Shen Wuqiu wasn't worried much to begin with, and after hearing their words, she felt even less pressured.
Having finished discussing serious matters, Uncle Zheng, who had drunk most of a glass of wine, couldn't help but want to find a match for his son again:
“My dear niece Wuqiu, I have something to tell you seriously.”
Shen Wuqiu thought it was about the orchard, "Yes, Uncle Zheng, just say what you need to say."
"It's about what I told you last time. But I was a little drunk last time, so you didn't take it seriously. I'm not drunk today, so I'll tell you again. I like your daughter more and more the more I look at her, so I'm thinking of shamelessly trying to set my son up with her."
"..." Shen Wuqiu didn't know what kind of luck she had with men this year, how come everyone loved her, even cats loved her? She was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to say, so she could only force a smile and say, "Uncle Zheng is drunk again..."
"I'm not drunk, I'm really not drunk today." Uncle Zheng emphasized several times. As he spoke, he took out a small photo from his shirt pocket and handed it to Shen Wuqiu. "This is my son. I specially found his ID photo at home. Take a look, he's not bad-looking. Take a look and see if he's your type. If you don't dislike him, he'll be back in a few days. I'll bring him over then, and you can meet him..."
Shen Wuqiu didn't even look at the photo. When she saw the photo being held up in front of her, she didn't know whether to accept it or not.
Just as she was caught in a dilemma, Daiying followed Su Yunzhi in from outside.
A note from the author:
Qiuqiu: Gu Lingyu, is it because you don't look good after hair removal? The comments from the fairies are getting colder and colder.
Ayu: It's all my mother's fault, she beat me so badly I went bald.
Qiuqiu: Let's do a live stream of sterilization and see if it can get the fairies excited.
Ayu: ...Living as a widow is very painful.
Qiuqiu: ...
Chapter 32 Rebellious Daughter
Upon seeing the two women, Shen Wuqiu felt as if she had found a lifeline and immediately stood up to greet them: "Auntie, Aunt Dai, you're back."
The eagerness and excitement in her tone were unmistakable, and Su Yunzhi couldn't help but wonder. In all these years, this was the first time she had seen her adopted daughter treat her so well.
After staring at Shen Wuqiu for a couple of seconds, Su Yunzhi walked over to them. "Old Zheng, you're not making fun of our Wuqiu, are you?"
That hit the nail on the head.
"I wanted to discuss some private matters with my niece, Wuqiu, but it wasn't a joke," Uncle Zheng said, finishing the last drop of wine in his glass.
"You're back just in time. Last time when we were all having dinner together, didn't I say that I really liked your daughter and wanted us to become in-laws? Today I'm serious about it. Look, I even brought a picture of my son."
Su Yunzhi glanced down at the passport photo in his hand, and was stunned. Last time he mentioned this at the dinner table, everyone took it as a joke, but she didn't realize that he was really thinking about it.
Thinking of Shen Wuqiu's current situation, which she couldn't tell outsiders, she hesitated to speak, afraid of saying something that might upset the father and daughter.
On the contrary, Dai Ying, who was following behind her, took the ID photo from Uncle Zheng's hand, glanced at it, and then raised an eyebrow, "This young master?"
"It is indeed my son," Uncle Zheng replied, only then noticing that the noblewoman before him was quite unfamiliar. "Old Le, who is this?"
Mr. Shen was not good with words, let alone in the face of this chaotic situation that was a long story. He glanced at Daiying, who had come to join in the fun, and casually said, "A friend."
Uncle Zheng glanced at her again, noticing her distinguished air, and assumed she was a distinguished business customer, so he didn't think much of it. "May I ask this lady's surname?"
In terms of demeanor, Dai Ying always maintained a perfect composure in front of outsiders. Her smile was polite yet distant. "My surname is Dai. May I ask how you would like to address me, sir?"
Uncle Zheng extended his hand to her, "Ms. Dai, please sit here. Lao Le and the others call me Lao Zheng, so you can call me that too."
