Chapter 116 - One Is Talking About A Marriage Proposal While the Other Is Visiting the Family-In-Law (2/2)

Seeing how Grandmother Qi brought bags of this and that over to meet them, it seemed like she came in peace. ‘Did she come here to try and convince me not to let Song Yu be with Qi Chengzhi?’

‘If she is, shouldn’t she have just written a cheque?’

‘What’s all this stuff for?’

Yu Qianying did not know what to think. The only thing she could do was invite the old lady in.

The old lady happily allowed both Aunt Liu and Driver Xiao Fan to carry those things into the house. As she walked, she said, “These are some things for you to eat and drink. See if there’s any suitable place to put these? Or better yet, just put them in the kitchen!”

She ordered Xiao Fan to bring everything into the kitchen without even waiting for Yu Qianying’s reply.

“I didn’t even inform you that I was coming, so hasty of me. I didn’t bother you, did I? I’ve known for quite some time that you’re staying here, but I was just too embarrassed to come here in a hurry.” The old lady grasped Yu Qianying’s hand warmly and did not give Yu Qianying the opportunity to say anything; she just went on and on like a machine gun.

On the day Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu home, it was confirmed to them that she was the girlfriend that he spoke of. It was obvious that the Qi family would not just sit around doing nothing. They made sure to dig up every single one of Song Yu’s details in the past year.

Naturally, her parents’ home was not something that could be hidden from the Qi family.

Every single time Yu Qianying wanted to speak, Grandmother Qi’s blabbering forced those words back in again, and eventually, Yu Qianying did not bother to reply.

They were walking into the living room anyway, and once the old lady entered, she was given quite the shock when she laid her eyes on her grandson, who was sitting as motionless as a rock on the sofa.

“Oh dear, why are you here?” she exclaimed in astonishment. She patted her chest a couple of times and was grateful that she did not go there to break the happy couple apart. However, would she face her eldest grandson if she had done that?

She tried remembering the things she said to Yu Qianying just moments earlier. There was nothing inherently unpleasant in what she said, so she did not have to worry about risking Qi Chengzhi’s unhappiness.

Qi Chengzhi cocked an eyebrow. He heard everything his grandmother said, of course, so he could roughly guess why she intended to show up. His lips curled up slightly, erasing the stern lines that were originally present.

“I came here to propose marriage.” Qi Chengzhi’s voice was mellow and calm, his then smiling face was no longer there, and his expression looked especially serious.

Grandmother Qi, “…”

Song Yu, “…”

Yu Qianying, “…”

Song Donglin, “…”

“I came here to visit my in-laws. You, though, why did you come all the way here, Grandmother?” Qi Chengzhi looked at his grandmother half-smilingly and stopped her in her tracks completely.

Yu Qianying twitched her lips. ‘In the beginning, he said he came here to introduce himself as her boyfriend, how did it suddenly turn into a marriage proposal? Just how thick-skinned is he?’

‘In-laws? I haven’t even agreed to their relationship. Isn’t that a bit too early?’

However, it was the next sentence that left Yu Qianying utterly speechless, and it came from the elderly lady’s lips.

“I’m meeting my family-in-law.” She sat her bottom on the sofa without waiting for Yu Qianying to say anything. She glanced at the coffee table and asked, “Dear, do you have a glass? It’s really cold outside and I’d like to have a cup of hot tea.”

“Please… Please don’t say it like that. I’m not used to it,” Yu Qianying replied and put on a bold face. She could not possibly be swayed by a few words from the grandson-grandma duo. “Also, about your grandson and our daughter, we haven’t agreed on anything. He’s just met us today and we haven’t even talked about it. Calling us your family-in-law would be too early.”

Yu Qianying remarked and left to the kitchen. She took three cups and invited Aunt Liu as well as Driver Xiao Fan to have tea too.

The old lady pursed her lips and was not too happy with what Yu Qianying said. She took the cup and sipped a few rather audible mouthfuls of tea. Once the tea had warmed up her body, the old lady felt comfortable enough to begin speaking, hence she placed the teacup down.

“Xiao Yu, look at me. I’m old enough to be your mother, so I’m considered your elder. Please don’t be hasty. Listen to what I have to say.” The old lady rubbed her hands and glanced at the cup, as if unsure where to begin. “Look at my eldest grandson. He’s handsome, his attitude is admirable, and for so many years he has never been with a woman before. Not even those entertainment and gossip newspapers could get a picture of him doing anything bad. What does this mean? This means our Chengzhi is a very, very self-respecting person. Men like him are difficult to find nowadays.

