Chapter 839 Engagement (Part 4)
After Yang Liu finished speaking, she and Ruan Fengmian bowed deeply to the old man.
Old Master Xi hurriedly helped the two of them up with a "hey hey hey" sound.
"You two kids, how come you're still so naive? I was close friends with your mother, Qiuyu, when I was alive. It's only natural for me to help you. Get up, get up."
Ruan Fengmian and Yang Liu stood up.
Old Master Xi looked at the two of them carefully, and saw that their eyes were bright and their complexions were full, and there was a look of relief in his eyes.
"It seems like you've been doing well these past few years. Qiuyu, knowing this, can rest assured. Bai Nian... no, that's not right. Your name is Feng Mian now, right?"
Ruan Fengmian nodded: "Yes, Mr. Xi, my surname is Ruan now, and my given name is Fengmian. Xiaoyan is now called Yangliu. Mr. Xi, let me introduce you to my current father and mother."
As Ruan Fengmian spoke, he helped Grandpa Ruan and Grandma Ruan who were standing behind him.
"Mom and Dad, this is Mr. Xi, the man I mentioned to you before. Mr. Xi, these are my parents, and this one," he helped Nie Beilou over, "you should know this one, Xiao Qi's master, Mr. Beilou."
Xi Jiu had already introduced the Ruan family to his family, so although Mr. Xi had never met them, he was very familiar with them.
He smiled and bowed to the two elders of the Ruan family, his tone close and natural: "I've heard from Lao Jiu that Xiao Qi has a pair of loving grandparents. Today I finally have the honor of meeting them. Brother Ruan, sister-in-law, I've been waiting for you to come."
The two elders of the Ruan family were very nervous before they came. The old man of the Xi family was too high-ranking, and they were afraid that his aura would be too strong and they would not be able to withstand it, which would bring shame to Ruan Qi.
But I didn't expect that the powerful Mr. Xi would be so kind.
Grandpa Ruan and Grandma Ruan finally felt relieved. They exchanged pleasantries with Old Man Xi, and then Old Man Xi looked past Ruan Fengmian to Nie Beilou who was standing beside him.
"Mr. Beilou."
Old Master Xi put away his smile and bowed respectfully to Nie Beilou. "Twenty years ago, thanks to Mr. Beilou's help, my son Xiao Ran's life was saved. I will always remember this great kindness and will never forget it."
Back then, Xi Xiaoran was poisoned, possessed, and on numerous occasions faced imminent death. If it weren't for Nie Beilou's timely intervention to save his life, Xi Xiaoran would have long since turned to dust, and there would be no family reunion today.
Old Master Xi has always been grateful to Nie Beilou. Now that they finally meet, he simply puts aside his noble status and humbly pays tribute to his benefactor.
Nie Beilou stopped him immediately.
"In terms of age, you are older than me. In terms of seniority, you are Xi's grandfather, and I am Xiaoqi's master. Today, we are only discussing family ties, not favors. I cannot accept this gift. Xi, come here and help your grandfather."
Xi Jiu didn't dare to disobey Nie Beilou's words and obediently supported his grandfather.
Old Master Xi gave him a look that was difficult to describe.
Why has this grandson never been so obedient in front of me?
Isn't this brat's double standards a bit too much?
Old Master Xi complained speechlessly, then he raised his head and waved to Xi Xiaoran and the others who were following behind him.
"Brother Ruan, sister-in-law, Mr. Beilou, these are my two good-for-nothing sons and daughters, Xi Xiaoran and Xi Xiaoyun. This is my daughter-in-law, Duan Wei."
The two sides exchanged pleasantries again. Xi Xiaoran and Duan Wei, in particular, were incredibly enthusiastic, fearing that a single inconsiderate move would ruin their son's marriage.
Fortunately, both families have good tempers, and in just a moment, everyone became friends.
Amidst a flurry of chatter and laughter, the group was led to a private room by the waiter.
Exquisite and expensive dishes were served one after another. There were only a dozen people in the Ruan and Xi families together, but the Xi family ordered a whole table full of dishes.
"I don't know what you like to eat, so I ordered all the signature dishes of this hotel. Everyone, please feel free to eat and chat at the same time. Oh, Xiaoqi, this is the seafood soup you've been talking about. Come on, have some."
Old Master Xi smiled and brought a bowl of seafood soup to Ruan Qi. His loving face made him look like Ruan Qi's biological grandfather, not her boyfriend's grandfather.
The Ruan family didn't expect that the Xi family even remembered exactly what Ruan Qi liked to eat, and they couldn't help but feel more at ease about this marriage.
…
Everyone chatted while eating.
The two families did not talk about marriage right away, but instead chatted about some family matters, explaining each other's family background and the composition of their respective family members.
The children had no chance to join in the conversation while the adults were talking, so Ruan Qi just buried her head in her food while Xi Jiu, wearing disposable gloves, peeled crabs for her.
Just then, someone knocked on the door of the box room.
There was a pause in the sound of everyone chatting.
"Who is it? The waiter? Who of you ordered again?" asked Mr. Xi.
Xi Xiaoran shook his head in confusion: "No, the dishes are all here. Dad, you guys chat, I'll go take a look."
Xi Xiaoran took off his napkin, stood up and walked to the door of the box.
He opened the door and a hearty laugh came from outside.
"The waiter didn't lie to me. You are really in this hotel!"
Xi Xiaoran looked at the newcomer in surprise: "Old Jiang? Why are you here? And why is Bo here too?"
The people who came turned out to be Bo Ye and his uncle Jiang Yan.
They both looked like they had just returned from the army, as they were both wearing dark green uniforms. Bo Ye's uniform was still a bit dusty, suggesting he had just completed a field training exercise.
"There's an army event today, so I paid for everyone to come here for dinner. When I got here, I ran into the hotel manager, and he told me your whole family is here today."
Jiang Yan and Xi Xiaoran's relationship was similar to Xi Jiubo's: they were good brothers who grew up together. The hotel manager of the Capital Hotel, knowing the close relationship between the two families, told Jiang Yan about the Xi family's dinner.
When Jiang Yan heard that even Mr. Xi had come from the Xi family, he immediately felt something was amiss. Out of courtesy and curiosity, he took his nephew Bo Ye to the Xi family's dining room.
Jiang Yan glanced into the private room and said, "I heard that Mr. Xi is here too. Is there some kind of festival in your family today? Why are you all out here? Where's Mr. Xi? I want to say hello to him."
Jiang Yan said this as he was about to go into the house.
Xi Xiaoran quickly stopped him.
"Wait a moment. Today is a meeting between my family and Xiaoqi's parents. What if you rush in with such a fierce look on your face and scare the elderly?"
When Jiang Yan heard this, his eyes widened.
"A meeting between the parents?!" he exclaimed in shock. "Are they planning a marriage?"
Xi Xiaoran nodded: "Yes. Get engaged first, and then get married when Xiaoqi reaches the legal age."
Jiang Yan's eyes suddenly turned green.
He turned his head and stared at his nephew Bo Ye for a while, then raised his hand and slapped him on the head with a "slap".
(End of this chapter)
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