Xie Yanhai and Song Jiawen entered the door just as they heard Song Laosan asking the director of the Chen Family about the matter of his eldest grandson working in the county.
Upon hearing the door being kicked open with a bang, everyone in the room turned their heads to look outside.
Once Song Laosan recognized it was Xie Yanhai, he abruptly stood up from his chair, dropping the half-smoked cigarette onto his shoe without noticing.
This damn girl, why did she bring her uncle here?
"Yanhai, why did you come over at this time? Wasn't your sister going to pick up Jiajia? What happened, didn't you meet her?"
After the initial shock, Song Laosan calmly walked from the main room into the courtyard, smiling as he approached his brother-in-law. It seemed more like he was blocking his path. "Jiajia's aunt has come, so we have quite a few people at home..."
He didn't finish his sentence, because the look in Xie Yanhai's eyes made him feel uneasy, as if one more word would result in a fist landing on his face.
He felt like Xie Yanhai knew something. Did Jingying tell him? That shouldn't be the case.
"Song Jianqiu, what do you mean? I come to your house and can't even enter the room?"
The smile froze on Song Laosan's face. Whenever Xie Yanhai called him by his full name, it was never a good sign.
"I know Jiajia's aunt. Do you really need to block me and not let me through?"
Song Shuqin and the elder Song lady peeked outside and frowned simultaneously, muttering softly, "Why has he come here?"
With Xie Yanhai here, today's engagement might not go smoothly.
The director of the Chen Family looked at the mother and daughter, asking softly, "Who is that?"
"It's Jiajia's uncle, a teacher. He values Jiajia's education a lot."
The director understood. Song Jiawen's uncle valued her grades, and he would surely not agree to let her give up the college entrance exam for an arranged marriage.
But in the end, he's just an uncle, not her parents. He won't have much influence.
He didn't take it to heart.
Seeing Song Jiawen return, Chen Yijie excitedly stood up, wanting to go out and find her, but his sister held him back firmly.
It's as if he's never seen a woman before, isn't it embarrassing?
"Sit down!"
Mrs. Chen scolded softly, and Chen Yijie reluctantly sat back down on the sofa.
In the courtyard, Song Laosan was unable to stop Xie Yanhai and could only lead him into the main room.
Song Jiawen followed behind with her head down, expressionless, without a ripple crossing her face.
The three of them had just come in when Xie Jingying came back, riding her bicycle frantically.
"Song Jiawen..."
Xie Yanhai turned to look over, but the reprimand that was about to come out got stuck in his throat upon seeing his sister's face, causing a choking discomfort.
"You're over fifty, yet your voice is still like a tolling bell, you must be in good health."
Xie Yanhai spoke sarcastically, and Xie Jingying's face flushed with embarrassment. After parking her bike, she walked into the room, nodded and simply greeted everyone else.
Her attention was focused on her brother. "Why did you come along too?"
"Didn't you say Xiaoxi came back? I came to see her and the child."
This excuse was perfectly logical. Xie Jingying didn't know how to respond. After all, that was what she had told him on the phone, urging Jiajia to come back.
But now Xiaoxi and her child Haohao were not here, yet Xie Yanhai still sat there as if there were no intentions of leaving.
Xie Jingying had a headache.
The director of the Chen Family didn't want to get involved in the siblings' dispute. Seeing that Song Jiawen was back, he and his wife wanted to finalize the matter.
Of course, before making a decision, they and their eldest daughter observed Song Jiawen discreetly but thoroughly.
The young girl was tall and slender, her skin glowing with fairness. She didn't look like someone who grew up in the countryside; her eyebrows were graceful as willows, her eyes dark as lacquer, and her features so delicate that not a single flaw could be found. She was truly elegant and rare, a beauty seldom seen.
One couldn't find a second person in the entire county who could match her beauty.
No wonder Chen Yijie was so infatuated after seeing her, determined to marry her.
Of course, it wasn't just her rare beauty that made the director decide to promote this match; it was mainly because she was highly intelligent and sharp-minded.
With that, any children she had would definitely not be ordinary.
His son was too average in every aspect and would likely not achieve much in the future. While he still had the energy, he needed to cultivate his grandson.
Otherwise, the Chen Family's standing would end with his generation.
After sizing up Song Jiawen, Dean Chen was very satisfied and wanted to discuss formal matters with Song Laosan and Xie Jingying, the husband and wife duo. He was anxious to confirm the marriage arrangement, thereby fulfilling the purpose of their visit.
