**Chapter 46**

  "Comrade Ma Shun, I didn’t expect to see you here," the man at the door said with a smile as he walked over, looking at Daniuu.

  Zheng Sen sized him up. The man wasn’t particurly tall but looked quite spirited. He was wearing a work uniform that was about 80% new, a pair of new leather shoes, and his hair was specially oiled. By today’s standards, he was probably the type many people would find appealing, but to Zheng Sen, he seemed a bit greasy and frivolous, not someone reliable.

  Daniu looked at the man but didn’t stand up. "Comrade Liang," she said.

  The man seemed oblivious to Daniu’s coldness. "I’ve been wanting to invite you to dinner, Shun. What a coincidence running into you today. My treat," he said, about to sit down.

  Daniu frowned and was about to speak when Zheng Sen interjected, "Comrade, there are plenty of seats around here. There’s no need for us to crowd together. It’s quite clear that my companion doesn’t wish to dine with you." Zheng Sen didn’t mince his words.

  Liang Wen was stunned. He had never encountered someone who was so blunt. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

  "Liang Wen, aren’t you going to introduce us?" The other man who had come with Liang Wen, sensing his awkwardness, stepped in to defuse the situation.

  "Oh, this is Comrade Ma Shun, a police officer from our commune," Liang Wen said.

  The man looked at Ma Shun in surprise. "I didn’t know our commune had a female police officer. Comrade Ma, my name is Liu Jian. I’m a driver from the county mining bureau."

  Daniu nodded at him. "Hello."

  Liu Jian seemed to sense that Daniu wasn’t interested in engaging further. "Alright, Liang Wen, let’s not disturb Comrade Ma’s meal," he said, pulling Liang Wen aside.

  Watching them leave, Daniu let out a sigh of relief. Liang Wen was quite annoying, always showing up around her. There were rumors circuting that the two of them were dating, and Daniu had mentioned it once, but to her surprise, Liang Wen was very good at twisting words, acting as if he were the innocent one. It was driving her crazy.

  Zheng Sen noticed how much Daniu disliked this man and gnced at him again. "The food’s ready. I’ll go get it," Zheng Sen said, standing up and heading to the counter to pick up their dishes.

  The two of them had ordered three dishes today: sweet and sour pork, stir-fried three delicacies, and braised pork intestines, along with two bowls of rice. These three dishes were the restaurant’s signature items and weren’t always avaible. They were lucky to have caught them on the menu today. In the past six months, Zheng Sen has been to the family for free meals, so the two of them are not restrained at all when eating together.

  Zheng Sen was shoveling food into his mouth while catching a glimpse of Liang Wen looking in his direction out of the corner of his eye. He smiled and said to Da Niu, "The sweet and sour pork here is authentic. I make sure to have it every time I come to the commune."

  Da Niu gnced at him and said, "I heard quite a few people from your area have moved here."

  Zheng Sen nodded, "Yes, some educated youths and family members of the corps came directly here. Now there are over five thousand people at the forestry center. They're pnning to clear a rge area of nd to the east of the center. By the way, are you in charge of our area now?"

  "No, your area has its own team," Da Niu replied.

  Zheng Sen thought for a moment and said, "That educated youth, Xie Yun, who used to live at your pce, isn't doing too well."

  Da Niu frowned. "What happened?" Xie Yun had been sent to the forestry center after the diving incident in the vilge.

  "She was fine before, but st month, Zhang Xiao Ran from your vilge somehow got transferred to the forestry center, and then Xie Yun was isoted. You know how things are now; her situation isn't great."

  Da Niu's frown deepened. "You need to keep an eye on this for me."

  Zheng Sen didn't know about Xie Yun's desire to marry Da Li; he only thought Xie Yun and Daniu were on good terms. "Alright, I'll have someone look out for her."

  Da Niu looked at him, realizing he didn't understand her concern, and whispered the situation to Zheng Sen. His expression turned to one of surprise, "There's such a thing?"

  Da Niu nodded, "If you can, take care of her. She's had a hard time, but be careful. Keep her away from my brother. He's already engaged, and we don't need any more complications."

  "I understand," Zheng Sen felt the matter was quite troublesome. He had good retionships with the locals and the higher-ups, which was why he could easily take leave. But because of this, any issues at the educated youth center were often brought to him. He really had to manage this well; if something went wrong, not only would Daniu be upset, but he would also have a hard time expining it to the higher-ups.

  Their conversation was hushed, making them appear quite intimate to outsiders. Liang Wen, watching from a distance, was filled with jealousy, his eyes sharp as knives as he watched them leave.

  "Stop looking; she clearly isn't interested in you; just let it go."

  Liang Wen said angrily to the waiter. "Bring me a bottle of Lao Bai Gan." He added fiercely.

  "Liquor ticket," the waiter slowly walked over, took the money from Liang Wen, and then asked for the liquor ticket.

  Liang Wen pulled a liquor ticket from his pocket and handed it over.

  The liquor was served, and Liang Wen poured himself a small bowl, about two taels, and downed it in one go.

  Liu Jian, seeing Liang Wen's state, said, "Brother, I'm not saying this to be harsh, but retionships are about fate. If it's meant to be, they'll be together; if not, forcing it won't work."

  Liang Wen, feeling the effects of the alcohol, started to speak more freely, "Brother Liu, tell me, what's wrong with me? My job, my family—what's not good enough for her?"

  Seeing how fiercely Liang Wen was drinking, Liu Jian didn't say much.

  Liang Wen lowered his head and continued drinking. He didn't say it out loud, but in his heart, he believed that one day things would change.

