"This child..." Zhang Juyun muttered a sentence, then also followed along.
The Qin family lived at the western end of the village, where the weather was turning warm in the sunny March; the apricot trees planted in front of their house and behind it were all in bloom. Li Junping was carrying a bucket of water, watering the apricot trees.
"Sister-in-law, you’re busy!" Zhang Juyun stepped forward to greet her.
When Li Junping heard someone calling her, she turned her head and saw it was Zhang Juyun.
On normal days, she and Zhang Juyun weren’t particularly close, and would just nod and exchange greetings when they saw each other.
Now seeing Zhang Juyun bringing a girl over to her house, Li Junping felt a bit curious, but still put on a smile and spoke, "Yes, after eating lunch I had nothing else to do so I decided to water the trees. Juyun, where are you heading?"
"Sister-in-law, I’m just coming over to visit your house. Do you welcome me?" Zhang Juyun asked with a beaming smile.
"Look at you, how could I not welcome you? Please, come inside and have a seat," Li Junping said as she put away the bucket, leading Zhang Juyun and her daughter back to the house.
As soon as they entered the Qin family’s house, Song Yueqin began to look around the room.
The room was tidy and clean, with brand-new quilts on the kang bed, and a wooden table covered with a food screen, underneath which were leftovers from lunch, including dumplings and chicken meat.
At a glance, the living standard seemed better than that of an average family.
Looking at the wall, besides a few New Year pictures, there was a large glass photo frame filled with pictures, mostly black and white, with only a very few in color.
Amongst the Qin family’s photos, Song Yueqin immediately spotted Qin Jian’s photo.
They all appeared to be taken at the research institute, and he looked much younger than he does now, like a man in his twenties.
Even at that time, his features were remarkably handsome, with well-defined facial contours, brows like a painting, a broad and straight nose, and thin lips, resembling the graceful scholars and beautiful ladies written about in novels.
Song Yueqin gazed at the photo, her eyes filled with unreserved admiration.
Li Junping carried out two jars of water and, seeing Song Yueqin standing there looking at the photos, she said with a smile, "Most of these photos are of my eldest son, Qin Jian."
Song Yueqin snapped back to reality and showed Li Junping a sweet smile, "Qin Jian is truly talented and handsome, just like you, auntie."
Upon hearing Song Yueqin’s praise, Li Junping’s face practically bloomed with delight, "This girl has such a way with words. And you’re so pretty too, your mother is really blessed to have such a beautiful daughter."
Song Yueqin slightly lowered her head, showing a shy expression, "Thank you for the compliment, auntie."
Zhang Juyun was also smiling from ear to ear, "Sister-in-law, you have a way with words, making my heart so happy. My daughter is named Song Yueqin; just calling her Yueqin will do."
"Alright, alright! Everyone please sit down," Li Junping invited the mother and daughter to take a seat.
"The thing is, sister-in-law, I am here today on behalf of my uncle. His son has taken a liking to your daughter Qin Feng, and asked me to come over and talk about it," Zhang Juyun conveyed her purpose and gave a simple introduction of Song Fei, then waited to see what Li Junping thought.
"That’s fine," Li Junping was quite satisfied with the Song family’s prospects, "I’ll call Qin Feng out to see what she thinks."
Having said that, she went to the east room to call out Qin Feng, who was still basking in bed.
As soon as Qin Feng heard about a marriage proposal, she immediately felt a bit resentful. She didn’t want to get married so soon.
But after being smacked twice by Li Junping, she reluctantly followed her to the north room.
Upon entering, she saw Song Yueqin sitting at the square table, wearing the woolen coat she had always wanted to buy.