“Ruanruan, you really bought way too many things,” Shen Jianing said, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.
Sometimes she called Qin Ruan “Xiaoruan,” and other times “Ruanruan.” It all depended on her mood.
“Auntie, they’re all food. It’s not like they’re going to be wasted. And we’re giving them to family.”
Hearing Qin Ruan call them “family” instantly comforted Shen Jianing.
It was also after learning that the Qin family had once been wealthy landowners that Shen Jianing stopped worrying.
Before, she had been concerned that Qin Ruan didn’t have much money. But now that she knew about the family’s background, she figured they couldn’t be short of funds. She no longer worried about Qin Ruan spending freely—though she still hoped the money would be spent wisely.
“Auntie, don’t worry.”
“All right. I won’t.”
Qin Ruan pedaled the bicycle while Shen Jianing rode on the back, giving directions as they headed toward her parents’ house.
The plan was for Qin Ruan to take Shen Jianing there first, then ride back to pick up her grandmother. By the time she returned, Qin Ruofeng would have arrived on foot.
As for why Qin Ruofeng wasn’t riding the bicycle with all the gifts?
Simple.
He was afraid the bottles might get damaged from the bumpy ride, so he insisted on carrying them by hand instead.
Finally, Qin Ruan stopped in front of the Shen residence and helped Shen Jianing off the bicycle.
After Shen Jianing knocked on the door, Qin Ruan didn’t wait around. She immediately turned the bicycle around and rode back to pick up her grandmother.
Shen Jianing’s mother opened the door.
Seeing her daughter standing outside, she asked in surprise,
“Jianing? What brings you here at this hour?”
She looked behind her, noticed Qin Ruofeng wasn’t there, and frowned.
“Mom, Ruofeng’s right behind me. His niece, Qin Ruan, brought me here first, then went back to pick up her grandmother.”
“Oh, I see.”
Realizing what that meant, she immediately said,
“Since the Qin family is coming over today, I’d better go buy a few more dishes.”
“No need, Mom. We’ll just eat whatever we already have. Nobody’s picky. Don’t we still have some cured meat?”
“How can that be enough? This is the first time your in-laws are visiting.”
“It’s really fine. My mother-in-law and niece aren’t the kind of people who care about that.”
As she spoke, Shen Jianing linked arms with her mother and walked inside.
Her father was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
“Dad, reading the paper?”
He looked up.
“Oh? Jianing’s back. Where’s Ruofeng?”
“He’s on his way. My mother-in-law is coming too, along with Ruofeng’s niece.”
“Oh? A niece? How old is she?”
Shen Jianing’s mother looked curious as well.
“She’s nineteen.”
“Does she have a boyfriend?”
The moment she heard that question, Shen Jianing immediately understood.
Her mother was already thinking about introducing someone to the girl.
“A couple of days ago, Ruofeng arranged a blind date for her with Commander Huo.”
“Oh? That young man?” her mother exclaimed. “That’s a good match. So… did she like him?”
Commander Shen looked equally curious.
“Commander Huo certainly likes her. The girl wasn’t very willing at first, but she agreed to give it a try.”
Shen Jianing’s mother was astonished.
“There’s actually a girl who could turn Huo Tingchen down?”
“You’ll understand once you meet her,” Shen Jianing said with a smile. “She’s incredibly beautiful—even prettier than the lead performer in our military arts troupe.”
That description surprised both of her parents.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Shen Jianing added.
“Ruofeng isn’t the Qin family’s biological son. He was adopted, so he doesn’t resemble them. When everyone gets here, be careful not to mention anything that might bring that up.”
“All right,” her parents replied with a nod. “We’ll be mindful of it.”
Soon, they heard movement outside the front gate.
Shen Jianing came out with her parents to greet the guests.
Qin Ruofeng had arrived first. After exchanging a few pleasantries at the entrance, he said they should wait for his niece and his mother before going in. He suggested that the Shen family head inside first, but Commander Shen declined.
“We’ll wait together.”
A short while later, they saw a young girl with two braided pigtails pedaling a bicycle toward them.
An elderly woman sat on the back.
Qin Ruan stopped the bicycle, and the moment she did, someone audibly gasped.
The sound came from Shen Jianing’s mother.
“My goodness! She’s so beautiful! No wonder Huo Tingchen fell for her.”
After all, she had introduced several women to Huo Tingchen before, and he had turned every single one of them down.
“See? I told you my niece is gorgeous,” Shen Jianing whispered to her mother with a grin, unable to resist rubbing it in a little.
Her mother, Feng Cui, shot her an exasperated look.
Qin Ruan got off the bicycle, parked it, helped her grandmother down, and stepped forward to greet them.
“Hello, Grandpa Shen. Hello, Grandma Feng.”
“Oh, so you’re Qin Ruan?” Feng Cui said warmly. “You’re such a beautiful girl.”
Being praised so directly by an elder made Qin Ruan blush.
“Thank you, Grandma Feng.”
Commander Shen, Shen Changfeng, immediately extended his hand in welcome.
“Mother-in-law, little niece, please come inside. Let’s not stand outside.”
“Of course, of course,” Hu Yufen replied with a cheerful smile.
Looking at the Shen family, Qin Ruan couldn’t help noticing how kind they all seemed.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of looking down on people from the countryside.
Once inside the villa’s living room, Qin Ruan helped her grandmother take a seat.
Commander Shen soon began chatting with Hu Yufen, while Feng Cui headed for the kitchen.
“Grandma Feng, let me help you.”
Qin Ruan stood up and followed her.
Feng Cui quickly refused.
“Oh my, you’re our guest. Go sit in the living room. I’ll take care of the kitchen.”
“Grandma, please let me help. I’m actually a very good cook.”
Qin Ruan enthusiastically promoted herself.
At that moment, Qin Ruofeng chimed in.
“Mom, just let her help. Her cooking is excellent. You should all try it.”
Feng Cui looked hesitant.
Before she could respond, Hu Yufen spoke up.
“Dear in-law, come sit and chat with us. Just leave the kitchen to her.”
Both Feng Cui and Shen Changfeng looked at Hu Yufen in surprise.
She truly treated them like family.
If relations between the families weren’t good, no one would casually let their niece walk into her aunt’s in-laws’ kitchen to cook.
“It’s fine. We’re family,” Shen Jianing said with a smile as she stood up. “Go ahead.”
She followed Qin Ruan into the kitchen.
“Ruanruan, you’ve only just come to my parents’ house, and we’re already making you cook. I really feel bad.”
Shen Jianing slipped her arm through Qin Ruan’s.
“Auntie, what are you saying? We’re family. What’s wrong with me cooking? Besides, I’m good at it, and I’d love Grandpa and Grandma to taste my cooking.”
“All right, all right. Thank you for your hard work.”
“What is there to thank me for? You’re my aunt.”
“You really know how to make people smile.”
“Of course! Whose niece do you think I am?”
Qin Ruan struck a proud pose.
“That’s right,” Shen Jianing laughed. “You’re our family’s wonderful niece.”
“Auntie, could you bring me the ingredients? Let me see what we have so I can decide what to cook.”
The kitchen used coal stoves.
To Qin Ruan’s surprise, there were two of them.
“With two stoves, cooking will go much faster. After we finish cooking, we can sit down, chat for a while, and then tomorrow we’ll head back to our hometown.”
The mention of returning home suddenly reminded Shen Jianing of something.
She still hadn’t told her parents about their trip back to Yunnan.