Chapter 39

Never had there been a moment when Xi Yannan had so clearly experienced what it meant for the night to be as cold as water. At that moment, his heart felt as icy as the chill of late autumn.

So it turned out… The sister he and his elder brother had worked so hard to raise was actually a female hooligan?

Su Xi was startled by the angry shout and turned to meet her elder brother’s and her younger brother’s disapproving gazes.

Su Xi was confused and subconsciously explained, “Brother, you misunderstood.”

Xi Yannan looked at his sister, unable to find the right words to describe the situation. What misunderstanding could there be?

Just moments ago, Su Xi had been moving her hands and feet, and Xie Zhen had struggled desperately. Both he and his elder brother had seen it clearly.

It turned out that between his younger sister and the leader, it was the leader who was the ‘delicate flower’ being tormented.

Although describing a tough, iron-blooded soldier like his leader as a ‘delicate flower’ made him shiver with disgust, was it true that one couldn’t judge a book by its cover?

Recalling his own furious outburst and beating someone earlier that afternoon, the usually fearless Xi Yannan suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.

Su Dong, who had recovered from his shock, first nodded apologetically to Xie Zhen. Then he turned to his sister, narrowed his slender eyes, and coldly said, “Xi Xi, let go of his shirt.”

Regardless of the circumstances, it was inappropriate for a young girl to lift a man’s clothing.

If others saw this, it would be even more embarrassing.

Su Xi then realized that at that moment, she was still clutching Xie Zhen’s shirt, as if she were deciding whether to lift it or not.

Su Xi felt her ears flush with embarrassment. She awkwardly lowered her hand and noticed that Xie Zhen’s clothes had become wrinkled. Without much thought, she tried to smooth them out with her hand.

Then… She met the strange gazes of her two older brothers. Well, in this conservative era, after such a series of actions, she really couldn’t clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

Perhaps feeling that their younger sister was too impolite, Su Dong and Xi Yannan, who had been furious after discovering that their little sister had been taken away by a “wolf,” temporarily set aside the one hundred eighty-eight ways they had devised to test Xie Zhen and warmly invited him to dinner.

There was no other choice—after all, it wasn’t so easy for their sister to fall in love with someone. What if she scared him away?

They decided to wait until Xie Zhen left and the door was closed before discussing how to educate their younger sister.

As for how to deal with this impudent brother-in-law in the future, well… that would be left in the future…

At home, they washed their hands and went to the dining table.

Su Xi’s mind was buzzing. She felt a bit depressed and annoyed, realizing that, in the eyes of her two older brothers, she was just a hooligan.

Thinking this, Su Xi glared fiercely at Xie Zhen.

Xie Zhen stifled his laughter, not expecting to find such unexpected amusement.

However, he is not foolish. Apart from the initial surprise, Su Dong and Xi Yannan have clearly guessed that it was a misunderstanding now.

As for why they didn’t clarify, it was probably to teach the young girl a lesson.

After all, words could be terrifying, and public opinion could be damning.

But seeing the young girl’s resentful gaze, he felt a pang of reluctance.

Stance didn’t matter!

There was no need to handle things in a way that made his partner unhappy—it was better to communicate properly.

He then looked at Xi Yannan, who was sitting across from him, and began to explain, “Just now…”

“Alright, let’s forget about what happened just now and not mention it,” Xi Yannan quickly interrupted.

Su Xi choked up, rolling her eyes at her brother, thinking, ‘You should at least hear the explanation.’

She was about to speak again when Su Dong and their grandma, who were serving dishes in the kitchen, returned.

Grandma put a bowl of braised fish in the middle of several side dishes and smiled. “What happened just now? ”

Su Dong, who was accompanying Grandma, placed the kerosene lamp on the Eight Immortals table and continued, “Nothing, Grandma. Let’s eat; it’s already very late.”

^[1]Eight Immortal Table: https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/chinese-eight-immortals-table-traditional-beef-hot-pot-cuisine-ingredients-hot-pot-known-as-ancient-enamel-named-158666222.jpg

Hearing this, Grandma agreed; it was almost seven in the evening. She lit another oil lamp in the main room.

Since her son-in-law was here today, Chen Xiangyun did not eat in the kitchen as usual. To show respect, she had carefully prepared several main dishes and set the meal on the Eight Immortals table in the living room.

She had also lit all three oil lamps in the house, which was the highest level of hospitality for guests.

Once everything was ready, Grandma sat at the head of the table and cheerfully invited everyone to start eating.

The Su family did not have the rule of being silent during meals. After a few bites, Chen Xiangyun asked, “Why did you come home so late today? ”

At this point, Su Xi had given up entirely, thinking it was fine for her brothers to misunderstand. At least their attitude towards Xie Zhen had improved.

She swallowed the spicy little fish in her mouth, her eyes curving into a smile.

These fish were particularly small and difficult to handle, but they were exceptionally flavorful. Even the bones could be chewed and swallowed. Grandma’s cooking was excellent, and Su Xi was thoroughly satisfied.

Hearing Grandma’s question, Su Xi briefly explained what had happened at work.

This is not a medical condition that needs to be kept confidential. It will definitely be known to everyone tomorrow. One should never underestimate the public’s ability to spread gossip.

As Grandma listened to her granddaughter’s story, she enthusiastically got up, took the communal chopsticks, and served Xie Zhen a large piece of green pepper scrambled eggs, cheerfully saying, “Xiao Xie, eat more. Don’t be polite; treat this as your own home.”

She had three unfilial descendants in the family, and now she had finally welcomed a son-in-law, so she needed to treat him well.

Su Dong: “…….”

Xi Yannan: “…….”

Their fists clenched, but both of them recalled their sister’s previous actions and gritted their teeth to endure.

Xie Zhen quickly expressed his thanks. As the first-time son-in-law invited to stay for a meal, he had completely shed his usual cold demeanor and was exceptionally polite.

After Su Xi briefly recounted what had happened in the hospital, Grandma frowned and said, “I know the woman from Ge Erniu’s family.”

Su Xi was not surprised. The family area was small, and with Grandma’s “lively” nature, it was impossible for her to remain uninformed.

As expected, Chen Xiangyun began to ramble: “If you ask me, Ge Erniu’s mother needs to attend ideological education classes. It’s been nearly twenty years since the liberation, and she still behaves like a landlord, making things difficult for her daughter-in-law.”

Su Xi and the others looked over with curiosity. Just as Grandma was about to continue, a moth flew toward the oil lampshade, making a fluttering sound.

Several people quickly reached out to shield the dishes on the table, preventing any powder from the moths from contaminating the food.

Grandma exclaimed, “Where did this moth come from? I hung the gauze curtain! ”

Xi Yannan swiftly caught the moth, while Xie Zhen got up to check the doors and windows. He found that the gauze curtain was not fully closed—it had a tiny gap.

He tightened the door curtain before returning to the dining table.

As he sat down, Su Xi served him some spicy and sour potato strips. She noticed that he seemed to really like spicy shredded potatoes.

Xie Zhen’s eyes warmed at the thoughtfulness of his beloved. It was a simple gesture, but at that moment, it made him feel as though his heart was soaking in warm water. He looked at his lover and unconsciously smiled.

Su Xi then noticed a bit of dust on Xie Zhen’s nose, probably from when he checked the curtain.

Without thinking much, she laughed and reached out her hand—under Xie Zhen’s surprised gaze, she wiped off the bit of dust with her fingertip.

This led to three pairs of hot eyes staring at her and Xie Zhen’s ears turning red again.

Su Xi held her head and said, “No, listen to my explanation. I’m really not a hooligan!”