### 432. Engagement Feast
Lin Nan had long suspected that her grandfather was a poker face.
But ever since she transformed into a female a while back, she discovered that her grandfather had a gentler, more amiable side.
Now that she was engaged, her grandfather couldn’t stop smiling; his mouth seemed to be stuck in a permanent grin. Even when he lost money playing Mahjong, he looked like he was having the time of his life!
Chen Yao’s grandfather was strangely plump, at least two hundred pounds of sheer jolliness. He lounged on a recliner, lifted his shirt to reveal his ** belly, and occasionally patted it while bursting into laughter, resembling a jolly Buddha.
Even though they were busy playing Mahjong, the conversation at the table invariably returned to Lin Nan and Chen Yao.
“When are you planning to have kids, Lin Nan?” Chen Yao’s grandpa looked up and asked with a smile.
Lin Nan shook her head, flustered. “I… I don’t know.”
The thought of having kids had never crossed her mind, especially since she wasn’t exactly fond of them. Also, she was terrified of the pain!
“Wait until you’re twenty-four or twenty-five. By then, Chen Yao’s career will have taken off, and you can comfortably sit at home, take care of the baby, and enjoy your postpartum nap,” Chen Yao’s grandpa said, gazing at Lin Nan with admiration.
A pretty and naturally adorable girl like Lin Nan was a rare find in this world!
But her slightly flirtatious expressions made him a bit worried, so he pulled Chen Yao close and whispered, “Keep an eye out, this girl Lin Nan is bound to attract attention!”
Chen Yao suddenly thought of Lin Nan’s junior, Zheng Qian, and Chen Jiang, who had previously gifted Lin Nan lipstick. He was getting used to having competition for Lin Nan’s attention.
“It’s fine,” he said with a smile, shaking his head. “Which pretty girl doesn’t attract admirers?”
In university, if a gorgeous girl didn’t have pursuing suitors, that would be strange indeed.
Lin Nan mostly only talked to her few roommates, yet somehow she attracted several admirers, many of whom still thought she was a boy back then.
Chen Yao decided to push the future out of his mind; today was their engagement day—a joyous occasion that shouldn’t be marred by gloomy thoughts.
He casually shoved a piece of wedding candy into Lin Nan’s hand and popped one into his own mouth. Although his parents had prepared plenty of sweets at home, they had only invited Lin Nan’s grandfather and his own grandpa—both of whom were not too keen on sugary treats.
This engagement might be a bit low-key, but both Lin Nan and Chen Yao were okay with it, especially Lin Nan, who was not a fan of extravagant affairs.
After a round of Mahjong, it was seven in the evening, and Chen Yao’s dad shouted from the dining room, “Enough playing, time to eat!”
“Dinner’s ready, let’s go!” His mother stood first, linking arms with Lin Nan and glancing sideways at her, feeling an unexpected twinge of guilt.
Lin Nan was indeed a child of many misfortunes. She was born prematurely and could have easily not made it. During her primary school years, she barely saw her parents, growing up in the countryside. Once she got older, she had little to no communication with them. Then, her health issues required her to go for medical examinations alone, only to discover that she was actually a girl!
As a mother, she felt guilty for neglecting Lin Nan all these years and longed to make amends, but now, just half a year later, Lin Nan was about to marry into another family.
Fortunately, Chen Yao had always looked after Lin Nan, preventing her from feeling wronged.
With guilt and regret, combined with the bittersweet feeling of her daughter getting married, she held Lin Nan’s hand tightly, gazing deeply at her profile, and whispered, “If you’re not happy at Chen Yao’s, you can always come back to mom.”
Lin Nan noticed her mother’s emotional state and paused for a moment but quickly smiled and nodded, “Mm!”
“If Chen Yao bullies you, mom will back you up.”
“Right! We’ll take him down!” Lin Nan enthusiastically nodded.
The dining table, which was once against the wall, had been moved to the center of the dining room to make room for two more seats.
It was just a sumptuous dinner, but as soon as Lin Nan sat down, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
She lowered her head, hesitant to pick up her chopsticks first, biting her lip and suddenly realizing she had reached another turning point in her life.
Chen Yao, who usually lounged at home, was sitting up straight today, hands on his thighs, behaving like a well-behaved little boy.
“Let’s eat! It’s seven! I bet everyone’s hungry,” Chen Yao’s grandpa chimed in from across the table, picking up his chopsticks and dropping a piece of meat into Lin Nan’s bowl. “We’re family now; no need to be so formal.”
The old grandpa watched the happy couple with delight, growing increasingly convinced that these two were a perfect match, his smile getting even broader.
The table was laden with dishes that wouldn’t be out of place in a restaurant. Uncle, who had been busy since the afternoon, had no seat to sit on now. He took out the finest white liquor from the house, stood next to Auntie, pouring drinks for the two elders and making small talk.
“Chen Yao, you should have a drink too?” After the toast, Uncle poured a small cup of white liquor in front of Chen Yao, giving him a knowing look.
Caught off guard, Chen Yao hesitated, then stood up, raising his glass. “Grandpa, great-grandpa, here’s to you!”
“Thank you for being witnesses to our engagement.”
“No need for that,” the grandfather waved, smiling. “Just take care of Lin Nan.”
“Absolutely!”
Chen Yao downed the liquor in one go, a fiery red creeping up his face, but he poured another glass and addressed Lin Nan’s mom. “Mom, Lin Nan will definitely be fine with me; don’t worry.”
Although calling her Mom while still engaged felt a bit premature, her mother was beaming with joy, nodding rapidly, crow’s feet deepening at the corners of her eyes. She looked up at Chen Yao, who chugged another glass of liquor, and suddenly a few tears fell.
Lin Nan jumped in surprise, rushing to comfort her mother, only to see her gulp down another glass, wipe her tears, and earnestly say to Chen Yao.
“Lin Nan has gone through a lot since she was little, and I haven’t paid enough attention to her. I don’t know how much hardship she’s faced over the years. Chen Yao, sometimes she might act a bit spoiled or make silly mistakes. She has her faults, but I hope you can be more understanding…”
Chen Yao nodded solemnly in agreement.
For some reason, seeing his mother like this made Lin Nan’s heart ache a little. She lowered her head, afraid others would notice her reddening eyes.
“Here come the bride price!”
The heartache vanished in an instant as she excitedly lifted her head, only to see Uncle carrying a huge sack of cash, hands filled with gold jewelry.
Auntie eagerly draped rings, necklaces, and earrings onto Lin Nan, but unfortunately, she didn’t have pierced ears yet, so the earrings could only be placed aside for now. Though they felt a bit heavy, Lin Nan was enamored and couldn’t resist touching them now and then.
These were all real cash and shiny gold, folks!
Then there was the cash.
She turned to see Uncle stacking bundles of cash high on the table, her eyes sparkling.
Too bad, they would have to return seventy percent of it later.
How wonderful it would be if all of this was mine!
