Eric Bennett was a bit surprised by what seemed like a casual but actually comforting remark, and looked at Olivia Scott as if he had never seen her before. Then, with one hand covering her mouth, she let out a delicate laugh, while the other hand habitually brushed Eric Bennett's hair. “This child, hehe, Auntie is happiest when she sees you making progress in your studies, more than anything else.”

A faint, fresh fragrance drifted to his nose. Eric Bennett's face flushed slightly, and he took the opportunity to sneak a glance inside through the opening of Aunt Rong’s short-sleeved blouse. In the deepest darkness, a few glimpses of fair, creamy skin could be vaguely seen...

Eric Bennett's heart pounded!

Suddenly, his mother spoke: “Xiao Hao, if your English is as good as Rong said, how do you explain your English score in the high school entrance exam?”

Eric Bennett's English had improved rapidly, but he had only brushed it off by saying he worked hard over the summer break, and had clearly told them he wasn’t as amazing as Aunt Rong claimed—most of it was thanks to the dictionary.

Using the dictionary as a shield made the explanation much more reasonable, and naturally, no one doubted it.

After chatting for a while, Olivia Scott said her goodbyes and left.

His mother watched as Olivia Scott closed her door, then sighed and sat back down on the bed. “Tell me, how come a wonderful girl like Rong can’t get married? Sigh, she can cook, she does housework, and she’s so pretty...”

“Jie, I think these are exactly the reasons she isn’t married,” Mark Warren pondered. “Her standards are a bit high, and she’s got a good job, so her expectations have gone up too. Hmm, plenty of bachelors around here have their eyes on her. Look at David Thompson in the east wing of our courtyard—doesn’t he try to cozy up to her every day?”

At the mention of David Thompson, Julia Warren looked disgusted. “Fat and ugly, and can’t keep his mouth shut. Hmph, how could he ever be good enough for our Rong!”

Eric Bennett didn’t even know David Thompson's real name, only that this was his nickname—everyone in the neighborhood called him that. David Thompson couldn’t keep a secret; if he found out anything about someone’s family, the whole alley would know by the next day.

“In the blink of an eye, Rong is already thirty-one. If this drags on for a few more years, what are we going to do?” This had been weighing on Julia Warren's mind for days, and every time she thought about it, she felt stifled. “People in this alley all know each other well, but there’s not a single one who’s suitable. Qianzi, you know more people than your brother-in-law, and you’re better at socializing. Why don’t you help Rong find someone?”

Mark Warren spoke honestly: “All my close buddies are pretty much married. As for business acquaintances, I wouldn’t dare introduce Rong to them—too many complications.”

Eric Bennett looked on greedily from the side. He really wanted to pat his chest and say, “How about I do it?” and take the matter into his own hands. But, intimidated by his mother’s authority, he wisely kept silent.

“What about people at your company? Isn’t there anyone decent?” Julia Warren pressed on, unwilling to let it go.

“Uh, alright, I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Mom...” Eric Bennett really couldn’t listen anymore and dragged out his voice to call her: “Aunt Rong isn’t even anxious herself, why are you making a fuss? What if she has her own plans? Aren’t you just worrying for nothing?”

“I’m worrying for nothing?” Julia Warren glared at her son angrily. “Rong is my sister. If I don’t care, who will?”

He knew perfectly well that he and Aunt Rong could never be together, but perhaps it was just a little bit of a man’s possessiveness—Eric Bennett was genuinely displeased by his mother’s matchmaking efforts.

“Let’s put this matter aside for now,” Mark Warren made a time-out gesture. “Aren’t you about to be relocated?”

Chapter 14: The Past Car Accident

“Relocation? That’s right, those big white characters at the entrance have been there for a while now.”

Moving and buying a house was another source of anxiety for Julia Warren.

In 2001, for state-owned enterprises like theirs that weren’t doing well, employee benefits were quite poor. First, there was the issue of layoffs—the so-called “iron rice bowl” had become a porcelain one, ready to shatter at any moment. Second, wages in these companies were generally low, with almost no chance of a raise before retirement. Third, there was housing allocation—except for some top leaders, which regular employee qualified for a company-assigned apartment?

Mark Warren pondered as he picked up his teacup and took a sip of the tea brewed from twenty-yuan-per-jin leaves. “When exactly will it happen?”

“They’ve already started measuring the square footage. I think it’ll be within two months.”

“Are you and your husband planning to buy a place, or rent somewhere and wait for the new apartments?”

Evan Bennett put the newspaper aside, his brow tightly furrowed. “We’re not counting on moving back. It’s not like a few years ago, when you could get a new place by paying a little extra. I heard from Big Mouth that, with our square footage, the relocation fee will be at least two hundred thousand, and it’ll take three or four years before the new buildings are even ready. Renting is also a big expense.”

Julia Warren couldn’t help but complain: “If only we could go back five years. Back then, you didn’t even have to pay, they just gave you a two-bedroom apartment. Sigh, they’ve been talking about relocation for four years, and who would have thought it would drag on until now. Qianzi, you know our family’s situation.” Julia Warren hesitated, finding it hard to speak. “Is there any way you could help...”

Evan Bennett nudged his wife with his foot. “We’re planning to buy a small place out in the suburbs. It’s cheaper there now—I’ve seen some as low as a thousand per square meter. If we get a smaller one, maybe we’ll buy two, so the kids can live there after they graduate and get married.”