Chapter 43: The Most Dashing Old Timer on This Street! (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

In the urban village of Xiaosha River.

In a certain corridor apartment building, inside the largest apartment on the first floor, the balcony of which was fully crowded with all kinds of flowers and plants.

Lü Qian was sitting leisurely in a recliner, listening to the radio while clicking and rolling a string of prayer beads in his hand that was already developing a glossy patina.

His eyes were half-closed, and he hummed along to a traditional Peking opera tune playing from the radio.

From time to time, he reached out to pick up an enamel mug placed on the small tea table beside him to take a small sip of liquor.

Listen to an opera tune, take a sip of liquor.

The carefree retirement life of an old Beijinger was simply this monotonous and dull.

Ring, ring, ring—

A cell phone ringtone interrupted Lü Qian’s little romantic mood.

Picking up his phone to take a look, the caller ID showed the name "Little Jiang."

Among the tenants renting rooms at his place, Jiang Tao was the only one with the surname Jiang; it couldn't be anyone else.

"Hello, Little Jiang."

Lü Qian swiped his finger to answer the call, and Jiang Tao's voice sounded from the other end.

"Landlord uncle, do you want a wife or not!"

Lü Qian laughed and scolded, "You brat! Making fun of your uncle, are you? Just wait till you get back, I'm going to deal with you."

On the other end of the line, Jiang Tao didn't waste any words with Lü Qian.

First, he told Lü Qian about some of Ma Dongmei's personal background.

Then, he forwarded the photos that He Jing had just sent him to Lü Qian's WeChat, telling him to handle it however he saw fit.

If he liked what he saw, he should come; if not, forget it.

Ding-dong!

Sure enough, the moment Lü Qian hung up Jiang Tao's call, he received a picture sent by Jiang Tao on WeChat.

"You brat, playing jokes right on your uncle's head."

Lü Qian cursed with a smile, but he still couldn't resist his curiosity and tapped into the WeChat chat window with Jiang Tao.

The moment he saw the photo of Ma Dongmei, Lü Qian was stunned for a second, and then sprang up from the recliner with a whoosh.

The movement was so agile that it was completely impossible for someone of his age.

Staring at the photo for quite a while, Lü Qian grew more and more excited the longer he looked, and immediately found Jiang Tao's number to call him back.

After getting the address from Jiang Tao, Lü Qian hurried back into his bedroom.

Rummaging through his wardrobe, he fished out his most expensive suit to put on, with a white shirt layered underneath.

He even grabbed a Rolex watch that had been gathering dust in his wardrobe for years.

After changing into the complete outfit, the thoroughly relaxed elderly Beijinger from a moment ago instantly transformed into a sharp, suited and booted modern senior.

Opening the door, the cold wind was biting, and Lü Qian couldn't help but shiver, but he still resolutely stepped outside.

With completely white hair, wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and sporting a rakish dark gold tie.

Walking down the main street of the urban village, Lü Qian instantly became the most dazzling old timer on the entire street!

At a flower shop in the urban village, he spent over 300 yuan to buy a huge bouquet of roses.

After buying the flowers, Lü Qian flagged down a taxi at the entrance of the village and headed straight for the Hongxing Second-hand Furniture Wholesale Market!

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi arrived at the market entrance.

Seeing Jiang Tao through the car window, Lü Qian told the taxi driver to stop.

He directly tossed a hundred-yuan bill to the driver and said no change was needed.

Lü Qian pushed open the car door, stepped out, and strode toward Jiang Tao.

"Little Jiang! Where is she? Where is she?!"

As soon as they met, Lü Qian impatiently asked Jiang Tao where she was.

"Oh man... Landlord uncle, aren't you cold?"

Seeing his landlord dressed in a sharp suit, Jiang Tao was utterly dumbfounded!

Young people might choose style over warmth, but you are a senior in your seventies, why are you blindly joining in on this!

"N-n-no, not cold! My b-b-body is strong, I c-c-can still handle this bit of temperature!"

