The 70s Novel: The Supporting Character Just Wants to Lie Down-Chapter 38: Striving to Arrange a Matchmaking Meeting

"Mom, what about mine? How come my sister gets one and I don’t? I want one too." Wang Jia Bao looked at the towels in his two sisters’ hands, feeling jealous. How could there be such different treatment?

"You’re a boy, what’s with the fuss? Go away..." Liu Yulan waved her hand dismissively at him, then turned to Zhou Fengjuan and Aunt Zhou sitting beside her, "Cousin, thank you for today. Aunt Zhou, please have some tea."

Just as everyone was leaving, Zhou Fengjuan and Aunt Zhou stayed behind to help move the sewing machine into the house.

Wang Miaomiao, being quick-witted, immediately invited them to sit and poured them some tea.

Aunt Zhou looked at the clever little girl in front of her with affection, already imagining which nice young man would be a good match for her, to possibly set them up in the future.

"So these are your daughter and son, right? Oh my, I haven’t seen them in years, they’ve grown so big, and they’re so good-looking. You’re really blessed, Yulan..." Aunt Zhou hadn’t visited Zhou Fengjuan’s house for years, since she’s the elder, it was usually Zhou Fengjuan visiting her during holidays.

Over the years, she’s often heard Zhou Fengjuan casually mention her cousin’s family matters. Previously, Zhou Fengjuan didn’t have much good to say about her cousin-in-law. But after the last incident, her opinion changed greatly, which puzzled Aunt Zhou.

Now, seeing them in person, she was reassured and finally agreed with Zhou Fengjuan’s opinions upon first impression.

"Ah, they’re just kids, still so young and naive. As long as they’re all healthy and well, that’s all I ask." Liu Yulan said modestly, sensing that Aunt Zhou had something to discuss, so she sent the kids away, "Go on, do what you need to do, don’t just stand around here. I’m going to have a chat with your Aunt and Auntie."

"Oh, by the way, have dinner at our place today." She then turned to Wang Miaomiao, "Make a few more dishes, go on..."

"Oh, there’s no need, we’ll eat at home, no need to trouble yourself." Zhou Fengjuan quickly interjected.

"It’s fine, you’re already here, so no need to be so formal. We only get a few chances like this throughout the year." Liu Yulan patted her hand sincerely.

She truly intended to keep them for a meal, having owed Zhou Fengjuan quite a few favors recently, so both emotionally and logically, she had to host them for a meal today.

"Alright then." Wang Miaomiao pulled Wang Pandi to the back kitchen, gesturing for Wang Jia Bao to follow.

Wang Miaomiao considered the dishes to make for lunch. There were vegetables, and the meat they bought last time was still there, might as well cook all of it. With guests, they couldn’t be stingy.

They couldn’t kill a chicken since they gave one to Wang Zhaodi, and there were only five left at home. Killing one means losing one, and they were counting on them for eggs.

She thought for a moment, her eyes shining as she looked at Wang Jia Bao.

"You... what do you want..." Wang Jia Bao asked nervously, feeling unsettled under her gaze.

"Jia Bao, do you want to go out and play?" Wang Miaomiao tempted.

Wang Jia Bao’s eyes lit up, "Yes, I do..."

"I’ll give you half an hour, you can go." Wang Miaomiao said generously, while setting a condition, "If you can bring back some fish or shrimp, doesn’t matter how much, I’ll let you go play for another hour in the afternoon."

"Really, I’m off then..." Wang Jia Bao was delighted and couldn’t wait, dashing out the back door. Rural boys had the essential skills of catching fish and birds.

He said half an hour, but once out, he was so engrossed in playing that he completely forgot the time, returning an hour later with a grass net.

By then, Wang Miaomiao had already finished preparing the meal, but it was too late to cook more, so she could only save it as an extra dish for the evening.

"In half an hour, it’s not guaranteed he’ll catch anything." Wang Pandi understood her meaning, but didn’t have much hope.

"I know." Wang Miaomiao smiled and said, "It would be a nice surprise if he caught something, but it’s fine if he doesn’t. We have meat, I’ll add a few more eggs." Hosting a meal naturally means preparing well, but even the most capable can’t cook without ingredients, so they had their limitations. "He’s been studying all morning, might as well let him play for a bit, balance work and play..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Hearing this, Wang Pandi smiled and didn’t say anything more, and the two of them went to the back garden to pick vegetables, choosing more varieties to add some dishes.

In the living room, Aunt Zhou got straight to the point about her visit, discussing Yang Zhigang’s conditions and his mother’s attitude again, also mentioning the details she hadn’t inquired about clearly before.

"Zhigang is a good kid, though he’s a bit older than Pandi, being older is good, he’ll be considerate." Aunt Zhou, tasked by Fang Ci, was earnestly trying to match them, singing praises, "He also has a good job, working in the military, earning a steady government paycheck, and he’s a junior leader with a team of seven or eight under him."

Liu Yulan knew Yang Zhigang’s conditions were good, but she still had concerns, "I do know the Yang boy is good. But, after all, he was previously proposed to Zhaodi. Now considering Pandi, I’m worried Pandi might have thoughts, and you see, about Zhaodi, people in the village still gossip about it today, sigh..."

"Yulan, if Pandi has concerns or not, we won’t know unless they meet, right? How will we know if they have a connection if they don’t see each other?" Zhou Fengjuan’s eyes flashed, she was very invested in matters concerning Wang Pandi and Yang Zhigang and truly hoped they could succeed, for it would allow her to effectively rebut those gossips in the village.

If Yang Zhigang and Wang Pandi got together, who would dare say she introduced Yang Zhigang to Wang Zhaodi with ill intent and was conspiring with Liu Yulan to harm Wang Zhaodi?

Yang Zhigang was a good match; it was Wang Zhaodi’s own distrust and doubts that made her miss out, ending up with Zhu Zicheng, who had nothing.

Liu Yulan wouldn’t set up her own daughter. If Yang Zhigang and Wang Pandi succeeded, it would only show that they initially intended to help Wang Zhaodi, but Wang Zhaodi simply didn’t appreciate it.

"If you don’t want the villagers to know, then we’ll do this: we won’t meet at home. We’ll go to the town, let them have a chance encounter, and then we’ll go to a state-run restaurant to have a meal together." Zhou Fengjuan had thought about it for a long time before coming up with this plan, "Aunt, what do you think?"

"Oh, that’s a good idea, they can meet without anyone knowing." Aunt Zhou naturally supported this, laughing, "If they hit it off, they can get to know each other more, and if not, they can just treat it as a chance encounter and have a meal together. Yulan, what do you think?"

Liu Yulan thought for a moment and finally nodded. She’d met Yang Zhigang twice and had a good impression of him, a straightforward and polite young man. Apart from his limp, there wasn’t much else to criticize.

She wouldn’t force Wang Pandi either. If she wasn’t satisfied after meeting, then oh well. Moreover, with Aunt Zhou and Zhou Fengjuan being so enthusiastic, it wouldn’t be nice to outright reject them.

"Alright then. Let’s set it for next Sunday at ten o’clock at the supply and marketing cooperative in town." Liu Yulan provided a specific time, estimating that Pandi’s hand should be healed by next Sunday.