Xiao Yilin being shy was one thing, but why couldn’t this third future father-in-law take the initiative to say hello either?
All grown up and still lacking manners!
After Lin Yilin hung up on him, Jiang Linyuan didn’t bother calling back either.
If his third future father-in-law was going to pay respects to him, he always needed to be prepared. For today, he’d just give a precautionary warning and arrange a formal eting after the new year.
Just in ti for dinner to be ready, Jiang Linyuan put away his phone and headed inside to eat.
Five people sat around the table. Uncle Yang and Father Jiang were happily drinking together, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Jiang Linyuan just devoured his food like crazy.
Mother Jiang and Jiang Zhiyao sat next to each other, with the mother piling food onto her daughter’s plate.
Everyone was eating happily when a loud voice ca from the yard in front of the house:
“Oh, is Hongi’s family back today?”
Jiang Linyuan glanced over. It was a middle-aged woman with a fawning smile plastered across her face.
He had so vague mory of her. This was the village matchmaker, called Aunt Ma, who didn’t just match people up. Even the single dogs in the village, after going through her, would be carrying puppies the following year.
You could say she was the village’s top matchmaker, mainly because she was the only one.
“Aunt Ma, have you eaten? Want to co in for a bite?”
Mother Jiang offered politely.
“No, no, I’ll just sit here for a bit.”
Aunt Ma chuckled cheerfully, settling onto a small stool, her eyes sweeping up and down as she sized up Jiang Linyuan and Jiang Zhiyao.
“Hongi, both your kids are still single this year, huh?”
None of your damn business.
Mother Jiang smiled sweetly, while inside she cursed the woman to hell.
“They’re still studying, just students. I’m not in a hurry.”
“Oh my! Twenty years old, not that young anymore! So people their age are already holding babies!”
Aunt Ma exclaid, making a big show of it with exaggerated dramatics.
“Aunt Ma, at your age, so people are already six feet under.”
Jiang Linyuan replied without any politeness.
For soone like this, who wasn’t even related and loved sticking their nose where it didn’t belong, there was no need to save face.
You could say she was warm-hearted? That she cared about you and was doing it for your own good?
What a joke. She wasn’t warm-hearted on normal days, but right before the new year, her gut suddenly got stuffed full of crap, and she only ward up now, huh?
“Hey, you kid! Your aunt is just looking out for you! Hongi, is this how you raise your children?! No manners at all! No wonder he’s still single!”
Aunt Ma got flustered instantly.
Kids these days, how could they be so disrespectful!
“Oh, then let care about you too, Auntie. When can I co eat at your funeral banquet?”
Jiang Linyuan replied with a smile.
“You! You!...”
Aunt Ma was so angry she stomped her feet, pointing at Jiang Linyuan, huffing and puffing but unable to choke out another word.
On normal days, which old person in the village didn’t treat her like a lucky star, practically begging her to find matches for their kids!
But then she rembered she ca here to play matchmaker, so she swallowed her anger and forced a smile:
“Hongi, your kid’s temper is too blunt. I’m afraid it’ll be hard for him to find the right one. Hey, let tell you, there’s a girl in town, very virtuous! I think she’d be a great match for your son.”
“Aunt Ma, we’re about to wash the pots and pans soon. Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”
Mother Jiang smiled as she began ushering her out.
“No worries, I don’t have anything to do tonight anyway. Let help you finish up first, and we can talk then.”
Aunt Ma shalessly stayed planted on her stool, then turned her gaze to Jiang Zhiyao:
“You should get your girl married off early too. She’s this old now...”
“Married, married, married! If you’re so eager to get married, go do it yourself!”
Uncle Yang, who had been drinking on the side, couldn’t take it anymore and shouted at Aunt Ma.
They were finally enjoying a nice al, and this woman was buzzing around their ears like a damn fly!
“Didn’t you hear Hongi already telling you to leave?!”
“What’s it to you? The kids’ own parents haven’t said anything! Why are you butting in?! A lonely old man who no one spends the new year with!”
Aunt Ma raised her voice and yelled back at Uncle Yang.
She was already fuming from being shut down by Jiang Linyuan and had been itching for sowhere to vent!
“Say that again?!”
Uncle Yang, a bit tipsy from the alcohol and with blood rushing to his head, was stung by her exposing his sore spot. He got worked up, grabbed a wooden stool, and hurled it at her.
