Chapter 371: Xiaolu Town
Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but say excitedly,
"Qin Tuo, you’re going back to your hometown? That’s great! I want to go back with you!"
Qin Tuo was stunned. He hadn’t expected Chen Man Ni to react like this.
He figured that since Chen Man Ni had grown up in the city her whole life and had never seen the countryside, she would probably find life there very difficult to get used to.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Tuo shook his head and said,
"Manni, you shouldn’t come. I’m afraid you won’t be comfortable."
However, Chen Man Ni insisted,
"Qin Tuo, no, I absolutely have to go back with you and see it. Besides, your cousin will be my cousin too. How could I not give her a big wedding gift?"
Since Chen Man Ni had put it that way, Qin Tuo found it hard to refuse.
Left with no choice, Qin Tuo could only agree to take Chen Man Ni back to his hometown.
Chen Man Ni dressed herself up beautifully, thinking she didn’t want to embarrass Qin Tuo.
Then, Qin Tuo got in the car with Chen Man Ni, and they set off on the road to his hometown.
His hometown was in Xiaolu Town, a suburb of Ming City. The roads in town were crooked and bumpy.
Chen Man Ni was surprised. She hadn’t expected Qin Tuo’s hometown to be so remote.
Qin Tuo couldn’t help but say,
"Manni, I told you not to come. Don’t blame me when you can’t stand it."
But Chen Man Ni just pouted, huffed, and said irritably,
"Qin Tuo, what kind of person do you take me for? If you could grow up here, why can’t I handle staying for a bit?"
Qin Tuo just shook his head with a smile and didn’t say anything more.
As they neared the village, they saw his mother, Luo Xianglan, waiting for them under a large tree at the entrance.
Next to her was a familiar face—his second aunt, Luo Xianggui.
Qin Tuo couldn’t help but smile and say,
"Manni, look! That’s my mom and my second aunt. They’re here waiting for us."
Chen Man Ni was taken aback. Qin Tuo parked the car, and they both hurried out to greet them.
Luo Xianglan and Chen Man Ni hadn’t seen each other in a while. She naturally took Manni by the hand and started asking how she’d been.
Meanwhile, Qin Tuo chatted a bit with his second aunt, Luo Xianggui.
Qin Tuo hadn’t seen his second aunt in a long time either, and he had missed her.
Just then, Luo Xianggui couldn’t help but look over at Chen Man Ni and ask curiously,
"You must be Qin Tuo’s girlfriend, Manni, right?"
It turned out that Luo Xianglan had told Luo Xianggui about Chen Man Ni, so she already knew Manni was Qin Tuo’s current girlfriend.
Chen Man Ni nodded, looking a little shy.
Luo Xianggui asked again,
"So when are you two planning on getting married? Let me tell you, it’s better to marry young. That way you can have your first kid early, and then you can hurry up and have a second..."
Luo Xianggui’s words made Chen Man Ni so uncomfortable she didn’t know how to respond.
But Luo Xianggui didn’t seem to notice at all. She kept pestering her with questions, which instantly made Chen Man Ni feel out of place.
Seeing this, Qin Tuo quickly pulled his aunt aside and changed the subject.
Chen Man Ni shot Qin Tuo a grateful look, sighing in relief internally.
She was starting to understand why Qin Tuo hadn’t wanted her to come with him to the countryside.
After they chatted for a while, Luo Xianggui suddenly noticed that Qin Tuo had driven back in a Mercedes-Benz.
Her eyes lit up as she walked around the black Mercedes, circling it twice.
She gave him a thumbs-up and praised,
"Qin Tuo, you’ve really made something of yourself, driving such a nice car! Big Sister, you should be so proud!"
Luo Xianglan beamed from ear to ear at her side, nodding nonstop.
Qin Tuo, however, just said something modest. He didn’t want to show off in front of his relatives.
’Besides, this car was considered one of the more ordinary luxury cars in Manni’s family.’
But Luo Xianggui couldn’t resist boasting proudly,
"Qin Tuo, you’ve done well for yourself, but my daughter is marrying even better. As her mother, I can finally rest easy about her future."
’Qin Tuo could sense the superiority in his aunt’s tone. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of family his cousin, Jiang Wanyu, was marrying into.’
’Could she really be marrying into a family of great wealth and status?’
’Qin Tuo made a mental note. He had to vet this properly for Jiang Wanyu’s sake. He couldn’t let her marry the wrong person and regret it for the rest of her life.’
"Alright, Qin Tuo, Manni, you must be tired after such a long drive. Why don’t you hurry home and get some rest?"
After they had been chatting for a while, Luo Xianglan found an excuse to take the two of them home.
Luo Xianglan and Chen Man Ni walked side by side, talking and laughing. They seemed to get along remarkably well.
Reading her expression and worried that Chen Man Ni might feel uncomfortable, Luo Xianglan smiled apologetically and said,
"Manni, dear, this is just how things are in the countryside. Please don’t take it to heart. If anything makes you uncomfortable, you just tell your Auntie, okay?"
A wave of warmth washed over Chen Man Ni. She shook her head and smiled.
"It’s nothing, Auntie. I think everything here is lovely. The scenery, for instance, is beautiful."
It was the truth. The scenery in the countryside had a beauty the city could never match. Chen Man Ni was so captivated by the natural splendor that she forgot all about the earlier awkwardness.
When they finally got back to the house, Chen Man Ni looked around at everything with curiosity.
She knew this was the place where Qin Tuo was born and raised, so everything felt new and exciting to her.
Luo Xianglan took a large pile of fruit out of a cabinet and asked Qin Tuo to go wash it.
"Manni, why don’t you watch some TV for a bit? I’m going to prepare a welcome meal for you, so you can have a real taste of our rustic, country-style cooking!" Luo Xianglan said with a warm smile.
Chen Man Ni’s eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.
"Okay, Auntie! Haha, I can hardly wait!"
Country cooking was all-natural and organic. It might not be some top-shelf delicacy, but it was something city dwellers rarely got to experience.
Chen Man Ni found herself filled with anticipation for Luo Xianglan’s cooking.
Qin Tuo took the fruit out into the yard to wash. Hearing the sound of Luo Xianglan and Chen Man Ni chatting and bursting into laughter inside the house, he felt a sense of relief and gratification.
’At least he wasn’t seeing any of the legendary conflict between a mother and her future daughter-in-law. On the contrary, the two of them were getting along splendidly.’
Just then, a slender girl suddenly appeared before him and said hello.
"Cousin, you’re back?"