14: There's a girl who would be a good match for Chen Qiu.

Luo Jinglan never expected that her son would actually buy her a gold bracelet.

At the neighbors' prompting, she subconsciously opened the red Chow Tai Fook box.

Inside the box, a heavy and simple gold bracelet lay quietly on the black velvet, emitting a heavy, warm glow.

The texture and weight alone, even just looking at it, made its expensive price clear.

Gold prices these days aren't cheap at all.

Luo Jinglan didn't know how many years it had been since she last bought a piece of gold jewelry. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to wear gold.

She hadn't expected that the first thing her son would do after earning money was to buy her such a precious gold bracelet.

The Aunts standing nearby were so envious their eyes were practically glued to it.

"Oh my, Jinglan, you really are blessed!"

"This bracelet looks like it must cost tens of thousands, right? Qiu is truly filial to you!"

"If that brat in our family could be even half as sensible as Qiu, I'd be thanking the heavens!"

Hearing their envious, slightly sour words, Luo Jinglan felt sweeter inside than if she had eaten honey.

A massive sense of happiness enveloped her entire being.

But at the same time, she felt a bit of heartache.

Gold is so expensive now; how much money did this one bracelet cost her son?

"You child, buying such an expensive bracelet without even telling me..."

She complained even as she carefully took the bracelet out of the box, yet she didn't dare to put it on.

"Gold is so expensive now, why waste money like this..."

Although her tone was complaining, at this moment, anyone could hear the pride and happiness overflowing in her voice.

Beside her, the old father Chen Zhide looked at his son with greedy eyes.

He pointed at the square phone box printed with the Huawei logo.

"That... that phone..."

"Dad, that's for you."

Chen Qiu said with a smile.

Chen Zhide's face instantly bloomed into a smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching together.

He knew it!

He knew his son couldn't possibly have forgotten him!

This was Huawei's latest tri-fold phone!

When he had gone to deliver goods to a furniture factory director before, he had seen that director with one.

The man would hold it in his hand, unfolding it with a 'click' and folding it back with another 'click' whenever he had the chance.

That movement was incredibly prestigious!

He, Chen Zhide, never thought he would be able to use a boss-level phone like this!

Chen Zhide was excitedly preparing to tear open the phone's packaging on the spot.

Suddenly, his hand was slapped hard by Luo Jinglan.

"Why are you opening such an expensive thing outside? What if you drop it? Take it inside first!"

Glared at by his wife in public, Chen Zhide felt a bit depressed.

What the heck.

Didn't you just open the gold bracelet box in front of everyone yourself?

Of course, he only dared to think this in his head; he wouldn't dream of saying it out loud.

Seeing Chen Qiu's family carrying bags and boxes into the house,

The spectating neighbors tactfully stopped following.

But their faces were filled with an intense sense of gossip and inquiry.

After returning to their respective homes, as soon as they saw other women, they immediately put on mysterious expressions.

"Hey, have you heard? Chen Zhide's son, Chen Qiu..."

The Nankeng Village Entrance Intelligence Department was spreading the news to every corner of the village at a terrifying speed... Back home.

Chen Zhide sat joyfully on the wooden sofa, playing with the brand-new folding screen phone.

Opening it, closing it, opening it again, and closing it again, he never tired of it.

Luo Jinglan, meanwhile, put the gold bracelet on her wrist and took it off, took it off and put it on, looking at it over and over.

Finally, she carefully put the bracelet back in the box and said to Chen Qiu with a serious face.

"Son, I think I won't wear this gold bracelet after all."

"I'll put it away safely for you. When you get married in the future, it can serve as one of the Three Golds for your wife..."

Chen Qiu immediately gave a helpless smile.

"Mom, I bought it for you, so just wear it!"

Beside them, Chen Zhide, who was carefully opening and closing the folding screen, glanced at his wife.

"You're just worrying over nothing."

His voice carried an unprecedented level of confidence.

"It's the first time our son bought you a gold bracelet, and you're pushing it away."

"What, if he can afford such a heavy bracelet for you, are you worried he won't be able to afford a set of Three Golds for his own wife later?"

Earlier outside, Luo Jinglan had already told him everything that happened at Haitang Bay today.

When he learned that someone had given his son a house worth over a million for free, his entire face was practically glowing!

In his excitement, he had already made a decision.

The bottle of liquor he had just received, which he originally intended to save for the most distinguished guests, had to be opened tonight no matter what!

He had to have a good drink with his son!

Hearing this, Luo Jinglan immediately glared at him irritably.

