Chapter 11: Missed Opportunities – The Daily Life of the Sickly Sister-in-law in the Courtyard: A Tale of Missed Opportunities

Chapter 11: Missed Opportunities - The Daily Life of the Sickly Sister-in-law in the Courtyard: A Tale of Missed Opportunities

After having them escorted out, Lin's mother returned to her seat.

Everyone else thought Lin's mother was amazing and formidable, but only Zhang Mei felt that her mother-in-law was as fierce as ever.

Lin's mother: "Both of you remember this, when dealing with shameless people like this, you need to be firm. Just like how I had them escorted out.

She had the audacity to say, 'My child wants meat, serve it up.' I've never seen someone ask for something so boldly.

If she comes again, just kick her out. You need to be thick-skinned. If you're too thin-skinned, you'll easily be taken advantage of."

Lin Qing, with stars in her eyes, looked at her mother: "Mom is awesome!!!"

"Yes, yes," Cen Xi and Lin Qing nodded.

"Especially you, Nuan'nuan. Xiao Cen has to go to work, so it's fine for him, but you are different. You spend whole days in this courtyard. When you encounter such shameless situations, you can..." Lin's mother thought for a moment, then continued, "You can use your health issues as an excuse.

It's actually the first time I've felt that having health issues can be useful. Next time someone does this, you can say, 'Ah, I've been so upset that I feel dizzy,' and act like you're about to faint. That will definitely scare them off."

Lin's mother was truly thoughtful, giving a live demonstration.

Lin Qing indicated that she had learned a lot.

Indeed, the old saying holds true: the older the ginger, the spicier it gets!

After finishing the meal, Lin's mother didn’t want her daughter to work hard, so she volunteered to do the dishes.

"Alright, it's getting late. We should head back. If it gets any later, we'll miss the last bus," Lin's mother said after checking around and finding that everything was settled.

"Yes, we should go back," Lin's father agreed.

"Let us see you off!"

"No need, it's just a short distance. Why bother seeing us off? We need to leave someone at home!" Lin's mother hinted.

With so many people causing trouble, how could they not have someone at home?

"Yes, yes, what your mother said is right. No need to see us off. We can all leave together," Aunt Li also said.

Cen Xi and Lin Qing still walked out together to see them off, but they didn’t leave the courtyard.

After watching them leave, Cen Xi and Lin Qing returned home.

Once back, they suddenly felt the house was a bit empty. Lin Qing then realized that only the two of them were left at home, and she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Especially when Cen Xi's gaze on her became increasingly intense, Lin Qing really wanted to find a hidden spot to hide.

Fortunately, the growing noise from the courtyard saved her. It turned out that the people from the machinery factory were returning from work.

"Cen Xi, they're back from work. Should we hand out the leftover wedding sweets to the other two families?"

"No rush. Let’s wait a bit!" Cen Xi said as he walked over to Lin Qing’s side.

Seeing his intense gaze, Lin Qing wanted to retreat, but Cen Xi didn’t give her the chance. He pulled her into his arms.

"Finally, I’ve hugged you, Qingqing. I've been wanting to hold you since I saw you this morning."

Lin Qing dared not move as she was held in his arms.

"You look even more beautiful today."

Lin Qing blushed deeply after receiving the compliment.

Luckily, Cen Xi released her after a brief embrace, worried she might faint from sheer shyness.

"Come on, let's hand out the rest of the wedding candies to the other two families." Cen Xi said and was about to go out with the candies.

Lin Qing grabbed him. "Wait a moment."

"Why?" he asked, but seeing Lin Qing’s flushed face, he instantly stopped talking, not wanting anyone else to see her like this.

"Okay, let's wait a bit longer." Cen Xi stayed with Lin Qing until her face returned to normal.

It was quite a coincidence that Jiang Yang returned from work just after Lin Shu and the others had left, narrowly missing them.

"Mom, has the new family moved into the main house?"

"Yes, they have, they have."

"How are they? Easy to get along with?"

"Hmph, easy to get along with? They bought a lot of good food this afternoon but wouldn't even share some meat with our Da Hu and Er Hu. Easy to get along with? They are just miserly!" Mother Jiang grumbled angrily.

Jiang Yang immediately understood. His younger brothers must have been asking for meat, and when they didn’t get any, his mother got upset.

"Mom, I heard that Cen Xi is the new engineer at our machinery factory. It would be good for my work to get along with him. Even if you don't like them, we should still maintain a good relationship!"

"Alright, alright, I understand. I know what's important." Mother Jiang understood the priorities. Her son's future was more important, and she was willing to endure some discomfort for that.

"At most, I'll stop complaining about them."

"Good, I'm glad you understand."

"Has the factory been busy recently?"

"I heard a big order is coming to our factory next week, so it might get busier then."

"Should we speed up your marriage plans?"

"Wasn't it you who suggested delaying it for a few days?"

