Chapter 29: The Awkward Lunch – The Sickly Sister-in-law’s Dramatic Courtyard Life

Chapter 29: The Awkward Lunch - The Sickly Sister-in-law's Dramatic Courtyard Life

Lin Qing's mother eyed the food on the table and silently cursed, "Zhang Mei is still as petty as ever!"

Lin Qing also couldn't help but bite her lip when she saw the dishes. Her eyes brimmed with frustration toward her mother. She had seen the vegetables in the kitchen that morning, and there should have been more than just one meat dish. Now, there was only one meat dish on the table. It was clear her mother had done this. But why? Didn't she know this was embarrassing Jiang Yang? If she pointed it out in front of everyone, it would only embarrass her further.

Jiang Yang surveyed the mostly vegetable dishes on the table, his face equally grim. What was going on with the Lin family?

There was only one meat dish. Was this some kind of insult?

Zhang Mei, of course, noticed his dissatisfaction but didn't care and continued to speak as she pleased. "Don’t take it personally, son-in-law. We’ve run out of meat tickets after hosting a wedding banquet for Lin Qing’s younger sister last week. It's been a bit of poor hospitality."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Qing's parents' faces darkened instantly. How dare you make our daughter take the blame for your own actions?

After hearing this explanation, Jiang Yang immediately harbored another suspicion. Was it because Lin Qing's parents were unhappy that he had refused to go on a blind date with Lin Qing's younger aunt that this situation was happening?

Just as he was thinking this, Lin Qing's mother spoke.

"Really? Just the other day, I exchanged four jin of meat tickets. Did your family secretly use them up without us knowing?" Lin Qing's mother finally spoke for the first time since Jiang Yang entered the house.

Lin Qing's mother's words were quite meaningful. She was pointing out that, as the head of the family, she had not shown favoritism. She had used a lot of meat tickets for her daughter's wedding banquet but had also saved some for her granddaughter. The last part of her sentence implied: since the meat tickets were saved for you, did your family secretly use them up without the heads of the family knowing?

In one stroke, she distanced herself and her husband from this matter, indicating that they had not done anything wrong or unfair. The dishes on the table today were not prepared by them, so it wasn't their fault, and it certainly wasn't her daughter's fault.

The matchmaker, known for her sharp wit, quickly understood Lin Qing's mother's implication.

Observing quietly, the matchmaker thought: There seems to be quite a bit of internal conflict in the Lin family! No wonder... No wonder...

Initially, it was Lin Qing's mother who had approached her to find a suitable match for her daughter. After searching through many candidates, she had finally settled on Jiang Yang. Since Lin Qing's health wasn't good and it was uncertain whether she could have children in the future, a divorced man with children seemed like a good match. She had thought that the two might be quite suitable, so she mentioned it to Lin Qing's mother, who also thought it was a good idea and wanted to arrange a blind date for them.

But who would have guessed that the person who showed up for the blind date was actually Lin Qing, the niece?

The matchmaker remembered that early morning on the day of the blind date, Lin Qing's mother had come to her first, wanting to change the blind date person. She had thought there was dissatisfaction with Jiang Yang, so they wanted to change the person. But in the end, it was the Lin family who changed the person.

She had subtly asked Lin Qing's mother what was going on. Lin Qing's mother, quite dissatisfied at the time, didn't hide much and directly said that Lin Qing was very satisfied with Jiang Yang and wanted to go on a blind date with him.

So, the niece saw Jiang Yang as a good catch and wanted to steal her younger aunt’s potential match?

At that moment, the matchmaker was stunned. What charm did Jiang Yang possess to make him so desirable?

But no matter how shocked she was, she still had to continue being the matchmaker. After all, she needed to make a living. So, she eventually took Lin Qing to the blind date.

At this point, Jiang Yang also realized that Lin Qing's mother's words were clearly meant for him. His expression changed several times, and he ended up finishing his meal hastily.

Not long after finishing, he excused himself and left. With the prospective mother-in-law showing such obvious displeasure, what was the point of him staying any longer?

Luckily, the wedding date and banquet details had already been set before the meal. Otherwise, with the awkward atmosphere during the meal, there might have been a scene where Jiang Yang threw down his bowl and left, which would have been quite ugly.

Zhang Mei’s face fell after being publicly rebuked by Lin Qing’s mother. Lin Qing's mother, however, didn't care about her expression. She couldn't let them tarnish her daughter's reputation.

"Oldest brother, you should start looking for a house to move out. Your daughter is getting married in two days, and it's about time for you to move out," Lin Qing's father said before following Lin Qing's mother back to their room.

Zhang Mei's earlier words weren't just throwing dirt on their daughter; they were also throwing dirt on the old couple. If he didn't say something, would they think he was an easy target to push around?

If you think we're not doing a good job as parents, then go ahead and move out. You can be the head of your own household.

Bringing up the past again, Lin's father reminded Lin Feng and Zhang Mei of this distressing issue, plunging their moods to rock bottom.

"Mom, why did Grandpa say we need to move out?" Lin Wu still had no idea what had happened. He came back before dinner and knew nothing about the morning's events.

Zhang Mei looked at her son, as if he were her last hope. "Xiao Wu, your grandfather and grandmother are really heartless. They're going to kick us four out. You’re their grandson. Please beg them to let us stay!"

Lin Wu, like Zhao Chunmei, had no clue what was going on, but something from the lunch seemed to foreshadow it all.

"Did you guys do something to upset Grandpa and Grandma?"

"Well... it’s just that..." Zhang Mei didn’t dare admit she had been gossiping about Lin’s mother.

From his mother’s expression, Lin Wu could tell they must have done something to really upset Grandpa and Grandma, and it must have been pretty serious for them to make the whole family leave.