Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 61 (Part 3)
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Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Chapter 61.3 Lin Jingzhe felt as if he had fallen into a maze.
Lin Jingzhe was a little puzzled, but he still advised himself to overreact, just deal with it as usual.
Xiao Chi held his wrist and looked at him for a while. With a rare obvious smile, he comforted, "Don't be nervous."
"Why would I be nervous?" Lin Jingzhe found his nonchalant attitude annoying. After replying stiffly, he shook Xiao Chi’s hand off and said, "Be more careful, don’t let them see."
When he got out of the car, Lin Jingzhe immediately exuded a cautious and modest aura. He greeted Xiao's family who were walking towards the car with a smile, "Hello Uncle. Hello Auntie. Thank you for having me over."
His smile was impeccable, but Xiao Chi’s parents’ reaction was strange. The couple first glanced at each other, and then looked at Lin Jingzhe with particular and unpredictable eyes. It took several seconds for Mother Xiao to open her mouth, "Hello."
The corners of Father Xiao's mouth twitched, but he didn't speak. He just nodded slightly to Lin Jingzhe.
Lin Jingzhe sighed. They were really taciturn. He then turned his attention to Xiao Chi's younger sister, "Hello, Xiao Miao. Happy birthday. We met before, I am your brother's friend, my name is Lin Jingzhe."
Lin Jingzhe's impression of Xiao Miao was that she was cold and detached. However, for some reason today, after they looked at one another, her face turned a little red.
Lin Jingzhe: "...???"
Xiao Miao called out in a muted voice, "Brother."
Direct—Directly calling him brother?
So...so cute...
Lin Jingzhe hurriedly asked Xiao Chi to open the trunk to distribute the gifts.
The family of three silently stood in place as they watched Xiao Chi being ordered around. They looked at each other but in the end had nothing to say. They had prepared for Lin Jingzhe to show some uneasiness and shyness since they were meeting for the first time, but they never thought that he would be so relaxed. This stumped them and they were unsure how to react.
Lin Jingzhe held many bags of various sizes in his hands, with a very natural smile, he said, "Uncle, auntie, and younger sister, it’s all very nice to meet you all. Here’s some gifts I have bought for you, I hope you will like it."
He originally thought that the Xiao Family would act according to the normal logic and humbly decline before accepting the gifts, but unexpectedly Mother Xiao just sighed and reached out to receive it.
The most peculiar thing was when she spoke, Mother Xiao sounded almost a little helpless, "Don’t trouble yourself. Don’t bring any gifts next time."
Once she finished speaking, the solemn-looking auntie then passed all the bags in her hand to her husband. After freeing her hands, she reached into her pocket, took out a thick red envelope, and handed it to Lin Jingzhe.
Lin Jingzhe was at a loss as he blankly looked at the red envelope. He calculated the time and knew it was still a long way before Lunar New Year. Why was Mother Xiao giving him a red envelope?
Was this a tradition he was unfamiliar with? Because he didn't know whether he should receive it or not, Lin Jingzhe hesitated for a few seconds. Father Xiao, who was carrying all the bags, sternly snorted, "What are you standing there for?"
Lin Jingzhe took it subconsciously and said, ‘Thank you, Auntie.’
Mother Xiao glanced at him again with complicated eyes before she turned and walked towards the door, "It's cold outside, come in quickly."
Lin Jingzhe was confused by their unusual attitude. When they stepped inside the house, he asked Xiao Chi in a low voice,: "Do you rarely bring friends over?"
Xiao Chi put his arms around his shoulders and replied in a low voice, "Just Hu Shaofeng and some others? Why, what's the matter?"
Lin Jingzhe thought: no wonder, at first glance, I could already tell your family doesn't often receive guests. Worried about being seen, he hurriedly pulled Xiao Chi's arm off his shoulder.
Xiao Chi was a little dissatisfied, "What are you doing?"
Lin Jingzhe pinched him on the back, almost annoyed to death at his lack of a conscientious guy. Afraid that the elders walking in front would suddenly turn around, he could only scold Xiao Chi in a lowered voice, "Stay away from me!"
After accidentally seeing the two behind publicly displaying their actions, the corner of Mother Xiao's mouth twitched. When she saw that the corner of her husband's eyes also started to twitch, she hurriedly jabbed the man, warning him to not act out.
"..." Xiao Shenxing covered his waist and glared at his wife.
Yu Shuyuan looked at him with sharp eyes, "Hold it in!"
Even though Xiao Shenxing was unwilling in every possible way, his wife and mother had completely put him into place these few days, so he could only grit his teeth.
After entering the house, Lin Jingzhe finally met the legendary Grandma Xiao. A kind old lady, nowhere as frightening as Hu Shaofeng had described her to be. From the first time she saw Lin Jingzhe, Grandma Xiao had maintained her smile while still holding her cane. Lin Jingzhe was pulled to sit on the sofa as she kept touching his face with her weathered hands. Having never had much intimate contact with another elderly other than his deceased grandfather, Lin Jingzhe could only allow her to do as she pleased as he smiled shyly.
The old lady seemed very satisfied. Her gaze was pleasant and her temperament was gentle, but Lin Jingzhe couldn’t understand the words she spoke——
"Very good! The physiognomy is full, and the chin also has flesh... Which day were you born?"
Although Lin Jingzhe didn't know why she asked this question, he still told the truth. As soon as he answered, he was praised repeatedly by Grandma Xiao. "Excellent! The timing is great, it's full of vitality..."
