Chapter 130: Chapter 127: Thank You for Your Concern

The old lady was grinning from ear to ear. She looked at Yang Dingbang and said, “Now you can relax, right?”

“Of course I can relax with her help,” Yang Dingbang replied with a smile.

Li Xiangyang glanced at Lin Lan and asked with a smile, “Lin Lan, aren’t those big fat pigs of yours about ready for market?”

Lin Lan shook her head. “Another two months. You can come pick them up at the end of December. I’m planning to butcher one and keep one. I’ll invite you all over for a feast with the fresh pork then.”

Li Xiangyang nodded with a smile. “Great, we’ll definitely be there.”

The old lady glanced at Li Xiangyang and Lin Lan. ’Ding Bang told me Xiangyang likes Lin Lan, and I didn’t quite believe it. But looking at them now, it seems the boy really has fallen for her.’

’Xiangyang is a responsible man. If they could get together, Lin Lan and Little Douzi would have someone to rely on. But would Old Li agree to it?’

Lin Lan glanced at the time. “Grand-aunt, Little Douzi is about to get out of school, so I should be heading back now.”

“Go on, then!” the old lady said with a smile.

After Lin Lan left, Li Xiangyang and Yang Dingbang started walking out together. “I’ll go back and arrange for some people to come pick up the pigs after dark,” Li Xiangyang said.

Yang Dingbang nodded, his tone growing heavy. “I didn’t realize how thin she was until she was in the hospital. She weighs less than Dandan.”

“Being thin isn’t a problem, as long as there aren’t any other health issues. Look at my old man—the doctor says he’s too fat and it’s bad for his health.”

“I had the doctor give her a full check-up. Her heart and everything is fine, it’s just her lower back. It’s from all the years of hard work when she used to sell snacks.” Yang Dingbang sighed. “Now she’s completely fixated on me finding someone else, and fast. But finding a wife isn’t like shopping, where you just see something you like, pay for it, and bring it home. And besides, I have Dandan.”

Li Xiangyang chuckled. “I heard from Xiuyun that an old classmate of hers is a nice person. She’s planning to have you meet her after your grandma gets out of the hospital.”

“A meeting is a meeting. I’ve got thick skin these days.” Yang Dingbang grinned, shooting him a sideways glance. “Master Li came to see Grandma the other day. He said your aunt is bringing some ’village belle’ over for you to meet. Supposedly in the next day or two!”

Li Xiangyang rolled his eyes at him. “You think I don’t know? Instead of talking my old man out of it, you’re egging him on.”

Yang Dingbang gave him a light punch on the chest. “You ungrateful brat, Xiangyang-hua. And after I just helped you out in the Eucalyptus Forest.”

Li Xiangyang shuddered in disgust. “Yang Manzi, if I catch a cold from those chills you just gave me, I’m coming to you for damages.” With that, he hopped on his bike and pedaled away.

Yang Dingbang watched him tear off on his bike, shaking his head with a smile, then got on his own bike to go pick up Dandan.

As Li Xiangyang rode past Lin Lan’s house, he saw the courtyard gate was open. Wangcai, who was lying by the entrance, got up and trotted over, wagging his tail. Li Xiangyang stopped to give the dog a pat before getting back on his bike and heading home.

He had just reached his own gate when he heard his great-aunt’s boisterous laughter coming from the courtyard. Frowning, he rode his bike straight in.

Several people were sitting in the courtyard. Among them was a lovely-looking girl with a thick braid, who turned to glance at him, her face instantly flushing red.

A tall, thin woman smiled. “Ah, Xiangyang’s back! Come, have a seat.”

The round-faced woman sitting beside her looked him over. “My, my! You can tell he’s a young man from the city. So sharp-looking.”

Seeing his son wasn’t even cracking a smile, Old Li quickly jumped in to smooth things over. “Sister-in-law,” he said with a laugh, “his good friend’s grandmother got out of the hospital today, and he went to help out.”

“I know he’s a busy man!” the great-aunt said cheerfully to the girl with the braid. “Huifang, see? Your aunt didn’t lie to you! Our Xiangyang has it all—wealth, looks… His build and face are much better than that Li Xiangyang from the movies.”

