Lin Zhen was just about to dig into his simple meal when Aunt Wang came rushing in.
“Lin Zhen! Lin Zhen, are you home? I’m coming in!”
Lin Zhen: …
His face darkened. These nosy aunties just wouldn’t stop. It was as if they thought he’d never find a wife without their meddling.
He bit into a sweet potato, hobbling on one leg as he went out to meet her. At the gate, Aunt Wang’s eyes lit up when she saw him and came right in.
“Lin Zhen…”
“Auntie, I’m not interested in matchmaking. If that’s what you’re here for, let’s not even go there.”
Aunt Wang paused, momentarily at a loss for words. “Didn’t you say you wanted someone fair-skinned, good-looking, and tough?”
Lin Zhen quickly polished off his sweet potato and replied, “Oh? Are you telling me you found someone who can take a punch? What did they ever do to you to deserve that kind of setup?”
Aunt Wang shot him a glare. “Let me ask you something. Are you tough enough to take a punch?”
Lin Zhen: “???”
Before he could respond, Aunt Wang gave him a once-over and nodded.
“With your build, you probably can handle it. But it’ll have to wait until your leg heals.”
Lin Zhen was confused now. Wasn’t she here to matchmaking?
Aunt Wang leaned closer and whispered, “It’s like this. We were trying to introduce a date to Song Zhiqing. Guess what she said?”
Lin Zhen raised an eyebrow. “Which Song Zhiqing?”
“We only have one Song Zhiqing in the whole brigade.”
Oh, the petite one who loves to join in the fun, had poor taste in men (having once liked that useless Luo guy), and was raising her younger brother.
“What did she say?” Lin Zhen sat up straighter, suddenly intrigued.
“She said she wants someone over six feet tall, with a good build, eight-pack abs, decent looks, and can take a beating.”
Lin Zhen froze. Why did that sound so familiar?
Oh. Right. That’s almost exactly what he said about his ideal partner, except the roles were reversed.
Aunt Wang slapped her thigh, startling Lin Zhen.
“Isn’t it just fate? You both practically described each other’s ideal match! Both of you are strong—if you ever fight, it’d be evenly matched. Let me tell you, don’t underestimate Song Zhiqing just because she’s small. She’s got serious strength! When she came back from the mountains, she could carry a full basket of things and drag a thick wood in her hand easily…”
Aunt Wang rambled on about Song Wei’s strength for a good while before sighing.
“It’s a shame, really. I was thinking of introducing her to my nephew. She’s a good girl—just a bit strong, sharp-tongued, and unwilling to suffer losses. But my nephew can’t take a beating, so it wouldn’t work out.”
Finally, she turned to Lin Zhen and asked, “What do you think?”
Lin Zhen opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, Heidan came running in with Song Wei following behind.
Lin Zhen promptly shut his mouth.
Heidan was holding a jar of mushroom sauce. “Brother, Sister Song asked me to bring this to you.”
Song Wei corrected him. “It’s yours.”
She explained that since they’d foraged the mushrooms together, the sauce naturally belonged to Heidan too. Knowing Lin Zhen had just returned from the military and and had to buy a new house, many things in the house would definitely not be complete, so she asked Heidan to bring a bottle of mushroom sauce over. Mushroom sauce went great with flatbreads and buns, after all.
Lin Zhen glanced at Song Wei, and a thought popped into his head:
Fair-skinned, beautiful, strong…
Damn it. She really did fit his criteria. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
“Aunt Wang, you’re here too?” Song Wei greeted her with a friendly smile.
Aunt Wang grinned from ear to ear, glancing between Song Wei and Lin Zhen. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt. They seemed like a perfect match! But she knew better than to mention anything in front of Song Wei, lest she embarrass the girl.
Song Wei: “???”
What’s with that look?
Lin Zhen, unusually for him, felt his ears heat up.
The towering, rugged man suddenly seemed awkward.
“Ahem… Thank you, Song Zhiqing.”
Song Wei waved it off. “The mushrooms were partly Heidan’s. You’re his brother, so it’s only right he shares some with you.”
Heidan proudly puffed out his chest. “Sister Song’s mushroom sauce is the best! So tasty!”
Song Wei’s face turned red. “It wasn’t me who made it—it was another Zhiqing. You know I can’t cook.”
She wasn’t lying; her cooking skills were infamous.
Her fair skin, which somehow never tanned despite constant work in the fields and mountains, now glowed with a soft, peachy pink. It was strikingly beautiful.
Under normal circumstances, Lin Zhen wouldn’t have given it much thought. But after Aunt Wang’s matchmaking pitch, he found himself stealing glances at her face.
Adorable!
The word flashed through his mind, and Lin Zhen inhaled sharply. Oh no, his brain must be broken—since when did he think of anyone as “adorable”?
“Brother, are you okay?” Heidan looked at him with concern.
Even though Heidan wasn’t thrilled about leaving Song Wei to live with his brother, he still cared about Lin Zhen.
Song Wei also turned to look at him.
Lin Zhen forced himself to stay calm, though his ears burned brighter. Thankfully, his slightly darker skin tone hid it well.
“It’s nothing. My foot just hurt for a moment.”
No one suspected anything, not even Aunt Wang, though she gave him a concerned look.
“You really should have the barefoot doctor in the village check it out. You need to take good care of that leg. Even if it never fully recovers, at least you should be able to walk properly. Otherwise, no girl will want to marry you.”
Lin Zhen hadn’t been too worried about his injury before. After all, he couldn’t rejoin the army even if he recovered. But now… he glanced at Song Wei.
Song Wei noticed his look but was confused.
What are you looking at me for? I’m not a doctor.
Lin Zhen made up his mind. He’d find that old Chinese medicine doctor in the cowshed and have his leg properly treated.
Song Wei and Heidan soon left for the mountains, their errand with the mushroom sauce complete.
Lin Zhen watched them go.
After a moment, Aunt Wang spoke up. “So, Lin Zhen, what do you think? Song Zhiqing isn’t bad, right?”
Lin Zhen pulled his gaze back. “She’s a good girl. But would someone like her even look at a rough guy like me?”
He admitted it—he was a little tempted.
Lin Zhen wasn’t the type to shy away from his feelings. Once he decided on something, he wouldn’t hesitate.
Aunt Wang’s eyes lit up. “So, you’re interested?”
Lin Zhen didn’t answer directly, but his silence spoke volumes.
Aunt Wang slapped his arm in excitement—and immediately winced.
“What the heck are you made of, boy? Your arm’s as hard as a rock!”
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