After Xiaomai finished recounting the meeting scene, Tian Jing smilingly pointed a finger at her, "We were still worried you'd be embarrassed and refuse to give Accountant Zhou a chance to explain. So you knew all along?"
Xiaomai maintained her innocence, "You said you'd introduce me to someone, and I waited for three years. Zhou Chenbin has only pursued me for three years. If he hadn't asked again, I wouldn't have told him I was waiting for you, matchmaker."
Zhou Chenbin held Xiaomai's hand, "I'm sorry, I was too foolish."
Tian Jing shivered, getting goosebumps. She was old and couldn't stand the young people's affection, even though she had been affectionate herself when she was young. So, she ushered them out, "You two better head to the kitchen; there are already two couples there."
Zhou Chenbin pulled Xiaomai along, "Let's go tell Big Sister."
"Who is your Big Sister? Don't just call people that."
"Soon, my mother is pressuring me to get married."
"What does my mother pressuring you to get married have to do with me?"
"It has to do with you, because she will eventually be your mother too."
The two walked out, still talking.
Ouyang Meihua looked surprised, "Heroine Tian, were we all kept in the dark by Xiaomai?"
"Not exactly kept in the dark," Tian Jing shook her head. "For the past three years, she showed no emotional reaction to Zhou Chenbin's pursuit, which was already a hint to us. We still saw her as that timid little girl who was afraid to speak."
"Exactly!" Ouyang Meihua clapped her hands. "When it comes to a man's pursuit, women either welcome it or reject it. It's impossible to be so indifferent, neither happy nor sad. I never expected that Xiaomai was so reserved. I no longer worry about her life after marrying into her husband's family."
Seeing that Zhou Chenbin had finally taken her sister's hand, Damai breathed a sigh of relief. After the deception from those two men in the capital, her sister had become very wary of men. By agreeing to her aunt's introduction, her sister had intended to settle down. Zhou Chenbin's persistent pursuit had even begun to move her. However, her sister still wanted to test Zhou Chenbin's patience, so she had let her. Now that Zhou Chenbin had succeeded, it meant her sister's emotional defenses had been breached.
Zeng Jingliang congratulated Zhou Chenbin on his successful confession. Yuan Man also congratulated Zhou Chenbin on holding hands successfully. Then, he asked Damai when she would accept his proposal.
Damai playfully chided him, "Didn't you say the wedding date was up to me?"
"Yes!" Yuan Man nodded. "Am I not asking you now?"
Damai reached out and hit him, "You're quibbling!"
Yuan Man caught her hand, "I'm already forty-two. If I don't become a father soon, my age will be suitable for being a grandfather."
Afeng also chimed in, "Damai, you're twenty-eight now. In a big city, that's considered an old maiden."
"If it weren't for Village Chief Li's strict control in Kusan, the gossip about you and Xiaomai would surely be unbearable."
Damai hesitated for a moment, then conceded, "Sister Feng, please pick a good date and discuss it with my mother."
Afeng excitedly pulled out a calendar and began selecting dates with her cousin. Damai and Xiaomai also consulted.
Zhou Chenbin's excitement was dampened by half. He had just succeeded in his pursuit, and Dr. Yuan was already preparing to get married. He glanced at Zeng Jingliang, who was also looking enviously at Yuan Man, and walked over to ask him, "What about you and Sister Feng?"
Zeng Jingliang shook his head dejectedly. It seemed that this was likely the outcome for him and Afeng.
Zhou Chenbin didn't understand. Zeng Jingliang sighed, "Afeng said that her will is tied to Tian Jing's. If Tian Jing doesn't like me, she won't marry me."
Zhou Chenbin was speechless. What did this couple have to do with Team Leader Tian? And wasn't the word "marry" used incorrectly here? Zeng Jingliang shook his head, "You don't understand." He didn't understand, but he should have asked. This was a lesson he had just learned. Seeing that Zeng Jingliang was unwilling to ask, he quietly offered to help.
