Lin Qilan fell silent.
If this really reached Old Master Zhou’s ears, he would only blame her for speaking improperly. He might even blame Zhou Zhishu for not going to pick Meng Jixue up early enough.
Zhou Zhishu had originally wanted to leave early, but Lin Qilan felt that her son shouldn’t seem too eager. Her plan was to make Meng Jixue wait a little before having him show up to pick her up. That way, wouldn’t Meng Jixue be even more touched by how thoughtful Zhou Zhishu was?
She just hadn’t expected Meng Jixue to come alone without even considering waiting for Zhou Zhishu.
Lin Qilan felt a little sorry that her son had made the trip for nothing in the middle of heavy snow, but she didn’t dare show Meng Jixue any real displeasure, afraid that she might complain to Old Master Zhou. She could only force a smile.
“Third Aunt isn’t blaming you. You’ve misunderstood me. I’m actually very happy that you came today. I bought quite a bit of meat and vegetables early this morning, planning to make some of your favorite dishes for you. Ah, it’s so cold outside, so don’t stand out here any longer. You’re dressed so lightly too. Come inside quickly.”
Just as she finished speaking, a voice came from inside.
“Is that Jixue? Grandpa has been waiting for you for quite a while. Why are you still standing outside? You’re wearing so little. Aren’t you afraid of catching a chill?”
Meng Jixue had barely turned her head when the woman who had spoken appeared in front of her. She warmly took Meng Jixue’s hand, smiling brightly and looking extremely amiable.
This was Guo Huixiu, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family’s eldest branch. She was thirty years old and worked as a university lecturer. She usually enjoyed reading and writing, but most of the Zhou family members were rough and ready military men. After marrying into the family, she discovered that there was also Meng Jixue. Although Meng Jixue was much younger, she was exceptionally talented in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The two often discussed literature and the arts, so naturally, they had a lot in common.
After hearing Old Master Zhou mention last night that he intended to find a husband for Meng Jixue, Guo Huixiu immediately became interested.
Old Master Zhou, Zhou Yuande, and his wife, Li Xiufang, had nine children in total, five sons and four daughters.
The five sons had each gone on to establish their own branches of the family. The eldest branch alone, led by Zhou Zhenguo, had three sons and one daughter. Guo Huixiu was the wife of Zhou Zhenguo’s eldest son, Zhou Weihua. Although their marriage had been something of a political alliance, the two had developed a good relationship after marriage.
Guo Huixiu thought it would be wonderful if Meng Jixue could become her sister-in-law. After all, Zhou Weihua still had two younger brothers.
One was Zhou Weidong, twenty-six years old, and the other was Zhou Weicheng, twenty-two.
There was no need to mention Zhou Weidong, he was already married. As for Zhou Weicheng, although he hadn’t achieved much, he was quite good looking. He currently held a relatively idle position in the military’s cultural troupe, and he could more or less be considered a match for Meng Jixue.
Though only barely.
If Meng Jixue weren’t currently in such urgent need of a marriage, Guo Huixiu, even as his own sister-in-law, couldn’t bring herself to say against her conscience that Zhou Weicheng was good enough for Meng Jixue.
Seeing Guo Huixiu, Meng Jixue was also delighted.
“Sister-in-law, I haven’t seen you in so long. We must have a good chat today.”
In her previous life, the two of them had also gotten along well. Unfortunately, when Meng Jixue chose to raise her adopted son instead of going to college, Guo Huixiu couldn’t understand her decision. Their relationship gradually faded after that.
Thinking about it now, Guo Huixiu had simply been disappointed that she hadn’t lived up to her potential.
After all, their friendship had been built entirely on their shared love of literature and the arts. Once Guo Huixiu saw how different Meng Jixue had become, her disappointment and heartache over her choices had made it impossible for their relationship to return to what it once was.
But now, Meng Jixue had been reborn. She still had a chance to salvage this friendship.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked inside, completely ignoring Lin Qilan.
This left Lin Qilan even more frustrated.
Once they entered the living room, they saw Old Master Zhou coming out.
The moment he saw Meng Jixue, the old man happily walked over and took her hand, smiling warmly.
“It’s good that you’ve come, it’s good that you’ve come. You must have gotten cold, didn’t you? I was actually thinking of asking your Brother Weihua to drive over and pick you up, but your Third Aunt said Zhishu had gone to pick you up. How come it’s just you? Where’s Zhishu?”
Lin Qilan’s heart tightened, and she suddenly had a bad feeling. She instinctively wanted to step forward and smooth things over.
But it was already too late.
Meng Jixue looked at Old Master Zhou, and her entire demeanor suddenly became like that of someone who had done something wrong. Even her voice dropped a little.
“Grandpa, it’s all my fault. Brother Zhishu didn’t tell me what time he would come to pick me up yesterday. I waited and waited, thinking perhaps I’d heard him wrong. But I was also eager to come see you, so I decided to come here on my own first. I didn’t expect to make Brother Zhishu’s trip for nothing. Third Aunt already scolded me at the gate just now. Please scold me too, Grandpa.”