BTYFOV Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Talk Terms

 What good things can you have in your stomach (mind)?

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Qin Feng subconsciously wanted to ask what he had said the day before yesterday.

Just as the words were about to come out, he realized something and asked in surprise, “No way?”

“Your uncle does things, is there anything he can't do?” his uncle retorted.

Qin Feng thought about his uncle’s personality, who liked making friends, had a fiery temper, and was very loyal. If he had lived in ancient times, he would have been either a rebel leader at Wagang or a hero of Liangshan.

“But this is too fast, isn’t it?”

Uncle Zhou said, “Fast? I spent the whole day yesterday asking around before I found out.”

Qin Feng was convinced. His uncle was worthy of being his uncle, finding out in just one day.

“You’re not bringing the person here, are you?”

“Are you free today?”

Qin Feng quickly said, “I’m not free. I have to test the train. I’ll be in the factory all day.”

Uncle Zhou was not surprised at all. “I told the girl to go on Sunday, go—”

“Go to your house!” Qin Feng didn’t want the matchmaking to become public knowledge in the whole village and factory. “She’s the woman, we can’t let her come to our house. Don’t you think so?”

Uncle Zhou nodded, “Right. Let’s go inside, I’ll tell you about that girl’s situation.”

Qin Feng wasn’t interested at all.

No matter how good the woman was, she is not as good as money.

His family had so many mouths to feed, all relying on him.

Besides, in his previous life, he had dated all kinds of women—plump, slim, stars, internet celebrities, and so on.

Unless that woman could support him.

"Uncle, I have to go to the factory now, you can talk to my parents."

Uncle Zhou asked, "Don’t you want to know?"

"You can't go wrong if you choose one."

This was exactly what Uncle Zhou liked to hear. He patted Qin Feng’s shoulder and said, "Good! I’ll go talk to your parents now," before leaving without waiting for a reply.

He was as energetic as ever, not at all like someone in his fifties.

Gu Wuyi peeked over, then ran out as soon as Uncle Zhou was far away. "Dad, you’re actually not interested, right?"

Qin Feng responded bluntly, "A girl with a job who is interested in me wouldn't not know about you three."

Gu Wuyi was confused. "So?"

"We have enough people in our family already, I can’t afford to support another one." Qin Feng said as he went back to grab his briefcase. "Let’s go."

Little Miaomiao waved his hand and called out in a sweet voice, "Goodbye, Daddy."

Qin Feng turned around, went back, and squatted down to kiss his on the cheek.

The little one was stunned.

Gu Wuyi laughed, "Dad is doing this because he likes you."

The child snapped out of it, blinking his big eyes, "He likes me?"

Gu Xiao’er nodded. "Of course. Dad never kissed me."

"How old are you?" Gu Wuyi glanced at him in disbelief, then squatted down to hug the child. "But you can only kiss on the cheek, and only people in our family can be kissed, not outsiders."

The child shook his head in disdain. "Miaomiao doesn’t want to kiss outsiders."

Gu Wuyi was very pleased with this response. He stood up and held the child's hand. "Shall we go to Grandma's house?"

"Why go to Grandma's house?" The child asked instinctively.

Gu Wuyi replied, "Brother is going to school. Are you going to stay home alone if you don’t go to Grandma’s?"

The child grabbed his hand and started running outside.

Gu Xiao’er quickly followed, dragging two backpacks along.

When they reached the doorstep, the two brothers didn’t go inside. First, it was almost time for class, and second, the situation regarding the woman was something the elderly couple would tell Qin Feng sooner or later.

Would Qin Feng not tell us after he found out?

By the way, Qin Feng had told his uncle that he had to test the train today, which was true.

This time, it wasn’t a traditional train but an electric tram. The country’s manufacturing technology in this area wasn’t very mature yet, so it was a big deal that the first test run was a success. Everyone at the Northern Railway Factory was as excited as during the New Year.

Qin Feng didn’t come home for lunch and had to eat with the leaders.

In the evening, when Qin Feng returned home, just as the two brothers expected, Old Qin immediately called him into the main room.

The two brothers exchanged glances, then went in with Miaomiao in tow.

Old Qin instinctively wanted to send them away.

Then Qin Feng thought, if this works out, they’ll be family, so he might as well let the kids listen in too.

He didn’t rush to voice his opinion because, before meeting the woman, no matter what he said, his father would always have something to counter him with.

Old Qin didn’t make him wait too long and, after sitting down, he began to enthusiastically list all the good qualities of the woman.

Her parents were both workers at a clothing factory.

