Xiaoshahe Urban Village.
In the largest room on the first floor of a certain tenement building, where the balcony was filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, Lü Qian was leisurely reclining on a chair, fiddling with a string of beads that were almost glossy from use, while listening to a radio.
His eyes were half-closed, and he was humming along to the Beijing opera tune playing on the radio.
From time to time, he reached for the enamel mug on the small tea table beside him, taking a sip of liquor.
Listening to Beijing opera, sipping on liquor.
The retired life of a Beijing old-timer, with no worries about food or clothing, was just this monotonous and uneventful.
*Ding-a-ling-ling—*
A phone ringtone interrupted Lü Qian's little moment of leisure.
He picked up the phone and saw the caller ID: "Little Jiang."
Among the tenants renting his place, Jiang Tao was the only one surnamed Jiang. It had to be him.
"Hey, Little Jiang," Lü Qian answered, sliding his finger across the screen. Jiang Tao's voice came through from the other end.
"Landlord Grandpa, do you want a wife or not?"
Lü Qian chuckled and scolded, "You little punk! Making fun of this Old man, huh? Wait till you get back—I'll sort you out."
On the other end, Jiang Tao didn't waste time joking around with Lü Qian.
He first gave Lü Qian some details about Ma Dongmei's personal situation.
Then, he forwarded a photo of Ma Dongmei that He Jing had just sent him to Lü Qian's WeChat, telling him to take a look and decide for himself.
If he liked her, he could come meet her. If not, no big deal.
*Ding-dong!*
Sure enough, right after hanging up with Jiang Tao, Lü Qian received a photo from him on WeChat.
"Little rascal, pulling jokes on your grandpa's head," Lü Qian muttered with a laugh, but curiosity got the better of him. He opened the WeChat chat with Jiang Tao.
The moment he saw Ma Dongmei's photo, Lü Qian froze, then sprang up from his recliner with a speed that didn't seem possible for someone his age.
He stared at the photo for a good while, growing more excited the longer he looked. Immediately, he found Jiang Tao's number and called him back.
After getting the address from Jiang Tao, Lü Qian hurriedly dashed into his bedroom.
He rummaged through his wardrobe, pulling out his most expensive suit and slipping into a white dress shirt.
He even put on a Rolex watch that had been gathering dust in the wardrobe for years.
Once he was all dressed up, the relaxed, laid-back Beijing retiree transformed into a sharp, suited-up, modern old dude in an instant.
Opening the door, a chilly wind hit him, making Lü Qian shiver, but he resolutely stepped out anyway.
With his white hair, clad in a black suit, white shirt, and a flashy dark gold tie, Lü Qian walked down the street of the urban village, instantly becoming the coolest old dude on the block!
At a flower shop in the village, he spent over 300 yuan on a large bouquet of roses.
After buying the flowers, Lü Qian hopped into a taxi at the village entrance, heading straight for the Hongxing Secondhand Furniture Wholesale Market!
In just 15 minutes, the taxi pulled up at the market entrance.
From inside the car, Lü Qian spotted Jiang Tao through the window and signaled the driver to stop.
He tossed a 100-yuan bill to the driver, saying, "Keep the change."
Lü Qian pushed open the car door, stepped out, and strode toward Jiang Tao with purpose.
"Little Jiang! Where is she? Where is she?" Lü Qian asked eagerly the moment he saw him.
"Whoa… Landlord Grandpa, aren't you cold?"
Seeing the old man decked out in a suit, Jiang Tao was completely stunned!
Young folks might choose style over warmth, but you're in your seventies—why join in on this nonsense?
"N-n-not cold! My b-b-body's still strong. I can h-h-handle this little chill!"
Landlord Grandpa's mouth was as stubborn as ever—stubbornly tough!
On such a freezing day, dressed so flashy, it'd be a miracle if he *wasn't* cold!
"She's over there roasting sweet potatoes. Come on, let's go."
Jiang Tao stopped teasing the old man, pointed in Ma Dongmei's direction with a smile, and led him over.
For some reason, Lü Qian felt his heart race, his mood inexplicably nervous.
"Little He, this is the landlord I told you about, my…"
"Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Just as Jiang Tao was about to say "Landlord Grandpa," Lü Qian interrupted with a fit of coughing, his eyes frantically signaling him!
"Big brother! That's right, I'm Little Jiang's landlord big brother, Lü Qian!"
Seeing Jiang Tao wasn't picking up on his cues, Lü Qian took matters into his own hands and introduced himself.
"Uh…"
Jiang Tao couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, hearing Lü Qian call himself his "big brother." What was this nonsense?
Lü Qian was two or three years older than Jiang Tao's *grandfather*!
"Lü… Big Brother, hello. I'm He Jing, and this is my aunt, Ma Dongmei. She's deaf and mute, so she can't speak."
He Jing looked at the man claiming to be Jiang Tao's "big brother," her face showing surprise.
White hair, a sharp black suit, and black leather shoes.
To be honest, this old dude looked pretty cool!
What surprised He Jing even more was that when her aunt saw this stylish old man, a spark of light seemed to shine in her eyes.
It looked like her aunt had a good impression of this old guy!
Hearing He Jing say Ma Dongmei was deaf and mute didn't surprise Lü Qian.
Jiang Tao had already mentioned this when he called earlier.
The one who was surprised was Jiang Tao!
After Lü Qian exchanged normal greetings with He Jing, he astonishingly started signing fluently to Ma Dongmei!
This wasn't like Jiang Tao's clumsy, makeshift sign language—Lü Qian's signing was precise and polished, and he was actually communicating with Ma Dongmei!
He Jing watched the two of them signing back and forth happily, her face showing both shock and delight.
"Uh, Little He, could you translate what they're talking about?"
Among the four people present, Jiang Tao was the only one who didn't know sign language, and he was dying to know the gossip about his landlord grandpa!
"What?! No way! She agreed, just like that??"
He Jing, watching her aunt and Lü Qian's signing, let out a soft gasp.
"Agreed to what? Agreed to what?"
Jiang Tao, clueless about sign language, was as anxious as a newborn baby desperate for milk.
"Just now, your landlord big brother invited my aunt to dinner tonight, and she said yes!"
He Jing translated the contents of Lü Qian and Ma Dongmei's sign language conversation for Jiang Tao, barely believing it herself!
Two people who had just met were hitting it off so well.
Lü Qian and Ma Dongmei had already left He Jing and Jiang Tao behind, entering a one-on-one chat mode!
"Is this the power of a 97% compatibility match?"
Jiang Tao looked at his landlord… big brother and Ma Dongmei, who were chatting enthusiastically, and couldn't help but sigh softly to himself.
"Wishing these two lovebirds a happy ending. If they can spend the rest of their lives together, it might be a great choice."
Having successfully played matchmaker for Landlord Grandpa and Ma Dongmei, Jiang Tao felt he could step back.
Whether they ended up together would depend on their fate!
As for whether he'd get that 88,888 yuan red envelope, that depended on This Old Landlord's conscience.
Jiang Tao wasn't going to push for it.