Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

On the other side, Qin Family Village.

Yi Zhonghai got up before dawn. Although the injury to his lower body had not fully healed, he still endured the discomfort and tidied himself up.

He specially changed into a Zhongshan suit today, his hair was neatly combed, and he was carrying two boxes of pastries and two bottles of wine.

Matchmaker Liu arrived at the Yi family's house early. After having some breakfast, the two went out together.

The journey from Sijiu City to Qinjiacun is not short.

Yi Zhonghai couldn't bear to spend money to hire a car, so he walked with Liu the matchmaker all the way, and after nearly two hours, they arrived at Qinjiacun at around nine o'clock in the morning.

When Yi Zhonghai arrived at the Qin family's door, he was already sweating profusely. He forced himself to stay awake and straightened his clothes.

Matchmaker Liu stepped forward and knocked on the door: "Sister-in-law Qin... Sister-in-law Qin, open... open the door, I... I've brought Master Yi!"

Footsteps came from inside the house, the door opened, and Qin's mother peeked out.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's impressive attire and the gifts he was carrying...

Qin's mother immediately put on a smile and said, "Oh, Master Yi, you've arrived! Please come in, please come in!"

Yi Zhonghai nodded politely and stepped into the main room of the Qin family.

Qin's father was already waiting inside. When he saw Yi Zhonghai come in, he stood up and greeted him, "Master Yi, please sit down."

Qin Huairu stood behind her father, secretly observing Yi Zhonghai.

Today's Yi Zhonghai is somewhat different from the one I met at Jia's house that day; he appears more composed and has a more sophisticated air about him, clearly a city dweller.

Yi Zhonghai sat down on the stool, placed the gift in his hand on the table, and got straight to the point: "Brother Qin, Sister-in-law Qin, I am honored to have come to your door today to discuss the marriage between my apprentice Jia Dongxu and your daughter Huairu."

Qin's father nodded, signaling him to continue.

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat and continued, "First of all, I want to apologize to Dongxu and his mother for their rudeness during the blind date that day."

"Dongxu's mother is ignorant and doesn't think things through. She made Huairu suffer that day."

"But I know Dongxu well. He's simple-minded and fell in love with Huairu at first sight. After Huairu left, he couldn't eat or drink."

"I am his mentor. I watched him grow up since he was a child and have always treated him like my own son. Seeing him so upset makes my heart ache too."

At this point, Yi Zhonghai sighed, a look of pity on his face.

Qin Huairu listened from the side, her heart stirring slightly.

Yi Zhonghai continued, "So today I've shamelessly come to your door to express my stance: I fully support this marriage."

"Although Dongxu's family is not well-off, he has a formal job as an apprentice in a steel rolling mill, where he is learning to be a fitter from me. This kid is hardworking and not unintelligent. With me looking after him, getting a permanent position and promotion will not be a problem."

"As for her life..." Yi Zhonghai paused, then looked at Qin's parents, "Rest assured, as long as I, Yi Zhonghai, am here, I will never let Huai Ru suffer any grievances after marrying into the family."

Qin's father finally spoke: "Master Yi, we understand your attitude, but there are some things we need to say upfront."

"Please speak," Yi Zhonghai said, adopting a posture of attentive listening.

Mr. Qin glanced at Qin Huairu and said, "Huairu is our youngest daughter. We've spoiled her since she was little. We don't expect her to be rich and powerful in the future, but at least she shouldn't live worse than she did at her parents' home!"

"Of course," Yi Zhonghai nodded. "I guarantee they'll have no worries about food and clothing after they get married."

Mr. Qin continued, "I also heard about the blind date that day. Dongxu himself said he wanted to buy a sewing machine..."

Yi Zhonghai immediately interrupted, "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of the sewing machine."

Qin's father and mother exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

They originally thought Yi Zhonghai would make excuses to refuse, but they didn't expect him to agree so readily.

"Master Yi, are you... serious?" Qin's mother couldn't help but ask.

"Seriously."

Yi Zhonghai solemnly said, "To be honest, before Dongxu's father left, he told me to take good care of Dongxu. His family is indeed not well-off, but since I promised to give him the sewing machine, I can't let Huairu down."

"I'll pay for it."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's gaze towards Yi Zhonghai completely changed.

A sewing machine, worth at least two million yuan, was taken by Yi Zhonghai without hesitation. Such generosity…

Yi Zhonghai took in their reactions, secretly pleased with himself, but still said sincerely, "However, I also have a favor to ask."

"Please speak," Qin's father said, his attitude softening considerably.

Yi Zhonghai slowly said, "We'll tell everyone that Dongxu's mother bought this sewing machine with her hard-earned money."

"That way, Huai Ru will look good when she marries into the family, and Dong Xu's mother will also feel better."

"After all, we'll be family in the future, and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is very important. We need to consider Huai Ru's long-term future."

Qin's father thought Yi Zhonghai was really foolish, and agreed, "Master Yi has considered things very carefully, so we will do as you say."

Qin's mother nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, Master Yi has thought of everything!"

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai felt a great weight lifted from his heart, knowing that the matter was seven or eight parts successful.

He struck while the iron was hot, then took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, opened it, and inside was a stack of brand-new banknotes.

"Here is two hundred thousand, considered as betrothal gifts." Yi Zhonghai pushed the cloth bag in front of Qin's father.

Qin's father's hands trembled as he looked at the stack of money.

They toiled in the fields for a living, and couldn't save much money throughout the year. The largest denomination in their home was a thousand-yuan bill.

"Master Yi, this...this is what we agreed on, 100,000..." Qin's mother said, but her eyes were fixed on the stack of money.

"Not much, not much," Yi Zhonghai said with a smile. "Huai Ru is such a good girl, she deserves all this."

He then looked at Qin Huairu and said gently, "Huairu, don't take what happened that day to heart. Dongxu's mother is just that kind of person; she's not a bad person, just a bit stingy."

"After you marry into the family, if you have any grievances, just tell your uncle, and your uncle will stand up for you."

Qin Huairu blushed slightly and whispered, "Thank you, Uncle Yi."

This address of "Uncle Yi" made Yi Zhonghai overjoyed.

The rest of the conversation was much more relaxed.

The two parties agreed on a general process: first, to arrange the engagement; then, to formally exchange betrothal gifts on a chosen date; and finally, to hold a banquet.

Yi Zhonghai promised that he would also help arrange the banquet and make sure it was a proper and respectable affair.

Around noon, Yi Zhonghai got up to say goodbye.

The Qin family of three escorted him all the way to the village entrance, their attitude being many times warmer than when they arrived.

On the way back to the city, Matchmaker Liu couldn't help but say, "Master Yi... you're so generous!"

Yi Zhonghai smiled but didn't say anything.

This amount of money was not small for him; it was almost half a year's salary.

But the money was well spent; he suddenly felt that Qin Huairu seemed more suitable to be his caregiver in his old age...

At this moment, Qin Huairu, who had returned home, was sitting on her kang (a heated brick bed), her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The marriage is now settled.

Although she still had some concerns about the Jia family, she felt much more at ease with Yi Zhonghai as her backer.

"Jia Dongxu is good-looking, has a job, and Uncle Yi helps him out... that's enough."