Chapter 70: Getting Married Means You Can Spend Two People’s Salaries
"But streamer, didn’t you just say that men in the dating market wouldn’t even give me a second glance?"
"That’s normally the case, but sometimes..." Zhang Zhe gave a meaningful smile. "Your appearance can be a salvation for many people."
"You’re probably not obsessed with looks, right?"
"No. I’m not pretty myself, so how could I have the nerve to demand that of others?"
"Do you have any requirements for the betrothal gift? Is there a certain amount you wouldn’t marry for less than?"
"Actually, it doesn’t matter if they give one or not." The woman gave a somewhat bitter smile. "My mom doesn’t care about me, so there definitely won’t be a dowry. She might not even come to the wedding."
[These are all good things!]
[Holy crap, a normal person!]
[With that mindset, you’re basically the chosen one in the dating market. The only one.]
[She’s definitely never been on a blind date. She thinks way too poorly of herself.]
"Alright, take a look at the bullet comments now," Zhang Zhe said with a smile. "Don’t be so insecure. In the marriage and dating market, especially within your social class, you’re a real catch."
"Huh? Really?"
The woman did as Zhang Zhe asked and watched the bullet comments for a bit.
Not a single one was negative. They were all saying it would be easy for her to find someone with her terms.
Some of the more virtuous commenters were even offering to help her find a partner.
"But why?" the woman asked, confused. "I feel like I’m the one with the worst prospects among all the women I know. Some of them are much better off than me and aren’t even married yet."
"When they chat with me, they all say the men you meet on blind dates are super picky nowadays."
"Haha, and what do you think? Are the women around you picky or not?"
"They’re pretty picky too."
"Then that makes sense. The matching system is working as it should," Zhang Zhe said, nodding. "It’s like how gold diggers end up with scumbags. Picky ’leftover women’ need equally picky men to put them in their place."
"You’re different. You’re a normal person."
"Let’s imagine a scenario. A normal guy goes on blind dates. He meets ten older ’leftover women’ in a row, and none of them are satisfied with him. Not only do they refuse to split the bill, but they constantly pick at his flaws, and maybe even give him attitude."
"By this point, he’d probably be feeling hopeless about dating."
[So true, bro. That’s me.]
[Hello? Why are you secretly filming my life?]
[I’m different. I went on dates with three women and realized I’m never getting married.]
"Now, if he went on a date with *you* at that point..." Zhang Zhe chuckled. "Trust me, as long as your circumstances aren’t drastically different, he’d definitely be interested in you."
"’Interested’ is even a bit of an understatement."
"I think the most accurate feeling would be something like spotting Qiu Xiang in a crowd of Sister Shilius..."
Many viewers in the stream had actually been on blind dates themselves.
Don’t be fooled by their ruthless bullet comments—some of which even reeked of misogyny—because most of them could still tell right from wrong.
The girl on the call was clearly a breath of fresh air in the dating market.
Any normal guy who met her would know he’d gotten lucky.
"But..." The woman hesitated.
"It’s fine, just say whatever’s on your mind," Zhang Zhe encouraged her. "I have a clear picture of your situation now. Since you came for advice, don’t leave with your questions unanswered."
"Okay."
"Brother Zhang, I’m actually a bit afraid of marriage."
"I don’t have any family on my mother’s side. I consulted another advisor before, and she said that in the dating market, a man without parents is a plus, but a woman without parents is a minus. That’s because the woman’s family can’t offer the man any support, and over time, he’ll likely come to resent her for it."
"I get what you mean, but I have to tell you, you’re overthinking it."
"The kind of partner who’s right for you isn’t going to be someone who needs your family to have connections before he’ll marry you. This isn’t some Brahman-level political marriage."
"The best person for you is someone honest, who respects you, and is willing to build a marriage with you. The kind of guy who hopes to strike it rich or completely change his fate by marrying a wife isn’t for you."
"Oh..." the woman replied, only half-understanding.
Zhang Zhe could tell she didn’t get it at all.
Seeing as she was a normal person—a rare sight in his stream—he decided to elaborate.
