"Xiaonan, since you’re unwilling to disclose the identity of the other party, I don’t want to press you now, but let me be clear, if the other party’s background isn’t clean, or if she’s some uneducated country girl, I will not agree,"
His son was going to marry a bride, and it had to be someone with a clean background. Marrying the wrong woman could ruin three generations; the He Family could not afford that loss of face.
"You’ll be satisfied sooner or later," He Nan glanced at the time and said, "I have something else to take care of later and need to head out. If you have nothing else, you should go back and rest early too!"
Fu Hua stood up, "Find a time to talk to your grandfather about this. Keeping something as significant as courting a secret from the family, I don’t know what you’re thinking."
He Nan saw Fu Hua out to the door, and after watching her car leave, he too turned and drove off.
On the road, the more Fu Hua thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She didn’t want her son to be involved with Shen Mianmian, but she feared even more that he might find someone worse than Shen Mianmian. After much thought, she decided it would be more reassuring to investigate Shen Mianmian’s background.
Instead of going straight home, Fu Hua went to visit the old Mr. He, who was in the yard watering the flowers. Despite being seventy years old and having a head full of white hair, he still stood tall and exuded a resolute and righteous air.
"Dad, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about."
Upon hearing this, the old Mr. He took the towel the butler handed him, wiped his hands, and said, "Let’s talk inside."
The two sat down on the living room sofa, and the butler poured two glasses of water. The old Mr. He took a sip from his glass before asking, "What is it that brings you here specifically?"
"Dad, Xiaonan is seeing someone. Did you know about this?"
After her husband passed away, Fu Hua had never remarried and had always held great respect for the old Mr. He. When it came to significant matters at home, she would seek his advice.
Fortunately, although the old Mr. He had a stubborn temperament, he treated his daughter-in-law well and had never intentionally made things difficult for her. He had long since come to regard Fu Hua as a daughter.
"Xiaonan is courting someone? When did this happen? And with which family’s daughter?" The old Mr. He seemed to hear great news, his eyes crinkling with joy, "That child, he keeps such a big event from his family."
"You didn’t know?" Fu Hua was not too surprised. Seeing how happy the old Mr. He was, she didn’t want to ruin his mood, but she had to tell the truth, "Dad, I found out about it today myself. Don’t be happy too soon. Xiaonan’s partner isn’t Xining. I believe, the likelihood is high that he’s not seeing a girl from Beijing, but probably from Licheng, where Xiaonan has spent the most time."
"I’ve always said Xiaonan and Xining weren’t fated," the old Mr. He was not at all surprised. "Where she’s from isn’t important, what matters is that Xiaonan likes her. Let him bring her home for a meal."
He hadn’t even met his future granddaughter-in-law yet; how could this be?
"That’s exactly what I’m worried about," Fu Hua said worriedly. "Xiaonan simply refuses to reveal her identity, saying it’s not convenient to introduce her to us for the next few years."
"Nonsense," the old Mr. He was unhappy now, "I am already seventy this year, and he still doesn’t bring her home. Is he waiting for me to be buried before doing so?"
Fu Hua: "..." Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝗇𝗲𝘵
She hurriedly consoled him, "Dad, don’t be upset. Actually, I have another suspicion. Xiaonan has been sponsoring a college student in Licheng for several years now. She’s quite pretty, and I suspect he might be seeing her."