Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 700 Sweet Sister's Perfect Ending
"Don't place the person in the center; leave some room for a story... Press the shutter when the sparklers are burning at their brightest... Keep the lighting slightly dim on the face to make the colors of the fireworks more saturated..."

Chen silently recited the "mantra" in his mind, then held up his phone, walked to a suitable distance, and quickly snapped photos of Sweet Sister.

I must say, what Teacher Huang taught was very useful.

In the viewfinder, Song Shiwei is still holding the fairy wand.

However, the deep night behind her was like a natural curtain, while the flickering starlight became her only piece of jewelry.

The ends of her hair at her temples trembled slightly, like soft, wispy golden threads. The photo has a very beautiful and tangible feel to it, as if it were about to dissipate in the evening breeze with the last spark.

"So, is it okay for me to call me 'Teacher Chen, who loves photography'?"

Chen was a little smug. Although the main reason was that Song, the school beauty, was on camera, it didn't stop him from taking credit for it.

I even began to understand why so many people love photography; pressing the shutter gives you a sense of accomplishment in capturing the beauty of the world with your own hands.

"Teacher Chen~"

Song Shiwei's voice rose slightly at the end, but quickly returned to its usual lightness, like a snowflake silently melting into the night.

She spoke to Chen Zhe so simply, but in the eyes of her uncles, it was definitely just "perfunctory talk."

In fact, Song Shiwei's gaze towards her boyfriend still reflected the lingering warmth of the fireworks, and a tiny, almost invisible but real smile appeared on her lips.

There are some people in the world who fall in love without expressing it, without making a fuss, without needing to prove it, yet they cannot let go of it.

Not long after, Mao Xiaoqin called the young people and asked them to come upstairs for dinner.

Chen Zhe knew in his heart that the differences should have been resolved, or at least suppressed.

After returning home, my uncles no longer had that same "desire to perform".

Of course, they still lack enthusiasm. If you bring in their mindset of "old-fashioned, principled rural people," it would be, "If you're indifferent to me, I won't try to curry favor with you."

The meal was never quiet, since the uncles' opinions were only for reference. As long as Mao Xiaoqin sided with Sweetie, Song Shiwei would always be welcomed in this family.

Not to mention, there are also grandparents on the maternal side.

My grandmother has always had a small appetite. Usually, after she finishes eating, she quietly sits back on the sofa, cracks sunflower seeds, and watches TV.

But today, after putting down her chopsticks, she made an exception and stayed at the table, her eyelids, covered with fine wrinkles, slightly lifted and fell on Song Shiwei.

This quiet girl was eating her rice in small bites.

Their dining posture was also so focused, with a quiet and orderly demeanor.

However, if she tastes a dish she likes, her long, drooping eyelashes will flutter slightly, like a nimble little bee, and with each chew, her cheeks will puff out in a small arc, like a flower bud about to bloom on a branch in early spring.

From the perspective of an elderly person, seeing such a younger daughter-in-law brings a sense of satisfaction, comfort, and peace of mind.

As Grandma watched, she couldn't help but reach out and push the sweet and sour pork ribs that Song Shiwei had just tasted a little closer to her.

"Thank you, Grandma!"

Song Shiwei said softly.

"Eat, eat."

Grandma answered with a smile, as if it were an acceptance and a sense of relief.

She stared for a while, then suddenly said casually, "Girl, Chen is in business, but business is unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad..."

Grandma paused, her eyes filled with the marks of time: "Grandma wants to ask you, what if... he loses all his money in the future?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table was stunned.

Mao Xiaoqin initially thought that her mother would ask Song Shiwei, "When do you plan to get married?"

I never expected it to be this problem.

Even Chen Zhe was taken aback for a moment, but he reacted quickly and immediately recalled his grandmother's tumultuous life. Her family had once been wealthy, but later fell into poverty.

Along the way, she had probably seen the coldness of the world and experienced ups and downs. She was worried about her grandson who had achieved success at a young age, and she was also worried about her daughter who was finally about to enjoy her life, and she hoped that there would be no more setbacks.

So, Grandma wasn't afraid to ask this truthful, but also somewhat jarring, question.

Soon, everyone's attention was focused on Song Shiwei. Even Chen Zhe was a little curious, since he had never considered this question before.

Sweet didn't give a flippant answer immediately. Instead, she thought about it seriously for a few seconds, then raised her head again and looked at her grandmother with clear eyes.

The voice wasn't loud, but it contained a calm firmness: "Grandma, I will help him get back on his feet."

"it is good."

After listening, Grandma nodded gently, then stood up and said, "You eat first, and then watch TV with Grandma."

