Chapter 788: Chapter 787: Master Xiao’s Life Saver
Xiao Jianli had arranged to meet with Fu Man at a tea house.
The elderly man had arrived half an hour early, preparing all the tea snacks and tea, showing great importance to this meeting.
It was not until Fu Man appeared in the private room in a fluster that the two introduced themselves and officially met.
Xiao Jianli also gave the prepared tea gift box to Fu Man.
Fu Man was pleasantly surprised and touched the outer packaging of the gift box, the high-grade frosted texture giving her the sensation of holding a luxury item.
“Lu Mian’s mother, I’ve seen you before,” said Xiao Jianli, approachable and with a gentle, kind tone, “I’ve watched the videos of you and your younger daughter.”
“You mean my younger daughter Lu Xinnuan, right? Yes, Nuannuan is indeed quite popular now.”
Fu Man had not expected to present herself to the other party in this way.
She was just an ordinary middle-aged woman. Although she had followed the second branch of the family and been exposed to some banquets and famous figures, she still couldn’t help but feel intimidated in front of this master.
The noble aura emanating from the other person made Fu Man feel inferior; the gap in status was too great, and no matter how elegantly she tried to behave, it ultimately came off as an inelegant imitation.
Xiao Jianli sipped his tea.
Fu Man quickly extended her hand, “Master Xiao, let me pour you some tea.”
She poured the tea for Xiao Jianli in a fluster, and there’s a saying that “a full glass of wine is to show respect; a full cup of tea is to bid farewell.” Perhaps due to nervousness, Fu Man spilled tea outside the cup.
Xiao Jianli silently observed the lady, finding her quite peculiar.
In his recollection, Mianmian was always composed, neither humble nor arrogant, clearly the sort of girl who had received a higher education and was broad-minded and insightful. But her mother was too subservient and eager to please, hardly seeming like the parent who could have raised a child like Mianmian.
Fu Man carefully wiped away the spilled tea, saying apologetically, “I’m sorry, Master Xiao, I’m a bit nervous.”
Fu Man placed her hands under the table, rubbing them uneasily.
“Did you ask to see me today because of Nuannuan’s matter?”
Xiao Jianli was slightly puzzled; he had come for Mianmian, so what did Mianmian’s sister have to do with this?
“Mother of Mianmian, allow me to properly introduce myself once more,” said Xiao Jianli with a slight smile, “I am Qimo’s grandfather, which means, Mianmian is my future granddaughter-in-law. The main reason I asked to meet with you was…”
Before Xiao Jianli could finish, Fu Man’s teacup suddenly trembled in her hand.
“What did you say? Lu Mian? Granddaughter-in-law?”
“…” Xiao Jianli belatedly realized that something significant might be amiss.
Could it be that Mianmian had never mentioned Qimo to her family?
It seemed that Mo Si’s earlier warning to him was indeed not a small matter.
Xiao Jianli remained calm, gently nodding his head, “Yes, Mianmian and Qimo have now reached the stage of discussing marriage. I was on a business trip here in Wucheng and took the opportunity to talk with you about it.”
“Not that,” Fu Man’s thoughts were not on discussing marriage at all; only one idea dominated her mind, “You weren’t coming for our Xinnuan?”
Xiao Jianli, puzzled, asked, “Have I done something to make you misunderstand?”
“Your sponsorship of ‘Extreme Brain,’ wasn’t it for Nuannuan’s sake?” Fu Man asked anxiously, even standing up.
“Hahaha…” Xiao Jianli shook his head, somewhat displeased by Fu Man’s words and actions, but his good upbringing and respect for Lu Mian’s parents prompted him to patiently explain, “Of course not! I am definitely there for my own granddaughter-in-law. Mianmian’s sister… Is she very famous?”
Fu Man seemed to hear the sound of a slap in the face.
The woman sat down with a swallowed sigh in her throat, feeling indignant, and it was then she began to digest Xiao Jianli’s words.
“Master Xiao, how did you choose Lu Mian as your granddaughter-in-law? Her temperament…” Fu Man truly had not expected the always defiant Lu Mian to be able to connect with a family of Calligraphy and Painting Masters.
Just from her investment move of fifty million, one can tell that this master’s family is very wealthy indeed.
After all, Xiao Jianli was over seventy years old and had seen much. If he was somewhat puzzled at first, he had now come to understand clearly.
This lady had written the word ‘favoritism’ all over her face.
He sipped his tea, suddenly finding it tasteless.
Fu Man finally understood, finally realized where Lu Mian’s confidence came from.
She couldn’t describe her feelings, just that she thought their Xinnuan was good at everything, from music, chess, calligraphy, to painting, and she was thoughtful in her speech and actions, overall more suitable to marry into a family of scholars and artists than Lu Mian.
“Master Xiao, are Lu Mian and your grandson really discussing marriage?”
Fu Man hadn’t really been listening to Xiao Jianli’s words earlier, and the name Qimo didn’t register with her.
She just asked subconsciously.
Xiao Jianli narrowed his eyes, “Mrs. Fu, it seems I’ve found the wrong person. If you’ve never been involved in Mianmian’s life, then let’s pretend we’ve never met.”
He smiled faintly, already putting down the teacup, with no intention of continuing.
“Master Xiao.” Fu Man quickly apologized, “Indeed, I haven’t shown enough concern for Mianmian. But no matter what, I am her mother. I still want to talk to you a bit more…”
Fu Man’s thoughts raced, and she quickly changed the subject, asking, “Master Xiao, I heard you are looking for someone. Our family has always lived in Wucheng, and Mianmian’s second uncle knows a lot of people. Could you perhaps describe the person you’re looking for in more detail?”
Xiao Jianli’s expression softened slightly when the topic came up.
“That’s fine, I’ll tell you about it, and you help me keep an eye out.”
Fu Man returned to the Lu Mansion with a heavy heart.
After exchanging brief greetings with her sister-in-law Pei Jinlan, she went upstairs to find Lu Xinnuan.
Lu Xinnuan rushed out of her room, “Mom, how did it go, how did it go?”
She was truly overjoyed, having looked forward to Fu Man’s return all afternoon. But seeing Fu Man’s woeful expression, her heart sank.
“Mom, did it not go well?”
Fu Man shook her head, unable to say if it went well or not since the person wasn’t there for the younger daughter in the first place.
It was just that, seeing Nuannuan trying so hard, and yet she as a mother could do nothing to help, made her feel very uncomfortable.
“Nuannuan, about the sponsorship…” Fu Man pulled her daughter to sit beside her on the bed, “Let’s not bring that up for now. I just found out the characteristics of Master Xiao’s life-saver.”
“Oh.” Lu Xinnuan felt it might be due to the conversation not going smoothly, but it didn’t matter, if they helped Master Xiao find his life-saver, he would certainly feel indebted.
“Please, tell me quickly!”
Fu Man described methodically, “Master Xiao said that 15 years ago, on July 7, 2005, he had a heart attack by the roadside, and a five or six-year-old girl saved him. The little girl had big eyes and looked very calm and mature. But the most important point is…”
Fu Man paused for a moment, and Lu Xinnuan took notes even more earnestly on her phone.
“Master Xiao said that the little girl had a small red birthmark on her ear. However, after so many years, he is not sure if the birthmark still exists…”
But upon hearing this, Lu Xinnuan’s complexion changed dramatically in an instant.
The phone slipped from her hand with a “clatter,” falling to the ground!