"Uncle, I'm at the entrance of the bank on Xiangyang Road... waiting for you, okay...please hurry up a bit."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yang put his phone into his pocket, then cupped his hands over his mouth to warm his breath, rubbing them together as he did so.
The Lantern Festival had just passed, and the temperature in the morning was around thirteen or fourteen degrees, still a bit cold, especially since he hadn't worn gloves while riding his electric scooter.
With his hands back in his pockets and watching the busy traffic and pedestrians, he couldn't help but become lost in his thoughts.
He was 25 this year, had graduated and been working for two years, and had impulsively quit his job before the new year. Now, he could say he had neither a car, nor a house, nor savings.
After a while, just as Lin Yang was about to lose his patience, a white Volkswagen slowly pulled up in front of him.
"Xiao Yang!"
The passenger side window rolled down, and a face, looking to be in its thirties, called out to him.
Coming to his senses, he opened the car door and got in, smiling as he greeted, "Uncle."
After getting into the car, Yang Xincheng gave him a quick look-over and then said, "Didn't your mom tell you you're going on a blind date today? Why didn't you dress up a bit more handsomely?"
Lin Yang looked himself over, then touched his hair and said, "She did, but I think I look okay like this."
Though he wasn't in a suit and tie, he was decently dressed, except perhaps for not having styled his hair that morning. Over the long New Year holiday spent at home, he had gotten used to it.
In contrast, his Uncle Yang Xincheng, though in his thirties and already married with children, still had a layer of wax in his hair, shiny and slick.
"Remember to sweet-talk a bit when we get to the girl's place, shower her with compliments... and if she asks about your situation, make sure to embellish it a bit..."
Yang Xincheng started the car and began dispensing advice from his own experience.
Yang Xincheng was fairly confident about Lin Yang's external attributes, but he was a bit worried about his income and family background, as the matchmaking scene nowadays demanded a house, a car, and a significant betrothal gift.
Throughout the drive, Lin Yang routinely nodded and smiled at his uncle's well-meant guidance, but his heart remained as calm as usual because he was just going through the motions.
It wasn't that he lacked confidence in himself, but rather that he had no plans to marry so soon. Like many young men and women, he was here on a blind date more due to parental pressure.
Since returning home before the New Year until now, under his parents' relentless urging, he had finally agreed to attend this blind date in the city, supposedly with a girl his mother had gone through great lengths to arrange via her contacts.
Seven or eight minutes later, when Lin Yang felt slightly dizzy, they finally arrived at the residential complex where the blind date's family lived.
After parking the car, Yang Xincheng went to a supermarket at the base of the apartment building and bought a carton of milk and a bag of fruit.
Lin Yang accepted the milk and fruit: "Uncle, thanks for the trouble."
"It's no trouble, we're family. You're 25 now, not that young anymore. Think more about your parents, don't make your mom worry so much..."
"That's why I'm here now, isn't it?"
Lin Yang replied with a resigned smile in his tone.
Yang Xincheng obviously knew him well enough to see his resignation, so he just exhaled a ring of smoke and didn't say much more.
The two of them took the elevator to the 23rd floor, where the girl's family was already waiting.
After entering, Lin Yang greeted them with a smile, and soon enough, he and his blind date were thrust into an awkward conversation, while Yang Xincheng handled the adults' discussion.
After a brief introduction, when Lin Yang and the girl were sporadically trying to find topics of discussion, her parents suggested they go out for a walk.
The intention was clear; let the young people have a chat on their own to see how well they got along.
Once outside, they walked around the apartment complex.
The conversation still revolved around personal matters like household registration but shifted from hobbies and individual experiences to job, income, and family matters.
Lin Yang didn't know what she had been informed about his circumstances, and during their talk, he didn't try to mask his own situation. However, as their conversation deepened, he could distinctly feel her enthusiasm dwindling, something for which he had already prepared mentally.
After less than ten minutes of walking, they both ran out of things to say.
...
On the way back, Yang Xincheng eagerly asked, "It seemed like you two were getting along quite well, so how did it go? Tell me!"
Lin Yang responded somewhat speechlessly, "It was just okay."
"What do you mean by 'just okay'? Come on, tell me, can things work out between you two or not?"
"Uncle, you're not much older than me. Why do you think like my mom? How can things work out just from one meeting?" he muttered under his breath.
Even though he had known the outcome from the start, he still felt resigned.
Nowadays, even in small towns, a woman expects the man to have a car and a house in the city.
Lin Yang didn't even have a car, let alone a house. Even though he was quite handsome, his lack of assets made it unsurprising that he wasn't chosen in the blind date.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk...," Yang Xincheng lit another cigarette: "Are women's defenses against good looks that high nowadays?"
"Back in my day, I won my wife over just with my good looks."
As he spoke, he blew out a smoke ring and reminisced about the past, then patted Lin Yang's shoulder, comforting him, "Don't worry, next time you'll definitely meet a girl who falls for your looks!"
Lin Yang gave a wry smile and shook his head without responding, then looked up and asked, "Uncle, are we going fishing later?"
"Next time, brother, I happen to have some things to do today."
Yang Xincheng gave him a look, surprised not only that he wasn't upset but also that he was thinking about fishing.
Speaking of fishing, it was he who had gotten Lin Yang hooked on it.
When they returned to the original spot, Lin Yang got off the car, and Yang Xincheng drove off to take care of his matters.
Lin Yang got on his electric scooter, but he didn't go straight home. Instead, he stopped in a small town street halfway between his home and the city center.
He had placed his fishing gear in a tackle shop in the town earlier that morning, so his plan to go fishing was well-prepped, with the blind date being just a happenstance.
The shop owner, Mr. Li, was familiar with him since he had started fishing. All his fishing gear and bait had been bought there, and leaving equipment for a while was a trivial favor.
After picking up his fishing gear and buying a packet of bait, Lin Yang rode his electric scooter straight to Xiangyang Dam.
Since he had taken up fishing, he had gradually become addicted to this leisurely activity.