Chapter 693 - 240: The Greedy Gao Family (Part 2)

Qin Mei shrugged and spread her hands. "Well, there’s nothing I can do about that."

’Qin Mei was Jie Jingchen’s wife. Could she really get mad at her for speaking so frankly?’ Xu Jiali took Qin Mei’s hand and said earnestly, "Xiao Mei, don’t just say whatever comes to mind. You should say more auspicious things and fewer unlucky ones."

Qin Mei said nothing. ’Should she tell Xu Jiali she was just deluding herself?’

"Xiao Mei, did Jing Chen ask you to come out and accompany me?" Xu Jiali changed the subject.

Qin Mei shook her head. "No."

"No? And you still dared to come out and keep me company?" Xu Jiali exclaimed, staring at Qin Mei in horror.

"What’s there to be afraid of? You may be scared of him, but I’m not." Qin Mei truly wasn’t afraid of Jie Jingchen. Whenever he was being stubborn as an ox, she was always the one to compromise, but compromising didn’t mean she was afraid.

’If she were afraid of Jie Jingchen like Xu Jiali was, there would be no point in their marriage continuing.’

’For a wife to live in fear of her husband, swallowing her grievances and living out the rest of her life in subservience... it would be pure torment.’

The corner of Xu Jiali’s mouth twitched. "It’s not that I’m afraid of him. He’s from a younger generation, and I’m his elder. Elders should be magnanimous toward their juniors."

Qin Mei didn’t respond. ’She could tell herself that if it made her feel better, but I’m not buying it.’

In the distance, a furtive figure hid behind a large tree, glancing from time to time at the Qiao family’s main gate and then at the watch on his wrist.

Ten minutes later, the person quietly slipped away and walked to a corner where a black sedan was parked.

"Granny, Dad, Mom, the driver’s back," Gao Qiang said from the front passenger seat. In the back sat Grandma Gao, Mr. Gao, and Mrs. Gao.

Gao Qiang and Mr. Gao were in suits, Mrs. Gao was dressed elegantly, and Grandma Gao was dripping with jewels.

Grandma Gao put on an imperious air, leaning back with her eyes closed as she thumbed a string of Buddha Beads. Without opening her eyes, her brightly painted red lips parted. "So he’s back. What are you so worked up about? Qiang’er, what have I always taught you? You must remain calm and composed."

Gao Qiang fell silent. Granny was the matriarch. Ever since Grandpa died, she had become the highest-ranking elder in the Gao family. No one dared to contradict her.

The Qiao family had only just agreed to his marriage to Jiali, allowing him and his parents to come over and discuss the arrangements. The original plan had been for just him and his parents to make the visit. But somehow, word had reached Granny, and she had insisted on coming along to the Qiao residence. Her excuse was that as an elder, the Qiao family’s elders would have to show her some respect.

With her there, she claimed, the marriage to Jiali was practically a sure thing.

They had thought that having Granny along would be like adding wings to a tiger, making their success certain. They were ready to go early, but Granny moved at a snail’s pace, wasting time here and there. He was burning with impatience, yet she kept dragging her feet. After an eternity of dawdling, they finally left. But before they even reached the Qiao residence, Granny had the driver pull over and sent him to scout ahead. She even instructed him not to get too close to the main gate, but to discreetly observe the Qiao family’s attitude toward their visit.

’Is this really scouting? How can you observe the Qiao family’s attitude by hiding in the shadows?’

’The Qiao family already agreed; that’s their attitude right there! Wouldn’t it be better to just go propose directly and have the elders of both families sit down and discuss the wedding?’

A full hour had passed. The driver had gone back and forth several times, and Jiali was now waiting outside the main gate, yet Granny was still not satisfied. Gao Qiang grew frantic and shot a pleading look at his parents.

Mr. Gao glanced at his watch, then looked at his mother. "Mom," he urged, "it’s about time. We shouldn’t miss the auspicious hour."

"What auspicious hour? There’s no auspicious hour for this," Grandma Gao said without opening her eyes. "We’re here to propose, not to escort the bride home."

Mrs. Gao grew anxious as well and tugged on her husband’s sleeve.

Mr. Gao shot his wife a look, silently telling her to be patient, before turning back to Grandma Gao. "Mom, the Qiao family’s prestige speaks for itself. Never mind our family now; even in the past, for one of our sons to marry a Miss Qiao would be..."

"Would be what?" Grandma Gao cut him off, her tone dripping with disdain. "Xu Jiali’s surname is Xu, not Qiao. She’s not a true-born lady of the Qiao family. She’s just the daughter of Madam Qiao’s younger sister. Madam Qiao only took her in out of pity. A counterfeit miss living under someone else’s roof. Is she really worth you all groveling and fawning over?"

"Granny, her aunt and uncle treat her like their own daughter," Gao Qiang couldn’t resist speaking up for Jiali.

"Hmph!" Grandma Gao snorted. "If they truly treated her as their own, they would have had her change her surname to Qiao when they took her in. People would call her Miss Qiao, not Miss Jiali. The two of you shouldn’t get your hopes up over Xu Jiali. The higher you hope, the harder you’ll fall."