Chapter 12

By now, Chu Ci sensed something was off. Chu Mingshan tugged at her daughter’s clothes, signaling her not to go too far.
Jiang Hu cleared his throat: “Enough, we can chat after dinner. Xiao Lin is pregnant, she mustn’t go hungry. Yingying, go tell Aunt Wang it’s time to eat.”
Jiang Ying obeyed her father, falling silent immediately.
As soon as she left, Chu Mingshan turned to Lin Tian apologetically: “Tiantian, Aunt apologizes for Yingying. She’s young and doesn’t understand. Don’t worry, I’ll educate her properly.”
Lin Tian hadn’t been upset at all. Such childish provocations didn’t bother her. With the aunt and uncle being kind, she didn’t want to make them uncomfortable. And Chu Ci’s cousin, well, she’d give him some face.
Noticing this, Lin Tian felt a mix of surprise and affirmation.
“Don’t worry, Aunt. She doesn’t know me yet. Once we get to know each other, she’ll like me,” she said with confident assurance rather than arrogance.
Chu Mingshan and Jiang Hu exchanged a smile. Their niece-in-law’s personality was truly rare.
Chu Ci was taken aback; she always surprised him.
Dinner began. On the table was chicken soup Chu Mingshan had prepared for Lin Tian. She served her a bowl and said: “Originally, Xiao Ci would have brought you to meet his grandparents. But they’re not home. In the future, if you need anything, come to Aunt. As for a nanny, I’m looking, but reliable ones are hard to find. If necessary, Aunt will help with Wang Aunt.”
By now, Lin Tian realized that Chu Mingshan probably didn’t do much housework. She preferred not to be fussed over, it would make her uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Chu Ci spoke up: “Aunt, you still have work, and Wang Aunt has her hands full too. I’ve asked others about a nanny, so don’t worry too much.”
Chu Mingshan relaxed. Seeing Lin Tian’s four-month pregnant belly, she smiled: “A few more months and Xiao Ci will be a father. If my eldest saw this, he’d be so happy.”
Her eyes reddened as she grew sentimental.
Jiang Hu patted her shoulder in comfort. Chu Ci also recalled his late father fondly.
“I’ll take the baby and Tiantian to see my dad,” he said.
“Good, you’ve grown up,” Chu Mingshan said, relieved.
Jiang Ying remembered her uncle too. Hearing this, she felt sad and glared at the unflinching Lin Tian. “Cousin-in-law, you’re not sad at all hearing about my uncle?”
Lin Tian was puzzled. She respected the deceased father-in-law, but they had never met him. Pretending to be sorrowful would seem fake.
She was about to answer when Jiang Hu’s expression darkened at his daughter’s question: “Jiang Ying, if you don’t want to eat, you can go upstairs now.”
Jiang Ying sulked silently. Chu Ci added: “Yingying, I hope you’ll be polite to your cousin-in-law.”
His words were mild, but the meaning was clear.
Jiang Ying, scolded twice in a row, felt wronged but didn’t want Lin Tian to see her as a fool. She finished her meal, even more irritated at her cousin-in-law, feeling that she had stolen everyone’s affection.
Lin Tian, however, ate happily; nothing had affected her appetite.
Afterward, Chu Ci peeled an apple for her. Lin Tian took it naturally, drawing a glare from Jiang Ying. Lin Tian smiled at her without care.
Jiang Ying turned away, thinking this woman had a thick skin.
As Lin Tian ate, she thought that Jiang Ying was just like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away.
Seeing her enjoy the apple, Chu Ci asked: “Shall I peel another one?”
“No need. You’re feeding like a pig, I’m already full,” Lin Tian said.
“Then I’ll take you for a walk,” Chu Ci suggested.
Lin Tian handed him the apple core and turned to Jiang Hu, smiling: “Uncle, I want to walk off the food. How about Yingying goes with me? I also want to chat with her.”
Jiang Hu paused, then agreed. He turned to his reluctant daughter: “Yingying, accompany your cousin-in-law. Don’t throw a childish tantrum.”
Jiang Ying didn’t dare argue and followed Lin Tian out, begrudgingly.
Chu Ci, still worried, followed to the door, reminding Jiang Ying: “Yingying, your cousin-in-law is pregnant. Take good care of her, okay?”
Jiang Ying frowned and nodded, glancing at Lin Tian’s belly without protest.
Lin Tian thought: at least she knows how to prioritize.
They walked out, one ahead of the other.
Jiang Ying walked quickly, always aware of Lin Tian’s movements behind her. As they separated further, she noticed Lin Tian’s pace remained steady and unhurried.
Jiang Ying stopped. Lin Tian came to her side. She frowned: “Can you walk faster?”
“I’m pregnant. This is my pace. You slow down, and we can chat about your cousin,” Lin Tian said, looking directly at her.
Jiang Ying couldn’t stand her gaze and turned away.
Lin Tian didn’t mind and asked: “Did your cousin ever have someone he liked?”
Jiang Ying widened her eyes in shock. How could this woman ask such a blunt question? Besides, they didn’t have a close relationship.
“I’m not telling you. If you want to know, ask him yourself,” Jiang Ying said, prideful.
“He has amnesia. How can I ask?” Lin Tian teased.
Jiang Ying realized that was true.
“Then I still won’t tell you,” Jiang Ying said, feeling she had won a small victory.
