Chapter 246: Stunned
Peace Slope Village.
Liu Laosan's house.
In this era, in Double Prosperity Territory, when guests arrived, the first thing to do was to offer them a cigarette. So, even though Deng Shirong had just burned a few cigarettes from an old lady, he still accepted the one handed to him by the girl in front of him.
Then, Liu Laosan introduced everyone to him one by one: "This is my wife, this is my eldest daughter-in-law, and this is my eldest daughter, Liu Aihong."
Deng Shirong greeted each of them. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked, "Cousin, your eldest daughter is 19 this year and hasn't been betrothed yet, right?"
Liu Laosan nodded and said, "Yes, my third daughter is 19 this year. Since her brother hasn't married yet, we're in no rush to find her a husband."
Deng Shirong held his pipe and said, "It's good to go out first and come in later. I've heard a bit about your eldest daughter's situation. People say she's filial, hardworking, and has a good personality. Coincidentally, I know a boss here with excellent conditions. I'll tell you about his situation. If you think it's a good match, I'll help arrange things. If not, we'll just forget about it!"
As soon as he said this, Liu Aihong's face turned red with embarrassment.
After all, she was a young girl not even twenty years old. Even in later generations, she would feel shy if a matchmaker discussed her marriage in front of her, let alone in this era when moral standards were still conservative.
She wanted to avoid the conversation, but she was also curious about the kind of person the matchmaker would introduce to her.
In the end, Liu Aihong simply imitated an ostrich and lowered her head, focusing on the bamboo weaving in front of her.
Mrs. Liu, however, was very interested. No matter the era, women tend to be more curious than men, especially when it comes to matters of marriage.
Aihong's mother was also eager to hear more. She immediately responded, "Please, cousin, tell us more about this man."
Deng Shirong smiled and began his introduction: "The man I'm talking about is from Treasure Mountain Village, Grand Harmony Brigade. He's 23 years old, 1.71 meters tall, and looks quite energetic. He's not the type with a crooked head or a weird mouth. He didn't receive much education and only graduated from elementary school.
He comes from a family of five siblings. He has an older sister who married a few years ago, and two younger brothers and a younger sister.
He's a chef and currently works at a restaurant in the county town, earning 50 yuan a month."
As Deng Shirong spoke, Liu Laosan, his wife, daughter-in-law, and daughter listened intently.
At first, they didn't react much. While 23 years old was slightly older, a four-year age difference wasn't a big deal. Being over 1.7 meters tall was also a good height. As for his education level, there wasn't much to say—graduating from elementary school was considered sufficient in the countryside at that time.
The fact that he came from a family of five siblings was also similar to their own situation.
However, when they heard that he was a chef working in a county town restaurant with a monthly salary of 50 yuan, Liu Laosan and his wife were both surprised and delighted. For rural folks, having a job in the county town was already enviable, let alone being a chef at a restaurant. That was truly an impressive identity.
After all, the social status of restaurant chefs in this era was worlds apart from that of later generations.
In later generations, ordinary restaurant chefs weren't much different from other laborers. Only those who had reached provincial or national levels still held relatively high social status.
But in this era, since private restaurants were rare, when people mentioned chefs, they were usually referring to those working in state-owned restaurants.
In this era, being a chef in a state-owned restaurant was considered a golden rice bowl, even more enviable than an iron rice bowl.
This was because the income of state-owned restaurant chefs wasn't tied to customer satisfaction. Unless high-ranking officials came to dine, chefs could cook based on their mood. If they were in a good mood, they'd put in effort and make the food delicious; if not, they'd just do the bare minimum.
In such a situation, if diners wanted to enjoy a good meal, they had to find ways to get close to the chef. Becoming friends with the chef meant you'd always get the best food when dining at the restaurant, which was a point of pride.
As a result, every skilled chef could easily build a network of connections spanning all walks of life.
No matter the era, people with extensive connections are always impressive.
Although Liu Laosan and his family didn't fully understand the intricacies, they knew that being a chef was a highly respected profession.
Just the 50-yuan monthly salary alone was enough to make their family look up to him. After all, even if the entire family worked together weaving bamboo products in their spare time, they might not earn that much in a month!
Seeing that Liu Laosan's family was already impressed, Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Cousin, that's the general situation. If there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask. I'll answer honestly."
