Hearing Zhou Xiaowei call her, Zhou Hongxia swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
What urgent matter could there be in the middle of the New Year? Zhou Hongxia's heart gave a sudden lurch.
"Xiaohong, I'll head off now — I'll come find you another day!" Zhou Hongxia said, already stepping out the door.
Wang Xiaohong watched her retreating figure, then her gaze landed on the pair of leather shoes before her, feeling they were an eyesore.
She casually wrapped up the shoes along with the fruit candy and set the package on the cupboard.
Zhou Hongxia hurried out of the yard, and the moment she stepped into the courtyard, she saw Zhou Xiaowei standing there holding a flashlight.
"What's going on?" she called out in her booming voice before she even reached him.
"Come quick! Someone's here for you!" Zhou Xiaowei said. "Someone from the oil field cafeteria!"
When she got home, she found Zhou Zhiguo and his wife warming themselves by the fire in the east room, and sitting beside them was none other than Chef Ma, the cook from the cafeteria.
Chef Ma worked on the drilling crew, and his wife and kids usually lived in the Nangang family compound.
She'd heard that his wife and children had come to spend the New Year with him — so why was he here at their place now?
Zhou Xiaowei said it was urgent — could Old Ma have some business with her?
Zhou Hongxia walked quickly to the door, smiling as she greeted him, "Chef Ma, happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year, happy New Year!" Old Ma replied, his face wreathed in smiles.
Zhou Hongxia then asked, "Didn't Auntie come to spend the New Year with you?"
"That's exactly what I've come about," he said. "Something came up at home, so she can't make it — she sent word for me to head back to Nangang first thing tomorrow morning.
Once I'm gone, you'll be the only one left in the cafeteria. I came over to discuss it with you — I'll need you to hold down the fort for a few extra days."
Zhou Hongxia agreed without hesitation. "Chief Ma, don't you worry! Family matters always come first — the cafeteria's in good hands with me here!
There are only about a dozen men left on the drilling crew, and I can manage on my own. Go home and rest easy — don't worry about a thing!"
Zhou Zhiguo tapped out his pipe and looked up at Old Ma with a smile. "Chef Ma, you go on back! Hongxia's been quick and capable since she was a girl — she can handle the cafeteria work!"
Beside him, Wang Haiying rubbed her hands and chimed in, "That's right, that's right! Hongxia's been working in the cafeteria for so long now, she knows every job like the back of her hand. Set your mind at ease!
If she really needs an extra pair of hands, I'll come by tomorrow and help out — stoking the fire, washing vegetables, whatever's needed. I promise the drilling crew won't go hungry!"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Old Ma said, his face full of gratitude.
Then he shifted the conversation. "There's also something else — I've been meaning to talk to you about it for a while, but I never found the time!"
The others all looked a bit taken aback, and then Zhou Zhiguo spoke up. "Chef Ma, if you have something to say, just say it — don't stand on ceremony!"
"Hongxia here is a pretty girl — smart, hardworking, and capable. I was wondering, has she been promised to anyone yet?" Old Ma asked, his gaze sweeping across the people in the room.
Old Ma was always joking around, constantly saying he'd find a husband for Zhou Hongxia, and she'd never taken him seriously.
But today didn't quite seem like a joke, and Zhou Hongxia's guard immediately went up. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly.
Zhou Zhiguo and his wife exchanged a glance, and Wang Haiying was the first to speak. "Ah, Chef Ma, this girl's got her heart set entirely on her work — marriage hasn't even crossed her mind yet!
If you know anyone suitable on your end, you must keep an eye out for her!"
Zhou Zhiguo tapped his pipe and nodded in agreement. "Right — we're not looking for much. As long as the man has good character, works hard, and can live a steady, down-to-earth life, that's good enough. We'd be grateful for your help, Chef Ma."
Zhou Hongxia's cheeks grew redder still. She unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes and muttered, "I'm still young — there's no rush for marriage..."
As she spoke, she stole a glance at Old Ma, a knot of unease twisting in her chest — afraid he might actually name a specific candidate.
She wasn't in a hurry, but Zhou Zhiguo and his wife certainly were.
After this New Year, Zhou Xiaowei would be twenty-one and Zhou Hongxia nineteen — and neither of them had any plans for marriage yet.
In the countryside, once a boy or girl stopped going to school, matchmakers would start visiting as early as fifteen or sixteen, and engagements were typically settled if a suitable match came along.
But those two children of theirs were a different story — matchmakers had worn a path to their doorstep, yet the siblings had turned up their noses at every single prospect, finding fault with each one.
