Taking in the enraged look on Shen Peichuan’s face, Su Zhan hurriedly hid behind Lin Xinyan. “I’m telling the truth! You’re just in denial. I’m certain that Sang Yu has feelings for you. Why else would she have been so worried when you were in trouble last time? Truthfully, age really isn’t a problem. Look at Xinyan and Jinghao! There’s an eight-year gap between them but that isn’t affecting their relationship at all!”
Lin Xinyan twisted her head to eye Su Zhan. “Hey, pick on Peichuan all you want but don’t drag us into this!”
She hated it when people brought up the past.
After all, she really was relatively young back then. She had only been eighteen years old- still in university- when she had married Zong Jinghao.
Shen Peichuan sniped, “Hasn’t he always been as such? A leopard can’t change its spots.”
Su Zhan glared at the other man, growling, “Stop bullying me whenever you get the chance to. I might not be able to win in a fight against you but I’m smart enough to get backups!”
Lin Xinyan smacked Su Zhan’s shoulder and reminded him, “Keep it down! Qin Ya might be able to hear everything from inside the house, you know.”
She wondered if he would still act like that if he knew what Qin Ya had said earlier.
The mention of Qin Ya instantly silenced Su Zhan.
“Oh, so there’s still someone who you’re afraid of?” Shen Peichuan teased.
“Get lost!” Su Zhan plonked himself down on the couch, refusing to talk anymore.
Lin Xinyan, who had gone off somewhere, returned with two bottles of wine. “Time to eat.”
Placing the bottles down on the table, she headed for Qin Ya’s room. She helped the other woman to dress and clean herself before guiding her out of the room. Qin Ya was walking on the balls of her feet to prevent her injuries from touching the floor. With Lin Xinyan’s support, she arrived at the living room. Su Zhan instantly stood up to help Nonetheless, when Qin Ya did not even shoot a glance at him, he stopped himself. He did not want her to find him annoying.
Lin Xinyan brought Qin Ya over to the dining table. Zong Yanchen ran over and thoughtfully pulled out a chair for her. “Aunt Qin, be careful!”
Smiling, Qin Ya rubbed the little boy’s head affectionately. “You’re so sweet! You’re definitely going to attract a lot of girls to you when you’re older.”
Zong Yanchen waved his hands around as he protested, “One is more than enough! Women are so troublesome. I’m scared of what might happen if I get more than one.”
Amused laughter greeted his words. Lin Xinyan pinched her son’s cheek as she uttered fondly, “You and your nonsense.”
“No, it’s the truth!” Feeling aggrieved, he muttered to himself, “You and Daddy are always squabbling with each other. It takes days for you two to get on good terms again.”
“What was that?” Lin Xinyan had not heard him clearly as his voice had been too soft.
He shook his head and replied innocently, “I said I got it. I won’t say such nonsense again in the future.”
Right then, Aunt Yu walked over with the cutlery and dishes. Lin Xinyan helped her to set the table before calling out, “Everybody, time to eat!”
Shen Peichuan and Su Zhan came over upon hearing her words.
“Wow, what a lavish meal!” The table was filled with a veritable feast, comparable to those of buffets at restaurants.
“Thanks for your effort, Xinyan. It must have been tiring for you to prepare all this,” Shen Peichuan commented with a grin.
Lin Xinyan placed the last of the chopsticks down before looking at him. “Well, it’s a celebration of your promotion. Preparing this is nothing when compared to that.”
Embarrassment swept through Shen Peichuan. It was not like he was being promoted to the position of the chief of police; he was merely a deputy chief!
It was only after everyone had sat down that Zong Jinghao came downstairs and sat at the head of the table. Lin Xinyan opened up a bottle of wine, playing the hostess. “The first glass of the night goes to Peichuan.”
Shen Peichuan hurriedly stood up and took the bottle from her. “I’ll do it.”
As if I allow her to pour me a glass!
Lin Xinyan did not argue as she sat back down. A smile tugged at her lips as she questioned, “Peichuan, be serious now. Who is Sang Yu?”
She had interrupted the earlier discussion, which was the reason that she was asking of it now. She was very curious about who this “Sang Yu” woman was.
Shen Peichuan is a mature and steady man. Whoever this woman is, they must really have some sort of history between them. After all, he’s not exactly a casual person.
Shen Peichuan was struck speechless. Why can’t they let this matter go?
Su Zhan placed his wine glass before Shen Peichuan, obviously intending for the other man to pour him some wine. “Perhaps I should bring her here?”
“Could you stop sticking your nose in other people’s business?” Shen Peichuan scowled at him. “Can’t you just sit there and be quiet? Don’t you see Qin Ya sitting across from you?”
Su Zhan fell silent.
Zong Yanxi and Zong Yanchen covered their mouths and giggled.
Uncle Su has gotten humiliated again. This is so funny!
