"So, you’re going to leave me behind? Why didn’t you buy me a train ticket too?"
Qin Miaomiao leveled an indignant question at her parents.
’Are *they* the only ones who are curious and eager to meet their daughter-in-law? Don’t *I* want to meet my sister-in-law and nephew?’
Mrs. Qin didn’t pay her any mind.
She answered casually, "Don’t you have work?"
Qin Miaomiao’s face stiffened. "I can take time off, you know."
Mr. Qin immediately disagreed.
"Absolutely not. You have to take your job seriously. You can’t just take time off whenever you feel like it."
Qin Miaomiao: ...
’She knew it. Her dad was such a stickler.’
Still, she tried to bargain, holding up one finger. "Just this once."
Mr. Qin’s voice grew a little sterner. "Not even once. Isn’t your troupe scheduled to perform for the military? You can’t miss that."
Mrs. Qin chimed in at that moment. "Just skip it this time. You can go see them another time. Of course, as their aunt, you can give your sister-in-law and little nephew some money in a red envelope."
Qin Miaomiao thought that was a reasonable compromise.
Since she couldn’t go in person, she would just have to send a welcoming gift first.
"How much should I give?"
Mrs. Qin shot her a sidelong glance. "If you’ve got the money, then give a generous amount. Don’t be stingy."
As it happened, Qin Miaomiao did have some money saved up.
After all, she had barely spent any of the money her relatives had given her growing up.
On top of that, she had saved a decent amount from her salary over the last six months.
"Alright."
Just then, the phone rang.
Mrs. Qin reacted instantly. "I’ll get it."
She snatched up the receiver and immediately demanded, "Qin Zhicheng, is that you?"
Qin Zhicheng: ...?
’Something’s wrong with Mom’s tone.’
His dark eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems someone already told you the good news."
His words only made Mrs. Qin angrier.
"You little bastard! You don’t tell us about something as huge as getting married, and now that your wife has had a baby, you don’t even tell us right away! Are you asking for your father to take his belt to you?"
Qin Zhicheng’s eyes flickered.
"What do you mean I didn’t tell you I got married? Didn’t I tell you I’d gotten my marriage license when I called you that time? You’re the ones who didn’t believe me, so who’s really to blame here?"
Mrs. Qin felt like she was going to have a stroke.
"You call *that* telling us? All you said was one single phrase—’I got it.’ How was anyone supposed to know what that even meant?"
"And another thing! For something as major as a wedding, shouldn’t there have been a bride price or something?"
They had wanted to ask for details back then, but he was constantly on missions and impossible to contact.
It had been almost a year, and this was only the second time he had called.
Qin Zhicheng: ...?
’I said I got married—how is that not obvious?’
"The bride price can be sent late. You can just arrange for it later."
Mrs. Qin: ...?
’Is this really just about the bride price?’
’We, the parents, didn’t even show up. What must our daughter-in-law’s family think of us?’
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her anger.
"Let’s put the marriage aside for a moment. Your wife was pregnant and gave birth—that’s a huge deal. Why didn’t you tell the family sooner? What is she supposed to think of us? She’s going to think we don’t welcome her."
’He handles everything else so well. Why is he acting like a complete idiot when it comes to major life events?’
She felt that their son had completely ruined their reputation as in-laws.
’Does our daughter-in-law think we’re incredibly difficult to get along with?’
’Does she think we’re against her marrying into the Qin family?’
Qin Zhicheng: ...?
’Could he tell them he hadn’t known much longer than they did?’
"She wouldn’t think that."