weekend
Qin Zifu and Qi Jingchen went to the Qi family.
"Fufu, your auntie has been missing you. I was worried you'd be too busy to ask you to come, but I didn't expect you to come."
"Auntie, please call me if you miss me, and I'll come over whenever I have time."
Qin Zifu gently took Yan Li's arm, her hand softly resting against hers, like a daughter coaxing her mother.
"Oh my, look at that, girls are so much better. They're family-oriented and thoughtful. You don't get the same treatment if you have a son. He's never home."
As she spoke, she glanced at Qi Jingchen. If it were him, how could he possibly think of coming back to see her? He had found a good daughter-in-law.
I never expected his son to have such good taste in choosing a wife, just like his father.
"Oh, by the way, I went to an auction with your aunt a couple of days ago."
"Your aunt went to the auction again?"
"Yes, it's a small, private shop with lots of nice things. I was sitting next to your aunt and we both liked the same phoenix hairpin and a pair of jade mandarin duck ornaments. We both wanted to buy them for you, so I talked to her and asked her to stop holding up the paddle and let me buy them instead."
"Did your aunt agree?"
Yan Li nodded; they were two women with a strong desire to shop.
"Come and see, I knew you were coming, so I brought everything down."
"Auntie, you don't need to buy me anything anymore. My aunt has bought me so many over the years, and I don't really have a chance to wear them."
"Fufu, you're too young to understand. These are all investments; they're meant to appreciate in value. Even if you can't wear them anymore, you can keep them. Look how pretty they are!"
Qin Zifu held the mandarin duck ornament in her palm. The quality of the jadeite wasn't very high; it didn't look like it was truly icy. However, the color was vibrant, and the symbolism was auspicious.
"These mandarin ducks are so plump and cute, Qi Jingchen, look!"
"Hmm, chubby, cute."
Look at the art of speaking. Others say "round and plump," but he says "fat." He only said "cute" because he met Qin Zifu's happy eyes.
It's clear she really likes it; Qin Zifu does indeed love jade, and she especially likes round things like this.
"Take another look at this phoenix hairpin."
Yan Li opened the box; it was gold, and the phoenix's eyes, nine tails, and wings were inlaid with rubies.
"This is exactly what my aunt would want to buy."
"Why?"
"My aunt has been particularly fond of auspicious themes in recent years, and she's been working hard to save up for my dowry. I wonder if she was upset that she didn't get to take any photos back then."
"She was reluctant, but I told her it was all for Fufu anyway, so it didn't matter who bought it, and she was convinced. Later, she bought something else."
"That's alright, at least she knows it's for me. When I was little, I attended an antique jewelry exhibition. There was a watch that was nearly two hundred years old, full of diamonds and high-end. It was snatched away by someone else while I was on the phone. She was upset for a long time. When she got back, she asked me why my uncle called her back then. Even though it's been a few months, she still occasionally talks about my uncle."
"I think I have that watch you mentioned. The price has increased several times over now. Would you like to take a look?"
Yan Li looked at everyone with a smug expression. Qi Zheng also looked up at her. He had no idea how much jewelry his wife owned, and she rarely told him about it.
"Don't tell my aunt, haha."
"I'd like to bring it with me next time I see her, and see if she can tell."
"Shrimp and pork heart"
"It's alright, it'll all be yours eventually. If your aunt thinks that way, she'll probably be able to let it go. Let me take you to see that watch."
Yan Li took Qin Zifu upstairs, where there was a large safe, the kind that was embedded in the wall.
After pressing her fingerprint, the door opened. Even though Qin Zifu had seen a lot of jewelry, she was still slightly surprised. The jewelry boxes were filled to the brim, and each one had its contents printed out.
"I usually print them out and stick them on the boxes, so I'll know what's inside when I need to find it later."
"Okay, I don't understand the world of rich women."
"It's all yours. Register your fingerprint in a bit, then come and get whatever you want. This watch was bought a long time ago; it should be in this area."
Yan Li spoke as she searched.
"Found it! Open it and take a look, it's super shiny."
Qin Zifu opened the box.
"Wow, it's really beautiful, and it's so well preserved."
"Well, although it has a two-hundred-year history, it was like new when I bought it. I haven't worn it much over the years, but I've kept it very well. Shall I try it on?"
As he spoke, he put the bracelet on Qin Zifu's wrist.
"It's so sparkly! Being covered in diamonds really makes a difference; it's like a bracelet."
"Yes, it's true that jewelry from Country Y is exquisitely made."
"That's right."
After saying that, Qin Zifu picked it.
"Aren't you going to take it with you so your aunt can see it?"
"Please wear it next time you see her."