Aunt Ma reacted quickly and dodged it. The stool scraped past her shoulder and crashed to the ground with a clatter.
She looked at Uncle Yang, who reeked of alcohol, and felt a shiver of fear. She backed away a few steps:
“Hongi, I just rembered I’ve got sothing to do. I’ll co back during the new year and bring that girl for you to et.”
Watching Aunt Ma scurry away, Uncle Yang cald down a bit. He went over, picked up the stool, and apologized to Father and Mother Jiang:
“Sorry about that. I lost my temper. Ah, I’ll get you a replacent stool tomorrow.”
Father and Mother Jiang didn’t mind at all. If Uncle Yang hadn’t blown up, the two of them would have.
Treating their kids like livestock, dragging them off like breeding stock!
With this commotion, no one felt like eating anymore. They quickly cleaned up and prepared to rest.
“I’m heading out for a bit.”
Jiang Linyuan grabbed his car keys, got in the car, and drove off.
Father Jiang had already drunk too much and went to bed early.
Mother Jiang and Jiang Zhiyao sat together.
“That Aunt Ma, acting all high and mighty like the whole village is her ho. She still wants to co to our place during the new year? What an annoying woman.”
Mother Jiang muttered endlessly while cleaning the dishes, complaining about Aunt Ma.
This was what was annoying about living in the village. To put it nicely, everyone in the neighborhood was familiar with each other. To put it bluntly, so people just didn’t know boundaries. They liked to ddle in everything.
“Mom, didn’t you say you wanted big brother to go on a blind date during the new year? Why aren’t you happy when soone actually shows up offering to help?”
Jiang Zhiyao was helping out on the side.
“Blind date my foot! Don’t you get what I ant by that?”
Mother Jiang shot a sideways glance at Jiang Zhiyao.
Jiang Zhiyao blinked, pretending not to understand.
“I’m not worried about your brother. I’d worry more about him having too many girlfriends than not being able to find one.”
Mother Jiang said with a sigh:
“But you... you’re the one I’m really worried about.”
“What’s there to worry about? Kids these days are all like . We’re never-marriers.”
Jiang Zhiyao said.
Mother Jiang looked at her, holding back so many things she wanted to say. But in the end, she just asked:
“Then what will you do when you’re old? After your dad and I are gone, won’t you be lonely, all by yourself?”
“Don’t I still have big brother to keep company?”
Jiang Zhiyao glanced at her mother and said quietly.
“And when he starts his own family?”
Mother Jiang asked again.
“Even if he gets married, I can still be with him.”
Jiang Zhiyao lifted her face and said.
Mother Jiang looked at her daughter’s stubborn expression and felt a lump in her throat.
“So you’re going to stay single your whole life?”
Jiang Zhiyao nodded, very firmly:
“Single for life.”
Mother Jiang stared at her, both helpless and amused:
“You’re my daughter. Of course I want you to live a happy life. If you stay single your whole life, your future will be so hard.”
“I think I’m pretty happy right now.”
Jiang Zhiyao said:
“Rather than chasing so uncertain future, I’d rather hold on to what I have now.”
Mother Jiang gazed at her for a long ti, then raised her hand and gently tapped her on the head:
“Silly girl.”
Ah, Yaoyao really was grown up now, with her own thoughts.
Why bother arguing with her? It would only make both of them miserable.
And the thought of her daughter marrying into soone else’s family left a bitter taste in Mother Jiang’s mouth.
She had raised her daughter for so many years, and just like that, she would run off to another ho.
Especially seeing Uncle Yang next door, all lonely with his kids not around.
If Yaoyao got married, she probably wouldn’t co back often either. A married daughter is like water poured out.
Mother Jiang sighed again. Having this younger one stay at ho wasn’t so bad, after all.
The older one was a bit strange anyway, not dating for so long. Sothing was off.
As for the relatives... this hotown, she didn’t want to co back to either. Too exhausting. If the relationships were broken, so be it.
“So things, you’ll have to figure out on your own.”
In the end, that was all Mother Jiang said.
Jiang Zhiyao’s eyes lit up:
“Mom, I love you so much!”
“I said figure it out on your own, not go wild and do whatever you want.”
Mother Jiang reminded her.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!”
Jiang Zhiyao nodded vigorously.
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