Silly Zhu's Blind Date, Picking Pockets from Both Sides

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was Sunday again.

Those who worked at the factory had a rare day off, and most of them went to the supply and marketing cooperative to line up to buy things.

Lin Zhen planned to take his wife and children to the lake to play now that spring had warmed up.

After breakfast, they were just about to set off.

Aunt Liu from the neighborhood committee came to the courtyard again to play matchmaker.

"Aunt Liu, you don't rest on Sundays either," Lin Zhen said with a smile.

"Alas! He Yuzhu from your courtyard is a key person of interest for the neighborhood committee. I must set him up this time, no matter what."

"Aunt Liu, please come in and have some water," Lou Xiao'e quickly invited her inside.

Since Aunt Liu had played matchmaker for her and her husband, Lou Xiao'e subconsciously regarded Aunt Liu as a mother after her own parents left. She felt particularly close to her whenever she saw her.

"Grandma Liu, Grandma Liu!" The four children also liked Aunt Liu very much when they saw her.

Aunt Liu took out a handful of milk candies from her pocket and said with a smile, "You four little tigers are so cute. Hurry up and share them."

Lou Xiao'e said, "You're giving the children things again."

Aunt Liu smiled, "I'm happy to. Haha, are you guys going out to play?"

Lin Zhen said, "No, we're not planning to go out. Please stay for lunch."

Aunt Liu smiled and said, "You're lying to me again. You've already wheeled out the bicycle, aren't you going out to play? Go ahead, it's warm today, and the peach blossoms in the suburbs have bloomed. I have to go find He Yuzhu, and I still have to go to other courtyards later."

"No rush, it's fine if we go in the afternoon."

At this moment, Silly Zhu was chatting with First Elder Yi Zhonghai by the door.

Seeing Aunt Liu from the neighborhood committee arrive, he acted like a mouse seeing a cat.

"First Elder, I can't chat with you anymore. I have to go to the steel rolling mill. The factory director is having a dinner party this afternoon." He said, lowered his head, and ran off.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, you stop right there!"

"Oh my~ Aunt Liu, why are you here again?"

"That's a question you should ask yourself. Xu Damao is no longer giving me any trouble, so why are you still dragging your feet? Seven hundred million people across the country are building the motherland together, and there's strength in numbers. Are you going to drag the country down?"

"Oh my goodness! How dare I? If you label me like that, even if I were Pigsy's own sister, I'd have to take a look."

Yi Zhonghai chuckled, "Zhu Zi, you haven't even looked yet, how can you speak nonsense? Cooperate well with Aunt Liu's work, no slacking!"

Silly Zhu chuckled, "With you two pressuring me, how could I dare to slack off? But Aunt Liu, aren't you going to ask Liu Guangtian first?"

"Liu Guangtian is much younger than you. I'm prioritizing you. Take a look at the photo. Liu Liping, a young girl who just started working at the thermos factory, twenty-one years old this year, educated, and a progressive young woman."

Silly Zhu shrank his head and chuckled, "Hehe, what kind of glass bottle or glass cup is this? The name is so..."

Silly Zhu stopped his teasing halfway through and fell silent. He was captivated by the girl in the photo.

"This... Aunt Liu, did you cut this out from some brochure? Does Liu Liping really look this beautiful?"

"Stop joking around, just tell me if it's okay or not?"

"It's okay!"

Yi Zhonghai also leaned over with a smile to look at the photo and nodded, "This girl looks dignified and prosperous, the kind who brings good fortune to her husband and family. Zhu Zi, you can't be picky anymore."

Silly Zhu chuckled, "If she looks like this and I'm still picky, then I'm truly an idiot."

He had been bothered by his sister He Yushui these past few days, who constantly urged him to confess to Qin Huairu.

But Silly Zhu knew that Qin Huairu wanted to maintain her reputation, and Jia Zhangshi would never allow her daughter-in-law to leave her family.

Therefore, even though he was at a loss for solutions, he could only sigh in frustration and dare not cross the line even a bit.

Silly Zhu also knew that he couldn't remain single any longer, especially after Xu Damao snatched Qin Jingru. He wanted to compete with Xu Damao even more.

He just couldn't find anyone comparable to Qin Huairu or Lou Xiao'e.

Now, Liu Liping, introduced by Aunt Liu, looked very beautiful in the photo, and he immediately agreed.

