The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 517: Chapter 515: Blind Date (Part 1) (Vote for monthly tickets!)

Jiang Feng, harboring an unspoken secret, quickly washed up and returned to his room. He turned off the lights, got into bed, and lit up his phone’s screen.

Thanks to the screen’s glow-in-the-dark feature, he could see clearly even in the pitch-dark room.

Now, in his item bar lay three segments of memory, each from a different person—Jiang Xiaoran, Sir, and Mrs. Jiang.

What excited Jiang Feng the most was, of course, Mrs. Jiang’s memory.

After all, which grandson wouldn’t want to see what their own grandmother looked like when she was young? Or even during her middle age, for that matter.

Neither Sir nor Mrs. Jiang had any awareness of taking photos when they were young, so not a single picture of them remained.

With a heart full of excitement, Jiang Feng gently touched [A Segment of Zhao LanHua’s Memory] and clicked Yes.

In an instant, Jiang Feng was enveloped in dense fog.

“Lanhua, listen to what your auntie is saying. Jiang may be a bit older, but he’s definitely no trouble at all. An outsider, I heard he’s a Beiping person, and only came to settle down here after all his family died, which is why he hasn’t taken a wife at his age. Just like your Master Huang, he works in the state-run restaurant. Jiang’s skills are really something else; in no more than two years, he’s sure to become a head chef.”

As the fog cleared, Jiang Feng found himself in a spartan room with none other than the younger Mrs. Jiang and a slightly plump auntie, both sitting on the only two chairs in the room and chatting.

The room was cramped, apparently partitioned off from another room, and contained just a cupboard, a table, and two chairs. The chairs were very old, while the table looked rather new and of decent wood quality.

If it weren’t for the plump auntie calling Mrs. Jiang “Lanhua,” Jiang Feng would never dare to recognize the young girl with her head bowed as his grandmother.

She was too thin, the kind that was skin and bones. Because of her thinness, she appeared small and frail. Where her skin showed, there was hardly any flesh to be seen, just bones with a layer of skin stretched over them. Her hair was an unhealthy yellow, obviously the result of chronic malnutrition.

In Jiang Feng’s memory, Mrs. Jiang had always been the round, full-bodied old lady, not this poor, emaciated young girl.

The plump auntie was quite the talker, and Zhao LanHua (to avoid breaking character, she will be referred to as Zhao LanHua in the narrative) didn’t say a single word before the auntie launched into a long speech.

“Jiang doesn’t talk much, but he has a good heart, cold on the outside but warm on the inside. When you meet him, if he’s stern and quiet, don’t be sad; that’s just how he is. If he doesn’t talk, you start: ‘Lanhua, listen to your auntie, you’re not getting any younger. If you keep waiting, you’ll end up an old maid.’ Jiang is really a good kid. If auntie were 20 years younger, I’d marry him myself—much better than your Master Huang! You must seize this opportunity and not let it slip by,” the plump auntie advised fervently.

Jiang Feng listened for a while and managed to understand that Mrs. Jiang was on a blind date, and it seemed that her suitor might actually be Sir.

The plump auntie sitting opposite Mrs. Jiang was most likely Master Huang’s wife.

“Auntie, do you think he will mind that I’m older?” Zhao LanHua raised her head, her face filled with worry.

Jiang Feng finally got a clear view of her face. There were traces of the plumpness she would have later, a very ordinary face, but it looked peculiarly delicate because of its smallness.

She had been underfed.

“How could that be? I told Jiang all about your situation beforehand, and since he agreed, that means he doesn’t mind,” the plump auntie reassured her. “Besides, even if you are older, Jiang is even older; he’s nearly 30. But don’t worry, Lanhua. Even though Jiang is almost 30, he looks young, just like a man in his twenties.”

“Won’t she despise our family…” Zhao LanHua still looked worried.

“Not at all, not at all.” The plump aunt waved her hand, “Jiang has a much higher level of ideological awareness than the average person. Master Huang is a straightforward guy and when he introduced the situation, he told Jiang everything about your family situation without holding anything back. Jiang didn’t think about it that way at all. Besides, even if your mother gave birth to 5 girls, the eldest is still a boy, isn’t he? Your family does have a boy, and both your eldest and second sisters are young and can still have children. Having two daughters doesn’t mean they can’t have a son. Don’t listen to the village gossip saying that your family can’t have sons, it’s all feudal superstition!”

“Having boys or girls is the same, women can hold up half the sky!” The plump aunt had a face full of righteous indignation.

The glory of socialism suddenly illuminated the whole room.

“Mhm!” Zhao LanHua gained a bit more confidence, “Auntie, please tell me more about him! I’m still a little…”

“Nervous, is that it? Let me tell you, when it comes to match-making, girls are generally nervous. Not to mention girls, some young men are even more nervous than girls. Let me tell you, the first impression is very important, hitting it off is better than anything. Jiang is now a permanent worker. In the entire state-owned restaurant, other than Master Huang, it’s him. Sometimes when the leaders come, they specifically ask for him to cook. He also takes two days a month to do some extra work, earning more than Master Huang.”

“Moreover, Jiang is on his own, his wages aren’t spent on supporting an entire family but just himself. His financial condition is much better than those twenty-something-year-old guys. When it comes to getting married, buying a radio I think won’t be a problem at all. So long as you two hit it off and get married, you can apply for a marriage house, don’t worry about not having a place to live. And working at a state-owned restaurant means having stable hours without night shifts, plenty of perks, and no shortage of food – especially meat. Look at my figure, you have no idea how many people in the city envy me!” The plump aunt bragged with pride.

Zhao LanHua looked at the aunt with admiration, her face full of envy.

“LanHua, let me tell you, if you and Jiang make it, you can be like your auntie too!” The plump aunt encouraged.

Zhao LanHua, somewhat nervous, tugged at the jacket she was wearing.

The only new item she had on was this jacket.

The plump aunt noticed Zhao LanHua’s gesture and laughed heartily, “Is the jacket newly made?”

“Yes, it was made last year. My mom told me to save it for match-making meetings, and today is the first time I’m wearing it.” Zhao LanHua nodded.

“It looks very nice. I’ve always said that our LanHua is the prettiest girl in the village. When Jiang sees you, he will definitely not be able to take his eyes off you. It’s about time. Jiang got off work early today. I will take you there, and later let Jiang show you around. You two can get to know each other.”

After saying this, the plump aunt got up and led Zhao LanHua out of the room.

Upon leaving, Jiang realized they had been on the second floor of the tube-shaped apartment. On the first floor there was a public toilet and kitchen, where several women were washing vegetables and greeted Zhao LanHua and the aunt with smiles as they came out.

“Yo, Zaohua, taking your niece out?”

Jiang suspected that the people of Zhaojia Village all included ‘flower’ in their girls’ names.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“She rarely comes to the city, just taking her out for a stroll.” Zhao Zaohua said with a smile, not revealing that Zhao LanHua had come to the city for a match-making meeting.

Zhao Zaohua led Zhao LanHua out of the residential area, turned several streets, and after about more than 10 minutes, they arrived at the state-owned restaurant’s entrance.

“Jiang is new to match-making, lacking experience and not knowing how to choose a place – who would pick their workplace for a first match-making meeting. Fortunately, he works at the state-owned restaurant. If it were a factory, LanHua, you wouldn’t even be able to get in.” Seeing Zhao LanHua was still a bit nervous, Zhao Zaohua joked with a smile, “LanHua, don’t be shy about what you want to eat later, let Jiang cook for you, he’s really skilled at it.”