While she was muttering, Grandma Xiao didn’t forget to discuss with Xiao Chi from time to time. Lin Jingzhe was unused to being scrutinized like this, so he hurriedly took out the gift he brought from his pocket.
The old lady smiled and took the jade ruyi scepter. She then took off the tourmaline mala beads around her neck and was about to put it over Lin Jingzhe's head.
How dare Lin Jingzhe receive it? This string of tourmaline Buddha beads was smooth and transparent, it was obviously a very valuable item. He immediately refused, "No I can’t take it, it’s too much..."
"Aiya..." The old lady put it around his neck with firm persistence, "I said take it, so you take it. How can I not give you a meeting gift when meeting you for the first time?"
As she spoke, she took out a red envelope from her pocket.
Lin Jingzhe now had received two thick red envelopes since walking into the house. Confused and unable to figure out the situation, he looked at Xiao Chi for help, but the latter only said, "Just keep it."
Not that. Was there such a custom?
Lin Jingzhe began to imagine the scene when Hu Shaofeng and the others came to Xiao Family's house to play. Did Xiao Chi's parents and grandmother also stuffed red envelopes as gifts? This was really too psychologically stressful, no wonder Hu Shaofeng regarded this place as a ‘dangerous place’.
After going to the dinner table, Lin Jingzhe became more and more baffled.
There was a whole table full of sumptuous dishes, but no one looked eager to move their chopsticks. It was Xiao Miao's birthday celebration, but the topic didn't revolve around the original protagonist. Mother Xiao took a bite of the food, thought for a moment, and asked, "What do your parents do?"
Lin Jingzhe had been the focus of attention from time to time since he was on the table. Although clueless to this perplexing situation, he answered truthfully: "My father teaches at Hanhai University, and my mother is in business. They divorced early on."
"Oh~" Mother Xiao seemed endlessly curious about his family composition, "Are you close with your parents?"
Lin Jingzhe shook his head, "I don't contact them often."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"I have a step-sister on my father's side."
If it weren't for his good psychological quality, he would definitely not be able to maintain his composed expression. Lin Jingzhe now completely understood Hu Shaofeng's fear of Xiao's family. Everyone at the dinner table was staring at him. Anyone who came to a friend's house for dinner would not dare to come to the door again after being treated like this. What's more, he still had two thick red envelopes in his pocket, and a long string of tourmaline mala around his neck. If Hu Shaofeng was subjected to this type of treatment from a young age, then Lin Jingzhe really wanted to commend him for his tenacious personality. It was amazing how he was able to maintain friendship with Xiao Chi for the past decades.
Inwardly sympathetic, Lin Jingzhe tried his best to break the strange atmosphere on the table. He raised his glass at Xiao Miao, "I wish you a happy birthday."
Xiao Miao said thank you in a quiet voice, and clinked glasses with him.
Then the silence returned.
Lin Jingzhe's charming and relaxed appearance could hardly be maintained. He turned his eyes to Xiao Chi, who was sitting next to him, for help. Xiao Chi didn't receive his signal, he just put a piece of meat into his bowl and told him, "Eat some more."
Mother Xiao was also about done with her questions. With nothing left to ask, she glanced at her husband, and coughed.
She was actually quite satisfied. Lin Jingzhe's conditions were much better than she had anticipated. Judging from his temperament, he didn’t seem to be one of those unscrupulous personalities. He was magnanimous and polite. If their son must be with a man, then this kind of man, she had no complaints with.
Mother Xiao sighed. She looked at the old lady who was eating a candied lotus root with relish, and then glanced at Xiao Chi who was busy serving the various foods to Lin Jingzhe. Her eyes inevitably fell on the string of fancy beads on his neck. This string of tourmaline buddhist mala beads had been handed down by the Xiao Family for several generations, the old lady must be satisfied if she was so willing to give it away.
Because of this, she didn't bother to resist stubbornly, and the hand under the table stabbed her husband's side waist.
Xiao Shenxing coughed, his face remained serious.
He was silent for the whole meal, but at his wife’s persistence, he opened his mouth, "Lin...Little Lin."
Lin Jingzhe was still chewing his food. But when he heard this address, he was stupefied and turned to look at Father Xiao.
Xiao Shenxing stared at him, his brows were tightly frowned, and his lips were almost pursed into a thin line. After a while, he finally opened his mouth under Lin Jingzhe's suspicious gaze.
He said, "You...you and Xiao Chi..."
Lin Jingzhe: "?"
Xiao Shenxing announced his decision, "Your marriage mustn’t be rushed."
Mother Xiao stared into Lin Jingzhe's astonished eyes with some embarrassment, "Father Xiao and my schedule is already booked for the year. So it has to be at least after October next year."
Grandma Xiao quickly chewed and swallowed the candied lotus root in her mouth. With her fingers, she began to calculate, "The seventh day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar next year is a good day. It should match with both your horoscopes, but I will have to ask Bodhisattva for the details."
"No rush." Xiao Chi said unhurriedly, "I'll go to the Buddhist Hall with you in a while."
After coming to an agreement with his grandmother, Xiao Chi bumped Lin Jingzhe with his shoulder and asked, "Are you coming?"
Lin Jingzhe felt as if he had fallen into a maze. With his brain completely numbed, he stared blankly at the table of earnest-looking faces——
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Candied Lotus Roots
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!