Aunt Liu said, "Alright then, I'll bring the girl over now so you can talk."

"Ah?! You're meeting directly? Shouldn't we wait a couple of days?"

"The young lady is a progressive youth of the new era, not like you being hesitant. Just wait, she'll be here soon."

Silly Zhu chuckled, "Who says I'm hesitant? I just think the house is messy. That's right, I need to tidy up the room quickly!"

Yi Zhonghai smiled and asked, "Zhu Zi, aren't you going to the steel rolling mill?"

"It's not too late to go in the afternoon, this is important."

Their conversation was overheard by Qin Huairu in the west house, and she felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Looking out through the window, she saw Silly Zhu happily running back into the house. Yi Zhonghai glanced in Qin Huairu's direction and then turned back into his own house.

Qin Huairu pondered for a while.

She immediately picked up a large basin of clothes and went out, slowly washing them in the courtyard, waiting to see what the girl looked like.

Not long after, Aunt Liu, smiling, led a graceful girl into the courtyard.

Liu Liping was half a head taller than Qin Huairu, dressed elegantly and appropriately, with a dignified appearance. Her eyes were clear and bright, giving the impression of someone intelligent and sharp.

"Aunt Liu, who is this sister you're introducing? She's so pretty!" Qin Huairu asked with a beaming smile.

"He Yuzhu, you're doing laundry."

"Yes, yes, Silly Zhu, come out quickly, Aunt Liu is here!"

Silly Zhu was flustered inside the house, having just put on his leather shoes.

When Qin Huairu called him that, he felt a bit displeased. "Hey! This Qin Huairu! Couldn't she just call me He Yuzhu!"

Liu Liping, hearing Qin Huairu call him that, felt a bit wary. A nickname with "Silly" in it wasn't exactly a good thing.

Silly Zhu rushed out, smiling broadly. "Aunt Liu, you're here. Please, come in and sit. I just brewed some tea."

Liu Liping looked at He Yuzhu. He didn't look foolish at all; rather, he seemed honest and kind. He was also dressed properly and had a pair of new leather shoes on.

The reservations she had melted away.

Liu Liping followed Aunt Liu into the house. Just then, Xu Damao was pushing his bicycle out and happened to see this scene.

Xu Damao was instantly captivated by Liu Liping's elegant and dignified demeanor.

He chuckled dazedly, "Oh, Aunt Liu, are you introducing a sister to Silly Zhu?"

When Qin Huairu had called him Silly Zhu earlier, Aunt Liu had already felt a bit bothered. Now Xu Damao was calling him Silly Zhu again.

She thought, What's wrong with the people in this courtyard? It's like they're trying to make him look bad.

Aunt Liu's smile faded slightly. "Xu Damao, you find yourself someone and you won't have to worry about me. He Yuzhu is honest, I need to look after him."

Xu Damao laughed. "Ah, right. I won't disturb you. I still have to go to the publicity department. I'm showing a movie at a sister unit tonight."

Silly Zhu wished he could run over and slap Xu Damao right then, but he still smiled, "Everyone in the courtyard likes to joke around. They just call each other names for fun."

Liu Liping smiled. "Then you must be quite popular."

Aunt Liu said, "You two chat. I'll go to the front courtyard to talk with Lou Xiao'e for a bit."

Compared to Liu Liping's composure, Silly Zhu seemed a bit reserved.

They talked about their work and family situations for a while. In just a few sentences, Liu Liping had gotten the full picture of Silly Zhu's background.

His mother had died early, and his father had gone away. In the courtyard, he and his sister He Yushui were the only family they had.

In the back courtyard, there was a Deaf Old Lady who doted on him, and in the middle courtyard, a First Aunt had helped look after his sister.

Everyone in the courtyard called him Silly Zhu, but he was warm-hearted and never held grudges.

He was indeed someone worth getting to know.

"It's getting late. Let's call it a day. I have something to attend to, so I should head back now."

Silly Zhu said anxiously, "Don't go! Have lunch here with Aunt Liu today. You can see my cooking skills."

"No, maybe tomorrow. If I have time tomorrow afternoon, I'll come find you."

Liu Liping said, then got up to leave. Silly Zhu quickly escorted her to the front courtyard gate.

When he returned, he was ecstatic. This is promising!

"Silly Zhu, how did it go?" Qin Huairu asked eagerly, seeming even more concerned than he was.