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Chapter 105 Ruonan

Jiang wanted to go, but found that it was the aunt who had led the way on the Running Man show.

This aunt also wanted to introduce her daughter to me.

"Yes, we meet again."

Jiang Yuan took off the hat she had tried on. "Auntie, you're out at the night market too?"

"I'm off work."

"Does your aunt work at Hangzhou Academy of Fine Arts?"

"No, that's not it. Your show was short-staffed, so I was just doing this part-time to earn some extra money."

After the aunt finished speaking, she looked Jiang Yuan up and down in the light of the small shop, which was much clearer than when she was led around in the dim light at the art academy.

This child is truly handsome, and exudes an aura of righteousness.

The auntie liked it more and more as she looked at it, and brought up the old topic again: "My daughter rents a place nearby, would you like me to invite her out so you can take a look and see if you like her?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Chaoyue pouted. Her aunt looked kind, so why was she setting her brother up on a blind date the moment they met?

Jiang Yuan took a cup of milk tea from Jingjing's hand—the one the girls had bought for him but he hadn't drunk—and handed it to the auntie: "Auntie, I just bought it. Thank you for your kindness, but I really don't have that idea right now."

Because she had a very good impression of Jiang Yuan, the aunt was not wary, accepted the gift, thanked her, and then said, "It's all about chemistry. My daughter is actually quite pretty."

The aunt laughed and said, "She's a bit slow and not very clever. In your young people's terms, she's easy to fool. You might like her."

Yang Chaoyue regretted saying she was shrewd before; it turns out that being shrewd isn't a plus.

Is it too late to change your tune now?

She glanced at Jiang Yuan furtively, wanting to swallow her boastful words.

She's not shrewd.

Jiang Yuan didn't notice Yang Chaoyue's little actions and laughed, "Then Auntie, you still have to teach her a bit, make her more shrewd. Being easy to coax also means being easy to fool."

"Oh, young man, you're so kind-hearted, worried she might be deceived."

The aunt kept praising him.

There's a saying that goes, "A mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law and the more she looks, the happier she becomes."

The aunt felt that Jiang Yuan was the son-in-law she had been looking forward to.

"How old is your daughter, Auntie?" Yang Chaoyue couldn't help but ask.

"Her? She's an adult."

"Just turned 18? Isn't that only 18?"

Yang Chaoyue widened her beautiful eyes, "Introducing someone to a boyfriend at 18? Isn't that too early, Auntie?"

"It's not too early. Many girls in Wenzhou get married at 20. She's 18 now, and in two months she'll be 19 for her birthday. After dating for two years, it's just the right time to get married."

"Wenzhou?"

Jiang Yuan turned to Jingjing and said, "Jingjing, your auntie is from the same hometown as you. Do girls in Wenzhou get married so early?"

People used to get married earlier.

Jingjing looked at the auntie more and more, and she felt that she looked strangely familiar.

But she was quite certain that she had never seen this woman before.

The aunt knew that Jingjing was Jiang Yuan's assistant and said in surprise, "Young lady, you're from our area. You're much more outstanding than my eldest daughter, becoming an assistant at such a young age."

"No, not at all." Jingjing shook her head.

They chatted for a while, and Jiang Yuan learned that Aunt Ni's surname was Ni. After Aunt Ni left...

Yang Chaoyue blinked and said seriously, "Brother, you're not really going on a blind date, are you? You should focus on your career."

"Haha, Chaoyue, you even know about business?"

Jiang Yuan pinched her small nose, "It was just someone's kindness, but I refused it all."

Yang Chaoyue breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Yu joked, "It's rare to see Chaoyue caring about her career now."

"Sister Yu, I'm very career-oriented too, okay?" Yang Chaoyue argued, then immediately sought Jiang Yuan's approval, "Right, brother?"

"Hmm, very career-minded." Jiang Yuan patted her head.

"Yes, I'm very career-oriented. I want to buy a big house in the future and leave rooms for all of you."

Yang Chaoyue secretly glanced at Jiang Yuan.

"I feel like Jingjing and I are connected."

Xiao Yu put his arm around Jingjing's shoulder and laughed, "Thanks to the boss."

"Thanks to Brother Yuan." Jingjing chuckled quietly.

"Yes, yes, thanks a lot."

After saying this playfully, Yang Chaoyue picked up the hat she had given Jiang Yuan to try on earlier and rushed to pay the bill.

In a clean rental room.

A sweet-looking, youthful girl was busily chopping vegetables on the cutting board.

After preparing the food, she glanced at her watch: "Mom should be back by now, right? It's almost nine o'clock. I wonder what kind of part-time job she's doing, she's even later than me."

The girl shook her head and began to heat the oil in a wok using an induction cooker.

Zizizi!

As the scallions, garlic, and chili peppers are sautéed until fragrant, hot oil splatters.

The girl quickly adjusted the heat and put the chopped pork into the pot.

She then shrank her neck, gripped the spatula with her delicate hands, and hooked it into the pan to stir-fry.

