Chapter 35: Classmate

The old Taoist Qingyun and Great-Uncle Yu Youcai stepped outside. Yu Youcai then bid the old Taoist farewell, preparing to leave.

"Are you not coming back with me?" the old Taoist asked.

Yu Youcai shook his head and said, "I’m going for a stroll."

"Going to see Qiaozhen again?" the old Taoist asked.

Yu Youcai did not answer, which the old Taoist took as an admission.

The old Taoist said with a hint of frustration, "You lacked the courage while you were alive, yet you are so infatuated now that you’re dead. It’s truly pathetic. Mr. Yu the Third, back in his day, was such a remarkable figure—what a pity... Sigh..."

The Mr. Yu the Third mentioned by the old Taoist was the grandfather of Shen Siyuan’s great-uncle, as well as Shen Siyuan’s great-great-grandfather. He had been a formidable man in his time, but time waits for no one; everything has been swept away by the wind. Few people today even remember him, and he has left no trace whatsoever in this world.

Yu Youcai did not respond to this. He simply cupped his hands in a salute to the old Taoist and drifted away. Watching his retreating figure, the old Taoist turned his head to look at the second floor behind him.

"I never would have thought that the person most like Mr. Yu the Third would be a descendant with a different surname."

The old Taoist paused for a moment before drifting away as well.

"Siyuan, get up! Look at the time—you're still sleeping!"

In a daze, Shen Siyuan heard his mother knocking on his door. He opened his eyes to find the day was already bright; sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting columns of light onto the bedroom floor. He grabbed his phone and glanced at it—it was already nine in the morning.

"I'm up, stop knocking!"

Shen Siyuan shouted, then climbed out of bed and threw his clothes on haphazardly before walking over to open the door. His mother had already walked away.

"Mom, why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Shen Siyuan called out.

"There was nothing to do this morning, why would I wake you so early? I wanted you to get a little more sleep," his mother’s voice drifted up from downstairs.

That was truly something... she certainly hadn't sounded like that when she was banging on the door. Perhaps all mothers were like this: they want you to sleep a little longer, but they don't want you to sleep too much.

"Didn't you say I had a blind date this morning? It isn't going to wait until the afternoon, is it? I’m telling you, I have something else to do this afternoon," Shen Siyuan said as he came downstairs.

"What could you possibly have to do this afternoon?" his mother asked dismissively.

"A personal matter. I'm going to see a friend."

His mother, who had been looking down as she shelled beans, raised her head and glanced at him. "Who is it?"

"I told you, you wouldn't know them."

Shen Siyuan felt very helpless. This was one of the reasons he didn't want to move back to the countryside to help his father manage the chicken farm. Everything had to be inquired about, everything had to be questioned, down to the smallest detail; there was no room for privacy.

"A classmate, you don't know them," Shen Siyuan gave her a casual excuse.

His mother then said, "The porridge is on the table. It’s cooled down just enough to drink. Hurry up and finish it; your Seventh Aunt will be here soon to take you."

Relieved to hear it wasn't in the afternoon, Shen Siyuan replied, "Alright, I understand."

His mother looked him up and down and added, "Go to the bathroom and fix your hair. It’s a mess, you have no image at all. And can you please change your clothes..."

Ignoring her nagging, Shen Siyuan went straight to the bathroom to wash up. He had only finished half his breakfast when Seventh Aunt arrived. Seventh Aunt was just a title used in the village; she was not actually related to Shen Siyuan’s family. She was a middle-aged woman, slightly plump, with a very loud voice and a habit of laughing twice before saying anything.

"Teacher Huang, are you home? Have you had breakfast?"

"I'm here, we were just waiting for you," his mother said, hurriedly putting down her work to welcome her.

Shen Siyuan also hurriedly shoveled the rest of the porridge into his mouth and cleared the bowl and chopsticks into the kitchen. By the time he came out, his mother had already led Seventh Aunt into the room.