After Zhou Hongxia got her permanent position, someone had tried to set her up with a man who worked at the commune office, but she hadn't even wanted to meet him. Zhou Zhiguo and his wife had no idea what was going on in her head.
Now that Old Ma was offering to make an introduction, Wang Haiying secretly thought — wouldn't it be wonderful if they could find an oil field worker?
She turned to Zhou Hongxia and said, "You're nineteen after the New Year — still think that's young?"
Then she turned back to Old Ma and said earnestly, "Chef Ma, please keep an eye out — if there's a suitable man, do introduce him to Hongxia!"
Seeing this, Old Ma smiled, and a note of sincerity crept into his tone. "I'm not joking, you know. There's a young fellow on the drilling crew — handsome, hardworking, and solid in his work.
He's from a good family, too. His father's a leader at the oil field, and his mother teaches at the oil field elementary school!"
The moment Zhou Zhiguo and his wife heard those conditions, their hearts grew uneasy.
Sure, their daughter was pretty enough and industrious, but their family had been farmers tilling the soil for generations — how could they dare to aim so high as a family where both spouses worked at the oil field?
Wang Haiying put on a smile first, then said, "Chef Ma, those conditions are way too good!
They're both oil field workers, and from a leadership family at that. Our Hongxia comes from a farming background — how could we possibly presume to match up with them?"
Zhou Zhiguo furrowed his brow slightly and tapped his pipe, voicing his agreement. "That's right! Their family is well-off and respectable, while ours has been farming for generations — the gap between our stations is just too wide.
We'd be doing a disservice to the young man, and what's more, we'd worry about Hongxia feeling constrained and looking down on herself once she got there."
Zhou Hongxia's face grew even warmer. "I just want to do my job well at the cafeteria — I'm really in no hurry to get married. Besides, someone with such good credentials would be wasted on me — I'm not good enough to match."
With that, she looked at Old Ma and said, "Chef Ma, please make yourself comfortable by the fire. I'm going to head back to my room and sleep."
Zhou Hongxia lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep — her mind full of nothing but Han Wenke.
During the temple fair on the eighth day of the fourth month this year, she'd run into Han Wenke going on a blind date, and she'd been miserable about it for quite some time.
Even though she knew she wasn't good enough for him, she'd secretly hoped that the date wouldn't work out.
But that hope had ultimately been dashed. Later, she heard that the match had been settled — the woman was also someone who had a state-provided grain rations card and worked at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Zhou Hongxia had secretly cried about it, convinced in her heart that she and Han Wenke would never have a chance now.
She'd finally resigned herself to that fate — but then, last month, news had suddenly come that Han Wenke had broken off the engagement.
Word had it that the woman had been behaving improperly, getting tangled up with a married man at the cooperative, and the whole affair had become the talk of the town.
When Zhou Hongxia heard the news, her feelings were complicated.
Han Wenke had broken off his engagement — wasn't that, in some ways, a good thing for her?
Now she was a regular, permanent worker at the oil field. She might not have his education, but her salary and benefits were solid — by that measure, they'd be a well-matched pair.
She didn't want to go through a matchmaker this time. She wanted to court him freely, as sweethearts ought.
And that pair of embroidered shoe insoles she'd made herself, with mandarin ducks symbolizing loving couples — those were meant for Han Wenke.
Wang Xiaohong had certainly gotten the wrong idea, assuming those insoles were meant for Li Mingliang.
Zhou Hongxia had long since noticed that Wang Xiaohong had her eye on Li Mingliang.
Although she and Wang Xiaohong were close friends, she'd always been careful about boundaries — she never pried into other people's business, especially when it came to matters of the heart.
A few nights ago, she went with her brother to have a talk with Li Mingliang, and they happened to run into Wang Xiaohong coming over from the workers' compound.
And a few days before that, she didn't know what Li Mingliang had said to Wang Xiaohong, but Xiaohong had looked really upset.
Just now, Wang Xiaohong had pressed her again about the embroidered insoles, and it was clear she had misunderstood things between Hongxia and Li Mingliang.
Hongxia had wanted to clear it all up with Wang Xiaohong, but before she could get a word out, Zhou Xiaowei had shown up.
Zhou Hongxia mulled it over in her mind, planning to go find Wang Xiaohong first thing in the morning to explain everything—otherwise, this New Year would be anything but peaceful.
But then, on second thought, who was this oilfield guy that Old Ma had suddenly brought up? Could it be Li Mingliang?
