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It would be interesting to see what kind of life they would lead if they were put together.
Old He thanked him quickly, but He Yuzhu said, "Let's make this clear from the start: if things don't work out, then let's not talk about it anymore."
"What if it works out?" Old He asked.
He Yuzhu said, "I don't want any matchmaker's gifts, I just want you to sell me that painting of galloping horses."
He Yuzhu had admired the galloping horse painting before and wanted to acquire it, but unfortunately Old He didn't want to sell it.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, we proposed the acquisition.
It was impossible for Old He to give the painting to him as a thank-you gift for the matchmaker, after all, the painting was worth more than 10 yuan.
Chapter 171 Then I don't care who I marry.
Old He was somewhat surprised to hear this condition, but he was having a headache over his adopted son's marriage.
I had asked many matchmakers and friends to introduce me to potential partners, but unfortunately, after many meetings, nothing came of it.
He Yongqiang was still very proud and arrogant. He wouldn't even look at a girl who wasn't pretty. He always wanted to find a beautiful wife.
This led to the girls he liked not liking him, and he rejected many girls who were interested in him.
Old He knew that He Yuzhu really liked his painting, but he was also quite satisfied with it and didn't want to sell it.
But for the sake of her son, she thought about it and gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, as long as it leads to a daughter-in-law, I'll sell you the painting."
I'm talking about selling, not giving it away. That's how business people are; they're very calculating.
He Yuzhu didn't care, as long as he could buy it.
The two talked for a while, then He Yuzhu came out, got on his bicycle, and went back to the courtyard house.
After greeting He Daqing, He Yuzhu went through the moon gate to the backyard.
Unfortunately, they ran into the old lady right in front of them. She asked happily, "Zhu Zi, have you come to see the old lady?"
He Yuzhu thought to himself, "Several families live in the backyard. Why are you here just to watch them play?"
He Yuzhu had previously suspected that the old lady was behind He Daqing's trip to Baocheng, but he didn't have any evidence and didn't want to cause trouble for the old lady.
After all, he was too old, and if he got sick from anger, it would be difficult to explain, so he took his anger out on Yi Zhonghai.
He Yuzhu said irritably, "Old lady, when did the backyard become yours?"
"How can you talk like that, child..."
Before the old lady could finish speaking, He Yuzhu had already stepped aside and entered the west wing.
The old lady asked in surprise, "When did Zhu Zi start playing with the Xu family?"
Xu Damao looked up and was surprised to see He Yuzhu come in. He blurted out, "Idiot..."
Only then did he realize that he really wanted to call him Sha Zhu, and he swallowed the word "Zhu" back down.
He raised his hand as if to slap himself in the mouth, and said with a forced smile, "Brother Zhu, please don't take offense. Did you need something from me?"
He Yuzhu was too lazy to argue with him. In fact, he knew that many people in the courtyard still called him "Silly Zhu" behind his back.
"I'm not looking for you. Where's your sister?"
"What? You're looking for my sister?"
Xu Damao was quite surprised. He had previously schemed against Sha Zhu, wanting him to become his brother-in-law, but the plan failed, and He Yuzhu still married Xu Huizhen.
After that, He Yuzhu's relationship with his sister deteriorated, and they hardly spoke to each other. No one expected that He Yuzhu would specifically ask for his older sister.
"My sister went out to buy groceries and will be back in a bit. Is there something you need to talk to her about?"
He Yuzhu chose this time after get off work, but he didn't expect that the person was still not at home.
"There's something I'm thinking of finding you a brother-in-law."
Xu Damao was surprised, but he still invited He Yuzhu to sit down, brewed some tea for him, and then asked:
"Brother Zhu, are you going to introduce someone to my sister?"
"Yes, their family is very well-off. They have a two-courtyard house and a small tavern in front. They are better off than many other families."
It's like a traditional courtyard house, a large courtyard with three sections, but it houses more than twenty households and over a hundred people.
Although the houses were relatively nice, it was still essentially a large tenement.
But the He family was different; they had a tavern in the front to make money, and a bright courtyard in the back where they could live.
He Yuzhu gave a brief introduction to He Yongqiang's family situation, and Xu Damao felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.
With such a good catch, how could he possibly be interested in my older sister? Although Xu Zhaodi is beautiful, my older sister has a bad temper and is quite unreasonable; she's known far and wide as a fiery little firecracker.
"Brother Zhu, are you here to make fun of me? Why would someone like my sister?"
Before Xu Damao could finish speaking, Xu Zhaodi's angry voice came from outside:
"Da Mao, are you looking for a fight? What do you mean, 'Why would I be interested in you?' What's wrong with me?"
Xu Damao was startled, then his face turned bitter. How could he have been caught red-handed for talking bad about his older sister!
The curtain was lifted, and Xu Zhaodi entered, looking furious. She was about to scold Xu Damao when she saw He Yuzhu sitting at the round table. Only then did she realize that He Yuzhu was also there, and her temper immediately subsided.
