Little did he know that after Jiang Xiaoci went inside the gate, she didn’t immediately enter the house. Instead, she stood quietly behind the courtyard gate for quite some time. Only after she was certain he had truly left did she smile and walk into the house.
To her own surprise, she actually felt a little reluctant to see him go.
After all, this had only been their second meeting—their very first date.
But Lu Zhoushan really was a wonderful man.
Gentle, considerate, refined, and attentive to her in every way. He was even better than she had imagined.
Even though the blind date had been born of necessity, and marriage was something she had accepted out of obligation, if the person she was marrying was him… it suddenly didn’t feel so forced anymore.
Instead, she found herself looking forward to it.
Smiling all the way, she stepped into the house in an unusually cheerful mood.
Jiang Decai and his wife had been worried that their daughter hadn’t returned so late at night, so they had been waiting for her in the living room.
The moment they saw her walk in—with the smile she couldn’t hide from the corners of her eyes and brows—they exchanged a knowing glance.
Mother Jiang hurried over first.
“Xiaoci, why are you back so late? Was it cold outside?”
Jiang Xiaoci took her mother’s hand. Her usually fair, delicate face was now flushed a rosy pink, making her look especially beautiful.
Feeling the warmth of her daughter’s hands and seeing how healthy her complexion looked, Mother Jiang finally relaxed.
“Mom, we went to listen to music and dance together, so I got back a little late. But don’t worry—we went to a proper dance hall. And… you don’t have to stay up waiting for me if I come home this late in the future.”
She didn’t even realize that she had already begun thinking about their future.
As she spoke, she sat down on the sofa.
Jiang Decai couldn’t help asking,
“So… how did things go between the two of you today?”
Although he already had a pretty good idea, he still wanted to hear it directly from his daughter.
While removing the scarf around her neck, Jiang Xiaoci couldn’t help remembering how gently Lu Zhoushan had adjusted it for her before they parted.
Her cheeks warmed again.
“Dad, Mom, things went really well. He’s a good person, and he’s been very considerate toward me. I think he’s… truly wonderful.”
As she spoke, another smile naturally appeared on her face.
To Jiang Decai and his wife, that smile was the greatest reassurance.
Having been through it themselves, they could tell that their daughter genuinely liked the young man.
Whenever she mentioned him, the tenderness in her tone and the happiness on her face spoke louder than words.
Mother Jiang met her husband’s eyes and smiled.
“That’s wonderful. Looks like our Jiang family will be celebrating a happy occasion before long.”
Sitting between her parents, Jiang Xiaoci held one of each of their hands.
With rare certainty and joy, she said,
“Dad, Mom, I believe Heaven is watching over our family. We’ll definitely survive this difficult time and turn our fortunes around.”
The couple squeezed their daughter’s hands tightly and nodded together.
“We will.”
If Heaven hadn’t been blessing them, how could their daughter have met such a wonderful man through a single blind date?
Treasure without a price may be found, but a man with genuine devotion is truly rare.
The whole family was filled with happiness.
The Lu family residence was equally joyful.
For once, Old Master Lu and Old Madam Lu were still awake despite the late hour, waiting in the flower hall for Lu Zhoushan to return.
Since the elders hadn’t gone to bed, Lu Yuanshan and his wife had originally stayed to keep them company, but Old Madam Lu had waved them away.
“There are already too many people here,” she had said. “If Second comes back and sees such a crowd, he’ll only be annoyed.”
Her second son hated having too many people meddling in his affairs.
Only his elderly parents could say a few words that he’d actually listen to.
In the end, only the eldest grandson, Lu Yaozu, remained beside his grandparents to keep them company.
Lu Zhoushan returned rather late.
As soon as he entered, there was something different.
His usual cough was absent.
Even his footsteps sounded lighter than normal.
Then they looked at his expression.
The corners of his lips were unmistakably curved upward.
Old Master Lu and Old Madam Lu exchanged another knowing glance.
Old Madam Lu spoke first.
“Second, how did things go with the young lady?”
Considering how late he had returned, it certainly couldn’t have gone badly.
Lu Zhoushan looked at his parents, then glanced toward Lu Yaozu, who was sitting nearby.
Seeing everyone waiting for him, he immediately understood what was going on.
He sat down on the sofa, leaned back casually as usual, and said,
“She’s a wonderful person. I admire her very much. Other than her, I won’t consider anyone else.”
His answer was as brief and straightforward as ever.
Lu Yaozu’s expression immediately darkened.
His sickly uncle’s blind date had actually progressed this quickly?
The thought made him furious.
He had been certain that, with his uncle’s poor health, the woman would reject him.
He had even been looking forward to laughing at him.
Instead, he ended up disappointed.
How could he not be angry?
The two elders, however, were overjoyed.
Old Madam Lu rubbed her hands excitedly.
“Wonderful! Wonderful! It looks like the Lu family is about to have a happy event.”
Even Old Master Lu couldn’t hide his delight.
“Our second son has finally done something that makes us proud.”
Lu Zhoushan laughed helplessly and shook his head.
His aging parents had truly worried themselves sick over his marriage.
They were even saying he had finally become “sensible.”
The blind date hadn’t been his choice.
Marriage hadn’t been his desire either.
But now…
If the bride was her…
Then perhaps marriage wasn’t so difficult to accept after all.
In fact…
He was beginning to look forward to it.
Old Madam Lu looked at her youngest son, then at her eldest grandson.
Although uncle and nephew were several years apart in age, both were handsome young men in the prime of life.
She smiled happily.
“Our family is going to have double happiness!”
Turning to her husband, she continued,
“Old man, didn’t Eldest mention before that Yaozu had already found a girl he likes? Didn’t he even go to propose to her?”
Old Master Lu nodded and looked at Lu Yaozu.
“That’s right. Yaozu, you said you had already proposed. How did it go? What did the girl’s family say?”
Lu Yaozu’s face stiffened.
Being rejected so mercilessly by Jiang Xiaoci was humiliating enough just to remember.
There was no way he would let his grandparents know.
Much less let his frail little uncle witness such an embarrassment.
Avoiding everyone’s eyes, he forced himself to answer,
“Uh… her family already agreed. We’ll be getting married soon.”
Something about his expression seemed off.
Lu Zhoushan narrowed his eyes and studied him for a moment, his gaze sharp and penetrating.
When Lu Yaozu looked back at him in surprise, Lu Zhoushan simply lowered his eyes again, returning to his usual lazy, indifferent demeanor.
The two elders also sensed something unusual, but they didn’t think much of it.
They assumed the young man was simply shy discussing his marriage.
Hearing that his grandson’s marriage was settled, Old Master Lu was delighted.
He immediately urged,
“Second, you’d better hurry as well. Don’t let your nephew get married too far ahead of you. It would be wonderful if both weddings could happen together.”
Old Madam Lu nodded enthusiastically.
“Your father is right. Since both of you are getting married anyway, why not arrange the weddings together? Second, you’d better pick up the pace.”
As for Lu Yaozu…
His emotions were a tangled mess, and he sat there feeling as though he were on pins and needles.
Lu Zhoushan, on the other hand, was in an exceptionally good mood.
Thinking back over every little moment he had spent with that young woman during the past two days, he couldn’t help smiling as he agreed.
“All right.”