“Ouch, ouch.”
Despite his short stature, the little “turnip” was quite chubby and solid. When he charged straight into her like that, Lin Aiyun’s shin actually hurt from the impact. She staggered back several steps before she managed to steady herself.
Before she could even speak, a childish cry of pain rang out in her ear. Perhaps knowing he’d caused trouble, the little turnip made his wails sound especially dramatic—clearly all bark and no bite.
“Ma Zhaoxu! Who told you to run around like that? You bump into someone and don’t even apologize? What good is just howling?”
Lin Aiyun watched as Xiao Cheng grabbed the little turnip—no, Ma Zhaoxu—by the scruff of his collar and lifted him up. The short little legs kicked frantically in the air, and his round face turned bright red.
“Big brother, I’m sorry, I was wrong.” Ma Zhaoxu turned to see who it was and shrank back in fear, no longer daring to yell. He obediently apologized, his chubby hands clasped together in front of his chest, his little mouth puckering—he looked absolutely adorable.
But Xiao Cheng paid it no mind, keeping his stern face: “Why are you apologizing to me? Did you bump into me?”
At that, Ma Zhaoxu’s eyes really did redden. His big eyes filled with tears, as if golden drops were about to fall any second. He pitifully looked toward Lin Aiyun and said, “Pretty sister, I’m sorry. Xuxu didn’t mean to, boohoo.”
“You still dare to cry! Boys don’t cry—they bleed instead. What I taught you before—did you forget?” Xiao Cheng frowned, his tone scolding, but he was caught between laughter and exasperation at the way he addressed her. Finally, he said sternly, “She’s your sister-in-law. Call her ‘pretty sister-in-law’!”
“Pretty sister-in-law!” Ma Zhaoxu sniffled, looking like he wanted to cry but didn’t dare. It was such a pitiful sight that Lin Aiyun couldn’t help stepping forward and taking him down from Xiao Cheng’s hands. “Why are you being so harsh with a child? Put him down!”
Hearing this, and knowing Ma Zhaoxu’s weight, Xiao Cheng set him down before letting go. Seeing Lin Aiyun step forward, he pulled her back a little and reminded her, “His face is covered in tears and snot. Stay back—don’t get your clothes dirty.”
She’d asked about her outfit eight hundred times in the car, and now she didn’t care? She was about to go near something that filthy, speaking in such a gentle tone.
Was she that fond of children? Xiao Cheng’s gaze lingered on Lin Aiyun’s face. He narrowed his eyes. If she was like this with a stranger’s kid, what would happen once they had their own little brat? Would he even have a place in her heart anymore?
Xiao Cheng was seriously starting to doubt it.
“Boo hoo.” Ma Zhaoxu looked at Xiao Cheng with aggrieved eyes, but only dared to sniffle twice to express his displeasure.
“Don’t grab him by the collar like that—what if he chokes?” Ignoring Xiao Cheng’s words, Lin Aiyun swatted his large hand away, pulled Ma Zhaoxu closer, and crouched down, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe his face.
“Next time, look where you’re going. You can’t run that fast. If you’d bumped into an old grandpa or grandma instead of me, their bodies aren’t as strong as us young people’s—they might have to go see a doctor.” She patiently wiped the tears and snot from his face, all while gently reasoning with him.
“And if you fall down, you’ll have to take medicine and get shots. Aren’t you scared of that?”
Ma Zhaoxu didn’t quite understand everything, but as soon as he heard about seeing a doctor, getting shots, and taking medicine, his eyes widened in fear. He nodded repeatedly and promised, “Xuxu will never run around again.”
“Good boy, Xuxu is so well-behaved.” Lin Aiyun’s serious expression softened into a smile, like gentle ripples spreading across a calm lake. After praising him, she even patted Ma Zhaoxu’s head.
Ma Zhaoxu touched the top of his head, feeling like everything around him smelled sweet—different from his mother’s scent, but just as nice. Unable to resist, he took a couple of steps closer to Lin Aiyun, but was too shy to get too close, his little face flushing pink.
“Did his bump hurt you? Let me see?” Xiao Cheng watched this “mother-and-son” scene and frowned, stepping forward to pull Lin Aiyun up.
Lin Aiyun shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”
Xiao Cheng was about to find somewhere to roll up her pant leg for a look, but before he could speak, a young woman came running from nearby, calling out Ma Zhaoxu’s name as she approached.
“Xuxu!”
Seeing Ma Zhaoxu standing there unharmed, she let out a huge sigh of relief, stopped, and leaned against a pillar, panting heavily. She had come to visit her aunt today, but it seemed the family was expecting important guests, so everyone was busy and couldn’t attend to her. Eventually, the task of looking after Ma Zhaoxu fell to her.
