CHAPTER 430: CHAPTER 429: GOING TOGETHER

Beisitian originally didn’t want to go to the Tian Family for dinner. After all, they were just there to help out, and going with so many people seemed a bit chaotic. But Gao Ya insisted that it was fine; the old man and lady were waiting, and they must go. Left with no choice, Beisitian called everyone to go together.

Zhou Quan planned to leave with his two brothers, but Luo Xudong glanced at him and said, "Come along."

Zhou Quan laughed, "Alright then, listening to Brother Dong."

Gao Ya contacted the family during a break in packing up, all of which was approved by Tian Heming.

Since it wasn’t a family banquet, the daughters-in-law didn’t need to prepare the food. The house servants were in charge, so they could directly have dinner after bringing people home.

Only during family banquets did the daughters-in-law need to personally prepare meals, as per the Tian Family’s rules.

Luo Xudong hadn’t reported for duty yet, so he wasn’t assigned a car. Luo Xuhua had a car, and Gao Ya drove one, but it still seemed a bit insufficient.

Just as everyone was discussing renting a car, Zhou Quan drove up in one.

Zhou Quan had always seemed quite unremarkable, appearing to be a temporary helper. Since Luo Xudong hadn’t introduced him, many assumed he was a hired hand. But this didn’t seem to be the case now.

Gao Ya and the others curiously glanced at Zhou Quan, knowing he was one of Luo Xudong’s people.

Beisitian and Luo Xudong both rode in Zhou Quan’s car, a Santana, which wasn’t cheap. But rumor had it that Zhou Quan bought it second-hand.

"What are you thinking about?" Beisitian noticed Luo Xudong seemed a bit distracted.

Luo Xudong tilted his head, looked at her, and asked, "Are your fifth aunt and sister-in-law cousins?"

Beisitian smirked, she had been pondering this question herself. Shao Simin was six years older than Luo Xuhua. If they hadn’t mentioned it themselves, she wouldn’t have guessed. Apparently, Shao Simin had invested a lot in maintaining her appearance over the years, fearing people might say she looked more like Luo Xuhua’s sister than his wife.

"I heard Big Sister-in-law is half a year older than Fifth Aunt, but..." Beisitian looked complicated.

Luo Xuhua was about to turn thirty, and Shao Simin was already thirty-five, so Shao Jia Min was around thirty-five as well, but Tian Zhi was already nineteen...

Which means, Shao Jia Min gave birth to Tian Zhi at sixteen?

That doesn’t seem right. She seemed to recall Tian Lei teasingly mentioning something about Fifth Uncle celebrating a 16-year wedding anniversary for Fifth Aunt.

Beisitian’s head spun from all these connections.

Beisitian chuckled wryly, but up front, Zhou Quan spoke up, "I heard that Tian Zhi wasn’t brought to the Tian Family until he was three. At first, they proposed someone else for Mr. Tian, whom he refused to accept, dragging it on. It seemed back then the Tian Family didn’t intend to ally with the Shao Family and opposed it fiercely, until Fifth Madam Tian took the child and went to confront them, thus forcing the marriage."

Beisitian raised her eyebrows, surprised that Fifth Uncle had such a romantic history. However, he might have taken the child to confront them sooner if he’d known it would succeed. Maybe the Tian Family’s strong opposition back then intimidated him.

Fifth Aunt appeared gentle and quiet, but who knew she was so fierce, having a child at sixteen and then confronting them with the kid!

Speaking of which, Luo Xuhua and Shao Simin had children quite late. Beisitian heard about this the first time she visited the Capital City. Both Luo Xuhua and Shao Simin were at career peaks with no energy for children, and perhaps due to exhaustion, they couldn’t conceive for a long time, which is why they had kids so late.

The cousin’s child was already nineteen, while Shao Simin’s son was only eight.

Beisitian pondered for a moment; she remembered that Luo Jiacheng’s spirit seemed robust too. It looks like Tian Zhi benefited not only from Tian Family genes but also significantly from Shao Family too.

There was much Beisitian didn’t know, like how Fifth Aunt Shao Jia Min’s love life was quite turbulent back then. She and Tian Qingyao fell in love at first sight, despite their significant age difference, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Shao Jia Min even gave up her studies for Tian Qingyao and bore him a son. But because of that, she didn’t recover well during her first postpartum period, having many health issues that were only rectified with the birth of Tian Hao.

Back then, Shao Jia Min was under enormous pressure, often labelled as the homewrecker because the Tian Family didn’t approve of her and Tian Qingyao and found him a match. Many people spat on her reputation.

Yet, despite everything, she persisted, and the tides eventually turned, bringing hope to their relationship.

The in-laws never liked her, even after more than a decade. Shao Jia Min didn’t know how to please them until her eldest son Tian Zhi became good friends with Beisitian, and suddenly her in-laws warmed up to her.

Shao Jia Min wasn’t quite sure what the change signified, but she knew it was because of Beisitian.

Even Tian Qingyao wouldn’t elaborate, only urging her to be kind to Beisitian.

Sitting in the last car, Shao Simin was also filled with emotion. The one who stirred the most trouble back then wasn’t herself but her cousin. Though the Tian Family was a large clan, her Shao Family was a small household, hardly catching their attention. At that time, everyone blamed Shao Jia Min, calling her shameless for becoming a mistress.

But now, look at them, living happily and prosperously, both her and Shao Jia Min. Neither of their marriages was approved of by the families back then.

This was because they both met good men though!

The only regret Shao Simin had was having children too late; there were no connections at home. Even if she wanted another, it wasn’t possible. If there had been a chance, she would have risked everything for another!

Every time she saw Shao Jia Min, she thought of her two sons, and she was deeply envious. If only, she still wanted to have a little daughter.

Their group drove to the Tian Family’s ancestral home, with three cars parked at the entrance, attracting attention since cars were luxury items and not typical for ordinary families.

Once everyone got out, Tian Qinghui was already waiting at the door, along with Gao Ya, to bring everyone inside.

Luo Xuhua and Shao Simin felt a bit overwhelmed by the honor, surprised to be met by Tian Qingyao himself, the head of the current Tian Family generation.

Tian Qingyao greeted everyone, especially Luo Xuhua and Shao Simin, and took a good look at Zhou Quan, shaking hands courteously — he seemed to have seen Zhou Quan somewhere before.

Tian Qingyao chatted with Beisitian and her husband, leading them to the courtyard where two large tables were already set, just waiting for their arrival to serve the meal.

Tian Jun and other younger family members were already there. Tian Zhi excitedly approached Beisitian, calling her cousin and her husband, then was surprised to notice Second Aunt was also present!