Father-in-law, I’ve had my eye on your daughter-in-law for a while now!
Meng Mian had only recently woken up, her vision still blurry, and she almost lost her temper. Luckily, she had recognized Zhong Lingyu beforehand.
She immediately laughed, “Isn’t this my ‘son’? Why aren’t you calling me ‘Mom’ anymore?”
For some reason, Meng Mian quite enjoyed teasing this kid.
Zhong Lingyu had no idea his mother-in-law was joking. If emojis were readily available in real life, he would definitely hold up a crying cat emoji, looking weak, helpless, and pitiful.
“If you wish, I have no problem with that.”
Zhong Lingyu put on a polite and appropriate smile.
No matter how chaotic the situation, he wouldn’t truly be at a loss.
Meng Mian indeed stopped trying to scare Zhong Lingyu.
“What, you know Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng?”
“To be honest, they’re my cousins. I heard they stayed up late watching dramas, so I was a little angry. I didn’t know you were in the room; I didn’t mean to disturb your rest.”
Song Qing rolled over on the sofa, pulled the covers up, and sat up. “Mom, you don’t know, my eldest brother is like a father to Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng. He’s been doing his best to discipline them, even in place of their parents. I’m always so touched.”
Zhong Lingyu gave Song Qing an approving look.
Meng Mian hadn’t expected Zhong Lingyu and Zhong Xin/Zhong Cheng to have this kind of relationship, and was momentarily surprised; “So that’s how it is…”
Song Qing continued, “Zhong Lingyu’s hobby is managing people, and I like being managed—managed to eat, to stay, to eat, and most importantly, to eat! Zhong Lingyu is the best person I’ve ever met. He’s always asking me if I’m full, if I want anything else… So, Zhong and I are like a perfect match; it’s just perfect. It would be a shame not to call each other brothers!”
Zhong Lingyu almost instinctively wanted to silently mourn for Song Qing: Brother, we can talk about this privately.
Sure enough, the next moment, he saw Meng Mian turn around with a fierce look in her eyes: “Do you want me to teach you a lesson?”
Song Qing immediately fell silent, fiddling with his fingers.
When Song Chan opened the door to call Meng Mian for breakfast, she saw Zhong Lingyu there, and the feeling from yesterday’s dream flashed through her mind, causing her body to stiffen inexplicably.
Coming to her senses, she found Zhong Lingyu smiling and greeting her, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Zhong.” Then, slightly stammering, she changed the subject, asking Meng Mian, “When will Dad be back today?”
Meng Mian walked towards the opposite door: “He said he’ll be coming back together in your aunt’s car.”
The mother and daughter went back inside to get steamed buns. Song Qing went to help, and as she passed Zhong Lingyu, she asked with a grin, “Brother, want to eat something?”
Zhong Lingyu shook his head and declined, “I’ve already eaten before coming.”
As Song Qing walked forward, Zhong Lingyu swiftly grabbed Zhong Xin, who had just been using Song Qing as cover to escape.
Without a word, Zhong Lingyu tossed Zhong Xin into the rented room behind him.
The rented apartment was empty. Zhong Xin stood in the middle of the living room, feigning tears, “Daddy hit me! Mommy, save me! Waaaaah!”
Zhong Lingyu wasn’t buying it. “You didn’t tell me your grandma was home?”
Zhong Xin: “I didn’t want to talk to you when I had diarrhea.”
Zhong Lingyu: “You didn’t mention a word about going to your grandparents’ house for dinner this weekend.”
Zhong Xin: “That’s great, then you won’t have to cook for us.”
Zhong Lingyu spread her hands. “Look at me, empty-handed, going to see your grandparents who are barely even a couple yet. Aren’t you sad for me?” “Your own daughter?”
Zhong Xin: “That’s not quite right. Those are your future in-laws, who are practically family now, but they’re my future maternal grandparents. You didn’t see how much Grandma dotes on me.”
Zhong Lingyu: “You know how to comfort people.”
Zhong Xin: “Aren’t you good at making heart shapes with your hands? Go in and make a heart shape for each of them. You weren’t empty-handed; your hands were clearly full of hearts!”
