1303 Sideline
Was there anyone who did not want to have a daughter-in-law like Qiao Mei? Unfortunately, there was only one Qiao Mei in the world and she was a rare find.

Liu Fen could only pray that the heavens would give Xia Yuan a nice girl who was decent and down-to-earth! She hoped he would not find a troublemaker like Tan Jing or Qian’e. There were already enough messy issues in the family and she did not want to be further vexed by such troublesome stuff.

“Mother, did you really agree to let Elder Sister be with Deng Fan?” Qiao Mei asked.

“I’ve met Deng Fan’s parents before. They’re upright people and Deng Fan is also a motivated kid. Xia He is making a good choice if she wants to marry him. At least she won’t suffer any grievances,” Xu Lan said in all seriousness.

However, Deng Fan could not manage to take part in performances and had been suppressed by Yang Xin for so many years. How could he have enough money to marry Xia He? Could it be that he intended to borrow money for the wedding?

“Then how much is Deng Fan’s monthly salary?” Qiao Mei continued to ask.

It was not that Qiao Mei felt Deng Fan earned too little, but she did not want Xia He to live a hard life. If Deng Fan really did not have that much money, Qiao Mei could consider letting him run part of her family’s business. It would not be too late to get married after he earned enough money.

“Your elder sister says that Deng Fan not only works in the art troupe, but he also takes on other work in private, something related to drawings. We don’t know the details, but his father works in architectural design, so I guess it’s something related to that,” Xu Lan said.

Qiao Mei’s eyes lit up. Architecture design was a good job and it was not so easy to come up with good designs. It seemed that Xia He had found a treasure this time.

She did not expect that dancing was just Deng Fan’s hobby and that his real career was in design. Perhaps the reason why he had practiced dancing for so many years was so that he could see Xia He again.

He must be so infatuated with her. Xia He running into Deng Fan again could be considered a happy ending for the couple. It was still a mystery as to how Xia Wen would fare in the future.
During this period of time, everyone who worked in the government knew that Xia Wen had been staying in his workplace for a long time. There was only a simple folding bed in that office and nothing else. There were no facilities for him to take a shower and he had to go to the public bathroom to wash up every day. Xia Wen would go back to Xu Lan’s place to take a shower and then go back to spend the night in the office.

Xu Lan wanted to give Xia Mao’s 60-square-meter house to Xia Wen, but he would not agree to it no matter what. He just wanted to sleep in his office.

The workplace unit had hired a new girl recently. Her name was Mo Zhu, a name which did not sound feminine at all. When Xia Wen heard this name, he thought that the new staff member was a very cultured young boy.

“Hello, comrade Xia Wen. My name is Mo Zhu. I’m a member of your department from now on. Please guide me well,” Mo Zhu said in a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.

“Hello, comrade Mo Zhu. I can’t say that I’m able to guide you. Let’s communicate more and exchange ideas,” Xia Wen said with a smile.

The two of them worked very well together at work and that led to many people wanting to matchmake the two of them. Director Xu even took the liberty to inquire about Mo Zhu’s family, eager to facilitate this match as soon as possible.

“Director Xia, oh no, we’re talking about private matters now, so I’m going to call you Xiao Wen.” Director Xu smiled and said, “Xiao Wen, how do you feel about Mo Zhu?”

“She’s a good colleague. She’s very responsible and completes all her tasks on time,” Xia Wen said objectively.

“Then… then what do you think of her personally?” Director Xu asked curiously.

“Me? I don’t have comments on that. Uncle, let’s forget about this matter. I’ve been married before and she’s someone who hasn’t been married yet. Why should I hold her back? Besides, I just want to work hard now. I don’t want to get married. I don’t even have enough time to take care of my younger brother’s two babies.” Xia Wen could not help but smile when he mentioned Xia Fan and Xia Xing.

Seeing how stubborn Xia Wen was, Director Xu stopped talking to him about Mo Zhu.

As the current lunar year drew to a close, every household began to stock up on the food they needed for the lunar new year celebrations. Everyone needed to buy a lot of new goodies to prepare for visiting relatives and friends. Li Gui’s business became even better than usual. Seeds, popcorn and braised meat were popular with everyone. In the family compound alone, the daily order for braised meat could reach as much as 200 pounds!

After everyone worked very hard for three days, it was time for the whole country to shut down for the holidays. Li Gui planned to have a good rest for a period of time, until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day! She was going to take a break for a full half month.