Chapter 560 - 209: Paying a Visit
Chapter 560: Chapter 209: Paying a Visit
「The next day」
The meeting between the two families went exceptionally well.
It’s worth mentioning that Xu Yanlin had returned to the inn and rested for less than two hours before he came back to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.
When Mr. Sheng saw his nephew, he was quite speechless.
He asked him, "Are you here to back up Kaiyan, or to give your cousin some courage?"
Xu Yanlin didn’t say anything, just chuckled and poured him some tea. Watching him, Sheng Mingchuan couldn’t help but shake his head. "It’s not even certain he’s a direct cousin, and you’re already this protective of him?"
Then he left De’an with Xu Yanlin and went to the government office to handle official business himself.
The second thing worth mentioning was that when De’an saw Sheng Saya, he became surprisingly bashful.
His face was so red, anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was running a high fever.
That was exactly what Sheng Saya thought, so she teased him with great interest, "Could it be that you were so excited about coming to my house today that you didn’t sleep well, kicked off your blankets, and caught a chill?"
De’an was stubborn and flatly refused to admit she’d guessed half the truth. He just said, "Why does it have to be because of you? Can’t I be excited because my family’s fortunes have soared overnight?"
Sheng Saya shot him a sideways glance. "Look at you, getting so worked up! You can’t sleep just because you’ve latched onto some noble relatives? Well, my family is hardly a humble one, you know."
De’an sputtered, "You can’t put it like that! If I have a powerful maternal family, won’t you be able to live a comfortable life with me in the future?"
"Am I looking for you just to live a comfortable life? If I were only choosing a husband based on family status, there are plenty of young masters from prominent families for me to choose from. Why would I choose you?"
De’an’s face grew even redder. "That’s exactly it. You’re a noble lady, so why would you choose a good-for-nothing like me?"
"Well, you’re not entirely good-for-nothing. If nothing else, that face of yours is at least presentable."
Unsure if it was from shame or anger, De’an’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. He glared at Sheng Saya, flying into a humiliated rage. "You’re a young lady, for goodness’ sake! Can’t you be a little more demure?"
"I can’t. Look at you, already as demure as a young maiden yourself. If I were demure too, who would break the ice between us?"
De’an clapped a hand over his face, uncertain whether to be angry or to laugh. Finally, he crouched down, his shoulders shaking as he broke into a silent, muffled laugh.
Seeing this, Sheng Saya also crouched down beside him, poking him repeatedly. "What’s wrong? Crying tears of joy? You don’t have to be so sentimental. Once we’re actually married, you’ll just have to listen to everything I say."
De’an’s smile vanished instantly. He tried to put on a stern face and said, "What do you mean, getting married? Nothing’s set in stone yet. And even if we do get married, the man manages the world outside while the woman manages the home. For me to listen to everything you say? No way!"
"Chen De’an, you dare say that again?"
"I’m not a pig, why would I be howling? I’m trying to reason with you. Hey, you—you can’t just resort to violence when you can’t win an argument with me..."
Amidst the bickering, Xu Su Ying was in the main courtyard keeping Mrs. Sheng company, but her sharp ears caught her son’s shouting. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and quickly tried to smooth things over for him.
"De’an is wonderful in every way, just a little immature, and his personality can be a bit flighty. I’ll have his father teach him a good lesson when we get back. He’s about to start his own family, he can’t be this childish."
Mrs. Sheng held Xu Su Ying’s hand with one of hers and Chen Wanqing’s with the other. She said with a smile, "There’s no need. The boy is just fine as he is. Because of my poor health, Yan’er has been in charge since she was little. She was just a young girl, but she had to keep a whole courtyard of servants in line and didn’t even dare to show a smile. She grew up used to scolding people with a stern face, while De’an has a more lively personality. The two of them complement each other perfectly. Life is only interesting when it’s lively like this. In our home, there’s no one to talk to all day. Life is as dull as stagnant water. What’s the fun in that?"
Mrs. Sheng said much more. She said she should have met her sooner, and that if she had, she might have been able to recognize her.
Years ago, she had accompanied her husband to the Xu family’s estate twice and had even seen a younger Xu Su Ying. She said that Xu Su Ying bore a strong resemblance to the old matriarch of the Xu family, and if she had seen her sooner, she definitely would have recognized her.
She also said that Xu Su Ying had suffered, but thankfully she had found a good husband, had three well-behaved and promising children, and was herself healthy and carefree. If the old matriarch could see this, perhaps she wouldn’t be so heartbroken.
Then, Mrs. Sheng had someone bring out the meeting gift she had prepared long ago and had them put it on Chen Wanqing.
It was a pair of jade bracelets, a lush and vibrant green. They shimmered with a profound gleam, like light from the bottom of a deep lake. Yet their luster was lively, not at all dull. One glance was enough to tell they were of exceptional quality.
Chen Wanqing tried to refuse, but Mrs. Sheng said, "Good child, this is just a small token from your auntie. Please accept it. In the future, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Yan’er. She will need you to worry on her behalf..."