A thirteen-year-old girl, how captivating can she look, no matter how pretty she is?
Even if it were Meng Xinian, he just thought she looked fresher in her new clothes, and there was not the sensation of being spellbound or moved.
However, when he looked at her, he always noticed her eyes first, clear and composed.
Perhaps it could be said that there are too many attractive people in this world, but too few interesting souls. If Meng Xinian had heard this saying from the future, he would have understood his own thoughts.
What attracted him was never Chiang Xiao’s appearance, but her inner self, which was completely different from that of her thirteen-year-old immature body.
Otherwise, why would he steer clear of every beautiful woman of similar age and family background in Capital City?
"So this is Chiang Xiao? Look at how skinny she is! All right, let’s start the banquet, let’s start. Chiang Xiao will be someone’s wife in the future too, you know. When you see the elders from the Old Chiang Family, tell them not to sully this young girl’s name with any unwarranted slander."
"Thank you, Great-Uncle."
The clan uncle was already over eighty years old, and in the village, such an elderly person was accorded considerable respect.
His eyes were cloudy, and he was supported by a younger man of a grandson’s generation, his steps somewhat shaky.
When Chiang Qingzhu couldn’t stand living in the village anymore, and was expunged from the clan before running away, leaving her life or death unknown for so many years, perhaps this clan uncle had not intervened or protected her.
Maybe he has softened and become kinder with old age, but Chiang Xiao knew that he must have been a stubborn old man who was not easy to speak to in the past.
He did not show much concern for the weaker members of the clan either. Otherwise, why had he never appeared once in all these years, nor spoken a word in defense when the Old Chiang Family bullied their family of three?
But what point was there in dwelling on the past now?
Now that he has spoken up for her, her returning a "thank you" was enough.
The main room doors were wide open, with one table set up inside the hall and two outside in the courtyard. Each table sat six to eight people, but this was already the liveliest day for the Chiang Family.
Chiang Xiao was seated together with Meng Xinian, two people sharing a long bench. Since she was still young, the conversation did not revolve around her, nor did they tease her with Meng Xinian, and because of Meng Xinian’s imposing presence, they did not even ask him too many personal questions. Instead, they all talked about the trivialities of village life.
Meng Xinian was not very talkative either, but he adeptly poured wine and offered cigarettes every now and then, which made everyone feel that the young man was very well-mannered.
Chiang Xiao was focused on eating her meal throughout.
Meng Xinian opened a bottle of soda for her and passed it over.
This type of soda came in glass bottles, with simple packaging, flavored with orange, and cost one yuan fifty cents a bottle. Old Li’s grocery shop could only stock a maximum of one case at a time, twenty-four bottles in a case, which could take quite a while to sell out in Siyang Village.
Today, Meng Xinian seemed to have bought all the remaining soda from his shop, as Chiang Xiao spotted the plastic crate that held the soda bottles still sitting to one side.
One bottle per person was certainly not enough, so everyone poured it into bowls, with each person getting half a bowl, which they all drank with relish.
Chiang Xiao took the bowl in front of Meng Xinian, poured half into his bowl, and then took a sip for herself.
Twenty or thirty years later, supermarkets would offer countless types of drinks, but for now, Chiang Xiao found this primitive soda quite tasty.
Since everyone still had chores to tend to, and it was merely an engagement banquet without many formalities, they all left after eating and learning about the engagement.
However, one part of the event, when Meng Xinian formally addressed his future grandparents, and Chiang Songhai gave him the red envelope, sure made Chiang Xiao’s eyes widen.