"Good morning, Seventh Aunt," Shen Siyuan greeted her quickly. He knew that if he hesitated even a little, his mother would likely start lecturing him again.

Seeing Shen Siyuan, Seventh Aunt smiled broadly. "Siyuan is truly a handsome young man. You must put in some effort today. Try to get married this year so your mother can hold a grandson by next year."

Shen Siyuan looked at his mother and caught her gaze fixed on him. He immediately felt guilty and looked away. His mother gave him a playful, firm tap on the arm.

"Try to make your mother proud for once."

After the taps, she reached out to straighten his collar.

"Old Shen isn't home?" Seventh Aunt asked.

"He went to the chicken farm," his mother replied.

"Let's go then, don't dawdle. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."

Although it was only in the next village, it would still take a while to walk there. After they stepped out, Shen Siyuan asked, "Seventh Aunt, you haven't told me yet—which family's daughter are you introducing me to?"

"The daughter of Old Wry-Mouth Zhang from Stone Bridge Village. She’s two years younger than you. Don't look at Old Wry-Mouth Zhang and think much of him, but his daughter is quite a beauty..."

"Old Wry-Mouth Zhang?" Shen Siyuan nearly stumbled. He naturally knew who Old Wry-Mouth Zhang was because his son, Zhang Haibo, was his classmate. Because Old Wry-Mouth Zhang had a crooked mouth, they had nicknamed his son "Little Wry-Mouth."

Because of that nickname, Zhang Haibo had gotten into many fights; if it were today, he’d be considered a "Wry-Mouthed Dragon King." Since the two families lived close by and were both in Qingshui Town, they had attended the same schools from elementary through junior high. Because of this, they not only knew each other but were actually on good terms, so Shen Siyuan had, of course, seen his sister before. In his memory, she was a dark, thin girl with a runny nose. Was this the "beauty" that Seventh Aunt was talking about?

However, they were already halfway there, so he couldn't just say he wasn't going. He decided to just go and see for himself.

Just then, he heard Seventh Aunt, who was walking behind him, say, "Seventh Aunt has introduced her to three candidates. You’re the last one to see her today."

Shen Siyuan thought to himself, if that's the case, why would you still send me? What if she liked one of the guys before me? Wouldn't this be a wasted trip?

But then he heard Seventh Aunt add:

"The first two weren't as handsome as you, and their conditions weren't as good either. Seventh Aunt did that on purpose. I let her see those two duds first, so once she sees you, the chances of success will be much higher."

Good grief, he was going on a blind date, and they were using strategy.

"Thanks, Seventh Aunt, for going to all this trouble," Shen Siyuan said.

"It’s nothing, considering my relationship with your mother," Seventh Aunt said with a chuckle.

That sounded a bit like an insult, somehow.

When they arrived at Stone Bridge Village, Shen Siyuan navigated his way toward Old Wry-Mouth Zhang's house with ease. Seeing this, Seventh Aunt asked, "You know where Old Wry-Mouth Zhang lives?"

"I’m classmates with his son," Shen Siyuan said.

"Oh, that’s even better! If you take a liking to the girl, it’ll be a marriage between two already close families," Seventh Aunt said.

Shen Siyuan looked awkward. What kind of "close family" was that? He hoped Zhang Haibo wouldn't find out; if he did, he’d probably stage a scene about how he treated him like a brother while Shen Siyuan was trying to date his sister, and then proceed to beat him up.

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Zhang Haibo in many years. Even though they lived in neighboring villages, they had rarely met since high school.

"Is Old Wry-Mouth Zhang's son, Zhang Haibo, home today?" Shen Siyuan asked.

"He's not home. But I heard his son is quite something now; he’s made a fortune in Coconut City." As Seventh Aunt spoke, she gave him a pointed look.

Seventh Aunt, what kind of look is that?

Shen Siyuan felt as though he had just been looked down upon.