Chapter 11: The Matchmaking
Chapter 11: The Matchmaking
Zhou Yu rubbed his forehead with a slight headache. Although he really wanted to disappear directly to avoid this matchmaking session, he couldn’t do it.
Social etiquette was very important, whether in the village or the city. This matchmaking was no longer just his own business.
“Huzi, watch the house well.” He patted Huzi’s head, picked a few bunches of grapes from the tree, pushed his electric bike, and walked out of the yard.
After returning home, urged by his parents, Zhou Yu changed into a new outfit: a shirt, dress pants, and leather shoes.
The leather shoes had been polished shiny by his father, and the shirt and pants were smooth without a single wrinkle.
Just as he finished changing, Uncle Wang’s voice came from the yard. “Auntie, is Xiaoyu ready? The girl’s side is already prepared.”
“He’s ready, he’s ready. Xiaoyu, come out quickly.” Mother Zhou promptly replied, calling for Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu walked slowly out of his room, a smile on his face as he greeted, “Uncle Wang.” Since this matchmaking was unavoidable, he had to adjust his attitude. So, he didn’t harbor any particular emotions.
This Uncle Wang was a middle-aged man with a very noticeable mole on his face—perhaps the legendary matchmaker’s mole.
He had seen Uncle Wang occasionally before but wasn’t familiar with him. According to his parents, in recent years, Uncle Wang had successfully arranged many matches, becoming a well-known matchmaker far and wide—a matchmaker, that is.
“Well, I haven’t seen you in a few years, Xiaoyu has grown into a fine young man.” Uncle Wang glanced at Zhou Yu, a smile appearing on his face. This young man was tall and handsome. Based on his years of experience, this matchmaking had at least a seventy to eighty percent chance of success.
Then, Uncle Wang patted Zhou Yu’s shoulder and said to Mother Zhou, “Alright, Auntie, I’ll take Xiaoyu now.”
“Ahem, Uncle, I also want to go see this girl, just from a distance is fine.” Mother Zhou hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Uncle Wang shook his head and said with a smile, “Auntie, how can the mother-in-law see the girl first? It’s always the girl’s mother who checks out the prospective son-in-law first. Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything properly for Xiaoyu.”
“Alright then. Xiaoyu, have a good conversation with the girl.” Mother Zhou had to give up and instructed Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu nodded with a bit of a headache. “Mom, don’t worry.”
Just as Uncle Wang and Zhou Yu reached the doorway, they ran into Li Tianbiao. “Huh, Uncle Wang, what are you doing here? Oh, I know, are you taking Brother Universe to a matchmaking?” Seeing Uncle Wang, Li Tianbiao asked curiously, then suddenly understood. Actually, meeting his wife was thanks to Uncle Wang’s introduction.
“Biaozi, you already have a family and children. Now it’s naturally your cousin’s turn.” Uncle Wang looked at Li Tianbiao and said with a laugh.
Seeing Zhou Yu’s disdainful look, Li Tianbiao chuckled secretly. “Uncle Wang, where’s the meeting place? How are you planning to get there? Do you need me to drive you?”
“Oh, that would be great! Thank you, Biaozi. Then I won’t have to embarrass myself by taking out my family’s minivan.” Uncle Wang laughed heartily.
As they were leaving the house, Mother Zhou ran up and handed over a tote bag, pushing it into Zhou Yu’s hands without another word. “Xiaoyu, let the girl try the grapes from home.”
Seeing his mother stuff the bag into his hands and immediately turn back, Zhou Yu felt rather helpless and could only hold it.
“Brother Universe, the grapes from your old yard are really sweet. Last night, some guests tried them and even offered a hundred for a bunch, but my dad ignored them.” Looking at the bag in Zhou Yu’s hand, Li Tianbiao said with admiration.
Zhou Yu said matter-of-factly, “Of course we can’t sell them. The grapes grown in that yard are just enough for our own family to eat.”
Uncle Wang, standing nearby and hearing their conversation, couldn’t help but shake his head. Homegrown grapes, a hundred for a bunch? That must be a joke.
The three of them went to Li Tianbiao’s house and drove off in a car worth over a hundred thousand, heading to Xing’an Town, over ten kilometers away from Taoyuan Village.