The moment she realized they were entrusting this little terror to her, Wang Youfang knew she couldn’t handle him—so she figured she might as well just head home. But when she heard exactly who the important guest was, her scheming mind began to stir, and she reluctantly agreed to stay.
But who knew they’d meet like this? Wang Youfang stared at the tall figure standing nearby, frozen for a long moment before letting out a strange gasp and ducking behind a pillar to hurriedly fix her messy hair. Her expression twisted in frustration—it was all Ma Zhaoxu’s fault! If he hadn’t run off, would she have been chasing after him like some crazy woman?
That darn kid—he’d been running around all morning and still had so much energy. Was he born a monkey?
And now, of all things, she’d let her crush see her looking so utterly ungraceful! What would Xiao Cheng think of her now? Would he think she was just some loud, shrieking shrew?
Just thinking about those possibilities made Wang Youfang’s stomach twist with regret. If she’d known this would happen, she never would have bothered looking after Ma Zhaoxu. But then again, if something happened to him, the Ma family wouldn’t let her off easy either.
Wang Youfang stamped her foot in frustration. After composing her expression, she stepped out from behind the pillar—only to find that they were already gone. The smile at the corners of her mouth froze. She turned her head and saw Xiao Cheng and a woman each holding one of Ma Zhaoxu’s hands, walking along the corridor ahead.
From behind, they looked like a perfectly matched couple—like a family of three.
That was the woman Xiao Cheng had brought back from that poor, remote province? Hmph, she didn’t look like much. Sure, maybe she was a bit taller, had fairer skin, a nicer figure…
No way was she ever going to admit that this woman actually seemed pretty good.
“Cheng Ge! Xuxu! Wait for me!” Wang Youfang completely ignored Lin Aiyun, striding forward to try and get to Xiao Cheng’s side. But the corridor was narrow—just wide enough for the three of them walking side by side. No matter how she tried to squeeze in, she couldn’t, and ended up trailing behind Xiao Cheng, looking rather superfluous.
But Wang Youfang didn’t care. She smiled cheerfully and struck up a conversation with Xiao Cheng: “Cheng Ge, long time no see! When I went shopping with A-Juan yesterday, she even mentioned you.”
“Is that so?” Xiao Cheng replied flatly.
“Yeah, yeah!” Wang Youfang’s eyes lit up at his response. She was about to press on when she saw him stop, turn, and solemnly gesture to the person beside him. “This is my wife, Lin Aiyun. You can call her ‘sister-in-law’ like Xuxu does.”
“And this is a relative from my aunt’s side—her name is…”
He trailed off, unable to come up with the name. An awkward silence fell.
It was Wang Youfang who saved face—for both Xiao Cheng and herself—by gritting her teeth and adding, “My name is Wang Youfang.”
Upon closer look, her eyes were already reddening.
Lin Aiyun shot a sidelong glance at Xiao Cheng. He’d stirred up some romantic trouble and was using her as a shield—how shameless. He rubbed his nose and didn’t dare utter a word.
“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Lin Aiyun.” Her features were gentle, her voice soft, and a faint smile lingered at the corners of her lips, making people instinctively warm to her.
“By the way, those pearl earrings you’re wearing are gorgeous. They not only match your outfit perfectly but also complement your complexion beautifully.”
If anyone else had said that, Wang Youfang would have thought they were mocking her sallow skin. But coming from Lin Aiyun, she felt it was genuine praise.
Because her expression and tone were exceptionally sincere—no hint of deception whatsoever.
Besides, now that she’d gotten a good look at Lin Aiyun’s face, Wang Youfang couldn’t help but feel surprised. She hadn’t expected the so-called “country girl” to be so stunningly beautiful.
Being complimented by a beauty naturally felt different.
Wang Youfang instinctively raised a hand to touch the pearl earrings on her earlobes, shyly deflecting, “Oh, it’s nothing! I just grabbed them from my jewelry box.”
“Really? You have such good taste! Would you be okay with going shopping together sometime?”
Before she could even respond, Wang Youfang watched in astonishment as Lin Aiyun looped her arm through hers. Her long, fair fingers were soft, and as she leaned closer, a lovely fragrance wafted over—it was delightful.
Wait a minute—weren’t they supposed to be “love rivals”? She’d made her feelings so obvious just now, so why was Lin Aiyun being so warm and affectionate? Even getting this close?
Was she setting her up for something?
But when Wang Youfang turned her head, she met Lin Aiyun’s clear, bright eyes—completely free of any calculation. When she noticed Wang Youfang looking, she even curved her brows into a smile, revealing two shallow dimples on her cheeks. It was charming, like the white cat she kept at home.
“Is that not okay?”
“Ahem—of course it’s fine.”