Hearing this, Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. From what he knew, second-generation children like her usually sought a partner from the same social standing, not outsiders.

It was clear that his father was very pleased. Qin Feng continued listening obediently as his father went on, explaining that the woman had graduated from a technical school, was nineteen years old this year, and worked as a teacher at a kindergarten in the northern part of the city.

Gu Xiao’er couldn’t help but make a cheeky face at Qin Feng.

Old Qin noticed and casually asked, "What’s going on?"

Qin Feng looked at his second son’s mischievous grin, which, on an adult’s face, could only be described as lewd. "You want to say I’m an old cow eating tender grass, don’t you?"

Gu Xiao’er was slightly taken aback.

Qin Feng snapped, "What good words could be in your head?" He gave him a glare and said to his father, "Dad, you can continue."

"The girl’s family is simple, just one older brother."

Qin Feng nodded. "That’s good."

Old Qin paused for a moment, sizing up his son, and once he confirmed that Qin Feng was speaking, he quickly asked, "So, do you want to meet her?" He was afraid Qin Feng might change his mind if they waited too long.

"Can I say no?" Qin Feng retorted.

Old Qin was stunned into silence.

Fortunately, he had prepared a basket full of persuasive words.

Old Qin, still uneasy, asked, "You won’t change your mind again, will you?"

"Why would I care about a woman?" Qin Feng laughed. "Besides, it’s not like we’re getting married."

Old Qin thought about it and agreed. His son already had a child, so he wasn’t some shy, innocent young man embarrassed to meet people.

"Your uncle thinks that coming to our house or his house isn’t suitable; his place is too far. How about meeting at a restaurant this weekend?"

Qin Feng asked, "Should I book the restaurant, or should Uncle Zhou?"

"Of course, you should. Your uncle doesn’t know anything about that."

Qin Feng replied, "I happen to have some free time tomorrow. I’ll go to the Binhai Grand Hotel and check it out."

Old Qin, surprised, blurted out, "The Binhai Grand Hotel?"

That was the best restaurant in Binhai, and it was said that one meal could cost a regular worker half a month’s wages.

Qin Feng nodded. "I’ll also take the opportunity to improve the food situation for you and them."

"Are you going for a blind date or for a meal?"

Qin Feng replied, "Both, not conflicting." Before his father could protest, he added, "Otherwise, should I leave them at home?"

Old Qin was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly thought of Gu Xue. Since she hadn’t gotten any benefit from him last time, no one could guarantee she wouldn’t come again this weekend.

"Let your mother go with you. I’ll stay at home."

Qin Feng asked, "What if her parents, older brother, and sister-in-law go too? And what if, if it works out, they want to meet the three of us?"

Old Qin was persuaded by his son’s reasoning.

The weekend came around quickly, and Old Qin got up early and went to the staff residence, asking Qin Feng and the kids to get up early and reminding them to dress nicely.

From the time Uncle Zhou came over to tell him to go on the blind date, Qin Feng hadn’t said a single word of refusal. Naturally, he wasn’t going to go against his father at this crucial moment.

He took out his brand-new Zhongshan suit and started looking for clothes for the three kids.

However, Gu Wuyi didn’t want to go.

Qin Feng didn’t feel the need to lie to them. He made it clear that he wasn’t planning to get married at this stage, and there were definitely ways to handle the elders.

The three kids following him could very likely affect his performance.

Thinking of this, Gu Wuyi said, "Dad, I think we shouldn’t go."

Qin Feng, who was in the middle of dressing Miaomiao, stopped and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"If we go, you’ll have to take care of us."

Qin Feng suddenly realized that taking care of them was the least of his concerns. He was more worried that the woman’s side might not understand, and directly ask about the two brothers’ parents, or what Miaomiao’s mom did.

It would be hard to explain the parents of the two boys to outsiders, and Miaomiao’s mom would need him to make up a story on the spot. Miaomiao also didn’t have a concept of having a mother, and Qin Feng didn’t want him to know too much.

Qin Feng asked, "If we don’t go, what should we have for lunch?"

Gu Wuyi replied, "There’s some noodles and eggs, I’ll make egg noodles. I’m not incapable of cooking."

And he really could cook.

During the mourning period for Engineer Gu, neither of the two brothers wanted to visit anyone’s home. They just cooked plain noodles for themselves every day.

They were lucky they could still eat it.

But the three of them together didn’t outweigh Qin Feng, and he was worried. "The food at a popular restaurant is much better than what we cook ourselves."

Gu Wuyi smiled and teased, "Are you really in the mood to eat?"

