“I have something to do outside, and it’s inconvenient for you to come with me.” Xu Ruantang didn’t want to have too much contact with her. Besides the incident that day, another reason was that she was close to Cheng Dan.
Li Shuhe, oblivious to everything, saw it all clearly: Cheng Dan's face was practically green with envy. It was clearly Li Shuhe who was clinging to her, yet she was acting as if she had stolen Cheng Dan's man.
They have such a strong sense of territory; they're practically marking off their land with their urine.
It would be best if she were not involved in their past grievances.
As she was speaking, Xu Ruantang was about to go into the courtyard to close the gate, but Li Shuhe, that girl, was also a bit of a rascal and squeezed right in.
She had barely squeezed the door open with her bottom when she heard a familiar male voice, "Shuhe? Cheng Dan? What are you doing here?"
The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw three people standing not far away. One of them was a young man with gentle features and a sharp, angular face.
The more Xu Ruantang looked at this gentlemanly and upright man, the more familiar he seemed. After a few more glances, she suddenly realized that he was none other than a gentler version of Chen Ji!
They looked about 80% alike, but their temperaments were completely different. Chen Ji was aloof and ascetic, while the man in front of them was a gentleman, gentle and refined.
Standing next to him was a young woman with a gentle expression, a refined and intelligent lady from a well-to-do family, dressed very appropriately.
The two men were supporting an elderly woman. When they didn't speak, they looked very dignified. Xu Ruantang glanced at them and immediately thought of the rulers of the old society and the old matriarchs of ancient times.
She didn't know who these people were, and stood still.
Cheng Dan quickly went to greet her, her earlier manipulative demeanor completely gone. She smiled gently and sweetly, saying affectionately to the old woman, "Grandma, why did you come in person?"
She then greeted the other two with a smile: "Sister Tang Wan, Brother Chen Zheng, aren't you at work today?"
"No, we came with Grandma to see Chen Ji." The girl named Tang Wan smiled gently and spoke softly.
Unlike Cheng Dan, who seemed to be doing it on purpose, she gave people a very comfortable feeling.
"Chen Ji isn't home. He shouldn't be back until tomorrow or the day after." Although Xu Ruantang didn't know who they were, as Chen Ji's apparent family member, she naturally had to say something.
The three looked over, and Cheng Dan smiled and said, "Grandma, this is Xu Ruantang, Comrade Xu."
"What are you here for?"
The old man finally spoke, glancing directly at Cheng Dan, his tone somewhat cold.
Cheng Dan's smile froze for a moment, and she quickly explained, "We came to see Comrade Xu. Chen Ji isn't home, and we thought it must be hard for her to take care of the child alone, so we came to see if there's anything we can help with."
Li Shuhe was a little afraid of the old lady. Since she was a child, she had never seen a smile on the old lady's face. She always looked like someone owed her a lot of money.
She remained silent for a while, but upon hearing Cheng Dan's words, she couldn't help but frown. Wasn't Cheng Dan lying? They had clearly come to cause trouble for Xu Ruantang, and although they hadn't, lying was still wrong...
She felt a strange sensation rising within her as she watched him speak so calmly without blushing or skipping a beat.
The old lady ignored her and walked towards Xu Ruantang step by step.
A glint of excitement flashed in Cheng Dan's eyes. The old lady used to be someone everyone in the compound feared. It seems that evil people will eventually be punished by heaven.
"So you're the wife my stepson married?" The old lady looked Xu Ruantang up and down, her words devoid of any unnecessary nuance.
Xu Ruantang nodded readily, "Yes, may I ask who you are?"
To this day, she still doesn't understand why these people, one generation after another, sprout up like leeks without any warning.
Is Chen Ji well-liked in the compound? Yesterday it was an old man, today it's an old woman, and they all call Chen Ji "Ji'er"?
Tsk tsk.
"Comrade Xu, don't you know?" Cheng Dan asked in surprise. "These are Chen Ji's elder brother, sister-in-law, and grandmother."
She thought Chen Ji was very kind to this country girl, but it turned out he never even considered introducing her to his family!
She looks so clueless; she seems really silly.
Xu Ruantang: "......"
She knew that matchmakers' words had never been trusted since ancient times, but were they really that untrustworthy?
With everything in black and white, aren't the matchmakers afraid of being beaten?
What happened to the promise of no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, and no sisters-in-law/relatives?!
How did so many people suddenly appear out of nowhere?! Even bamboo shoots after a spring rain don't grow this long.
"Hello, please come in and have a seat."
Xu Ruantang really couldn't greet her warmly, after all, she was still in a daze of being deceived, and it was already good enough that she could keep smiling.
The old lady gave Ruan Tang a deep look, said nothing more, and went into the courtyard first.
Tang Wan and Chen Zheng followed behind, carrying various things in their hands, including fruits, meat, and even pastries and candies.
"Sister-in-law, we came in a hurry and didn't buy much. Please accept these first. If you need anything, just tell your sister-in-law."
Tang Wan smiled and said to Xu Ruantang, then whispered in her ear when no one was looking, "Don't be afraid. Grandma may seem stern, but she's actually a very nice person. She won't make things difficult for us younger generation without reason. She's just angry with Chen Ji right now."
Just agree to whatever she says. Don't worry, your sister-in-law will protect Grandma.
Tang Wan is just as her name suggests. She exudes a gentle temperament from the inside out, and her words have a magical quality that can instantly soothe agitated moods.
Xu Ruantang pursed her lips. "Okay, thank you, sister-in-law."
A woman like that, she'd like any man, let alone a man!
This is the true white moonlight. Cheng Dan has such an example by her side, but she hasn't learned even a fraction of its essence.
This kind of thing is probably innate; it can't be imitated. It will only make you look weird.
Cheng Dan was completely oblivious to what they were saying, her mind and attention were entirely focused on the old lady. As soon as the old lady entered the house, she quickly followed her in.
Perhaps the old lady is her only hope for the future.
Her heart, which had been dead, began to ignite a small flame called hope.
"Grandma, please sit down. I'll go pour you some tea."
Cheng Dan was very outgoing and acted more like a hostess than Xu Ruantang, the hostess herself.
Xu Ruantang didn't pay any attention to her. Since guests had arrived, she was the one who would have to do this job, but now that someone was volunteering to do it, she was happy to accept.
Why would anyone be eager to do a job that involves serving others?
"Is this Xiao Xu?" The old lady sat down and looked up at Xu Ruantang, who was standing to the side.
Xu Ruantang nodded, "Yes."
"Why don't you call me Grandma?" The old lady looked serious, as if she was in a bad mood.
Xu Ruantang blinked. "I don't dare."
She spoke frankly, saying that if she really did call her that, the old lady would say, just like in the TV dramas, "Who told you to call me grandma? Our Chen family has never said we want to recognize a granddaughter-in-law like you!"
Wouldn't that make her even more embarrassed?
Cheng Dan brought out the water and was happy to see this scene, but she kept her composure. "Grandma, Comrade Xiao Xu just came from the countryside and doesn't know our local customs. Don't be angry with her. Drink some water first to soothe your throat."
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