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“You’re too kind with your words! Our whole family likes Ming Lang too, it’s just that Xiao Qian is still a bit young—”

“No worries! Rest assured, we won’t hinder the child’s studies. Our family values education, and we would never hold Xiao Qian back. Whether she wants to pursue a Ph.D. or not, that’s no problem. Ming Lang has a job now, and the two of them supporting each other and growing together nurtures a precious bond.”

Jia Xiufang had no chance to speak, as Mother Yu used the same tactic Ming Lang did, gently deflecting all of Xiufang’s objections.

This was a mission: only if Xiao Qian was settled would they leave.

Jia Xiufang initially agreed to the marriage but wanted to observe the Yu family’s attitudes toward Xiao Qian.

After Mother Yu arrived, she praised Xiao Qian to high heavens, even embarrassing Xiufang. She knew her daughter was precious, but was she really that great?

Once Mother Yu started lavishing praise, she couldn’t stop, like a faucet with no valve.

According to Mother Yu, Xiao Qian was a prodigy of the 21st century. Praising her alongside Ming Lang, she went out of her way to praise Qian, while also casually mentioning Ming Lang a few times. Jia Xiufang was at a loss for words.

Usually, when the groom’s side visits, the groom’s friends and relatives would praise him while the bride’s friends and relatives praised her. However, Mother Yu singlehandedly took on both roles. Jia Xiufang had nothing to praise, so she mentioned Xiao Qian accidentally setting the kitchen on fire.

“Xiao Qian isn’t perfect either. She can’t cook. That’s my negligence; I didn’t teach her well.”

“That’s alright. Our family doesn’t need a daughter-in-law who can cook; we’re not looking for a nanny. When Ming Lang isn’t home, you can invite Xiao Qian over for meals. It’s no trouble at all for Auntie to cook, and Ming Lang has his own shortcomings too. Despite being an adult, he still acts like a child, always reading comics.”

Mother Yu pointed out Ming Lang’s minor flaws, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Jia Xiufang thought that if she didn’t agree to Xiao Qian and Ming Lang’s engagement, it would be a great loss.

Before, she had worried about the Yu family looking down on Xiao Qian, and had seen families split because the match didn’t work out. She thought if the Yus didn’t value Xiao Qian, she would rather not marry off her daughter than have her marry up.

Jia Xiufang’s confidence grew after the relocation. She thought that it would be ideal for her daughter to marry into a family of equal social standing. As long as they treated her well and did not bully Xiao Qian, there was no need to aim for a higher social status.

However, the “higher status” came to them, and their attitude was even better than that of a family of equal status. The Yu family had nothing to criticize, and looking at Mother Yu, Jia Xiufang felt she didn’t seem like a difficult person. The conversation revealed that she truly liked Xiao Qian.

It was evident that they were sincere about the engagement, so there was no room for refusal. They promptly set the date, and Mother Yu gave the money she brought directly to Xiao Qian as an engagement gift for clothes and jewelry, according to Ming Lang’s mention of 88,000.

Typically, in Qiang City, engagement gifts wouldn’t amount to this much money. Jia Xiufang didn’t have time to refuse, as Ming Lang quickly passed the money to Xiao Qian.

“Quickly, thank her! But don’t call her ‘mom’ yet; call her ‘aunt’ until the wedding. If she gives us too little, we can’t change it.”

He and Xiao Qian sat to the side while the two old ladies exchanged compliments. The children had no say in the matter and merely listened while the atmosphere became harmonious. They yawned from the talk, but at least the engagement process was about to reach its climax.

With the gift for clothes accepted, Xiao Qian was now half Ming Lang’s wife, only waiting for the wedding banquet and money gifts.

Ming Lang felt relieved, as if a huge rock had been lifted from his chest.

Mother Yu laughed and sighed, “Look at him. You don’t need to worry about him bullying Xiao Qian. He’s too inclined to favor her. But this is an advantage —it’s better for him to favor his own family than someone else’s.”

Jia Xiufang laughed, too, thinking her future son-in-law was good despite his foolishness.

The engagement date was set for after the new year. Mother Yu sought Jia Xiufang’s consent, planning to hold a small ceremony in Qiang City before taking Xiao Qian to meet her grandparents in their hometown where there were many relatives, and then hold another ceremony.

Though the Yu family was low-key, their extensive connections through the years meant that remaining low-key was impossible. Mr. Yu’s old friends and Grandma Yu’s friends in the calligraphy and painting circles needed to be informed.

On some level, Mother Yu saw her son’s similarities to herself. Fearing she might scare Jia Xiufang, she only introduced their family situation after Ming Lang gave the card to Xiao Qian, making it a done deal. Jia Xiufang was taken aback by the revelations.

Chen Zilong choked on an apple.

“Brother Lang, you’re the heir of a listed company’s financial group? My god, I had such a wealthy young boss tutor me in my homework? And I’ve even eaten the delicious food he treated me to?”

The revelation was shocking!

“You also got scared by the young boss one midnight while eating your apple. Talk less.”

Xiao Qian handed another apple to Chen Zilong. Eat more, talk less, you useless creature!

Jia Xiufang was no less surprised than her son. If she’d known about Father Yu’s status sooner, she wouldn’t have agreed to the engagement so soon. She had thought the Yu family’s circumstances were merely good, but now she realized they were far more than that!

“Now that Xiao Qian is part of our family, we promise to treat her well. Please don’t feel any pressure.”

Whether there was pressure or not, it was too late: the engagement money had been accepted, and there were no returns. Mother Yu secretly chuckled in her mind, exchanging a meaningful glance with Ming Lang: the daughter-in-law had been secured, and now it was up to him to show his worth!

Jia Xiufang remained astonished, even after having a meal and seeing off the Yu family.

Sitting on the bed with the same expression as her son, she said to Xiao Qian,

“I’m going to be in-laws with a listed company’s CEO. If this were feudal times, wouldn’t that be a high-status position? Would we have to kowtow to him when we met?”

She had watched too many cliche dramas and couldn’t help but imagine such scenarios.

“Yeah, if you didn’t kowtow, he would come over with a knife and stab you twice!” Xiao Qian played along.

“He would stab me and my mom with a knife?”

“He would puncture your bicycle tires, haha!” Xiao Qian thought of a comedy sketch and burst into laughter.

What a joke! In the past, merchants were ranked last among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. If this were ancient times, who would even think of puncturing someone’s bicycle tires, if bicycles existed back then…