A Valiant Life

Lin Fan’s parents welcomed his matchmaking partner politely. Father Lin took out a cigarette and lit one up for her dad and the other one for himself.

“Sister Chen, have a seat,” Mother Lin said as she sat beside a woman who was about fifty years of age. Then, she glared at Lin Fan as a gesture to ask him to serve the guests.

Lin Fan sighed and walked over, “Hi, uncle and auntie.”

The mother of his matchmaking partner looked at Lin Fan and nodded slightly, “Hmm, this young chap looks energetic. I heard from your mum that you opened a shop in Shanghai, right?”

Lin Fan nodded, “Yeah, I’m still working hard.”

Aunt Chen nodded too, “It’s good for a young man like you to be hardworking.”

Mother Lin looked over, “Sister Chen, where did your child go?”

Aunt Chen smiled, “She went to the toilet with her confidante. She’ll be here soon.”

Mother Lin nodded. Then, she turned to Lin Fan, “Why are you still standing here? Quickly go over there and wait for her.”

Lin Fan looked helpless. It was already a hassle for him to be matchmade. Now, he has to go to the toilet to wait for her. He wanted to dig a hole in the ground and jump into it. But since his mother requested it, he proceeded to the toilet.

Father Lin accompanied the female’s dad and another man who seemed like her uncle. They were chatting in a corner. Nobody knew what they were talking about.

In the toilet.

He initially wanted to stand somewhere distant to wait for her but he wanted to go to the toilet too. So, he went into the male toilet. After finishing his business, he heard something while walking towards the sink.

“Why did your mum get you to come for matchmaking?”

“I got forced by them. I had to come here since I didn’t have a choice.”

“What happened between you and Zhang Yue Lun? Did you guys really break up?”

“Don’t mention him. I found out that he talked to another girl intimately on WeChat. Now he’s expecting me to forgive him with just an apology. I already told him that I’ve come for a matchmaking session to infuriate him.”

…

Lin Fan stood at the entrance of the male toilet and shook his head helplessly. As the footsteps became louder, he walked out of the male toilet and washed his hands before going to the room.

When he went to the room, he realized that his mum had a fearsome look.

Lin Fan’s mom said, “I asked you to wait for her, why did you disappear?”

Lin Fan smiled, “I had a stomachache so I went to the toilet.”

Lin Fan’s mom said, “Waiter, please serve the dishes.”

When the waiter went out of the room, his mother smiled, “This is my son, Lin Fan. Lil’ Fan, this is Sister Chen’s daughter, Yang Ting Ting.”

Lin Fan nodded at Yang Ting Ting. She looked a little different from the pictures but there wasn’t much of a difference. She was quite pretty and to Lin Fan, that was about it.

The situation became rather silent. Then, as the waiter served the dishes, Lin Fan’s mum started to talk.

Lin Fan’s mother said, “Sister Chen, your daughter is so pretty. Is the person beside Ting Ting her classmate?”

Yang Ting Ting smiled, “Auntie, she is my best friend. She’s from the same school as me. When she found out that I was going for a matchmaking session, she made a trip here from Shanghai.”

Lin Fan’s mother said, “That’s so coincidental. Lil’ Wang also came from Shanghai.”

Wang Ming Yang just smiled. He didn’t seem awkward at all.

Lin Fan’s dad said, “Son, pour some drinks for Uncle Yang and the rest of them…”

Lin Fan stood up and took the bottle of white spirit from the table. He went around the table and poured a cup for everyone. Meanwhile, Yang Ting Ting’s uncle also observed Lin Fan carefully.

After making a complete round, Lin Fan returned back to his seat. Then, he whispered to Wang Ming Yang, “I think I won’t need your help this time.”

Wang Ming Yang was stunned but he didn’t say much. In his opinion, he thought that Lin Fan would definitely need his help. After all, he was pretty popular with the girls. Even the best girls like Wu Huan Yue wanted to be together with him. The current matchmaking partner was miles apart from Wu Huan Yue in terms of manners, appearance, and figure.