Others might answer this way with a mix of impulsiveness and flattery, but this girl doesn't; she possesses a rare kind of "consistency."

It was like a minor incident that was quickly forgotten, but everyone had different thoughts about it.

Both the eldest and second uncles wondered if the old lady meant that she had already accepted this "granddaughter-in-law".

The eldest and second aunts thought it couldn't be, since there's no such thing as verbally "acknowledging" someone. In our rural area, at least some kind of gift should be given.

As for Mao Chuan and Mao Rui, they don't care about these things at all. Anyway, pretty girls all prefer Chen Zhe, which has nothing to do with us.

Empress Dowager Mao took a sip of soup, concealing a subtle ripple in her heart. She was both happy and apprehensive, as if she were standing in the middle of a scale, with candy on the left and chocolate on the right.

Having chosen this side, I don't want to lose the other.

Chen Peisong began to worry. If Chen's maternal grandmother had already "accepted" Song Shiwei, then the difficulty of breaking up the couple would increase even further.

Old Chen wasn't inherently against Song Shiwei.

With his experience, how could he not see how outstanding this girl was?

But Yu Xuan is already in that position.

In order to avoid future conflicts with Professor Song Zuomin and Professor Lu, and also for the sake of the two children, it's better to end things quickly than to suffer for a long time. Tonight, we need to find an opportunity to have a "breakup talk".

It seems that men are often more rational than women.

Just as Chen Peisong's plan was going perfectly, Song Shiwei, who was watching TV with her grandmother, suddenly felt a chill on her wrist.

She looked down and saw that a jade bracelet had quietly slipped onto her wrist.

With its delicate texture and pure, translucent appearance, it resembles the first clear spring after the first snow melts, without a trace of impurity. Without a doubt, this is a top-grade Hetian jade.

Before Song Shiwei could even ask, her grandmother patted the back of her hand and said in a calm tone, "This was left by my grandmother. But I'm old now, it looks better on your hand."

At this moment, the people watching TV in the living room noticed the piece of jewelry that had "appeared out of nowhere."

"mom."

My aunt was stunned for a moment, then asked dumbly, "How come I've never seen this at home before?"

"If it wasn't for you, why should you see it?"

Grandma said calmly.

"Oh……"

Aunt blinked, and after a moment she finally realized what was happening. Her nose tingled, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

She had been married into the Mao family for over twenty years and had three children, but she still couldn't gain her mother-in-law's approval. The bracelet's color clearly indicated it was a family heirloom; otherwise, it wouldn't have been passed down for six generations.

It's one thing if you don't keep it for yourself, but Mao Chuan is your eldest grandson, you can leave it to him too!
Although Chen Zhe is also one of our own children, he is surnamed "Chen" after all, not "Mao".

If she didn't give a gift, her aunt would be suspicious; if she did, she would start to panic.

The eldest aunt gestured to her husband, signaling him to start questioning her.

However, the eldest uncle only thought about it for a moment and did not do as his wife wished, but silently watched everything. "Mom..."

But even if they don't speak up, others will rush to "step forward".

Upon seeing the bracelet, Chen Peisong could no longer remain calm. It was as if a red seal was being stamped on a "personnel appointment and dismissal document," and if he didn't stop it, he would have to "take office."

However, there is only one "position"!
When Chen Peisong spoke, he would definitely bring up Mao Chuan and Mao Rui as reasons, and then use his high emotional intelligence to get his grandmother to take the bracelet back.

Just like the reports during the public announcement period, which prevented the appointment from being implemented.

"Old Chen, come here for a second."

After being married for many years, Mao Xiaoqin seemed to understand her husband's meaning and quickly pulled him back to the bedroom.

"I know you can't bear to talk to Xiao Song."

Now that things have come to this, Chen Peisong has decided to lay his cards on the table. He said directly, "Then I'll do it. Just don't stop me. I'm doing this for both families, and also for Chen Zhe and Xiao Song."

Mao Xiaoqin knew that her husband was telling the truth, but after struggling with the decision for a long time, she still found it difficult to make up her mind.

"Move aside, I need to get this straight today."

Chen Peisong planned to bypass his wife.

"No."

Mao Xiaoqin grabbed her husband's shirt, her eyes filled with hesitation and struggle, but she stopped him completely.

“...My mom just gave the bracelet to Weiwei, and everyone is very happy now. If you go over and say something, Weiwei will be sad, and my mom will be unhappy too. It’s rare for the whole family to get together for the New Year, and you can’t break this atmosphere of reunion.”

"but……"

Old Chen was about to offer some advice again.

"No buts! How many more times can my parents come to Guangzhou for the Spring Festival? We can talk about it when they return to Heyuan."

