In the living room, Shen Ying sat on the sofa looking sullen, responding to Bai Chen's words in a half-hearted manner.
"Brother Ying, I know you're having some financial difficulties right now. There's no rush to pay back the money I lent you. Just remember to give me the money for the wedding gift when I get married."
Bai Chen assumed the man was worried about money, and after a few teasing remarks, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards Liu Cui. They had just talked on the way, and the woman said that after she enrolled in night school and got into university, she would go home with him to meet his parents and discuss marriage.
He knew Liu Cui's concerns and wanted to tell her that he didn't care. But the woman insisted on her own opinion, and he had no choice but to compromise.
At worst, you can spend more time tutoring each other; mutual progress is the best state in a relationship.
Shen Ying didn't respond. Family matters have always been difficult to handle, and he had put all his energy into figuring out how to talk to his family about this, so he didn't have the extra energy to chat with Bai Chen.
It's easy to talk to my mother and sister; after all, they're family, and even though they haven't seen each other for so many years, blood is thicker than water. But it's different with Jiang Yu. She's never met her eldest brother's family since she married into the family, and they haven't been in contact for all these years.
The phone rang out of the blue, saying there was a family emergency, and that they would probably mind if they needed help or money.
She has changed so much now. Her kindness to her mother and sister and her contributions to the family are obvious to all. Now, with her eldest brother's family added to the mix, even if she doesn't mind verbally, she will still feel resentful.
Moreover, he had already found out about Lu Yi's past affairs and realized that he had been deceived by the other party and Jiang Meier working together. Although it was not good for the child at the time, he was now trying his best to make amends.
Jiang Yu, who was in the kitchen, was unaware of the man's thoughts. She was now focused entirely on the dishes, making many of her signature dishes such as braised prawns and braised pork, and finally, she also made a spicy blood curd dish.
The aroma wafted into the living room. Bai Chen smacked his lips, swallowed hard, and his stomach rumbled.
"The food is ready. Let me see if there's anything I can help with."
He made an excuse to slip into the kitchen and rushed to get the cutlery. The main thing was that the man was acting strangely today; he seemed to be preoccupied with something, sitting there like a statue, not responding to a single word.
"Dinner's ready, Bai Chen, would you like some drinks?"
Jiang Yu knew that many men had that kind of taste, and because she hadn't prepared anything before moving, she asked around and thought she'd go buy some.
"No, sister-in-law, I'm driving, it's inconvenient for me."
Bai Chen hurriedly waved his hand in refusal. His eyes were fixed longingly on the table laden with delicious food. With so much good food, who would want to drink that? Unless they truly didn't know how to enjoy life.
"Wanwan, go buy two bottles of baijiu."
Shen Ying propped himself up on his thighs and casually uttered a sentence. He felt that he had to drink something today no matter what, even if it was just to use the alcohol to say what he couldn't say.
Shen Wan placed the plate of food she was carrying on the table and glanced at Jiang Yu. Seeing that her sister-in-law didn't say anything, she gave a dull "oh" twice, took her change, and went to the convenience store.
Jiang Yu gestured for Liu Cui to sit down, and to create space for the two of them, she made sure that Liu Cui and Bai Chen sat close together. Then she went upstairs to call the two children down for dinner.
"Mommy, I think I just saw that bad woman."
Shen Niannian leaned against the window, his small, childish finger pointing outside. His room faced north, and from inside, he could see the vegetable cellar behind the yard, the small grove of trees outside, and a river that ran through the village.
"Which bad woman?"
Jiang Yu's expression tightened, and she glanced in the direction her son was pointing, but saw nothing.
"It's that aunt who used to come over for meals all the time!"
As Shen Niannian spoke, she described to the woman, "She went around from there, went to the front, and after a while, she came back."
'Jiang Meier? What's she doing here?'
Jiang Yu had a million questions in her mind, but no matter what, it couldn't be anything good. Knowing that the children had a psychological trauma from that woman, she quickly explained:
"Mommy didn't see anything. You must have seen wrong. When you go to sleep at night, remember to draw the curtains. When you're outside, besides your sister, dad, mom, aunt, and grandma, if anyone calls you or wants to take you somewhere, remember to tell us first, okay?"
She patiently explained the science to Shen Niannian, and finally told her a series of little tips such as not opening the door to strangers.
As they were going downstairs with the children, Shen Wan happened to return.
"Call Mom to come eat."
Jiang Yu was serving rice to everyone when, amidst her busy work, she spoke to the man.
"Mom was worried that we younger generation wouldn't feel comfortable with her here, so she went to the neighbor's house. We'll leave her some food later."
Shen Ying took the woman's rice bowl and placed it on the table. He then turned to take a spoon to help Jiang Yu scoop rice.
"We'll do it ourselves, we'll do it ourselves."
Bai Chen reacted quickly, making a move to snatch it, but the man suddenly said:
"Stop fighting over it. You're the biggest contributor to the construction of this house. I'll treat you to another meal at the state-run restaurant after I pay the bill."
"Forget it, the food at the state-run restaurant can't compare to your cooking. Just come over to our place and eat. Don't waste your money."
Everyone at the table burst into laughter. After a few rounds of eating, Shen Ying opened the wine and filled it to the brim. Seeing that Bai Chen really didn't drink, Jiang Yu went to the kitchen and brought out some freshly brewed plum juice.
"Hey, Ying-ge, you brought the chocolate back?"
Bai Chen stared at the man in disbelief when he saw the Dove chocolate box under the table. He remembered that this chocolate was a gift from Deng Wei, wasn't it? Besides, Shen Ying had already returned it. How come it was still at home? Did he secretly accept it again?
"It was given to you by your sister-in-law's clothing factory."
Shen Ying, worried about being misunderstood, explained.
"Wait a minute, Dove chocolate isn't cheap, and it has a rather special meaning. Which garment factory does your sister-in-law work in? She gets such high-class benefits."
At the end, Bai Chen grimaced as Liu Cui grabbed his hand under the table, signaling him to shut up. She could tell that the young master of the Su family treated Jiang Yu differently, and she also knew that A Yu's focus was entirely on her career and family.
Of course, Liu Cui never mentioned anything about her and the young master of the Su family, so Bai Chen had no idea what was going on.
"Qingyun Garment Factory".
Jiang Yu was frank. In her view, it was just a workplace, nothing to hide.
"That really does deserve such benefits. Qingyun Garment Factory is the largest wholesale market in the city. But our army is not inferior either. Just a few days ago, they also distributed chocolates, but Brother Ying declined, saying he wasn't used to eating this kind of thing."
While showering Bai Chen with praise, he didn't forget to smooth things over, saying that there were no admirers giving gifts, it was all a perk from the military.
......
After a hearty meal and drinks, he saw Bai Chen and Liu Cui off and returned to his bedroom. Shen Ying lay on the bed, completely drunk.
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