"I’m not cold anymore, big sister, let me help you," Wu Tong walked up, wanting to help. However, she found that Wu Yuan had already washed and cut all the vegetables.
"I’ll just keep you company and chat," Wu Tong said with a smile. It seemed like it had been a long time since the sisters had a proper chat.
Wu Yuan smiled and nodded, "Is work going smoothly for you? Isn’t being a teacher quite tiring?" Her sister was a primary school teacher, so her job couldn’t be too easy.
"It’s pretty good, being with the kids every day makes me feel much younger," Wu Tong said. She really liked her current job, although it came with various annoyances, she was happy most of the time.
"How old are you now, speaking as if you’re seventy or eighty," Wu Yuan dished up the vegetables from the pan and, holding the pan, went to the sink to wash it.
"I’m old at heart," Wu Tong playfully stuck her tongue out at Wu Yuan.
"You’re so grown up and yet not serious, I’m really worried you might lead the students astray," Wu Yuan said with a side glance and a smile, carrying the clean pan to the gas stove, starting on the next dish.
"Big sister, I just got awarded one of the top ten outstanding teachers, how could I lead students astray? Don’t you think so?" Wu Tong raised her eyebrows, her expression showing a bit of pride.
"That’s pretty good! Is there a bonus?" Wu Yuan asked happily.
Wu Tong nodded, held up two fingers, and said with a smile, "Twenty bucks."
"Not bad! Not bad! You’ve got prospects," Wu Yuan praised, then the conversation turned, "But it would be better if you could get married earlier. Do you have someone in mind now?"
"Big sister, why are you bringing this up again?" Wu Tong looked at Wu Yuan with a shy glare.
"You’re not that young anymore. When I was your age, I had already married your brother-in-law," Wu Yuan said as she picked up a tomato, adding it to the pan to stir-fry.
"I’m different from you. Back then, you had an arranged marriage. I hope to find someone who understands and cherishes me," Wu Tong said somewhat longingly. Even though her big sister and brother-in-law were happy, their marriage was not what she wanted.
"What’s wrong with arranged marriages? Your brother-in-law and I are doing well, aren’t we?" Wu Yuan said somewhat defensively.
"Big sister, you don’t understand, now people value free love. Many of my colleagues at school found their partners on their own." Anyway, she wouldn’t date anyone until she found a person she liked.
"So you know best!" Wu Yuan scoffed with a smile and then looked at Wu Tong, "Tongtong, tell your big sister, do you want to find someone or not?" She still wanted Tongtong to meet Yun Han, such an excellent young man was rare. Although Yun Han lacked parents, this discrepancy wasn’t exactly what she wanted, but having no parents had its advantages too, there would definitely be no mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts.
"I’m still young; I want to wait a bit longer," Wu Tong said.
"Still young at twenty? Look at Ru Hua in our village; she’s your age and already has two kids. In our Guard District, many Guard’s Wives are your age and have long been married. Listen to your big sister, find someone soon, a woman’s youth doesn’t last," Wu Yuan advised with heartfelt concern.
"Big sister!" Wu Tong looked at Wu Yuan, her face speaking volumes.
"The other day, your big sister saw a young man who was quite handsome and polite. Why don’t you go see him?" Wu Yuan stopped stir-frying, her face full of anticipation looking at Wu Tong.
"I won’t go," Wu Tong shook her head. So this was big sister’s agenda, but she didn’t want to go on blind dates!
"The young man is genuinely excellent; if only your big sister were ten years younger, it wouldn’t be your turn," Wu Yuan commented with a tinge of regret.
Hearing this, Wu Tong couldn’t help but laugh, "I’ll tell brother-in-law later that you’ve taken a fancy to a young man."
"Go on, get out of here! Don’t change the subject. I’ll have someone arrange it tomorrow; give it a try, and if you don’t like him, then we’ll drop it," Wu Yuan said. She still didn’t want to miss out on Yun Han, such a fine young man.
"If I had known, I wouldn’t have come here," Wu Tong sighed helplessly. She really didn’t want to find a partner so early.
Wu Yuan glared at Wu Tong, a bit annoyed, "You silly girl, isn’t your big sister thinking about you? If the young man weren’t truly excellent, and given his current situation, your big sister wouldn’t even consider it."
"What’s his situation?" Wu Tong was now a bit curious.
"He has no parents, and also no job," Wu Yuan served up the stir-fried tomato and eggs from the pan.
Wu Tong frowned, "Then why did big sister say he’s excellent?" If she liked someone, them being without parents wouldn’t be a problem, as it meant fewer family conflicts in the future. However, the fact that he had no job was something she truly couldn’t accept.
"You’ll know once you meet him. Would your big sister harm you?" Wu Yuan looked at Wu Tong, awaiting her answer.
"Alright!" Wu Tong hesitated for a long time before reluctantly agreeing. After all, seeing him didn’t necessarily mean they had to date; the decision was still hers to make.
"That’s settled then! Let’s go find Luo Shu now, and talk to her about arranging a meeting between you and Yun Han," Wu Yuan took off her apron, pulling Wu Tong with her towards the outside.
"Big sister, there’s no need to rush," Wu Tong said with a speechless expression. With the way big sister was acting, it made it seem like she was eager to get married.
When Luo Shu heard someone knocking, she came to the door and opened it.
Seeing Wu Yuan with a delicate-looking young girl at the door, she knew it must be Wu Yuan’s sister.
"Sister-in-Law, please come in and sit," Luo Shu stepped aside, inviting the two women in.
"Luo Shu, she’s my sister Wu Tong. She’s here to visit me," Wu Yuan pulled Wu Tong inside the house.
Luo Shu smiled at Wu Tong and nodded, "Hello!"
"Hello!" Wu Tong returned the smile and greeted Luo Shu. This Guard’s Wife is really beautiful! And such good temperament too! She must be about my age. I wonder what sort of charms the man who married her possesses, to have her willingly marry him so early.
"Luo Shu, I came here because I wanted to ask you for a favor. Do you think you could arrange for Yun Han to meet my sister?" Wu Yuan got straight to the point.
"Don’t get me wrong, I’m not interested," Wu Tong said with a blushing face. She really felt so embarrassed right now!