Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Shen Qinglan wanted to hear praise, and Han Zhang naturally obliged.

After showering him with eloquent compliments, he left Shen Qinglan completely charmed.

Once they had eaten their fill of grilled meat and fish,

the two continued to stroll through the temple fair, with Han Zhang leading Shen Qinglan toward his family's ring-toss stall.

He had arranged for the Han clan members to set up a "ring-toss stall" at the temple fair today not just to earn extra money for the household, but also to give Shen Qinglan a chance to meet his "future in-laws."

Everyone knows, when it comes to marriage, one must look not only at the man's character but also at whether his family is approachable.

Shen Qinglan was indeed a wise lad who seemed simple on the surface. To make him completely devoted, to the point of insisting on marrying no one else, required making sure he had no reservations.

A loving and harmonious family was a huge bonus in marriage!

But Shen Qinglan, still unaware that he was being set up, stammered when he heard they were going to the Han family stall:

"What? Going to Brother Han's family stall? That means I'll meet your parents? But... I'm not ready yet..."

Shen Qinglan was shy and flustered.

Han Zhang's eyes smiled, but he pretended to be confused as he urged, "Brother, we're close friends. This is just a casual visit, not a formal call. No need to prepare. A real man doesn't sweat the small stuff. You don't need to be so formal with me, brother."

Shen Qinglan: "..."

Alright, he'd forgotten again that he was currently dressed in male attire.

He was going to meet Brother Han's parents, not his future in-laws.

"Well... alright then."

Shen Qinglan didn't refuse in the end and nodded with a blush.

It might be good to see the Han family—he could take the chance to observe whether his future in-laws, as well as his future brothers- and sisters-in-law, were easy to get along with.

After all, it was only after his mother married his father that she found out how troublesome his grandmother, aunts, and the rest of the Shen relatives were.

Within half a year, the constant turmoil at home had completely eroded his mother's feelings for his father!

Although he really liked Brother Han, if Brother Han's family turned out to be like his grandmother and aunts... he was still a bit scared and couldn't help but think of backing out.

The young lad's thoughts were simple, and his expression was far too easy to read.

How could Han Zhang not know what he was thinking?

That was precisely one of the reasons he wanted to bring Shen Qinglan to meet his family.

It couldn't be helped—Shen Qinglan's father, that role model, had set a bad example.

Soon enough,

the two arrived at the Han family's ring-toss stall.

"Big Brother, why are you here?"

The Han family members tending the stall lit up at the sight of Han Zhang.

His younger siblings joyfully crowded around, chattering, "Big Brother, Big Brother..."

They had come to help set up and join in the fun. During the New Year, the family couldn't keep the children cooped up at home; they had to let them share in the festivities.

Surrounded by his siblings, Han Zhang laughed and handed out the candied hawthorn skewers he had just bought, though his tone was mock-stern:

"Alright, alright, stand properly. No fooling around. I often tell Brother Wang how well-behaved you all are—don't embarrass me in front of him."

"These are candied hawthorn skewers that Brother Wang bought for you from Eight Treasures Studio. They're way better than the ones on the street—super tasty! One each, take them."

The candied hawthorns sold on the street were just hawthorns coated in sugar syrup.

But the ones from Eight Treasures Studio were not only sprinkled with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts but also filled with carefully chosen fruit, sweet and sour to perfection, costing over ten times as much. Ordinary folks could hardly afford them.

The Han siblings often went to the nearby landlord Wang's house to play with his simple-minded son and eldest daughter, so they were relatively "worldly-wise" children. As soon as they heard "Eight Treasures Studio," they could barely keep from drooling.

However, the Han family was strict, and the children were clever and sharp.

Though they were dying of desire, they still managed to restrain themselves and looked at Shen Qinglan in unison, their sweet talk flowing:

"Thanks, Brother Wang, for the candied hawthorn skewers! We love them!"

"Brother Wang, are you the Brother Wang that our big brother always talks about? You really are as handsome as he said—just like what the scholars call a 'refined gentleman'!"

"Brother Wang, this is our family's ring-toss stall. Want to give it a try? It's lots of fun..."

The children spoke one after another, their lips as sweet as honey.

Shen Qinglan was delighted and exclaimed, "Really? Your big brother talks about me at home?"

"Really! Big brother says that recently our family has been able to eat meat often, all because of you, Brother Wang, helping him make connections and earn money. Brother Wang, you're amazing..."

The Han siblings blinked and nodded with utmost sincerity!

Han Zhang watched from the side, feeling very satisfied.

The children's easy familiarity and sweet talk weren't something he had coached them to do.

To achieve the most authentic effect, he hadn't told anyone in his family about his plan to "live off his future spouse"; he only mentioned that he had made a sworn brother.

The Han family might seem simple and honest on the surface, but deep down, every one of them was a drama queen.

Even without knowing the truth, given their personalities, they would naturally put on a good show in front of Shen Qinglan.

"Alright, alright, go eat your candied hawthorn skewers. Brother Wang is with me today, so we don't need you little rascals making trouble here..."

Han Zhang waved them off with a laugh.

