Chapter 657 - 565: Difficult Relatives
Chapter 657: Chapter 565: Difficult Relatives
Xiao Man followed Lu Jianling to the Lu Family’s home. Weiwei came running out to greet them. When he got the new airplane, he was so happy his eyes curved into crescents. Lu Jian Country and Yang Liu’er stood at the door watching with smiles on their faces. Xiao Man hadn’t thought much of it before, but now she felt the two of them looked more and more like a perfect match.
Inside the house, Uncle Lu put away his Jade Mouth Pipe and exchanged a few smiling words with Xiao Man. He then left, saying he was going to his room to find a good bottle of wine to share with the in-laws. Weiwei glanced at his father and Yang Liu’er, then introduced his maternal grandmother, uncle, second aunt, and younger aunt to Xiao Man. Xiao Man smiled and greeted each of them in turn. Weiwei’s uncle was in his early twenties, fair-skinned and refined. He wore glasses and had the air of a top student, not at all like someone from a small county. He had been sitting with a calm and steady demeanor, but his face suddenly flushed when he saw Xiao Man enter. He quietly stood up, doing his best to compose himself, and began to introduce himself in a calm, poised manner. He said his name was Shi Zhiquan and he was a sophomore in college, but before he could finish, Weiwei’s second aunt pushed forward and interrupted him. Shi Zhiquan adjusted his glasses and helplessly stepped aside.
The second aunt, cracking sunflower seeds, familiarly asked Xiao Man what her family did, where she lived, and if she was still in school. Weiwei answered for Xiao Man, saying that Sister Xiao Man was studying at a very famous Medical College and was going to be a doctor in the future. The second aunt and the uncle looked at Xiao Man in surprise, their eyes shining even brighter.
The younger aunt looked to be about eighteen or nineteen. She was delicate and refined-looking, but she deliberately put on an expression of indifference. She didn’t smile or speak. Only after hearing Xiao Man say "hello" did she give a perfunctory nod, then turned her face away with her chin up, avoiding eye contact.
Lu Jianling had told her about these people on the way over. Xiao Man knew that the younger aunt, Shi Juying, was taking the college entrance exam next summer. The Shi family’s visit was mainly for her. This was because before the uncle took his college entrance exam, Lu Jian Country had asked someone to find him a tutor to strengthen his weak subjects. Now it was the younger aunt’s turn to take the exam, so the grandmother had brought her over during the winter break to let Lu Jian Country "handle it." The bottom line was that she absolutely had to get the younger aunt into a university. Only success was allowed, not failure!
Xiao Man felt that Lu Jian Country was fully qualified to be named the "Nation’s Best Brother-in-law."
Back when Weiwei’s mother died during a difficult childbirth, he had promised his grieving parents-in-law that he would support Weiwei’s uncle and aunt until they completed their education and became successful. If it had been anyone else, they might have made the promise and forgotten it, or at most just provided tuition and living expenses each year and called it a day. But Lu Jian Country was a man of his word and insisted on seeing results. The uncle was already in university thanks to him and would graduate in two years, becoming a state employee with an "iron rice bowl." The younger aunt’s grades were said to be much worse than her brother’s. Xiao Man didn’t know what method could be used to get her in. Perhaps he could pay for a sponsored student slot.
Weiwei’s maternal grandmother was in her fifties, with a neat, ear-length bob that made her look clean and sharp. Initially, her expression was as cold and detached as her youngest daughter’s. But when she saw her grandson holding up the toy airplane and saying this sister had bought it for him, the grandmother immediately smiled at Xiao Man. She praised the young lady on how beautifully she’d grown, saying she was as pretty as a fairy. The second aunt and the uncle were both happy to hear this, but the younger aunt was displeased. She pouted, lowered her eyes, and sat in silence.
’Yang Liu’er is going to have a tough time as a stepmother in the future,’ she thought after observing everyone and getting a basic understanding of what kind of maternal family Weiwei had.
