Chapter 7: Hidden Rules

Chapter 7: Hidden Rules

Less than fifty meters away from the banyan tree, Deng Shirong met Guan Yongying and her Aunt Man.

After they met, Deng Shirong asked directly, "How is it? Did you see the person clearly?"

Guan Yongying said somewhat embarrassedly, "I just took a look, and I didn't see him clearly."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. If you didn't see him clearly, we can look a few more times until you do."

Seeing Uncle Jiu approaching, Aunt Man knew that the man must have expressed his opinion, so she asked, "Uncle Jiu, what did the man say?"

Deng Shirong said with a smile, "They think Yongying is good and want to invite you to lunch. Let me ask for your opinion."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Man couldn't help but look at her niece.

There are many unspoken rules in blind dates in this era.

In Bobai, blind dates are roughly divided into three steps. The first step is for the matchmaker to arrange for the man and woman to meet, which is called "getting acquainted."

After getting to know each other, if both parties are satisfied, the matchmaker will ask the man how much the woman is worth (bride price), as well as other requirements.

If the man is willing to meet the price and various requirements proposed by the woman, the matchmaker will arrange for the woman to bring relatives and friends to the man's home to see the situation of the man's family. This step is called "looking at the house."

In fact, the engagement ceremony is somewhat similar to engagements in other places. Generally speaking, when it comes to the engagement ceremony, the marriage is most likely to be successful.

Occasionally, the woman might go back on her word, and then she would have to return all the money the man had spent on the blind date to the exact same amount. Even if there was one cent less, the woman would be criticized.

If the woman tries to cheat and not pay back the money, the man will ask the team leaders to deal with it. In this way, the woman's reputation will be completely ruined. Generally, women are not foolish enough to take this step.

After visiting the house, the next step is to discuss choosing an auspicious day to get married. Marriage here generally refers to the wedding banquet, which is the last step of the blind date.

As for registration, you can register at any time as long as you pay the price.

In the three steps of a blind date, the first step of getting to know each other also has its unspoken rules. If the man is not satisfied with the woman, he will basically just give her a red envelope and be done with it. Generally speaking, he will not treat her to a meal.

If the man asks the matchmaker to invite the woman to dinner, it proves that the man has a good first impression of the woman and hopes that the relationship can develop further.

At this time, if the woman has a good first impression of the man, she can agree to have the meal. If the woman doesn't like the man, she will find an excuse to refuse and not have the meal.

Therefore, Aunt Man immediately looked at her niece, wanting to know what decision she had made.

When Guan Yongying went out for the blind date, her parents had already explained the details to her, so when she saw Aunt Man's inquiring eyes, she shyly said, "I haven't seen him clearly yet. Let's talk about whether to eat or not after I see him clearly!"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Okay, let's go back and forth again and take a closer look."

So, the three of them walked toward the banyan tree again.

Ten minutes later, when Deng Shirong and the other two walked back and forth toward the big banyan tree, Deng Shirong again asked the same question about having dinner together.

This time, Guan Yongying, who had seen him clearly, no longer avoided it and nodded slightly to Aunt Man.

After receiving her niece's suggestion, Aunt Man took the initiative and agreed.

Although Double Prosperity Market is a small market, as the saying goes, even a small sparrow has all the necessary organs. In this market, which covers an area of only a little over 500 square meters, there are still some people engaged in catering.

Among them, there are three noodle stalls, which are the most economical and most frequented. After all, a bowl of noodles only costs a few cents now, and most people can still afford it.

Of course, noodle stalls nowadays don't just sell noodles; they also serve a variety of stir-fried dishes. Generally speaking, the prices are relatively affordable, so business is very good.

It was a rare opportunity to meet a girl he liked, so Deng Changfu had no intention of treating her to a meal at the noodle stall. Instead, he took her directly to a state-owned restaurant.

He also listened to Uncle Jiu's advice. When he went out for the blind date, Uncle Jiu told him that some money should never be saved when it should be spent.

For example, when inviting a girl to dinner for a blind date, this is something that the girl will remember for the rest of her life, so you must be open and generous and give her enough face.

If the two of them get together in the future, his wife will be so proud when she talks about this to others. Then you will understand how worthwhile the money was.

Although Deng Changfu had not yet fully understood what Uncle Jiu meant, he knew that the old man had eaten more salt than he had eaten rice, so he was sure to be right if he listened to him.

So Deng Changfu was planning to spend a lot of money on today's meal.

The moment they entered the state-owned restaurant, Guan Yongying and her Aunt Man both showed expressions of satisfaction.

The state-owned restaurant was definitely the most high-end restaurant in Double Prosperity Market. Being able to have a meal here was something that people envied. The fact that Deng Changfu was willing to invite them to dine here was enough to show his attitude toward her.

When Deng Changfu ordered the dishes, not only did Guan Yongying feel satisfied, but even Aunt Man thought that this young man was nice and really generous.

Deng Changfu ordered six dishes in total: a plate of boiled chicken, a plate of sweet and sour pork, a pot of pork soup, a plate of mountain water tofu, a plate of fried peanuts, a plate of seasonal vegetables, and a pound of local rice wine. Three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and wine—this was already a very good spread for entertaining guests.

During the meal, Deng Shirong led the conversation by saying, "In a few days, our production team will start harvesting rice. Aunt Man, your production team should also be harvesting rice around this time, right?"

Aunt Man nodded and said, "It's almost the same. Our team leader has already notified all members to prepare."

Deng Shirong said, "Since some members of the Shilong Brigade in Nabu Commune took the lead in implementing the household contract responsibility system last summer and achieved a bumper harvest, many members of our Bangjie Brigade have wanted to follow suit. But due to the lack of instructions from their superiors, the brigade cadres dare not speak up.

Now a year has passed, and the Shilong Brigade is doing better and better. Not only has the grain harvest been great, but other side businesses are also thriving, and economic income has increased greatly.

Stimulated by this, other brigades have also begun to divide the land and work on their own. What is the situation in our Bangjie Brigade? Do you know, Aunt Man?"

Aunt Man said, "I heard from my husband that the cadres of our Bangjie Brigade have also come up with the idea of letting everyone divide the land and work on their own. As for when it will be implemented, he didn't tell me much."

Deng Shirong said, "As far as I know, after the production teams finish harvesting the rice, the cadres of the brigade will start distributing the land to households!"

"Uncle Jiu, is this news reliable?"

"It's reliable. Once the land is distributed to each household, everyone will have hope for the future!"

It took the five of them nearly an hour to finish the meal. During the meal, Changfu's mother left for nearly twenty minutes and then came back with a cardboard box.

If this were a blind date in the future, the man would have to give a red envelope when the woman left.

However, in this day and age, it is impossible for the man to give a red envelope to the woman in person. Instead, he gives the red envelope and other gifts to the matchmaker and asks the matchmaker to deliver them to the woman's home.

Therefore, after the woman left, Changfu's mother brought the cardboard box she had brought back to Deng Shirong and said, "Uncle Jiu, these are the two pieces of pork belly and three candy cakes I bought. I have already divided them up, so you know how to give them."

As she spoke, Changfu's mother gritted her teeth and took out ten yuan from her pants pocket, dividing it into three portions: three yuan, five yuan, and two yuan. "Uncle Jiu, this is a red envelope for you, this is a red envelope for that girl, and this is a red envelope for her Aunt Man."

Deng Shirong took the money and said with a smile, "I know what to do. You guys go home and wait for my good news!"

(End of Chapter)