âWhat are you laughing at! Iâm so worried, but I just canât stand this little brat. Everyone is worried about his future while he acts like thereâs nothing wrong. Qianâer, can you come up with a solution for your brother?â
âHow can we solve it? Whatever he gets in the exam will be what he gets. Even Comrade Liao Fugui canât solve this problem, so thereâs nothing we can do.â
Xiao Qian spoke realistically. Her brother wasnât dumb and even had keen observational skills, but studying was just not his strength.
During his middle school entrance exams, she and Yu Minglang took turns tutoring him and using a small whip to keep him in line. He barely got into a high school with terrible enrollment rates. After consulting with Jia Xiufang, they paid a high price to transfer him to a private high school with better teaching quality. He then received one-on-one tutoring from a Ph.D. mentor, only to score 250 on the third mock examâ¦
Even Yu Minglang sympathized with Liao Fugui. Brother Fu Gui was probably very wronged by this result.
âWith his score, he can barely get into a junior college or vocational school. Do we really have to spend money on that and wait a few years for him to buy a diploma?â Jia Xiufangâs ambition had grown over the years, as she no longer dealt with recycled building materials but had opened a larger dry cleaning shop fully staffed with hired help. She occasionally went to check the accounts.
Family financial conditions had improved over the years, and they now had enough money to live a worry-free life. With several storefront rentals providing additional income, the familyâs expenses were all covered by Father Liao. Jia Xiufang enjoyed her leisure time, living the life of a pampered officialâs wife.
The only thing weighing on her mind was her sonâs future. She didnât want him to learn a trade and tread the same difficult path she had, but his academic performance was just not good enough, leaving her in a dilemma.
âI will discuss his future with Ming Lang and give you an answer later.â Xiao Qian already had a plan for her brotherâs future, but she hadnât consulted him yet.
âNeither you nor your brother gives me peace of mind,â Jia Xiufang complained.
âAre you getting a bit carried away as an officialâs wife, mom? How am I not giving you peace of mind?â Xiao Qian retorted.
âYou and Ming Lang have been engaged for so long! Youâre almost getting your masterâs degree, why hasnât he proposed marriage yet? You two have slept together so many times, I havenât even bothered to mention it, but you are getting older every dayââ
âWait a minute, Mom, are you saying Iâm old?!â Xiao Qian felt attacked.
She had fast-tracked her education by two years and was just in her early twenties. How could her prime age be dismissed as âolderâ by her mother?
âLiao Uncleâs niece is your age, and sheâs already married with a baby. She even brought the baby over for me to see yesterday. You should ask Ming Lang when the wedding can be held. Whatâs the point of dragging it out? I wanted you to get married when you graduated from university, but you insisted on waiting until you finished your masterâs degree. Now that youâre about to graduate, Iâm afraid youâll want to wait even longer until you get a Ph.D.â¦â
Jia Xiufangâs voice was always loud, and it clearly reached Yu Minglangâs ears through the phone. The delicate topic of marriage immediately captured Yu Minglangâs full attention, and he openly began eavesdropping, even snatching Xiao Qianâs phone and turning on the speaker.
Xiao Qian angrily stomped on his foot, but that couldnât deter Brother Lang from listening to the discussion of crucial matters!
He even responded smugly with his eyes, âThis isnât just your secret. It involves me too!â
Taking advantage of his height, Yu Minglang held the phone up high. Afraid her mother would say something else, Xiao Qian rushed to give her a heads up.
âMom, watch what you say, and donât just blurt anything out.â
âYou little brat! Am I not using my head when I speak? Havenât you and Ming Lang done all the things you should and shouldnât have done without thinking? You two did all that without your head but with your kidneys!â
A mother wouldnât be so cautious when speaking with her daughter, so Jia Xiufang had no idea that her son-in-law was listening in as well.
âMom, it seems like youâre very busy. Go do your work. If you donât cook dinner soon, Liao Uncle will go hungry.â Xiao Qian felt completely helpless. Why did she have a mother who would embarrass her like this?
âDonât try to deflect, hurry up and discuss the marriage issue with Ming Lang. If this kid dares to sleep with you and not marry you, Iâll have to personally have a talk with him!â
âAunt, I am more than willing to marry Xiao Qian. As soon as she agrees, I will start making wedding preparations.â
âAi Ma!â
Accompanied by Jia Xiufangâs surprised voice, the sound of something falling to the ground could be heard. It was probably the phone being dropped in shock.
Xiao Qian rolled her eyes. Serves her right!
This menopausal old lady talked non-stop, and now sheâs been overheard, right?
âI told you to think before you speak, but you didnât listen!â Xiao Qian wasnât the least bit sympathetic towards her mother. She just felt a bit awkward, as if she and her mother were forcing Yu Minglang into marriage. She didnât want to look at Yu Minglangâs expression right now, but the corner of her eye still involuntarily glanced in his direction.
Yu Minglangâs expression was very serious. Marriage was a significant matter for him and couldnât be taken lightly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
After five long seconds of silence on the other end of the line, Jia Xiufangâs voice came through again, decidedly gentler than when she had spoken with Xiao Qian earlier.
âMing Lang, are you with Qianâer? Have you eaten yet?â
âWeâre cooking right now. Aunt, Iâm willing to marry Xiao Qian. We will discuss the wedding date together and then let you know. As for Da Longâs issue, donât worry about it. Weâll come back together once Qianâer is on vacation. Letâs have a family discussion.â
âOh, oh, oh! Thereâs no hurryâcan you come back next week?â Jia Xiufang sounded quite happy. Although it was a bit awkward to have her conversation overheard by her son-in-law, Yu Minglangâs words were satisfying. She pretended not to be in a hurry, but she was already thinking about setting a date.
âNo problem, Iâll take time off.â
âLetâs talk when you come back!â Jia Xiufang, imagining her daughter in a wedding dress, instantly forgot the bitterness of her sonâs 250-point mock exam score and merrily hung up the phone.
âXiao Mei, did you hear everything Aunt said?â Yu Minglang asked.
Xiao Qianâs eyes dodged his. âI heard her. She was just talking about my brotherâs 250-point dilemma, right? I was just about to discuss this with youââ
âLetâs talk about his issue later. I meant our marriageââ
âAh, I think weâre out of vinegar at home. Itâs so hard to eat dumplings without vinegar. Iâll go buy some.â
Without waiting for him to finish, Xiao Qian returned to the bedroom, quickly changed her clothes, and dashed out, not even bothering to notice Yu Minglangâs expression.
Yu Minglang watched her retreating figure thoughtfully. Was he overthinking things?
Why did it seem like Xiao Mei was avoiding the topic of marriage?
Was it because his proposal wasnât formal enough, or the setting was all wrong?
Yu Minglang glanced down at his shorts and the flour on his hands. Fine, the atmosphere was a bit off. They could talk about it later.
He had taken all his saved vacation time for this purpose. He had to see this matter through.
He was going to propose, to have Xiao Meiâs name printed on that red book together with his, that red marriage certificate.