Chapter 14.2 - The Family Dinner (2)
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The luxurious restaurant on the top floor gave off a romantic and comforting vibe. The Qin family and Wu Tong’s second uncle’s family had already arrived and were busy chatting. The atmosphere seemed pretty lively.
The Qin family were startled by the sight of their son carrying a child in one arm and holding his wife’s hand in the other. Mrs. Qin excitedly stood up and walked toward her son. She glanced at Qin Ge and Wu Tong, then at their hands, which were clasped together. Her eyes reddened slightly and she almost shed a tear.
“Great. Great. This is great!” Mrs. Qin took several deep breaths to calm herself before saying, "Quick! Come over and sit!”
The Qin and Wu family sat on either side of the Western-style, long dining table. Wu Tong hesitated over which side to sit at, so Qin Ge led her over to the Qin family’s side of the table.
When Qin Huai saw his brother bring his family over, he immediately got up and gave up his seat. He waited for all three members of Qin Ge’s family to be seated before taking a seat at the end of the table.
Wu Tong flashed a smile at Qin Huai, nodding her head as a form of greeting. Despite having an impassive facial expression, Qin Huai returned the smile. Wu Zhizhi, who was sitting across from Qin Huai suddenly felt somewhat upset. Who cares about her anyway.
Upon seeing her, Wu Tong’s second aunt courteously addressed her. “Tongtong,[1] you’re here.”
[1] Wu Tong's second aunt is using a nickname version of her name to make it sound like they're very close and have a good relationship.
Wu Tong got up again and greeted them. “Second uncle, second aunt, and…”
Wu Tong turned around to face Mr. and Mrs. Qin who sat to the left of Qin Ge. Her cheeks reddened slightly, although it was somewhat embarrassing, she still greeted them as: “Mom, Dad.”
“Ah!” Mrs. Qin excitedly responded. Mr. Qin nodded genially in response.
Mrs. Qin directly got out of her seat and walked over to Wu Tong. She handed Wu Tong a fat red envelope, saying, “This is a gift from me and dad.”
“Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad.” Wu Tong accepted the red envelope and thanked them before taking three small and exquisite boxes out of her bag. She handed one of the boxes to Mrs. Qin and said, “These are the Buddha beads I received from a local Lama[2] when I went to Tibet last year to do volunteer work.[3] It’s said that after being blessed, it will protect you. I strung these beads into a bracelet for you. I hope you will like it.”
[2] Lamas are spiritual teachers in Tibetan Buddhism.
[3] The volunteer work she did is similar to Peace Corps. She was in a program dedicated to bringing education to underdeveloped areas.
She gifted the remaining two boxes to Mr. Qin and Qin Huai.
Upon receiving his gift, Qin Huai smiled and called her “sister-in-law.” Wu Tong blushed and nodded in response.
“This is so pretty.” Mrs. Qin put on the bracelet in front of Wu Tong. She didn’t conceal her joy as she exclaimed, “Tongtong unexpectedly got us gifts as well.”
Mr. Qin nodded in agreement.
Wu Tong was relieved when she saw how happy the Qin family was with her gifts. As soon as she turned around, she met Qin Ge’s eyes, which were filled with mirth.
“Where’s mine?” Qin Ge mouthed.
Wu Tong pretended not to notice.
The atmosphere became lively again as everyone returned to their seats. The waiter began to serve the dishes one after the other. Wu Tong’s second uncle and Mr. Qin chatted about the market economy. Occasionally, their voices were interspersed with the sound of Wu Tong’s second aunt and Mrs. Qin’s voices. Wu Zhizhi stealthily stole glances at Wu Tong as she ate. When she saw how Wu Tong and Qin Ge looked like a true family taking care of that random kid sitting between them, she immediately thought that Wu Tong was so fake and really knew how to act.
Meanwhile, from the moment Qin Ge walked in, Wu Kai had been secretly observing Wu Tong and Qin Ge’s interactions. When he saw how his cousin and the Qin family’s eldest young master seemed to get along quite well, he immediately felt at ease. If Qin Ge truly likes her, then the Qin family is a decent family.
Qin Huai sat next to Wu Tong. He saw how Wu Tong seemed to be paying close attention to the little boy sitting in the middle, turning her head every 2 minutes to look at him. Sometimes she would place side dishes in Feifei’s bowl. Other times, she would wipe his mouth. Occasionally, she would talk to him in a low voice. It was almost as if she could read the look in Feifei’s eyes. Qin Huai knew how much Feifei meant to his older brother. Based on the carefree smile on Qin Ge’s face, Qin Huai could tell that Qin Ge was very into his new sister-in-law. Perhaps one day, his older brother and Feifei might actually return to normal, just as Dr. Li had said.
