CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 422: THE NEW SISTER-IN-LAW

In the evening, Commander Xu came personally to discuss the matter with Granny Lu. Qin Xiangnuan was still a young girl, so she didn’t participate, but she listened the whole time. Commander Xu said that they were aware of the Qin Family’s situation, so they didn’t ask for any dowry or bridal gifts. As long as the couple is happy together, that’s enough. He mentioned that they just wanted a person and that Granny Lu and Qin Xiangyang would take care of her. They needn’t worry about Qin Xiangnuan’s tuition; if Qin Xiangyang didn’t look after his sister, he, as a prospective brother-in-law, would break Qin Xiangyang’s legs first.

Granny Lu was over the moon, relieved that her grandson had finally found someone. She was worried that the boy, spending so much time in the military academy, would become odd. So many years had passed, and he was almost 24 without even a hint of a romantic relationship.

Now things seemed normal, and she had heard that spending too much time among men could make someone foolish.

Fortunately, Qin Xiangyang didn’t know what his Granny thought. Otherwise, he might have been heartbroken. He was a completely normal and upright soldier; such nonsensical things could never apply to him.

Commander Xu knew Qin Xiangyang’s character very well and he trusted Jin Juan, a good girl, so he could make the final decision about their marriage.

Granny Lu was easy to talk with, so the other side just went along with whatever was decided, as long as her grandson could marry. Commander Xu felt the same way. Now that both of them had stable jobs, it was time to settle down and establish themselves. They started discussing the wedding arrangements. Jin Juan’s family had always been considerate of the Qin Family’s situation, knowing about Qin Xiangyang’s mother’s early death and their father’s nature, so everything was kept simple. They genuinely didn’t ask for any bridal gifts, and it seemed they even prepared the new house for the couple.

It turned out they were really unaware of the Qin Family’s financial condition.

But this was good, Qin Xiangnuan thought, at least the future sister-in-law seemed genuinely fond of her brother, not just after the family’s property.

Soon after, both families met up to recognize their in-laws, and Qin Xiangnuan also met her new sister-in-law. She was quite delicate, not tall, and well-matched standing next to her brother. The new sister-in-law was a teacher, with a scholarly air about her, and spoke softly and gently. She didn’t just stand by expecting to be served; she helped Granny Lu with chores and particularly liked Conghua, sometimes spending a whole day with it.

People who like small animals cannot be too bad, although Conghua wasn’t exactly a small animal.

When she came, she brought a sweater for Granny Lu, which she had knitted herself, and a pearl necklace for Qin Xiangnuan. Her manners were impeccable. Qin Denuan gave her a perfect score, much better than the woman Qin Pengfei had married in his previous life.

Apart from looks, the new sister-in-law didn’t seem too keen on taking advantage of others. Granny Lu would offer her money, and she always refused, but would bring many gifts for Granny Lu instead. What really mattered, though, was that she was devoted to Qin Xiangyang, and their relationship was quickly heating up.

A few days later, Jian Zhiqing returned from a business trip, only to find that Granny Lu had prepared an abundance of dishes.

Hmm, he wondered, how did Granny Lu guess that he would be coming back today?

"Zhiqing, you’re back," Granny Lu eagerly emerged from the kitchen upon seeing Jian Zhiqing and hurriedly said, "Just in time, go wash your hands. Dinner’s nearly ready."

After Jian Zhiqing put his luggage down and washed his hands, when he returned, Qin Xiangyang and Qin Xiangnuan were already there, along with an unfamiliar woman sitting next to Qin Xiangyang. She must be Qin Xiangyang’s significant other, introduced to him by his military school’s commander, and actually, she was the commander’s niece.

"This is Brother Jian," Qin Xiangyang said with a smile as he introduced Jian Zhiqing to Jin Juan, "He just returned from a business trip and is staying with us."

"Hello, Brother Jian," Jin Juan said, following Qin Xiangyang’s lead, which left Qin Xiangyang’s smile frozen awkwardly on his face. It felt a bit strange.

Jin Juan was quite curious about Jian Zhiqing, who gave off a very proper impression, clearly someone with an official air, judging from the long black coat that reached his knees, which accentuated his tall, distinguished demeanor. She had heard from Qin Xiangyang about a houseguest they had—this must be Brother Jian.

In a private moment, Jin Juan quietly asked Qin Xiangyang, "Who is this Brother Jian, and are you close?"

"Yes, we’re close," Qin Xiangyang said, busy sweeping the floor, mentioning that Jin Juan was welcome to come and stay anytime. When Jin Juan tried to take the broom from him, he quickly ushered her aside, "Just stand there, that’s fine. I’ll do it. You should be careful with the uneven ground; don’t fall. And the water is cold; wouldn’t want you to catch a chill."

Jin Juan had no choice but to stand aside and watch Qin Xiangyang bustling about, sweeping the floor, and wiping down the tables. She and Qin Xiangyang had briefly met while he was at school, where neither had thought much of it, but it was quite unexpected that their relationship had developed to this stage.

"Anyway, you haven’t told me, what’s the deal with Brother Jian?"

She was just asking casually, but whenever Qin Xiangyang talked about Jian Zhiqing, his tone seemed odd.

"About Brother Jian..." Qin Xiangyang wiped the table a few times, then spoke up as he put down his cloth and hopped off the chair. "My sister and I have known Brother Jian since we were little, he’s helped us a lot, and also..." He scratched his head as it was awkward to say, "...he might end up being my brother-in-law, so the way you called him Brother Jian was quite strange."

Jin Juan stared at him, pointing out after a moment, "If he’s your brother-in-law, why are you still calling him ’brother’? And you had me do the same, doesn’t that mess up the family hierarchy?" Jin Juan found the whole situation embarrassing; no wonder both Qin Xiangyang and Jian Zhiqing looked awkward when she called him that, considering the relationship between them.

"I’m just used to calling him that," Qin Xiangyang scratched his head. "We’ve always called him that since we were little; it’s hard to change, and besides, nothing’s official yet."