"Zhu Zi, you're here!"
He forced an awkward smile and then glared fiercely at Xu Damao.
Xu Damao secretly groaned, knowing that once Sha Zhu left, his older sister would definitely punish him again.
He Yuzhu said, "Yes, I didn't expect you to still have such a fiery temper. It seems that this marriage is unlikely to happen."
Xu Zhaodi was at a loss for words and stood there awkwardly. Then, her mother, Chu Sumei, and her third daughter, Xu Xiaomei, walked in.
Chu Sumei quickly said, "Don't be like that, Zhuzi. The eldest sister's temper has changed a lot. It's just that Da Mao makes people angry every day, so she's stricter with him."
Xu Damao also chimed in, "Yes, yes, my sister isn't that fierce anymore. She's usually very gentle."
He Yuzhu knew what kind of person Xu Zhaodi was, of course. If he could act as a go-between and they really took a liking to her, things would be much simpler.
If you can't find a woman you like, just help He Yongqiang find another one. That painting of galloping horses is a rare masterpiece. If you keep it, it could be worth tens of millions in future generations.
He Yuzhu really wanted to get his hands on the painting.
"It's nothing, we've known each other for over ten years, I don't mind, I just need to be gentler when we go on blind dates."
Xu Zhaodi's face burned. Her previous entanglement with Sha Zhu made her feel ashamed. How could a man she liked help her find a partner?
Turning her head, Xu Zhaodi went into the inner room, but left a crack for He Yuzhu to hear what he was saying.
Chu Sumei was the most anxious. She sat down and asked about the situation, since Xu Zhaodi had failed in her blind dates many times.
She looked down on people who were ugly and had many brothers, and whose family was poor.
The men she could find liked disliked her because of her bad temper and her father's imprisonment. She was too picky and couldn't find anyone suitable, which delayed her career until now.
Xu Zhaodi is a bit older than Shazhu. She's already 21, which is considered a young woman even in the city. It will be increasingly difficult for her to find a partner in the future.
He Yuzhu praised the He family, saying that they had an only son, no siblings, a two-courtyard house, and a business—such conditions were hard to find even with a lantern.
Chu Sumei was surprised and said, "With such good qualities, how come you haven't found a partner yet? Is there something wrong with this man?"
It's only natural to think this way. Most likely, there's something wrong with the man; otherwise, given his circumstances, he would have been engaged long ago.
He Yuzhu said, "There is indeed a problem, but it's not a big one. It's just that Old He has never had a son, so he adopted his nephew from the countryside."
There is a hierarchy of contempt in Beijing: the children of government employees look down on those who grew up in the city; those with jobs look down on those without; and city dwellers look down on peasants from the countryside.
Within the moat lies the city; beyond the moat lies the countryside, not to mention He Yongqiang's hometown, which is nestled deep in the mountains of Shidu.
People outside Dongzhimen looked down on him, so He Yuzhu revealed He Yongqiang's background.
For example, the Xu family, whose ancestors lived in the city, naturally looked down on the peasants from the countryside.
Hearing He Yuzhu's words, Xu Zhaodi, who was inside the house, pouted and thought to herself that just as she had guessed, he was another country bumpkin.
Before, Xu Zhaodi would certainly have looked down on peasants from the countryside, but now that she was the daughter of a prisoner, no matter how high-minded and picky she was, she really couldn't find a partner.
Chu Sumei asked, "Is the man alright, without any disabilities?"
"No, she's quite good-looking, it's just that she comes from a poor family, otherwise she would have found a partner long ago."
He Yuzhu, of course, did not mention He Yongqiang's eccentric temper, his refusal to listen to advice, and his stubbornness, otherwise the Xu family would not have agreed to the marriage.
Chu Sumei breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the person's body was not disabled and their appearance was not ugly, even if they were a man from the countryside, she would not object.
Moreover, the He family is wealthy and has assets, and no brothers to share them with. Such good conditions are hard to find even with a lantern.
As long as what He Yuzhu said was true, she had already agreed in her heart, and said:
"It's not a big deal if they come from the countryside. After all, they've already changed their household registration to the city. They won't need to recruit concubines to farm when they marry into the city."
"Of course not, why would they go farming? They own a tavern, why don't we go check it out tonight?"
"I'm going to take a look, but not today. Who would come here just for a drink of water after such a big favor?"
Chu Sumei insisted on having He Yuzhu stay for dinner, saying she wanted him to try Xu Zhaodi's cooking.
He Yuzhu had no choice but to stay. Only Xu Wude was not present in the Xu family; the rest of the family stayed with him, so He Yuzhu wasn't worried about them causing any trouble.
They talked about the He family all evening. When it was time for dinner, Yu Shui came over to tell He Yuzhu to go home, but Chu Sumei warmly invited him to stay.