Chapter 49 Trouble at the Family Banquet: The Qin Family's Daughter-in-Law Refuses to Be Wronged
A surge of emotion welled up in Qin Shu's shimmering fox-like eyes. He stepped forward, about to speak, but Qin Jin stopped him.
Immediately afterward, Qin Jin spoke.
“I don’t know if Aying has forgotten the rules. But Second Sister-in-law, as an elder, you start belittling the younger generation as soon as you meet them without even asking questions. That’s not in line with your status, and it’s also against the Qin family’s rule of maintaining harmony within the household.”
After saying this, Qin Jin gave Xu Jinhua a cool look, then took Song Ying's hand and placed a gift box in her hand.
When he spoke again, his tone was much gentler, and his expression was full of anticipation.
"Open it and take a look."
Inside the box was an amber brooch containing a sapphire blue butterfly poised to take flight. The butterfly's wings shimmered with fluorescence, and the amber's color was bright and clear. At first glance, it looked as if a real butterfly was about to fly out of the box.
"Do you like it? This is natural amber from an American firefly. I found it during my recent research trip. I thought you like butterflies, so I brought it back for you and had it made into a brooch. Your aunt really loves you, doesn't she?"
There is a garden in the Song family courtyard, which attracts many butterflies every spring and summer.
When she was little, her parents were busy with work, so Song Ying often chased after butterflies. Later, when she learned to dance, she felt that when people danced, they looked just like fluttering butterflies.
She had only mentioned this casually when she first met Qin Jin last year, and she never expected that Qin Jin would still remember it after so long.
"Thank you, Auntie, I really like it." Song Ying put the box away and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
Xu Jinhua couldn't stand Qin Jin's favoritism towards Song Ying.
"No matter how much your sister-in-law likes Ashu's wife, she shouldn't be so biased. There's another child right here, why do you only remember that one?"
"Putting aside the fact that this was something I specially saved for Aying, it's the only one of its kind. Let's talk about today. It was supposed to be a family dinner, but how could I have imagined that my second sister-in-law would invite Lanyan over as well? If you had told me beforehand, how could I have missed out on Lanyan's gift?"
Qin Jin's voice was gentle and kind, yet every word she uttered struck at Xu Jinhua's ulterior motives.
"Of course, I don't consider Lan Yan an outsider. But speaking of children, aren't A-Zhou, A-Ji, and A-Shu all children? Second Sister-in-law, have I prepared any gifts for them?"
At this point, Qin Jin looked at Qin Zhou, Qin Ji, and the others.
"You guys, tell me honestly, your aunt didn't bring you any gifts this time. Do you also feel that your aunt is biased and treats you differently?"
Some people laughed when they heard this.
"What are you saying, Auntie? We brothers are all grown up, not little kids anymore. Why would we need gifts? Isn't that right, Aji?"
"Oh? Oh, yes, there's no need."
The first to speak was Qin Zhou, the son of his uncle Qin Yong, who is 26 years old now, the same age as Qin Zhen's son Qin Ji.
Both of them currently work at the Qin family's company and are unmarried.
Of the three brothers in this generation, Qin Shu was the youngest, yet he got married the earliest.
Over the years, although Qin Jin married into the Ye family, the Ye family and the Qin family are not far apart. Whenever Qin Jin has free time, she often comes back to visit the old man.
When Qin Zhou, Qin Ji, and Qin Shu were still young, she often brought them gifts.
Now the three young men are all adults, each holding important positions in the company and managing considerable family businesses. Apart from bringing them gifts for good luck during holidays, Qin Jin no longer needs to treat them like children and bring them gifts every time she visits.
Upon hearing Qin Zhou's words, Xu Lanyan tightened her grip on her lap, but remained dignified and gentle, responding with a smile.
"Aunt Jin is too kind. I really did come here unexpectedly today. I was just thinking that I hadn't seen my aunt for a long time and was worried about her health, so I came to visit her. I didn't know that the Qin family was having a family banquet today. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience."
As she spoke, Xu Lanyan stood up and bowed slightly to Old Master Qin and the others.
"It's getting late. Grandpa Qin and all the elders are probably waiting for me to have dinner at home, so I'll be going now."
"Why are you leaving? You're my niece, so you're practically a member of the Qin family too. I'll sit here and see who dares to kick you out!" Xu Jinhua stopped Xu Lanyan.
"But Auntie, Grandpa is still waiting at home..."
"There's no 'but' about it. The Xu family and the Qin family are related by marriage. Does that mean the Xu family's daughter can't even have a meal at the Qin family's house?"
