After Qin Yuanzheng delegated the task of finding the person, he packed his things, grabbed two tins of canned mandarin oranges and a bottle of sorghum liquor, and left the office.
Leaving the mining area, he got into his car and drove all the way to the food factory's family residential compound in the northern part of the city.
His cousin, Yang Wenyan, was the director of the food factory in the city's north.
Ever since he was transferred to work at the mining area here, his cousin Yang Wenyan had been very welcoming, always inviting him over for dinner during holidays and festivals.
After all, Qin Yuanzheng's hometown wasn't around Longcheng. His family lived over by the Changbai Mountains, which was quite a distance away.
Working far from home, having a relative look out for him was a real blessing.
Therefore, Qin Yuanzheng visited his cousin quite frequently.
He arrived at the food factory's dormitory area, parked the car, took out his gifts, found the building where Yang Wenyan lived, and went straight up to the second floor.
Yang Wenyan's home was a two-bedroom apartment with a living room. Though it wasn't exactly spacious, being assigned such an apartment in the city was no easy feat.
After all, the Production and Construction Corps had to settle tens of thousands of educated youths sent down to the countryside every year, making housing extremely tight.
When Qin Yuanzheng stepped into Yang Wenyan's home, his cousin's wife, Deng Xiaozhen, had already finished cooking dinner.
His cousin and his wife didn't have any children yet, but at this moment, Qin Yuanzheng immediately spotted a seven- or eight-year-old boy sitting in the room.
The boy, wearing a somewhat worn-out padded jacket, stared at Qin Yuanzheng with a reserved and cautious expression.
Qin Yuanzheng stood at the door, paused his steps, and looked at Yang Wenyan.
Yang Wenyan walked over to him: "It's freezing. Come in, let's shut the door first."
As he spoke, he closed the door, then leaned in close to Qin Yuanzheng's ear and lowered his voice, "Didn't you say last time that you wanted to find a female comrade who already has a child? Take a look at this one today."
Qin Yuanzheng: ...
Qin Yuanzheng had indeed said something like that.
He was nearing thirty. Not only his superiors but also his family members were constantly asking him about settling down and starting a family.
He suffered from infertility. Although his sexual function was perfectly fine and he was very robust, his sperm was too weak and had low motility. The doctor had told him that he might never have children in his lifetime.
If he had to get married, he would either have to find a woman who didn't want to have children, or simply find a divorcée who already had a child.
He had only mentioned this last week, and this week, his cousin and cousin-in-law had already found someone for him.
For a moment, Qin Yuanzheng didn't know what to say.
His cousin Yang Wenyan took his military overcoat to hang it up while saying, "Yuanzheng, you look incredibly handsome in this uniform! There must be plenty of girls who fancy you, right?"
Qin Yuanzheng stood at 1.88 meters, and with his military boots on, he was over 1.9 meters tall. He had a firm, muscular build that made him look tall, mighty, and imposing.
Many women loved exactly his type.
If it weren't for his infertility, his superiors would definitely be fighting to marry their daughters off to him.
Yang Wenyan shook his head, sighed, and pulled him inside to sit down, whispering again, "The female comrade here today is a worker at the textile factory, just like your cousin-in-law. She got divorced two years ago and is raising her son on her own. Look, her son is quite well-behaved too."
Qin Yuanzheng asked, "Why hasn't she found someone else after being divorced for two years?"
Yang Wenyan shook his head: "I'm not sure. You can ask her yourself in a bit."
With that, Yang Wenyan turned to the boy sitting on the sofa and said, "Xiaoyuan, come here and say hello to Uncle Qin."
The boy gave Qin Yuanzheng a timid glance and called out, "Uncle."
Qin Yuanzheng nodded. He patted his pockets, only to find them completely empty.
He then reached directly into his trouser pocket, pulled out a five-yuan bill, and handed it to the boy, saying, "Uncle didn't bring a greeting gift. Take this and buy yourself some candy."
The boy silently accepted it and tucked the money into his pocket.
Before long, his cousin-in-law Deng Xiaozhen came out carrying dishes of food, accompanied by a female comrade with short hair.
When the two women saw the tall and broad Qin Yuanzheng, they both froze for a moment.
Deng Xiaozhen quickly recovered and said cheerfully, "Oh my, our Regiment Commander Qin is here! Huiping, come, let me introduce you. This is Regiment Commander Qin Yuanzheng, the one I told you about. Yuanzheng, this is a female comrade from our textile factory. Her name is Wang Huiping."
Wang Huiping looked to be around thirty years old. She had short hair, a slightly plump figure, and a round face when she smiled, giving her a very amiable and kind appearance.
When she looked at Qin Yuanzheng, she seemed a bit shy. She nodded at him and said, "Hello, Regiment Commander Qin. I am Wang Huiping."
Qin Yuanzheng glanced at her, nodding: "Hello, I am Qin Yuanzheng. You can just call me by my name."
With that, the two were officially acquainted. Since the food was ready, the group sat down and had dinner together.
During the meal, Yang Wenyan and Deng Xiaozhen did most of the talking, while Wang Huiping would chime in occasionally.
The boy named Xiaoyuan, however, was exceptionally quiet, just focusing on his food without making a sound.
Qin Yuanzheng wasn't much of a talker either, so he just ate slowly. Once he finished, seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to take his leave.
Yang Wenyan held him back and asked in a low voice, "So, what do you think?"
Qin Yuanzheng didn't really have any particular thoughts. He remained silent for a few seconds before replying, "I don't really have any thoughts on it."
Yang Wenyan: ...
Yang Wenyan clicked his tongue and said:
"Comrade Wang Huiping has a good personality and a steady job. Plus, she already has a son, so it wouldn't matter if you two don't have kids after getting married. You're close in age, too. Isn't it a perfect match? So many people fall in love over time just by spending time together. You should interact with her more, just treat it as giving each other a chance, you know?"
Over the past two years, Qin Yuanzheng had grown thoroughly annoyed by the constant nagging from his superiors and family regarding his marriage.
He fell silent again, pondering for a moment before saying, "It's getting late. I'll walk Comrade Wang Huiping home."
By saying this, he was agreeing with Yang Wenyan's suggestion to spend some time together and see how things go.
Delighted, Yang Wenyan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Now that's more like it. Make sure you talk to her a bit more on the way back. Don't be so quiet, understand?"
Qin Yuanzheng nodded, put on his military overcoat, and stood by the door to wait.
A short while later, Wang Huiping also put on her coat and came out, holding her son's hand.
The two exchanged a glance, and Wang Huiping spoke up with a smile: "Comrade Qin, our textile factory dormitory isn't far. I can walk back by myself. There's no need to trouble you to see me off."
Qin Yuanzheng: "It's dark out and unsafe. I'd better take you back. Besides, the child shouldn't be exposed to the freezing cold, or he'll easily get sick."
As he said this, his mind drifted back to Qiao Lanshu, who was currently staying in the hospital.
That young girl caught a cold the moment she was exposed to a chilly breeze. Her constitution was incredibly fragile.
He walked to the entrance of the residential compound and opened the car door. It was Wang Huiping's first time riding in a car, so she became a bit tense, though the awe and envy in her eyes were unmistakable.
After all, it was a motor car. In this day and age, how many people could afford to drive a car?
