear they were here for a meeting.
Surprisingly, the young man looked handsome, had a strong physique, appeared energetic, and was tall – seemingly a good son-in-law candidate.
While Xu Xiangdong’s name was famous in the nearby production brigades, not everyone recognized him because he didn’t frequently move around. Nevertheless, his presence left a positive impression.
Aunt Sun smiled and replied, “Exactly, I’m bringing this young man for a meeting.”
“This is Xu Xiangdong from Qinghe Production Brigade.”
“He’s here to meet your brigade’s Wen Yulan.”
These few sentences from Aunt Sun immediately caused a commotion among the onlookers.
“What? This is Xu Xiangdong? And he’s here for a meeting? Oh, why didn’t I know? I was even thinking about having my daughter meet him before.”
“Who did you say Xu Xiangdong is meeting? Wen Yulan? Are you kidding?”
“Is it really that orphan girl Wen Yulan?”
“Sister Sun, you must not pull strings randomly. What kind of person is Wen Yulan? How could you introduce her to Xu Xiangdong for a meeting? If there’s a meeting, it should be with our daughter.”
“Yeah, Xu Xiangdong, let me tell you, Wen Yulan has a bad reputation. She’s an orphan, parents gone a long time ago, and she’s tough. She’s known for being quarrelsome. Her relationship with her uncle and aunt is not good either. She even chased her uncle and aunt with a knife through the whole village before.”
“Exactly, she’s also quite ugly, and she has a dark complexion.”
“Wen Yulan and you are totally incompatible. You better not meet her.”
…
Xu Xiangdong initially had no intention of interrupting, just observing their conversation with Aunt Sun. However, he didn’t like what they were saying later.
Although he hadn’t seen much of Wen Yulan, apart from not being able to see her appearance clearly, she had left a positive impression on him. Certainly, she didn’t seem as bad as these people were describing.
