Mrs. Ruan couldn’t help but grow more fond of the young girl as she watched her.
"After you finish work, e over to our place with Yingzhou; I’ll have some delicious food prepared to replenish you both," she said.
Lin Tang didn’t expect her potential love interest’s grandmother to be so warm and friendly, and she smiled sweetly.
"Sure, I will e over after I finish work," she replied.
"And, thank you for the cloth shoes you made for me; they are really fortable."
As she spoke, she shuffled her feet, clearly showing her genuine liking for them.
Mrs. Ruan hadn’t expected her to wear them today.
When she looked down and saw them, her smile bloomed.
"I was worried you might not like them."
"If you do, I’ll make a few more pairs for you in the future."
Oh, Tangtang does have good taste!
How can those little leather shoes pare to the fort of craftsmanship passed down from our ancestors?!
Lin Tang shook her head with a smile.
"The few pairs you gave me are plenty for me to wear already. If making shoes tires you, rade Gu might blame me."
Mrs. Ruan’s expression deepened with a smile as she warmly said, "Yingzhou wouldn’t dare! If he did, I’d have his grandfather scold him."
As the involuntary background figure/tool person, Grandpa Ruan: "..."
In the following time, Lin Tang unlocked her tour guide skills and showed the elderly couple around the venue for learning and exploration.
Along the way, the two elders from the Ruan family gained a deeper understanding of her.
Besides being sensible and pretty, Yingzhou’s love interest also possesses a fine quality: she is bright and eager to learn, humble and patient.
The young lady didn’t mind their old age at all, patiently explaining interesting things to them.
Sometimes her witty remarks would have the old Ruan couple chuckling with delight.
What’s most precious is that the girl is also attentive and kind-hearted.
Considering their old age, she would find them a place to rest after walking for a while, allowing them to catch their breath.
Even more considerate than a real granddaughter!
The canny elder Ruan couple could tell that Lin Tang was naturally this way and not acting out of obligation because they were Yingzhou’s grandparents.
The three of them found a temporary rest stop at a drink stall.
The stall was set up by the Expo Organizer and offered sour plum soup, plain water, sugar water, brown sugar water...
Lin Tang bought three bowls of sour plum soup.
They sat down on stools to rest.
"You’ve gone to a lot of trouble! It was your treat," Mrs. Ruan said.
Even before she could give her meeting gift, she was already receiving treats from her potential granddaughter-in-law.
It felt a bit embarrassing, yet truly gratifying!
Lin Tang laughed and said, "How can this be considered a treat? The shoes you made with your own hands are worth much more than this."
Grandpa Ruan nodded in agreement.
Huijun is getting older and her eyesight and strength are not what they used to be; it takes her at least half a month to make a pair of shoes, so those shoes are indeed valuable.
It’s not about the money, but the thought behind them.
The more Mrs. Ruan looked at the young girl, the more she liked her, and her smile never faded.
"That’s just my hobby; I’m glad you like them."
The older she gets, the more she appreciates having a skill—it’s an excellent way to pass the time.
On the other side.
Wan Manzhu was dawdling on her way to the expo.
By the time she arrived, it was crowded enough to rival a packed train.
Her prettily plaited braids had e undone, and her feet had been stepped on several times, causing piercing pain.
Had it not been for the ambition of the mighty Fu Gui from the Ruan family driving her forward, she would have already joined An Ran for ice-skating.
Wan Manzhu was tired and thirsty, and she grumbled as she made her way to the drinks stall.
Upon arriving, she immediately spotted the Ruan couple.
Finally, she had found them!
Wan Manzhu’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs, and she stuck to them like a band-aid with built-in elasticity.
"Grandpa Ruan, Grandma Ruan, what a coincidence to bump into you at such a large venue—we really must be fated," she said in a sickly sweet voice.
Madam Ruan felt a headache ing on at the sight of her, her expression stiff, "...Heh heh."
Master Ruan’s brows were deeply furrowed.
He glanced at Lin Tang and seeing that she didn’t look unhappy, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He then turned to Wan Manzhu and said:
"Manzhu, your Grandma Ruan and I would like to have a word with Yingzhou’s significant other alone. You go and attend to your own business."
The old master’s way of sending her away was so obvious, yet Wan Manzhu acted as though she had not caught on at all.
She slowly turned her noble gaze towards Lin Tang.
"So this is Brother Yingzhou’s significant other," she feigned surprise as if seeing her for the first time, "Hello there, I’m Yingzhou’s childhood sweetheart, Wan Manzhu."
As she spoke, a smug look flashed in her eyes.
Lin Tang: "..." Your expression is so serious, I almost believed you for a second.
"Oh, hello, I’m rade Gu Yingzhou’s significant other, Lin Tang."
Lin Tang responded with a bright and confident smile, as if she hadn’t heard the emphasis Manzhu put on "childhood sweetheart."
The Ruan family elders’ faces darkened upon hearing the phrase "childhood sweetheart" from Wan Manzhu’s mouth.
They had successfully been disgusted.
Damn "childhood sweetheart"!
Madam Ruan, afraid that Lin Tang might misunderstand, spoke coldly.
"Manzhu, you can eat messily, but you mustn’t talk nonsense.
When did you bee Yingzhou’s childhood sweetheart? How e his grandfather and I are unaware of this?"
"Our Yingzhou doesn’t have any non-relative sisters. I’ve said it several times; stop calling him ’brother’ all the time. It’s nauseating, and even I can’t stand to hear it."
It was the first time Wan Manzhu had seen Madam Ruan’s cold face, and her heart trembled.
"I... I’m just used to it..." she explained with a hint of grievance.
Madam Ruan rolled her eyes inwardly.
She thought: Whether it’s habit or a deliberate disgust, you well know in your heart.
Not bothering to engage with an outsider any longer, she quickly explained to Lin Tang.
"Tangtang, Yingzhou has always been a loner since he was young, he never had a childhood sweetheart, nor did he have any close female friends to play with."
Lin Tang had encountered Wan Manzhu once before and was aware of her oddities, so she didn’t give it much thought.
She glanced at Wan Manzhu, who looked aggrieved yet had a flash of maliciousness in her eyes, and gave her a slight smile.
"I know."
"This rade and I have met once before, and I am somewhat aware of her ability to lie with her eyes wide open.
Grandma Ruan, you don’t need to worry about me overthinking; I won’t."
Such blatant and shining attempts at provocation—only a fool would fall for them.
Madam Ruan was momentarily taken aback, not expecting that they had met before.
"You’ve met?"
Wan Manzhu saw that the Ruan family elders had a poor impression of her.
Worried that Lin Tang would say more things to tarnish her reputation, she spoke before Lin Tang had the chance to.
"Yes, we’ve met once."
Wan Manzhu looked conflicted, biting her lip as if it were difficult for her.
She hesitated before saying:
"I saw Lin Tang let... She bought quite a lot of things. Those items, I can’t afford them. They must have cost at least a hundred bucks each..."
She might as well have tattooed ’Your beloved granddaughter-in-law is greedy and materialistic’ on her forehead.
She knew no elder would be pleased with a spendthrift daughter-in-law.
Especially one who spends money like water even before marriage—who would want such a daughter-in-law?!
Wan Manzhu envisioned Lin Tang being scolded by the Ruan family elders, a glint of schadenfreude in her eyes.
But little did she know.
She guessed the beginning right, but not the ending.
Instead of despising Lin Tang for squandering, the Ruan family elders even said:
"Tangtang, you’ve only been here for a couple of days, and you’ve only gone out for one of them, right? You must be pressed for time and there are many places you haven’t visited, right?"
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