Faced with Lin Aiyun’s expectant gaze, Wang Youfang couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
“To be honest,” Lin Aiyun said with a slight curl of her lips, her lashes lowering, “apart from A-Juan, I don’t really have any friends here. It would be wonderful if you’d be willing to hang out with me.”
Seeing this, how could Wang Youfang bear to let such a beautiful girl feel down? She immediately patted her chest and promised, “Next time, I’ll invite you both out. My family runs a tailor shop—we just got a new batch of fabric the day before yesterday. I’ll give you some as a welcome gift.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly—”
“If I say it’s yours, it’s yours. And by the way, I was meaning to ask—how did you do your hair like that? It’s so unique and pretty.”
“It’s really simple—I can teach you…”
Xiao Cheng stood there in the corridor, still holding Ma Zhaoxu’s hand, watching the two women walk off, completely absorbed in their own conversation and utterly forgetting about them. For a moment, he fell into deep contemplation.
It was only when Ma Zhaoxu tugged at his hand that he snapped out of it.
“Big brother, pretty sister-in-law is gone.”
Xiao Cheng looked up—sure enough, they had vanished. Pushing aside the tangled mess of questions in his mind, he scooped up Ma Zhaoxu and strode after them. Fortunately, his long legs caught up quickly.
“Why are you walking so slow?” Lin Aiyun shot him a playful glare.
Xiao Cheng glanced at her arm, tightly linked with Wang Youfang’s, and said in a low voice, “This kid’s a bit heavy.”
Lin Aiyun didn’t buy that for a second. He’d carried her—a grown woman—in long strides without even breaking a sweat. Now a little kid was too much for him? But she didn’t press him on it, simply changing the subject: “Fangfang says the elders are all waiting in the south hall.”
Fangfang already?
“Yeah, it’s just ahead.” Xiao Cheng furrowed his brow and shot a warning glare at Wang Youfang. The latter flinched, a shiver running down her spine. She’d never realized Cheng Ge could be so fierce! That look in his eyes was like he wanted to devour someone. It was a wonder Aiyun could tolerate him—and even marry him.
If it were her, she’d probably be asking for a divorce by the second day.
Thinking about that, Wang Youfang felt immensely relieved—thank goodness she’d cut her losses in time. The only pity was that someone as beautiful and gentle as Aiyun had to suffer that ordeal.
Maybe she should introduce her to someone sweet and considerate instead?
—
They turned and headed toward the south hall, arriving shortly. No sooner had they crossed the threshold than a middle-aged woman in a red floral blouse and black trousers greeted them, beaming from ear to ear: “You’re finally here! Oh my, this must be Aiyun, right? What a beautiful girl.”
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun returned the smile but wasn’t sure how to address her, instinctively glancing at Xiao Cheng.
“Auntie, hello.”
“Hello, Auntie. Thank you, Auntie.” Lin Aiyun followed suit. As soon as she spoke, Ma Zhaoxu reached out toward the woman, clearly wanting to be held, and whined in a childish, spoiled voice, “Mama.”
“Where have you been running off to again? Still clinging to your big brother—you’re so heavy, aren’t you afraid of tiring him out?” Wang Lan didn’t dare pick him up, afraid he’d mess up her freshly changed clothes. She motioned for Xiao Cheng to set him down instead.
As Xiao Cheng put him down, he brushed some dust off his bottom that he’d picked up from who-knows-where. “It’s good for boys to be sturdy.”
Wang Lan’s eyes crinkled into slits with laughter—clearly, she agreed. After laughing, she ushered them inside. “Your grandparents have been waiting inside for a while now. Go in, sit down, and have some tea.”
“Fang’er, you come in too.”
The group filed into the hall. Seats were filled on both sides—the Ma family members were all good-looking, with striking, bright features. Coupled with their well-off means, they were dressed to impress, and at first glance, it looked like a vintage fashion show.
At the head of the hall sat the Ma family elders. As the heads of the household, their presence was formidable, especially the sharpness in their eyes, as if they could see straight through a person.
On the left sat Auntie’s family. Both Auntie and Uncle were doctors, carrying an air unique to their profession. They had given birth to two sets of twins in three years—all rambunctious boys who looked so alike that, sitting together, it was impossible to tell who was who.
Though she’d met the four brothers in her previous life, Lin Aiyun still found herself staring in awe. Xiao Cheng, who had been watching her closely, explained, “Uncle is a twin himself.”
That made sense—people with a genetic predisposition for twins were more likely to have them.
On the right sat Uncle’s family. Uncle himself was still out of town and hadn’t returned, so only Wang Lan and her two children were present. She’d already met Ma Zhaoxu; the younger one was still in the arms of a nursemaid, swaddled in blankets.
No wonder Wang Lan had looked so rosy-cheeked and a bit plump—she’d only given birth a few months ago.
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