Reborn in the 80s: Divorced and Spoiled by the Military Man

Chapter 140: Shen Subai Plays Matchmaker for Xie Yunshu?

The canteen’s first day of Trial Operation could be considered a great success. After coming back from the market, Xie Yunshu lay across the table and did the accounts for a while. In one day, she had made roughly twenty yuan. After deducting Li Fenlan’s and Auntie Zhao’s wages, along with invisible costs like gas for the motorcycle, she estimated conservatively that she had pocketed at least a dozen yuan.

But this was only the beginning. Once the canteen officially opened in a month, she could hardly imagine how much she might earn. Still, Captain Shen was right. She couldn’t do everything herself. Otherwise, before the money even reached her hands, she would exhaust herself to death first.

Li Fenlan and Auntie Zhao sat in the courtyard washing and chopping vegetables, so tomorrow they could start cooking right away. Now that there were more dishes on the menu, they were bound to be busier than before.

As the weather warmed up, Granny Zhang also carried over a stool to help pick through the vegetables. Li Fenlan felt embarrassed. “Granny, just sit to the side and chat with us. That’s enough.”

Granny Zhang was looking much more energetic these days. She chuckled. “I’d only be sitting around anyway. I feel better doing a little work. Besides, I see Yunshu as my own granddaughter. Is helping my own granddaughter called work?”

Auntie Zhao laughed and teased, “Granny Zhang, you should have Yunshu pay you wages too!”

Granny Zhang broke into a smile, the wrinkles on her face blooming like flowers. “I don’t want wages. I just want a granddaughter!”

Granny Zhang lived right next to the Xie family, and they had always been close. Years ago, when Old Xie passed away, Li Fenlan was too overwhelmed to look after the children, so Granny Zhang would often come over with a bowl in her hands to bring meals to Xie Yunshu and her younger brother, Xie Mingcheng.

That was why, whenever Xie Yunshu made something tasty now, she would send some over to Granny Zhang as well. Almost every child in the communal apartment block had grown up under Granny Zhang’s watch, but Xie Yunshu was the only one she truly treated like her own child.

After chatting in the courtyard for a while, Granny Zhang carried her stool back toward the communal apartment block. She was getting on in years, after all; if she sat too long, her back would start to refuse to straighten. Just as she stepped out of the Lane, two old women around her age walked toward her. One wore a blue patterned padded jacket, the other a gray cotton coat. At the sight of Granny Zhang, both curled their lips.

“Trying to suck up to Yunshu again, are you? Old Zhang, just because you don’t have children of your own doesn’t mean you can latch on to anyone and expect them to support you in your old age, right?”

“She has three sons. They’re just all unfilial!”

The two old women mocked her a few times, clearly looking down on Granny Zhang. When people got old, wasn’t it all about comparing whose children were more filial and whose family had more children? Granny Zhang was the exception around here. After her husband died, she had lived alone. People said she had sons, but after all these years, none of them had ever come to her door.

At her age, when she finally died, there probably wouldn’t even be anyone to collect her body! Since Granny Zhang had been getting close to the Xie family lately, the old women who loved gossiping behind people’s backs all said she was afraid no one would care for her in old age or send her off after death, so she was preparing to cling to Xie Yunshu!

One had no sons by her side, and the other was divorced with no man. They did make a fitting pair.

Granny Zhang spat. “Having more sons doesn’t mean you’ll live two years longer!”

Carrying her little stool, the silver-haired old woman finished cursing and shuffled into the stairwell with quick little steps. Only after she entered her home did she let out a long sigh. Sons or no sons-if they were unfilial, it was truly better not to have them at all.

She had long since made peace with it. Everyone had to die sooner or later in this life…

After Xie Yunshu finished the accounts, she came out of her room and turned into Granny Zhang’s place through the half-open door. She set half a packet of pastries on the table. “Granny, this is Xu Ji’s begonia cake. I saved two pieces for you. It’s sweet and soft, really delicious!”

Naturally, Granny Zhang did not mention what had just happened. She picked up a piece and took a bite. “Yunshu, how are things going with the canteen?”