"My son is capable, so of course he can afford it!"

Then, she glanced at her husband sarcastically and said,

"Unlike some people, who only bought me a tiny pair of gold rings when we got married. In the decades since, I haven't seen them buy me any other gold jewelry..."

Chen Zhide naturally knew that "some people" referred to himself.

But a middle-aged man's best skill is to act like a perfect turtle hiding in its shell whenever his wife brings up old scores.

He immediately looked at his son and forced a change of subject.

"Right, I heard Big Sister Wang the matchmaker call and say there was some problem with your blind date at noon?"

"Yeah, it's nothing big."

Chen Qiu shook his head and briefly explained what happened at the restaurant at noon.

When Luo Jinglan learned the sequence of events, she immediately spoke up indignantly.

"I knew it! It's that girl who wasn't decent!"

"Before the person even arrived, she dragged her best friend along and ordered all those expensive dishes. It's obvious she had bad intentions and no respect for others!"

"And that Big Sister Wang has the nerve to call and blame our Chen Qiu?"

Chen Zhide speculated,

"I reckon that girl added some flavor to the story when she complained to Big Sister Wang."

"Jinglan, remember to call Big Sister Wang later and explain the reason clearly. Otherwise, if Chen Qiu's reputation is ruined, it'll be hard to arrange matches in the future."

Luo Jinglan nodded heavily.

In the matchmaking market of a small place like theirs, the man's reputation is extremely important!

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out for a walk."

"Are you driving?"

"Walking, just around the neighborhood!"

"Go ahead, go ahead, just remember to come back for dinner."

Luo Jinglan waved him off, then contentedly began to put away the expensive gifts her son had brought back one by one.

"Hey, don't just focus on playing with that phone!"

Seeing Chen Zhide still there, unable to put the phone down, Luo Jinglan immediately stepped forward to urge him.

"Go! Go kill that chicken in the yard! We're making chicken soup tonight..."

Just then.

The outer screen of the tri-fold phone in Chen Zhide's hand suddenly lit up.

A crisp ringtone sounded.

Caller ID: Big Brother.

It was Chen Zhifeng.

Seeing this, Luo Jinglan's eyes immediately narrowed.

Thinking about what happened at the Haitang Bay Residential Area this afternoon, she felt that Chen Zhifeng calling at this time definitely wouldn't be for anything good.

"Put it on speaker!"

Chen Zhide looked at his wife, understood her meaning, and pressed the speaker button.

"Hello, Big Brother."

"Hey, Zhide, have you eaten yet?"

Chen Zhifeng's usual enthusiastic voice came from the other end of the line.

The two of them exchanged some meaningless pleasantries first.

Then, Chen Zhifeng shifted the conversation to the children's matchmaking issues.

"Oh, matchmaking for kids these days is really too hard."

"Look at Yujie, he's full thirty this year, almost thirty-one, and if you count by nominal age, he's already thirty-two!"

"He's an old bachelor now, and he finally managed to match with someone decent with great difficulty."

"Not only is it a headache, but we also have to rush to buy a house and prepare the betrothal gift."

"There's no other way. We even saw a fortune teller who said if he misses this chance this year, he'll have to wait another three years for a marriage fate!"

Chen Zhifeng sighed over the phone, and after he finished speaking, Chen Zhide was a bit confused.

Why are you telling me all this?

Luo Jinglan, however, caught the underlying meaning.

She gave a soft snort.

He's playing the pity card.

He's afraid her son Chen Qiu will snatch away his son Chen Yujie's blind date?

Luo Jinglan thought carefully; this afternoon, that girl named Lin Shanshan had indeed been a bit too attentive to her son, and even to her.

Yet when she dealt with Huang Hui and her son, she didn't show much of a pleasant face.

Thinking of this, Luo Jinglan didn't just feel vindicated; she almost wanted to laugh.

Where was all that smugness from your family when you first matched with her a while ago?

Now you know to be wary of my son?

She gave her husband, Chen Zhide, a look.

The latter understood and responded slowly into the phone.

"Ah, yes, Big Brother. The kids are all grown up now and have their own ideas."

"They have to marry and live their own lives. As elders, besides supporting them, it's not good for us to interfere too much."

The other side seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Then, Chen Zhifeng's voice continued.

"Right, Zhide. On Huang Hui's side of the family, there's a girl. I heard her say she seems quite suitable for Chen Qiu."

"She's two years younger than Chen Qiu, quite pretty, smart too, and works in a bank. Her conditions are excellent."

"How about having her find a time to arrange a meeting with Chen Qiu?"