Chapter 17: She’s attracted to me?

Wang Juying didn’t immediately register what her son had just said.
“Right, you saw her today…”
“Wait—what? You saw her already? When did that happen?” She finally reacted, surprised.

“Caught a ride back today on Wenyan’s ox cart. The siblings were in town selling melons,” Lu Huaijin explained simply, only mentioning the melon-selling and not the rest.

“So, what do you think of her? Isn’t she prettier than Xia Lizhu? And her figure—taller, slimmer.”
“The key thing is—she’s thin, not fat, and just right for my son. I heard she’s a college student, too…”
“And most importantly, that girl seems to like you. She’s already quite pleased with you…”

Wang Juying couldn’t hold back the big smile on her face as she spoke.

Lu Huaijin, hearing this, suddenly recalled Jiang Peiyu’s lively, sweet demeanor—definitely a kind and pure-hearted girl.
“She likes me?” he asked, puzzled. After all, they’d only just met today and didn’t even know each other.

Seeing her son’s confusion, Wang Juying quickly explained.
“Their family originally wanted to break off the engagement. That girl didn’t want to marry into our family…”

Hearing that Jiang Peiyu had wanted to break the engagement, Lu Huaijin felt a strange tightness in his chest, an unexpected pang.

“But I could tell she’s a good girl. Not the kind to fight for everything, but she has her own mind,” Wang Juying went on.
“Much better than that ungrateful Xia Lizhu…”
“Besides, if this engagement falls through, where else are we going to find you another college-educated girl within ten miles?”
“So I pulled out a photo of you and showed her…”
“I could tell from her face—she’s into good looks.”
“Sure enough, once she saw your picture, she changed her mind and said she wouldn’t break it off… hahaha…”

“So, Mom… this engagement…” Hearing that the girl had changed her mind after seeing his photo, Lu Huaijin felt a wave of relief—maybe even a bit of secret delight.

“Don’t rush. After dinner I’ll head over to their house to feel things out. If they’re agreeable, maybe we can arrange for you two to officially meet tomorrow.”

She looked at her son.
“What do you think?”
“Mom, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Alright, then I’ll go visit the Jiang family tonight.”

Smiling, Wang Juying turned and headed back to the kitchen.

After she left, Lu Huaijin stood there, still picturing Jiang Peiyu’s face, the corners of his mouth twitching into a faint smile.

If it had been Xia Lizhu, he wouldn’t have minded ending the engagement. But now that it was Jiang Peiyu, to be honest—he didn’t want to break it off.

He admitted it: he, Lu Huaijin, liked that little girl at first sight. Not because of her looks—otherwise, all those pretty girls in the military’s arts troupe would have caught his eye. But none had.

There was just something about her—like she was meant to be his. He liked her personality: cheerful, spirited, adorable.

He could also tell she’d treat his two children well in the future. She was a good girl.

If she ended up marrying someone else, he wouldn’t feel at ease.

---

That evening, after dinner, seeing that the Jiang family had probably finished eating too, Wang Juying asked her daughter Lu Shuangyan to wash the dishes.

She straightened her clothes, checked her hair, and made her way straight to the Jiang household.

At the gate, she took a deep breath, put on a smile, and stepped inside.
“Fugui, Shuzhen, have you eaten?”

Inside, the Jiang family had just finished eating. Li Shuzhen was helping her eldest daughter-in-law clean up the tableware while the others had gone back to their rooms.

Hearing Wang Juying’s voice, Li Shuzhen handed the dishes to her daughter-in-law, Yang Xiaoyan.

“Sister-in-law, you’re here—come in and have a seat.”
“We just finished eating. Have you eaten? If not, we still have some food left—you’re welcome to it.”

“No, no, I’ve eaten at home,” Wang Juying said with a quick wave and a smile.
“We’re all neighbors—I wouldn’t show up at dinner time with an empty stomach, that’d be rude.”

Since she had already eaten, Li Shuzhen grabbed a rag and began wiping the table.
“So, sister-in-law, what brings you here today?”

“Oh, nothing big—just that my eldest, Huaijin, came home today. He’ll be leaving again the day after tomorrow,” Wang Juying said.
“I was hoping to talk to the two of you—if tomorrow’s convenient, maybe the two kids can meet formally?”

She turned to look at Jiang Fugui, who was seated at the head of the table, smoking.

Li Shuzhen finished wiping and stood to the side, also looking at her husband. Jiang Fugui didn’t reply right away.

After a moment, he tapped the empty pipe against the table.
“Better ask Peiyu herself.”
“She’s got a mind of her own. Her mother and I can’t speak for her.”

“Old man…” Li Shuzhen frowned slightly, worried.

To be honest, marrying off her daughter to become a stepmother right away—what girl would be willing?

“It’s fine. Call her out and ask.”
“Alright.” Li Shuzhen sighed and knocked on Jiang Peiyu’s door.

“Girl, come out. Aunt Juying’s here.”
“Coming, Mom…”

Jiang Peiyu opened the door and saw Wang Juying.
“Auntie.” she called sweetly.

“Ay, good girl.”

Good heavens—what a sweet girl, Wang Juying thought, liking her more the longer she looked.

She remembered when she was pregnant with her second and hoped for a daughter like this—well-behaved, lovable, and adorable.

But hopes were beautiful, and reality was harsh…
(Lu Shuangyan internally: Mom? My mom? What the heck??)

Jiang Fugui stuck the cold pipe back in his mouth and smacked his lips a couple of times.

“Girl, your Aunt Juying came over to ask if you’d be willing to officially meet her son tomorrow. What do you think?”

When Jiang Peiyu heard that this was going to be an official meeting with Lu Huaijin, she felt a rush of excitement in her heart.
“Dad, I have no objections. You and Mom can decide for me, hehe.”

Jiang Fugui looked at his daughter smiling like a fool and instantly understood—
sigh… “A grown daughter can’t be kept at home…”

“Alright then, since you have no objections, let’s have the official meeting tomorrow morning at our house.”
“Dad, can we make it in the afternoon? I have to go to the city with Second Brother to sell melons in the morning.”
“Alright then, girl, tomorrow afternoon it is. We’ll come after lunch…”

“Well then, if there’s nothing else, Fugui, Shuzhen, I’ll head home first, haha…”

Seeing that everything was settled, Wang Juying stood up happily, patted the dust off her clothes, and made her way home.

Li Shuzhen looked at her daughter and sighed with worry. In her heart, she thought, When it comes to married life, what use is a good-looking man? What really matters is if he knows how to love and care for you.

“Peiyu, are you really sure about this? That Lu Huaijin has adopted two kids.”
“If you marry him, you’ll be a stepmother from day one…”
“And being a stepmother isn’t easy. If the kids are obedient, that’s fine. But if they’re not, you can’t hit them, can’t scold them, can’t control them…”
“If they’re just mischievous, that’s manageable. But if they’re truly mean-spirited and Lu Huaijin always sides with them, your life won’t be easy at all…”

Jiang Peiyu understood what her mother was worried about. She walked over and hugged her mom’s arm.

“Aiya, Mom, it’s not as scary as you’re making it sound. How bad can little kids be…”
“I’ll talk things through clearly with Lu Huaijin…”
“Sure, I’m into him because he’s handsome and has a great figure.”
“But if he turns out to be the kind of father who spoils his kids and can’t tell right from wrong, then I won’t marry him no matter how good-looking he is.”