His serious expression softened slightly. He glanced at Zhou Qiqi with a complicated look, said nothing, and turned to put the hot water bottle into his wife's bed.
Then he looked up at Zhou Qiqi and said, "So that's how it is... Child, thank you for your thoughtfulness and hard work."
Qin Peilan held the warm hot water bottle against her slightly cool lower abdomen, and it felt quite comfortable.
She looked at Zhou Qiqi and whispered, "Thank you."
Zhou Qiqi felt a slight sense of relief.
Although my father-in-law and mother-in-law's attitude remained cold, at least I said thank you, and I gave my father-in-law that glance.
She felt that the elderly couple were reasonable people who could distinguish right from wrong, and not the kind of stubborn people who blindly believed everything they heard.
They were only temporarily misled.
This made Zhou Qiqi feel much more at ease and confident.
She then picked up the other two cups on the tray and said:
"Uncle, Auntie, please have some hot water. Shouldn't Auntie take her medicine? I've mixed it with warm water; the temperature should be just right."
As she spoke, she handed the two glasses of water to Shen Zhenbang and Qin Peilan respectively.
Shen Zhenbang didn't let Qin Peilan take the water directly; instead, he took both glasses of water himself first.
He first touched the cup with the back of his hand to test the temperature, and after confirming that it was not too hot, he picked up the cup himself, took a small sip, and carefully felt the water temperature.
He nodded, handed the other cup to Qin Shufen, and said softly:
"Hmm, just right, not too hot. Drink it, and take your medicine."
Zhou Qiqi watched this scene silently.
Beneath Shen Zhenbang's serious and rigid exterior, his meticulous care and concern for his wife touched her heart slightly.
This scene... why does it look so familiar?
She couldn't help but glance at Shen Huaichuan beside her.
Isn't this guy the same way when he takes care of her and Zhouzhou?
Testing the water temperature, tasting the saltiness, worrying about her being too cold or too hot... so that's where the root is!
This discovery made Zhou Qiqi feel inexplicably more favorably toward her stern-faced father-in-law.
This is probably what a strict father with a loving heart looks like.
Seeing that his parents had drunk water, Shen Huaichuan felt the atmosphere had eased for a moment. Sensing this was an opportunity, he cleared his throat and began formally:
"Dad, Mom, let me formally introduce you. This is Qiqi."
He looked at Zhou Qiqi.
"Qiqi, from now on, just call us Mom and Dad, we're all family."
He then turned to his parents, "Mom and Dad, you can just call her Qiqi."
After speaking, he turned to Zhou Qiqi, his eyes filled with encouragement and anticipation.
Zhou Qiqi understood that this meant she should greet the person first.
She understood, of course, and was about to speak.
But when she turned around, she found that Shen Zhenbang and Qin Peilan had their heads down and were not looking at her, their faces showing obvious hesitation and complexity.
Clearly, they were not prepared for this sudden change in terminology.
This made the atmosphere a little awkward for a moment.
If Zhou Qiqi were to call out to someone at this moment, it would be good if the elderly couple responded.
But it would be even more awkward if they didn't respond.
Zhou Qiqi bit her lip and didn't say anything.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Seeing the scene before her, He Wanrou chuckled softly and interjected in a gentle voice:
"Brother Huaichuan, Sister Qiqi, it's not that I'm being nosy, but there are some things I have to say,"
She looked at the two elders of the Shen family, sighed, and said...
"Uncle and Aunt, even though you two don't say anything, I know you're upset. I can't stand by and watch, so I'll be the bad guy and speak up for you!"
As she spoke, she turned to Shen Huaichuan and Zhou Qiqi and said,
"To be honest, your parents didn't know about your marriage beforehand, and they didn't even give their approval. Whether they acknowledge you or not is still up in the air. These things haven't been clarified yet, and suddenly... you're asking Qiqi to call you Mom and Dad? Isn't that a bit too hasty? And not quite appropriate?"
Her words were perfectly tactful, seemingly trying to reconcile the situation, but in reality, she was reminding Shen's parents: it's still uncertain whether this marriage is even legally settled, so don't acknowledge it yet!
Shen Zhenbang paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, his tone returning to its previous seriousness:
“What Wanrou said isn’t entirely unreasonable. Things should be done step by step. After all, it’s our first meeting, so it’s fine to call them Uncle and Auntie instead of Mom and Dad.”
Qin Peilan nodded slightly without saying anything.
Actually, Zhou Qiqi wasn't really bothered by the idea of calling them "Mom" and "Dad".
To be honest, asking her to call two strangers she's just met, who clearly misunderstand her and don't like her, "Mom and Dad" is ridiculous.
She really couldn't bring herself to call him that.
Moreover, in her mind, the terms "Mom" and "Dad" weren't exactly positive words.
Her smile remained unchanged, and she readily complied. She bowed slightly to Shen Zhenbang and Qin Shufen, and called out in a clear, polite voice:
"Uncle, Auntie."
Shen Zhenbang responded with an "Mmm".
Qin Shufen responded softly, "Sigh."
This time, their expressions weren't so unpleasant at all; they were quite polite.
Even so, the atmosphere still fell into a slightly awkward state.
He Wanrou seemed quite satisfied with the result, and with a charming laugh, she tried to smooth things over.
As if suddenly remembering something, she turned her gaze to Zhou Qiqi, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said:
"Oh dear, look at the mess this has made! But, little Qiqi, you only poured two cups of water? I've been taking care of Uncle and Aunt all afternoon and haven't had a chance to drink any water. My throat is practically parched."
Her words were spoken in a joking tone, but her eyes were clearly provocative.
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