Daiying hesitated for two seconds before extending her slender hand, which was resting in front of her lower abdomen, to shake hands. Without any hesitation, she gracefully smoothed her skirt and sat down on the single sofa next to her.
“Ms. Dai is clearly a discerning person. You’re here today to give Wuqiu’s niece a good look.”
"..." Su Yunzhi and Shen's father exchanged a glance, and finally looked at Daiying together.
Dai Ying, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. Holding the photo, she lowered her eyes and scanned it over again.
To be fair, the man in the photo is quite handsome, with a full forehead, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He is a dashing and upright man, and judging from his appearance alone, he is a man a woman could entrust her life to.
Unfortunately, Xiao Qiuqiu is her own daughter's woman.
"Your son is indeed quite handsome."
Before Uncle Zheng could even rejoice, Daiying changed the subject again, saying, "However, she's not quite right for our Wuqiu."
Our home? How did it become your home?
Uncle Zheng pondered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the people in the hall before he awkwardly chuckled, "My niece Wuqiu is truly one in a million; my son is definitely marrying above his station. But when fate arrives, these things don't matter. Don't you agree, Ms. Dai?"
Daiying agreed with the last sentence, nodded, then looked up at Shen Wuqiu and waved to her, "Wuqiu, why don't you come and take a look?"
"..." Ms. Dai's superb acting skills were really a bit creepy. Anyway, she didn't believe that Ms. Dai, who knew all the truth, would sincerely help her find a boyfriend!
After hesitating for a few seconds, Shen Wuqiu decided not to get involved. "No need... Uncle Zheng, I don't want to find a partner for the time being."
This was originally intended as a tactful excuse to save face for both sides.
Who knew that Uncle Zheng, that old straight man, wouldn't take the easy way out at all:
"I know you're focused on taking your dad's career to the next level right now, and I didn't expect you to marry my son so soon. Just take a look first. If you don't dislike him, chat with him often to build a relationship. When the time is right, we can talk about marriage then. There's no rush."
"..." It turns out that it's not just communication difficulties between different races that are hard to overcome; communication within the same race is also not an easy task. Shen Wuqiu felt a deep sense of frustration once again.
Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward again, Daiying got up and walked straight to her side, pulling her to sit down on the single sofa with her, and casually placed the ID photo she was holding between her fingers in front of her:
"Old Zheng is right, Wuqiu, take a good look at him first, what do you think of him?"
As soon as Daiying finished speaking, a white shadow rushed up quickly and jumped straight onto the coffee table. By sheer coincidence, a small foot landed on the small photo, completely obscuring the person in it.
Her sudden appearance startled everyone except Dai Ying, who remained calm.
Shen Wuqiu was the first to react, and instinctively reached out to hug the mischievous cat to her chest. "Sorry, I scared everyone."
Once he saw what was that thing that had suddenly rushed up, Uncle Zheng didn't think much of it and even expressed his understanding:
"All cats are the same, always jumping around. People who like to keep these kinds of things are all patient, just like you and my son."
Since the topic had circled back to where it started, Daiying glanced at her daughter in Shen Wuqiu's arms and said again, "I didn't expect your young master to have the same interests as our Wuqiu. Wuqiu, take a good look and see if this young master of the Zheng family is your type."
The white cat, unable to bear it any longer, bared its teeth at Daiying: "Meow~~~"
Dai Ying remained unmoved and deliberately pushed the photo in front of Shen Wuqiu.
The white cat got really angry and stretched out its little paws to scratch Dai Ying's fair forearm.
When a cat strikes with its claws, it always hits its target.
Several bloody marks immediately appeared on Daiying's forearm.
"..."
Not only were the others stunned, but even Daiying herself was taken aback. She couldn't believe that the timid kid who had always been so timid in front of her would dare to provoke her.
Holy crap! What a rebellious daughter!