Tian Jing didn't expect Afeng to use this method to express her grievances on her behalf. After dinner, she called out to Afeng, who was about to head to the backyard. Afeng asked Zeng Jingliang, who was beside her, to go back to the backyard and heat water first. Watching Zeng Jingliang's retreating back, Tian Jing recalled the first time she met this man. From a gentle and refined gentleman to the ordinary man who could manage both household chores and cooking, it was all because of love. Among all the couples she had seen, none could persevere like Zeng Jingliang and Afeng. This included herself and Li Zhengguo. She believed she herself couldn't have endured being separated by mountains and rivers, stubbornly holding onto childhood promises.
"Afeng, Zeng Jingliang is a good man. I won't take my anger out on him. If he wants to marry you, he must marry into the Yuan family. This is the lie you've kept for him for so long, and he must rectify it for you. Furthermore, lowering his generational status is also a way for me to vent my frustration. Once you feel it's enough, take him. There's no need to worry about me. I passed the age of needing parental approval ages ago."
Afeng hadn't expected Tian Jing to approach her about this. She sighed deeply, "After knowing your background, I felt so sorry for you. Because I know you don't acknowledge your biological mother, it's for the sake of the Zeng family. No matter how heavy her guilt is, no matter how willing her husband is to give for her, you shouldn't acknowledge her, because she is not qualified. She occupies the identity of the Zeng family's mistress while simultaneously desiring a life without regrets. Is that possible? If you acknowledge her, how will the Zeng family maintain its dignity? If Uncle Zeng doesn't acknowledge you as a member of the Zeng family, this past affair will be exposed. But forcing Uncle Zeng to accept that past is already cruel enough. If you then ask him to acknowledge you, where does that leave him? His heart is not made of stone; it will be hurt. I never knew a woman could be so selfish. The thought of becoming related to her makes me want to strangle her."
So Afeng had seen through her? Tian Jing patted her shoulder, "Why do you care about her? You are marrying into the Yuan family. She's just your maternal relative. Life is short. In your remaining years, live for yourself. Those who live for themselves will suffer less."
...
In the blink of an eye, Li Weihao and Li Weibao's holiday ended. The two brothers bid farewell to their family with reluctance. Although the special training camp was in the mountains behind their home, they were not allowed to leave the camp freely. Mother Li hugged her two grandsons and cried uncontrollably, "It's all your father's fault for being incompetent, forcing you to join the army at such a young age. Wuwuwu..."
Li Weihao and Li Weibao comforted their grandmother, "Yes! Grandma is right. So we're going to strive now, so your great-grandchildren won't be as pitiful as us in the future."
Li Zhengguo was speechless. Mother Li wiped away her tears, "Haohao and Xiaobo are right. Hurry up. If there are good girls out there, snatch them up early."
"If you're late, all the good girls will be taken by others, and the remaining ones will be oddities. If you don't want oddities, you'll have to wait for the next batch, and by then, they'll think you're old."
Li Zhengguo smiled, "Right! Mother is right. It should be done early. Time flies by in a blink, and before you know it, you've become an uncle."
Li Weihao and Li Weibao were dumbfounded. Had they ever seen an uncle who was only sixteen or seventeen years old?
Li Weili burst into laughter, "Big Brother, don't forget Tyrannosaurus Rex, hahaha. Second Brother, I also wish you... wuwuwu..."
Li Weibao quickly covered his sister's mouth, "Little sister, it's okay for us to deal with one Tyrannosaurus Rex each. But for my dear little sister to deal with two, we brothers can't bear it." Seeing Li Weili shake her head, Li Weibao released her. "You're not young anymore. Don't speak so carelessly, okay?"
Li Weili stomped her foot, "You smelly men always bully and threaten us women."
Tian Jing was speechless. Who had taught her daughter these words? "Lili, if I ever hear you talk like that again, don't blame me for giving you a good smack."
"Ooooh~" Although her mother had never hit her, Li Weili accepted the threat. The farewell scene was made both comical and embarrassing. Under the send-off from the Li family, led by their grandmother and with Little Black at the tail, Li Weihao and Li Weibao left the village.