No wonder Gu Huaizhi said it was hard to run into other guests while dining here.
It was simply too large. Even if there were other guests, one would have to walk a very long time to get here.
It was unlikely someone would just wander around aimlessly and happen to stumble upon them.
Shen Mianyin's family had already arrived early, but unexpectedly, the Gu family had arrived even earlier.
It was Old Mrs. Gu who had said that for the first meeting with the woman's family, they should arrive earlier to show their respect.
Mother Shen's heart was pounding; she was exceptionally nervous.
But she never expected that as soon as she entered the room, Old Mrs. Gu would immediately come over and take her hand: "In-law!"
Mother Shen jumped, stunned. She never thought Old Mrs. Gu would be so enthusiastic right from the start, calling her "in-law" immediately.
But this still didn't ease Mother Shen's nervousness. She carefully greeted, "Mrs. Gu..."
Old Mrs. Gu was much older than Mother Shen.
But because of Gu Huaizhi and Shen Mianyin's relationship, Mother Shen could only address her as a peer.
"Ai! We'll be one family in the future, don't be so formal." Old Mrs. Gu pulled Mother Shen to sit down beside her. "It's our first time meeting, so it's normal to be a bit unfamiliar. But now that we're in-laws, we'll be seeing each other often. We'll get to know each other."
Mother Shen was nervous, but Old Mrs. Gu was a good talker.
Whatever Old Mrs. Gu asked, Mother Shen answered honestly.
Mother Shen wasn't the vain type anyway, and besides, who could act vain in front of the Gu family?
For awhile, the conversation didn't stall.
Although they had seen Gu Da's family in videos before, meeting them in person was naturally a different feeling.
This time, without Gu Luo'an's family present, it was indeed much more harmonious.
Shen Mianyin gave out the gifts she had prepared for the children.
Gu Da was the complete opposite of Gu Huaizhi; he was very talkative.
When he was with Gu Huaizhi, it was mostly Gu Da who spoke while Gu Huaizhi listened.
He listened to Gu Da chatter about trivial matters in daily life, about his three children's schooling, about his youngest son's mischief, and about how his second daughter had many suitors, which he found quite distressing.
Zhu Huaying, meanwhile, was chatting with Shen Mianyin. Neither of them was especially talkative, but their conversation flowed back and forth, and the atmosphere was amicable.
Mother Shen had thought the two families would discuss engagement or marriage today, but unexpectedly, the Gu family didn't bring it up.
Mother Shen couldn't help but wonder, was the Gu family not satisfied with them?
But looking at Old Mrs. Gu's attitude, she was very affectionate, calling her "in-law" repeatedly.
Mother Shen didn't dare voice her concerns to Shen Mianyin, afraid she would overthink it and affect her relationship with Gu Huaizhi.
Only after returning home, when Shen Mianyin wasn't around, did she speak to Shen Chenggang alone.
"Mom, don't overthink it," Shen Chenggang said. "Today was just for the two families to meet and get to know each other, to show their formal approval. It's not time to talk about marriage yet."
"At the very least, they have to wait until Mr. Gu proposes, and then they can discuss the engagement," Shen Chenggang said to reassure his mother.
"Is that how it works?" Mother Shen said. "I just don't have any experience in this area, and none of our neighbors are a good reference."
After all, the gap between their family and the Gu family was too vast. She really had no idea how a wealthy, powerful family handled these things.
Mother Shen was truly worried.
"In any case, as long as the Gu family's words and actions don't wrong Mianyin, we'll follow their lead," Shen Chenggang said. "Although our family's situation is vastly different from the Gu family's, we still have to prepare what we need to prepare."
"I've been saving up all the money I earned from food delivery and live-stream sales recently," Shen Chenggang said. "I have 500,000."
"That much?" Mother Shen was shocked.
"To us common folk, it's a lot," Shen Chenggang said. "But to the Gu family, it's like pocket change."
"But no matter what, we have to put forth as much as we can," Shen Chenggang said. "The Gu family knows our situation. Under these circumstances, if our family takes out everything we possibly can, it's enough to show how much we value Mianyin. It will keep people from looking down on her."
This was about not being looked down upon in terms of familial love.
As for money, Shen Chenggang knew that even if their family had never been in debt, even if he had become an internet celebrity much earlier, the money he saved would still not be enough to impress.
"Anyway, it's not time for the engagement yet. I can save more," Shen Chenggang said. "Being an internet celebrity really is profitable. The more fans I have now, the more I earn. I'll try to save up one million, or even more, by the time Mianyin gets engaged, and give it all to her."
"Even if this money is nothing in the Gu family's eyes, at least we're showing our attitude, that we fully support Mianyin. If Gu Huaizhi does something to wrong Mianyin in the future, or if the two of them can't go on due to incompatibility and want a divorce, our family will resolutely be Mianyin's backup."
"Pah, pah, pah!" Mother Shen quickly spat three times. "They're not even married yet, don't say such inauspicious things."
"I was just saying." Shen Chenggang smiled. "After experiencing so much, I'm now used to preparing for the worst-case scenario in everything. That way, when something does happen, I won't be caught off guard."
"But I still have a lot of confidence in Gu Huaizhi," Shen Chenggang said.
Mother Shen suddenly remembered something and said, "Do you think we should move somewhere else?"
"I can see the Gu family is very serious; they're aiming for the two kids to get married. But during the wedding, when the groom comes to pick up the bride, and he sees our place like this... it's really a bit embarrassing for Mianyin."
Originally, Mother Shen had been reluctant to move. She felt that if they had a place to live and could save on rent, why spend the extra money?
But now, having been reminded by Shen Chenggang, she realized she should also think more about Shen Mianyin.
Shen Chenggang hadn't expected Mother Shen to finally agree. She had always dragged her feet before, and he knew she was unwilling.
"Exactly." Shen Chenggang nodded. "After the Spring Festival holiday ends, I'll go find an agent and look at houses. Let's rent a place with a better environment."
"Okay." Mother Shen nodded. "Since the family's debt is paid off, I've been saving all my pension. I don't know if it's enough. Anyway, the rent can come out of my pension first."
"You're earning a lot now, but it's all hard-earned money. And you still have to save for Mianyin. Save as much as you can, try not to spend it."
"Alright." Shen Chenggang nodded, agreeing on the surface, but he knew his mother's pension definitely wouldn't be enough. It would still have to come from him.
Mother Shen sat down and sighed again. "I wonder how Qing..."
Mother Shen carefully watched Shen Chenggang's expression and changed her words: "...how Su Yiqing is doing now."
As expected, Shen Chenggang's face darkened. He really couldn't understand why his mother just couldn't let go of that white-eyed wolf (ingrate).
"How could she be? She successfully got a kidney transplant, her health is fine, and her family is rich. Her biological father is a big boss; would they be short on money? She had such a hard time getting back to them, her parents must be doting on her like crazy."
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