“Great, how come I didn’t think of that? Thumbs up!” Zhong Lingyu tapped Zhong Xin’s head with her knuckles. Zhong Xin clutched her head, feeling a headache as if she’d been hit by a meteorite. Before she could even perform, Zhong Lingyu shoved a few bills into her hand.
“Go downstairs to the premium fruit shop and buy some.”
“Then I want the expensive stuff!”
“Whatever!”
Zhong Xin grumbled as she went downstairs, clutching the bills. The consequences of her foolishness were finally coming.
=
Meng Mian had been busy all morning, buying groceries and cooking. After several dishes were ready, she waited for her sister-in-law’s family to arrive for dinner. She had called several times, but they hadn’t said when they would come. Finally, in the late afternoon, Song Chan’s father, Song Zhen, returned alone.
Meng Mian leaned against the doorframe, staring out for a long time. Seeing no one else, she asked Song Zhen, “Where’s my sister-in-law? Didn’t you say you were coming with them?”
Song Zhen was washing his face in the kitchen. “She said she’d come this afternoon.”
Meng Mian: “Did something urgent come up?”
Song Zhen smiled. “They said it was too early to get up.”
Meng Mian immediately got angry. “Why didn’t they say so earlier? Why did I go through all this trouble preparing this whole table of food!”
Song Zhen said nonchalantly, “You’re not a chef at a restaurant. It’s just a few dishes, nothing fancy. Besides, what can I do if they can’t get up?”
Meng Mian was exhausted after a whole morning and had no energy left to argue. She called Song Chan and Song Qing out. “Get ready, let’s eat.”
Song Qing and Song Chan had already overheard the conversation in their room and obediently set out the dishes.
Song Zhen came out, picked out a plate of braised fish to take away, but Meng Mian glared at him: “What are you doing? Put it down!”
Song Zhen was bewildered. “Didn’t you say you work hard cooking? I just wanted to take a few dishes, so you wouldn’t have to cook again when my sister comes over tonight.”
Sometimes, Meng Mian really wanted to strangle Song Zhen. Her husband only cared about his own family: “Today, we have more than just your sister as guests.”
Song Qing, always quick-witted in special situations, quickly called over the three members of the Zhong family across the street. “Dad, these are my sister and my classmates, they live right across the street.”
Song Zhen was about to explode, but afraid of losing face in front of the younger generation, he could only force a smile and welcome them, “Since they’re classmates…” “Hurry up and sit down to eat.”
Zhong Cheng came out of the kitchen and placed a plate of sliced yellow peaches in front of Song Zhen. “These are the King of Peaches from Xinjiang, refreshing and soft. Please try them.”
Song Zhen, who had been holding a grudge, brightened up at the mention of his favorite peaches. “I have to try them!”
He forked a slice and put it in his mouth. The honey-sweet juice immediately refreshed him. “I haven’t tasted such authentic yellow peaches since I returned to Yecheng!”
Song Zhen’s father had served in the army in Xinjiang, where Song Zhen had eaten many fruits. Later, they moved to Yecheng, and the taste of his childhood seemed sealed away in a corner of his turbulent life, occasionally bringing a mix of nostalgia and regret.
Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng, of course, knew what their grandfather loved to eat. Every gift they gave was a thoughtful touch.
Zhong Xin immediately raised her hand: “I went to great lengths to get the fruit shop owner to bring out his prized possession, which he was keeping for himself, to sell!”
Song Zhen was overjoyed: “This yellow peach is a prized possession in Yecheng, but it’s everywhere in my hometown, hahaha!”
“My cousins, to say the least, have never made a mistake in choosing things,” Zhong Lingyu said, pouring Song Zhen a glass of baijiu (Chinese white liquor).
Song Zhen wrinkled his nose and widened his eyes. “What’s this?”
Zhong Lingyu: “Homemade sorghum liquor.”
Song Zhen downed the glass; it was incredibly smooth, and he gave a thumbs up.
Compared to the liquor, the yellow peach could only take a backseat.
