He looked like he was really taking guidance from him.
Alas, Shi Guanzhong had been waiting for Han Zhuoling’s promises the entire time, and he had also drunk a little too much, so he said with displeasure, “Why are you keeping quiet all this while?!
“You’re not even married yet and you already think you can relax and don’t need to be considerate and caring towards Xiaoya anymore? Is that it?” Shi Guanzhong asked.
“…” Han Zhuoling said very patiently, “No. I am listening closely to your instructions, Dad. I’m remembering all your words. Rest assured, I definitely won’t be like that. I treat Xiaoya well before marriage, and I will definitely treat her even better after marriage.”
“What’s going on?” Shi Nancang’s face was flushed all red from being drunk. “Why don’t you treat Xiaoya before marriage as good as you would after marriage? Don’t tell me if she doesn’t marry you, you won’t hold her in high regard? You won’t treat her well enough?”
Han Zhuoling: “…”
With two seriously drunk people, one who was about to marry off his daughter and one who was about to marry off his younger sister, one really could not speak reasonably.
They were even scarier than girlfriends who were being unreasonable.
But thankfully, Shi Xiaoya had yet to be so unreasonable.
Shi Xiaoya placed her hand over her forehead, wanting to stop the two men who’d already decided to be unreasonable.
But Du Yiqin stopped her.
Du Yiqin said in a hushed voice, “Don’t stop the two of them at a time like this. They’re marrying you off to someone else; they don’t feel assured and their hearts are aching too. And it’s not just them. Even I who’s already so pleased with Zhuoling still can’t help but worry, thinking about how, in the future, you won’t just be our family’s little daughter but also someone else’s wife, as well as some other family’s daughter-in-law.”
“Being a daughter and being someone’s wife and someone’s daughter-in-law are different, after all. No matter how nice your in-laws are, you won’t be able to be as carefree and as relaxed as you would be in your own home. There will always be considerations and reservations about things that you can’t do here and there.
“As a daughter, you are the apple of your mother’s eye. But after you are married, it will be different.” Du Yiqin’s eyes teared up a little.
She heaved a heavy sigh and said, “After you are married, you will need to have children. As a mother, that will be even more difficult. In a person’s life, the happiest time is probably after one is born up until the time before one goes to school. After that, the older we grow up, the more difficult things become.
“And for a woman’s life, the most carefree period is before they get married.” Du Yiqin caressed Shi Xiaoya’s hair and said, “But you have to grow up, and you can’t be a little girl forever. There are many words and thoughts filled with heartache that I want to tell Zhuoling about too. But I won’t be able to say them, so I’ll let your dad and your older brother say them.”
“Mom…” Shi Xiaoya felt like she was about to cry.
Du Yiqin was sitting right beside her. Shi Xiaoya held her elbow, leaning her forehead on Du Yiqin’s shoulder.
When Du Yiqin said those things, Shi Xiaoya felt a little like she did not want to get married anymore.
She just wanted to keep staying by her parents’ side.
Gradually, she would be able to empathize with Du Yiqin’s feelings.
But she did not have children yet, so she might not be able to empathize completely.
Yet this already made her want to cry.
Han Zhuoling was on the opposite side. Although he was listening closely to Shi Guanzhong and Shi Nancang’s words, he was also paying special attention to Shi Xiaoya.
When he saw Shi Xiaoya’s reaction, he instantly felt alarmed.
Must not let Shi Xiaoya regret it!
He still hadn’t made her his wife yet!
Hadn’t Du Yiqin always been his teammate?
Why did she drag him down today!
Han Zhuoling instantly said very seriously and somberly to Du Yiqin, “Mom, rest assured. I will make sure that even after marriage, Xiaoya will be as relaxed and as carefree as she was before marriage.”
