Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

"I was only gone for a moment, and you still managed to mistake someone for someone else? Are you just looking at those big eyes for nothing? You didn't just see that the young man was handsome and decided to play along, did you?"

Matchmaker Wang narrowed her eyes. Just because the young lady wanted a decent appearance on their first meeting, she had reason to suspect that Shu Yun was lusting after her at first sight!

She had been walking too fast, and only caught a fleeting glance at the man she had mistaken for someone else. With her shrewd eye, he was definitely handsome!

Shu Yun was innocent; she had been truly wronged. "No way! His name is Gu Jun too!"

Matchmaker Wang snorted, "Hurry up, let's go inside. Gu Jun must be getting impatient."

Shu Yun responded and obediently followed behind Wang the matchmaker. The two walked through table after table, finally stopping at a table near the wall. Gu Jun lowered his head, his legs unconsciously twitching, and his mouth moving silently, extremely nervous.

Upon hearing Wang the matchmaker's voice, he reflexively jumped up from his chair, and only then did Shu Yun get a clear look at Gu Jun's appearance.

Square face, regular features, thick eyebrows and big eyes, over 1.7 meters tall. Considering the general lack of nutrition in China, his height is not short. He has a very heroic air. This was Shu Yun's first impression. But deep down, she was a little disappointed. He was not as stunning as the one she had just met.

With such excellent examples before her, her aesthetic standards were slightly raised.

Gu Jun noticed Shu Yun's gaze, his eyes lowered and then raised again. After a long while, his face turned bright red with embarrassment. Under Wang the matchmaker's disappointed gaze, he scratched his head, gave Shu Yun a silly smile.

Shu Yun couldn't help but feel more favorably disposed towards him. Hearing that the young man was so sincere, she couldn't help but smile along with him, covering her mouth and making her crescent-shaped eyes look incredibly vivid. This made the silly young man stare in a daze, even more stunned, and Shu Yun's smile grew even wider.

Matchmaker Wang spoke up at the opportune moment: "This is Gu Jun, and this is Shu Yun..."

After introducing the two of them, she was about to start a conversation when her stomach rumbled and churned, making her face turn pale.

Her stomach had been rumbling several times since she ate the stinky amaranth stalks that the old man had left in the cupboard that morning. She stood up and said, "You guys chat first, I'll be right back."

As Shu Yun watched Wang the matchmaker walk away, her legs twirling rapidly, she marveled at how much better the elderly woman's health was than that of a young person like herself.

Without Wang the matchmaker acting as a lubricant, the atmosphere at the table became much quieter, and Shu Yun took a small sip of water.

Gu Jun also took a sip of water with Shu Yun, his gaze fixed on her. When Shu Yun looked back, Gu Jun tensed up and spoke first: "Grandma Wang didn't tell me the whole story. I have a limp. When I was little, I was often bullied by other kids in the village, and some even tried to persuade my parents to have another child."

His voice lowered, but then became energetic again, "But my parents love me very much. Considering that I am not good at working in the fields, they supported my education, which is why I was able to find a job in the city."

His words were full of gratitude and respect for his parents, as well as his beautiful vision for the future. Shu Yun felt that he was very sincere and down-to-earth, so she couldn't help but look up and listen carefully to Gu Jun's speech.

But the next moment, his voice softened, "Although I have some problems with my legs, it doesn't affect my normal life. I can do what others can do. Also, my legs are acquired, not congenital, so I can protect you."

Shu Yun could easily guess from the expert answer that it was the result of experience gained from previous blind dates.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Shu Yun with sincere eyes, waiting for her answer.

Shu Yun pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then told the other party about her situation, "Something happened in my family recently, which I'm sure the matchmaker already told you when they introduced us."

Gu Jun quickly replied, "I don't mind. My family has been poor farmers for three generations, so my political status is not a problem."

Shu Yun: "But once we're together, your identity will be tainted, do you know that?"

Gu Jun's expression darkened. Shu Yun paused for a moment, then continued, "You're very good. You've managed to rise from the countryside to the city step by step through your own abilities. That's impressive. But have you ever thought about it? If you get involved with me, you might not be able to get promoted in the future, at least not in the short term. You might even lose your job and break your parents' expectations. Have you really thought this through?"

Gu Jun couldn't hear what Shu Yun was saying, but he still couldn't help but keep looking back.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Xiao Ling slammed the water glass down.

Gu Jun snapped out of his daze. "Huh? What?"

His gaze finally fell on Xiao Ling. Her long, deep eyes seemed to possess a certain magic, drawing people in and making them deeply attracted.

Xiao Ling blushed under his gaze and pouted playfully, "Why do I still have other people's leftover dishes here? Don't you know how to clean them up?"

The bowls and chopsticks were the ones Shu Yun had used, and Gu Jun reached out and took them to the side next to his own.

Gu Jun remained silent, so Xiao Ling rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the man opposite her, her eyes filled with amazement.

At first, she didn't think much of Gu Jun, whom her parents introduced to her. She was a city resident, an only child, and her parents were leaders in a state-owned factory. She herself was a school teacher, good-looking, and had no shortage of suitors.

Therefore, even though a country boy like Gu Jun had worked hard and achieved a good position in the army, she was still very critical and dissatisfied.

In the morning, Xiao Ling deliberately arrived late to express her dissatisfaction with her parents forcing her to go on a blind date. However, upon seeing him in person, she had to admit that her feelings shifted back to Gu Jun, even tilting in his favor.

Xiao Ling smiled and spoke with a clear, melodious voice, dominating the entire conversation.

Halfway through the conversation, she casually said, "I'm an only child, and my parents really hope I can find someone from the local city, but I don't really care. What do you think?"

After Xiao Ling finished speaking, she rested her chin on her hand, her smile unchanged, as if she wasn't worried at all that Gu Jun would refuse.

Gu Jun's attention wasn't on that. He saw Shu Yun stand up out of the corner of his eye, and he subconsciously stood up as well.

Xiao Ling frowned. "What's wrong?"

Gu Jun snapped out of his reverie, realizing he was still on a blind date and had no right to chase after them. He forced a smile and said, "I'll clear the dishes away."

He took the leftover bowl and chopsticks to the counter, which annoyed Xiao Ling so much that she couldn't help but kick the chair.

A knock was made on the glass window next to the dining table, and a middle-aged woman carrying a child stood outside.

The woman wore a coarse gray-black cloth dress, which had been starched so many times that the original color of the clothes was no longer visible. She had a blue square scarf wrapped around her head, and the child behind her was held in a swaddling cloth, tightly wrapped around her body with a thick hemp rope.

The woman had two red patches on her dark face, as if she was tired from walking up the mountain road. She smiled shyly, showing her teeth, and said, "Comrade, could you give us some water? My child is sick, and my water bottle is empty."

Speaking in a local dialect, the woman sounded like a villager from one of the mountain villages behind the mountains. Xiao Ling glanced at the woman's clothes, her lips curling down in disdain. She thought, "No wonder she's begging for water here. She's dressed so poorly and smells of sweat. The waiters won't let her in if she doesn't have money."

Xiao Ling was already in a bad mood because of Gu Jun's attitude. When she saw the sweat on the woman's face and the strands of hair stuck to her face, she frowned, ignored her, and even moved away with some disgust. She exaggeratedly covered her mouth with her hand, which made the woman outside even more embarrassed. She took a few steps back, thinking it was the smell of sweat on her body.

"If you're sick, go see a doctor. What are you doing here? Or go find the counter clerk."

The woman was in a difficult situation and wanted to find a waiter? Nowadays, waiters don't worship customers as gods; they are the gods. If they saw someone like her, they would definitely be kicked out.