Dr. Mao used this reason to justify his "greed".

"This is just a delaying tactic!"

Old Chen saw through his wife's thoughts.

"It's definitely not possible during the Chinese New Year!"

Women always seem to have the right to "act spoiled," even a respected doctor like Dr. Mao can act like a little girl in front of her husband.

She clung to her husband stubbornly, her expression defiant.

Seeing Dr. Mao like this, Chen Peisong knew it would be difficult to persuade her, so he could only shake his head and say, "Do you know that you're making a fool of yourself? You've fallen right into Chen's trap!"

"I know."

Dr. Mao paused for a moment, then replied quietly, "But it's almost Chinese New Year, so I thought I'd just play dumb for once."

Old Chen didn't want to debate these philosophical questions with his wife and was about to return to the living room when he heard his wife call out again, "Wait!"

"what happened again?"

Chen Peisong frowned and turned around.

"We should give Weiwei a red envelope..."

Mao Xiaoqin said in a low voice.

Looking at his wife, who looked so aggrieved like a child, Old Chen was both amused and exasperated. His tone was filled with helplessness and doting: "Why don't you just split your son in two? That way you won't have to make things difficult for him."

"I'm just afraid..."

Dr. Mao said worriedly, "Even dividing it in half wouldn't be enough."

Chen Peisong's eyelids twitched violently a few times, and he quickly stopped him, saying, "It's the New Year, don't say such unlucky things."

……

When Chen Peisong and Mao Xiaoqin brought the red envelopes, a wave of red envelope-giving fever swept through the living room.

My eldest and second aunts were initially reluctant, but their husbands were very "generous" and went to the balcony to put 600 yuan directly into the red envelopes.

"I only gave Xiao Huang 600 yesterday."

The eldest aunt became anxious: "Why is Xiao Song also given 600?"

"This is the standard for my nephew's wife."

Uncle Mao Zhiyuan said in a low voice, "Xiao Huang is someone we adopted, and Xiao Song is someone my mother adopted, so it's as if we adopted them too."

"That bracelet..."

As soon as the aunt opened her mouth, the uncle glared at her and shut her up.

“Those are the things of an old man and woman, and Chen is my own nephew.”

The eldest uncle lowered his voice and warned in a gruff tone, "Don't even mention a bracelet. Even if the old family house were given to Chen, you're not allowed to show any displeasure. We four siblings can argue about anything, but we can't get into a fight over these things. I'm the eldest, so I should give in to them. If you embarrass me, I'll see if I don't yell at you when we get back!"

"If you keep giving way, you end up giving everything away..."

The eldest aunt muttered to herself, but once they got to the living room, she genuinely tried to put on a smile and offered her blessings to Song Shiwei.

Therefore, Sweetie's visit during the Spring Festival was quite successful.

She not only met her boyfriend's family, but also received a red envelope and a sense of approval from her grandmother.

When she got home, Mao Xiaoqin also brought some return gifts, after all, Professor Lu had sent so many nutritional supplements.

However, the gift box was a bit heavy, so she and Chen Peisong went downstairs together to get it and put it in the car.

So, only my maternal grandparents and my eldest and second maternal uncles' families were left in the house.

Grandma glanced at her sullen eldest and second aunts, and spoke as if to herself, or as if explaining the reason: "Eldest daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law, it's not that I don't want to give it to you, but even if I did, I wouldn't be able to keep it."

"Who said that! Why can't we keep them?"

The eldest aunt glanced at her husband, thinking to herself, "This wasn't something I brought up; it was something Mom brought up herself."

"If this were given to you, wouldn't you have sold it if you needed money to buy a house in the county?"

Grandma asked in return.

"I……"

The eldest aunt opened her mouth, but the words got stuck in her throat.

That seems to make sense. If we had that thing, we wouldn't have borrowed money from my aunt Mao Xiaoqin back then.

"I'll give the bracelet to Xiao Song."

Grandma's head was full of white hair, like a thin layer of frost covering the fields: "Besides liking this girl, I also want to form a good relationship with her so that if Mao Chuan, Mao Rui, or Mao Xintong ever need her help in the future, Xiao Song can lend a hand..."

Grandpa sat silently to the side, feeling that his son and daughter-in-law would have a hard time understanding the good intentions he and his wife had put in.

This bracelet is not only a symbol of recognition and a keepsake, but also a way for children and grandchildren to support each other in the future.

In the future, these children won't have to wait until they visit their own graves to have time to get together.

Occasionally, during holidays and festivals, families can get together. This is the simple and sincere wish of many elderly Chinese people.

……

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(End of this chapter)