Xu Chunyan was starting to wonder who was actually Jing Si’s half-brother—Jing Er or An Lin.
"Yes, she’s taken a liking to him." Granny nodded. A headache blood as she recalled what An Qi had told her before leaving.
An Qi fancied Xiao Xiangzi, but Xiao Xiangzi didn’t fancy her back. But the problem now wasn’t about whether they liked each other—it was that Xiao Xiangzi had rural residency.
"Does An Qi know he has rural residency?" Xu Chunyan asked, though she already knew the answer. In front of An Qi, Granny had praised Qin Xiang to the skies, saying he was so generous that his family must be rich. ’People from the countryside can’t be wealthy, so he must be from the city,’ she’d claid. Xu Chunyan had listened from the sidelines without correcting her.
After all, she herself wasn’t sure if Qin i was really from the countryside. Jing Si said she was, but had Jing Si misspoken, had she misheard, or had Qin i deliberately misled them? No one could say for sure.
Grandpa spoke up. "I think Xiao Xiang is a pretty good catch. He’s a soldier with a very promising future. He might even..."
Xu Chunyan interrupted Grandpa. "Grandpa, being a soldier has a promising future, but it’s also very dangerous. Jing Si is a perfect example—he retired because of an injury. Can you guarantee that Qin Xiang won’t get hurt on a mission?"
Grandpa fell silent. Who could guarantee sothing like that?
Xu Chunyan’s words were a wake-up call. All of Granny’s indecision vanished in an instant. She waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, that’s enough. We’ll just pretend this whole thing never happened."
"Granny, what are you going to say to cousin An Qi?" Xu Chunyan asked.
"What else is there to say? I’ll just be blunt with her. For the past two years, she’s been too picky for her own good. She’s already twenty and still hasn’t found a partner. If she really fancies Xiao Xiangzi, doesn’t mind his rural residency, and insists on marrying him and moving to Yangcheng City, then I have no objections," Granny stated.
"From what I know of cousin An Qi, she probably wouldn’t marry into the countryside," Xu Chunyan said. Jie Anqi’s standards were too high. She had introduced Jie Anqi to a few male colleagues. The ones from good families, Jie Anqi complained were ugly. The good-looking ones, Jie Anqi complained had bad family backgrounds. Xu Chunyan had been so angry she never tried to set Jie Anqi up with anyone again.
"It’s best if she doesn’t marry him then." Granny didn’t want Jie Anqi to marry into the countryside either.
Xu Chunyan didn’t say anything more. She picked up a bucket and walked out of the kitchen, heading for the toilet.
Jie Jingjue had just parked the car when Mrs. Xie threw open her door and scrambled out, running toward the courtyard in a frantic rush.
"Yan Qiu, slow down." Mr. Xie got out of the car, clutching a briefcase. Seeing his wife’s haste, he was startled when she stumbled from running too fast. He quickly stepped forward to steady her.
"Xiao i’s brother is here! As her parents-in-law, for us to only be showing up now... it’s terribly rude." The mont Mrs. Xie was steady, she tried to take off again, but Mr. Xie grabbed her in a hug to stop her. Mrs. Xie was not pleased. "Jie Jianguo, let go of !"
"Yan Qiu, don’t be so anxious. We’re already ho," Mr. Xie said.
"Mom, Granny and Grandpa are hosting a welco dinner for Fourth Sister-in-law’s brother," Jie Jingjue said as he got out of the car, handing the keys to Mr. Xie.
Mrs. Xie glared at Jie Jingjue, then transferred her anger to Mr. Xie, saying irritably, "Is this a welco dinner? It’s clearly a matchmaking setup."
The more Mrs. Xie thought about it, the angrier she beca. ’What on earth is the old lady doing?’ It was her brother’s first ti visiting his sister’s ho-by-marriage. It was bad enough that the parents-in-law didn’t make an appearance, but for Granny to just go and arrange a matchmaking session...
Mr. Xie rubbed his nose in embarrassnt. "I agree, what Mom did wasn’t very considerate. No matter how eager she was, she should have at least waited until tomorrow to set up a matchmaking session."
Mrs. Xie glared at Mr. Xie, poking his chest with her finger. "You know exactly what kind of person that girl An Qi is, don’t you? Jie Jianguo, I’m warning you. An Qi can ss with anyone she wants, but if she thinks she can ss with my daughter-in-law’s brother, I won’t allow it."
"Yan Qiu, no matter what, An Qi is my second brother’s child. You’re her aunt. How can you say that about her? Actually, An Qi is... quite nice." The words were so against his conscience that Mr. Xie could barely get them out. He was only defending An Qi because she was his niece.
