On Saturday night, the area under the stage was packed with people.
Hearing that the hero was going to give a report, people from all the neighboring villages had rushed over, and leaders from various villages stood in three rows at the bottom of the stage, while behind them, a blanket of people who had brought their own stools gathered to listen to the report.
Not only men but women and children were in attendance too.
Qin Jian straightened his clothes and ascended the stage with vigorous steps, and immediately a thunderous round of applause erupted from below.
"Leaders, fellow villagers, good evening! My name is Qin Jian, and I am a power science research engineer..." Qin Jian began his self-introduction.
Below the stage, the young women from the surrounding villages were no longer composed, as several heads drew close together to whisper.
"This Qin Jian really is handsome. I’ve never seen a man look so dashing in all my life."
"I heard he’s thirty and still not married."
"Really? If I hadn’t married my man, I’d be willing to marry him. It doesn’t matter if he’s a bit older, older men are more caring."
"Right. I heard an engineer’s salary is really high, nearly a hundred bucks a month!"
"Oh wow, that’s really high... hey, whoever marries him will be living the good life, handsome, an official, and earning a lot..."
"Isn’t that the truth?"
In the crowd below, Bai Xue and her daughter were also listening to Qin Jian’s report.
Having been treated harshly last month, Bai Xue hadn’t left the house and had been stewing indoors so much that she might as well have grown fur. Today, hearing that Qin Jian was giving a report, she decided to join in the excitement.
Concerned about being recognized by the people from her own village and feeling embarrassed, she wore a straw hat and sat among the crowd from the neighboring villages with her daughter. Just now, Bai Xue overheard the nearby villages discussing Qin Jian, and at this moment, her already restless heart began to stir even more.
"YanJiao, how have things been going with Shen Zhihua lately?" Bai Xue asked her daughter.
Bringing it up made her irritated, "Mom, don’t even mention it, Brother Zhihua doesn’t pay me any mind. He’s completely focused on his college entrance exams, planning to go to Medical University. Where do I fit into his plans?"
"So, what are you planning to do? You’re not getting any younger; it’s time you settled on a match," Bai Xue said pensively.
"Mom, my heart is set on Brother Zhihua," Bai Yanjiao pouted unhappily.
"You like him, but does he like you? Besides, if he goes to university, that’s several more years. Even if he did want to marry you, could you wait that long?" Bai Xue argued.
Bai Yanjiao’s face stretched long, "Mom, are you saying I shouldn’t wait for Brother Zhihua? My heart has always been set on marrying him; if not him, who else could I marry?"
Bai Xue saw her daughter’s discontent and gently patted her hand, gently nodding toward Qin Jian, who was speaking on stage.
Bai Yanjiao immediately got the hint, "What? Him?"
"Why, you’re not willing? I heard from the village that his salary is really high, over two hundred a month, and after getting married, his work unit even provides housing! YanJiao, this is a great opportunity."
Bai Yanjiao’s heart was set on Shen Zhihua, but judging by the Shen Family’s attitude towards her, she felt it was hopeless.
Looking at Qin Jian on stage, so confident and compelling, Bai Yanjiao suddenly felt that it might not be such a bad idea.
Especially because An Hao liked him, right?
If she stole An Hao’s beloved, wouldn’t that girl be furiously jealous?
"But... Mom, you’re really thinking big here, he’s an engineer, why would he be interested in me?" Bai Yanjiao couldn’t help but feel it was improbable.