Chapter One: Life (01)

Zhao Dailin finally nudged the person next to her with her elbow and asked, "What is this person called?"

No one responded in the restroom, it was very quiet, only the sporadic clinking and clattering of bottles and cans being placed.

Nonsense, that is the mutton flavor of Tibet

The one standing between the two people

The crowd burst into hearty laughter

The one holding the bottle of wine is called Zhou Di, the youngest among them at only twenty-five years old, a graduate of Beihang University, and a member of the national model aircraft team. He was also concerned that Zhao Dailin might not understand what model aircraft are, so he innocently asked, "Sister Dailin, do you know what model aircraft are?"

I see you are just being foolish, stop trying to be clever with me. Feng Yanzhi rolled her eyes up to the sky

It was unbearable to listen to this. Half of his body poked out from the restroom, "Please do not insult Professor Han. He is kind to everyone and treats everyone the same. Moreover, Professor Han has done me a favor, so be careful not to let Lao Yu hear you, or he will get angry!"

When Ms. Feng said this, Yu Hao was calmly standing in front of the bathroom mirror applying makeup. Ms. Feng passed by the bathroom, holding a pile of freshly folded clothes in her arms, chattering incessantly, unsure whether she was speaking to her or engaging in self-reflection

Zhao Dailin glanced at her sideways

Feng Yanzhi did not hold it against her, merely smiling it off. She has known since childhood that her daughter is as stubborn as an ancient maple stump, resolute and very determined in her thoughts. If she has made up her mind not to marry, no one can change her. The fact that she is cursing now indicates that she is anxious, having hit a nerve.

Zhao Dailin looked at the speaker with a mixture of doubt and curiosity. Just at that moment, as if summoned by the mention of his name, Cao Cao arrived. Before she could fully comprehend the situation, two groomsmen from the adjacent table were seemingly stopped by familiar elders.

Men in their twenties are attracted to girls in their twenties, those in their thirties also wish to find someone in their twenties, and those in their forties may not openly express it, yet when they see a girl in her twenties, their eyes still light up. Take Professor Han from your courtyard as an example; he is already fifty, yet he still gazes at twenty-year-olds with the same infatuation.

A woman faces a significant hurdle at the age of twenty-eight

Zhao Dailin and Yu Hao pulled out their chairs and sat down, "What shall we talk about?"

Yu Guoyang became anxious and said: "What are you talking about! At this age, still talking about divorce! Xiao Shen has just returned to the country, and there are a lot of matters in the courtyard. Every day it’s either this seminar or that seminar, and he hasn’t even adjusted to the time difference. How can I rush to promote our daughter? Besides, Xiao Shen and Haohao have known each other for so many years; you know their past!"

It's over

Lu Huaizheng

At the age of twenty-eight, I developed my first crow's feet... I did not pay much attention to it, and gradually, my face began to sag. When I heard others at work call me "Sister Feng," I couldn't help but roll my eyes. While drinking coffee, I often thought about tossing in a few goji berries. At that time, I did not understand, but later, after watching a television show, I realized that this was the initial sign of aging for women

Zhao Dailin and Yu Hao arrived just in time, the banquet hall was filled with esteemed guests, the atmosphere was lively and boisterous, everyone was flushed with drink, creating a bustling noise. The two of them circled around for quite a while before finding Professor Han and the others, only to see several young ladies engaged in animated conversation, their laughter ringing like a string of silver bells, coming in waves.

The little girl turned back with a smile, suddenly froze, her expression instantly transforming into one of ecstatic joy, her round face glowing with excitement. The woman's face, like the sky in June. Zhao Dailin looked suspiciously in the direction of her gaze, where it seemed another person was approaching, placing a hand on Zhou Di's shoulder, smiling and chatting with the middle-aged man sitting in the chair.

Startled, Comrade Lao Yu's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly ran out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand, looking bewilderedly at Ms. Feng who was standing at the door, "What happened, what happened!"

However, she herself does not feel that way; she has still been moved at some point.

Feng Yanzhi was also aware that her previous remark was inappropriate, so she changed the subject: "In any case, that's the reality. Just think about it, when you were in college, the market was so high, and there were several boys who came to your house to pursue you. Now, however, no one is interested, right, old leftover?"

Unperturbed, she calmly shaped her eyebrows in front of the mirror, while outside, Ms. Feng began sweeping the floor again

It is just that being asked so much has made her choose to hide away. It is only February, and this is already the third invitation. It seems that everyone is rushing to get married this year. She resignedly leaned against the wall, faintly sighed, lowered her head to cap her lipstick, and spoke with conviction.

Only a few meters apart, with their backs turned to each other

Do you even know the eccentric personality of your ex-girlfriend?

