Siheyuan: 55 years, starting from a buyer

"Good morning, Mr. Chen." Li Sisi looked at Mr. Chen breathing in the cold wind and felt a pang of guilt in her heart.

"Wear more clothes, otherwise you will catch a cold. The weather is quite cold recently." Li Sisi reminded with concern.

"Okay, thank you for your concern." Mr. Chen responded.

After a while, she added in a low voice: "By the way, my mother heard about you and kept asking me about it these days."

"What did the aunt ask?" Chen Sheng became curious and prayed that there would be no negative comments.

"Well, actually she just wanted to know about your situation and my feelings." Li Sisi recalled the situation at that time.

"So what do you think?" Mr. Chen asked with a smile.

"Well, hehe, I won't tell you." Li Sisi laughed mischievously, then ran away.

"Still running! Aren't you going to work quickly?" Mr. Chen pushed the cart and followed closely behind with a smile on his face.

Recently, Li Sisi has gotten used to taking Mr. Chen's car to go to work.

At first when she was in the car, she was a little embarrassed, but later, as she became more familiar with the situation, things became natural.

"We've arrived." Mr. Chen stopped the car.

"Goodbye then." Li Sisi waved goodbye.

"Wait." Mr. Chen parked the car against the wall, walked towards Li Sisi, and carefully arranged her scarf. "I plan to tell mom and dad about us first, and find a suitable time to go to your house." Mr. Chen said lively.

"Ah? Why do you bring it up so suddenly? Why are you going to my house?" Because there was a bookstore nearby, Li Sisi was so nervous when she heard this that she didn't understand for a moment.

Mr. Chen stared at her silently, waiting for her to understand, but his meaning was self-evident.

"You mean..." Li Sisi finally understood the meaning of Chen Sheng's words. Her face flushed and she asked shyly.

"Yes, I like you and want to marry you." Mr. Chen stared at her firmly, without reservation.

Hearing this, Li Sisi's snow-white cheeks quickly turned red.

"I...I don't mind, you can decide for yourself." She said with her head down and stammered, then rushed into the bookstore like a flash.

Seeing the figure running into the bookstore, Mr. Chen pondered for a moment and felt that it was time to go home.

Since he broke his promise last year, he hasn't returned home once in the past few months.

He plans to take this opportunity to discuss the matter with his family.

When they got home, it seemed that dinner was over and the family gathered in the living room to chat. "Hey, who is that distinguished guest? He didn't even knock before coming in. Do you remember that this is your home?" Mom glanced at Mr. Chen and asked with a sarcastic smile on her face.

Chen Sheng knew that his mother was still angry - firstly because he broke his promise and did not return, and secondly because they had not seen each other for a long time. "Mom, I know I was wrong, I'm back now." Chen Sheng admitted his mistake and apologized.

Mother Chen stood up, walked to Chen Sheng, grabbed his ear, and sternly accused him, "You little brat, you've grown wings! You didn't even want to come back for the New Year. How long has it been since you last went back to your hometown? Have you been playing around outside? Do you not recognize this marriage?"

Facing his furious mother, Chen had no choice but to admit his mistake and said carefully: "Mom, I know I was wrong. I did have something good to share with you this time."

"Huh, I always thought you had grown up, become sensible, and learned to be filial, but I didn't expect you to do this! Then tell me, where did this good thing come from?" Chen's mother let go of Chen's ear and sat down again to ask questions.

"Mom, don't be angry, you look so bad that it's unbearable to look at.

I just haven't been home for a long time and I miss home, so I came back to see you." Chen Sheng smiled apologetically.

"I know all your tricks. Don't try to hide them from me. Just tell me what the good news is." Obviously, Chen's mother did not relax her attention on his problem.

Mr. Chen looked at his father, his eldest brother and his wife, and his grandmother, but no one spoke up to help. It was obvious that his mother's anger was a frightening thing in the family.

Mr. Chen decided to come clean: "Okay, Mom, there is actually something very important... I hope you can help me find a matchmaker."

"What? Matchmaker?!" Upon hearing this, Chen's mother jumped up from her seat and asked anxiously: "What's going on? Which girl is this? What does she look like? How tall is she? How much does she weigh? Is she obedient and sensible? How old is she? Where do you live? What are her parents like? How long have you known each other? What do her parents do..."

A series of urgent questions came one after another like a string of cannonballs, which surprised Mr. Chen, who was already prepared.

Mr. Chen explained: "Mom, don't worry, I just want you to help me find out and find a suitable person to make arrangements in advance."

Regardless of Sisi's family's opinions, the step of finding a matchmaker cannot be ignored.

Mr. Chen also felt that it would seem hasty if he brought his parents along for the visit.

"Okay, please explain it clearly." Chen's mother showed great concern.

So Mr. Chen stated his specific request: "That is to find a matchmaker near Li Sisi's home. This is the home address I will talk about next." Then he revealed her residential address.

Chen's mother responded: "That's easy. I have a friend who lives there. It should be easy to solve." As she spoke, she already had a plan in mind.

Chen's mother stressed: "You have to act quickly. If it doesn't work, let the matchmaker go first to see if we can communicate some information."

