Chapter 56: A Battle of In-Laws

Saying this, she gestured for them to enter.

Her attitude appeared extremely warm and welcoming, impeccable.

Shen Qiuyue’s impression of Tian Xiu’e was also quite good. She had heard about what happened that day. As an outsider, Tian Xiu’e had gone so far as to publicly confront Ye Meiping—quite impressive.

However, Shen Qiuyue was also a little worried, afraid that Tian Xiu’e might have objections to Jiang Xiangxiang and treat her poorly in the future.

Now it seemed that her worries were unfounded.

A smile touched Shen Qiuyue’s face. “Sister-in-law, you’re too kind. We never expected our children to have such a connection. Otherwise, our families would have interacted sooner, saving us a lot of trouble.”

There was no room for Ye Meiping to throw a tantrum. With Tian Xiu’e’s fiery temper holding her back, Ye Meiping certainly wouldn’t dare to act up. It was quite good.

Tian Xiu’e agreed. “Exactly! If I had known Xiangxiang was going to be my daughter-in-law, I would have protected her no matter what.”

It was all Lu Jianshen’s fault. He claimed to be going to the army, and he was gone for several years without sending a single reliable letter, let alone mentioning marriage.

With Lu Jianshen away, Tian Xiu’e didn’t dare to arrange a marriage for him, fearing it might cause trouble.

If any misunderstandings arose, it would be bad.

Who could have imagined that Lu Jianshen would one day return to marry a wife, and willingly at that? This shocked Tian Xiu’e.

Tian Xiu’e still remembered when Jiang Xiangxiang fell into the water. Lu Jianshen rescued her and immediately said he would propose and take responsibility.

But she had stopped him.

Tian Xiu’e knew her son’s nature. He had always been responsible since childhood, and this decision was probably just to take responsibility for Jiang Xiangxiang.

But marriage was more than just responsibility.

Tian Xiu’e was terrified. It concerned the couple’s entire lives; she couldn’t be careless or let him act rashly. She persuaded him for days.

In the end, she couldn’t dissuade Lu Jianshen.

Fortunately, after Lu Jianshen’s trip, he seemed like a changed man, showing signs of genuine affection.

Tian Xiu’e finally relaxed and felt happy. No matter what, marriage was up to the individuals involved. As long as Lu Jianshen truly loved Jiang Xiangxiang, she wouldn’t care about anything else.

On the contrary, she would be very, very kind to Jiang Xiangxiang.

Jiang Xiangxiang initially didn’t think much of it. It was just a matter of acknowledging their relationship; it didn’t really matter whether they said it or not.

But after Tian Xiu’e said those words, she looked at Jiang Xiangxiang meaningfully, making her feel a little embarrassed and blush.

Lu Jianshen cleared his throat. “Mom, let’s talk inside.”

Tian Xiu’e rolled her eyes. “Inside, inside. Am I tying your legs? It’s not like you haven’t been home before. Xiangxiang, come in. Watch out for the threshold. If it bothers you, we’ll saw it off later.”

Jiang Xiangxiang: “…”

Was that even possible?

She felt her treatment was a bit strange. Before, with Ye Meiping, she had nothing and was constantly criticized.

But with Tian Xiu’e, the difference was obvious, and it was quite good.

Tian Xiu’e wasn’t lying. Since Lu Jianshen was with Jiang Xiangxiang, she was his only daughter-in-law, even more precious than a biological daughter, especially since she didn’t have one.

Treating her well was only right.

Lu Jianshen twitched his mouth, completely bewildered by his mother’s thinking. She was the one who agreed and the one who disagreed—amazing.

However, seeing her kind attitude towards Jiang Xiangxiang, he felt relieved.

Jiang Chengshan wanted to find fault, but the Lu family’s attitude was so good that it would be unreasonable for him to nitpick.

Especially when he heard Jiang Xiangxiang spontaneously call Tian Xiu’e “Mom,” he felt a pang of discomfort. It wasn’t right.

She had changed her address before even getting married.

He felt extremely unhappy.

Jiang Chengshan took a deep breath. “Xiangxiang, come here and support me. I’m not feeling well; I’m afraid I’ll faint.”

Lu Jianshen immediately responded. “Dad, I’ll do it. Xiangxiang is weak; it’s unsafe for her to support you. She even stumbles when walking alone.”

He spoke with such enthusiasm and a serious expression.

Jiang Chengshan choked, his lips trembling, unsure how to express his feelings. He wanted to scold someone, but the situation was inappropriate.

At this moment, Lu Heping, Lu Jianshen’s father, heard the commotion and came out, just in time to hear Jiang Chengshan’s words. He approached personally.

“Oh dear, Father-in-law, why didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well earlier? Let me help you.”

“No, I’m fine!”

Jiang Chengshan said through gritted teeth. He was perfectly healthy, his head clear, his vision sharp; he could do anything, even eat three bowls of rice.

Lu Heping smiled at him. They were from the same village, and Jiang Chengshan knew him, and he knew Jiang Chengshan.

He was an honest man, honest his whole life.

Besides working to support his family, Jiang Chengshan had no ill intentions. If he had done anything wrong in his life, it was marrying such a vicious woman.

Even if Ye Meiping offered herself for free, he wouldn’t want her.

Lu Heping didn’t understand whether Jiang Chengshan hadn’t seen Ye Meiping’s viciousness or pretended not to know, letting Jiang Xiangxiang suffer for so many years.

It didn’t matter before, but now that they were related, he couldn’t let Jiang Xiangxiang be wronged.

Jiang Chengshan felt a little uneasy under his gaze. He and Lu Heping were almost the same age. This was a smiling tiger, seemingly amiable but actually not kind at heart.

Lu Jianshen was very much like Lu Heping.

“Lu Heping…”

“Oh, I’m a few years older than you, just call me Big Brother like before,” Lu Heping said warmly. “Come, come, let’s talk inside. It’s cold outside, you might not be cold, but Xiangxiang is.”

“Let me tell you…” Jiang Chengshan felt something was wrong. As the father, he had no chance to speak. This wouldn’t do.

Lu Heping spoke while escorting him inside.

Jiang Chengzhong followed behind, silent. His younger brother was good in every way except for being indecisive, always considering things carefully before making decisions.

In his opinion, Jiang Xiangxiang marrying Lu Jianshen was a good thing.

At the very least, Lu Jianshen was promising, and he wouldn’t return home unexpectedly, which was good.

Jiang Xiangxiang wouldn’t suffer with him.