Comrade Lao Yu cleared his throat, touched his nose, and pretended to be calm as he said: "I have mentioned it."

Isn't this just Yu Hao's first love?

... ...

It was late, and Ms. Feng leisurely tapped a red invitation card in her palm, her tone more enthusiastic than discovering a new continent

Oh my, is Song Xiaotao getting married? Is it to the graduate student under Professor Han? The one who likes to scheme behind your back? She's only twenty-five this year, still studying, right?

"No matter how well you take care of your face, what is the use if you don't get married? By the time your bodily functions deteriorate, let's see what you have left to have children with." Ms. Feng began her daily lament about her face again

She was shot down by Zhao Dailin with a disdainful glance

The three men are almost standing in a line, with the one in the middle slightly taller. In the banquet hall filled with flickering lights and bustling crowds, he stands out as particularly clean and sharp. He holds his suit jacket draped over his arm, wearing only a white shirt without a tie, the collar loosened with two buttons undone, revealing a clear collarbone line. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up, exposing a small section of his strong and long forearm, with slightly raised blue veins on the fair back of his hand, exuding a sense of hardiness and handsome masculinity.

The middle-aged man, with a flushed face and a coarse voice, laughed and scolded him to get lost, saying that he wasn't used to seeing him in military uniform, and that the suit he wore looked quite effeminate. The man laughed lazily. He then heard the man pointing at him and introducing him to the crowd: "This kid takes after his father, quite wild. But to be fair, he really has potential, just returned from studying at a military academy in Venezuela, a place that his father and I once dreamed of going to."

There is a dinner party tonight, but she is too lazy to attend because it is organized by Song Xiaotao, in celebration of her husband's last night as a bachelor. Song Xiaotao is quite considerate in organizing this gathering, as she mentioned that several of her husband's childhood friends are still single and she wants to help match them with the sisters in the neighborhood who are also single.

Feng Yanzhi has expressed her discontent regarding Yu Hao's reluctance to discuss her romantic relationships over the past few years, going to great lengths to introduce potential partners to her. Yu Hao has always been proud and self-assured; the number of boys who have pursued her is countless, and she has encountered all kinds of men. If she truly wanted to find someone, would she really struggle to do so? However, she has simply never met anyone who makes her heart flutter. Feng Yanzhi scolds her, saying that her heart is made of stone and cannot be warmed.

The young girl waved her hand: "I must say, Lin Chang's childhood friends really are all more handsome than Xiao Tao said, no wonder Lin Chang got married early"

"Who are you confused about? The sheep from Tibet do not have a gamey taste," he said with a smile, and after finishing, he playfully tapped Zhou Di on the back of the head, "Let's go"

Zhao Dailin and Yu Hao were in perfect harmony, unable to tolerate Song Xiaotao's air of triumph, so they casually found an excuse to refuse and went to a restaurant together to indulge in a hearty meal

With a bang, this time it was Feng Yanzhi who slammed the door and left

The one wearing glasses is named Jiang Yue, who works at the prosecutor's office. Both of his parents are from the Graduate School of Translation. He has only dated one girlfriend, and it is said that they broke up because the woman's personality was extremely peculiar

The young girl uttered three words, and as Zhao Dailin was pondering why this name sounded somewhat familiar, a man standing by the good chair, holding a black briefcase, suddenly called out eagerly.

This is what he said himself

Feng Yanzhi gathered all the trash and prepared to go out to buy groceries. "Give me the car keys, and later your dad will take you to work. I need to visit the old lady today"

Upon returning to the mirror, Yu Hao could not understand why that girl, Song Xiaotao, was always at odds with her. This included when Yu Hao bought a piece of clothing; a few days later, she would buy the same one, and then coyly claim that it was brought back by a relative from abroad, subtly implying that Yu Hao was trying to imitate her.

The bridesmaid leaned in and whispered shyly in his ear, "The ceremony is about to begin, you should put on your suit quickly"

The wedding is on Saturday

In response to a sharp retort: "I am an old helper vegetable, so what are you? A rotten vegetable root?"

The skill I developed in hiding my private stash of money was honed during my time in the frontier when I was in the new recruits' company. When I first joined the unit, the old squad leader prohibited smoking, so we hid our cigarettes everywhere. I once left a pack of cigarettes on the fan shaft for two days, only to have it discovered by the old squad leader. There was a comrade from Shandong who was particularly adept at hiding things. Whenever we had to satisfy our cravings with paper-wrapped cow dung, he always had cigarettes to smoke. We would ask him where he hid them, and guess where he pulled them from? Right from his pants! That smell, I will remember for the rest of my life.

Everyone around laughed. That person fastened the buttons of his shirt and put on his suit, slightly arching his neck to flip out the collar of his shirt, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, speaking in a half-joking tone: "No wonder the cigarettes you gave to Jiang Yue and me after you returned from military service had such a strong odor..."