After stir-frying the pork for a while, the hot oil finally stopped splattering.

Having escaped unharmed, she breathed a deep sigh of relief: "The induction cooker is so hard to control; it's not as convenient as a gas stove."

After stir-frying the meat until it changed color, the girl pushed the celery pieces off the cutting board and started stir-frying again.

Bang!

The door to the rented room opened at that moment.

Aunt Ni, who had just entered, sniffed the air and exclaimed, "Mmm, it smells so good! Celery stir-fried with pork!"

As he spoke, he entered the makeshift kitchen built on the windowsill, using a desk as a makeshift kitchen.

He instructed the girl who was cooking: "Ruonan, remember to add a little sugar after adding soy sauce to enhance the flavor, and just a little water, and simmer it for a while."

"Mom, you're back."

The girl cooking turned to look at her mother and nodded, saying, "I know, you taught me, and I've made it so many times."

Perhaps to other families, adding sugar to stir-fried home-cooked dishes seems a bit incomprehensible.

But to the girl, it was something she was used to.

In their hometown of Wenzhou, many families do the same.

However, the amount of sugar used in Wenzhou cuisine is minimal; it's mostly used to reduce astringency and enhance flavor.

"Yes, I'll be relieved if you can cook for yourself and take care of yourself after graduation."

"Ruonan."

"Mom, you're worrying too much. I can take care of myself."

Zhang Ruonan lowered her eyes slightly, fiddling with the small spoon above the sugar in the seasoning box, but hesitated to add it.

Adding sugar to food is something I've been used to since childhood.

Why hesitate?

She glanced at her mother out of the corner of her eye and saw that she could only see her back as her mother left the kitchen.

"Ruonan."

"I wonder how your little brother is doing, and whether your two sisters are bullying him. I'll video call him later to ask."

The term "Ruonan" is something I've been used to since childhood.

I only mustered up the courage to change it recently after graduating.

But why is it that in such a short time, I've started to feel a bit resistant to it?

Graduated, became an adult, so does that mean you've grown up and have nothing to lose?

She's such an ingrate.

Zhang Ruonan gave a self-deprecating laugh and loosened her grip on the sugar spoon.

Today she suddenly had a craving for celery stir-fried with pork without sugar.

"I'm exhausted, and it's still so hot. The autumn heat wave is really intense."

Then came her mother's voice, "Ruonan, I brought you milk tea. Someone treated me to it, but I don't like it. I thought you would like it, so I put it in the mini-fridge to chill. You can drink it when you eat later."

Zhang Ruonan pursed her lips and silently added two small spoonfuls of sugar to the dish.

Her mother still loved her, even though that love wasn't equal.

The inequality was so great that his name was ridiculed by his classmates for more than ten years.

The inequality meant that she was burdened with heavy expectations of being the eldest daughter, while her personal wishes and needs were always ignored.

But there was always love between them.

The parents were probably just too careless.

They forgot that she was once a little girl.

After clearing the table, Zhang Ruonan and her mother began to eat.

"How's your job? Is it easy to do?" Ni Haixia asked.

"good."

"That's good, then keep up the good work."

"Um."

Zhang Ruonan held the bowl, not daring to look into her mother's eyes.

The so-called job is actually just a job that anyone can do.

She doesn't plan to continue doing this job indefinitely; she wants to try adult education college entrance exams in the second half of the year.

I chose vocational high school according to my family's wishes, and then chose the employment path in vocational high school instead of taking the college entrance examination route.

She didn't think much of it before, but after graduation, she felt lost about the future.

She was shocked to realize that the skills she learned in vocational high school didn't seem to be enough for her to find a job.

She then began to wonder if she should experience university life.

Although everyone says that adult education is meaningless, Zhang Ruonan felt that she had not received full-time college entrance examination subject education, and it was impossible for her to make up for others' three years of hard work in just one year.

Even after witnessing the trials and tribulations of the Harvard journey, I was still inspired by the female protagonist's ability to complete all her studies in just two years while working part-time and successfully gain admission to Harvard.

After she calmed down, she realized that she was a rather clumsy and ordinary girl.

There are tons of them.

She is never an exception.

Therefore, trying continuing education is a good option; you can learn more knowledge that way.

Even if her diploma is worthless, it's still much better than her vocational high school diploma.

Moreover, the adult education college entrance examination is in October, so there is still enough time.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ruonan felt envious of Xu Jing, with whom she had been chatting that evening.

Xu Jing, like her, attended Yueqing Vocational High School.

However, it was different from her completing her senior year of high school in a step-by-step manner.

Xu Jing dropped out of high school in her senior year.

Zhang Ruonan had been keeping track of her friend's situation and knew that she had been working odd jobs on a film set for a while.

When she was about to graduate in the first half of the year, she heard that Xu Jing had changed to a very good job.

Zhang Ruonan was very happy for her at the time.

After graduation, she wanted to change her name, and Xu Jing helped her ask others for advice and gave her many suggestions.

