Chu Xi raised its head and looked at Qi Youxuan with its clear, blue eyes. It tilted its head and reached downwards to lick at Qi Youxuan"s small, fat hand with gusto.
"Hey, not like this! Shake hands, shake them like this!" Qi Youxuan caught one of Chu Xi"s paws in hands and shook it.
Chu Xi retracted its paw impatiently, disregarding his request, turned back and ran.
Aunt Zhuang plated the takeout and called everyone to dinner.
Chu Zhaoyang picked up a piece of steamed chicken. When he was preparing to dip it into the seasonings, he felt something pulling at his trouser leg.
He lowered his eyes to see Chu Xi pulling at his trouser leg with its paw, staring at him beseechingly.
Chu Zhaoyang looked at the piece of chicken in his chopsticks, and then at Chu Xi.
Chu Xi whimpered softly, and it tugged at Chu Zhaoyang"s pant leg with his soft, pink paw again.
Chu Zhaoyang glanced at Lin Chu and saw that her attention was elsewhere, so he quickly deboned the chicken and tossed it down the table. Chu Xi left with the chicken between its teeth, and Chu Zhaoyang picked up another piece for himself nonchalantly and started to eat.
Chu Xi was back again after a short while, but not for food. It sniffed Chu Zhaoyang"s ankle for a few times before it curled up and fell asleep beside it.
Chu Zhaoyang looked down. He did not dare move after that and his ears flushed red.
The next afternoon, Yan Beicheng brought Lin Chu to the family home.
Lin Chu was still clutching the poinsettia plant she bought for the old man in her hands. It was neither rare nor costly, but it was in a festive red that suited the New Year cheer.
Lin Chu did not know much about flowers. The last day, she had visited different shops before she was hooked by this eye-catching shade of red the first instance she entered one of them. This plant was ideal for the occasion, had an auspicious name, and the store owner said that it was easy to care for, so she bought it.
She had asked Yan Beicheng in the morning, and he confirmed that the family home did not have this plant. Lin Chu let out a breath in relief. Now the only thing important was that the old man liked it.
When they set out, Yan Beicheng called to inform them that they were departing.
Old Lady Yan was nearly crippled with guilt as soon as she hung up the phone. She glanced towards Mr. Yan, who was setting out to water his flowers, water can in his hands, and asked, "Say, should I make up an excuse and act like I"m not at home? Just… just say that Old Lady Han was jealous that I had a granddaughter-in-law, so she called me over because she wanted to mess today up by calling me over to her house so that I won"t get to see my granddaughter-in-law?"
"…" Old Mr. Han eyed her, speechless before he continued moving towards the French window.
"Don"t stay quiet! Can"t you see that I"m worried?" Old Mrs. Han was desperate. She trailed after her husband. At the sight of him bending down to water his flowers, she had the urge to land a kick on his rear.
"Who asked you to pretend being lost in front of your granddaughter-in-law," Old Master Yan smirked. "Now you know to be afraid? Wait till your granddaughter-in-law arrives and look at you and be like, "Hey, isn"t this the old woman that lost her way from that time?". You lied to her even before you met. What would our granddaughter-in-law think of that? She would a.s.sume that we"re evaluating her because we aren"t satisfied with her. Would you feel good if you"re being lied to in this manner? You knew that we"re going to meet anyway when Beicheng brings her here. If you chose to do that despite this, you should have known that this was going to backfire on you."
Old Master Yan was not anxious at all, thriving on his wife"s nerves.
Now that he was getting old, he had no other pastime aside from caring for his pants and go fis.h.i.+ng at home. Those were momentary, though. He could not possibly go fis.h.i.+ng every day, could he? The rest of the time he was bored, and the only way he could inject some fun into his life was by bickering with his wife.
Old Lady Yan knew of this hobby of her husband, of course, but she could not resist her urge to kick him in the b.u.t.t, which almost toppled him to the floor, "You"re telling me this now. Why didn"t you stop me when I went to b.u.mp into Lin Chu? You"ve sneaked a look of her when we got back, too. Leaving me to be the villain when you"ve got the good parts for yourself, huh!"
Old Master Yan kneaded his rear. "Didn"t I advise you against it? You didn"t listen. That said, I couldn"t avoid taking a peek when you"ve brought her home anyway."
"d.a.m.n old man!" Old Lady Yan spat. She thought for a while, "No, I still have to go. What if I"ve angered my granddaughter-in-law? I"m going to pick my bag up. Just… just say that Old Lady Han called me away."
"Come back, come back!" Old Master Yan stopped her. "What are you doing? Do you think anyone would believe that flimsy excuse of yours? Would you be called away by Old Lady Han today when you were just announcing to the world that your granddaughter-in-law is coming yesterday? Do you think that our grandson is stupid? If our granddaughter-in-law thinks that you don"t like and is avoiding her because you"ve just up and gone like that?"