Qin Feng laughed and couldn’t help but ruffle his little head. "What do you mean I don’t have the mood? Not very old, but I know quite a bit. Shouldn’t it be you who needs to understand?"

"Just say whether it’s fine or not."

Qin Feng was concerned that some careless relatives might show up. "But I need to lock the door from the outside."

Gu Wuyi shrugged. "Lock it then."

"Xiao'er, what about you?" Qin Feng asked.

The weather was cold, and the food had been pretty good lately. Gu Xiao'er wasn’t really craving meat. Besides, his older brother definitely had his reasons for not going. "I’m fine either way."

"Alright." There was a bathroom in the house with a toilet. Normally, they would go to a public restroom because the quality of the toilet was poor, and they didn’t have professional toilet cleaners. Qin Feng didn’t want to be dealing with clogged toilets every few days. "I’ll have the chef make two more dishes and pack them to go."

Gu Wuyi was both surprised and pleased, hardly believing what he had heard.

Qin Feng said, "Did you suddenly realize how great I am?"

Gu Wuyi nodded enthusiastically.

Qin Feng paused for a moment, then smiled in exasperation. "What’s so great about me? If there were a rating, I’d barely pass the minimum."

Gu Xiao'er casually added, "Then just keep at it and aim for a perfect score."

"You're so full of yourself." Qin Feng gave him a glance, then carried Miaomiao downstairs.

The two little brothers followed behind.

When Old Qin learned that the three of them weren't going, he couldn't help but sigh when he saw his wife at home. "The kids are really sensible."

Just as it was, Madam Zhou was relieved that they would be going, as she had been worried about how to explain things if they met the girl's family. But she still felt bad for the kids.

Uncle Zhou's house was far, and after they ate, he hadn't arrived yet. Taking the opportunity, Madam Zhou had Old Qin pull some young green vegetables, while she asked Gu Wuyi to start the fire and fry five pieces of steamed bread.

She locked the clean vegetables and fried bread pieces along with the three children in the little building in the staff residence. Madam Zhou was reassured. Even if they didn’t cook at noon, with soy milk powder and fried bread pieces, they wouldn’t go hungry.

At this moment, Uncle Zhou finally arrived.

As the saying goes, "Early is better than late."

Uncle Zhou was afraid the bus might break down along the way, and they would have to walk to the city. He placed the bicycle in front of the guard room and urged Qin Feng to hurry up.

Ninety-nine percent of it had been tolerated, but Qin Feng couldn't possibly tolerate this last bit.

Qin Feng obediently got on the bus, and Uncle Zhou, walking behind, couldn't help but murmur to Old Qin, "I thought Xiao Feng just agreed without thinking, to make me happy."

Old Qin immediately felt like he'd found a kindred spirit. "Don’t even say it. His quick agreement has made me uneasy now."

Uncle Zhou’s heart skipped a beat at his words. "No, no... it won’t be, will it?"

Madam Zhou glanced at them and said, "What are you thinking? Sometimes our Xiao Feng really does have a rebellious streak. But it depends on the situation. If he acts foolishly, it’s not just our family that feels embarrassed."

Uncle Zhou, noticing the tall buildings of the Northern Trailway Factory in the corner of his eye, murmured, "I didn’t think of that. He’s a university student trained by the state, and an engineer at the Northern Trailway Factory."

Madam Zhou, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but feel proud and smiled, walking quickly to sit next to her son.

Qin Feng: "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Is the Binhai Grand Hotel far from here?" Madam Zhou had never been to a big hotel.

Qin Feng: "It's near the Xicheng District, about ten miles away."

Madam Zhou gasped: "So far?!"

Qin Feng: "It's not close to the girl's house either."

Madam Zhou thought about the girl being in the north of the city and her own house being in the southeast. "If you two get together, it won't be easy for her to visit her parents."

"Let’s meet her first," Qin Feng glanced at his uncle, and in a low voice, said, "His standards are different from mine."

Madam Zhou instinctively wanted to respond, "What’s different?"

But then she realized that her brother’s farthest trip in his life had been to Binhai’s city center, and the number of beautiful women he’d seen probably didn’t surpass the number Qin Feng had encountered.

With this thought, Madam Zhou couldn't help but worry that when her brother said "beautiful," he might mean something like Qin Ying—fair-skinned but only mildly delicate.

When Qin Feng saw his mother's face changing expressions, he stopped trying to talk and smiled slightly, closing his eyes to rest.

Half-awake, he heard the conductor announce, "We’ve arrived at Binhai Grand Hotel. Binhai Grand Hotel stop. If anyone is getting off, please do so quickly."

