The Li Family Courtyard!
After the car pulled up to the gate, Li Yi was just about to get out when Jiang Xue suddenly called out to him.
“Wait a minute before you go in—I need to talk to you!”
Li Yi’s hand, which had been reaching for the door handle, froze in mid-motion. He asked, “What’s up?”
“Mom and Dad are about to head back. Isn’t there something you’ve forgotten?” Jiang Xue said.
Li Yi thought about it for a moment, then asked, “You mean the thing with Third Sister and Dalong?”
“Exactly. They’re already a couple. We need to get them engaged right away, or else what if they can’t control themselves that day…”
Jiang Xue didn’t finish her sentence, but Li Yi understood exactly what she meant.
“You’re right to remind me. We need to take care of this before Mom and Dad head back!”
Li Yi then smiled at Jiang Xue and said, “I didn’t expect you to be so thoughtful. I completely overlooked that!”
“Actually, I wasn’t really thinking that much about it. Sister Na called me today and specifically mentioned this!” Jiang Xue said.
Hearing this, Li Yi was momentarily speechless. Just how desperate was his third older sister to get married?
But then again, it made sense—his third sister was the type who dared to dream and take action.
Once she’d made up her mind, not even eight oxen could pull her back.
“In that case, I’ll go back and discuss it with Mom and Dad. Let’s settle this as soon as possible. After all, they’re both very pleased with Long Zhanjun!” Li Yi said.
“Hmm!”
After discussing the matter, Li Yi got out of the car right away.
Then, with Jiang Xue each holding a baby, and Juanzi carrying the baby’s diapers, clothes, and other essentials, they all walked into the courtyard together.
Inside the house, Zhang Yuehong was busy in the kitchen, while Li Shankui was helping out nearby.
Hearing the commotion outside, Li Shankui knew his son and daughter-in-law had returned. He wiped his hands and headed out.
Zhang Yuehong knew her husband was eager to hold his grandchildren again, and said with a touch of envy, “You’d better be careful when you hold them—don’t hurt the little ones!”
“Got it!”
With that, he hurried out of the kitchen.
As soon as he entered the living room, Li Shankui saw his son and daughter-in-law walking in, holding the baby and accompanied by Juanzi.
He immediately quickened his pace to Li Yi’s side, held out his arms, and said, “Give me the baby!”
“Sure!”
Li Yi then handed his son in his arms to his father, while he took the cloth bag from Juanzi’s hands.
After placing the child on the kang, Li Yi told Juanzi to hurry and do her homework.
Her main role as this “little nanny” was actually to keep Jiang Xue company when Li Yi wasn’t home; she wasn’t needed for cooking or other chores.
After all, the girl was far too young; her tiny, spindly frame simply couldn’t handle heavy work.
Just as Li Yi was wondering how to broach the subject of Third Sister with his father, Li Shankui, while playing with little Yunrui, said, “Xiao Yi, your mother and I have discussed it—we’d like to head back tomorrow!”
“Why the rush?”
“There’s nothing for us to do here, so we might as well head back sooner rather than later!”
His father continued, “We don’t need you to see us off. Just take us to the train station, and we’ll take the train back on our own!”
“Dad, let’s talk about this later. Before you and Mom leave, aren’t you going to set the date for my sister and Dalong’s wedding?”
Hearing this, Li Shankui’s expression froze for a moment, then he said, “Oh my, how could I have forgotten about that!”
“So does that mean you agree to betroth my third sister to Long Zhanjun?”
“You know Nana’s temperament as well as I do. Does it really matter whether your mother and I agree? Besides, Comrade Xiaolong is a fine young man—we’re very pleased with him!”
Comrade Xiaolong is a fine young man!
Hearing his father’s praise of Long Zhanjun, Li Yi couldn’t help but laugh!
“Alright, I’ll discuss it with them tomorrow and set a date!” Li Yi said.
“Hmm…”
……..
East of the City. A residential building for employees of a certain government department!
When Jiang Longcheng got home from work and saw Zhang Xinyao sitting alone at home, he immediately asked, “Where are Mom and Dad?”
“Uncle hasn’t gotten off work yet, and Auntie went over to my older sister’s place!”
“What’s she doing at my older sister-in-law’s place?”
“My older sister-in-law called home and said she has something come up tonight, so she asked Auntie to go over and help watch the kids!” Zhang Xinyao explained.
“Oh, so what are we having for dinner tonight?” Jiang Longcheng thought of a very practical question.
After all, his mother usually cooked all the meals at home, and he had never once cooked a meal in his entire life.
“I’ve already made dinner—I was just waiting for you to get home!” Zhang Xinyao said with a smile.
“Hahaha, that’s great! Let me try your cooking right away!” Jiang Longcheng said happily.
“Go wash your hands first, and I’ll bring the food right out!”
With that, Zhang Xinyao turned and headed toward the kitchen.
Soon, when Jiang Longcheng came out of the bathroom, two dishes and two bowls of rice were already set on the table.
One was a meat dish and the other a vegetable dish: the meat dish was stir-fried pork belly with Chinese cabbage, and the vegetable dish was scrambled eggs with scallions.
The two simple home-style stir-fries looked delicious and smelled wonderful, making Jiang Longcheng’s mouth water.
“Honey, I had no idea you were such a good cook,” Jiang Longcheng said in surprise.
Zhang Xinyao blushed slightly and replied, “Don’t say that. We’re not even married yet—people might start gossiping if they hear you!”
“Hahaha, we’re living our own lives—why should we care what others say?” Jiang Longcheng said with his usual carefree attitude.
Hearing this, Zhang Xinyao couldn’t help but shake her head. This guy really was as carefree as Li Yi had described.
With that thought, a sudden impulse struck her, and she said, “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about. Is that okay?”
“Why are you being so formal all of a sudden? Just say what’s on your mind—I’m all ears!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Xinyao finally asked, “When do you plan to marry me?”
“Um…”
Jiang Longcheng was completely taken aback; he hadn’t expected Zhang Xinyao to ask him that question.
Zhang Xinyao continued, “Earlier today at the old house, Li Yi and I were talking about this. After all, I’m already living in your home—it’s not right for us to be together without any official status.”
“He was originally going to ask you on my behalf, but I just gave it some thought, and I figured it’s better if I ask you myself. What are your plans for me? Are we going to keep things as they are, or do you intend to marry me?”
This time, Jiang Longcheng didn’t hesitate. He replied immediately, “Marriage—of course we’re getting married!”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true. Actually, I’d planned to take care of this sooner, but I’ve been so busy lately that it got put off!”
“No rush. If you’re busy, we can discuss this later…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Longcheng spoke again: “Things have cleared up a lot lately, so let’s set this in stone. My father’s eightieth birthday is just a few days away—I’ll talk to them directly then!”
“I’ll leave it up to you!” Zhang Xinyao said, blushing.
“Then I’ll start making preparations over the next few days!”
“Okay!”
……..
PS: I’ve had some family matters to attend to these past few days, so updates may be irregular. Please bear with me!