Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

After my uncle's family slammed the door and left, the atmosphere at home became somewhat somber.

In the oppressive silence, Wang Xiuying's cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly started buzzing.

The screen displayed the name "Yang Xiujuan"—Yang Fan's cousin, who married into the neighboring Lijiazhai village. They didn't see each other often, but their relationship was alright.

Wang Xiuying wiped her hands, picked up her phone, took a deep breath, and then pressed the answer button:

"Hello, is this Xiujuan?"

A cheerful and warm voice came from the other end of the phone: "Sister-in-law Xiuying! Are you home? Did I disturb you?"

"No, no, I didn't mean to bother you." Wang Xiuying forced a smile. "Is there something you need, Xiujuan?"

"Oh, it's just that we mentioned it before!" Yang Xiujuan's voice came through the receiver, and the other three people in the room could also vaguely hear it:

"You said Fanfan doesn't have a boyfriend yet, and asked me to keep an eye out for her."

"What a coincidence! My husband's niece, who just graduated, came back and is working as a temporary substitute teacher at the town's elementary school. She's quite quiet, and her family is doing alright!"

Wang Xiuying was stunned for a moment before she remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.

That was several months ago, when I casually mentioned it while at a market, and I never expected my aunt to actually remember it.

"Ah...yes, that's true." Wang Xiuying glanced at her son by the window.

"I think this girl is really great! She'd be a perfect match for Fanfan!" Yang Xiujuan exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Are you free tonight? Why don't you bring Fanfan over? It'll be at my place, so the two young people can meet and chat!"

"Whether it works out or not is another matter, let's get to know each other first!"

Wang Xiuying hesitated. Having just gone through what happened to her older brother, who was in the mood for a blind date?

But then I thought about it again, and my aunt meant well. Besides, her son was indeed quite old. In the village, kids his age were already running around.

She covered the microphone and whispered to Yang Jianguo, "It's Xiujuan. She said she introduced a girl to Fanfan and wants him to come over tonight to meet her."

Yang Jianguo exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a muffled voice, "You handle it."

Wang Xiuying then looked at her son: "Xiaofan, your aunt called and said she introduced you to a girl. She wants you to go and meet her now."

Yang Fan frowned immediately: "Mom, what time is it? If you say anything more, I'll..."

"It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look," Yang Jianguo suddenly said, his voice sounding somewhat tired.

"Staying at home is boring anyway. You're not getting any younger, it won't hurt to see people."

Yang Ya immediately jumped up: "Me too! Brother, I'll go with you!"

She was not happy about her brother going on a blind date; Xiaoyu was so much better!

But she didn't dare say it outright; she could only think of going along to "check things out."

Looking at the lingering gloom on his parents' faces and the faint expectation in their eyes, Yang Fan swallowed back the words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue.

Oh well, I'll just consider it a chance to get some fresh air and distract my parents.

"...Alright then." He finally nodded.

"Okay, Xiujuan, we'll be there in a bit," Wang Xiuying said into the phone.

"Alright! I'll be waiting for you!"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiuying urged, "Xiao Fan, go change into something more presentable. Xiao Ya, you should get ready too."

Half an hour later, Yang Fan drove his car, carrying his mother and sister, toward the neighboring Lijiazhai.

Under the cover of night, the country road was quiet, with car headlights piercing the darkness.

The atmosphere in the car remained somewhat silent, and no one mentioned the unpleasantness from earlier.

"My aunt introduced this girl; I heard she's quite honest and decent..." Wang Xiuying tried to start a conversation.

"Mom, let's talk about it when we meet," Yang Fan interrupted her, as he really wasn't in the mood to discuss this.

Lijiazhai is not far away; it only takes about ten minutes to drive there.

Yang Xiujuan's yard is quite large, and there's a motorcycle parked inside.

The main house was brightly lit, and the faint sounds of laughter and conversation could be heard, suggesting that there were quite a few people there.