The landlord's mouth was truly stubborn—stiffly stubborn!

On such a freezing day, dressed so flashy, it would be a miracle if he wasn't cold!

"She's over there roasting sweet potatoes. Let's go, let's head over too."

Jiang Tao stopped joking with the landlord, smilingly pointed out the direction where Ma Dongmei was, and led him forward.

For some reason, Lü Qian actually felt his heartbeat accelerate, feeling incomparably nervous.

"Little He, this is the guy I introduced to you, my landlord el—"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!!!"

Just as Jiang Tao was about to say "landlord uncle," he was cut off by a fit of coughing from Lü Qian beside him, who was signaling him frantically with his eyes!

"Big brother! That's right, I am Little Jiang's landlord big brother, Lü Qian!"

Seeing that Jiang Tao didn't catch his drift, Lü Qian simply started introducing himself.

"Uh..."

Hearing Lü Qian actually calling himself brothers with him, Jiang Tao couldn't help feeling a bit amused and exasperated. What on earth was going on here!

Lü Qian's age was two or three years older than Jiang Tao's own grandfather!

"Lü Bi... g brother, hello, my name is He Jing, and this is my eldest aunt, Ma Dongmei. She is speech and hearing impaired and cannot speak."

Looking at Lü Qian, who claimed to be Jiang Tao's older brother, the expression on He Jing's face was also one of extreme surprise.

A head of completely white hair, a sharp black suit, and black leather shoes.

And honestly speaking, this old guy actually looked quite cool!

Moreover, what surprised He Jing a bit was that when her eldest aunt saw this cool senior, a gleam of light also lit up in her eyes.

It looked as though her eldest aunt also had a very favorable impression of this senior!

Hearing He Jing say that Ma Dongmei was speech and hearing impaired, Lü Qian wasn't surprised at all.

When Jiang Tao called him earlier, he had already mentioned this situation to him.

The surprised one was Jiang Tao!

After Lü Qian exchanged normal greetings with He Jing, he actually began communicating with Ma Dongmei using sign language with incredible fluency!

The landlord's sign language was nothing like Jiang Tao's clumsy sign language from earlier; his hand gestures looked quite refined and practiced as he cheerfully signed away with Ma Dongmei!

Watching the two of them communicating happily through sign language, He Jing wore an expression of utter astonishment, but also a deeply joyful smile.

"Um, Little He, could you do a simultaneous translation? What are they chatting about?"

Among the four people present, Jiang Tao was the only one who didn't understand sign language, leaving him unable to properly enjoy the gossip about his landlord!

"Ah! No way? She agreed just like that? She actually agreed??"

Watching the content being signed between her eldest aunt and Lü Qian, He Jing couldn't help letting out a soft cry of surprise.

"Agreed to what? Agreed to what?!"

Jiang Tao, who didn't understand sign language, felt right at that moment like a newborn infant unable to suckle milk—anxious beyond words.

"Just now, your landlord big brother invited my eldest aunt to dinner tonight, and my eldest aunt said yes!"

He Jing translated the content of the sign language exchange between Lü Qian and Ma Dongmei for Jiang Tao, finding it almost unbelievable herself!

The two people who had just met were actually hitting it off so well.

Lü Qian and Ma Dongmei had already sidelined He Jing and Jiang Tao, entering a one-on-one exclusive chat mode!

"Is this the power of a 97% compatibility rate?"

Jiang Tao gazed at the landlord big brother and Ma Dongmei, who were chatting away enthusiastically, and couldn't help sighing softly in his heart.

"Wishing that lovers eventually become spouses. If the two of them can accompany each other through the rest of their lives, it might just be a pretty good choice."

With the task of matchmaking for the landlord and Ma Dongmei completed, Jiang Tao felt he could gracefully exit stage left.

As for whether the two of them would ultimately work out, it all depended on their destiny!

As for whether that 88,888 red envelope would make it into his hands, it would depend entirely on the landlord's conscience.

Jiang Tao wouldn't force it.