"But we can't wait too long. What if they change their minds?" Mother Jiang's thoughts kept changing.

"Then what should we do?"

Mother Jiang paused, then said firmly, "Let's wait two more days. If nothing happens after two days, we’ll find a matchmaker."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Mom."

Jiang Yang’s compliance made Mother Jiang very happy. Her son was so filial!

"Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner! If I don't call you, you all act like you don't know it's time to eat!"

At Mother Jiang's call, everyone hurried to wash their hands, grab bowls and chopsticks, and bring the dishes to the table. Finally, the whole family gathered around the table.

"Let's eat!"

Once Lin Qing's face finally stopped being red, Cen Xi decided to take her out to distribute the wedding candies.

Lin Qing asked, "Which house should we go to first?"

Cen Xi thought for a moment and said, "The next door neighbor."

But as soon as they stepped out the door, they saw a woman around 30 years old, with an attractive appearance and a curvaceous figure, entering the house next door.

Cen Xi and Lin Qing exchanged a look of confusion.

Lin Qing blinked at Cen Xi. "I remember there’s only a father and son living next door, right?"

To their surprise, Cen Xi understood what she meant. "Should we wait for a bit?"

Lin Qing thought it was fine, so the two of them retreated back inside but stood by the window, keeping an eye on the outside. They would go out again only after the woman who had just entered left.

"Why do you think that woman went to see them?" Lin Qing suddenly became very curious.

It was mainly because this woman entered the room of two grown men without any hesitation, which was a bit strange, hence the curiosity.

"I don't know, but we should find out soon."

"Lotus, what brings you here?" Zhou Qin was lounging on his chair when his beloved Qin Xiulian walked in.

"Oh, it's because my two kids were nagging about wanting to eat meat, but as you know, our family's condition doesn't allow us to afford meat. So... it's all my fault for not being capable enough to get promoted and earn a higher salary..." By the end of her speech, Qin Xiulian choked up.

"Sister Lotus, please don't say that. Wait, you want meat, right? I have some. Here, this is the few ounces of meat I just bought."

Qin Xiulian, who was pretending to wipe her nonexistent tears, rolled her eyes slightly. Just a few ounces of meat—does this really warrant bragging?

Well, a few ounces was still better than nothing.

"How can I take your meat for free? I don’t have any extra money on me right now. Should I return it to you after I get paid?"

"No need, no need. It's not much. How about this, you take the meat home, cook it, and then bring us a plate of it?"

"Alright, we'll do that. Don't worry, I definitely won't let you down." Qin Xiulian patted Zhou Qin's arm as she spoke.

Zhou Qin felt her hand was soft. If only I could marry Sister Lotus and bring her home.

He drifted into his daydream.

In the end, Qin Xiulian left happily with the few ounces of meat in hand.

"Do you think she went to buy meat?" Lin Qing watched the woman leave with the meat and guessed.

"Maybe!"

"Forget it, forget it, let's not think about it anymore. Let's quickly go and give out the wedding candies."

Cen Xi and Lin Qing came out again and headed to the house next door.

As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw Zhou Qin standing not far from the door, grinning to himself foolishly, his thick lips making the expression a bit hard on the eyes.

Cen Xi stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Hello!"

Zhou Qin was so startled by Cen Xi's voice that he fell to the ground, clutching his sore butt. "Ouch! Why so loud? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Cen Xi and Lin Qing exchanged a look of confusion. "You sure being quieter wouldn’t have freaked you out too?"

I mean, it was just a regular knock and hello, who knew you'd flip out like that?

Zhou Qin stood up from the floor and looked at Cen Xi and Lin Qing. The sight of them left him speechless.

"Holy cow, he saw an angel! How can anyone be prettier than Sister Lian?"

Cen Xi noticed his stare and quickly moved in front of Lin Qing, shielding her.

Zhou Qin finally snapped out of his daze and looked at Cen Xi. "What’s up?"

"We just moved in next door and this is some wedding candy for you."

Zhou Qin took the candy and casually thanked them, then waited for Cen Xi to continue speaking.

But Cen Xi just said goodbye. "We’ve got more neighbors to visit, so we’ll catch you later."

"Okay!"

After leaving Zhou's house, Cen Xi and Lin Qing headed towards the Yu family in the backyard.

As soon as they approached the Yu family’s door, Zhang Yuanyuan spotted them. "What is this about?"

"Oh, we're new here and this is some wedding candy for your family," Lin Qing said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you!" Zhang Yuanyuan exclaimed, then paused, unsure what to say next. The woman in front of her was incredibly beautiful, more so than any woman she had ever seen!

Seeing that Zhang Yuanyuan was busy cooking, Lin Qing didn’t want to intrude and said, "You’re busy with dinner. Let’s chat another time!"

"Yes, yes!" Zhang Yuanyuan readily agreed, thinking she would definitely enjoy chatting with such a beautiful person.