The old lady usually looks kind and friendly, but when her face darkens, she can be quite frightening.
For a moment, everyone at the table was as quiet as chickens.
Xu Ruantang secretly glanced at Chen Ji, who was feeding Xiao Bao porridge with a blank expression, as if this scene was commonplace.
This is a matter concerning the old lady's second son, and no one except the parties involved has offered any opinions.
After the old lady finished speaking, Chen Gang finally put down his chopsticks.
Despite being scolded by his elderly mother in front of so many people, Chen Gang remained calm and composed.
He maintained a faint smile and gently helped the old lady up, saying, "Mom, everyone's eating. What if you scare the children like this?"
"Are you full? Come on, let your son take you for a walk to digest your food."
Everyone knew what Chen Gang meant; he wanted to talk to the old lady privately about having children.
The old lady knew perfectly well what kind of person her own son was.
If it weren't for the fear that Jia Shuling would be unreliable after her death, leaving her second son all alone, the old lady wouldn't have wanted to put so much pressure on him.
The second child has always been the most well-behaved and sensible child in the family. From childhood to adulthood, she not only didn't need to worry about him, but he also helped her a lot.
The old lady has always had a hurdle in her heart that she can't get over. Over the years, it's been like a thorn stuck in her heart. As long as her second son doesn't have children, this thorn will always remain.
At that time, Chen Lin and Chen Gang were still young, and the old lady took them to live in Dahe Village.
When a beggar passed by the door, the old lady kindly gave him two steamed buns made from two kinds of flour.
As a result, the beggar claimed that he could tell fortunes and said that his family was destined to be wealthy and powerful in the future.
The old lady simply took it as a blessing from someone giving her steamed buns.
Who knew that when the man saw Chen Gang, he changed the subject, saying, "Your family only has one son per generation, this child is an extra one."
The old woman was furious and chased the beggar away, cursing and swearing.
"This child was lucky to be alive. He'll never have any children; he's destined to be a lone star. We should treat him well and let him do whatever he wants!"
After the beggar finished speaking, perhaps knowing he would be beaten, he limped away quickly.
The old lady hadn't taken this matter to heart at first.
She started to panic when her eldest and third sons were born, but her second son was still not married.
So when Chen Gang wanted to marry Jia Shuling, who was so much younger than him, the old lady gritted her teeth and said nothing, even though she knew Jia was no good person and not a good woman for marriage.
At that time, she thought that as long as the child was happy and the two of them were doing well, that was enough.
The old lady was already prepared to divide the family property.
The man's words were like a thunderbolt, always hanging over the old lady's head, ready to strike at any moment.
She and Chen Gang sat in the backyard. The old lady held her son's hand, sighed, and said earnestly, "Second son, I don't have many days left to live. The thought of leaving you all alone makes me feel like I can't even close my eyes in peace when I die."
"Mom, what are you saying? I've done the math, and I predict you'll live to be at least a hundred!"
Chen Gang gently patted the old lady's back to help her catch her breath, saying, "I'll listen to you about having a baby. Shuling and I will definitely try our best."
He had a smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
The old lady's tone softened: "Second son, you insisted on marrying her back then. Now that you're married, just live a good life together."
Xiao Bao is so funny. He gets sleepy while eating, so he sits on Chen Ji's lap and nods his head little by little.
Still trying to persevere.
A smile played on his lips, and he smacked his lips every now and then.
Xu Ruantang and Chen Ji exchanged a glance. "Holding her and coaxing her will make her fall asleep in no time."
Chen Ji scooped up Xiao Bao and let the child lean on his shoulder in a smooth, effortless motion.
Before Xiao Bao could wake up, he closed his eyes again and drifted off to sleep.
After the child fell asleep, they didn't stay at the Chen family's house any longer.
Chen Ji carried the baby, while Xu Ruantang pushed her stroller back.
Even though Xu Ruantang was full, she didn't dare put down her chopsticks at dinner because of the old lady's commotion.
She kept her head down, drinking her porridge, and before she knew it, she had eaten quite a lot.
Does your second uncle always pressure your grandmother to have a baby whenever he comes back?
Xu Ruantang turned her head to look at Chen Ji, her voice slurred and slow due to her fainting.
Looking at her dazed expression, Chen Ji smiled slightly and said, "Well, he only comes back once or twice a year."
Xu Ruantang tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Then they've been separated for far too long."
Not to mention these days, it won't be common even in the future.
What normal couple could endure this, especially without children?
Besides, Jia Shuling is quite strange. If she married her second uncle for power, why did she go and seduce Lu Shishen after the marriage?
Can Lu Shishen still have as much power as the Chen family?
"What's wrong?" Chen Ji couldn't help but ask when he saw her frowning and looking troubled.
Xu Ruantang pursed her lips, her eyes darting around. "Why do I feel like your second uncle and Jia Shuling are more like having a marriage of convenience?"
Chen Gang is a gentleman and refined, and although Jia Shuling is foolish in her actions, she is not stupid.
The main reason is that Xu Ruantang can see that Jia Shuling doesn't really like Lu Shishen that much.
The way she looked at Lu Shishen was not as affectionate as the way she looked at Chen Gang.
The look in your eyes, revealed unintentionally, is the most telling.
Chen Ji paused slightly, then quickly lifted his eyelids to glance over, his voice low and playful: "Second Aunt doesn't have your clever mind, nor your cunning."
Xu Ruantang's lips twitched, and she reached out to pinch Chen Ji's ear.
"Cunning and scheming?" She pinched and rubbed Chen Ji's earlobe.
As evening fell, the clouds on the horizon turned fiery red, and darkness descended.
Chen Ji's ears turned red at a visible speed.
"What, are you going to bring up old grievances with me now?"
Xu Ruantang raised an eyebrow.
Chen Ji had the nerve to mention that he had tricked and coaxed her into destroying the agreement while she was not fully conscious.
The way he was talking made it sound like she had lied to him.
"No." Chen Ji's eyebrows relaxed, and he said calmly, "Logically speaking, Second Uncle watched us grow up, so it's the least likely that he would develop feelings for her."
"How so?"
Chen Ji held Xiao Bao in one arm and used his free hand to ruffle Xu Ruantang's hair.
She only let go when she started to stop her, on the verge of exploding, and said with a light laugh, "If I liked someone, I would have liked them long ago. We see each other all the time, and feelings of love don't just appear out of nowhere."
It wasn't that there weren't people who hit it off in the compound, but most of them were childhood sweethearts who had feelings for each other since they were young.
Men's perceptions differ from women's.
Chen Ji believes that there is no reason why someone who is always around you could suddenly become someone you didn't like before.
A man at eighteen might be considered naive, but at twenty-eight or thirty-eight, it's impossible for him not to know what he wants.
Either there's a specific purpose behind it, or it's a compromise where neither side can find the optimal solution.
But my second uncle was clearly not the latter.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be so old and still unmarried.
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