Qin Feng hurriedly sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Uncle Zhou couldn’t help but ask, "Are you tired?"

Qin Feng casually said, "I didn't go to bed until after eleven last night, writing the summary report."

 Uncle Zhou immediately felt sorry, "Your job is really tough. But it will get better in the future."

Qin Feng noticed the underlying meaning and didn’t want him to keep talking about it. He changed the subject, "Did they say where they are waiting for us?"

Uncle Zhou didn’t have time to advise his nephew to find a partner and share some of the burden.

 As soon as they got out of the bus, he looked around.

 He spotted a few people in front of Binhai Grand Hotel, "Over there."

 Qin Feng looked up and saw six people standing at the entrance of Binhai Grand Hotel, three men and three women. As they crossed the road, the six people simultaneously looked over at them.

 Qin Feng was surprised by what he saw. One woman and two men, all in their fifties, were likely the woman’s parents and the matchmaker, while a pair of young adults in their twenties were probably the woman's brother and sister-in-law.

 The woman looked about eighteen years old, not particularly tall, about 1.61 to 1.62 meters. She appeared gentle and soft, smiling shyly when she saw him, like a well-behaved girl. She wasn’t extremely pretty, at least not as beautiful as the classmates Qin Feng had studied abroad with, who often dined together.

 Qin Feng thought of that classmate and slightly shook his head. He could never handle that girl.

 Her father was a soldier, and her grandfather was the head of the provincial public security department—she was a typical "military general's daughter," strong-willed and authoritative. He didn’t know which man would dare marry her in the future.

 "Xiao Feng, what are you thinking?" Madam Zhou pulled at her son.

 Qin Feng smiled, "I suddenly thought of a classmate. I think her uncle is the head chef at Binhai Grand Hotel."

 As soon as he said that, the woman’s family, who had planned to greet him, all looked at Qin Feng in unison, as if they couldn’t believe there was someone he knew at the hotel.

 Just then, a waiter came out to greet them and casually replied, "We have several chefs here. Which one is this comrade talking about?"

Qin Feng said, "I don't know his name, but he has a relative who studied abroad, and it was a government-sponsored trip."

The waiter thought for a moment and then said, "You must be talking about Master Du?"

"My classmate's mother’s last name is Du, and she’s also from Binhai."

The waiter laughed, "That must be Master Du. Our Chef Du isn't directly related to your classmate. Your classmate’s mother was Chef Du's mentor. Master Du was also a chef here at our restaurant before."

Madam Zhou asked curiously, "Not working here anymore?"

The waiter replied, "We would love for her to come back, but unfortunately, she is married to a soldier, so she has to follow him."

Qin Feng nodded and explained to his mother, "The father of Chef Du mentioned by this comrade is the Mr. Du from our province."

Qin Feng was surprised, "You know about him?"

Old Qin replied, "How could I not know? We haven’t had someone so remarkable in our area for decades. I heard he cae back a few years ago."

The woman’s family immediately changed their expressions when they saw Qin Feng’s face, looking ecstatic but desperately trying to suppress it, which made their expressions somewhat distorted.

Qin Feng had casually mentioned his classmate, but he purposely brought up Mr. Du.

It wasn’t that he had any ill intentions or was testing their nature.

If he were single, he wouldn’t be afraid of marrying anyone.

At worst, he could just get a divorce.

Now, with three kids at home, the youngest only four years old, and their tragic background, he had to be extra cautious and careful.

However, he pretended not to notice, so he wouldn’t have to hear about it every day in the future. Today, this matter had to be addressed by his parents, stating that the girl was not suitable for him.

Qin Feng smiled and said, "Dad, the wind is strong at the door. How about we go inside first?"

The waiter immediately led the way.

Then, they brought a pot of tea and a plate of sunflower seeds.

Qin Feng couldn’t help but look at the waiter.

The waiter smiled and explained, "The manager sent this. It’s rare to meet a classmate of Tian’er."

Madam Zhou couldn’t help but ask, "Tian’er?"

Qin Feng said, "A classmate of mine, Shao Tian’er, who went abroad with me. She’s the daughter of Chef Du he just mentioned."

The waiter nodded, "Please take your time. We’ll be outside."

Qin Feng asked, "Do you have any snacks?"

The waiter handed over the menu.

It was a bit early for a meal, and a small plate of sunflower seeds felt too meager, so Qin Feng ordered six servings of dim sum.

Although Madam Zhou was eager for her son to settle down, seeing him being so generous on his first meeting with someone, she couldn’t help but glance at him.

Qin Feng pretended not to see, and poured water for everyone.

