Chapter 1076 - 455: Conflict
Yueyao’s mood was not good, and as her husband, An Zhichen could certainly notice.
An Zhichen asked, "What’s wrong? Feeling down?" An Zhichen understood Yueyao’s disposition; normally, such things wouldn’t bother her.
Yueyao explained to him that she had invited Zhuang Ruolan to visit the Lin Family to discuss the engagement date, and she also shared her suspicions with An Zhichen: "Heyue, what on earth is the Lin Family indicating? If they intend to break off the engagement, they should just say so openly. Do they really think we would insist on holding onto it?" The Lin Family’s attitude was making her quite upset.
After hearing this, An Zhichen remained silent for a moment and said, "Let’s first see how the Lin Family responds."
Yueyao nodded. She wasn’t ignorant; an engagement was the union of two families. If they were to break it off, they’d become enemies. It wouldn’t be advantageous to Tingzheng or her husband. However, if the Lin Family maintained this attitude, she definitely wouldn’t go through with this marriage.
An Zhichen chuckled and said, "This engagement was proposed by the Lin Family; they wouldn’t want to break it off." If the Lin Family weren’t sincere, they wouldn’t have come to him initially.
Yueyao waited for two days, but there was no reply from the Lin Family, and even Tingzheng hadn’t returned. Yueyao became suspicious: "Could it be that the Lin Family didn’t respond, and Tingzheng is afraid to come back?"
Xiang Wei laughed and said, "No need to rush, Miss. Tingzheng will certainly return in a few days." Sometimes, pushing too hard can backfire.
On the third day, Tingzheng finally returned.
Yueyao looked at Tingzheng’s expression and asked, "What did the Lin Family say?"
Tingzheng, noticing Yueyao’s calm demeanor, felt a bit guilty: "Sister, Younger Sister Lin is still young. How about we wait for a couple of more years before setting the engagement date?"
Yueyao stared intently at Tingzheng and said, "So, are you saying the Lin Family didn’t reply to you? Or perhaps their reply was unpleasant, making you afraid to relay it to me?"
Tingzheng’s voice involuntarily softened: "Sister, Uncle Lin and Auntie Lin only have one daughter, Younger Sister Lin, and they want to keep her for a couple more years."
After hearing this, Yueyao chuckled lightly: "A couple more years? How long do they plan to keep her?"
Tingzheng felt very uncomfortable and instinctively lowered his head.
Yueyao said, "Tomorrow, I’ll have your brother-in-law ask the Lin Family what they really mean." Yueyao was truly fed up with the Lin Family. Had she known it would be like this, she wouldn’t have agreed to this engagement against Tingzheng’s wishes back then.
Tingzheng was about to say something but, seeing Yueyao’s indifferent expression, didn’t dare utter a word. All these years, he had never seen his sister with such a look.
Hearing Yueyao’s words, An Zhichen felt some annoyance too; the first time might have been a misunderstanding, but the second time couldn’t possibly be. "Don’t worry, I’ll go and ask Lord Lin." Although breaking off the engagement could be a misunderstanding, he wouldn’t allow his wife to be treated so dismissively.
An Zhichen was much more efficient than Tingzheng, and by the afternoon of the next day, he had brought back Lord Lin’s reply to Yueyao: "Lord Lin said the engagement can be set early next year. You should find a matchmaker to agree on a specific date with the Lin Family then."
After hearing this, Yueyao’s expression turned very unpleasant. Yueyao wasn’t someone who overthought things, but she definitely wasn’t foolish. The Lin Family’s attitude was too suspicious; she needed to uncover the reason.
An Zhichen didn’t understand Yueyao’s concerns and laughed, saying, "The Lin Family themselves proposed the engagement; they couldn’t be thinking about breaking it off, could they? Zichang, there must be a misunderstanding here." An Zhichen knew Yueyao’s character; Yueyao wouldn’t fire aimlessly. But since this engagement was already set, even if the Madam of the Lin Family was difficult, without sufficient reason, they couldn’t break it off. Besides, Tingzheng himself didn’t want to break it off.
Yueyao smiled slightly: "Perhaps it really is a misunderstanding!"
That evening, Yueyao discussed the Lin Family matter with Xiang Wei: "I always feel there’s something going on here. Can you help me investigate and see what’s really happening?" Without figuring out the ins and outs of this situation, she definitely wouldn’t ask a matchmaker to visit again to discuss the engagement date.
Xiang Wei furrowed her brows slightly: "Okay."
The weather was getting increasingly hot, and just walking a few steps would make one sweat. Xiao Kexin was very active, always climbing around, and even in breathable clothes, she needed her clothes changed four or five times a day.
Yueyao chuckled and said, "This child is lucky to be in our family. If she were in an average household, where would there be so many clothes to change?"
After changing into clean clothes, Xiao Kexin tugged at Yueyao’s sleeve and climbed into her embrace. Although Xiao Kexin wasn’t shy, and anyone could hold her, she still preferred to be held by her own mother.
Nanny Hua brought over a bowl of fish puree; as Xiao Kexin grew, she ate more and more, and Yueyao couldn’t keep up with feeding her, so Nanny Hua suggested adding solid food. After she turned six months old, Xiao Kexin started with solid foods, having three to four servings a day, rotating between meat puree, fish puree, and vegetable juice. While other families’ children might not enjoy solid foods, Xiao Kexin ate heartily.