Unwilling to listen any longer, she slammed the bathroom door shut with a loud "bang"

As soon as the words fell, a flash of light suddenly crossed my mind, as if awakening from a dream, my eyes in the mirror widened in astonishment, the pitch-black pupils spinning around.

Yes, yes, yes, it's that Song Xiaotao. The other party is also a returnee, working in architecture, and their family has two properties. After getting married, they sold one and bought a marital home near our courtyard, and also took out a loan to buy a car. They said it was so she could drive to work every day, but that house is only a five-minute walk from our courtyard, and if there's traffic, it could take thirty minutes. Plus, there are no parking spaces in the courtyard, so she has to wake up early every day to fight for a parking spot. Don't you think her husband is a bit foolish?

"Alright, alright, I understand. Once Xiao Shen is free, I will invite him to our home for dinner." Yu Guoyang, aware of Feng Yanzhi's temperament, realized that further discussion would be futile. Softening his tone, he mustered the courage to add, "Why are you in such a hurry? Xiao Shen is indeed a talented individual, but we are not lacking either. Just give her a bit more time."

I heard the girl beside me cracking her knuckles, saying, "The key point is coming, the key point—"

The little girl smiled and said, "Sister Yuhao, Sister Dailin, it was truly a pity that you both were not here that day"

... ...

What do you know! Both of them are grown up now, and besides, with Xiao Shen's excellent conditions, if you don't act quickly, there will be plenty of people wanting to play matchmaker!

Feng Yanzhi opened Yu Hao's wardrobe and put the clothes back for her. As she reached in, her hand touched a hard object. Pulling it out and taking a closer look, it was the beauty device that this girl had searched high and low for a few days ago but couldn't find. She insisted that she had put it back in the drawer after using it. Feng Yanzhi shook her head helplessly and placed it in a prominent spot for her.

The man raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly, nodded a bit, and while absentmindedly buttoning his shirt, listened to the middle-aged man on the chair speak eloquently about his experiences as a soldier in his youth

The little girl did not dare to speak loudly, and could only whisper to Zhao Dailin.

Without caring for her lipstick, which she had only applied halfway, she dashed out of the restroom at lightning speed

Feng Yanzhi lowered her head to change her shoes, feeling quite cheerful as she looked at Yu Guoyang: "Don't just stand there, Xiao Shen has returned to the country! I asked you to invite him to our home for a meal, have you spoken to him about it or not?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Yuhao lowered his head with a smile. Zhao Dailin leisurely leaned back in her chair, feigning surprise: "What, did Lin Chang give you money?"

"If you lie without touching your nose, you must be afraid that others won't see through it, right?" Feng Yanzhi pretended to want to hit him, "It's obvious you haven't said anything. I see that you don't regard me highly anymore, so let's just get a divorce."

In early spring, the flowers bloom abundantly in February. The peach tree in front of the research institute is lush with branches and leaves, and has even sprouted some flower buds resembling small grains of millet, exuding a faint fragrance.

In my bag, "Yuhua is applying lipstick in front of the mirror, with her mouth open, completely disregarding her image. "Has the old lady been summoning you quite frequently lately?"

Song Xiaotao's husband is named Lin Chang, with the character pronounced as 'chang', which sounds the same as '厂'. This name is quite uncommon, and every time Song Xiaotao introduces him, she has to roll her tongue to say it, fearing that others might not hear it clearly. Lin Chang is indeed a remarkable person; he is handsome and has a stable job, making him a suitable match for Song Xiaotao. At work, Song Xiaotao mentions her husband's childhood friends just as often as she mentions her husband, and everyone praises them as extraordinary individuals. When the young ladies hear that he is one of his childhood friends, they instantly become lively, linking arms with Song Xiaotao and calling her more affectionately than sisters, "Sister Xiaotao, are your husband's childhood friends really still single?" After so many years in the industry, although her knowledge hasn't significantly improved, her ability to adapt and navigate situations has certainly developed.

This young girl is quite something," Feng Yanzhi, who has navigated the battlefield for many years, certainly knows the little games that girls play. She said with deliberate schadenfreude, "Isn't she just happy to outshine you? This time, she has truly raised her head and breathed freely; her husband is well-off, which is equivalent to a successful revolution. I see that you, the former wave, are going to be crushed by her on the beach.

It would be an exaggeration to say that this face is exquisite, but it is indeed beautiful. Each feature, when viewed in isolation, may not be particularly striking, yet when combined, they create a captivating allure. Moreover, her aura is exceptionally pure, with delicate brows and bright eyes, reminiscent of a clear pool of water, exuding a literary charm.