The girl’s mother hurriedly stood up, "I’ll do it myself. Qin—Qin—"

"Just call me Qin Feng." Qin Feng had never served anyone in his previous life, and in this life, except when working abroad, he hadn’t had a chance to serve others, so it felt awkward. Upon hearing this, he immediately sat back down and pretended to be embarrassed, asking, "Uncle and Aunt, you know about my situation, right?"

The girl’s mother looked at the matchmaker sitting between the two families, “You’ve told us everything. You’re an overseas PhD graduate, now an engineer at the Northern Railway Factory, and you’ve adopted three children, right?”

Qin Feng suddenly looked at his uncle.

What did you tell them?

Uncle Zhou really wanted to tell them that all three were adopted. But little Miaomiao looked so much like his nephew that no one would believe he wasn’t his biological child. “I said two were adopted and one is biological, right?”

The girl’s mother smiled and nodded, “Whether adopted or biological, it’s the same to us.”

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint, “My uncle mentioned this young lady’s situation as well. She’s only nineteen this year, right?”

The girl’s mother didn’t catch the implication, pulling her daughter’s arm and showing a bit of pride and smugness, “Yes. She’s seven years younger than you, you’ll—”

“Wait a second!” Qin Feng had no intention of discussing the future, “Aunt, I want to make it clear. Although I’m a PhD graduate, I have three children, and I’m still from the countryside. My parents don’t have a pension, and I’ll need to support five people in the future.”

The girl’s mother’s smile didn’t change, “You’re such a straightforward kid, just like your uncle said. We already know all this. Your salary is high, you can support them.”

Qin Feng turned to his uncle.

Uncle Zhou nodded, “I can’t say you can’t support them and expect the girl to help you, right? Besides, you can already support them.”

Madam Zhou, afraid her daughter-in-law might fly off, immediately said, “Actually, Qin Feng doesn’t need to support them. His father and I are still capable. If you get married in the future, a few children can stay with us.”

Qin Feng couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

The girl’s mother immediately sensed something was off and thought the ideal son-in-law was slipping away, “Look at what this elder sister said. Once they get married, the children are theirs. How can they let you raise them?”

Qin Feng nodded.

Madam Zhou was surprised but pleased with this answer, “What your elder sister said is right. I misunderstood.”

The girl’s mother casually said, “What misunderstanding? But there are a few things I want to clarify. I hope you don’t get upset, elder sister. Qin Feng, don’t take it to heart.”

Madam Zhou nodded, “Go ahead.”

The girl’s mother looked at Qin Feng, “Your uncle said you’re living at the factory?”

Qin Feng looked at his uncle.

—You really went all out!

Uncle Zhou said, “If you don’t clear things up with people, who would dare marry you with three kids?”

Qin Feng helplessly looked away and nodded at the girl’s family.

The girl’s father asked, “Your uncle said the house you live in is in the factory’s staff residence, but it’s actually land the factory allocated for you to build yourself. What I mean is, when you’re gone, does that house not need to be returned to the factory?”

Qin Feng nodded, “When the staff residence was built, the factory didn’t have the money to build a special expert building. They didn’t want the experts to live in the long, narrow buildings as it would affect their work due to the poor sound insulation. So, Teacher Gu asked the factory for a piece of land and paid to build it himself.”

The girl’s mother continued, “The two children from the Gu family, your adopted elder and second grandson, won’t come asking for anything when they grow up, will they?”

Qin Feng thought about the two brothers in the book: one was a businessman and the other a soldier; one was wealthy and the other supported by the state. Although later one went to jail and the other died, with him around, there would definitely be no issue in the future. “They won’t.”

“Well, that’s good,” the girl’s mother said, relieved. “Can I ask how much your salary is?”

Qin Feng shook his head, "The base salary is about the same as what you know."

The girl’s mother understood, primarily relying on the bonuses, "I’ve looked into it, the base salary isn’t low either."

Qin Feng humbly said, "It’s alright. It’s enough to support the family. Aunt, is there anything else you’d like to ask?"

Ask quickly, the more you talk, the more mistakes you make.

The girl’s father asked, “Since you’ve returned from studying abroad, you’re quite valued at the factory, right?”

Uncle Zhou couldn’t help but say, "Of course. The first time I went to the factory residence to look for him, the gatekeeper wouldn’t even let me in. I was worried I might disturb him. The second time, the gatekeeper personally accompanied me to find him."

The girl’s mother was relieved, “That’s good.” She looked at Qin Feng, "Someone as respected as you, it shouldn’t be difficult to arrange a job for your family members, right?"

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