“I need to use the restroom,” Qin Huai excused himself, got up and left.
Wu Zhizhi had her eyes on Qin Huai the entire night. When she saw Qin Huai leave the room, she immediately made up an excuse and ran after him.
Qin Ge suddenly had an urge to smoke. He bowed his head and told Wu Tong that he needed to go out for a bit before directly getting up and leaving the room. Mrs. Qin guessed that Qin Ge was likely leaving to go for a smoke. She thought it was improper of him to leave without telling her, so she changed the topic of her conversation and remarked, “It’s unfortunate that Tongtong’s younger brother couldn’t come today. By the way, how is your brother doing so far?”
Wu Tong blanked for a moment before responding, “The doctor said he’s recovering very well but he can’t leave the hospital for the time being.”
“Then when he is completely recovered, bring him over to our house for a visit,” Mrs. Qin entreated.
“Ok, thanks mom.”
Wu Tong’s second aunt seized her chance to take control of the conversation and lamented, “I’ve watched both Tongtong and Xiao Yuan grow up. From a young age, they’ve always been very docile. Since Xiao Yuan developed such a serious illness, me and his second uncle have have been worried sick about him to the point of losing sleep. Thankfully, Xiao Kai’s bone marrow was a perfect match, otherwise we wouldn’t have known what to do.”
“Really?” Mrs. Qin exclaimed with surprise.
Wu Kai couldn’t listen to any more of his mother’s embellished narrative, so he got up and said, “I need to go out and take a call” before turning around and walking away.
“He’s… probably just feeling shy,” Wu Tong’s second aunt said with a chuckle.
Wu Tong looked at up at her second aunt, who was lying through her teeth. She didn’t say a word nor did she want to expose her second aunt. After all, disclosing a family scandal like this wouldn’t reflect well on herself. Even though her second aunt was distorting the truth, it provided a suitable explanation that benefited both parties.[4]
[4] Chinese culture, especially more conservative/traditional households emphasize keeping family affairs (especially anything scandalous) within the family. Families with scandals tend to get ostracized in society, including relatives who aren't directly involved. In addition, Chinese culture also values "face" or one's reputation above all else. It's important to give someone else "face," especially when they're your elder (even if they are in the wrong). In the case of Wu Tong, it would reflect badly on her to expose her aunt like that because her aunt is her elder. It would also be super awkward to expose her aunt since her business transaction with her uncle involves the Qin family. Plus, they're currently having dinner after she joined the Qin family, so exposing something so scandalous on a "joyous occasion" would be... >.>; (BTW, I'm not trying to justify what the aunt is doing, just offering an explanation for readers who may not understand. :)
“Mrs. Wu, both kids have been taught well,” Mrs. Qin praised.
“You’re too kind. Ever since my brother and sister-in-law passed away, I’ve taken care of Xiao Yuan and Tongtong as if they were my own.”
“Yeah, thanks for everything, second aunt and second uncle.” Wu Tong couldn’t resist flashing a thin smile at her second uncle and aunt.
“Poor child. Thankfully you had your second uncle and aunt by your side,” Mrs. Qin said sympathetically.
Wu Tong’s second aunt laughed somewhat awkwardly but didn’t dare to use Wu Tong to get on Mrs. Qin’s good side anymore. Slowly, the conversation changed to something else and Wu Tong lowered her head again to take care of Feifei.
Outside the restaurant, there was a small terrace at the end of the corridor. When Qin Ge opened the door, he unexpectedly saw that Qin Huai was there. Qin Ge’s brows furrowed. He lit a cigarette and offered one to him. "Want one?"
Qin Huai nodded. “Sure.”
Both brothers smoked as they looked at the city landscape down below. Occasionally, they blew out a few puffs of smoke, which were slowly dispersed by the wind.
“Da ge…” Qin Huai suddenly said.
“Hmm?”
“Sister-in-law seems like a pretty good person.” Qin Huai seemed relieved. Only he knew just how afraid he had been that setting up a marriage of convenience for Qin Ge would backfire and make things worse.
After all, while Qin Huai may have been able to use the terms of the contract to forbid Wu Tong from filing for divorce, he couldn’t force Wu Tong to treat Qin Ge well.
“Then make sure to work hard and get that bread,” Qin Ge responded.
“Huh???” What does what I just said have to do with earning money?
Qin Ge only laughed in response.
Part 2 of 6. Next part will be posted tomorrow at 8 PM EST. :)
I've already finished translating the rest of this chapter, so if anyone is interested in donating to my Paypal for an advanced part, here is the link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JSong24 :3 (I'll send you a copy through the email you provide when you Paypal me monies.)
Next part features Wu Zhizhi (ew) and a very dense but kinda fluff ML (lul). There may or may not be a ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) scene hurhur~