Daiying stared at the scratches on her forearm, unable to quite describe her feelings. She felt a little sad, as if the child she had raised with her own hands had actually attacked her for someone else. But mixed with sadness was a sense of relief, a relief that her child had truly grown up.
There was a long silence.
Shen Wuqiu was the first to react, "Aunt Dai, are you alright?"
Her words seemed to bring everyone else back to life, as if a pause button had been pressed.
“I told you that stray cats are hard to raise, but you wouldn’t listen. Mrs. Gu, don’t worry, as soon as we brought the cat home, Wuqiu took it to the vet. It’s fine. I’ll get you some alcohol to disinfect it.”
"Madam Shen, you're too kind. To be honest, my family has many cats, and scratches and abrasions are common occurrences. They'll be fine soon, so don't worry."
Hearing this, Su Yunzhi looked slightly embarrassed. "You like raising these things too?"
Daiying countered, "Doesn't Madam Shen find these furry little animals adorable?"
Su Yunzhi forced a smile and said, "It's alright, it's just that these stray cats we picked up are very wild."
Dai Ying's smile faded slightly, and she remained aloof, refusing to respond.
Su Yunzhi awkwardly touched her nose, moved her mouth but didn't know what to say, so she went to refill Uncle Zheng's wine.
Uncle Zheng also loved this kind of food, so he didn't refuse. Looking at the white cat in Shen Wuqiu's arms, he smiled and said:
"I think this cat has a problem with everyone. Last time I talked to Wuqiu, she gave me the same look, baring her teeth. I thought she disliked this old man because he smelled of alcohol, but now it seems that's not the case. She dislikes everyone except Wuqiu."
Although she knew that Uncle Zheng meant nothing by it, Shen Wuqiu was still a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry for making everyone laugh."
Mr. Shen was unaware of the relationship between Daiying and the white cat, and felt somewhat apologetic. "This cat usually leaves early and returns late, and you never see it during the day. It's rare for it to be home today. Qiuqiu, I'm afraid we'll have to buy her a cage in the future."
The white cat immediately looked aggrieved, meowing.
Although she didn't want to see Gu Lingyu right now, Shen Wuqiu couldn't completely treat her like a cat. She only vaguely agreed to her father's suggestion, but her hand was unconsciously stroking the white cat's fur.
Dai Ying took all of her little actions into account and was naturally pleased to see them happen.
The conversation was interrupted by the white cat halfway through, and Uncle Zheng was a little unwilling to give up. He quickly brought the topic back on track, "Wuqiu, I'm really not joking with you. Take a look first, and if you really don't like it, I won't force you."
Helpless, Shen Wuqiu picked up the small photo, intending only to glance at it casually to make up an excuse. However, before she could even see what the man in the photo looked like, the white cat in her arms snatched the photo from her hand...
Then he picked up the photo and ran out.
"..."
Shen Wuqiu finally found a reason to leave, "You guys talk first, I'll go take a look."
As soon as she left, Daiying stood up as well. As if remembering something, she smiled at Uncle Zheng and said, "It seems that your son is not the type that our Wuqiu likes. Look, even her cat doesn't approve."
"..."
A note from the author:
I've added an extra chapter, remember to praise me!
Chapter 33 Heartache
Shen Wuqiu chased after the white cat, but her long legs were no match for its short legs. Once she was outside the hall, the cat disappeared from sight.
She used to treat this little rascal like a cat, and Shen Wuqiu never worried that she would run away and not come back. Now she was even less worried. But when she thought of Uncle Zheng who was still in the living room, she decided to tactically wander around the yard.
In the lobby.
On the other hand, regarding Shen Wuqiu's marriage, her father was originally an open-minded parent. The father and daughter had discussed this issue privately before, and he had no objection to Shen Wuqiu's statement that she "has not considered marriage for the time being."
He and Shen Wuqiu's biological mother were a couple who knew and loved each other and got married. He also knew the importance of finding a compatible person to live with, so he didn't intend to interfere in Shen Wuqiu's marriage.