Qin Zifu put the watch back in the box and looked around for a while. During this time, Yan Li wanted her to take some things, but she didn't, even though she had quite a few things of her own.
After looking around for a while, the two went downstairs, chatting about the interesting things that had happened during the auction.
"From now on, let Mom take you. Use my card for whatever you like, don't use theirs."
Qi Jingchen had never seen her participate in such activities before, nor did he know what style she liked. She usually didn't wear any jewelry unless there were important events.
"You even stole this?"
Yan Li was certainly willing to bring her daughter-in-law, but her son insisted on using his card.
"Yeah, I'll take it. I'll raise my own wife."
"Fine, fine, I know you're rich and can afford it. You're so pretentious. Qi Zheng, look at him, isn't he bored?"
Is she being dramatic? Or is she just being silly? He can't stop people from being nice to him every day, and now even his own mother has joined in. He's really exhausted from competing for her affections.
Qi Zheng was suddenly questioned and looked up at Qi Jingchen.
"Yeah, boring, really boring."
Qin Zifu covered her mouth and chuckled softly as she watched the interaction between the family of three.
"Speaking of your aunt, Di'an and Jingchen are such good friends, but we haven't really gotten along well before. This time, we've met and we really hit it off."
"Yes, you and your aunt have somewhat similar personalities."
"We should go out and play together more often in the future."
"Oh, by the way, Auntie, I brought some homemade snacks. Would you like to try them?"
"Okay, then let Auntie make some tea, and we'll have some snacks."
The nanny served a pot of green tea, and Qin Zifu opened the snack box.
"Did you make this yourself? It's so exquisite!"
"Yes, my grandma likes to make these at home when she has nothing to do. She made them especially for us when she knew we were coming. They're all low in sugar, and you can taste the natural flavors of the ingredients."
"Old Qi, come and have some snacks."
"Okay, coming!"
"I made these peach blossom pastries. Don't they look like peach blossoms?"
"Yes, it looks good."
Yan Li picked it up and tasted a little.
"Is it filled with purple sweet potato? This pastry smells delicious!"
"Yes, there's purple sweet potato and jujube paste."
"This mung bean cake is perfect for this season."
Okay, I'll have a mung bean cake.
Qi Zheng took a mung bean cake and put it in his mouth. It wasn't sweet or dry, and it melted in his mouth. It was delicate and smooth, not too sweet. Yan Li had made it once before, and it made his throat feel sore.
"It's good, very delicious."
"They look nice too; these mung bean cakes are even shaped like little rabbits."
"I used to see my grandma making these all the time, so I bought a lot of molds. That way, I'll enjoy eating them more."
"Please thank your family for us, we really like them."
"You're welcome. I'll bring more next time I come. My grandma loves making it; she even films it while she's doing it."
"I'll take a look too, and learn how to do it myself."
"Hey, you don't need to cook, just eat what's served."
Qi Zheng quickly interrupted the conversation, otherwise he would be the one to get hurt in the end.
"I'll bring it next time then, and we can do it together sometime."
"Okay, that works too. I admit my performance was just so-so."
Yan Li is self-aware that her cooking skills are too average, so she doesn't insist on them.
After dinner, when it was time to go home, the two of them brought back a lot of things in large and small bags.
"Auntie, that's enough, really enough, you can't take any more."
"My dear child, this isn't much. Take these tonics to the elders. You can also eat the bird's nest and fish maw; let Qi Jingchen stew them for you. And these jewelry pieces were all bought for you; you should take them back with you."
"Okay, take it with you, I'll make it for you when we get back."
Qi Jingchen followed suit, stuffing the items into the box one by one. He seemed to be handling them with ease. Didn't he just say he couldn't accept other people's things and had to spend his money? Had he already forgotten?
After stuffing their belongings into the trunk, the two got into the car.
On the way back, Qin Zifu sat in the passenger seat and looked at him sideways.
"What's wrong?"
"Your parents are so good to me."
"Then why are you afraid of marriage?"
"I'm not afraid of marriage, I'm just a little worried."
"Don't worry, baby, don't keep looking at me."
"Look, don't I have the right to look at my husband?"
"Say it again and I'll strip you naked."
"You're so annoying"
"Good boy, say it again."
Qi Jingchen held the steering wheel with one hand and her hand with the other, squeezing it as he spoke.
"Honey~ You're so handsome!"
Suddenly, this sound made Qi Jingchen tighten his grip on the steering wheel, and he flicked his tongue against his cheek, teasing him again.
Qin Zifu seemed to particularly enjoy the way Qi Jingchen drove; he had a smile on his face and looked to be in a good mood.
"Where are you going? Aren't you going home?"
"Let's go to a quiet place."
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