Chapter 123: With Intent

Chapter 123: With Intent

"Yan Guang," Yu Huixin called from the doorway.

Yan Guang turned to look at her, and his smile faltered when he saw her expression. He told his comrades, "My wife needs me. Keep chatting among yourselves."

When Xiao Fang and the others saw Yu Huixin in the doorway, they all stood up and greeted her, "Hi, Sister-in-law!"

Yu Huixin forced a smile and tried to appear welcoming. "Hello, please sit down, no need to be formal."

One of the six, a rather laid-back guy, assumed Yu Huixin was asking about lunch and said, "Don't worry about us, Sister-in-law. We're easy to please—just something simple will do!"

In their village, when a prospective son-in-law visits, they usually slaughter chickens and ducks and put out the best food.

Yu Huixin's smile nearly slipped.

Yan Guang waved his hand. "Just eat whatever Sister-in-law prepares."

After speaking, he smiled and left. As soon as he stepped outside, his face turned serious, and he pulled Yu Huixin aside, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong now?"

Yu Huixin shook off his hand and frowned. "Tell me, what positions do these people you invited hold? If I'm not mistaken, the tallest one, Xiao Fang, is a driver, right?"

"What's wrong with being a driver? They have good benefits and skills. Wherever they go, they're valued. Your cousin isn't someone who can handle hardship. If she marries a driver, she won't have to struggle in the future. She'll be well-provided for!" Yan Guang argued, feeling frustrated that his wife didn't appreciate the effort he'd put into finding these candidates.

Seeing Yan Guang's anger, Yu Huixin added, "Forget about Xiao Fang for now. From what I overheard, they're mostly platoon leaders or squad leaders. Not a single company commander among the six. Did you really put any effort into finding someone suitable for Xiao Yue?"

"How am I not putting in effort?" Yan Guang frowned. "You're really something, complaining that a platoon leader's rank is too low. At least they're officers."

Before he could finish, Yu Huixin interjected, "The lowest-ranking officers!"

Yan Guang was speechless, almost ready to throw in the towel.

But he held back and said irritably, "Have you considered their ages? Higher-ranking officers are usually older. Most men in their twenties are already married. If you only focus on rank, why not think about their ages?"

"Not all of them are married, right?" Yu Huixin had done her own research and knew which soldiers in the army were promising and still single. She mentioned two names.

Yan Guang gave her a sidelong glance. "You seem to know a lot. How do you know I didn't mention them?"

"You did?"

Yan Guang remained silent, just looking at her.

Yu Huixin realized, "They didn't want to come?"

Yan Guang took a deep breath. "To be honest, as soon as I hinted, they cut me off, clearly not interested. If I had pushed further, I would have been offending them!"

Yu Huixin bit her lip. "Not even willing to meet..."

"Do you really think meeting is necessary? You know your cousin's background. Ambitious soldiers wouldn't marry her. The men I found may not have high ranks, but their family backgrounds are solid—eight generations of poor peasants. If anything happens, this background can protect her. Maybe in a few years, they'll earn promotions after proving themselves..."

Yan Guang didn't notice Yu Huixin's changing expression. "Are you saying I'm holding you back?"

Yu Huixin pressed on, "Is my status the same as Xiao Yue's? Are you starting to resent me? If you knew it would be like this, would you have married me?"

Yan Guang quickly replied, "That's not what I meant. Don't overthink it. When we got married, things were different. As long as you're careful outside, it doesn't affect me."

After a pause, she added, "You need to make sure everyone knows that after all these years as a military family, you’ve been transformed by the working class. It’ll be good for both of us."

Yu Huixin didn’t respond. Some things just didn’t come easily to her.

She also knew she had been holding Yan Guang back, so she was doing her best to make amends. When she introduced Ye Shulan to Gu Heng, she hoped it would bring the two families closer together. Now, introducing someone to Gao Yue was part of the same plan. If Gao Yue could find a capable man, it would benefit Yan Guang and the family.

Gao Yue was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and occasionally glancing out the window. In the courtyard, her cousin and her husband had been standing there for a while now. She couldn’t tell what they were discussing, but their tense expressions made her nervous, as if they were arguing.

Yu Huixin glanced toward the kitchen, while Yan Guang looked into the living room. After a moment, they both turned away simultaneously.

Yan Guang said, "Whether Gao Yue likes them or not is up to her. We can discuss any concerns after the meeting."

He then composed himself, forcing a smile as he walked into the living room.

Yu Huixin followed her into the kitchen.

Gao Yue cautiously asked, "Cousin, did you and Uncle just have an argument?"

Yu Huixin shook her head, suppressing a wave of frustration that wasn’t aimed at Yan Guang or Gao Yue, but at the world around her. The pent-up frustration made her chest tighten, almost to the point of nausea.

She hesitated before saying, "Xiao Yue, during dinner, take a good look. If you see someone you like, talk to them and get to know them. If not, we’ll…"

She stopped herself from saying, "we’ll keep looking."

Gao Yue didn’t notice her hesitation and shyly nodded in agreement.

Before long, Gao Yue had set the table with a spread of dishes. Xiao Fang and the others rushed to help bring the dishes to the table, eager to make a good impression on her. During dinner, everyone sat at the table, sitting up straight, trying to showcase their best qualities to Gao Yue.

It’s worth noting that Yan Guang really went out of his way to find these six guys, and not one of them was unattractive. Though they weren’t exceptionally handsome, they all had a distinguished appearance and carried themselves well.

Realizing that Gao Yue had prepared the meal, the young men felt even more eager.

So what if she’s the daughter of a capitalist?

The daughter of a capitalist can still run a household efficiently and cook delicious meals.

As long as she can take care of her husband, raise the kids well, and be respectful to her in-laws, she’s a great match!

When it came to her own future, Gao Yue was very thorough, carefully evaluating each of the six men.

During the meal, each of them had their own little quirks, but that wasn’t a problem. After marriage, she could help them grow.

Just look at how well her cousin managed to reform her husband. He was originally from the countryside, but now he doesn’t have any of those old country habits anymore; instead, he comes across as quite refined.