A bright smile danced in Xie Yunshu’s eyes. She lowered her voice mysteriously and held up two fingers. “Granny, it’s making so much money! I can earn this much!”

“That’s good. Just don’t wear yourself out.” Granny Zhang finally relaxed. She sat down on the lounge chair beside them and rocked comfortably a couple of times. “Mingcheng will be taking his exams in a few months. I’ll boil a couple extra eggs in the morning, and he can come by to pick them up on his way to school.”

Xie Yunshu did not stand on ceremony. She leaned over with a bright grin, her little face tilted up. “Granny, I’m going to evening university in a couple of days too. Boil two for me as well, will you?”

Granny Zhang smiled and pinched her cheek. “I’ll boil them. This bit of pension money of mine is still enough to buy eggs for you two!”

There was nothing much to do that evening. After dinner, Xie Yunshu took out the architecture books Shen Subai had brought her and began reading. When she turned to the page with the structural diagram, she suddenly thought of the blueprints she had seen at Li Shengli’s place that day.

The book on water supply and drainage had its own dedicated chapter. These days, building designs were more or less the same, and public facilities in particular followed almost identical standards. In truth, she had understood that blueprint perfectly well, but since it concerned actual construction, she did not dare to act rashly or overestimate herself.

If she attended evening university, she would probably feel more confident. But she had heard that entering evening university also required taking an exam. It was not as difficult as the college entrance exam, since it only screened students who met the requirements. Still, students admitted had to possess at least basic learning ability. Otherwise, if you could barely read a few words, wouldn’t going to school just be a waste of educational resources?

With that thought, Xie Yunshu brought over Xie Mingcheng’s textbooks again, especially the first-year high school math book, and began studying on her own.

With the college entrance exam drawing near, Mingcheng’s school had added evening self-study sessions, supervised by the teachers there. He would not be back until after nine at night. Xie Yunshu left dinner for him on the stove, then sat nearby and read her book with serious concentration.

Li Fenlan refused to listen to advice and was knitting a sweater again. This time it was for her son. The weather in Jingbei was colder than in Haicheng, so clothes and the like all had to be prepared in advance. When it came to her son, she had even more confidence than his elder sister did, firmly believing he would definitely get into Jingbei University.

When they went to the canteen to sell meals again, Auntie Zhao and Li Fenlan were much more at ease.

Shen Subai did not seem busy today. He came to eat with Tian Hao, and before leaving, he glanced at Xie Yunshu. “Come get the letter of introduction after you’re done.”

Tian Hao followed him upstairs, feeling that something was off. “Brother Shen, why do I suddenly feel like you and Yunshu have gotten so close? And what letter of introduction?”

Shen Subai gave him a sidelong look. “Your imagination. I’m closer to you.”

“Really?” Tian Hao flashed a grin, showing his white teeth, and followed him upstairs. “But Yunshu is really popular with the Male Comrade members of our Project Department. Yesterday after work, several young fellows came to me, openly and secretly, trying to ask about her…”

At the Construction Site’s Project Department, most of the staff were men, and there were quite a few single Comrade workers. People were visual creatures. No matter the time, men’s eyes would automatically be drawn to beautiful women, and Xie Yunshu was indeed truly good-looking.

Shen Subai stopped in his tracks. Lowering his gaze, he looked down the staircase toward the canteen below. Xie Yunshu was wearing a mask as she collected money. Her hair was tied up neatly, revealing a smooth, full forehead. Her large eyes tilted up slightly at the corners, and when she smiled, her brows and eyes curved, bright and dazzling.

Standing in front of her was a young man with a flushed face, holding some loose change. He looked somewhat at a loss, yet could not help sneaking glances at her.

Shen Subai let out a soft scoff. “In that case, why not have them come to me if they want an introduction? After all, Comrade Xie and I have had quite a lot of contact lately.”

“Huh?”

Tian Hao was a little confused. Brother Shen had never been one to meddle in other people’s business. Since when had he taken an interest in playing matchmaker? Besides, he did not even have a wife himself, yet he was helping other people find partners?