Chapter 185 - 183: Double Standards?
This guy was 25. He’d be a hot commodity on the market for kept men until he hit 30.
His looks wouldn’t change much during this period, as long as he watched his weight.
Good-looking women were rare on the matchmaking scene, and good-looking men were even rarer. He could absolutely ask for more.
The guy was a quick study. After hearing what Zhang Zhe said, he nodded and replied:
"Learning from gold diggers? No problem. I’ve met plenty of them. I know their whole playbook inside and out."
"In that case, I don’t think a house and a car are enough."
"From what I’ve seen, on top of the house and car, those women ask for a bride price of at least 380,000, a set of gold jewelry, and a gift for formally addressing the in-laws."
[Oh no, he’s learning the real tricks of the trade.]
[Yes, yes, yes, that’s the spirit!]
[But what woman could possibly accept terms like that?]
[Well, what normal man could accept a gold digger?]
[This world is so insane. The only way I can cope is to tell myself, ’If it exists, it must be for a reason.’]
"I don’t think this is right, do you?" Ms. Tong couldn’t hold back any longer and said to Zhang Zhe, "No one who marries into a family gets to make demands like this. Who could possibly afford such terms?"
"You can’t afford it, but someone else can."
Zhang Zhe gave a slight smile. Considering the occasion, he didn’t unleash his full firepower like he would on a livestream, holding back considerably.
He told the guy who wanted to live off a woman:
"I know the kind of situation you’re talking about, but you have to be like those girls and be willing to accept a woman who’s fifteen years your senior, or one who’s been married before."
"I can accept that," the man said confidently, even turning to Ms. Tong. "It’s fine if you don’t want to have kids. Given my situation, if we did have a child, the wife’s side would obviously have to raise it. I don’t have the means to provide, so whether we have one or not wouldn’t be my call."
"I wouldn’t even mind if you had a mistress, as long as you’re discreet and my colleagues and superiors at work don’t find out."
"My man, your thinking is truly advanced," Zhang Zhe said, giving the man a thumbs-up. ’He’s really just in it for the money,’ he thought. ’His logic is crystal clear.’
’He wants to make money while standing tall.’
"Honestly," Zhang Zhe said, "just keep this mindset while you search."
"How could you fail to achieve your grand ambition?"
"But let me give you a warning. Watch out for pig-butchering scams. And don’t fall for those tropes about ’a rich, single daughter from a coastal elite family who wants a baby but no husband.’ If you’re looking for someone, find a long-term meal ticket."
"Yes, yes, I understand." The man nodded, stood up, and made a fist-and-palm salute to Zhang Zhe. "You’re the most down-to-earth Matchmaker I’ve ever met."
"I’ll go leave you a five-star review in a minute."
"Hey, handsome, don’t go," Ms. Tong said, standing up for the first time to keep the man from leaving. "We’re not finished talking."
"What else is there to talk about?" the man asked, still standing.
Zhang Zhe gave the woman the same puzzled look.
’If you can’t offer the 380,000 dowry, you shouldn’t stop him from finding someone who can.’
"The dowry is negotiable! At worst, we can just drop the money issue entirely—I won’t ask for a bride price, and you don’t ask for a dowry."
"It’s not my final say right now. I have to go home and ask my parents. But I can tell you this much: the house is not a problem."
"Let’s add each other on WeChat first. We can discuss the details slowly. How about that?"
"Sure," the man said, smiling and nodding as he sat back down.
[They reached an agreement just like that?]
[As expected, it’s easier for civil servants to live off a woman.]
[It’s mainly because this guy has a stable job. The average person doesn’t have that advantage.]
Even Zhang Zhe was surprised this pair had hit it off so smoothly.
He had been about to call over the next guy in line.
The only explanation was that the woman’s family had already been considering the option of a live-in son-in-law, they just hadn’t found a suitable candidate yet.
’Come to think of it, a live-in son-in-law who’s a civil servant was a much higher-quality catch than men from other industries.’
The main thing was that the job was respectable. In the eyes of many ordinary people, being "in the system" was basically the same as being a "government official." Finding an official to marry into the family—think of the prestige!
A live-in son-in-law who could bring them prestige? For the parents-in-law, that was naturally an excellent choice.
Secondly, civil servants generally care about their reputation, making the marriage relatively stable. If you were living off your wife, using her money, and still dared to fool around, all it would take is for your wife’s family to cause a scene at your office, and you’d have no choice but to resign in disgrace.
Compared to that, advantages like having time to take care of kids or being capable of handling housework were just minor bonuses.
In fact, if you just consider why many middle-class or modestly wealthy families are so keen on finding wives who are civil servants, you can understand the immense advantage a male civil servant has when he wants to live off a woman.
Zhang Zhe silently watched as the man and woman in front of him finished exchanging WeChat information.
He finally let out a mental sigh of relief.
’This should count as one successful match, right?’
After the man left, just as Zhang Zhe was about to stand up and declare his mission accomplished, the woman suddenly waved to the middle-aged man who had been waiting in line and was now preparing to leave.
"It’s your turn."
"?" Zhang Zhe sat back down. "You want to meet another one?"
"Were you not satisfied with the last guy?"
"I was satisfied, but that doesn’t mean I have to pick him," the woman replied, having thought it through. "That guy is definitely going to meet other women. If he finds someone with better terms who’s offering a larger dowry, he’ll choose them for sure."
"So I can’t put all my eggs in one basket."
"Makes sense." Zhang Zhe nodded. ’The girl has a point,’ he thought. ’I was the one who oversimplified things.’
’The guy was definitely going to shop around before committing to anyone.’
’So it was perfectly reasonable for her to talk to a few more people as well.’
He quickly waved the last man over to sit down.
"Come on, sir, it’s your turn."
"You two can exchange information now."
"Alright." The newcomer was average-looking, but he smiled constantly. Every sentence was accompanied by a grin so wide it showed his gums. He seemed like an optimist.
Zhang Zhe glanced at the man’s number tag.
While the two were exchanging their profiles, he also took a look at the man’s information, curious to see what this guy had to be so happy about.
The man was born in 1989, placing him right at the major life hurdle of age 36.
He had been married once before, divorcing due to "incompatible personalities." He was capable enough to have won custody of his child; his son was now in elementary school.
Both his parents had passed away, meaning his son was his only close family.
The man owned two properties in Qing City: a marital home and an old, small, and run-down apartment inherited from his parents. His total assets were around two million yuan.
He was a junior manager at his work unit with an annual salary of about 180,000. Luckily, after his promotion, the job became less demanding, allowing him to work a side hustle that brought his total annual income to 250,000.
Zhang Zhe had rarely seen a man write out his profile in such detail.
Correspondingly, his requirements for a partner were also spelled out very clearly:
He was looking for a woman younger than him, with no children of her own but who liked kids, and who was preferably good at managing a household.
He could accept a woman who was divorced and childless, but not one who had given birth and then given up custody in a divorce.
"Matchmaker, aren’t his requirements a bit unreasonable?" the woman asked, looking up from the profile to Zhang Zhe. "He has a child himself, so why is he demanding that the other person be childless?"
"Isn’t this a textbook double standard?"
"Do you have any children?" Zhang Zhe retorted.
"No, I don’t."
"Then why are you worrying about it?" Zhang Zhe said, a little exasperated. "The man’s requirements are perfectly reasonable. If you can’t understand them, then just focus on the parts that are relevant to you."