"Then you… you tell me what to do?" Old Lady Yan stomped her foot in a show of anxiety. "Don"t tell me that I shouldn"t have done that when I"ve done it anyway!"
She still reminisced her acting skills from then with fondness.
Old Master Yan finished watering his flowers. He stood up, stretched his back and flexed his muscles before saying, "You can pretend that the previous meeting was coincidental. When she comes, you could act as if you were surprised to see that your granddaughter-in-law was the nice young woman from last time. Won"t that do the trick? Look at you, all anxious and unsettled!"
Old Lady Yan"s lips moved, but no retort came out.
"You"re still so cunning in your old age!" Old Lady Yan snorted and walked away.
"Hey! I"m offering you advice here, you old woman, but you"re still snarking me!" Old Master Yan shook his water can and returned to his room with his hands clasped behind his back.
After a while, he shouted, "Come and take a look! How is this outfit I"m wearing? Do I look formal enough?"
Yan Beicheng parked the Great Cherokee behind a Lexus when he arrived with Lin Chu.
When Lin Chu got out from the car, she saw the door of the Lexus open and Yan Ningbai getting out of it.
Lin Chu understood that they had arrived early but did not go in. She looked at Yan Beicheng in question.
Yan Beicheng took her hand with a small smile and pinched it. "I"m afraid that you"ll be nervous. If more people went in with you, it"ll help with your anxiety."
She knew that this man was thorough when it came to her and that she did not need to worry about anything — he did what he could for her and thought of a lot of issues she had not even considered — but she was still surprised and touched when she heard him say so.
Lin Chu gave Yan Huaian and his family a grateful look. Yu Zi smiled and said, "Look, you"re already close with your relatives even before you"re truly a part of the family. You don"t need to worry about the old couple; they already like you lots even though they haven"t met you before. They"ve even called me last night to ask me what they should cook for you."
Lin Chu"s anxiety subsided when she heard her words. She followed Yan Beicheng into the house, but the deeper she went, the more something seemed not right.
"This is your family home?" Lin Chu asked with surprise.
Yan Beicheng nodded, stating the obvious, "Yes, why?"
"I… I met an old woman in front of my office. Her purse and phone were robbed, so I took her home, to this house." Lin Chu swallowed, becoming more and more nervous.
That old woman must be Yan Beicheng"s grandmother.
With that thought, Lin Chu looked at Yan Ningbai.
She had met Yan Ningbai the previous time, but the kid did not say anything.
Yan Ningbai clutched Yu Zi"s thigh while he sold Old Lady Yan out without a second thought. "Aunt gave me a look and told me not to say anything. Niece-in-law, I"ve to live here for a long time. I"m left without a choice too!"
Lin Chu was not stupid. If Yan Ningbai had known her, then Old Lady Yan would naturally know who she was.
And she gave Yan Ningbai a look, too. It was obvious that she already knew who she was.
She was probably worried and wanted to see her personality for herself.
Lin Chu was not angered. It was only natural that Old Lady Yan would worry that Yan Beicheng"s girlfriend was inadequate and beneath him, or that she was a liar with a problematic personality preying on Yan Beicheng"s ident.i.ty and status when he was a man as extraordinary as he was.
Lin Chu understood her concerns.
She was not angry, but she was made even more nervous. She did not know how Old Lady Yan saw her and if she was satisfied. She combed through her memories of the meeting quickly; she did not say or do anything inappropriate and was polite enough, so she should not have annoyed the old woman in any way.
Old Lady Yan had directed Aunt Chen to investigate why Yan Beicheng and company had not arrived yet, but then she heard Yan Ningbai"s words as soon as she walked out of the door. She clapped her forehead. "Old Lady Yan, what should I do, Young Master has already sold you out!"
Aunt Chen had immediately turned back to inform Old Lady Yan of this so that she could save the theatrics when they entered, but then Yan Beicheng called her from behind, "Aunt Chen."
Aunt Chen turned back stiffly. She had no way to send the message after being caught red-handed,
She could only grimace, "Second Young Master, Youngest Master, the old lady asked me to look for you and welcome you in."
Yan Beicheng raised his brow. "Oh. Well, let"s go in."
Aunt Chen replied, "Ay."
She opened the door for them. Overcome with elation, Old Lady Yan wanted to walk in front and greet them, but she felt guilty, so she could only follow behind Old Master Yan. She did not understand Aunt Chen"s look of conflicted silence, so she did not pay it any heed.
Yan Beicheng acted oblivious, like a wolf in a herd of sheep. He said formally, "Grandfather, grandmother, I brought my girlfriend home with me. This is my girlfriend, Lin Chu."
"Old Master, Old Lady, happy New Year." Lin Chu said. As she had already known the old woman"s ident.i.ty, she did not want to put up pretenses.
But then Old Lady Yan patted her thigh in surprise and said, "Oh, girl, it"s you!"
Lin Chu, "…"
Aunt Chen, "…"
Ah, Old Lady, the others had already known! Why are you still acting over here?
