"Huh? Brother Jiang, you’re married? You have a wife?"
He Jing suddenly rembered that when Jiang Tao sold her that watch, he said he’d just broken up with his girlfriend, didn’t he?
"Ahem, yeah, sorry, Xiao He, I told a little lie back then."
Jiang Tao pinched his fingers close together to show "just a little" and admitted frankly he’d lied before.
Back when he was doing that Longines watch deal with He Jing, he’d made up sothing on the spot.
He really hadn’t expected they’d turn out to be from the sa hotown and would cross paths again.
Now, with his lie exposed, apart from a bit of awkwardness, it wasn’t a big deal.
"Oh, it’s nothing~"
He Jing quickly let it go after Jiang Tao’s explanation.
She also often bought and sold stuff on Xianyu.
Sotis, just to make the buyer feel more at ease or to allay their concerns, she’d tell a little white lie too.
One of her roommates, for example, would often sell unused stockings as if they were, uh, the real deal.
While chatting with He Jing, Jiang Tao’s brain was spinning fast.
He was thinking about how to bring up the landlord and He Jing’s aunt’s situation with her.
His CPU was almost smoking, and he still couldn’t think of a good opening line.
So finally, he decided not to beat around the bush, and just went straight for it with a fastball.
"So, Xiao He, do you believe in love at first sight?"
"Huh? Brother Jiang, what... what do you an?"
He Jing’s expression tightened up imdiately, her eyes full of confusion as she looked at Jiang Tao.
Is this guy about to confess he fell for at first sight?
"Don’t get wrong, Xiao He, I don’t an —I’m talking about my landlord."
"My landlord bumped into your aunt by chance, and he was just smitten right away."
"But he’s kind of shy and didn’t dare ask her directly, so he asked to help him find out your aunt’s marital status."
"And as luck would have it, I ran into you, so I figured I’d ask."
Jiang Tao finally decided to trust Brother Tongzi’s judgnt.
According to Brother Tongzi’s info, the landlord Lü Qian and He Jing’s aunt Ma Dongi had a matching rate of 97%!
That kind of match, you could say it’s made in heaven!
Jiang Tao suddenly realized—
what he needed to do wasn’t as complicated as he’d thought.
Just get the two of them to et, let fate handle the rest!
Of course, it was still totally necessary to double-check with He Jing on her aunt’s relationship status first.
If she already had a husband, he couldn’t just ss with soone’s marriage to finish a task.
"Oh, that’s how it is, but..."
He Jing sounded a little regretful: "I’m afraid my aunt probably won’t want to get married ever again."
"Life is full of surprises! What if it works out? You don’t want your aunt to be lonely forever, right?"
Jiang Tao said honestly, "My landlord is a bit older, yeah, but he’s still healthy and sturdy.
And I’ve rented from him for six years, so I know what kind of person he is. He’s definitely the type you can actually live with.
I an, it’s worth letting them et, whether it works out or not, just leave it to fate.
What’s to lose by eting up, right, Xiao He?"
He Jing was really moved by Jiang Tao’s line about not wanting her aunt to be lonely forever.
Of course, she didn’t want her aunt to be alone her whole life, and she hoped her aunt could find a good companion for the rest of her days.
But...
He Jing felt the chances were basically close to zero.
Her mom had told her that her aunt was hurt in love when she was young.
She’d truly loved a man, gotten engaged to him, and was just about to get married.
If that accident hadn’t happened, her aunt’s kid might’ve been way older than herself by now.
But there are no "ifs" in life—what’s not supposed to go wrong usually does.
Her aunt and her fiancé were on their way to get the marriage certificate when they ca upon so children drowning in a river.
Her fiancé saved four kids but lost his own life.
After that, her aunt never dated anyone again and has been single ever since.
Honestly, it’s been nearly forty years, but her aunt has never truly let it go.
"So... should I go tell my aunt?"
He Jing looked at Jiang Tao; she was starting to feel convinced.
"Xiao He, I think maybe let’s just do it first and explain later—invite them both out and let them et on the spot."
Jiang Tao was arranging things this way because he trusted Brother Tongzi’s info.
Where do you find an ordinary pair with a 97% compatibility score?
With numbers like that, how could it not work out?
"Huh? Is that really okay?"
He Jing looked worried, nervous that her aunt might be upset if she found out the truth.
Jiang Tao said aningfully, "Sotis people need soone to give them a push from behind before they’ll take that step.
If you don’t give that nudge, they may never take it."
"Then... okay!"
He Jing’s eyes lit up after hearing Jiang Tao’s words. She felt what he said actually made a lot of sense!
If she told her aunt straight up she wanted to set her up, her aunt would 100% refuse!
"I’ll call the landlord, get him over here right away!"
"Oh by the way, Xiao He, do you have any everyday photos of your aunt on your phone? Could you send one?"
"Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll send you one."
He Jing reached into her little Prada bag, pulled out her phone, fiddled with it for a bit, and sent Jiang Tao a picture.
The photo showed Ma Dongi standing alone in front of Tian’ann Square.
In the picture, Ma Dongi had on a light yellow cardigan up top, simple black casual pants below, and a pair of black flats.
Her outfit was simple, not old-fashioned at all—she looked gentle and elegant, like one of those well-bred ladies from the Republic of China era.
Especially that kind, motherly smile on her face—it was infectious!
"By the way, Xiao He, how old is your aunt now?"
Jiang Tao asked for so basic info about Ma Dongi, so he could tell his landlord later.
He Jing replied honestly, "Auntie’s five years older than my mom. She just turned 60 this year—she’ll be 61 after the New Year."
"Wow, five years older than my mom, but your aunt looks amazing..."
No matter how he looked, Jiang Tao didn’t think Ma Dongi looked 60, but he knew He Jing wouldn’t lie about sothing like this.
"Right? Whenever my aunt walks with my mom, no one believes she’s the older one; they all think she’s the younger sister. My mom gets so bothered by it."
Talking about her aunt and mom’s funny stories, He Jing couldn’t help but smile.
"Alright, I’ll go call the landlord and get him to hurry over."
After a few more words, Jiang Tao walked to the side, found his landlord’s WeChat, and dialed a voice call.
He Jing also went back to her aunt to talk to her.
Of course, the way they communicated wasn’t by words but by using hand signs.
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