Why "fulfill the purpose"?
Because Song Jiawen had not yet gone to the county health school to enroll, once she did, that would truly seal the deal for the marriage arrangement.
After all, once in the county, it would be his call.
"Brother Song, Sister-in-law, now that Jiajia is back, don't you think it's time to settle the children's marriage?"
After he finished speaking, Song Jiawen and Xie Yanhai simultaneously turned their heads to look over, their expressions and movements in perfect unison.
"Marriage? What marriage?"
Xie Yanhai found that at this moment, he, on the contrary, became calm, and the question he asked carried a hint of feigned confusion.
Jiajia was right, no matter how infuriating things were, it was best to argue first, and if that didn't work, then to move on to action. Today, if he did not take down Song Jianqiu, he might as well not carry the Xie surname.
"Uncle Jiajia, you see, it's like this..."
"Dean Chen, let's discuss this matter later. It's rare for you to visit, so why not let Shuqin take you for a stroll in the orchard? The peach blossoms are out; go and have a look."
Xie Jingying promptly interrupted Dean Chen. She might not know other people well, but how could she not understand her own brother?
If this matter were to be brought up in front of him today, it would create an uproar.
After all, he treated this young girl like a treasure.
After finishing, Xie Jingying also gave Song Shuqin a meaningful look, implying that she should take the guests away first and return after she had handled her brother.
However, Song Shuqin did not grasp her intent; instead, she even advised her, "Sister-in-law, Uncle Jiajia should be present for the engagement, shouldn't he? There's no need to hide it, right?"
This idiot!
Xie Jingying no longer wanted to say anything, and Song Laosan was also bowing his head, completely unresponsive to the words of Dean Chen and Song Shuqin.
"An engagement? Who's engaging? Are you saying Jiajia is? How come I don't know anything about it?"
The last words were naturally directed at Song Jiawen.
"No, I don't know about it."
The young girl lifted her head to look across, her eyes like two deep black pools, cold enough to send a shiver down one's spine.
Song Shuqin inexplicably shuddered and only after quite a while did she belatedly realize she had been frightened.
How on earth could she be scared of this young girl?
Xie Yanhai sneered, "A matter that even Jiajia is unaware of, yet you all talk of arranging a marriage? What is this, still living in a feudal dynasty and insisting on arranging marriages?"
Striving to muster confidence, Song Shuqin deliberately raised her voice to show her righteous indignation, "Uncle Jiajia, this is the Song Family's affair, it has nothing to do with you, a stranger."
"The Song Family? You who've been thrown out, you still claim to be part of the Song Family?"
"Thrown out… who are you calling thrown out?"
Xie Yanhai looked at her as if looking at an idiot, "Haven't you heard that a married daughter is like spilled water? No longer part of the Song Family, yet you reach out too far. Jiajia is your niece after all, where do you get off, trying to ruin her future and cut off her path? With her extraordinary intelligence, stunning looks, and about to compete for the city's top score in the college entrance examination, you want to marry her off at this crucial time for some personal gain? To say you all have malicious intent is an understatement."
Xie Jingying, Song Jianqiu, why don't you tell me, is there shit or water in your heads?"
As Xie Yanhai's resolute voice fell, the room fell utterly silent, everyone at a loss for words.
Xie Jingying wanted to say something, but was restrained by Song Laosan, and she could only angrily twist her head to one side.
"Apart from arranging the engagement, do you also expect me to give up on the college entrance exams and go to the county health school?"
After a long while, Song Jiawen's cool voice sounded, empty as if it had no soul.
Dean Chen and his wife turned their heads to look over, both frowning in displeasure.
Now, nobody bothered to pursue how Song Jiawen knew all these details because these were topics that were supposed to be brought up today anyway. It was actually better for them that she knew, saving them the effort of explanation.
"What's wrong with attending the health school? That's where I graduated from, and besides, once you're in the county, you'll have me looking after you, which will definitely be more comfortable than staying in the countryside."
At such times, Chen Yijie always felt the need to say something, fearing that Song Jiawen would be unwilling.
She couldn't be unwilling; if she was, how could he marry her?
Yet his words only drew a sneer from Xie Yanhai, who nudged Song Laosan with his foot, asking, "You want Jiajia to marry this sort of thing?"
The faces of Dean Chen and his wife turned awful in an instant.
Song Shuqin jumped from fright, but before she could say anything to retort Xie Yanhai, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside, and a group of people entered the courtyard of Song Laosan's house.