"Who said I was going to marry Cheng Xining?" He Nan furrowed his brow, clearly indicating that the person he wanted to marry had nothing to do with Cheng Xining.
"..." Fu Hua was stunned, "Xiaonan, the one you want to marry isn’t Xining?"
"It’s not." He Nan replied especially bluntly.
"Are you in a relationship?" Fu Hua found it very strange because she had never heard of her son getting particularly close to any girl.
"Mm." He Nan nodded in acknowledgment.
This news was too sudden, and it left her a bit bewildered at first, but she quickly came to terms with it.
She had always hoped her son would marry Cheng Xining. The Ruan family and the He family had always been close friends. Although the Ruan family’s daughter had vanished, the niece of the Ruan family was still there, and the two families looked forward to being united by marriage.
But if her son truly didn’t like Cheng Xining, there was nothing to be done. Marriage is not something to be forced.
"Xiaonan, tell me, who is the girl you like? Since you’re already seeing someone, it wouldn’t be good for the elders in our family not to intervene. We can set the wedding date so that your grandfather can be at ease."
"Let’s wait another two years!" He Nan added casually, "Now is not the right time."
He, too, wanted to get engaged, but she was still in school, her academic career unaccomplished, still an unfledged young girl. Let her enjoy a few more years of carefree happiness!
Thinking of seeing Shen Mianmian at the mall, Fu Hua’s expression changed and she said earnestly, "Xiaonan, I don’t object to you dating, even if that person isn’t Xining, it doesn’t matter. We are not that snobbish, nor do we insist you must choose a match of equal social standing, but the person you’re involved with must come from a decent family, at the very least having proper principles. We cannot let others shake their heads and scoff when talking behind our backs about the He family’s daughter-in-law."
In Fu Hua’s opinion, He Nan might marry someone not up to the He family’s standing, but the other party must come from a decent family, preferably with educated parents.
She had seen families where, because the daughter-in-law was pretty but uneducated from the countryside, the wife’s family would cause trouble every other day.
They, the He family, would not accept such a daughter-in-law.
He Nan’s face darkened slightly, "What rumors have you heard now?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩
With the conversation reaching this point, Fu Hua didn’t bother hiding anything and spoke frankly, "I was shopping just now and met a young girl who was quite beautiful, named Shen Mianmian. I heard you take good care of her in Licheng. Is that true?"
"Mm." He Nan nodded in acknowledgment, "Her studies are good; she’s school smart. She ranked first in the province in the exams, what’s wrong with me sponsoring her education?"
First in the province?
That beautiful young girl, after a single glance, most people would consider her just a pretty face, paying attention only to her looks while overlooking her merits. Unexpectedly, her academic performance was that good.
Fu Hua was surprised for a moment, but that didn’t mean she accepted Shen Mianmian as her daughter-in-law.
"Xiaonan, tell me the truth, are you dating her?"
"Mom, there’s no need to speculate about her identity. She isn’t ready to appear before you all yet. When the time is right, I will bring her back to meet you."
He Nan neither denied nor admitted it, but to Fu Hua’s ears, it was as if he was denying that Shen Mianmian was the one he was dating.
While she breathed a sigh of relief, she became even more worried. Her son’s reluctance to reveal his partner only meant that they might disapprove, suggesting that the girl might even be less suitable than Shen Mianmian.