of the martial arts world"Zhu Guangrong shook his head blankly while Zhu Hongxing nodded and replied: "I've heard my father mention it before. But he also mentioned that after the war and ten years of...Chapter 51: Going for an Arranged Meeting

"Little brother, your medical skills are so impressive! Could you help this sister examine a patient" Zhou Ruoying thought about how Xiao Yu could even cure her own son and suddenly remembered her sister's daughter. She looked at Xiao Yu with anticipation.

“Is the illness urgent” Xiao Yu had a difficult expression; he didn't want to miss his nephew’s first birthday.

"What Do you have something else to do" Zhou Ruoying asked when she saw Xiao Yu's troubled look.

Xiao Yu glanced at Zhou Ruoying and Song Hushan, pondered for a moment, then said: "Sister, Brother Song, it’s not possible tomorrow as I must attend my nephew’s first birthday. How about the day after There’s nothing on that day, I’ll go with you to have a look! But I can’t guarantee if I can cure her!"

After hearing Xiao Yu say he had something planned for tomorrow but was free the day after, Zhou Ruoying put her worried mind at ease. She thought Xiao Yu was unwilling to help and that’s why he looked troubled; it turned out there was a reason for him not being able to go tomorrow. So she said: "No problem, let's do it the day after."

When Song Hushan heard Zhou Ruoying say this while sitting on his seat, his heart started racing as well. How could he have forgotten The main reason was that Xiao Yu was too young; he felt Xiao Yu curing his son was just a stroke of luck. As for his sister’s daughter, she had been hit by falling objects from construction sites and despite timely rescue efforts, her life was saved but she became a vegetative state patient. No matter how many renowned domestic and international doctors or Western medicine experts were consulted, no one could come up with any effective treatment methods except for passive care to wait until she woke up.

Hearing Zhou Ruoying’s words, he suddenly sat up straight and looked at Xiao Yu. Although he didn’t believe that Xiao Yu would ultimately cure his sister's daughter, having even a slight hope was better than nothing.

“Once my little brother gets involved, everything will be fine!” Ever since her son had been cured of autism, Zhou Ruoying held blind faith in Xiao Yu. In her heart, Xiao Yu was very miraculous; after inviting all the country’s top experts both at home and abroad to no avail for years with her son's condition, he successfully treated him by taking his pulse and prescribing a few doses of medicine.

Although Song Hushan didn't have high hopes for Xiao Yu, he wouldn't say anything at this moment. Anyway, his niece had already become a vegetative state patient; it was better to let his newly recognized younger brother take a look. If the latter could cure his son, there might be a way to help her. In any case, things couldn't get worse.

Not long after, the nanny Wang Xiaojian cooked up a full table of dishes. When it was time to eat, Zhou Ruoying asked Xiao Yu, "Xiao Yu, how confident are you in treating vegetative state patients"

Hearing Zhou Ruoying's question, Song Hushan also perked up his ears. After all, this concerned the daughter of his own flesh-and-blood sister, his niece. Even Song Hushan couldn't help but feel anxious.

Xiao Yu thought for a moment before saying, "There are many types of vegetative state patients; I haven't seen the patient yet and don't know her specific condition. Only after seeing the patient can I make an assessment."

Zhou Ruoying couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed. She had hoped to hear Xiao Yu say something like he could definitely cure her, but she also knew that it was impossible. No doctor would dare guarantee a cure without even seeing the patient, especially for such a severe condition.

Despite knowing this, Zhou Ruoying couldn't shake off her disappointment because, in her view, Xiao Yu was a mysterious and extraordinary figure who should be able to do anything.

Seeing Zhou Ruoying's disappointment, Xiao Yu vaguely guessed the reason behind it. However, he didn't continue speaking on the matter; if he claimed to cure a vegetative state patient without even meeting them and then actually did so, wouldn't people want to dissect him

Xiao Yu didn’t discuss anything about treating illnesses until after finishing the meal. He only chatted casually with Zhou Ruoying and Song Hushan before getting up to leave, telling them he would come over two days later to see the patient. Originally, Song Hushan wanted to send Xiao Yu off, but Xiao Yu declined and took a bus back home.

