Xiao Jinyu took several deep breaths before slowly wheeling himself into the house. Upon entering, he noticed that aside from Chu Chu and Grandma Chu—whose whereabouts were unknown—all three men of the Chu family were seated in the living room, six eyes fixed intently on the doorway.
The two guards set the betrothal gift boxes by the entrance and followed Xiao Jinyu inside. Before they could steady themselves, a sturdy young man in his early twenties with an honest, simple appearance strode over. Without even glancing at Xiao Jinyu, he directly grabbed the arm of the valiant-looking guard on the left and demanded, "You want to marry my sister?"
Who said anything about marrying your sister...
The guard nearly dropped to his knees in panic. Before he could speak, the middle-aged man in his forties slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That girl Chu Chu! We... we only need one! Why did she bring a whole group?"
"..."
Xiao Jinyu’s face flushed and paled alternately. Steadying his breath, he bowed slightly with clasped hands and said, "Not a group... only this humble junior."
Chu Chu’s father froze in surprise. The young man released the guard, his eyes widening as he shifted his gaze between Xiao Jinyu and the two guards. After a long moment, he looked skeptically at Xiao Jinyu and asked, "That letter... was written by you?"
"Indeed, it was I."
The young man scratched his head, studying Xiao Jinyu while muttering, "That can’t be... Don’t they say handwriting reflects the person? Those characters were divine, but the man is..." His eyes lingered on Xiao Jinyu’s legs, and he hesitated to finish the sentence.
Distracted by the father and son’s reactions, Xiao Jinyu’s nervousness faded. He lifted his gaze with a calm smile and said, "I am but an ordinary man, unworthy of your expectations. I am truly ashamed."
The young man’s face flushed with embarrassment, his tongue stumbling over his words. "I-I-I... I’m Chu He! I-I-I am Chu Chu’s older brother!"
Xiao Jinyu clasped his hands and smiled. "I am An Qi. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Chu He turned to look at his father, who in turn looked at Grandpa Chu. Grandpa Chu stared directly at Xiao Jinyu’s legs. Xiao Jinyu sat quietly, his expression serene and respectful. For a long while, no one spoke, leaving the two guards sweating nervously.
Finally, Grandpa Chu cleared his throat and spoke. "So... it’s you who wants to marry our Chu Chu?"
Xiao Jinyu nodded slightly. "Yes."
Grandpa Chu scrutinized Xiao Jinyu from head to toe, left and right, until Xiao Jinyu began to feel uneasy again.
Though he held an Imperial Decree in hand—making marriage unavoidable for both parties—Xiao Jinyu couldn’t suppress his anxiety. He was more nervous than during his first public trial.
Since last night, he had been pondering what the Chu family elders might ask, losing sleep over it. He had prepared enough responses to fill a book. Yet, judging by the earlier exchange, Grandpa Chu’s questions would likely be beyond anything he could anticipate, even after three more nights of thinking.
Grandpa Chu stared until Xiao Jinyu’s face turned pale. Xiao Jinyu’s heart raced, his palms damp with cold sweat, before Grandpa Chu finally asked, "So... when’s the wedding?"
"Ah?"
Grandpa Chu’s face darkened. "What do you mean, ‘Ah’? Having second thoughts?"
Flustered, Xiao Jinyu waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly, his face flushing crimson. "No, no..."
This was one question he truly hadn’t anticipated...
And one he hadn’t dared to consider.That letter of his was full of flowery polite talk, with only his name, hometown, and occupation being somewhat useful—and even those weren’t the truth… Without even asking anything, they were already telling him to marry her?
Xiao Jin Yu stared blankly at the three men of the Chu family. "You… agreed?"
Grandpa Chu shot him a sidelong glance. "Looking at your dumbstruck expression, you definitely won’t bully our Chu girl."
Xiao Jin Yu quickly shook his head. "I would never bully her!"
Chu He scratched his head and chuckled. "Our Chu girl would do well with someone like you. If you dare bully her, I can definitely take you down!"
"...You speak wisely, brother..."
Chu He felt a bit embarrassed by the term "brother." "We’re all family now, no need for formalities! Just call me ‘brother’!"
Xiao Jin Yu’s smile stiffened.
The two guards silently looked up at the ceiling beams—this was beyond the scope of Wu Jiang’s assigned protection duties...
Seeing Chu Chu’s father and Grandpa Chu looking at him expectantly, Xiao Jin Yu steeled himself and called out, "Brother…"
"Aye!"
It would be improper to address the younger one but not the elders. Xiao Jin Yu gave a slight nod to Grandpa Chu and Chu Chu’s father. "Grandfather… Father-in-law…"
Chu Chu’s father walked over cheerfully, his broad palm giving Xiao Jin Yu’s shoulder a hearty pat. Xiao Jin Yu’s heart skipped a beat, nearly stumbling under the force. "Silly child! Why ‘father-in-law’? A son-in-law is half a son—just call me ‘Dad’!"
"…!"
Grandpa Chu shot him a sharp glare.
"Dad…"
"Aye!"
"…"
Only then did Chu Chu run out from a side room, sidling up to Xiao Jin Yu with a giggle and whispering in his ear, "See? I told you they wouldn’t bully you."
How much more bullying could there be…?
Grandma Chu also emerged from the room, smiling warmly at Xiao Jin Yu. "Our Chu girl just told me everything you two have done together…"
Xiao Jin Yu’s face flushed bright red in an instant. What… what had they done?!
Seeing his blush, Grandma Chu’s smile widened. She reached out and gently patted his cheek. "This child, why is your face so thin-skinned… But that’s good—it means you have a kind heart and are honest!"
"Thank you, Grandma…"
Xiao Jin Yu’s face was burning so hot it seemed about to emit smoke, while Chu Chu simply stood by, watching the bright red cherry of a face and giggling uncontrollably.
Grandma Chu chuckled and pulled Chu Chu into her embrace, freeing one hand to pat Xiao Jin Yu’s head. "You seem like a very learned man… Our Chu girl is young and hasn’t seen much of the world. If she does anything wrong, just teach her… She’s sincere and very clever—she’ll learn quickly."
"She… she’s wonderful…"
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