Chapter 367: Introduction – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

Chapter 367: Introduction – The Fragile Little Sister-in-Law’s Daily Drama in the Compound

After Cen Xi and his mom joked around for a bit, he finished off the remaining noodles in the pot and went upstairs to rest.

Only after watching her son go upstairs did Mom suddenly remember—she still had some questions she hadn’t asked yet!

Honestly, she’d been so caught up in teasing him that she completely forgot to ask if anything else had happened on the trip.

Ever since she heard he had security detail, she knew he must be in constant danger. Trips like this were the riskiest. Earlier, she didn’t want to ask too many questions because she figured her daughter-in-law must have been exhausted from traveling.

She’d meant to ask her son about it later when she got the chance.

But with all the distraction he created earlier, she just forgot.

Back in his room, Cen Xi saw his wife already fast asleep in bed and felt completely content.

His hair wasn’t long, and after drying it off earlier, it was already almost dry by the time he came downstairs for noodles.

Not long after, he got into bed and pulled his wife close.

Truthfully, he’d been really scared today. After Lin Qing tackled him, he was terrified—not dodging fast enough, or worse, her getting hurt instead. Either outcome was something he realized he couldn’t bear.

Only now, holding her close, did he finally feel real again, flooded with relief.

Thinking about it, he soon fell asleep as well.

When Cen Xi and Lin Qing woke up again, it was already dark outside.

Dad had returned from the military camp too.

After changing clothes, the two went downstairs and saw him sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. As soon as they came down, he gave them a stern look.

Mom immediately slapped his arm. “What’s that face for? Why so serious? Smile!”

Then she turned to Lin Qing and beamed. “Oh! Qing Qing’s awake!”

“Mom!”

“Come here, let me introduce you. This is your dad!”

Lin Qing looked at Dad, who radiated strictness from head to toe, and felt a little nervous. “Dad…”

Seeing Lin Qing’s sweet, delicate manner—like a daughter being cute—Dad found it hard to stay stiff. All those years without a daughter left him with regrets, but in this moment, it felt somehow complete.

Mom nudged him again, and he quickly snapped out of it, trying to smile at Lin Qing to show he was friendly. Unfortunately, the expression looked more like a grimace.

“Qing Qing, don’t mind your dad. He always scowls like that. Let me tell you, if it weren’t for how handsome he used to be, I definitely wouldn’t have stuck around with someone so stern and rigid,” Mom said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Dad sighed helplessly. She had just spilled the beans about him in front of everyone.

“Dad!” Cen Xi, of course, understood his father well.

“Hmm. How long are you staying this time?”

“About a month.”

“Good. Keep your mom company while you’re back. She just retired this year and has been feeling kind of bored lately.”

"Okay!"

Father and son never had much small talk to begin with—they exchanged a couple of lines before falling into silence, unsure what else to say.

Father Cen turned to Lin Qing. "Qing Qing, you're at home now, no need to be so reserved."

"Okay!" Lin Qing nodded with a smile.

She could tell—Father Cen was habitually serious both inside and outside the house, but deep down, he was actually very easygoing with family.

Mother Cen pulled Lin Qing onto the sofa and the two squeezed together, making Cen Xi a bit jealous.

"Qing Qing, what do you want for dinner? I’ll make it for you!"

"Mom, anything you cook is fine. I'm not picky."

Cen Xi quickly cut in. "Mom, let me handle the cooking instead?"

"Oh! So now you're dissing my cooking?"

"No way! I just picked up a few new recipes while I was out and wanted to show off a little!" He didn’t want his mom in the kitchen and was already mentally taking over.

"Pfft!" Mom understood perfectly. She wanted to argue, but couldn’t—mainly because she knew her own limits. Her cooking wasn’t exactly her strong suit.

The hands that once wielded a scalpel with precision were hopeless in the kitchen—a fact she found endlessly frustrating.

"Mom, Dad, letting Brother Nan take care of things is a good thing. Let him do it!"

"Fine, fine—it’s all yours!"

"Great, let the kid show off today!"

"Brother Nan, let me help!" Lin Qing figured she shouldn’t just sit there and offered to pitch in.

But as soon as she stood up, Mother Cen pulled her back down. Cen Xi quickly added, "Nah, I got this."

Father Cen backed him up. "Seriously, it's just food. No need for you to step in."

Outnumbered, Lin Qing gave in. "Okay!"

"Come on, let’s have some tea."

"I’ll pour!" Lin Qing took the teapot from Mother Cen.

Watching her, both parents liked her even more.

Cen Xi’s cooking was as good as always. Lin Qing was used to it, but his parents were totally shocked. "Xiao Nan, when did your cooking get so good?"

Lin Qing ducked her head slightly, her ears turning pink.

"I’m just that good!"

"Ugh, do you have to be so cocky?"

"Aren’t I amazing?"

Lin Qing bit back a laugh.

"Oh, shut up!" Mother Cen laughed.

……

The first meal the family of four shared together ended with laughter and playful chatter.

After dinner, Mrs. Cen didn’t keep Lin Qing for long and instead told her to head upstairs and turn in early.

She had planned to take her gorgeous daughter-in-law out the next day to show her around and proudly display her beauty.

A good night’s rest would make sure she looked fresh tomorrow—enough to knock the neighbors' socks off.

Just thinking about it made Mrs. Cen grin from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat.

Lin Qing, of course, had no idea what Mrs. Cen was plotting.

The next day, as Lin Qing followed Mrs. Cen out, they ran into plenty of people along the way. Lin Qing suddenly realized that Mrs. Cen had actually held back the day before.

“Dr. Wu, who’s this beauty beside you?”

“Ah! You mean the one next to me? This is my daughter-in-law, my second son’s wife. Isn’t she a looker?” Mrs. Cen grinned from ear to ear, clearly delighted with her new daughter-in-law.

……

Lin Qing hardly said a word the whole time, just smiling and nodding occasionally. Meanwhile, Mrs. Cen chatted nonstop as she showed her off all over the place.

Lin Qing found this side of Mrs. Cen even cuter!

Soon, word about Lin Qing started spreading through the compound.

“Did you hear? Brigade Commander Cen’s second son brought home his wife.”

“Yeah! She’s drop-dead gorgeous—like something out of a magazine!”

“Is she really that much of a knockout?”

“Totally! The Cen family’s second son must’ve hit the jackpot to marry such a total babe!”