As soon as Xiao Yu stepped into his clinic, his mother and sister, who had been chatting merrily, immediately stopped talking and stared at him blankly. This made Xiao Yu's heart race; he cautiously asked, "Mom, Sister, what's wrong with you"

"Hmph hmm... Xiaoyu, I have something to tell you. It's like this: A few days ago, Erzhu's mother came here for a medical check-up and mentioned you. She thinks it’s about time for you to settle down, considering that you are the same age as your sister who is already a mother herself. Even Erzhu, who is younger than you by one year, has become a father! She asked if I knew of any prospects for you, and when I said no, she offered to introduce someone. The girl is from the same city, works in Old City, and is even a civil servant—she's just a year older than you. I agreed, so you can't back out!" Xiaoyu’s mother cleared her throat and recounted what happened.

"Ah"

Xiaoyu had heard his sister Xiao Yu mention this in the morning but had long forgotten about it. Now, after his mother's reminder, he felt as if darkness had enveloped him. What was going on Why did today feel so strange

Arranging相親might seem outdated to some people—after all, who among young people today still participates in arranged meetings But this custom has been a significant part of Chinese culture for nearly one thousand years within five thousand years of history. Even after decades of reform and opening up, matchmaking remains an important social practice in smaller cities and rural areas.

In particular, in remote countryside areas, a good matchmaker can earn as much by setting people up as a strong laborer could earn from manual work. Plus, they are always well-fed and treated well wherever they go.

Just like how some urban white-collar workers and high-earners struggle to find partners due to their busy schedules today, dating shows have become very popular for the same reason. In essence, aren't these dating shows just modern versions of rural matchmakers

In Xiaoyu's hometown city, arranged相親is quite common. Whenever a child reaches marriageable age, some nosy aunties start matchmaking activities. Erzhu’s mother is known as one of the most famous matchmakers in their area.

When his sister graduated from school, Erzhu’s mother came around but didn’t pursue it further upon learning that his sister had a boyfriend. Xiaoyu even suspected that her visit for medical reasons was just an excuse to gather information about him.

Xiaoyu has never gone through the process of arranged相親before because he was in college and no one set him up with anyone, and after graduation, when he went to Shenzhen, his girlfriend broke up with him over an underwear issue within two months anyway.

Later, when his mother found out that the person she had been setting him up with had broken up, she wanted to introduce someone else. At that time, he was still in mourning and declined.

But now it has been almost half a year since then, and previously, whenever his mother mentioned matchmaking, she would first call to ask for his opinion. However, this time, she directly used the excuse of being seriously ill to have his sister trick him back home. Xiao Yu knew that he couldn't avoid it this time.

But even though Xiao Yu knew he couldn't escape, he still wanted to make one last attempt and said, "Mom, can I not meet her Look at me now; my work is still unstable, and the clinic might close down any day. When that happens, where will I stay"

Seeming to know what Xiao Yu was going to say, Xiao Jianying chuckled and said, "Don't worry son, if that clinic closes, it doesn't matter; your sister told me you're not short on money!"

Xiao Jianying even picked up a phrase from TV, showing how in high spirits he was.

Seeing her brother being put at ease by their mother, Xiao Yu covered her mouth and secretly giggled. She knew that her brother didn't want to go on these dates, but her brother was getting quite old now and should think about finding a girlfriend and settling down.

Hearing his mother's words, Xiao Yu realized he could no longer avoid the situation and had to give in. He thought, couldn't I just say I don’t want to go out with her when we meet

Thinking this, Xiao Yu felt better again and hummed a tune as he walked up to his room on the second floor. Both Xiao Jianying and Xiao Yu were surprised by their son/brother's behavior; they wondered what was going on since he had been so despondent earlier but now seemed happy.

Xiao Jianying and Xiao Yu looked at each other, both shaking their heads in surprise as they watched Xiao Yu hum a tune up the stairs.s arose in Xiao Yu's heart; why would these ghosts act this way What kind of resentment could make them behave like this! Could it be...As if to confirm his thoughts, Xiao Yu looked back inside the ho...