Chapter 27: Fang's Arrival in Yangzhou
The day after Liu Zhiyan and his brother went to Qin's house, Liu Yulan left, and on the third day, Qin Laicai followed him to Suzhou Prefecture.
Ten days later, the two returned to Yangzhou Prefecture, and Liu Zhiyan's grandmother Fang also came back with them.
Qin Xue was nervous when she learned that Liu Zhiyan's grandmother had come to Yangzhou, ignoring her father who was exhausted from traveling. "What kind of person is his grandmother? Is she easy to get along with?"
Thinking of the old lady who walked briskly and was in high spirits, Qin Laicai didn't know how to answer his daughter's question.
After a moment of silence, Qin Laicai uttered, "That was a very different old lady."
Qin Laicai wandered around when he was a child, and later did business everywhere. He met all kinds of people, but he had never seen anyone like Fang.
This is different, not because she looks different or is particularly outstanding.
Rather, she possessed a sense of contentment, not the tranquility of a life lived through countless hardships, nor the indifference of simply being content with one's life. He even saw a fiery side to her. For example, when she heard that Liu Zhiyan was going to be her son-in-law, she grabbed a cane and chased him without a word.
Even so, Qin Laicai still felt that she was a contented person.
She seemed like someone who had found a way of living that suited her perfectly, a way of living that was both separated from and integrated with her surroundings.
Although it should be very contradictory, Qin Laicai did not feel any contradiction from her.
Thinking of this, Qin Laicai couldn't help but yearn for it, "When I reach her age, I wish I could be like her."
Although Qin Laicai didn't answer her question, judging from his expression, Liu Zhiyan's grandmother shouldn't be a difficult person to get along with. "Then she is willing to come to Yangzhou with us. Does that mean she agrees to the marriage between the two families?"
"I agree." Although there were some twists and turns, that was Liu Zhiyan's own fault for being so rude. He said he wanted to be someone's son-in-law. When the old lady heard this, she picked up the cane and chased after Liu Zhiyan without saying a word.
The man who usually seemed so reliable, seeing his grandmother getting angry, not only did not try to put out the fire quickly, but also added fuel to the fire as he ran. He was afraid that the boy would make her angry, so he ran after him, panting and explaining the whole thing to the old lady.
After hearing what he said, the old lady finally stopped chasing him. She was very disgusted with him. "You are so young, but your body is not as good as an old woman like me. You should take care of your health first, otherwise it will be in vain no matter how much you fight."
Although the old lady didn't say anything too harsh, Qin Laicai knew what she meant. Her health was so poor that it was all in vain for her to plan everything for her daughter, but she didn't have the life to enjoy it.
At that moment, Qin Laicai made up his mind that from now on he must follow the doctor's advice and take good care of his health.
Although she knew that with these two men who both wanted to protect her showing up at the same time, the result should not be bad, but Qin Xue couldn't help but feel worried before she got the definite news.
Hearing her father's affirmation, Qin Xue finally felt relieved. "So what's next, let's discuss and decide?"
"What the old lady meant was that since they weren't going to get married, it wouldn't be appropriate for either side to make an engagement. They should just not make one and find someone reputable to officiate the wedding and settle the marriage between the two families first. Regarding the wedding, the two families will discuss the details after Liu Zhiyan's mother returns."
Actually, these things should not be said to an unmarried girl, but there are only the two of them in the family, father and daughter, and there is no one to discuss it with, so Qin Laicai can only tell Qin Xue.
This marriage was completely different from what they had discussed before. Qin Xue didn't know what she could do. "As long as Dad thinks it's okay, I have no objection."
"Okay." Qin Laicai also knew that he couldn't rely on a little girl. "Since you know her grandmother is coming to Yangzhou, as a junior, you must pay her a visit. I'll have Uncle Qin come forward and make an appointment with the Liu family. Just be prepared to go."
This is the most basic etiquette, and Qin Xue has no reason to refuse. "Okay, then I'll prepare the gift first."
As she said this, Qin Xue had already started thinking about what gift to prepare.
In the past, when visiting someone else's home, the gifts were mostly food prepared by the nanny at the family's cook.
But this time when I go to the Liu family, I can't be so casual.
Although her marriage to Liu Zhiyan was different from others, the expectations of their elders were the same as for others. Every elder hoped that the girl their grandson would marry was clever and caring.
But whether she is dexterous or knows how to take care of others, it has nothing to do with Qin Xue.
Apart from the foreign language she learned over the past two months, she really doesn't have any special skills other than eating, drinking and having fun.
Family members know their own affairs, and Qin Laicai knew his daughter well. Since he had nothing to show for her, he simply suggested to her, "I think the gift should be given to the cook, and then we can just tell her the truth. You know best what fun and delicious things there are in Yangzhou Prefecture, so you can take a few days to show her around."