Yang Fan drove the car into the yard and parked it. The three of them got out of the car and walked to the front of the house. The noise inside grew even louder, mixed with the sounds of playing cards and laughing and cursing.

Wang Xiuying knocked on the door, and after a while, the door was opened.

The person who opened the door was Yang Xiujuan. She was in her forties, with a round face and curly hair. She immediately smiled when she saw Wang Xiuying.

"Oh, sister-in-law, you've finally arrived! Come in, come in!"

She stepped aside, her gaze falling on Yang Fan, her eyes lighting up:

"This must be Fanfan! It's been so many years, he's grown so tall and energetic! Come in!"

The room was filled with smoke, and seven or eight people were sitting there, playing cards, eating sunflower seeds, and chatting. The floor was covered with sunflower seed shells and cigarette butts.

Upon seeing a stranger enter, the laughter and chatter subsided, and several pairs of curious eyes peered over.

"Are you all playing?" Yang Xiujuan asked with a smile to the people inside the room.

"My nephew and sister-in-law are here, and I have some things to take care of. How about we... reschedule for another day?"

With the host saying that, the card game ended.

Several neighbors said, "You're all busy, you're all busy," and then glanced at Yang Fan curiously a few times before laughing and saying goodbye.

The room immediately became quiet and seemed more spacious.

Only then did Yang Fan notice that two people were still sitting on the sofa against the inner wall. They were a mother and daughter.

My mother was around fifty years old, wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, with a round face and her hair neatly combed.

Her daughter sat next to her. She wasn't very tall, wearing a tight pink sweater and black leggings, which made her figure appear... rather round and solid. Judging by her appearance, she was less than 1.55 meters tall and probably weighed around 160 kilograms.

With a round face and small eyes, she was openly sizing up Yang Fan.

Yang Fan's face remained expressionless.

When it comes to blind dates, looks aren't everything, and he didn't expect to meet anyone particularly stunning.

"Come, come, sit down, don't stand!" Yang Xiujuan greeted them warmly, bringing over stools and serving melon seeds and candy.

After everyone took their seats, the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Yang Xiujuan broke the silence first, smiling as she introduced the mother and daughter:

"Guixiang, Lingling, this is my nephew Yang Fan. He works in the city and is doing very well!"

Then, turning to Yang Fan's family, she said, "Sister-in-law, Fanfan, this is Aunt Li Guixiang, and this is her daughter Lingling. She teaches Chinese at the town's primary school; she's an educated person!"

Li Guixiang smiled and nodded, her gaze sweeping over Yang Fan several times, as if she were assessing the goods.

The girl named Lingling was still staring intently at Yang Fan.

"Yang Fan, right?" Lingling spoke up, her voice a little shrill. "What do you do for a living in the city?"

"Let's do some small business," Yang Fan mumbled.

"How much money can you earn in a month?" Lingling asked directly, without any preamble.

The room fell silent for a moment. Wang Xiuying and Yang Xiujuan both looked a little awkward, thinking that this girl was being too hasty.

Yang Fan thought for a moment. He now had a huge sum of money, but he didn't flaunt it.

Moreover, seeing the other party's attitude, he subconsciously wanted to downplay his position.

"Five or six thousand a month, I guess." He gave a very ordinary number.

Sure enough, when Lingling heard this, the light in her eyes dimmed noticeably, and she curled her lips, seemingly with some disdain.

The smile on her mother Li Guixiang's face also faded a little.

"Only five or six thousand?" Lingling muttered, her voice not loud, but everyone in the room heard her.

Yang Xiujuan quickly smoothed things over: "Five or six thousand is not bad! Expenses are high in the city, as long as you can save money! Lingling, you earn four thousand a month, which adds up to nearly ten thousand!"

Lingling didn't respond to that question, and continued, "So, do you own a house in the city?"

"Not yet," Yang Fan said honestly.

"Where's the car?"

"have."