Then he led Shen Qinglan over to Grandfather Han and the others and made introductions:

"Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, Uncle and Aunt, this is Brother Wang, whom I've mentioned so often. His uncle at Lingyun Bookshop has been very kind to me. All the money I've brought home these days is thanks to Brother Wang's help."

After that, he turned to Shen Qinglan and said gently:

"Brother, this is my grandpa and grandma, these are my parents, and over here are my second uncle, third uncle, second

“Grandpa and Grandma, don’t be so polite. It’s Brother Han who’s been looking after me…”

Shen Qinglan blushed, waved his hands in embarrassment, and was so nervous he didn’t know what to say. After all, the people before him might one day become his in-laws and elders. As an unmarried young guy, the pressure was seriously overwhelming.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries,

Han Zhang, noticing his unease, stepped forward to ease the tension with a smile. “Grandpa, Grandma, you go ahead and tend to the stall. There’s no need to be so formal with family. I brought Brother Wang here today just to try our family’s ring toss. Do you still have some extra bamboo rings?”

“We do, we do! Plenty!”

Grandpa Han promptly replied, bending down to pull a large handful of bamboo rings from a wooden bucket and handing them over. “Right now, everyone’s crowded around watching the street parade and acrobatics, so the stall is nice and quiet. You two can enjoy yourselves to the fullest.”

“It’s just a simple country pastime, Young Master Wang. Don’t be shy—let Big Brother show you how it’s done…”

The Han family members, all sharp and perceptive, smiled and dispersed to their own tasks, leaving the two of them room to have fun.

Only then did Shen Qinglan heave a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted.

Seeing this, Han Zhang deliberately stepped closer and lowered his voice to tease him, “Brother, we call each other brothers. It’s not like you’re a nervous groom meeting his in-laws—why so nervous and shy? I’ll have to tease you about that.”

“Brother Han! Wh—what nonsense are you talking! I’m not acting like some young guy’s demeanor! Grandpa and Grandma are elders; I respect them—being nervous is only natural. If it were you meeting my parents and elders, Brother Han, I dare say you’d be even worse off than me…”

Shen Qinglan’s ears turned bright red as he retorted, half-embarrassed and half-annoyed. There was also a hint of shame at being caught red-handed. “And… what ‘nervous groom’? I-I am a real man! If you keep teasing me like this, Brother Han, I… I’ll get angry!”

With that, he turned as if to leave.

Han Zhang quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist, laughing and pleading for mercy:

“No, no, no—it was my slip of the tongue. Look at this mouth of mine—no filter! It deserves a slap! Brother, be generous, and I’ll win you a nice trinket as an apology. Forgive my blunder, alright?”

Shen Qinglan was only putting on an act; he couldn’t bear to be apart from Han Zhang anyway.

A little coaxing was all it took, and he immediately turned proud again.

“I can win them myself! This ring toss isn’t much different from pitch-pot. I’ve trained in pitch-pot—I’ve got great aim. I don’t need you to underestimate me…”

With that, he ran over to the ring-toss stall, rolled up his sleeves, and struck a pose as if ready to show off his skills.

To be fair—the young guy might not be good at poetry or prose, but when it came to having fun, eating, drinking, and cracking a whip, he was a true master.

Although the ring-toss game had its tricks, and the bamboo rings were specially made to lower the success rate,

Shen Qinglan tossed them one after another and still managed to win quite a few prizes.

—Clay figurines, painted pottery, cloth tigers—they piled up at his feet in a small heap.

He even snagged one of the “stall’s treasures”!

It was a pair of concentric jade pendants, worth about two taels of silver—not a big deal for Shen Qinglan.

But he was overjoyed, hopping up in excitement, then turning to Han Zhang to show off, his eyes and smile showing clear pride.

“Brother Han, look! I told you I was exceptionally skilled! I even got the treasure at the very back!”

Han Zhang played along perfectly, immediately clapping and praising loudly, “Brother, that’s so you!”

The nearby crowd of onlookers also cheered: “This guy is amazing!”

“Young man, your hand is so steady!”

It was the first time Shen Qinglan had been surrounded by so many people praising him, and he was bursting with pride.

But he humbly waved his hand and said, “Haha, it’s nothing, nothing…”

If only he hadn’t walked with such a swagger.

After collecting all the prizes,

Han Zhang looked at the concentric jade pendants he had won and joked casually:

“Concentric jade pendants always symbolize love and marriage. Brother, you won these—planning to give them to some girl or guy?”

His tone was light, his eyes clear—just a typical joke between brothers.

Yet it made Shen Qinglan’s smile freeze. Suddenly he realized that Brother Han really did see him as just a brother…

That wouldn’t do!

He was supposed to be Brother Han’s husband—he absolutely couldn’t let Brother Han see him as only a brother!

“I don’t have a girl or guy I like. Who says concentric jade pendants are only for sweethearts? Can’t they be given to a brother? Here, Brother Han—one for you and one for me. Let everyone see how close we are.”

Shen Qinglan gathered his courage and boldly pressed the pendant into Han Zhang’s hand, his beautiful eyes fixed on him expectantly, full of meaning, waiting for his reaction.