The three women asked how Cindy was coping with her job; how much she was earning; and whether
she was making any progress in terms of her career.
Cindy had never told them about her job and she began to wonder what Hazel had told them in her
absence.
These women were well past middle age and Cindy guessed they hardly ever kept up with the latest
gossip. In fact, she had a feeling that they were completely oblivious to the controversy she had stirred
up on the Internet before this.
To be on the safe side, she stuck to vague answers and did not describe her job in detail, merely
explaining that her employer would arrange simple work for her. She was reserved when talking about
her income and only told the women that the rate was similar to the one here.
Upon hearing this, they stared at her for quite some time before they finally nodded in slow approval.
“Well, that’s alright, then. After all, young ladies like you won’t have to earn much. You have the option
to settle down with a nice man and become a housewife.”
Cindy was unfazed by this remark and maintained her placid smile, though it did not reach her eyes.
None of the women asked when Hazel would be returning home and instead continued with the idle
conversation until they finally asked Cindy if she had a boyfriend.
A little awkward laugh escaped Cindy’s mouth as she asked, “A boyfriend? Why the sudden curiosity
about my love life?”
The three women had not seen the news and were naturally oblivious to her recent entanglement with
Ian, which explained why they would automatically assume she was single.
While acting on such an assumption, Mrs. Bates explained, “Well, we heard you were back and we
remembered that you aren’t any younger. It’s about time that you settle down and you’re the cream of
the crop here, which means you have to marry well. Not to mention...” She trailed off with a meaningful
smile and Cindy knew instantly what the older woman was implying.
Presently, Cindy had to admit she was a little overwhelmed by this. She never imagined that her
neighbors, with whom she hardly ever interacted, would fret over her marriage prospects all of a
sudden.
She immediately protested and only smiled as she answered politely, “I’m not really in a rush to settle
down now, what with my career-building and all.”
Mrs. Bates heaved a long sigh. “In our opinion, a young lady like you shouldn’t have to toil over a
career when you can settle down with a good man from a nice family. That should be your life goal, and
your marriage determines how happy you’ll be for the rest of your life!”
At that moment, Cindy realized that there was no way she could dive into this argument and emerge as
the winner. She had no intention of correcting their perspective, however dated it could be, and decided
that everyone had a way of viewing things that was bolstered by reason to some extent.
Nonetheless, she maintained her stance as she responded, “I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. I’m
not in a rush and I really want to work on my career while I’m still young.”
At the sight of Cindy’s reluctance, the woman next to her immediately interjected, “We’re not asking
you to settle down right away. We’re only saying that you should consider marriage when a nice man
comes along, that’s all.”
Despite her smile, Cindy was actually a little puzzled by how these three old women had suddenly
showed up out of the blue in determination to set her up with a man.
If she had to be honest, her family background wasn’t exactly ideal enough for her to be considered for
marriage.
Her father had passed on, her brother was still in school, and her mother was unemployed. More to the
point, her family didn’t have the money to make up for all these flaws.
As far as she was concerned, these were her burdens to carry and she more than understood the ways
of her hometown; under normal circumstances, she would be a man and his family’s worst choice of a
wife and daughter-in-law respectively.
On that basis, she could not figure out whether she had suddenly become popular, and if that was the
case, she wanted to know why.
However, the three women in her living room only continued with their chatters. While they seemed to
be implying a lot of things pertaining to marriage, they never bothered to clarify on them.
Perhaps they didn’t want to be blunt with Cindy before they even had a chance to discuss these things
with Hazel and their unexpected visit today was basically their idea of laying down the groundwork.
That being said, they had tried to be forthright with their implications and they seemed to be waiting for
Cindy to show some kind of enthusiasm.
However, Cindy stubbornly refused to acknowledge their words and maintained a placid expression
throughout, only humming in response or giving monosyllabic answers to show that she was listening.
She neither prompted them nor showed interest in the idea of marriage.
This only spurred the three women on and none of them backed down in their attempt to convince her
of their beliefs.
Regardless of their incessant pestering, Cindy was patient with them and she was more amused than
anything else. She was obviously trying to dodge the subject, but the three women mirrored her trick
and made as if they were unaware of her reluctance.
As the rather one-sided exchange went on, the gate outside swung open and this time, it was Hazel
who stepped past it.
She was crossing the yard when she caught sight of the guests in her living room and she hurried to
the front door after she recovered from her initial surprise.
It was moments after Hazel had entered the foyer that she exclaimed, “Oh heavens, how long have you
all been here? I’m so sorry to keep you all waiting. I just got back from a poker game!”
Update of Next One Is a Babe by Novelebook
With the author's famous Next One Is a Babe series authorName that makes readers fall in love
with every word, go to chapter Chapter 1621 readers Immerse yourself in love anecdotes, mixed
with plot demons. Will the next chapters of the Next One Is a Babe series are available today.
Key: Next One Is a Babe Chapter 1621
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