Liu Changqing’s words left An Qianxun completely stunned. His eyes widened as he looked at him, who stood there calm and composed, speechless for a long ti...
Before he could even make sense of it all, Liu Changqing reached out and patted him on the shoulder, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"You're married now, and you have your own family... Stop acting on impulse. As for your sister, you don't need to worry—I'll take care of everything."
"Brother-in-law..."
"Alright, that’s the end of that topic."
Liu Changqing removed his hand from his shoulder, then pulled out a few packs of at from the groceries the couple had bought.
He laid them out on the cutting board and started preparing.
With the topic closed, the kitchen suddenly fell quiet.
"Is there... anything I can help with?"
Just as the atmosphere started to get a bit awkward, a voice ca from the kitchen doorway, drawing both their attention. Liu Changqing and An Qianxun turned their heads at the sa ti.
Standing at the kitchen door was An Qianxun’s wife, smiling as she looked at the two n. Then, another voice followed from beside her—Su Yan.
"It’s been a while since I cooked. Now that I think about it, I really want to give it a try... Changqing, Qianxun, you two go take a break. We’ll handle things here."
As she finished speaking, Su Yan stepped into the kitchen, clearly eager. She even rolled up her sleeves, looking like she was about to go all out.
"Ah, no way… Mom, let do it!"
Su Yan wasn’t just his mother-in-law—she was also a guest. How could Liu Changqing possibly let her cook herself? He quickly tried to stop her.
The two started going back and forth politely.
But clearly, the one who held real authority in the An family was Su Yan, who was determined to show off her cooking skills. At first, she played nice and declined a bit with Liu Changqing.
But maybe she thought he was being too long-winded—suddenly, the smile on Su Yan’s face vanished completely.
Liu Changqing, who had still been trying to speak, imdiately noticed her expression and shut his mouth. Along with An Qianxun, who had already been too scared to make a sound, the two quietly slipped out of the kitchen.
It wasn’t until they were out that they both let out a breath of relief.
How the hell did Old Man An make it through all these years?
Liu Changqing couldn’t help but wonder.
After just one glimpse of Su Yan’s sudden face-change ability, he finally understood why his father-in-law always seed so passive around his mother-in-law.
That aura…
Almost to himself, An Qianxun muttered,
“Sigh... my mom is terrifying.”
Hearing that, Liu Changqing grew a little curious. He glanced at him and asked in a low voice,
“By the way, I noticed... she and your wife seem to get along really well. Your wife’s not scared of your mom?”
“They do get along... I rember my mom once said that my wife’s personality reminded her of herself when she was younger. The first ti I brought her ho to et the parents, my mom was super pleased.”
“I see. By the way… what should I call my sister-in-law? I still don’t know her na.”
“I never told you?”
An Qianxun was a little surprised. After thinking it over, he realized that he really hadn’t ntioned his wife’s na to him before.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, he chuckled and said,
“Her na’s kinda old-fashioned… Her last na is Ma, first na Lisu.”
“Ma Lisu?!”
The mont Liu Changqing heard the na, a strange feeling rose up inside him. He paused for a mont, stunned.
Once it sank in, he was completely dumbfounded. He opened his mouth and yelled it out loud—so loud that the An family mbers and Liu Xiazhi by the baby stroller all turned to look at him.
Even Ma Lisu in the kitchen stuck her head out with a kitchen knife in hand, curiously staring at Liu Changqing, who had just blurted out her na.
Realizing everyone was staring, Liu Changqing looked around awkwardly, then forced a smile. He quickly waved toward the kitchen and tried to explain.
“This is the first ti I’ve heard your na. It just sounds really similar to a friend I used to have. That’s why I was so surprised earlier… Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”
“Alright.”
After hearing Liu Changqing’s explanation, Ma Lisu didn’t say anything more. She just acknowledged it and went back into the kitchen.
The others stopped looking at Liu Changqing as well. An Yuanyao and Liu Xiazhi turned their attention back to the baby, who had just woken up in the stroller.
An Qianxun, however, found his brother-in-law’s huge reaction a little odd—but he didn’t press it.
“Is the baby a boy or a girl?!”
Liu Xiazhi gripped the edge of the stroller and turned to ask An Quancheng, whose face was still stern. She hadn’t expected the baby, who had just been chatting with her daughter, to ask her that instead.
An Quancheng thought for a mont, then replied in a calm tone,
“A boy.”
Now that the baby’s gender was confird, Liu Xiazhi grew even more interested. She looked back into the stroller and reached out to gently poke the baby.
The chubby little thing burst into giggles at her touch, his pudgy face lighting up with a wide smile.
He even let out a baby laugh.
Seeing that, Liu Xiazhi couldn’t help but adore him more. Thinking about the little baby in her own mom’s belly, she started to look forward to the days after the baby was born.
Looking at her little brother’s son, An Yuanyao also rubbed her belly gently and reached out to stroke the baby’s cheek.
Soft, smooth… and bouncy.
Babies are... so adorable.
Liu Changqing also ca over and wrapped his arm around An Yuanyao in front of everyone. The two of them looked at the baby in the stroller without saying a word.
Because of ti constraints, Su Yan and Ma Lisu didn’t prepare anything fancy—just a few well-known ho dishes.
But Liu Changqing still ate happily.
Even if it wasn’t quite as good as his own cooking, the warm feeling of the whole family sitting down together for a al was sothing he really enjoyed.
He liked this kind of atmosphere.
An Quancheng’s family didn’t stay too long. After so ti, they decided to leave. Before they left, they told Liu Changqing and his wife they’d see them during the New Year.
At first, they’d planned to take An Yuanyao back with them. But as expected, she refused—and this ti, An Quancheng and his wife didn’t push her.
They chose to respect her wishes. After all... they could see it too—An Yuanyao was genuinely happy in this ho. Their daughter’s happiness was what mattered most.
Before leaving, Su Yan handed the gift she had prepared for Liu Zhiyue to Liu Changqing.
After they left, Liu Changqing opened it.
It was a jade piece, similar to Liu Xiazhi’s—but instead of a pig, it was shaped like a horse, matching his son’s zodiac sign.
Liu Changqing didn’t know the jade’s exact value, but it was obvious that it wasn’t cheap…
Speaking of jade, he suddenly rembered the rabbit-shaped pendant he once bought An Yuanyao from a street stall—sothing you could tell was fake at a glance. Compared to the finely crafted pieces her family gave…
Thinking of that, Liu Changqing’s face stiffened as he asked An Yuanyao,
“Do you still have that jade I gave you before?”
“Of course I do.”
“……”
Silence fell. Liu Changqing looked out toward the balcony.
He took a deep breath.
“Throw it away… I’ll buy you a real one tomorrow.”
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