In the end, their plan to recognize Chi Shuyan as their own granddaughter didn’t happen, mainly because Chi Shuyan rejected it.
Chi Shuyan naturally knew Zhu Bocheng’s family background, and she also remembered the identity of the Zhou family’s grandpa from her past life. This Grandpa Zhou was a bigshot in the capital; who would dare to not give him face?
Even the patriarch of the Qi family had to give this person some face. Moreover, this bigshot was most famous for doing good deeds. In her past life, she heard that after Old Madam Zhou passed away, this Grandpa Zhou didn’t live for long and followed her not long after.
It was because of this that Chi Shuyan’s impression of the two elders was nothing but good. Seeing the light of golden virtue on Grandpa and Grandma Zhou again, Chi Shuyan felt even less regret.
But saving someone was saving someone; Chi Shuyan didn’t intend to cozy up to the powerful at all. What she said just now was true. Although she was the one who gave them the spirit rice, without Mother Zhu, they wouldn’t have been fated to meet.
The two elders should be grateful to Mother Zhu the most; it had little to do with Chi Shuyan.
However, Chi Shuyan didn’t expect that the more she behaved this way, the more Grandpa and Grandma Zhou valued her and the more grateful they were to her. Not long after, the old madam had Grandpa Zhou give Chi Shuyan the jewelry dowry which she kept in a box. It included some flower emeralds, pearls, and even an imperial jade. The small box was filled to the brim, scaring Chi Shuyan so much that the teacup in her hand fell to the ground.
Grandma Zhou looked kindly at Qi Zhenbai and said, “Let your wife keep it!” She then said to Chi Shuyan, “Shuyan, I’m very grateful to you, but if you weren’t Zhenbai’s wife, I wouldn’t be so generous. I watched Zhenbai grow up and he’s no different from a grandson to me, so it’s normal for me to give my granddaughter-in-law jewelry. There’s no need to think that this is all I have. In my life, the one thing I don’t lack is jewelry. I’ve only given you a portion; I still have the rest!”
Grandpa Zhou also chuckled affectionately and said, “Take it!” Seeing that this child still refused, he motioned to Qi Zhenbai. “Have your wife take it!”
Chi Shuyan really didn’t plan to accept it. For one thing, she wasn’t from the Zhou family; what right did she have to take it? It was like a hot potato, especially when she listened to the old madam’s words. She and Qi Zhenbai had only been dating for a few days, but it was as if they were going to settle down. If she really accepted this and lost herself in it, she would lose out no matter how she looked at it.
Secondly, even if she really married Qi Zhenbai, she wasn’t qualified to take Old Madam Zhou’s jewelry!
Chi Shuyan looked expectantly at the two men beside her. Seeing that Zhu Bocheng was also encouraging her to take it, Chi Shuyan gritted her teeth and finally stared at Qi Zhenbai, hoping that he would reject it on her behalf.
How could Qi Zhenbai not know that this was a good opportunity to confirm her as his wife? He was very grateful to the old madam for giving him this opportunity.
Of course, they couldn’t take the Zhou family’s jewelry. Qi Zhenbai’s eyes flashed. Worst case scenario, he could just wait until later to secretly switch out the jewelry with the ones from his own mother and grandmother, then hand them back to the Zhou family’s old madam.
So, when Qi Zhenbai saw his wife’s anxious gaze, he pursed his lips calmly and said, “Listen to Grandma Zhou; accept it!”
Chi Shuyan glared at the man next to her. Was this man joking?
If she wasn’t from the Zhou family, what right did she have to take the jewelry of the Zhou family’s old madam?
Qi Zhenbai’s eyes were calm and unruffled. There was no hint of a joke in them at all, but his lips curled up in a shallow smile. “Take it!”
In the end, under everyone’s scrutiny, she had no choice but to take Old Madam Zhou’s jewelry box for the time being. But as soon as she accepted it, she almost threw the box at the tall man beside her, her face stiff.
Now that she was holding this hot potato, she was utterly uneasy. She made up her mind to return it to Zhu Bocheng right away when they went back later, or hand it directly to Qi Zhenbai and let him give it back to the two elders for her.
In contrast, the atmosphere was very harmonious after Chi Shuyan accepted Old Madam Zhou’s jewelry.
After Grandpa Zhou got the spirit rice, he immediately went to the kitchen and cooked a pot for everyone.
Grandpa and Grandma Zhou didn’t care about Chi Shuyan’s refusal and insisted that she directly switch to calling them Grandpa and Grandma Zhou. In the end, Chi Shuyan had no choice but to call them that along with the man beside her.