How could Jiang Jinzhu, a lonely old widower, possibly notice which girl from which family was good or not?
He had asked around about the Wen family.
When their batch had retired, their ranks and positions hadn't differed by much; otherwise, they wouldn't have been living in the same cadre retirement compound.
But the younger generation of the Wen family fell far short. Not one of them had amounted to anything.
And to make matters worse, they had too many children, which meant the old couple constantly had to subsidize their children down below.
Chengzhou wasn't that old, and neither was the young Miss Wen. Why would they be in such a hurry to find a partner?
It was just Jiang Jinzhu showing off, bragging around every day that everything he had would eventually go to Jiang Chengzhou.
Besides, everyone already knew that Xu Yueyun had transferred ownership of that little western-style house to Jiang Chengzhou.
Jiang Chengzhou, at such a young age, had money and property, which put him far ahead of everyone else in the younger generation.
If Jiang Chengzhou and the Wen girl actually liked each other, then Xu Yueyun would have nothing to say; she could only go along with the kids' wishes.
But since Chengzhou had no such intention at the moment, Xu Yueyun absolutely would not let Jiang Jinzhu mess around like this.
Jiang Jinzhu, having been rebuffed and left speechless, weakly said, "I was only doing it for Chengzhou's good."
"Chengzhou doesn't need it!" Xu Yueyun said in a low, angry voice. "You think I don't know what you're up to? Chengzhou isn't close to you, so you thought you could win him over this way. Look at the result now, will you?"
As Jiang Jinzhu stepped into the private dining room, he saw Jiang Chengzhou all smiles as he greeted his maternal grandparents and carefully pulled out a chair for his grandmother.
As for him, he only received a curt nod.
Jiang Jinzhu felt regret stirring in his heart at that moment.
Earlier, Lin Zhilan had called him and advised him not to go through with this idea.
Jiang Jinzhu had listened to her only for a brief moment. He was easily swayed, and with people whispering in his ear, on top of the fact that Jiang Chengzhou truly wasn't close to him and didn't consider the capital his real home, he grew anxious again, and that's when he came up with this foolish plan.
Now that his grandson wouldn't even acknowledge him, Jiang Jinzhu felt restless, like a cat scratching inside him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
This dinner was to celebrate Jiang Chengzhou's college entrance exam results. Cheng Qingshan had invited the entire Su family and Jiang Jinzhu, and beyond that, the Zhuang family as well.
When Commissar Zhuang heard that Chief Cheng had invited him to a meal, he was quite taken aback.
Zhuang Yi didn't dare say it was because of Nuonuo, so he only said that perhaps Chief Cheng knew he was Jiang Chengzhou's teacher, which was why he'd invited them all.
Commissar Zhuang didn't think much of it and brought Zhuang Yi's family to the restaurant.
By the time their family arrived, everyone else was already there. When Cheng Qingshan saw him, he was even more enthusiastic than with the others. "Old Zhuang, you're here!"
Before Commissar Zhuang had retired, Cheng Qingshan had been the superior above his superiors. This sudden warmth startled him a little, and he hurried forward to shake hands.
"Chief, just call me Zhuang Weihong."
Cheng Qingshan smiled. "Don't call me Chief in private. Just call me Old Cheng. Or you can call me in-law, if you prefer."
In-law...
Zhuang Yi winced.
Jiang Chengzhou held his forehead.
Everyone else was utterly confused.
Cheng Qingshan had no children of his own, so how could he become a relative by marriage to the Zhuang family?
And even if it were through Jiang Chengzhou, the Zhuang family had no daughter of marriageable age. So where did "in-law" come from?
Linlin was puzzled. "Grandpa Cheng, are Li Li and Nuonuo going to get married?"
Su Li, who had been chatting with Nuonuo, snapped his head up and said, "Can we?"
"No!" Zhuang Yi said.
"Alright," Su Li consoled Nuonuo, "then we'll wait a little longer. We're still young. No rush."
