Zhou Cheng hadn’t forgotten how Xia Xiaolan had confronted Gao Fei.

Though Zhou Yi could be confronted, Zhou Cheng didn’t want Xia Xiaolan to do it herself, so he jumped in to take over the conversation.

His words stunned even Guan Hui’e, who had been walking around pretending to be busy. Zhou Cheng mentioned that Xia Xiaolan was a high school student taking the college entrance exam this year. When the exam results came out, Zhou Cheng hadn’t told his family Xia Xiaolan’s scores, so Guan Hui’e naturally assumed they weren’t very good.

From Zhou Cheng’s words, had Xia Xiaolan been accepted to a Beijing university?

That couldn’t be right – it was only July 24th, and first-round acceptance letters hadn’t been mailed yet. How could they be so certain? Unless Xia Xiaolan’s scores were quite high, well above the admission requirements of her chosen school. Guan Hui’s interest was piqued.

Before Grandmother Zhou could speak, Zhou Yi’s mother smiled: “That’s quite an achievement. The smaller the place, the poorer the education quality. For Xiaolan to get into any Beijing school from such a small town is impressive, regardless of which university it is.”

Zhou Yi’s mother was the Zhou family’s eldest daughter-in-law. Although Zhou Yi’s father was the eldest Zhou’s son, his current position wasn’t as high as his younger brother’s, with Zhou Guobin having the strongest presence in the family. Even Guan Hui’e’s career outshone her sister-in-law’s, further highlighting the eldest branch’s relative lack of distinction.

The weak deserve pity – Zhou Cheng’s aunt rarely spoke, but when she did, it was straight to the point.

Look at what she said – far more subtle than Zhou Yi, finding no fault, seemingly praising Xia Xiaolan. Given the poor educational standards, even getting into a Beijing vocational college would be quite good!

How understanding she was. Xia Xiaolan gave her aunt an extra glance – the Zhou family wasn’t all harmonious.

Guan Hui’e felt disappointed. While expectations shouldn’t be too high, and her sister-in-law’s implications weren’t entirely wrong – there was indeed an educational gap between small towns and Beijing – getting into any undergraduate program would be decent enough… A vocational school wouldn’t quite measure up in the Zhou family. With her humble background, shouldn’t she have at least one redeeming quality? Good looks didn’t count – her son was handsome too!

Guan Hui’e hadn’t even noticed how her stance had shifted from outright opposition to considering compatibility.

Seeing Xia Xiaolan’s silence, Grandmother Zhou quickly consoled her: “What does it matter which school? The state will still assign jobs and worst case, I’ll put my reputation on the line to get you a good position.”

The school didn’t matter – what mattered was that this child was willing to come to Beijing for Zhou Cheng!

This suggested she planned to stay in Beijing, and since the young lady was willing to leave her hometown, the Zhou family certainly needed to take good care of her.

Grandmother Zhou was quite open-minded.

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t gotten a chance to set the record straight, nor had Zhou Cheng been able to speak, as Zhou Yi and her mother’s back-and-forth had established the narrative that Xia Xiaolan had gotten into a mediocre university.

Zhou Yi nudged her cousin sitting nearby, who felt very uncomfortable.

Why did she have to offend Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend? But she didn’t dare disobey Zhou Yi, so she reluctantly spoke up: “Sister Xiaolan, your dress and bag are pretty. Where did you buy them? Were they expensive? I like them too.”

Xia Xiaolan blinked. This must be Zhou Cheng’s second aunt’s daughter, Cheng Min.

Still, just a young girl, watching her being pushed into this awkward position almost made Xia Xiaolan laugh: “They weren’t expensive. I bought them in Yangcheng. I’m sorry, I didn’t know I’d be meeting you today, cousin, or I would have brought you a set.”

Even if she liked them, it’s not like Xia Xiaolan could take off the dress she was wearing.

