Jiang Ruyu spotted Jiang Lin standing at the alley entrance from afar after getting off work. Startled, she thought something had happened at home and quickly rode her bike faster, asking, "What's wrong? Why are you here? What happened at home?"

"It's nothing, it's just that Grandpa came for your girlfriend." Jiang Lin watched his sister with amusement.

Jiang Ruyu glared at him: "Hey, push the car back. I'll wait here for Zheng Yang."

Jiang Lin pushed the cart back with a grin. Jiang Ruyu waited at the alley entrance for a few minutes before seeing Zheng Yang. Zheng Yang knew from afar that his girlfriend was waiting for him at the alley entrance, so he quickly ran a few steps and asked, "What's up? Is something wrong?"

"My maternal grandfather is here. He probably heard about you from my cousin."

Zheng Yang immediately tensed up: "Ah? Grandpa's here. Wait a minute, let me think, let me think."

Zheng Yang spun around a few times: "Um, you go back and keep Grandpa company first, I'm going to buy some things."

Jiang Ruyu couldn't stop him, and seeing Zheng Yang running away in a panic, she had no choice but to go back by herself.

"Grandpa, you're here. Let me peel an apple for you. Please sit down." Jiang Ruyu knew that her grandfather was worried about her.

After peeling the apple, I sat down beside my grandfather and said, "Zheng Yang just got off work. When he heard you were here, he insisted on going to buy something. I couldn't stop him. Please wait a moment; he'll be here soon."

Looking at his beautiful granddaughter, Hu Jun didn't say anything unpleasant: "Haha, it seems that kid values ​​this old man quite a bit."

Jiang Ruyu peeled a handful of pine nuts and a few walnuts for her grandfather; these were specialties that Zheng Yang had brought back from Northeast China.

"He dares to disrespect you, Grandpa? I'm fierce, no one can bully me, so don't worry."

Jiang Lin said, "I can vouch for that. My sister is really fierce."

Jiang Ruyu immediately glared at him, and Jiang Lin shrank back in fright: "Grandpa, look, isn't that right? My sister is fierce, and she won't even let me talk about it."

The old man watched the siblings playfully bickering with a smile, knowing they were trying to put his mind at ease. He felt relieved; the children had grown up and become sensible in the blink of an eye, and he could finally relax.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Ruyu went to the kitchen to help her grandmother cook. The old lady glanced at her granddaughter and said, "Your maternal grandfather hasn't been to our house for more than ten years. This time, he came specifically to see Zheng Yang."

Jiang Ruyu's heart swelled: "I know, Grandpa is worried about me."

Grandma Jiang seemed to recall the instant her in-laws' hair turned white when they learned of Jianjun's death, and how Grandpa Ruyu's once straight spine could no longer straighten when his daughter-in-law passed away unexpectedly every two years. She sighed deeply, "Children are all debts."

"Go visit your grandfather more often in the future. His health is declining year by year."

“I know, milk.”

A short while later, Zheng Yang arrived. After thinking it over carefully, he decided not to let his father come. After all, he and Ruyu were not yet engaged, and involving the elders would make it seem as if he was forcing Ruyu. He stood at the door of Ruyu's house, glanced at the clothes he had just changed into, looked at the things he had brought, and thought about the questions he might be asked. He stomped his foot, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside.

Seeing Zheng Yang dressed smartly and carrying gifts to Jiang Ruyu's house, Sun Li's heart pounded. Could it be so soon? Was Zheng Yang already going to propose marriage? No, she couldn't let it happen. She hadn't even made a move yet; how could she lose before she even got there?

Unable to contain herself, she ran out and called out to Zheng Yang, who was about to enter the house, "Brother Yang, wait a minute."

Zheng Yang heard someone calling him, but he was too nervous to care who was calling him. Without pausing, he smiled broadly, revealing eight teeth, and stepped into his girlfriend's house.

Jiang Ruyu came out of the kitchen and saw Sun Li's undisguised disappointment and gritted teeth. She glanced at her mockingly, ignored her, and went straight into the house. When Sun Li saw Jiang Ruyu, she subconsciously put on a stiff smile, but saw the naked mockery in the other's eyes. She felt that her dignity had been trampled underfoot.

"She knows, she definitely knows," Sun Li murmured with a hint of shame. She returned home, feeling frightened and disoriented.

Sun's eldest sister-in-law, Wu Cui, had been secretly watching her sister-in-law as she ran out. Seeing her return looking like this, she curled her lip in disdain, but said without showing any emotion, "Giving up already? No engagement or marriage yet, what's there to be afraid of? Happiness is in your own hands, it's up to you how you handle it."

Sun Li glanced at her sister-in-law but didn't say anything before returning to her parents' room. Looking at the small bed in the corner, she perked up again. Although her sister-in-law had ill intentions, she wasn't wrong. She didn't want to be so old and still not have her own room. She wanted to live a good life. Zheng Yang was the one she liked and understood best, and she couldn't just give up like that.

Li Xiuying sensed that her daughter had been acting strangely lately. She saw her eldest daughter-in-law, who seemed to have a lot of thoughts, talking to her daughter. She frowned and went to the room, where she saw that her daughter's expression was rather odd. Suddenly, she felt a sense of unease.

"Lily, what are you thinking about? I saw your sister-in-law saying something to you. Did she bully you?"

Sun Li avoided looking her mother in the eye, smiling and dodging the question: "Nothing, Mom. What are we having for lunch?"

Li Xiuying frowned: "Lili, let me tell you, your sister-in-law is getting too scheming. Don't let her influence you, you know? We're just ordinary people who do our duty. Don't think about things that aren't ours, you understand?"

Sun Li couldn't help but retort, "Mom, what do you mean by 'it's not mine'? I also want to live a good life. I don't want to be almost twenty and still not have my own room. I don't want to listen to other people's gossip every day."

Li Xiuying looked at her obedient daughter in disbelief as she suddenly became so extreme: "Lili, your father and I are not capable, we only have so much ability, but we live a stable and peaceful life because we have built our current life with our own hands. I understand that you want to live a good life, but you have to rely on yourself."

After Li Xiuying finished speaking, she left. She had already guessed that her daughter had developed a rebellious mentality and started to become vain. She didn't know how to persuade her daughter to be down-to-earth and only thought about slowly guiding her so that she wouldn't go down the wrong path. She never expected that her daughter would covet other people's partners and even want to steal them.

Jiang Ruyu didn't have time to deal with Sun Li for the time being. She really didn't care about such a person. If Zheng Yang was so easily seduced, she would have to thank her. At least she discovered that this person's character was not good before the marriage.

Right now, she's busy entertaining her maternal grandfather. Zheng Yang, carrying the things he'd hastily bought, was meeting his girlfriend's elders for the first time in a formal setting, and his heart was pounding with nervousness.

On the contrary, Hu Jun, who was originally worried about his granddaughter finding a partner so early, felt relieved after getting to know Zheng Yang and meeting him: "Zheng Yang, right? Don't be nervous, sit down."