Seeing her father looking ecstatic, Song Qing unconsciously smacked her lips. “Is it really that good? I want to try some!”
Meng Mian slapped her hand, making it turn red. “You want to drink everything? Want to suck on some rat poison?”
Song Qing: “But my little brain seems to have no room to develop anymore, so drinking doesn’t seem to have much of a problem.”
Zhong Xin, Zhong Cheng, and Zhong Lingyu coaxed Song Zhen, completely dispelling his earlier displeasure. Now he looked radiant and beaming.
Song Zhen, when happy, loves to talk, and when he talks, his emotional intelligence is revealed—he’s definitely not an enlightened parent, and he likes to throw out some potentially disastrous questions at dinner parties.
“You two were siblings?”
Zhong Lingyu corrected, “We’re cousins. I’m their older cousin, and Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng are twins.”
Song Zhen: “So, Lingyu, you’re their only child?”
Zhong Lingyu nodded, “Yes, Uncle.”
Song Zhen: “What do your parents do for a living?”
Zhong Lingyu: “Just ordinary business people.”
Song Chan, listening nearby, felt incredibly awkward. She thought to herself, “Is her father checking her background? Asking so many detailed questions.”
Just as she was feeling anxious, Song Zhen asked an even more embarrassing question: “So, your family must be quite well-off, right? And you’re their only son, aren’t you the family’s precious gem?”
Song Chan was completely dumbfounded. Zhong Lingyu’s answer was just too humiliating.
She was pondering whether to smooth things over for Zhong Lingyu when he slowly said, “I wouldn’t call myself a ‘golden nugget.’ My parents have always held old-fashioned views, being lenient with girls and strict with boys, preferably requiring them to endure some hardship. Unfortunately, I don’t have any sisters, so the strict upbringing at home is uniform.”
He then added in a slightly lighthearted, teasing tone, “Look at Zhong Xin, her father is very lenient with her. Now that she’s grown up, disciplining her is a real headache. She doesn’t listen to anyone; she’s the undisputed eldest daughter in the family.”
Zhong Xin immediately became displeased. Wasn’t her father praising himself?
“You’re talking nonsense! You’re just jealous that I’m so likable!”
The dinner table erupted in laughter.
Song Zhen and Meng Mian exchanged glances, their hearts brimming with undisguised delight. “These three kids are really interesting.”
Song Chan, standing behind them, was speechless. She didn’t know if the others had noticed, but she had: Zhong Lingyu’s words both clarified her prejudice that he was a spoiled only child from a wealthy family and cleverly manipulated the unsuspecting Zhong Xin into smoothing things over.
Zhong Xin was a girl who couldn’t stand being teased. If Zhong Lingyu called her spoiled, she would definitely protest. And when Zhong Xin expressed unhappiness, it had a perfectly appropriate cuteness, just enough to liven up the atmosphere.
Song Chan, after all, hadn’t become a parent herself and didn’t grasp the most important point. But Meng Mian and Song Zhen, with both a son and a daughter, from their perspective, hearing the phrase “lenient towards daughters, strict towards sons,” would surely lead them to believe that the Zhong family treated female members well and might be a family that would be lenient towards their daughters-in-law in the future.
As the father of two children nearing adulthood, Zhong Lingyu certainly understood the perspective of Song Chan’s parents.
Zhong Lingyu intentionally wanted to convey this message, to make a good impression on his father-in-law, so that his father wouldn’t object to Song Chan marrying him in the future.
Every word and action he took had a purpose, more or less.
Zhong Cheng remained silent.
Although he didn’t immediately grasp the meaning behind Zhong Lingyu’s words, he noticed Zhong Lingyu’s expression.
This expression wasn’t obvious to outsiders, but it was clear to his son. Zhong Cheng subtly categorized Zhong Lingyu’s expression as “the calculating cunning of an old fox.”
Zhong Cheng sighed, having guessed most of it. He then glanced at Song Zhen, who was happily sipping his wine beside him.
“Old Zhong has his eye on your daughter, and you’re still drinking your sorghum liquor, Grandpa…”