On the way, Uncle Wang briefly told Zhou Yu some basic information about the girl. Other than that, he didn’t give any instructions like Mother Zhou had, because he clearly knew that most people coming to matchmaking were somewhat reluctant at heart.
The girl’s name was Liu Huihui, a student at a certain second-tier medical university in the provincial capital. As for her major, Uncle Wang wasn’t too sure. Her family conditions were average. She was one year younger than him, but her personal qualities were very good. In Uncle Wang’s words, she was pretty and sensible.
Zhou Yu naturally didn’t completely believe Uncle Wang’s introduction. Matchmakers always tried to portray both sides in the best possible light.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived in Xing’an Town. The matchmaking spot was at a dessert shop on one of the town’s commercial streets. After entering the town, Uncle Wang called the girl’s family, telling them they could set out.
Xing’an Town wasn’t too far from the city. Relying on convenient transportation and some tourism resources, its development could rival that of a small county town.
Soon, Li Tianbiao drove the car to the front of the shop named Sweetheart Cottage. After parking, Zhou Yu went in first to reserve a spot and ordered some drinks and desserts. The interior was nicely decorated, with a few young men and women sitting here and there.
After waiting at the entrance for a while, three women of similar age approached from not far away. Uncle Wang signaled to Zhou Yu, then led him forward to meet them.
They introduced each other. Zhou Yu learned the identities of the three women: one was the girl he was meeting, and the other two were her older sister and her close friend.
Then, they all entered the dessert shop together. Zhou Yu led Liu Huihui to the reserved spot, while Uncle Wang and Li Tianbiao sat with the other two women at a nearby empty table.
Zhou Yu signaled to the waitstaff. Two servers brought the items he had ordered earlier. Uncle Wang’s table also received a few drinks.
“Hello, my name is Zhou Yu. Nice to meet you,” Zhou Yu said with a smile on his face. This girl hadn’t smiled once since they met. Either she was nervous, or she didn’t take this matchmaking seriously.
The girl wore light makeup, her features looking somewhat delicate, which could be considered above average. As for her clothing and the small bag she carried, they all displayed a city dweller’s sense of fashion.
The girl slowly looked up at Zhou Yu, still expressionless, and said, “My name is Liu Huihui. Likewise, nice to meet you.”
“Let’s chat while we drink. Oh, these are grapes from my home, very sweet. You can try some.” Zhou Yu gestured toward the table, then suddenly remembered his mother’s instruction. He immediately took out the grapes from the tote bag and placed them on the edge of the table.
He could clearly tell Liu Huihui was distracted, but that actually suited his own thoughts. If you didn’t fancy someone during matchmaking, just say so directly. The most annoying thing was stringing someone along while looking for something better, treating others as backups.
The purple grapes were very noticeable on the table. Liu Huihui glanced up at the grapes, picked up her drink, and slowly sipped it.
“I heard from Uncle Wang that you just graduated from the provincial capital medical university. Can you tell me what your major was?” Zhou Yu proactively started a conversation.
“Nursing,” Liu Huihui uttered two words crisply.
Zhou Yu shook his head slightly. Generally, even if you didn’t fancy someone during matchmaking, you would still communicate politely. This girl clearly regarded him as an enemy. He picked up his drink, took a small sip, and said lightly, “Oh, nursing. That’s pretty good.”
After a moment of silence, Liu Huihui looked up, her tone somewhat cold as she asked, “I heard you graduated from university two years ago and have now returned to your hometown.”
“Yes, competition in the big city is too fierce. It’s more relaxing to return home, do some farming, and grow some flowers,” Zhou Yu said very casually.
“Don’t you think graduating from four years of university and returning to a place with no future like your hometown is really appropriate?” Hearing Zhou Yu’s words, Liu Huihui said with disdain.
Zhou Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “Miss Liu, I don’t think my hometown is a place with no future. Our roots are here. Also, I don’t think going to university is some grand, lofty thing.”
“Then we are completely unsuitable. I yearn for city life. I don’t want to stay at home for a single day. No matter how much you develop at home, it can’t give me the life I want.” Liu Huihui finally showed a smile on her face now, but it was a mocking one.
Zhou Yu nodded and stood up. “I understand. Thank you for your honesty, and thank you for coming to meet me. Goodbye.”