Nuonuo obediently nodded.
Two little munchkins claiming they were "still young" silenced all the old men in the room.
Commissar Zhuang pulled his hand out of Cheng Qingshan's grasp, his face turning dark, and couldn't help but glare at Zhuang Yi.
Zhuang Yi could only force a wry smile.
The meal proceeded with everyone happy — at least on the surface.
Linlin hadn't seen her brother in days, so she stuck by his side and sat next to him.
Su Pei and Su Yao naturally sat with their parents. Only Su Li squeezed himself between Commissar Zhuang and Zhuang Yi, right beside Nuonuo, making himself right at home.
Commissar Zhuang had spent twenty years on the island and was an old acquaintance of both Lin Zhilan and Su Lang. He also genuinely liked their kids.
Su Li had earned a reputation across the whole family compound before he'd even turned one.
Su Lang's nightly strolling with the baby was a well-known tale.
Commissar Zhuang had even mocked Su Lang over it back in the day.
Now, the joke had come back to haunt him in his own home.
As the meal came to an end, Cheng Qingshan's guard went out to settle the bill but came running back within two minutes, leaning down to whisper something in Cheng Qingshan's ear.
Cheng Qingshan's brow twitched slightly, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Chengzhou. The corner of his mouth moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, merely waving a hand for the guard to withdraw.
The youth palace in the capital offered a model airplane hobby class, and Linlin was thoroughly hooked. And since there were two older female cousins at Second Uncle's house, once Su Jue urged her on, she went to stay there anyway.
Su Li wanted to follow Nuonuo back to her house, but since Zhuang Yi refused to allow it, he had no choice but to go home with Cheng Qingshan.
Jiang Jinzhu wanted Jiang Chengzhou to come back with him.
Chengzhou had done so well on the exam this time; he wanted to show off back home.
Jiang Chengzhou declined, saying he still had to return to the army for training. After exchanging a few words with his maternal grandparents, he followed Cheng Qingshan home.
With Cheng Qingshan around, Jiang Jinzhu didn't dare make a fuss, so he could only watch his grandson leave with longing in his heart.
Back at home, Cheng Qingshan called Jiang Chengzhou into the study.
He pulled a thick red paper packet out of a drawer and pressed it into Jiang Chengzhou's hands. "You did well. This is my reward for you. Open it and take a look."
Jiang Chengzhou did as told and peeked inside.
A thick stack of ten-yuan notes, at least several hundred.
He quickly closed the packet and placed it back on the desk in front of Cheng Qingshan. "That's too much. I can't take it."
"What's this?" Cheng Qingshan's brow furrowed. "Is my money too hot to handle?"
Jiang Chengzhou gave a wry smile. "Don't put me in a spot, please. If my aunt finds out I took this much money from you, she'll have a word with me as soon as I get back."
Cheng Qingshan leaned back in his chair. "I'll back you up. If she says anything to you, I'll go have a word with her."
Jiang Chengzhou was caught between laughter and tears. "Anyway, I don't want this money. I've got money, really. No, don't look at me like that. My aunt gave me plenty this time."
Cheng Qingshan looked him up and down, clearly unconvinced. "That meal today must have cost at least several tens of yuan. The pocket money you have on you is probably almost gone by now, isn't it?"
Jiang Chengzhou grinned. "Not even close. I still have plenty of money on me."
Cheng Qingshan was taken aback. "How much did Zhilan give you?"
Jiang Chengzhou held up one finger and waggled it in front of him.
"A hundred?"
Jiang Chengzhou shook his head. "A thousand."
Cheng Qingshan raised an eyebrow and sat up a little straighter. "Why would Zhilan give you that much money?"
Jiang Chengzhou chuckled. "My aunt said I'm grown up now, so I need to learn how to spend money. Treat people when I should, spend when I should, and keep the rest as living expenses for college."
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang's three children each had a slightly different attitude toward money.
