Xiaonan had been a soldier, with a strong and forceful presence, suited for suppressing such Feng Shui.
Speaking of He Nan, Yang Xiaoxi couldn’t help but sigh again and said, "Grandpa, you may not see it, but though Mianmian looks the same on the surface, she’s actually not feeling well at all."
He Lao Yezi’s eyes flashed, "What’s wrong? Did she have a conflict with her partner?"
"No," Yang Xiaoxi shook her head, "but if you really want to talk about it, it does have something to do with her partner. Her partner is a local from Beijing with a good family background, so they might not like Mianmian very much."
"Nonsense," said He Lao Yezi, "Mianmian is sweet and smart. I like her myself, and I’m sure his family likes her as well."
"His family is not like you," Yang Xiaoxi corrected, "You don’t know, but his close friends from his family have already come to see Mianmian several times, saying that Mianmian and her partner are not a good match and suggesting they cut ties. Fortunately, Mianmian is strong. If it were someone else, they would have given up by now."
Yang Xiaoxi felt indignant on behalf of Shen Mianmian. She had no place to vent these words, and since the grandpa didn’t know Shen Mianmian’s partner, she didn’t hold back and just said it all.
He Lao Yezi’s expression darkened slightly, "This is happening?"
Someone was actually suggesting behind the scenes that Mianmian should leave Xiaonan. After waiting for so many years, his grandson had finally come to his senses and found a granddaughter-in-law he was satisfied with, but these people were messing things up behind his back.
"Of course, it is!" Seeing He Lao Yezi’s displeasure, Yang Xiaoxi thought he shared her anger and spoke even more fervently, "Grandpa, you’re angry just listening to it, aren’t you? Mianmian is just too kind-hearted and doesn’t want to trouble her partner, so she didn’t tell him, and look, see the fruit on this table? It was brought by his close friend, supposedly to apologize for the last incident, but actually, it’s another way to persuade them to break up. I’ve seen through these tricks a long time ago."
She couldn’t understand it; Shen Mianmian and He Nan were really well-matched. Couldn’t those people see it? Why did they have to cause trouble?
What era are we in to still have arranged marriages by force?
It seemed He Lao Yezi really did get angry, huffing, "These people have had too many good days; they can’t even handle their own affairs but still worry about others’."
Yang Xiaoxi nodded emphatically.
The two continued to talk about the situation for a while, and Yang Xiaoxi told He Lao Yezi everything she knew. After about fifteen minutes, Shen Mianmian had finished cooking, and Yang Xiaoxi hurried to help serve the dishes.
They both tacitly did not bring up the previous matter again.
During the meal, Shen Mianmian said, "Grandpa, I fried up some egg pancakes for you to take when you leave. The weather is cold, so they won’t spoil if left out for half a day or a day. Eating noodles every day can get tiring; having some pancakes might give you a change of taste."
Shen Mianmian couldn’t explain why, but she just felt a special bond with the old man. With no close relatives of her own, she treated him as if he were her own grandfather.
"Good, good," laughed He Lao Yezi, nodding his head, then suddenly said, "Mianmian girl, you’ve been working hard these days. Next Sunday, you two come to my house for a meal! It’s been so long, and you’ve been taking care of me; I haven’t invited you over for dinner yet."
Shen Mianmian and Yang Xiaoxi were taken aback and exchanged puzzled glances.