Xiao Man had only come to the Lu Family’s home to fulfill her promise to Weiwei and kill some time. She didn’t want her grandmother and father to know that she had gotten separated from her friends again while out and had also been pestered by Wu Xiaowen. She had no intention of staying for dinner. The Lu Family repeatedly tried to get her to stay, and Weiwei’s second aunt and uncle also chimed in, urging Xiao Man to leave after the meal. Xiao Man politely thanked them and said she would come again another day. Yang Liu’er then pulled her toward the door. Weiwei followed the two closely. Lu Jian Country knew the two had things to talk about, so he came out and held Weiwei back, telling Yang Liu’er to walk Manman to the alley entrance first, and he would be there in a moment.
Back in the room, Uncle Lu wiped the table with a cloth. Lu Jianling first brought a large pot of freshly stewed mutton soup to the table, then took out the prepared dishes one by one from a food warmer and placed them on the round table. Uncle Lu followed, setting out bowls and chopsticks. The grandmother sat as still as a mountain with her arms crossed. The second aunt, uncle, and younger aunt also sat around her, just watching the Lu father and daughter bustle about. They muttered amongst themselves and showed absolutely no sign of getting up to help, as if they weren’t the ones about to eat at the table.
Lu Jian Country came in, saw this, and frowned. He nudged Weiwei and said, "Go help. Grandpa is old, you can’t have him serving you."
Weiwei ran to the table. Lu Jianling told him to go wash his hands first. Weiwei then called for his grandmother, aunts, and uncle to wash their hands and get ready to eat. He added casually, "Uncle, Auntie, Grandpa is so old, and you’re all so young. Shouldn’t you be helping out?"
Hearing this, the grandmother laughed and patted the younger aunt. "Look how clever your nephew is. Go on, you go."
The younger aunt noticed Lu Jian Country looking at her. A slight smile touched her lips, and she went to the kitchen to help bring out the dishes.
The grandmother moved a chair over and had Lu Jian Country sit next to her. "You’re my son-in-law, so you know the customs from our hometown," she said. "Generally, guests from the wife’s maternal family are the most honored. When they cross the threshold of their son-in-law’s or grandson’s home, they are to be served good food and drink for all three meals. You must offer them cigarettes and wine. Never mind asking your parents-in-law, uncles, or aunts to lift a finger; if they get tired or uncomfortable from just sitting around, you should be practically begging to cater to their every need!"
Lu Jian Country: "..."
His gaze swept coolly over Shi Zhiquan as he thought, ’Just you try it. If this kid even thinks about wanting me to cater to his every need, I can raise you up to success, and I can just as easily smash you to pieces!’
Shi Zhiquan shivered for no apparent reason. He quickly stood up, walked over to Uncle Lu, and helped arrange the wine glasses, open the bottle, and pour the wine.
The second aunt tossed a handful of sunflower seeds back into the tin box of seeds and candies on the table. She stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and prepared to sit down to eat. As she did, she asked Weiwei, "Where’s that stepmother of yours? Your grandma, uncle, and aunts are all sitting here, and instead of hurrying to set the table and call everyone to eat, she just runs off without a word. She’s just making an excuse to be lazy, isn’t she? What kind of manners are those!"
Weiwei didn’t yet understand what "stepmother" meant, so he answered honestly, "My mom went to walk Sister Xiao Man out. She’ll be back in a little bit. We can start with the soup while we wait for her. Anyway, my mom is having chicken soup, which is different from what we’re having."
"What? So you’re making two different meals for one dinner? That new woman of yours gets to drink fragrant soup and eat chicken, while you just throw something together for us?" Weiwei’s grandmother’s face hardened. The second aunt’s eyes widened, and they both glared accusingly at Lu Jian Country.
Lu Jian Country patted Weiwei’s little head. "You explain. Otherwise, your mom and I are both going to get blamed for this."
Weiwei quickly said to his grandmother and second aunt, "My mom isn’t feeling well, so her chicken soup was stewed with Chinese medicine. She’s taking medicine. We aren’t sick, so we’re eating something different. Look, there’s also white-cut chicken on the table, and roasted goose, roasted duck, fish, and ham stewed with pork. This is what we’re eating. This soup is mutton soup. It’s just as good as chicken soup. If you don’t believe me, try it!"