The dress was Chen Xiliang’s own design, actually an early autumn piece that probably hadn’t gone into mass production yet. Xia Xiaolan doubted it was available in Beijing.

Cheng Min exchanged glances with Zhou Yi, indicating she’d done her best.

“No, no need… I was just asking…”

Her mother’s gaze was already strafing her like machine gun fire! Asking for clothes and bags from Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend at their first meeting – she wasn’t that kind of person! This was all Sister Zhou Yi’s fault!

Cheng Min was completely useless in this situation. Zhou Yi didn’t want to step up herself, and thinking of Tong Lili’s crying skills, she felt like crying herself.

Having already offended her cousin, she might as well go all the way – better if he found a different girlfriend. Zhou Yi threw caution to the wind: “Did Zhou Cheng buy these for you? He’s got good taste. Zhou Cheng, don’t forget about your family just because you have a girlfriend. Whatever you bought for Xiaolan, how about getting the same for your sisters?”

Zhou Yi’s tone suggested she was joking.

None of the Zhou family members were foolish – they all caught on. Wasn’t she supposed to be a country girl? Her attire suggested otherwise.

It was fine for a boyfriend to give some gifts, but if Zhou Cheng was funding everything from head to toe before they were even engaged, that would look quite unseemly. If she was from a commercial city, why come to Beijing from Yangcheng? The more they thought about it, the more holes they found in Xia Xiaolan’s story.

Zhou Cheng couldn’t stand it anymore. His mother hadn’t said anything, nor had his grandmother, yet Zhou Yi, his peer, was inexplicably criticizing Xiaolan at every turn – what was wrong with her? Zhou Cheng wouldn’t mind straightening her out personally!

“Zhou Yi, you-“

“Zhou Cheng, sit down!”

Grandfather Zhou finally spoke, sternly stopping Zhou Cheng: “Zhou Yi is your elder cousin. What kind of occasion is this? How can you shout at her? How will others respect her in the future? Sit down first.”

Zhou Yi didn’t understand why her grandfather suddenly seemed to favor her today, but her joy quickly turned to grievance.

Grandfather Zhou immediately turned his criticism around: “Zhou Yi, and you too – what day is this? Have you no sense of propriety? Do you want to embarrass Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend? Is this how the Zhou family raised you for over twenty years, into someone who can’t tell right from wrong? Zhou Cheng is your brother, not your son. What right do you have to interfere with his choice of partner!”

Even Guan Hui’e hadn’t spoken up – what right did Zhou Yi have to make things difficult?

If anyone had the right to interfere with Zhou Cheng’s choice of partner, it would be Guan Hui’e. She carried Zhou Cheng for ten months and gave him life – why shouldn’t she have a say in who he marries?

Zhou Yi’s eyes filled with tears at the reprimand. Zhou Cheng’s aunt choked up as she apologized: “Father, it’s my fault for not raising Zhou Yi properly. Please scold me instead!”

Grandfather Zhou wouldn’t scold his daughters-in-law. Sons, daughters, including grandchildren could be scolded – they all bore the Zhou name, enjoying its benefits, so they’d received his grace – what harm was there in scolding them? But daughters-in-law were outsiders who married into the Zhou family, bearing children and managing household affairs for them. What right did he have to freely scold someone else’s daughter?

Grandfather Zhou turned to apologize to Xia Xiaolan: “I apologize for this embarrassing display. I’m sorry for their thoughtlessness, but perhaps you should stop teasing them too. Since you’ve already come home with Zhou Cheng, would you mind introducing yourself properly to everyone?”

Grandfather Zhou didn’t believe she was a simple country girl. Looking at her composure and patience, Zhou Yi seemed like a clown in comparison. Grandfather Zhou felt unsettled – Zhou Yi was wrong to underestimate Xia Xiaolan based on prejudice. But Xia Xiaolan was too composed, showing no anxiety at all.

Could it be that she didn’t care about the Zhou family’s opinion of her?