Lin Tian smiled lightly: “Alright then.”
Seeing how easygoing she was, Jiang Ying eyed her suspiciously.
Walking side by side, Lin Tian asked: “Why don’t you like me? This is our first meeting, so there must be a reason.”
Jiang Ying was quite surprised by Lin Tian’s directness and actually thought about the reason. Why was that? At first, when she learned she had a cousin-in-law, she had been quite happy. She even told her best friend, who also lived in the compound.
But when her friend found out that her cousin-in-law was from the countryside, she kept feeding Jiang Ying ideas about how greedy and awful country folks were. Gradually, Jiang Ying stopped looking forward to it and even felt a little embarrassed.
Her cousin was such an excellent person, how could he marry someone like that? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more she disliked this cousin-in-law she had never met.
Yet after meeting her, Jiang Ying noticed that Lin Tian at least seemed fine on the surface. But she immediately recalled her friend’s warning that country folks were good at putting on appearances, all for their own gain.
Moreover, Lin Tian wouldn’t comply or speak on her behalf, which only reinforced Jiang Ying’s negative impression.
Jiang Ying’s expression flickered unpredictably. Lin Tian wasn’t expecting a single answer.
“You don’t like me, that’s fine. But we’d better get along on the surface, so your parents and Chu Ci won’t have trouble. We’ll only meet occasionally; that shouldn’t be hard for you, right? Otherwise, the one who’ll end up with a headache is your cousin,” Lin Tian said concisely.
Jiang Ying calmed down and realized she was right. Thinking about her cousin’s past kindness, she reluctantly replied: “I understand. I won’t pick on you again.”
The young girl was easy to persuade, Lin Tian thought.
“Good. I hope you mean it,” she said.
The reverse psychology worked perfectly on someone Jiang Ying’s age. She snorted but didn’t argue back.
A little too easy, Lin Tian felt a tiny pang of regret.
On the way, they met some people from the compound. Seeing Lin Tian’s unfamiliar and beautiful face, the aunts couldn’t help but ask: “Yingying, is this your classmate? She’s so pretty!”
Lin Tian felt good hearing this. Jiang Ying wasn’t happy but remembered her promise. She forced a smile: “This is my cousin-in-law. Don’t forget her next time you see her.”
A few years before Chu Ci went to college, he often visited his aunt’s house. After he got into university, Chu Mingshan practically wanted to announce it to the world. Hearing Jiang Ying, the aunts praised: “Oh my, your cousin is lucky. Such a beautiful wife. Standing together, you really are a match made in heaven.”
“Yes, yes. Aunt Liu, we’ll go now,” Jiang Ying said, eager to leave.
Lin Tian chuckled lightly, giving her this face, and said goodbye to the others before walking with her.
Back home, Jiang Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Ci immediately approached and looked Lin Tian over, concerned: “Are you okay? Did Jiang Ying say anything unpleasant?”
See, this is why she didn’t like Lin Tian, Jiang Ying fumed at her cousin.
As if on cue, her mother came over and added fuel to the fire: “Jiang Ying, you weren’t upset with your cousin-in-law, were you?”
“No, no! Are you satisfied now?” Jiang Ying shouted.
Lin Tian laughed: “Aunt, Yingying just walked with me for a while. She’s very obedient.”
Jiang Ying snorted and went to sit on the sofa.
The family chatted a bit more. In the afternoon, Chu Ci had class, so they planned to leave.
Chu Mingshan reluctantly said: “Since Jiang Nan isn’t here, his room is empty. Why not stay a few more days? Xiao Ci has class, and it’s inconvenient for Tiantian to be home alone. At least Aunt Wang can keep her company.”
Jiang Nan, Chu Mingshan’s eldest son, was serving in the military elsewhere.
“No need, Aunt. When we have time, Tiantian and I will come visit,” Chu Ci refused.
Chu Mingshan sighed but didn’t insist. Still, she said: “No, I’ll come to see you. Tiantian’s far along now; it won’t be convenient later.”
She then took out three red envelopes and handed them to Lin Tian: “These are gifts from your grandparents, second uncle, and me for you and the baby. Technically, you should have received them when you got married. But Xiao Ci didn’t mention it back then, that was his fault. So take the money and don’t refuse.”
Lin Tian accepted them gracefully: “Alright, thank you, Aunt. Next time I call my grandparents, I’ll tell them personally.”
“Good child, go ahead now,” Chu Mingshan smiled.
Jiang Ying wasn’t jealous when her mother gave the envelopes. She knew Lin Tian deserved them. As everyone prepared to leave, she felt relieved.
Suddenly, Lin Tian said: “Aunt, Uncle, I really like Yingying. Summer vacation is coming, why not let her stay with us for a while?”
Chu Mingshan, overjoyed, agreed immediately.
Jiang Ying felt struck by lightning, gritting her teeth at Lin Tian, who smiled innocently.
This woman was infuriating. She ran upstairs to her room.
Lin Tian, seeing this, laughed and said to Chu Mingshan and Jiang Hu: “Aunt, Uncle, I was just teasing Yingying. If she doesn’t want to go, don’t force her.”
Chu Mingshan, seeing Lin Tian’s playful tone, didn’t get angry and said: “Don’t worry, I’d be more afraid of her annoying you than anything else.”
“She wouldn’t dare,” Lin Tian replied calmly.