"Let me give you an example. Let’s say your rent is 1,000 a month, and your partner’s rent is 1,500. If you get married and live together, you can save that 1,000."
"And that’s just rent. If you factor in food, drinks, and utilities, you might save 2,000 a month."
"While you’re saving money, you’re also putting money away. Before, maybe you could each only save 3,000 a month. Now, together you can save 6,000. Add the 2,000 you’re saving, and that’s 8,000."
"Saving 8,000 a month is already better than what many white-collar workers earning over 10,000 a month can manage."
"This is the greatest meaning of marriage for ordinary people like us at the bottom. After 1+1, your expenses are less than 2, but your net income is greater than 2."
"Your income is greater than your expenses. Barring any major incidents, you can slowly build your life and make it better, little by little."
As he spoke, Zhang Zhe smiled. "To be honest, my parents were just like that."
[The older generation’s marriages were like this. The happy ones, I mean.]
[Streamer, streamer, so where can we find a partner like that?]
[My wife and I are exactly what Brother Zhang is talking about. We went from a minivan to a Tesla, sharing the hardships and spending the wealth together.]
[To the guy flexing his happy relationship, who asked you?]
[Damn, what the streamer’s saying is actually making me want to get married.]
[Don’t believe him, family! This is a secret ad for the Civil Affairs Bureau!]
"But some people get married just to get rich, to have another person’s salary to spend. Those are the people you need to avoid."
"I get it now, Brother Zhang." The woman had a moment of clarity after listening to him. "My family doesn’t have the burden of caring for elderly parents, so if I find a husband to build a life with, we’ll save money even faster than a typical couple."
"When it comes to the burden of caring for parents, it’s 1+1=1."
"Your math is correct," Zhang Zhe said, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Also, my friends... they all want to find a husband so they can live a life of leisure. They’re the ones you were talking about, who want to spend two people’s salaries by themselves," the woman said, applying the logic. "Okay, now I get it. No wonder the guys are unwilling. I wouldn’t be willing either!"
"Actually, some men are willing," Zhang Zhe said with a laugh. "There’s a streamer who plays the Sword Demon who’s willing. If your friends want to find someone, they’ll have to look for guys like him, but that really comes down to luck."
"I understand..." the woman said, drawing out the word, her tone suggesting she was mentally replaying all the dating advice Zhang Zhe had given her.
"So, should I go to a matchmaking agency?"
"No need," Zhang Zhe said, waving his hand. "Matchmaking agencies nowadays are positioned as a mid-to-high-end service. You’d be better off attending large blind-dating events, or asking people around you, like the ladies from the neighborhood committee, for recommendations."
"At least personally, I don’t think the kind of men who spend thousands, or even tens of thousands, on a membership at a matchmaking agency are a good fit for you."
"That’s true," the woman said in complete agreement. "It would take me three months to save up ten thousand. I can’t afford a matchmaking agency."
"Thank you, Brother Zhang. I completely understand now."
"When I find a partner, I’ll bring him to your stream to thank you."
"Alright, good luck," Zhang Zhe said, willing to provide free after-sales service. "If you run into someone and you’re not sure, you can come back and consult me again."
"I definitely know more about men than you do."
"Okay, thank you so much, Brother Zhang. I’ll sign off now."
[This girl seems great, but I feel like people like her are in the minority.]
"A bullet comment said that people like her seem to be in the minority. Actually, in terms of absolute numbers, there are quite a lot."
"It’s just that very few of them end up in the blind-dating market."
"Think about the people you know. If you knew a girl like this—her family background is a little lacking, but she has a clear sense of self, isn’t afraid of hardship, and doesn’t demand a ton of money from a man—would you really be able to resist introducing her to your own relatives and friends?"
[So the streamer is saying all the girls on the dating scene are weirdos?]
"Hey, don’t get me wrong, viewers. It’s not just the women in the dating scene who are full of weirdos; the men are the same."
"But since the male-to-female ratio in the dating market is now over 1-to-10, you just get the impression that there are more weirdo women out there..."