“Try dating.”

“Try dating with marriage as the goal?”

CRASH—

The bowl slipped from Liu Fen’s hands and shattered on the ground.

The kitchen had a cement floor, and the porcelain bowl broke into pieces. The braised mutton’s sticky sauce splattered everywhere, including on Tang Hong’en’s trouser cuffs.

Liu Fen anxiously crouched down, but Tang Hong’en grabbed her arm:

“What are you doing?!”

“…Pick…picking up the bowl pieces.”

Liu Fen stammered while Tang Hong’en thought she was going to clean his stained trousers. Why had he frightened her so? Realizing his misunderstanding, Tang Hong’en, though not particularly cunning, rarely let his true emotions show.

This was a habit developed from his work environment, common among many high-ranking officials.

Helping Liu Fen up, he felt her trembling hands. Tang Hong’en knew he had moved too quickly today, possibly frightening her. But this wasn’t impulsive – he had carefully considered how to approach Liu Fen during his journey here. Everything he said came from his heart, delivered naturally.

Having dropped this bombshell, it was time to let Liu Fen collect herself. She was far too nervous.

Tang Hong’en, perhaps wearing rose-tinted glasses, found Comrade Liu Fen’s reaction rather endearing.

“Go get a broom. I’ll clean this up. Be careful not to cut your hands.”

Liu Fen didn’t refuse. She desperately needed some distance from Tang Hong’en – if she didn’t do something, the atmosphere would be unbearably awkward!

Xia Xiaolan finally couldn’t help rushing over. Grandmother Yu thought to herself, how could this girl be so tactless?

“Mom, are you alright?!”

Liu Fen waved her hands frantically, “My hand slipped, I dropped the bowl.”

Liu Fen searched everywhere for a broom until Xia Xiaolan pointed out: “Isn’t our broom behind the kitchen door?”

Yes, it was behind the kitchen door.

But Mr. Tang was in the kitchen!

Liu Fen had forgotten at first, but now that Xiaolan reminded her, she couldn’t casually return to the kitchen. Everyone was shocked to see Tang Hong’en rolling up his sleeves to clean up the broken bowl. Seeing his stained trouser cuffs, Xiaolan found him a clean towel and took the opportunity to say, “Uncle Tang, you’re being too obvious. You’ll frighten my mother.”

Tang Hong’en glanced at her, “I don’t think I’m as frightening as those thugs. You little girl, what do you know? Without making a bold statement, others will continue to look down on your mother.”

One should be modest in general, but declarations of intent must be bold.

He could have easily concealed his intentions, but what would be the point? He admired the traditional virtues of Chinese women that Liu Fen possessed, appreciating both these qualities and her courage to actively change… When someone has good qualities, they’re like a pearl. Liu Fen was a pearl that had been covered in dust. Tang Hong’en didn’t look down on her for this, yet the villagers still viewed her through their old prejudices.

As the pearl’s surface dust scattered, did the villagers still see only a piece of gravel that happened to get lucky in middle age?

Tang Hong’en felt indignant seeing these people fail to recognize a pearl. He had rushed to Shangdu to show everyone that a pearl remains a pearl – temporary dimness doesn’t mean it should forever mix with gravel.

Xia Xiaolan felt like she barely recognized Uncle Tang.

After getting used to the friendly, approachable Mayor Tang, she had almost forgotten how aloof Tang Hong’en had been when they first met.

The aloof Mayor Tang cleaned up the broken bowl himself, wiped his trouser cuffs clean, washed his hands, and left the kitchen, leaving Xiaolan somewhat bewildered.

Everyone eating at Xiaolan’s house had heard Tang Hong’en’s “confession.” Even Tian Xiaoyan had stopped crying. At eleven, this village girl was quite precocious – she immediately understood that this man, who could summon police officers to arrest her father, also wanted to marry Liu Fen.

Tian Xiaoyan felt anxious.

The villagers all said her father was shameless. Xiaoyan knew her father Tian Hu wasn’t a good person, but he was still her father – why couldn’t Sister Xiaolan show some sympathy? Why wouldn’t Aunt Liu Fen agree to marry her father?

Wasn’t it just because they were poor?

She hadn’t chosen to be poor.

If Uncle Yong let her father go work and earn money, they wouldn’t be poor anymore! Then her father would change for the better.

“Whether they’re suitable or not isn’t for us outsiders to decide,” Chen Si’s wife finally sighed after a long silence.

Chen Dasao opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word of objection. She had just said it was impossible, and Tang Hong’en immediately proved her wrong by declaring his intention to court Liu Fen with marriage in mind… City people were so particular – even for a second marriage, they needed to date. Wasn’t it enough to just lay out their conditions and decide if they were compatible or not?!

Who didn’t just make do with their second marriage? Why should Liu Fen be any different?

Young Comrade Wang finally snapped back to reality, “Leader, I’ll get your change of clothes from the car.”

Tang Hong’en nodded. It wasn’t that he was too fastidious to tolerate a little dirt, but since he would be staying at Xiaolan’s house tonight, he naturally needed his change of clothes from the car.

Tang Hong’en scanned the room but didn’t see Liu Fen – she had probably hidden herself away.

Why was she acting like an ostrich?

What was the point of hiding? She would have to face him eventually.

“Little Tang, come eat. This dish was also cooked by Ah Fen.”

Grandmother Yu was the most animated, currently Tang Hong’en’s only ally, showing great enthusiasm toward him.

After Tang Hong’en’s confession, what was there for the villagers not to understand? He hadn’t come for Liu Yong’s friendship or the scholarly star Xia Xiaolan, but for Liu Fen, whom they had always overlooked.

Liu Fen had always been quiet and reserved. Even when her appearance changed and she became more outgoing, it was attributed to Liu Yong’s care or the reflected glory of having a top-scoring daughter.

Now they discovered that Liu Fen could attract the attention of a man like Tang Hong’en – how could they not be shocked?

Wang’s use of the word “Leader” set the villagers’ imaginations running wild. Tang Hong’en truly had a presence, but what kind of leader was he exactly?

The meal ended quickly, with everyone putting down their chopsticks before 3 PM. The women efficiently washed all the dishes, afraid that Tang Hong’en would roll up his sleeves and wash the dishes himself – they didn’t give him any chance to show off.

What to do after the meal?

The rest was the Liu family’s private business. However curious everyone was, they couldn’t stay to watch.

The important matter of following Liu Yong to work would have to wait for another day. As Chen Wangda prepared to leave, Tang Hong’en smiled: “Nothing is pressing during the New Year, Village Chief Chen. Why don’t you stay a while longer? I’d like to learn more about Southern Henan from you.”

Since he’d already made a bold move, why not go all the way? If everyone left now, how would they gossip later?

Seeing Tang Hong’en engage in warm conversation with Chen Wangda, Xia Xiaolan went to find her mother. Li Fengmei had been talking with Liu Fen in the room for quite a while. As Xiaolan stepped in, she heard her mother saying:

“Sister-in-law, you ask me what’s going on, but I don’t know either. We can’t guess Mr. Tang’s thoughts… But Mr. Tang is a good person, maybe he was just trying to help me out of an awkward situation earlier. I’m grateful to him.”