The shy Huifang glanced at Li Xiangyang again and gave a barely perceptible nod.

Everyone in the courtyard grew excited. ’She’s interested!’

The great-aunt turned to Li Xiangyang. “Xiangyang, this is my niece from my side of the family, Huifang. She’s the prettiest girl in the Central Brigade, a junior high graduate, too. She was *this* close to testing into a technical college…”

“Great-aunt!” Li Xiangyang cut her off. “I appreciate you going to all this trouble, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

The smiles on the faces of the guests instantly vanished. They all turned to look at Old Li.

The great-aunt glared at Old Li, displeased. “Brother-in-law, I told you about this days ago! Didn’t you and your son talk this over? You wait until I’ve brought her all the way here to say something like this? Aren’t you just trying to humiliate me?”

Master Li, who had arranged this meeting without consulting his son, turned away sheepishly and snapped, “Xiangyang, what kind of way is that to talk to your great-aunt?”

Li Xiangyang decided it was time for some drastic measures. ’Let Great-aunt spread this around to all the relatives. It might finally stop Dad from constantly asking them to find me a match.’

“Dad, have you forgotten what happened five years ago when you asked Great-aunt to help find me a match? How did she reply then? And Great-aunt, surely you haven’t forgotten how you humiliated my father back then!”

When Li Xiangyang was eighteen or nineteen, Old Li had worried that his own past would drag his son down, leaving him a lifelong bachelor. Swallowing his pride, he had gone to ask his three sisters-in-law for help with matchmaking. The second and third great-aunts had refused to even see him.

The eldest great-aunt had taken his gifts but still gave Old Li a vicious tongue-lashing. She’d told him he was wasting his time. With a family background like theirs, she said, no one would even take his son as a live-in son-in-law.

“You—!” The great-aunt was so furious she started screaming. “You son of a bitch! No matter what, I’m not as bad as some people! So ungrateful, and all for a man, even putting it in the papers…”

“Sister-in-law!” Old Li yelled, his face ashen. He turned to the other guests, clasping his hands and bowing in apology. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. This was my fault, I wasn’t thoughtful enough. I apologize to all of you.”

The round-faced woman angrily pulled a mortified Huifang to her feet. She glared at the great-aunt. “And you, Big Sister! You brought us all the way here without getting a clear answer first. Plenty of men want to court Huifang. We don’t need to beg to be humiliated like this.”

The other guests also stood up, their faces full of anger. “Let’s go, let’s go. So what if he’s a black-market pig dealer who’s raised a few extra hogs? What’s so amazing about that?”

“Exactly! Nothing to be so smug about. Sooner or later, he’ll end up just like before—paraded through the streets with a shit bucket around his neck!” the great-aunt cursed, her eyes full of malice as she glared at Li Xiangyang.

Then she turned away, her expression changing in an instant. She lovingly took the young Huifang’s hand. “Don’t be upset, dear. What’s so great about some stinking pig butcher? Your aunt will find someone to introduce you to a man with a proper iron rice bowl.”

Leaning against his bicycle, Li Xiangyang almost laughed out loud watching her. ’Now *that’s* what you call a quick-change artist! She’s more skilled than the masters in the opera.’

Old Li forced a smile, gave each of the departing guests a strip of cured meat as a peace offering, and saw them to the gate. When he returned, his face was a mask of fury. He pointed a finger at Li Xiangyang. “That was a perfectly good girl! And you still turn your nose up at her? Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?”

Li Xiangyang approached him with a cheeky grin and put a hand on his arm. “Dad, just stop asking people to play matchmaker from now on. I already have someone I like. Once she agrees to be with me, I’ll let you know so you can arrange a proper go-between.”

Old Li shot him a look. “Stop trying to pull one over on your old man.”

’But he wasn’t really that worried anymore. Things had been getting better and better these past few years. He’d heard from Dongzi that government policies were going to keep improving. In another two years, when they could finally be open about their family’s assets, would he really have to worry about Xiangyang not finding a wife?’

Li Xiangyang laughed. “How would I dare? Think about it. When have I ever said something like that before?”

Old Li looked at him, half-believing. “Fine, then. I’ll be waiting.”

****

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