A Chinese couple has been relieved to discover that love, not COVID-19, is in the air after being stranded on an endless blind date due to a coronavirus lockdown in China.
Zhao Xiaoqing is a 28-year-old woman from China’s Shaanxi region. She expected her December date with a young man from another city to be a one-day affair during which she would also meet his family.
Young Chinese in smaller cities and rural areas frequently rely on family and friends to introduce potential mates. Thereby, allowing them to meet their dates’ families at the same time.
Zhao was meeting the man for the second time. She told local media Jimu News on Monday(Jan 17), “I never thought about staying the night because it’s pretty awkward”.
“Too rushed”
However, due to a rise in viral cases, officials in her date’s city of Xianyang abruptly issued a lockdown. Hence, preventing the woman from returning home.
After only one week together, the man’s parents wanted the couple to marry. But Zhao felt it was “too rushed.”
When Zhao originally viewed a photograph of the man, Zhao Fei, she was “not too interested”. But later thought he looked better in person.
Despite the difficult beginning, the couple came to develop feelings for one another and have now chosen to marry.
Our souls are compatible
“We get along very well,” Zhao, who is an online apple trader, told Jimu News.
“I have to sell apples on live stream at his house, but no matter how late it is he’s always by my side. I’m very touched by this,” she said.
“Our souls are compatible, we get along very well, and both our parents are happy,” she said.
The story piqued the interest of online viewers. While some swooned over fate’s unrelenting march, others cautioned against hasty decisions.
“Then after a year or two you’ll get tired of each other and divorce… I’ve seen too many of these kinds of flash marriages,” wrote one.
“Sis, think clearly about this,” warned another.
Zhao’s story went viral in China just days after another couple made headlines for being trapped on a week-long blind date due to a Covid lockdown.
Wang, a woman from Henan Province in central China, has been confined in her suitor’s apartment since their first date in early January when they went for a home-cooked supper.
Wang, on the other hand, has not found love, claiming that her date was as chatty as a “wooden mannequin.”