Change Ruonan to Ruonan.

The nanmu wood is really quite nice.

So after changing her name, she immediately shared with her the news that she had changed her name from Zhang Ruonan to Zhang Ruonan.

Xu Jing was very thoughtful. She never mocked her name before, and rarely called her that. She preferred to call her "Beautiful Zhang" instead.

After the name change, knowing her preferences, people will start calling her by her new name.

That's great.

Zhang Ruonan sincerely hoped that everything would go well for Xu Jing.

As for recruiting her, Zhang Ruonan just thought Xu Jing was joking.

It's better not to trouble her; Xu Jing has it tough too.

"By the way, I met a really great guy today. Mom added him on her contact list. Maybe we can arrange a blind date for you."

Zhang Ruonan's wandering thoughts suddenly returned: "Didn't they say they would arrange blind dates for me when I was twenty? Isn't it too early now?"

When faced with blind dates, Zhang Ruonan felt speechless and resentful, but being reserved and gentle, she wouldn't react violently.

Her family instilled in her from a young age the idea that starting a family and getting married early would bring her stability.

Even so, she didn't want to go on a blind date without knowing what was going on.

"Good men are always in high demand. What if someone else snatches them up if you don't act soon?"

Ni Haixia lectured, "Besides, no one wants a girl after she turns thirty."

"You're not going to introduce me to someone who's thirty years old, are you? Someone who's more than ten years older than me."

Zhang Ruonan chuckled to herself, as if she were telling a lame joke.

But as she laughed, she couldn't laugh anymore; she felt that her mother might really be capable of such a thing.

"How could that be! Blind dates are a matter of mutual consent. Even if I found a girl like you, I wouldn't like her."

Zhang Ruonan nodded with relief; she knew her mother wouldn't look for someone that old.

Ni Haixia said mysteriously, "The one I found for you is outstanding. He graduated from Peking University and worked as a reporter. He's very handsome, much more handsome than the stars in the TV dramas you usually watch."

"Someone like that wouldn't even look at me."

Zhang Ruonan thought her mother was just rambling on and on, trying to get her interested in blind dates.

She expressed doubt, saying, "And Mom, you actually have these kinds of connections?"

"I really didn't like you."

Ni Haixia sighed, "He doesn't want to go on blind dates. I suggested you two try to find someone you like, but he didn't even respond. It's a pity."

I didn't bring your photo, otherwise I could have shown it to him.

"Isn't it normal that you look down on me? I'm so ordinary."

Zhang Ruonan carefully tore open the milk tea cup, poured the milk tea into two cups, and then handed them to her mother to share.

"By the way, Mom, what part-time job did you do this afternoon?"

Zhang Ruonan then asked, and she was actually quite touched that her mother had come to visit her while passing through Hangzhou.

She is easily satisfied.

Just like when she was a child, as the eldest daughter, she took care of her two younger sisters. She always kept the smallest portion of the cookies for herself.

Because as long as there are cookies, I'm satisfied.

After her younger brother, who is twelve years younger than her, was born, she was happy for her parents and for her grandmother, who had hoped for a baby boy.

"It's a secret; I signed a confidentiality agreement," Ni Haixia said.

"Since it's a secret, I won't ask."

Zhang Ruonan retracted her words and instead said, "I took a day off tomorrow to meet a good friend. What would you like to eat, Mom? I can take you with me."

"It's not right for you to bring me along when you meet up with friends. You can go by yourself."

Zhang Ruonan took a sip of milk tea and squinted her eyes with pleasure.

This is her mother. She didn't receive much love, but she did receive some.

She's happy as long as you've considered her needs.

"It's okay, because we're very good friends, so she won't mind. I also told her beforehand that she'd like to visit you too."

Zhang Ruonan felt it was too pitiful to leave her mother alone in the rented room.

In the morning, Xu Jing and her mother can take their mother around. In the afternoon or evening, when the mother is tired, she and Xu Jing can have a little get-together.

Zhang Ruonan told Ni Haixia about her and Xu Jing's plan.

"Alright then, it's good that you have time to be alone."

Ni Haixia agreed, but then her gaze sharpened as she remembered something important.

"Ruonan, is your friend male or female?"

"It's definitely a girl."

Zhang Ruonan smiled.

"It's good that it's a girl. I thought it was a boy. I knew it. You never mentioned having any male friends when you were in school. Your dad would probably think you were dating too early if he heard that."

Zhang Ruonan smiled gently as always.

That's weird.

Mingming hoped she would settle down through blind dates, marriage, and other commitments.

But they are terrified of puppy love.

So, is graduation the dividing line?

Ni Haixia kept repeating, "It's not that my mother is against it, but I really want that young man to be our son-in-law—"

Zhang Ruonan was even more curious about the person who had captivated her mother so much in just one night that she couldn't wait to become her mother-in-law.

Why is it that I can't live without him?

Zhang Ruonan found it inexplicably interesting.

If there's a chance, let's try it out.