  Liu Jian took a small sip from his cup, watching the silent Liang Wen, and had his own thoughts. Liang Wen was originally just a country boy, but his family had some connections. First, he worked at the county's transportation company and was promoted to a full-time position within a month of learning to drive. If it weren't for his connections, how could that have happened? Not long after, their mineral company needed people, and he was transferred there, making a big leap.

  "This kid has strong connections," Liu Jian thought.

  "Strong connections? Hmph, it's just his uncle working at the county committee, using his influence to get his nephew a good job," Ma Hongmei said disdainfully during dinner when Daniu mentioned it.

  "So that's how it is," Daniuu said while eating. "I thought it was because of the Liang family."

  "What does the Liang family have to do with it? Their ancestors have always been from Shuangmiao vilge. It's the Zheng family's old man who used to work for your grandfather back in the day. Your grandfather ter arranged things for them, and at that time, the two families were on good terms. The second son of the Zheng family went to work in the county, the eldest son married into a well-off family, and the third son, who was young, stayed in school. After your uncles passed away, our family's situation worsened, while their family suddenly rose to prominence."

  "Why talk about this? We don't need to compare ourselves to them. Our children are all doing well, much better than theirs." The old man had finally come to terms with it. Before, he had always been thinking about his sons, never forgetting them. But now, looking at his grandchildren, each one of them was outstanding. Not just the three older ones, but even the four younger ones were doing well—honest, hardworking, and without any ulterior motives. This was the future of the Ma family, and it wasn't looking bad at all.

  Ma Hongmei didn't expect her father to say this, but it seemed he had finally let go.

  "Here, Dad, let me toast you." Song Yuncheng poured a gss of wine for the old man and filled his own before handing it to him.

  The old man smiled and took a sip. The family was happy and harmonious.

  Daniuu didn't dwell on the matter. Since she wasn't pnning to marry into either family, there was no need to waste too much thought on it.

  However, Zheng Sen was somewhat concerned. He had developed feelings for Daniuu, and they were growing stronger. He truly admired this girl—she seemed perfect in every way. He had met many girls growing up, both inside and outside their compound, with all sorts of personalities, but none had captivated him like she did.

  He was a decisive person. Since he had met someone so suitable, he wanted to hold onto her. But he wasn't in a rush. He could tell that this girl had her own ideas and was the type to prefer being single rather than settling for less. He wasn't in a hurry and enjoyed the gradual development of their retionship. At least now, they were friends and shared a secret.

  However, while feelings could develop slowly, he couldn't tolerate any rivals—or even potential rivals. They were nothing more than annoying flies to him.

  Since arriving here, Zheng Sen had always been mindful of interpersonal retionships. Over time, he had done many things that earned him the support of many people. He hadn't originally pnned to do anything, but now he could use these connections to gather information.

  It didn't take long for him to uncover the situation in Liang Wen's family. Zheng Sen soon learned about the grievances between the Zheng and Ma families, as well as the things Liang Wen had done.

  "Hey, do you know why Liang Wen wants to marry Ma Shun?" Li Hongda said with a gossipy tone.

  Zheng Sen gnced at him and, under his expectant gaze, asked, "Why?"

  Li Hongda was always full of insider information, something Zheng Sen had found strange since childhood. Even though they spent every day together, Li Hongda always seemed to know little tidbits that Zheng Sen had never noticed.

  "That Liang Wen is a filial son—more specifically, he listens to his mother's every word. Before, Liang Wen had taken a liking to a cssmate from middle school, but his mother immediately rejected her, and Liang Wen just broke it off without a word." Li Hongda pursed his lips. "This isn't the first time either. This time, his mother has taken a liking to Ma Shun. Zheng Fen, his mother, is superstitious. She consulted some fortune teller about her son's marriage, and somehow Zheng Fen became convinced that Ma Shun would bring good fortune to Liang Wen, so she set her sights on Ma Shun."

  Zheng Sen frowned, and a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Did she also meddle in the marriage between Ma Dali and the Zheng family?"

  The marriage between the Ma and Zheng families had been arranged by their parents and matchmakers. Ma Dali was a good match in every way, and the Ma family's conditions were decent. It should have been a good marriage. Back then, the Zheng family's daughter didn't have any other prospects, so breaking the engagement wouldn't have done the Zheng family any good. From what he knew, the Zheng family's daughter was now engaged to someone from the county, but the man was a divorcee with a child, and his conditions were just average by county standards. Of course, maybe the Zheng family thought that being in the county was better than staying in the vilge.

  "Ah, you hit the nail on the head. Zheng Fen had already set her sights on Ma Shun. If Ma Dali's marriage to the Zheng family's daughter had gone through, Ma Shun definitely couldn't have been with Liang Wen. That would have been like swapping marriages, wouldn't it?"

  Li Hongda continued, "I heard a rumor that during a fight in the Zheng family, someone said, 'Didn't you say Ma Dali's leg was broken? How is he fine now?'"

  Zheng Sen remembered Daniuu mentioning that the Zheng family had demanded a rge dowry from the Ma family and even asked for the front yard house. Asking for that house was going too far—it was the Ma family's ancestral home, the only one left. If the old man passed away, it would likely be inherited by Dali. But with the old man still alive, it was unreasonable to already be eyeing the property. So the Ma family didn't hesitate and called off the engagement directly.

  With someone deliberately pying tricks, spreading rumors about Ma Dali's leg being broken while demanding a high dowry, it was easy to ruin the marriage between the two families.