“Take your grapes with you too. I’m not used to eating grapes. Thank you.” Liu Huihui pointed at the grapes on the edge of the table with her finger. She stayed seated, showing no intention of getting up.
“Okay.” Zhou Yu smiled, without any particular emotion. He hadn’t cared about this matchmaking to begin with, and now even less so.
Then, he picked up the two bunches of grapes from the table, walked to the dessert shop’s counter, and after settling the bill, he placed the grapes on the counter. Smiling at the servers inside, he said, “Ladies, these are grapes I just picked from home. I’m giving them to you to try.”
After saying that, Zhou Yu turned and walked toward where Uncle Wang and the others were sitting. He nodded and said, “Uncle Wang, we’re finished talking. Let’s go.”
Uncle Wang sighed slightly. Even though there was some distance between him and Zhou Yu, he had heard some arguing from over there. This time, his judgment had been off. “Xiaoyu, you and Biaozi go back to the car first.”
Zhou Yu and Li Tianbiao walked out of the dessert shop together. “Brother Universe, don’t be sad. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Tomorrow, I’ll have my wife introduce you to another pretty girl.” Walking along, Li Tianbiao patted his shoulder to console him.
“Get lost. Why would I be sad? I never planned to get married right now anyway.” Zhou Yu pushed Li Tianbiao’s hand away, smiling.
They sat in the car for a while before Uncle Wang came over. After getting in the car, he sighed but said nothing. Their perspectives were different; there was simply no chance.
Back in the dessert shop, Liu Huihui, her sister, and her friend sat together, ordering some more food and happily discussing the just-concluded matchmaking process, seemingly unaffected.
The servers at the counter looked at these three women, feeling some disdain inside. They had been sitting relatively close to Zhou Yu’s table and clearly heard the conversation between the two. Zhou Yu, that sunny, handsome guy, had even made their hearts flutter a little.
Looking at the two beautiful bunches of purple grapes Zhou Yu had left behind, one server couldn’t resist plucking one and putting it in her mouth. Her face immediately showed surprise. “These grapes are so sweet! I’ve never eaten grapes this delicious before.”
Her colleagues around her, seeing her expression, were stunned. Wasn’t this acting a bit too exaggerated?
“Really, I’m not lying to you. These grapes are really sweet.” Seeing her colleagues’ expressions, the server spoke again, plucking another grape with her hand.
The other servers looked suspicious, each plucking a grape to taste. After tasting them, expressions of astonishment appeared on their faces, and they exclaimed one after another. “They really are sweet. Truly have never eaten grapes this delicious before.”
Hearing the servers’ words, Liu Huihui turned her head coldly to look at them, feeling as if this was a mockery directed at her. “Manager, where’s your manager? I want to complain. Your servers are being too loud and disturbing us.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man hurried over. “What are you all doing? Don’t you know it’s work time? Sorry, ladies, for disturbing your meal.”
“Teach them a good lesson, acting like they’ve never eaten grapes before.” Liu Huihui said coldly.
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, walked to the counter, and scolded the servers a few words.
“Manager, these grapes are really sweet. Try one. I think using them in our desserts would definitely be delicious.” The servers pointed at the grapes somewhat wrongfully.
The middle-aged manager was about to scold them again when he saw one server had already peeled a grape and was holding it out to him, looking at him with a pitiful expression.
“You guys, hurry up and tidy up.” The manager shook his head helplessly, unable to bring himself to scold them harshly anymore. Then, he took the grape the server offered and put it in his mouth.
When the manager tasted the grape in his mouth, his eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn’t help but pluck another one and put it in his mouth. “These… these grapes are really this sweet? Unbelievable. Who brought them? Contact them. We could purchase some. You’re right, using them in our desserts or juicing them would absolutely be very tasty.”
At this point, Liu Huihui’s friend couldn’t stand it anymore and strode over. “Are you acting too exaggeratedly? Have you really never had good grapes before? Let me see, are they really this sweet?”
As she spoke, she plucked a grape and put it in her mouth. She also exclaimed in disbelief. “Huihui, Huihui, these grapes are really sweet! Come try one. They’re better than any grapes we’ve eaten before.”
Looking at the expressions on her friend’s face, the dessert shop manager’s face, and those servers’ faces, Liu Huihui’s face suddenly turned somewhat pale, as if she felt she had missed out on something.