Marriage models in modern society are diverse, with conservative and open-minded ideas coexisting.

Although Chen's mother is relatively open-minded, considering traditional factors, she still advocates that the matchmaker should investigate the details before making further decisions.

Before Mr. Chen left, she couldn't help but ask worriedly: "Son, how about we go to his house and propose directly? Is it okay for you to go and talk by yourself?" In her opinion, as long as the child likes the relationship, the marriage proposal should be formally proposed.

"Mom, don't worry, I can handle it. I believe there won't be too many obstacles at Sisi's family." Mr. Chen replied with a smile.

He knew that Li Sisi's mother had already been contacted, which meant that the marriage would basically not be rejected.

"Then I'll listen to you, as long as you don't want my family to introduce someone to me." Chen's mother said half-jokingly, but in fact she was looking forward to good news from her son.

Looking at Mr. Chen leaving, Chen's mother said, "Remember to go home on weekends." She still holds hope and expects to hear more good news.

Mr. Chen also stood at the door and said, "Mom, it's cold, come in quickly."

Although Chen's mother kept telling him to stop at the door, Mr. Chen still gently persuaded her to go into the house and rest.

When Mr. Chen left home on his bicycle, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

When we arrived at the compound, it was already past half past eight.

He said at the door:

"Uncle Yan, you've worked hard." As he said that, Chen Sheng handed over some melon seeds and peanut candies as a small gift. In this cold season, material things are scarce, and if you go to bed late and go hungry, it will only make things worse.

Therefore, although Yan Fugui's task was to open the lock, he would slightly violate his duties in exchange for some convenience out of consideration from his neighbors.

This makes small favors worthwhile, and even small costs can accomplish great things.

The next day, after sending Li Sisi off, Mr. Chen started his daily work in the store as usual.

Recently, the store’s goods are in short supply and we are only selling items that are in stock. If they are out of stock, it will be difficult to replenish.

"Good morning. You're the one who picks up the bride every day, and now you're late!" Brother Li from the purchasing department teased Mr. Chen.

"Brother Li, you made fun of me this morning. That's not very loyal of you." Mr. Chen replied with a smile.

"Come on, Director Sun wants to talk to you about something." Brother Li changed the subject.

"Looking for me? What's the matter?" Mr. Chen asked curiously, somewhat confused.

“I don’t know either. You’ll find out when you go there yourself,” Brother Li replied.

After nodding in agreement, Mr. Chen put away the package and walked towards Director Sun's office.

Knock gently.

"Come in." Director Sun's clear voice came from inside the door.

Entering Director Sun's office, Chen Sheng asked, "Director Sun, what do you want to tell me?"

"Indeed, Minister Lan called yesterday and said he was planning to second you to a higher-level agency for a while," Director Sun explained.

"I'm going to be seconded? Which department?" Mr. Chen seemed a little surprised.

"It might be the Planning Bureau. I just heard the general idea." Director Sun also said he was not sure.

"Okay, I have no objection." Mr. Chen agreed readily.

"You can report to Minister Lan today. Don't worry about the store's affairs. I have already made arrangements." Director Sun further explained.

"I understand. Thank you very much, Director Sun." Mr. Chen got up and left.

Working in the grocery store for a long time enabled Chen to gradually master the operation of the system: the grocery stores are mainly under the jurisdiction of the Commerce Bureau, which has the First, Second and Third Commerce Bureaus under it; the Planning Commission investigates and ensures the balance between supply and demand, and reports relevant data to its superiors.

These are all planned management.

In addition, there are directly-administered regions, municipal supervision and general administration jurisdiction, forming a complex system.

Among them, Minister Lan controls the power of the Third Commercial Bureau.

Back in the office, Mr. Chen reflected on the significance of this secondment, and thought it was a signal that Minister Lan recognized his abilities and expected him to improve.

"Brother Chen, what's wrong?" Purchaser Li asked curiously.

"I may need to leave the hotel for a while." Chen Sheng opened his mouth and explained the reason, "My superiors have arranged for me to be sent abroad."

"Oh, that's great. Where are you going to work?" Purchasing Manager Li asked excitedly.

“I heard it’s in the Commerce Bureau, but the specific sector hasn’t been decided yet.” Mr. Chen replied.

"My superior, when are we leaving?" Purchasing Manager Li asked immediately.

"I should be able to report soon and see the assignment." Mr. Chen said with confidence.

Hearing this, Li Caicai praised: "Great, really great."

Then, Li, the purchaser, urged: "Go quickly, don't delay."

"Well, we have to act immediately." So Mr. Chen left the store.

Next, he went to Minister Lan’s office in the Third Commercial Bureau building.

"Director Lan, I'm here." Chen Sheng said as he walked into the room after becoming a clerk.

"Very good, I asked you to come here mainly to change your position.

However, the working conditions here are not as convenient as those in the store, so I'll ask you to help here temporarily.

We will see if there is a vacant assistant manager position in your store and then make the normal transfer. "Director Lan said bluntly.

"Thank you for your trust and support." Mr. Chen said with gratitude.

“You’re welcome, as long as you work as hard as you can.