Lin Fan felt extremely helpless. He wanted to treat this matchmaking session as a simple meal. He studied her appearance and inferred that she probably started having boyfriends in year three of junior school. Now she must have had at least six boyfriends. Furthermore, she wanted to make use of him as a way to spite her ex-boyfriend.

Everyone was behaving themselves at the dining table. Yang Ting Ting’s confidante looked pretty decent. She had better features than Yang Ting Ting but she looked a little arrogant.

Yang Ting Ting’s uncle looked at Lin Fan and asked, “I heard you opened a shop in Shanghai, is that true?”

Lin Fan smiled, “Yeah, it’s just a small shop.”

Her uncle nodded, “So, what do you do for a living?”

Under such circumstances, the parents of the female wouldn’t ask questions too directly. Usually, they would let their relative to do the talking so as to understand the other party better.

Lin Fan was stunned when he heard that question. How was he going to reply to that? He couldn’t say that he was a fortune-teller since it would create a bad impression. Furthermore, his mum would definitely kick up a big fuss. He just smiled, “I sell some food like scallion pancakes, etc.”

Selling scallion pancakes seemed more like a practical job as compared to fortune-telling. After all, it was a legitimate job.

“Oh…” her uncle nodded as if he understood something. Then, he didn’t ask much after that. However, he didn’t seem too happy with Lin Fan’s profession.

Yang Ting Ting and her confidante were using their phones and talking among themselves.

However, Lin Fan wasn’t bothered by it since he didn’t really care about the matchmaking session.

Wang Ming Yang secretly nudged Lin Fan and whispered, “Brother, you’re too honest about it. You should be clearer with your words.”

Lin Fan just smiled and didn’t say much. He thought it would be better to say less since it would bring him less trouble.

His mum continued to smile but was feeling anxious in her heart. Then, she said, “His business is pretty good. Sister Chen, I heard Ting Ting passed the test to be an air stewardess, is that true? Based on her good looks and figure, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

Sister Chen smiled, “Actually, Ting Ting followed her friend there but she just filled up the form for the fun of it. She didn’t expect herself to pass the interview for China Southern Airlines. But we’re pretty worried for her to be flying 24/7. Therefore, we want to find her a good partner so that we can keep her safe by our side.”

Lin Fan’s mum continued, “Ting Ting’s friend, too?”

Yang Ting Ting said, “She isn’t an air stewardess. She’s a car model in Shanghai and is pretty famous online. She has a much better life than me.”

Her uncle interrupted, “Sister, these children are still young. They should be more adventurous at this age. Your thinking is a little unsuitable for them.”

Sister Chen then smiled, “We’re leaving everything to her now.”

Yang Ting Ting’s friend said, “Ting Ting is so pretty and there are many people trying to woo her. Most of them are wealthy but Ting Ting only listens to her mum. Without her agreement, she wouldn’t dare to talk about it.”

“We’re all average citizens and we don’t want to think about being family with the wealthy. We just want Ting Ting to find someone local and stay with us,” Sister Chen smiled and said proudly in a subtle manner.

Lin Fan’s mum smiled but she knew that he doesn’t really stand a chance. After discussing, she realized that Lin Fan was not good enough for her.

She had always wanted her son to find a pretty wife but she didn’t expect it to be so difficult for an average family like hers.

Lin Fan just sat there and didn’t say much. He quietly ate his food and listened to their conversations. Occasionally, he would interrupt and join in their simple conversations.

Wang Ming Yang looked at Yang Ting Ting’s friend and asked, “Which car show do you model for in Shanghai?”

Zhang Xin Yue was playing with her phone but she raised her head and said, “At the National Exhibitions Center.”

Wang Ming Yang nodded, “Oh, I know Huang Tian Yang, the person in charge.”

“Oh…” Zhang Xin Yue answered casually but wasn’t bothered by his remarks since she didn’t believe him.