Chapter 250 - 192: Amusing and Lively

The temperature was a little cooler on this summer morning, which meant the fish would be biting. No one else was here yet, and the place was quiet—perfect for fishing.

Ni Bingyan took one look from afar, and her eager hands couldn’t be restrained.

"You bring all the stuff down, I’m going fishing! Keep an eye on Wangcai, and don’t let it go playing in the water! It’s still chilly in there!"

After dishing out her excited instructions, she asked with feigned casualness, "By the way, did you bring scissors or a kitchen knife? We’ll have to kill and clean the fish later."

Ni Bingyan blinked, and Sang Yuan didn’t even need to guess what was on her mind.

Before they made their relationship official, Ni Bingyan had always maintained a perfect balance in her interactions with him.

She never asked about his finances, never pried into his past relationships, and never initiated too much contact with his family or friends. In their daily lives, she always made sure to give him face...

This morning, she hadn’t waited for his call, instead driving her own car over. When he offered to drive, she refused.

Even though they were right at his front door.

He knew then that her attitude toward him had changed.

Sure enough, partway through the drive, she’d started tentatively probing into his relationship history, and now she was starting to test him.

If he were truly clueless, he might not have even noticed.

’In his past life, the first time he’d visited the Ni family home as a prospective son-in-law, his father-in-law had told him:’

’"My Bingbing is very lazy and clumsy. She can’t cook, and she’s no good at chores. I’ve been the one looking after her since she was little; she still doesn’t know how to take care of anyone! If she messes up, you come and tell me. I’ll be the one to set her straight!"’

’He’d been so moved at the time, thinking his father-in-law was being incredible to him!’

’He just kept saying, "It’s fine, it’s fine! Our family has housekeepers. It doesn’t matter if she can cook or do chores."’

’Even now, he could still remember his father-in-law’s indescribably complex expression.’

’Later, when his mother asked him how his father-in-law’s attitude had been—’

’after all, she was pregnant out of wedlock. Any father would be furious about his own daughter.’

’—he had repeated his father-in-law’s words. It was only after Shui Sulan broke it all down for him that he finally understood what the man had truly meant.’

’In the Bashu Region, when a potential son-in-law made his first visit, it was common for families who doted on their daughters to give him this sort of veiled warning.’

’What those words really meant was: Our daughter is cherished at home. We didn’t raise her to be someone’s servant. If I find out you’re making her cook and clean all day while you don’t lift a finger... heh!’

’And the most crucial point, one that every prospective son-in-law in the Bashu Region must take to heart, was this: My daughter is allowed to have flaws, but you are absolutely not allowed to discipline her! If she truly does something wrong, you send her back to me. I’m her father, and I’m not dead yet! I’ll be the one to teach her a lesson. It’s not your place!’

When two people are just casually dating, they only care about their own feelings. No one thinks about these things too much.

But when you’re dating with marriage in mind, there’s a lot more to consider.

For example: After getting married, should we live with our parents? Who does the housework? Who will raise the kids? How do we support both sets of parents? How will we manage the family income? And so on.

And if both are only children, there could be even more issues.

For instance, whose last name will the children take? Where will we spend the New Year holidays?

’His answer to his father-in-law in his past life had clearly missed the point.’

’No matter how rich he was or how many housekeepers he could hire, that only proved he had the means, not that he had a sense of responsibility.’

’No parent would accept a son-in-law who possessed wealth but lacked responsibility.’

’Because anyone with a bit of life experience knows that such men are rarely loyal to their families.’

’A discordant marriage, compounded by the troubles of mistresses and illegitimate children—no matter how comfortable one’s life is, there can be no happiness. It’s better to break up the couple from the start and find a more reliable son-in-law.’

’A clear-headed woman will hash these things out with her boyfriend before getting married. She won’t let herself get swept up in a love-addled haze and rush into marriage, only to regret it when her life becomes a total mess.’

Ni Bingyan’s recent changes showed that she was serious about this relationship, that she was truly considering marrying him.

Sang Yuan grinned, his white teeth flashing. He was ecstatic.

"I brought everything! I came completely prepared! Dirty, tiring jobs like this should be left to me. Don’t you worry! I’ve got it all covered!"

’Was she trying to see if he knew how to kill a fish?’

’No, no, no!’

’What she wanted to see was his willingness to take on household chores, and from that, deduce whether he had the sense of responsibility needed to contribute to a family.’