Wang Cuifen glanced at Xie Jianzhong and said to Su Qing, "Don't mind him. He's been like this since he was a kid."
Her voice was loud enough for Xie Jianzhong to hear.
In Xie Jianzhong's eyes, this was deliberately said for his benefit. Without a word, he slammed the door shut again and retreated to his room.
Seeing her eldest son act like this, Wang Cuifen was furious. She shoved the clothes into Su Qing's hands and went to push open Xie Jianzhong's door.
"Who do you think you're giving that attitude to? On such a happy occasion, and you’re acting up."
Xie Jianzhong sat on the edge of the bed, looking aggrieved. "Mom—"
"Don’t call me Mom! Am I not your mother?" Wang Cuifen snapped back without hesitation.
She shot him a warning look and reminded him, "If you come out later with that sour face again, don’t blame me for being harsh."
After scolding him, her anger subsided a bit. Wang Cuifen sat back down on the small stool and continued mending Su Qing’s clothes.
"How did I end up with such troublesome children?"
Su Qing quickly patted Wang Cuifen’s back to soothe her, chiming in, "Elder Brother really went too far. If I had a mother like you, I’d be overjoyed. I don’t know what more he could possibly want."
Xie Jianhua, who happened to pass by carrying some things, paused when he heard her words. Something about it sounded off.
He quietly glanced at Wang Cuifen’s expression and noticed she had already brightened up, no longer angry.
Wang Cuifen said earnestly, "Then from now on, you can be my daughter. I’ll definitely treat you better than He Laidi ever did. As for that ungrateful Xie Jianzhong, I won’t bother with him."
"Of course. He Laidi could never compare to you. The things my birth mother did—I don’t even want to talk about it." Su Qing said seriously, "But Mom, it’s fine. Elder Brother is your real son. No matter how well you treat him, I won’t be jealous."
"Don’t worry, he won’t overshadow you…"
Wang Cuifen leaned in to whisper something to Su Qing, but when she turned her head, she saw Xie Jianhua standing there motionless with a wooden board in his hands. "What are you doing just standing there? Hurry up and take that board to your room. Can’t even be bothered to tidy up your own space."
If she hadn’t shooed him away, Xie Jianhua would’ve loved to keep listening. Lately, Wang Cuifen’s attitude had been really strange, and he was curious to know why.
But since she didn’t give him the chance, he could only pick up his things and return to his room, continuing his noisy work.
Once Xie Jianhua was gone, Wang Cuifen and Su Qing started gossiping in hushed tones about the eldest son. "Jianzhong is the type who forgets his mother the moment he gets a wife. I don’t care about him. Just wait and see—he only dares to throw tantrums with me. The moment he meets his future wife, he’ll be fawning all over her. Pathetic."
Su Qing was puzzled. "Elder Brother isn’t even engaged yet. Isn’t it too early to say that?"
"He’s not engaged because he’s dragging his feet. I wanted to arrange something for him two years ago, but he refused. Now that his younger brother is getting married, he’s sulking again." Wang Cuifen knew exactly what kind of drama her son was stirring up.
"Ah, so it’s Elder Brother who doesn’t want to?" Su Qing feigned surprise. "No wonder the younger brother is marrying before the eldest in this family."
She had assumed no one wanted Xie Jianzhong.
After all, most people in matchmaking were superficial—the first thing they noticed was looks.
Xie Jianhua had practiced martial arts since childhood, joined the military when he grew up, and had a tall, upright posture with decent looks. Xie Jianzhong, on the other hand, had been sickly since he was young, barely reaching 1.6 meters, with a slight hunch and a gloomy demeanor.
If these two brothers walked down the street, Su Qing would glance at Xie Jianhua a few times, but she wouldn’t spare Xie Jianzhong a single look.
If she’d been forced to marry someone like Xie Jianzhong, even with Wang Cuifen’s support, she wouldn’t have compromised one bit.
She was shallow—she cared about looks.
But aside from people like her who cared about appearances, there were also those who cared about money or were pure love-struck fools.
Wang Cuifen had been willing to pay a dowry of 500 for Xie Jianhua—there was no way she wouldn’t do the same for her eldest son. Yet, finding a match for Xie Jianzhong was much harder. Wang Cuifen must have prepared for the higher dowry he’d need.
Even with money on the table, things were stuck.
Su Qing pressed further, "Why doesn’t Elder Brother want to get married?"
"What else?" Wang Cuifen scoffed, pointing next door. "He’s got a thing for Zhang Dahong next door."
"Zhang Dahong?" Su Qing searched her memories and realized this was the future sister-in-law.
She asked curiously, "If Elder Brother likes her, why didn’t they settle things earlier?"
"What’s the use if only Jianzhong likes her? Zhang Dahong doesn’t feel the same." Wang Cuifen rolled her eyes at the mention.
Su Qing’s eyes sparkled with gossip. "Mom, didn’t you try talking to the Zhang family?"
"I tested the waters. But the Zhangs aren’t in a hurry to marry off their daughter." Wang Cuifen explained, "Their youngest son is only thirteen. The Zhangs want to keep their daughter for three more years so she can earn wages, then hand over her job to her brother when she marries."
"That’s way too harsh on their daughter." Su Qing didn’t think delaying marriage was a big deal, but in this era, a woman in her late twenties was considered an old maid. With her job going to her brother, finding a match would be tough.
"Hmph, harsh or not, your Elder Brother still likes her." Wang Cuifen sneered. "As long as Zhang Dahong doesn’t marry, Jianzhong stubbornly refuses to settle down too."
Su Qing’s eyes widened slightly. Who would’ve thought that gloomy Xie Jianzhong was such a romantic?
Xie Jianzhong had someone he liked, so he chose to wait. But Xie Jianhua married so quickly…
Su Qing cleared her throat and tugged at Wang Cuifen’s sleeve. "Did Xie Jianhua ever have someone he liked before?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Wang Cuifen defended Xie Jianhua’s innocence vehemently, as if swearing an oath. "That kid has always been a show-off, just wanting to be the leader among the boys. He never paid any attention to those weepy little girls."
Su Qing nodded in understanding. So in front of Xie Jianhua, she should cry more—that way, she’d annoy him.
"Jianhua’s always been missing that romantic bone. I arranged his marriage myself, and he didn’t raise a single objection."
After praising her worry-free second son, Wang Cuifen couldn’t help but vent about the troublesome eldest.
"Jianzhong figured things out way too early. Since his teens, he’s been orbiting around Zhang Dahong, spending all his pocket money on her—buying her ice cream in summer, roasted sweet potatoes in winter. He’s more attentive to her than he is to me."
After a pause, Wang Cuifen suddenly spat out, "Pathetic simp."
Hearing Wang Cuifen describe her own son like that, Su Qing’s lips twitched.
