"Little sister, what’s up with Yicheng?" Xu Nian’an came back after cooking noodles and saw Pei Yicheng’s face looking off, his steps hurried. He thought they had an argument, but seeing Xu Nianhua smiling so happily, it didn’t seem like they had fought.
"It’s nothing." Xu Nianhua smiled brightly, but she was too embarrassed to say that Brother Cheng was acting awkward because of his jealousy, which she had noticed.
She changed the subject and said, "Second brother, you must not tell mom and dad about us dating when we get back."
"Mom and dad would be too happy to care." Xu Nian’an thought about how during the New Year, Ji Ying had praised Pei Yicheng, almost as if she wanted to snatch him home as a son-in-law.
Dad might be reluctant to let Nianhua go, but mom would definitely be very happy. Even if mom and dad knew, it wouldn’t matter.
"Little sister, you don’t still have thoughts of switching to someone else, do you?" Xu Nian’an suddenly asked.
Xu Nianhua was startled.
Xu Nian’an became solemn and said, "Little sister, although at first, when you started dating, I felt like Yicheng had stolen you away and I was unhappy. But as time passed, it’s undeniable that Yicheng has treated you very well and has taken our family’s matters to heart. We can’t be the kind of people who make a mess at the start and then abandon things at the end."
"Of course, if he ever bullies you, I’ll be the first to object," Xu Nian’an added.
"Second brother, where are you going with this, am I such a person?" Xu Nianhua looked at Xu Nian’an with an aggrieved expression. Did she look like the sort of bad woman who would make a mess and then abandon things?
"Then why can’t you tell about your relationship?" Xu Nian’an countered.
Xu Nianhua cleared her throat and explained, "It just feels like I’m still studying..."
"There’s no rule saying you can’t date in college. Among my classmates, there are even those who are married and have children." Xu Nian’an was referring to the college students just after the resumption of the college entrance examination; there were many who were married and had children.
"Little sister, both dad and mom don’t want you to marry too early, but they want you to be happy even more."
Xu Nian’an said this with utmost seriousness. The way Pei Yicheng treated his little sister was something he saw with his own eyes, and although he found it hard to let his beautiful little sister be snatched away by someone else, stumbling upon someone with mutual affection was not easy.
Just as Xu Nianhua began to speak, he interrupted, "Was it your idea, or was it Yicheng’s, not to tell the family?"
"Mine." Xu Nianhua felt inexplicably guilty. It was her first time being moved and her first time in love in both her lives. She was at a loss and afraid of her parents finding out.
"Then tell me, if you were to meet Yicheng’s friends and family and he acted all secretive and didn’t introduce you as his girlfriend, wouldn’t you feel unhappy?" Xu Nian’an asked back.
Xu Nianhua seriously put herself in that situation. Whether it was Cheng Hao, Lou Fan, or Pei Yining, they all knew she was Brother Cheng’s girlfriend. Especially Pei Yining, who would occasionally call her sister-in-law. If Yicheng really acted all secretive, she might wonder: was she not fit to be seen in public? Not good enough to bring around?
With that thought, Xu Nianhua felt even more guilty.
Xu Nian’an did not belabor the point, simply saying, "Little sister, dad dotes on mom, but at the same time, mom also cares deeply for dad, which is why for over twenty years, they’ve never had a fight."
"Second brother, you talk as if you’re so experienced. Why don’t I see you chasing after Su Xi?" Xu Nianhua countered. She knew she was in the wrong and felt guilty, but she was even more speechless about Xu Nian’an, who was clearly smitten yet made no move. At least, she had figured out her own heart.
What about the second brother?