This was indeed something she was good at. Thinking of the other person's age, Qin Xue hesitated. "The weather is very hot, and she is old. Is this okay?"
"Her health is better than your father's and mine." Qin Laicai will never forget the day when he was exhausted and panting, while the other girl walked lightly. "Of course, this still requires her opinion."
Anyway, he felt that the other party would not refuse such a proposal.
Qin Xue had no better idea, so she agreed to her father's suggestion and decided to think about a place that would be more suitable for older people to play.
…
Fang, who was being discussed by the father and son, was looking at her grandson's yard with disdain. She could count the furniture on her five fingers. She thought the rooms for monks in the temple were better than this. "Even monks dislike your yard. How can you think a little girl like it?"
Thinking of Qin Xue's yard full of childish fun, Liu Zhiyan knew that she definitely didn't like his yard. "You're here, old man. You can help redecorate it during this time, right?"
"No, no." Fang was not going to find work for herself. If her daughter-in-law was not on a diplomatic mission abroad and her son was not able to spare the time, it would be awkward for no elder to come forward, so she would not bother to make this trip. Anyway, this brat has always been stubborn and would not listen to other people's advice.
Thinking of this, the old lady couldn't help but snort at him, "You're here to be someone's son-in-law anyway, and you don't live here, so it's useless to fix it. Why should I bother with this?"
You little bastard, you always do something to make a big splash for her.
Last time, in order to fight against those who wanted to arrange a marriage for him, he secretly ran away to Qiongzhou Prefecture. He had no news for three years, forcing no one to dare to mention his marriage anymore.
Thinking about the fact that she lost her husband at a young age and had no other half for decades, she did not feel sad. Instead, she could accept his decision not to get married.
Unexpectedly, this bad boy suddenly became her son-in-law, which made her so angry that she picked up a cane and wanted to leave.
He was so angry about this matter that he brought the girl's father to his house without telling anyone in advance.
Liu Zhiyan knew that although his grandmother had agreed to the marriage between the two families, she was still angry.
But he had no intention of appeasing her at all. Instead, he discussed it with an indifferent attitude, "I actually think it would be easier to just become a live-in son-in-law. It would save our family a lot of trouble, but Uncle Qin said that it would be detrimental to my future in the court. He insisted on keeping me married, which is really troublesome."
"If you really don't want to do it, I'll go tell Uncle Qin tomorrow that I don't care at all about the bad reputation of a live-in son-in-law."
Upon hearing this nonsense, Fang immediately took off her shoes and ran after the brat, "You heartless brat, are you going to piss me off to death?!"
"How can that be? Your great-grandson will be born next year, and you will have to take care of it." Liu Zhiyan controlled his speed, not letting Fang catch up, but also not letting her catch up too fast. His main goal was to run with the old lady.
"Humph, that's the Qin family's treasure, why would an old lady like me need it?"
"Uncle Qin said that my eldest son has the same surname as me, Liu."
"That's not the case either." The old lady said with a somewhat unstable breath, "I don't want to raise another brat who will make me angry."
This brat was obviously very well-behaved when he was young, but who knew that he would become more and more annoying as he grew up.
Hearing that she was struggling, Liu Zhiyan deliberately slowed down his pace. After a while, Fang grabbed him and patted his arm twice, neither lightly nor heavily. "Whoever's child is theirs to raise. I don't want to worry about you."
She had a bunch of grandchildren, but this brat was the one she spent the most time and energy raising. As a result, this brat was the one who irritated her the most. Of course, this brat was also the one she was closest to.
Liu Zhiyan shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Then leave it to Uncle Qin. I think he should be happy to do it."
Liu Zhiyan really doesn't care about being a son-in-law, nor does he care whose surname the child takes or who he is close to. What he cares about is the person who will spend the rest of his life with him.
It would be fine if the little grandson didn't get married, but since he was willing to get married, Fang naturally hoped that he would have a child to carry on the family line. She didn't want her eldest son to be raised by the Qin family, who were 'eyeing' the heir. "You little brat, you're just trying to piss me off."
Thinking of the girl who could make her grandson fall in love with her, Fang decided to change her strategy. "Tomorrow, you go visit the Qin family and ask if Miss Xue'er is free. If she is, please invite her to come over for me."
Liu Zhiyan missed Qin Xue after not seeing her for over ten days. "No need to wait until tomorrow. I'll go ask her later. However, knowing you're coming to Yangzhou, she'll definitely arrange a visit as soon as possible."
"In the past, I've always been in a hurry to go through Yangzhou Prefecture and never had a chance to explore it properly." Fang had often followed Ye Qinghan and his wife around in the past, and they had changed boats in Yangzhou Prefecture many times. "This time, I have to let Miss Xue'er take me around."
"If you ask her for other things, she probably can't handle it. But when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun, you can't go wrong by asking her." The girl had spent the past fifteen years either eating and drinking or on the way to eat and drink. No one should know Yangzhou better than her.
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