Chapter 16

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was really his parents’ biological son.

“Uncle Gao…” Song Qingdai’s heart felt warm, yet a little sour at the same time.

Even though she had a father, she had never once felt the slightest bit of fatherly love.

For a long time, she thought it was simply because her father didn’t like that she was a girl. But that belief was shattered the moment Feng Cuifen appeared, bringing along Song Mingshan—just one year younger than her.

That’s when she realized it wasn’t about her being a girl.

It was that Song Yuanshan simply didn’t like her at all.

Because he’d spend half a month’s wages to buy Song Mingshan pretty dresses and shiny leather shoes. He even bought her Snow Cream, the popular beauty cream for girls. Whatever other girls had, Mingshan had to have too.

Whatever Mingshan wanted, even if it was a star in the sky, Song Yuanshan would try to bring it down to her.

“All right, we’re all family now. You’re still calling me Uncle, but once you and Gao Han get married, you’ll have to change that, hahaha!” Gao Hongxing laughed heartily.

The more he looked at his future daughter-in-law, the more he liked her.

Pretty and obedient—just the kind of girl who could keep that rascal son of his in check.

“Well, well—eating dinner already, are we?”

At the door stood a woman in a floral blouse, holding a baby in her arms.

Her eyes swept across their dinner table. “Oh my, you’ve got quite a spread today—chicken and fish? Better than what we get at New Year’s.”

The woman was Li Xiuzhi, the wife of the Gao family’s second son.

As soon as Gao Han saw her, a flash of disgust and impatience passed through his dark eyes.

He quietly leaned over to introduce her to Song Qingdai, saying, “She’s my second aunt, my second uncle’s wife.”

“Well, of course we’re treating our special guest well today,” said Ye Chunjiang with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “But Xiuzhi, you really are as punctual as a clock—always show up right when it’s dinner time, don’t you?”

“Now now, I’m just busy taking care of the baby and haven’t had time to cook. Your dinner happened to be ready, so I thought I’d stop by with the baby for a bite or two.”

Then, as if just noticing Song Qingdai, she pointed and said, “You’re the girl from the Song family, right? Heard you’re marrying Gao Han.”

“Since there’s an elder here, how can you just sit there? Go get me a bowl of rice!”

Li Xiuzhi wore a face of displeasure as she pulled out a chair and sat down on her own.

She then began nagging Ye Chunjiang, “Let me tell you, big sister, this future daughter-in-law of yours needs to have rules set early. Otherwise, once she’s officially married in, she’ll be impossible to manage.”

Bang—

Before she could finish, Gao Han slammed his chopsticks onto the table.

His sharp black eyes bore directly into Li Xiuzhi.

“Auntie, you’re a daughter-in-law too. How come Grandma never set rules for you? Yet here you are, so eager to boss others around?”

Under the table, he reached out and held Song Qingdai’s hand, silently signaling her not to worry.

He just wanted to marry her properly—he wasn’t going to let any meddlesome relatives come stir things up.

Gao Han didn’t play those games.

“Now listen to this! Big sister, look! That sweet boy Gao Han is now back-talking his elders all because of some girl!”

Wow.

She came in swinging—already pinning all the blame on Song Qingdai.

It was enough to leave Song Qingdai speechless.

“Auntie, is it?” Song Qingdai finally couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up.

Her expression was still sweet and polite, but her eyes were bright and full of intelligence as she looked at Li Xiuzhi.

Even Gao Han’s sharp temper faded a little when he saw her like that—and even Li Xiuzhi had to admit, this girl had very pretty eyes.

“I haven’t even married into the family yet, and Auntie is already telling Aunt Ye to ‘set the rules.’ If something were to go wrong in the household later, wouldn’t the neighbors all say it was you, Auntie, stirring up trouble?”

Her words were perfectly polite—but to Li Xiuzhi, they felt like a slap across the face.

Her expression changed instantly.

She turned to Ye Chunjiang and said, “See?! You see this?!”

“Sharp-tongued and disrespectful! A girl like that isn’t suitable for marriage!”

“If she really joins your family, your home’ll be in constant chaos! You should pick my niece instead—she’s got a slim waist and wide hips, definitely the kind to bear sons!”

She glanced pointedly at Qingdai. “But this one? So scrawny she probably couldn’t even lay an egg.”

Song Qingdai raised a brow.

Ah. No wonder she barged in here sniffing around—she’s got her eyes on Gao Han herself.

Of course she’d dislike her.

“Auntie!”

Gao Han’s voice turned ice cold. All pretense of familial civility was gone.

His sharp gaze locked onto her, radiating anger and disdain.

“Is that the only idiom you know?”

“If you’re so good at ‘laying eggs,’ then how about laying a few more for the Gao family?”

“You—!” Li Xiuzhi hadn’t expected Gao Han to snap at her not once, but twice, just for defending Song Qingdai.

She’d always known Gao Han was tough, but hey, she was still his aunt! He used to greet her respectfully.

Now? Total backfire.

“That’s enough!”

Even Ye Chunjiang lost her temper.

Li Xiuzhi, thinking Ye Chunjiang would take her side, immediately smirked, ready to watch her scold Gao Han and Qingdai.

But—

“The kind of daughter-in-law our Gao family wants isn’t your business. Li Xiuzhi, if you don’t know how to behave, go back into your mother’s womb and start over!”

Ye Chunjiang was famous for being blunt and fiercely protective of her own.

She liked Qingdai, and nobody was going to insult her.

“Big sister, you—!”

“You what? You barely read two books in your life and yet you’re always sticking your nose into things. You’ve been freeloading off our meals for ages—I’ve put up with you long enough. Just because your husband isn’t home, you think you run the house?”

“When your husband comes back, don’t think you’ll get away without a scolding!”

Her anger was so strong her face flushed red.

Gao Hongxing added coldly, “This is our family’s business. Stay out of it. Get back to your own house—now.”

Li Xiuzhi’s face turned pale, then green—she had come in trying to assert dominance, only to leave with her tail between her legs.

“Good girl, don’t take what she said to heart,” Ye Chunjiang quickly said to Qingdai.

Afraid she might get scared off and back out of the wedding.

Because if that happened, their son would be back to being a bachelor—and it had taken so much effort just to get him to like someone and be eager to marry her.

They couldn’t afford to lose her now.

Besides, Ye Chunjiang knew her son.

The way he secretly looked at Song Qingdai—the affection in his eyes was sickeningly sweet.

She had a feeling that this brat probably already had a crush on Qingdai before all this.