Fan Yawen pouted, tugged at her shawl, and gave him a haughty look.
Pei Nian wanted to laugh but couldn't during the rest of the meal.
The food was plentiful, and the hotel service was excellent.
Huo Zhishu wasn't that difficult to get along with, it was just Fan Yawen...
"Let me make this clear from the start!" She put down her chopsticks, touched the huge Kashmir sapphire ring on her wrist, looked around, and finally fixed her gaze on Pei Nian.
“Miss Pei, the Fan family is not some humble or insignificant family. Not just anyone can enter, it’s not…”
"Ahem, wife," Huo Zhishu weakly reminded her, "that, it's the Huo family, the Huo family..."
"Huh?" Fan Ya-wen immediately raised her voice eight octaves, "You old geezer, bad! When you were young and pursuing me, didn't you say you'd marry into my family? Marry into my family! Understand?"
Huo Zhishu coughed even more violently.
Huo Jingnan covered his face with his hands, then peeked at Pei Nian through his fingers with a look that was both funny and exasperating.
*
After finally finishing their meal, Huo Jingnan took Pei Nian back to her apartment and then returned to the Huo family home. As soon as he entered, he saw Huo Zhishu and Fan Yawen sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Coincidentally, he also wanted to have a chat with them.
As soon as Huo Jingnan stepped inside, Huo Zhishu winked at him, pointed at Fan Yawen with an exaggerated expression, and made a shushing gesture.
He chuckled softly, sat down next to his mother, and raised his hand to massage her shoulders.
Fan Ya-wen maintained a proud, peacock-like posture, looked at her son, and revealed a rare, satisfied smile.
"Hmm, that's a good massage. Looks like you've done this to many people out there, haven't you?"
"Uh, Mom..."
"I know what you want to say to me." Fan Yawen smoothed her hair and picked up the herbal tea in front of her. "Then let's get straight to the point! As for you, Miss Pei, I have only three words—I disagree!"
"Mom, why?"
"What do you mean, why?" Fan Yawen frowned. "Look at the way she eats, always with a long face, never smiling. Why did I marry such a daughter-in-law? To have her rush me to die?"
“Wife,” Huo Zhishu said with a smile, “that girl has a steady personality and doesn’t smile much, but that’s not a flaw! Our Jingnan family is missing a calm and composed wife like that…”
"Shut your mouth!" Fan Yawen glared at him, and Huo Zhishu had no choice but to get up dejectedly, pick up the teapot on the table, and personally add hot water.
"Mom!" Huo Jingnan exclaimed anxiously.
Didn't Huo Junyu already come and try to persuade him?
Although Mom is usually picky and has many faults, looking down on everyone, she only admires her eldest nephew in the entire Huo family. One word from her eldest nephew is more effective than a hundred words from him to Mom.
That's why he sent Huo Junyu as the persuader!
But now it seems that even this lobbyist has failed?
"Mom, you've only met Niannian once, you don't know how good she is!"
"Some people, one meeting is enough!"
"mom……"
"In short!" Fan Yawen raised her voice, "Her family background, education, and experience are not good enough for you! I will absolutely not allow such a daughter-in-law to enter my house!"
Huo Jingnan's expression froze, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"You, you unfilial son, why are you glaring at me?"
Huo Jingnan left without saying a word, his face grim.
As I was leaving the living room, I ran into Huo Zhishu, who was carrying a teapot.
Before the father could even say a word, the son had already vanished without a trace.
Huo Zhishu sighed, refilled Fan Yawen's water, and leaned close to her with a forced smile, saying, "Wife, why are you so serious? You've already..."
"Already what?" Fan Yawen's eyes widened.
"It's nothing, it's nothing..." Huo Zhishu said helplessly, "What I mean is, wouldn't it be better if we went along with our son a little? This blockhead of ours, when have you ever seen him care about a girl? Now that he's finally come to his senses, let's not be so fussy!"
"What do you know!" Fan Yawen punched him lightly. "Anyway, I have my own plans, and I don't need your interference!"
"Hehe," Huo Zhishu understood everything. "Aren't you just afraid that your daughter-in-law will steal your thunder when she enters the family? Don't worry, wife, in our family, you will always be the queen!"
"Go! Go! Go!"
Fan Ya-wen was still sharp-tongued, but a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.
Huo Zhishu sat down on the sofa, and Fan Yawen naturally put her legs up on him, asking him to massage her feet.
Huo Zhishu smiled, his eyes full of doting affection.
*
After that meal, Pei Nian knew that Fan Yawen didn't like her anymore.
Think about it, this is normal. The Huo family is a family that most wealthy families wouldn't even look at, let alone someone with her humble origins.
If this continues, it will only make things difficult for Huo Jingnan.
When Jiang Mianmian learned of her thoughts, her eyes widened in surprise: "Are you thinking of giving up?"
“Of course not.” Pei Nian smiled slightly, looking into the distance, her eyes clouded with sadness. “As long as he doesn’t give up on me first, I will always stay by his side. But… if one day he really can’t withstand the pressure and gives up on me, I won’t blame him. I will leave quietly, without making things difficult for him.”
Jiang Mianmian felt a pang of sadness; sensible children never get candy.
But she hoped Pei Nian could eat lots and lots of candy.
After all, the first twenty years of her life had been too difficult.
“Niannian,” Jiang Mianmian grasped her hand, calming down to think carefully, “Tell me first, what happened that day? Where were you entertained?”
"At the Minghuang Hotel."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mianmian felt reassured.
"So... is there any fish on the table?"
Pei Nian paused, noticing that there seemed to be a fish on the plate, which was decorated with peach blossoms, making it particularly beautiful.
"Is it called Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish?" Jiang Mianmian laughed. "That kind of fish can only be found in the pond below Huo Family Mountain, and it's used to entertain distinguished guests!"
"Huh?" Pei Nian was startled. A distinguished guest? They couldn't be talking about her, could they?
"By the way, what's dessert?" Jiang Mianmian asked again. "Do you have jujube cake?"
Pei Nian was stunned.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Mianmian guessed what had happened and breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems the situation isn't serious, and Huo Junyu had previously communicated with Fan Yawen, which shows that the communication had an effect.
Huo Jingnan's parents did indeed order the meal to be prepared according to the standards for entertaining their daughter-in-law.
"Niannian, don't worry." She patted the back of her hand. "This meal shows that your aunt approves of you! If she really didn't value you, she wouldn't have brought you to the Minghuang Hotel for a meal."
"Moreover, this jujube cake is a Huo family tradition. Jujube cake symbolizes the wish for many sons. It is made by the head chef of Huo's Hotel and can only be eaten by Huo family daughters-in-law!"
Pei Nian stared blankly for a long time before slowly uttering three words: "No way?"
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