Tang Huan got home after school and, from a distance, saw a dark cluster outside the gate. When she got closer, she realized it was three huge black dogs—each one more intimidating than the last.
Not only did she stop walking home, but before she even reached the gate, the dogs were already barking at her.
She froze in place and didn’t dare move forward, afraid the dogs might break free from their leashes.
Why were there so many dogs at their house?
Inside the courtyard, Chen Cui heard the barking and called out toward the gate, “Little Huan~ is that you coming back?”
These three fierce “beasts” that Meng Zeyan had brought home even made Chen Cui nervous. Every time they barked outside, she would call out again.
“It’s me, Mom~” Tang Huan answered from outside, carefully inching herself toward the wall while being stared down by the three dogs.
“Wait a moment, I’ll come out to get you right away!”
Once she heard it was Tang Huan, Chen Cui hurried inside to call for Meng Zeyan, telling him to quickly take the dogs away so they wouldn’t scare her daughter-in-law.
The dogs were needed again tomorrow, and Meng Zeyan didn’t feel like sending them back tonight, so he kept them at home for one night. But after being overly excited in the afternoon, the three dogs were still hyped up and barked at anyone they saw.
Tang Huan crouched by the wall waiting for her mother-in-law to come out.
The dogs had been raised very well—strong, well-fed, and with glossy coats. They looked extremely imposing.
The three imposing dogs stared at her, while she huddled miserably against the wall, not daring to make any sudden movement in case they thought she was provoking them.
Meng Zeyan came out and scanned the area before finally finding her crouched by the wall.
She looked like a little pitiful thing who had been bullied.
He led the three dogs to the side and smiled at her. “Get up and go inside first. Don’t worry, they don’t bite.”
Tang Huan stood up but didn’t even bother speaking to him. She ran into the courtyard as fast as she had ever run in her life.
This time, she didn’t even walk crooked.
After putting her schoolbag away in her room, she went straight to the kitchen to find her mother-in-law. She needed to ask what those dogs were for.
Was her brother-in-law planning to raise dogs at home?
Chen Cui didn’t know any more than she did. Seeing her fear, she lowered her voice and said, “Mom won’t let him keep them here. I’m scared of them too. His unit already has housing prepared for him—if he wants to keep dogs, he can take them there.”
After being transferred to this military unit, Meng Zeyan was assigned accommodation according to his rank, but he hadn’t officially moved in yet.
Tang Huan nodded and stayed in the kitchen chatting with her mother-in-law, helping a bit by peeling garlic and cutting scallions.
Old Meng came back from work and also got startled by the three dogs, though he wasn’t as afraid and even thought they were quite impressive.
At dinner, Chen Cui specifically told Meng Zeyan that the dogs couldn’t stay at home. If he really wanted to keep them, he should move them out.
Meng Zeyan smiled. “Mom, I’m not keeping them. I’ll send them back to Liang Zi in a couple of days.”
After dealing with Liang Erban, he would return them.
Meng Qinghe quite liked the dogs. “Why not keep one for guarding the house?”
Chen Cui glanced at the gate where the three dogs were and shook her head. “No, if it runs, neither I nor Little Huan could hold it back. Why don’t we ask Liang Zi if he has smaller puppies? We could bring one back instead.”
The couple discussed dogs while Tang Huan quietly ate. The braised pork ribs with dried beans that Chen Cui made today were especially delicious—rich, savory, and tender, with the beans soaked in meat flavor.
Thinking of how pitiful she had looked earlier, Meng Zeyan spoke to Meng Qinghe. “The dogs from Liang Zi’s place are all this big. It’s not safe for my mom to keep them.”
“Then forget it. Don’t keep any dogs,” Meng Qinghe agreed after hearing this.
The topic of dogs ended there.
Then Chen Cui suddenly remembered something from the shoe shop earlier that day—she hadn’t had the chance to ask because her son had left quickly.
“Zeyan, what did you think of that girl we saw this morning at the shoe store?”
The girl selling shoes?
Meng Zeyan pretended not to understand. “What about her? Did the shoes not fit right?”
Chen Cui immediately got annoyed at how clueless he was. She had practically spelled it out, and he still didn’t get it!
So she said it more directly. “What do you think of her? Do you like her? I can ask the matchmaker to arrange another meeting.”
Tang Huan, who had been happily eating, immediately slowed down her movements at this explosive topic.
She secretly looked up at Meng Zeyan.
In the past, when she suggested he go on blind dates to find her a sister-in-law, her brother had always been very resistant, saying she was underestimating his charm.
Just then, Meng Zeyan caught her little movement completely. Their eyes met.
Tang Huan quickly looked away.
Was there anything more embarrassing than being caught eavesdropping?
Only then did Meng Zeyan realize that Chen Cui had taken him along this morning with matchmaking intentions in mind. He clarified calmly, “Mom, I don’t have any plans to get married for now.”
The atmosphere at the table instantly grew heavy.
Whether the old couple lost their appetite, Tang Huan didn’t know—but her own food suddenly didn’t taste as good either.
Meng Qinghe, usually a reasonable man, couldn’t help but get annoyed. If he were twenty-one or twenty-two, they wouldn’t rush him. But he was already twenty-eight—almost thirty—and still not even dating anyone!
After a long silence, Meng Zeyan finally nodded.
“Alright. I’ll get married before I turn thirty.”
From his perspective, he had never lacked women who showed interest in him, but he always found it troublesome. He had no intention of investing unnecessary emotions into anyone else.
Hearing him “give in to reality,” Tang Huan silently calculated his remaining time.
He was twenty-eight. That meant two years left until thirty—but more than half of this year had already passed, so realistically he only had about one year and three months left.
One year and three months to find someone and get married—it sounded doable.
Good luck to him!
For the old couple, his agreement was a victory. Chen Cui’s mood immediately brightened again and started chatting with Tang Huan about the shoes they had bought earlier.
After dinner, Chen Cui handed the two pairs of shoes to Tang Huan so she could try them on. They had already been chosen according to her size, but they weren’t sure if she would like them.
Tang Huan took them back to her room, first tried on the sneakers, then went out to show her mother-in-law. After that, she changed into the leather shoes and showed her again.
“Both look good. Little Huan looks good in everything~” Chen Cui praised with a smile. “It’s mainly because our Little Huan is pretty.”
Being praised so directly made Tang Huan blush, her eyes curved with happiness.
After trying on the shoes, she returned to her room to do homework. There wasn’t much today, but she planned to write an English tutoring guide for Feng Sisi.
Feng Sisi’s foundation was too weak. Aside from the most basic knowledge, she would need to go through everything step by step.