Old Lady Yan walked towards her and clutched her hand with surprise and elation. "Ah, girl, you… you"re the girlfriend that Beicheng was always talking about? This is really fate! Quick, come in, come in!"
Lin Chu, "…"
"Hahaha, the last time I saw you, I came home and told the old man that I would be so glad if Beicheng"s girlfriend turned out to be a girl like you! I didn"t think that it would be you! My wish did come true! This is the best New Year ever!" Old Lady Yan"s grin stretched to her ears.
"…" It wasn"t that Lin Chu did not want to explain, it was that she did not know what she could say in the face of the old woman"s convincing act.
Aunt Chen was physically unable to watch the trainwreck that was Old Lady Yan acting in front of her granddaughter-in-law who had already known everything, so she slunk back to the kitchen to prepare snacks.
Old Lady Yan pulled Lin Chu onto the sofa. "You don"t need to be nervous. Before you came, Beicheng had already told us that he has a girlfriend, and he"s also told us everything about you. We"re not a family that puts importance on status. As long as you"re nice and Beicheng likes you, everything"s fine. Not to brag, but a family like us no longer needs to expand our horizons by marriage alliances or anything. It"ll be nice if we can, but it"s not a priority. It doesn"t matter if their spouses are from a n.o.ble family or are normal citizens as long as they like it."
"I didn"t expect the girl Beicheng was talking about to be you. Ever since the last time I"ve met you, I"ve already known you to be a kind-hearted woman with no shortcomings." Old Lady Yan patted Lin Chu"s hand lightly, showing her affection.
Old Lady Yan did have a good impression of Lin Chu after the previous incident.
"I"ve liked you since the last time we met. I didn"t expect you to be my granddaughter-in-law." Old Lady Yan said happily, the creases in the corners of her eyes made more evident. She clutched Lin Chu"s hand in hers and did not let go. "This is destiny."
"Eldest Auntie, stop pretending." At the side, Yan Ningbai was eating oranges with those plump little hands of his, the orange"s sugary sweet juice was all over his fingers. "Niece-in-law knows everything."
Old Lady Yan paused and directed her gaze towards him, speechless.
Yan Ningbai discarded the orange"s skin, picked another orange up and sucked its juice. "Everything about the last time you pretended to be an old lady who got lost just to trick Niece-in-law!"
Old Lady Yan, "…"
Lin Chu, "…"
She had intended to play along with Old Lady Yan"s act!
Yu Zi hauled Yan Ningbai up crossly. "You"ve eaten so many fruits. I"m taking you to pee."
Old Lady Yan was so furious that her face crumpled. Why was this kid"s mouth so loose?
Yan Beicheng knew how Yan Ningbai was like. He could not keep a secret with his life. If you asked him for a favor, he would do everything to sabotage it even after he had done you the favor.
Lin Chu apologized sheepishly, "Old Lady, I"m sorry for not telling you that I knew about it."
"I know, I know." Old Lady Yan said. It was she that had put up the pretense in the first place. Lin Chu was just playing along to save her face.
The more she thought about it, the more apologetic she was towards Lin Chu.
"Sigh!" Old Lady Yan covered her face as if she dared not face her, "That was wrong of me. Lin Chu, please, please don"t blame me for what I"ve done. I"m only curious, and… To tell you the truth, I was feeling unsettled, so I had to see you for myself and make sure of everything before the stone in my heart settles down. That"s why I didn"t resist and went in search of you. I"m sorry for lying to you."
"Don"t say something like this, please," Lin Chu waved her hand hurriedly; she could not possibly accept Old Lady Yan"s apologies. "I don"t think anything of it. You don"t know anything about me besides what Beicheng had told you, so it"s only natural that you hold some reserve towards me. The two of us have just gotten together, after all. He likes me, so he"ll only say good things about me, and he might be a little biased. And I, after coming here with him, would naturally show my best qualities in front of the two of you and conceal the bad ones, so you won"t get to see my real side. It"s normal that you would want to make sure for yourself."
Old Lady Yan nodded hurriedly. "That"s so, but it"s still wrong of me."
"Grandmother, let us forget about this incident." Yan Beicheng, who was standing at the side, said expressionlessly, "Now you know Lin Chu, and she understands the motives behind your actions. Let"s stop talking about it and start over from today."
"Yes." Lin Chu nodded in agreement.
Old Lady Yan acquiesced happily and proceeded to stuff Lin Chu with food.
Remembering that she had not shown her gift to the couple, Lin Chu gave Yan Beicheng a look.
Yan Beicheng smiled and got up to bring the gift in. "She"s pulled in by you after she walked in, and she hasn"t gotten the chance to show you her gift. This is the plant that Lin Chu bought for Grandfather."
The old man took a look at the festive, auspicious-looking red plant and it cheered him up. He quickly put the plant by the French window, rambling on about Lin Chu"s stellar taste throughout, and searched for the methods to care for the plant on his phone.