"Hmph!" Mrs. Xie snorted coldly, pushed Mr. Xie aside, and turned to walk away.
She was an elder and an educated woman; she disdained speaking ill of the younger generation, unless it was absolutely necessary.
Jie Jingjue started to follow but was pulled back by Mr. Xie. Jie Jingjue looked up at his father. "Dad."
Mr. Xie had a serious expression. "Xiao Wu, tell honestly, did Granny really try to set up your fourth sister-in-law’s brother with An Qi?"
"Granny didn’t say it outright, but none of us are idiots. We all knew what she intended," Jie Jingjue replied, looking at his father with a nonchalant slouch.
"Straighten up and be serious," Mr. Xie snapped, unable to stand Jing Wu’s attitude.
Jie Jingjue wiped the smile off his face and stood up straight.
Mr. Xie’s expression darkened as he looked at Jing Wu’s open collar with disdain. He reached out, ignoring Jing Wu’s protests, and forcibly buttoned the top button. "Pay attention to your appearance. Button your buttons. What do you look like, dressed like this? Like so kind of hooligan."
Jie Jingjue endured the pressure and lecture from his old man. ’I’m already so restrained in front of my parents,’ he grumbled internally. ’For them, it’s just an unbuttoned collar. With my degenerate friends, the buttons on my chest are undone. With my girlfriend, I don’t wear clothes at all.’
Mr. Xie even smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt, and only then did he let him go, satisfied.
When Mrs. Xie entered the courtyard, she saw Qin i chatting with an unfamiliar man under a tree. Mrs. Xie felt a bit nervous. She had weathered all kinds of storms in her life, yet at this mont, upon seeing Jing Si’s younger brother-in-law, she was actually flustered.
Mrs. Xie took a deep breath, straightened her appearance, and glanced at her outfit for the day. It was passably decent. Mrs. Xie put on an elegant and kind smile and called out softly, "Xiao i."
Hearing Mrs. Xie’s voice, Qin i pulled Qin Xiang to his feet. Once Mrs. Xie reached them, Qin i made the introductions. "Mom, this is my younger brother, Qin Xiang. Brother, this is Jie Jingchen’s mom, my mother-in-law. She’s very good to ."
"Hello, Auntie," Qin Xiang greeted politely.
"Xiao Xiang, please, sit." Mrs. Xie gestured for Qin Xiang to sit, then looked at Qin i and gently chided her, "Xiao i, you too. Your brother cos to visit, and you don’t tell us in advance. Your dad and I could have taken ti off work to go with you to the train station to pick him up. Look at this ss now... Xiao Xiang, I’m so sorry. We’ve been terribly neglectful."
"Auntie, please don’t say that. It was my sudden visit that has disturbed you," Qin Xiang replied with polite modesty.
"What do you an, ’disturbed’? That’s too formal. You’re Xiao i’s brother, that makes us all one family. Our whole family is happy you could co visit Xiao i." Mrs. Xie habitually took Qin i’s hand and patted the back of it gently.
Qin Xiang took in this scene. He could tell that Mrs. Xie wasn’t putting on an act for him; it was a habitual gesture. There was no trace of perfunctory politeness or reluctance on Qin i’s face either. Clearly, this was how they usually interacted in private.
The smile on Qin Xiang’s face beca much more sincere. ’The husband and wife love each other, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along harmoniously... her marriage is definitely a happy one.’
"Xiao i, I’ll take tomorrow off. We’ll host a proper welco dinner for your brother at the state-run restaurant," Mrs. Xie said to Qin i.
"Mom, there’s no need. You should go to work. Don’t let my brother’s visit interfere with your job," Qin i refused without a second thought.
"Auntie, my sister is right. There’s no need to go to so much trouble. I’d feel bad if my visit caused you to miss work," Qin Xiang also chid in to persuade her.
Seeing that Mrs. Xie was about to speak, Qin i cut in, "Mom, Granny already hosted a welco dinner for my brother."
It would have been better if Qin i hadn’t brought it up. The reminder made Mrs. Xie furious. Striving to suppress her rage, she put on an elegant smile and said softly, "Your Granny is the guest; we are the hosts. Your brother ca to see you, so naturally, we must fulfill our duties as hosts."
The "we" Mrs. Xie spoke of naturally included Qin i.
Mr. Xie entered the courtyard just in ti to hear his wife call his own mother a "guest." A flicker went through his eyes, but he put on his trademark smile used for greeting business partners. "Xiao i’s brother is here! Welco, welco."
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