novelraw Chapter 141: Receiving Gifts
Chapter 141: Receiving Gifts
Qian opened the cabinet, took out a medal, and gently stroked it in her hand.
What you see are these honors in the cabinet; what you don’t see is a little boy, stubbornly growing and striving constantly, just to prove himself.
Seeing the rare tenderness in Qian’s eyes, Yu Minglang couldn’t take it.
Qian looked puzzled as he walked to the window, pulled the curtains shut, then locked the door and turned on the light, every move smooth and seamless. What was he up to?
"Just now, I’ve been wanting to do this." He walked back, hugged Qian. Only this way could he express how happy he was at that moment.
Qian, feeling lightheaded, didn’t even realize when she was hugged.
Fortunately, Yu Minglang hadn’t let hormones cloud his mind completely and released her in time.
Qian turned her back to him, straightening her clothes that had wrinkled under his embrace. The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
"Um, why did Uncle just say to have Aunt make the braised pork?" She randomly picked a topic, feeling that things between them had progressed a bit quickly recently.
"That’s his favorite dish. He always thinks braised pork is the best food in the world, and then narrowly uses his opinion to judge us. If he likes someone, he has Aunt make braised pork; if he doesn’t, he won’t let it be made, as if everyone is dying to eat it. When it’s on the table later, do me a favor and eat a couple of pieces. If you don’t eat even a single piece, he’ll be upset."
"Pfft."
Qian laughed.
"What’s funny?"
"I think... you and Uncle are a bit alike."
Yu Minglang proudly raised his head, "Of course, straight and true, an absolutely upright good man."
Qian thought silently to herself that she was referring to the somewhat childish bossiness, just like Yu Minglang’s father.
But such offending words she wouldn’t voice; let him be proud for a while.
The meal was quite pleasant, with Mrs. Yu constantly serving Qian dishes. It was clear she genuinely liked Qian. Mr. Yu and Mr. Yu had a bit of wine, while Yu Minglang didn’t touch a drop. Even while resting, he had to be ready at any time, so he couldn’t drink.
Mr. Yu didn’t intentionally try to strike up a conversation with Qian; he simply urged her to eat more while drinking with his son. When he saw Qian take a bite of braised pork, he found her even more pleasing to the eye.
This could be considered as acceptance of Qian.
After dinner, Qian was pulled by Mrs. Yu and her sister-in-law to chat in the elderly’s bedroom, while Yu Minglang accompanied his father and brother to drink tea in the study, discussing current events.
Before stepping inside, standing outside the courtyard looking in, it always seemed like a very complex world. But after entering, it turned out that the people inside were no different from those outside. Mrs. Yu and her sister-in-law were slightly gossipy, and Qian was frank, responding truthfully to whatever was asked, neither arrogant nor servile, and the chat went quite well.
After talking for a while, Mrs. Yu stood up and took out a small box she had prepared from the drawer.
"It’s our first meeting, consider this a gift. Go back and give my regards to your mother. When it’s convenient for your family, we’ll visit personally."
Mrs. Yu opened the box, revealing a gold bracelet inside.
Gold isn’t cheap nowadays, nor is it too expensive, but seeing this thing made Qian’s scalp tingle. She had just started dating him and hadn’t talked about the future. Giving such a big meeting gift, what was this about!
"Auntie, this is too precious. I’m still a student and don’t need it. You keep it for now, I can receive it later when there’s a chance."
"No need to be polite. I prepared this when it was cheaper a couple of years ago. Both your sister-in-laws have one, and I never do things unfairly, keep it. You might not wear it now, but there will be opportunities in the future."
"Exactly, I also received a bracelet from Mom, the old lady is well-off, so don’t worry about taking it from her," Mrs. Yu said with a playful voice.
"Really, no need. I have a bracelet that Minglang gave me." Qian extended her hand, intending to show the jade bracelet she was wearing. Then she felt someone grab her wrist, and something cool was slipped on.
Mrs. Yu truly was... direct.
After placing the bracelet on her, without letting go, she took the opportunity to feel Qian’s pulse.
"Qian, you have some kidney yang deficiency, do you have symptoms like irregular menstruation or menstrual pain?"
"Uh, occasionally. Auntie, aren’t you an orthopedist?"
"I’m slightly knowledgeable in Chinese medicine. Zhaozhao, you’re a gynecology expert, come take a look." Mrs. Yu handed Qian’s hand to her sister-in-law.
The sister-in-law, not hesitating, stretched out her hand to check the pulse. She liked Qian, which was why she was willing to examine her. For someone like the second sister-in-law, she wouldn’t examine even if begged, and for some reason, the second sister-in-law seemed a bit afraid of her, avoiding her when she was around.
"Slightly deficient, I’ll prescribe some herbal medicine for you. Qian, I didn’t know you were coming, so I didn’t prepare anything else. Don’t mind too much," the sister-in-law said as she lowered her head and removed the necklace from around her neck. Others might not notice, but Qian recognized it instantly.
Cartier! The pendant even had a small diamond, looking very exquisite. Mr. Yu indeed was wealthy, knowing to buy top international brands for his wife.
"Sister-in-law, I really can’t accept this, it’s too valuable."
"This is not worth much, just 18k gold, not even pure gold. I just put this on this morning, a new purchase from your brother-in-law. I feel the style is a bit young for me, so it’ll look good on you. Wear it for fun."
Cartier not being pure gold is not worth much... Sister-in-law, you’re really amusing.
"Auntie, sister-in-law, you’re giving me quite a bit of pressure." Qian thought to herself, she only bought a fruit basket, yet received a bracelet and Cartier from them, it was a bit much, plus Yu Minglang’s family’s enthusiasm exceeded her expectations.
This was because the second sister-in-law often caused mischief, making Qian look too good in contrast, making the family extremely satisfied.
"Seeing the youngest find you makes us all happy. You two should get along well and come visit us whenever you can. Our family doesn’t stand on ceremony, so don’t feel pressured. In Q City, there’s a saying that when someone comes to recognize the house for the first time, you can’t let them leave empty-handed."
Mrs. Yu spoke quite appropriately, and Qian understood. According to local customs, first-time visits would typically warrant a gift of 200 to 400 yuan, which made Mrs. Yu very generous on behalf of Yu Minglang.
Being overly courteous would actually be disrespectful, so she decided to accept generously.
However, wearing a jade bracelet alongside a gold one made her look a bit silly, like the wife of a newly-rich coal miner, so Qian took off the bracelet. Seeing this, Mrs. Yu hurriedly asked.
"What’s the matter, Qian, don’t you like the design?"
Unintentionally, her thoughts wandered to Wang Xiaohong again, the one the second brother found, leaving a heavy psychological shadow on Mrs. Yu.