Chen Yan always wore a smiling face. His demeanor of not showing any sign of losing made the three card players very happy, and they even asked Chen Yan if he would be coming tomorrow.
Chen Yan smiled and said it depended on the situation, then left by himself. He wandered around the village for a while before finally returning to the He Family Mansion.
Back at the He Family Mansion, the maid opened the gate for Chen Yan.
When Chen Yan entered and walked through the courtyard, he saw Chu Keqing sitting in a small living room on the side. Mrs. He and Sun Chen were also there, talking to each other.
Chen Yan walked in, glanced at the female assistant sitting beside them. The assistant nodded at Chen Yan—he understood that she had found out the information he wanted.
He smiled and sat down next to Sun Chen... Strictly speaking, this action was somewhat inappropriate.
Because, nominally, he was brought by Chu Keqing. Even if he sat down, he should have been next to Chu Keqing.
But he sat next to Mrs. He, so now it was Chen Yan and Chu Keqing with Mrs. He sandwiched in between.
Just as he sat down, a maid brought a cup of tea. Chen Yan glanced at it and smiled, "I’m young and don’t like tea, afraid it will keep me up at night. Could you get me a drink, juice or cola or something like that?"
Sun Chen looked at Chen Yan. Her brows and eyes naturally exuded kindness, she smiled and said, "Young man, it’s late and you’re still drinking such sweet stuff. It’s not good for your health."
Chen Yan returned a friendly smile, "It’s fine, I’m young with good metabolism."
"But it can still be bad for your teeth, you should brush them well at night." Sun Chen looked at Chen Yan again, shook her head, and said, "I’m sorry, Xiaochen, I think you’re about the same age as my son, so I talk too much sometimes."
"It’s alright, Mrs. He is just concerned about me, and I appreciate it." Chen Yan nodded, then casually asked, "Is your son abroad?"
"Yes, he came back when my mother-in-law passed away, but left again after the funeral. Later, when things happened at home, we didn’t want to trouble the kids, so we didn’t tell them."
As she spoke, a hint of sadness appeared on Sun Chen’s face.
Chen Yan understood... This woman was feeling the longing for her son.
Sun Chen was probably a very rare traditional woman. She married a husband and devoted herself to managing the household and raising children. And before, she stayed by her mother-in-law’s side, which meant she depended on her for many years.
Neither her husband nor her children were by her side.
Her mother-in-law was the closest person in her life.
Now that her mother-in-law had died, Sun Chen had lost her main support. She felt adrift. The ones she missed most were her two children.
She might not even miss Boss He as much—after all, they had been living apart for many years, and it’s hard to say how much affection remained.
Seeing a young man like Chen Yan, tall, fair, and likable, Sun Chen’s feelings of longing for her son surfaced. She couldn’t help but chat with Chen Yan, asking his name, age, what school he went to, what his major was, and so on.
While talking with Sun Chen, Chen Yan noticed a vibrant green jade token hanging on her sweater.
It looked similar to the Guanyin talisman Boss He wore today, like a matching pair.
Squinting at it, Chen Yan felt his curiosity piqued.
"Mrs. He, your Buddha amulet looks quite impressive," Chen Yan suddenly said.
After a pause, he quickly smiled, "Sorry, Mrs. He, I don’t have many hobbies, but I love fiddling with jade and stones. So when I see something good, I can’t help but be curious."
As he spoke, Chen Yan took out the jadeite ring he wore around his neck and showed it, "See, I genuinely like these things. I carry one with me all the time."
Sun Chen glanced at it. Although she rarely went out, she had married into a wealthy family, seen many good things, and had an eye for quality. She could tell the jadeite ring was of excellent material and nodded, "This should be imperial green jadeite, the material is very good."
Chen Yan nodded, "Yes, it’s a family heirloom."
Sun Chen smiled lightly, "This jade token was given to me by my mother-in-law when I married Old He. It’s also a He family heirloom, originally a pair of tokens.
Old He has one that he’s worn since he was a child. After we got married, my mother-in-law gave the other one to me to wear every day."
"Top quality emerald jade," Chen Yan sighed, then his expression suddenly changed, deliberately showing a slightly embarrassed look, "Um... I’m intrigued, could you take it off and let me take a closer look?"
This request was a bit rude!
First, the jade token Mrs. He wore was top-quality emerald jade, extremely valuable—it’s inappropriate to casually ask to see such a precious item.
Second, these worn jade tokens usually have some protective talisman effects—such protective items are typically not meant to be touched by others.
Under normal circumstances, someone like Chen Yan, a young man with a vastly different status, making such a request would be very impolite.
Originally, as someone brought by Chu Keqing, she should immediately speak up to stop him and possibly scold Chen Yan for his audacity.