Aihong's mother couldn't wait to ask, "Uncle Jiu, I want to ask—since he works in the county, has his workplace provided him with housing?"
Deng Shirong shook his head and said, "Cousin, I forgot to mention earlier that he doesn't work in a state-owned restaurant but in a private one. However, rest assured, even though it's a private restaurant, it's the largest one in the county, and the treatment is excellent.
He's not yet a formal chef at the restaurant, so he only earns 50 yuan a month. Once he works there for a while and qualifies as a formal chef, his income will likely double."
Liu Laosan couldn't help but interject, "Uncle Jiu, if he were a chef in a state-owned restaurant, that would indeed be a great career. But since he's in a private restaurant, isn't the job unstable? What if the restaurant owner fires him? Wouldn't that be the end of it?"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Cousin, I understand your concern, but it's unnecessary. The restaurant owner would never fire him. I won't go into the details for now, but if they hit it off after meeting, I'll explain everything later."
Aihong's mother asked, "Uncle Jiu, leaving aside the issue of dismissal, where does he live in the county while working? If my third daughter marries him, would she live in his hometown, Treasure Mountain Village, or move to the county town with him?"
Hearing this, Liu Aihong, who had been weaving, paused. She also wanted to know the answer.
If she married and had to live in Treasure Mountain Village, she would hardly see her husband throughout the year. No matter how good his conditions were, she wouldn't want to marry him. What difference would there be between that and being a widow? Although she was still a young girl and didn't fully understand the hardships of being a widow, she knew it wasn't a good thing.
But if she could marry and live with her husband in the county town, that would be a different story. No rural girl would turn down the chance to leave the countryside and move to the county town.
Deng Shirong replied, "Of course, she would live with him in the county town. A couple must be together. Right now, he's living with relatives since he's single. But if he gets married, he'll definitely buy a house in the county town. You can rest assured about that.
Moreover, if this match works out, I can help arrange a job for Liu Aihong."
"What?"
When these words were spoken, Liu Laosan and his wife were stunned.
Mrs. Liu, who had been silently listening, was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out.
Liu Aihong wasn't much better off. She was so excited she almost crushed the half-finished bamboo weaving in her hands.
Helping to arrange a job, especially in the county town, was an irresistible temptation for any rural person in this era.
Liu Laosan asked in disbelief, "Uncle Jiu, is what you're saying true? He's just a chef in a restaurant. How can he help arrange a job?"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "His position in the restaurant is a bit special. I'll explain more later. But for now, I can arrange for Liu Aihong to work as a waitress in the restaurant, helping with washing dishes and preparing vegetables. She could earn about 25 yuan a month."
Aihong's mother exclaimed excitedly, "Uncle Jiu, if he can bring my third daughter to live in the county town and arrange a job like this for her, then we have no objections to this marriage!"
Liu Laosan also nodded and said, "Yes, as long as he has the ability, we agree to this marriage."
Originally, as the girl's parents, no matter how satisfied they were, they should have remained reserved and not expressed their opinions so readily, especially since the two parties hadn't even met yet, and they didn't know if the man was truly as the matchmaker described.
But the future Deng Shirong painted for them was so enticing that they couldn't help but drop their reservations and eagerly accept the offer.
Deng Shirong understood their feelings and said, "I'm relieved to hear that. I'll go to Treasure Mountain Village tomorrow to discuss this with his parents and arrange for them to meet as soon as possible. We'll see how things go after they meet and talk."
Aihong's mother nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, Uncle Jiu, please talk to his parents about this. I'm not just praising my own daughter, but my third daughter is truly an excellent girl—hardworking, obedient, and kind-hearted. Ask around the village, and everyone will sing her praises!"
Deng Shirong acknowledged this, stood up, and said with a smile, "Cousin, I've got a good idea of the situation now. I'll head back first. I'll talk to his parents tomorrow and come back the day after to discuss arranging a meeting in the county town."
"Okay!"
"Uncle Jiu, please stay for dinner before you go!"
"No need, you all go ahead with your work. I'll see you the day after tomorrow!"
"..."
After leaving Liu Laosan's house, Deng Shirong didn't head straight back. Instead, he walked around the village and asked several people about Liu Aihong. After confirming that she had an excellent reputation in the village, he left on his bicycle, satisfied.
(End of this chapter)