"Second sister-in-law, no one is stopping Lanyan from eating, and no one is trying to drive her away. You start by making veiled accusations and barbs, which makes things difficult for Dad and Lanyan. Since we're here for a family reunion dinner, let's all stay and not ruin the harmony."
After saying this, Qin Jin put his arm around Xu Lanyan's shoulder and patted her, "Sit down. It's just the elders joking around. It has nothing to do with you as a junior."
"Thank you, Aunt Jin. Since that's the case, then Lan Yan will shamelessly stay." Xu Lan Yan sat down gently.
Xu Jinhua was left speechless with bitterness and had nowhere to vent her anger.
First, she pointed out that Xu Lanyan wasn't family, then she pretended to be generous and invited her to dinner. Qin Jin's approach of giving a slap on the wrist and a sweet treat saved face for herself, but it only made her seem more unreasonable as the second sister-in-law.
With a snort, Xu Jinhua turned her face away, not wanting to look at Qin Jin's face anymore.
The living room quieted down.
Qin Jin calmly pulled Song Ying to sit down on the sofa, while Qin Shu sat on the other side of Song Ying.
Old Master Qin, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"Ah Shu, Ah Ying, what was that your second aunt talking about just now?"
Upon hearing that Old Master Qin had inquired, Xu Jinhua immediately straightened her back.
See? The old man values rules the most!
Qin Jin thought that by diverting the topic, she could get Song Ying out of this predicament and get her out of this predicament, but what happened in the end?
The old man will surely come to question him.
What has enabled the Qin family to maintain its dominant position in the capital for so long?
It's just about being low-key.
Let's see how Song Ying tries to cover this up now!
Song Ying didn't need to embellish; she simply gave a few objective words about what happened that afternoon. The old man was already furious and slammed his cane on the floor three times.
"What does this woman surnamed Li think she is, the daughter-in-law of the Qin family? How dare she be so arrogant! It's outrageous! Ayong, go and call that chairman of Qingcheng right now! If Qingcheng can't manage its subordinates, then we'll help them manage them!"
"Grandpa, please don't be angry. Take care of yourself," Song Ying said with concern.
"Ashu and I have already made plans for this matter."
As she spoke, Song Ying poured a glass of warm water, handed it to the old man, and patted his back. "Don't you know our temperament? We certainly won't suffer a loss. But you, if you get angry and something bad happens, how sad will everyone be?"
After a few more words of persuasion, the old man finally calmed down.
Finally, looking at everyone, he said solemnly.
"The Qin family's rules do indeed require you to keep a low profile and not cause trouble. But if anyone is ungrateful and insists on bullying you, then we must let them know what the rules of the capital are!"
"And you too." The old man looked at Qin Shu. "You should cherish your own wife. If you can't even protect your own wife, then you might as well not be Qin. I can't bear the shame."
"Grandpa, don't worry." Qin Shu lifted his fox-like eyes and glanced around the living room. "No matter who it is, if they bully my wife, I will remember them for the rest of my life."
The fierce aura of Qin Shu, like that of a wolf cub, filled the living room with a dangerous intimidation. Xu Jinhua, in particular, clearly felt that when Qin Shu said the last half of his sentence, his arrogant gaze was fixed on her.
When warned like this by a junior, Xu Jinhua immediately lost her temper and was about to retort, but Xu Lanyan next to her grabbed her wrist.
"Auntie, calm down."
Xu Lanyan stared at Xu Jinhua and gently shook her head. "Now is not the time to be angry."
Song Ying observed the interaction between the aunt and niece.
Just as she was about to look away, Xu Lanyan suddenly looked over.
Their eyes met, and Xu Lanyan smiled and nodded at her calmly.
-
It was still early after dinner.
Qin Yong played chess with his grandfather, while his second son, Qin Zhen, and his three grandsons gathered around to try and make him happy.
The others gathered in small groups to chat.
Qin Jin pulled Song Ying to a secluded spot and kindly reminded her.
"Your second uncle and his wife still haven't given up. They insist on dragging some unrelated young girl into the family dinner to make it more interesting, as if they want everyone to know what they're up to. That girl from the Xu family is not simple. Don't get too close to her."
"Thank you for reminding me, Aunt. I understand."
"Good that you understand. I was just worried that you're too kind-hearted and think everyone else is as good as you. Your second aunt is selfish and mean, but her true intentions are written all over her face. She's a real scoundrel and won't cause any real trouble. But her niece was raised by the Xu family patriarch himself. She's quite capable and has a good reputation in the Xu Group. She's definitely not the weak and kind person she appears to be today. You must be careful."
Song Ying had heard the name Xu Lanyan quite often over the past year.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Does Aunt know Xu Lanyan very well?"
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