Filling up Zong Jinghao’s glass as well, Shen Peichuan put the bottle back down before he explained, “I admit that I really want to settle down and have a family soon too. After all, I’m not getting any younger. However, what’s going on between me and Sang Yu is truly just a misunderstanding. She’s too young for me and we’re not suited for each other.”
Qin Ya spoke up, “Mr. Shen has always been a reliable man. I’m sure that you’ll be able to find an outstanding woman soon.”
Chuckling, Shen Peichuan responded, “I hope you’re right.”
She sighed. “It’s the truth. I know that I don’t stand a chance. Otherwise, I would have tried my hand at wooing you.” Qin Ya had a pitiful expression on her face. She did not seem to notice the change in the atmosphere around the table. Either that, or she was aware and was pretending she was not. “I remember hearing that getting married is like a woman’s second rebirth. The first time, she doesn’t get a chance. However, the second time, she has to be careful about choosing her husband. She will suffer for the rest of her life if she chooses a jerk. I firmly believe that to be true. Nevertheless, I’m sure that Mr. Shen is definitely not a jerk.”
Almost instinctively, Shen Peichuan glanced over at Su Zhan.
Su Zhan’s gaze was locked on Qin Ya. How could she totally ignore our whereabouts and injure my pride like that?
Shen Peichuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something. Unfortunately, no words escaped him.
In truth, Su Zhan was responsible for Qin Ya getting hurt. There was nothing that Shen Peichuan could say to justify that. In the end, he decided that he might as well distance himself from the issue entirely. “Don’t drag me into your mess. I don’t want any misunderstandings to form. I know better than to hit on my friend’s wife.”
Qin Ya smiled. “Look at you, getting all terrified at the notion of me courting you. Don’t worry. I know better than to try.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Shen Peichuan hastily replied.
He had not said that because he looked down on her or thought of her as dirty.
“Then what do you mean? Don’t tell me that you like me too?” she countered.
Shen Peichuan was beginning to regret his decision in coming here. It seemed as though everything he said was wrong in some way.
Lin Xinyan swatted Qin Ya and warned, “That’s enough.”
The smile never left Qin Ya’s face as she answered, “I know. I couldn’t help but tease Mr. Shen because he’s just so oblivious.”
Schooling his expression into a stern look, Shen Peichuan stated, “Don’t joke about things like that in the future please.”
This topic was just too sensitive. Anyone who did not know him well would have gotten the wrong idea about his relationship with Qin Ya.
“Alright, dig in!” Lin Xinyan swiftly ended things before the situation escalated further. She gestured to the pot in the middle of the table and introduced, “That pot contains stewed salted goose. Aunt Yu says that it tastes absolutely divine. Everyone, try it out!”
Salted goose was usually made by curing the meat with salt in winter. After a few days, the meat was washed and chopped into small pieces. It was then added into a pot with ginseng, wolfberry, and mushrooms. Soon after, it would be stewed for two hours on a low fire. The bitterness of the ginseng blended with the saltiness of the goose perfectly.
Lin Xinyan took a piece of goose for her son.
“I want to eat too!” Zong Yanxi complained. She thought that she had been forgotten in favor of her brother.
Truthfully, Lin Xinyan had not forgotten about her. It was just that her son was sitting closer to her. Hence, she served him first. Besides, her chopsticks could only hold one piece at a time.
Zong Jinghao placed a goose wing on top of his daughter’s plate. The little girl blinked her dainty eyes at him and grinned. “Daddy loves me more! Mommy only cares about Yanchen now!”
“Can your Mommy’s chopsticks hold two pieces of meat at once?” Zong Jinghao asked his daughter in a gentle tone.
Zong Yanxi shook her head. “No.”
A beat later, she understood. “Okay, I know now! I know Mommy still loves me. She said that she would take me to the pet shop too!”
With that said, she used her hands to pick up the wing as she bit into it with relish. The meat was incredibly tender and filled with the flavor of ginseng. She smacked her lips happily. “It’s so tasty!”
“Aunt Qin, you should have some too! It’s really yummy!” Zong Yanchen mumbled through a mouthful of goose.
Qin Ya grinned. “How nice of you not to forget about me no matter what you’re doing. Alright, seeing how you seem to be enjoying it so much, I’ll try some too.”
Taking a piece for herself, she took a bite and hummed in delight. “It really is delicious!”
The presence of the two kids always served to liven up the atmosphere.
Everyone was in high spirits as they continued their meal. The only exception was Su Zhan, who was feeling rather down. Contrary to his usual talkative self, he was incredibly quiet tonight as he drunk more and more wine.
Halfway through the meal, the doorbell rang. Aunt Yu got up to open the door but Lin Xinyan stopped her. Lin Xinyan told her to get some rest since she must have been exhausted from cooking their dinner. “I’ll go.”
The new maid volunteered, “I’ll get it!”
Lin Xinyan nodded but did not move to sit back down. Instead, she remained standing as she stared at the front door. Everyone whom we’ve invited is already here. I wonder who it is.