“Men like him wouldn’t search for just any lady, but if he finds one that he likes, his heart will be set on her.” The old lady then sighed. “I’m not bragging or anything, but in that aspect alone, a person like him – someone who treats a woman with one mind and one heart – is a woman’s dream. How many women have cracked their heads for something that they admire but can never get?

“I won’t lie to you; I felt the same way when I found out about them and didn’t agree to it. Your Song Yu was previously engaged to our youngest grandson, and I’ve already treated her as my granddaughter-in-law at that time. I still keep her in my heart even though we’ve lost contact over the last few years. When she reappeared so suddenly at our home the other day, and Qi Chengzhi said that she was going to be our granddaughter-in-law. However, in all honesty, I was briefly unable to accept it at that time.

“It goes without saying that the whole thing is a mess. People outside would be saying all sorts of things, be it about both our families or my grandsons,” the elderly lady said calmly and drank a few more sips of tea due to her thirst.

“But when I think of it, my grandson really likes Song Yu. Will the unsavory gossip last if they get married? My point is, these two kids love each other, and as long as they’re happy, why should we care about what outsiders say? Am I right, Xiao Yu?”

The old lady then became emotional, and her imagination began running wild. There was a certain radiance to her expression when she continued, “Soon after their marriage, I can hug my great-grandchild and you can hug your grandchild. All of us can live our own lives happily, and there’s no reason for us to care about what others say. It’s not like we have to rely on what people say in order for us to be happy, right? That’s obviously not possible, and our kids will have to suffer because of that. It isn’t worthwhile for us to deprive our kids of happiness just because of some gossip, now is it?”

The crux of it was how hard it was for Qi Chengzhi to find a girl that he truly liked. There was nothing bad about Song Yu, the only issue being her previous engagement with Qi Chengji. Song Yu’s family were good people, and she had a pleasant character too. The old lady had always liked her, and she was deeply regretful when the engagement with Qi Chengji was called off.

There was nothing more important to Grandmother Qi than holding her great-grandchildren in her arms. She did not care much for anything else.

“Xiao Song, Xiao Yu, which date do you think would be best?” The old lady took out a Yellow Calendar from her bag and said, “I even brought a Yellow Calendar 1 with me.”

“Madam, this is…” Yu Qianying did not know what to say to the old lady.

Grandmother Qi was the oldest and most senior out of everyone there, so Yu Qianying found it inappropriate to say anything too harsh.

“Grandma, you’re not objecting to us?” Qi Chengzhi’s enigmatic eyes were filled with gentle happiness.

“If I object, are you going to break up with her?” The old lady rolled her eyes as if to say ‘duh!’

The whole family could object for all he cared, Qi Chengzhi would still go to the civil administration office and register his marriage. What use would objecting be?

Qi Chengzhi smiled and said, “Han Zhuoli is investing in a new movie. He’ll be shooting at the family home, and they’re looking for an old lady to act with the female lead in one scene. Are you interested, Grandmother? If you are, I’ll let Han Zhuoli know so that he can end his search. There aren’t many lines in the script, it’s just two scenes and it’ll be done in a day, so it won’t tire you.”

“Really?” The old lady’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward slightly. “What kind of role is that? Let me have one that’s a bit challenging. For instance, my children are not filial and took all my money without caring for me, so my character is forced to live off scraps. Or, or, I can play the role of a woman with Alzheimer’s, someone who’s a bit cuckoo in the head, also discarded by the children. Anything’s fine as long as it’s challenging and I can show my fine acting skills.”

The old lady then sat up straight and smoothened her clothes. “Look at my personality, my energy. One look and you know I’m not some ordinary old lady. It would be such a waste if I’m given a boring role. I’ll only accept something that’s strongly contrasting. Only then will my acting skills be put to the test and I can unleash my specialties.”

She leaned forward once more and took a sip of tea before pointing in front of her. “Have I told you before? I was part of an acting group when I was young. I played Sanmao 2 , I played The White-Haired Girl 3 , I even played the part of Tiemei 4 from The Legend of the Red Lantern. After my retirement, I would go and help out once in a while, and there was once I even played the part of Grandmother Li [4].”

“I don’t really know the specifics, but I’ll ask Han Zhuoli. Or maybe I can tell him to come to the home directly, so both of you can talk about the kind of role you want. If the role is too minor for you, and you want to be the lead, you can tell me and I’ll let him make the necessary amendments.” Qi Chengzhi took the teapot and poured tea for his grandmother, as well as for Song Donglin and Yu Qianying. He even did so for Aunt Liu and Xiao Fan.

Aunt Liu and Xiao Fan were quite overwhelmed by that small courtesy, and their hands were shaking while holding their cups.

Yu Qianying could not help but stare at him. It scarcely crossed her mind that Qi Chengzhi would perform such a personal gesture towards everyone there.