Chapter 79: Lin Zhengran’s Childhood Engagement |
The five pairs of eyes staring at Lin Zhengran made him feel utterly exhausted.
Even eating lunch could turn into a hassle. "Why are you all staring at me? Take back the food you picked for me and eat your own."
The three girls blinked but remained unmoved.
Only when Lin Zhengran looked at Little He Qing did she get scared and hurriedly take back the big shrimp to eat it herself. She didn’t dare disobey his words.
"I took it back, I took it back," she said timidly.
Then he turned to Jiang Xueli. Though she usually bickered with him, it was all just talk—she never actually dared to make him angry.
"Got it."
Finally, there was Han Wenwen. Lin Zhengran locked eyes with her. "You too."
Han Wenwen silently took back the rib she had given him and nibbled on it in small bites, blinking innocently as if nothing had happened.
Feeling helpless, he sighed. "Dad, Mom, can’t you two just eat properly? Why are you joining in the nonsense?"
Lin Yingjun laughed heartily. "By the way, there’s still soup over there with the girls. Ranran, have some soup too."
Just as Lin Zhengran was about to reach for the ladle, he saw that Little He Qing and Jiang Xueli had already extended their hands.
In perfect unison, they said, "I’ll get it for you."
Their hands landed on the ladle at the same time, and they looked at each other awkwardly.
Lin Yingjun: "....."
Lin Xiaoli: "....."
The married couple had the same thought: This lunch doesn’t taste quite right.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran remained unfazed, calmly eating his food. "I told you to eat your own meals. I’ll get it myself."
Only then did the two girls start hesitantly letting go of the ladle.
Lin Yingjun muttered to his wife, "You know, Ranran really has the air of the head of the family. Good thing he’s got a strong personality; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to keep these girls in check."
Lin Zhengran, with his sharp hearing, caught his father’s whisper.
"Dad?"
Lin Yingjun quickly laughed. "Eat, eat! Everyone, dig in. No need to hold back."
This lunch felt oddly strange to the couple. Normally, when Wenwen, Qingqing, or Lili visited separately, things were peaceful and harmonious.
But the moment they sat together at the same table, suddenly no one could say a word.
It was only when Lin Yingjun or Lin Xiaoli occasionally made a comment that the girls would respond.
After lunch, the three girls enthusiastically helped clean up, washing the dishes and pots for the elders.
It was at this moment that Lin Zhengran heard his father’s phone ring. He reminded him, "Dad, your phone is ringing."
Lin Yingjun glanced at the screen and was surprised to see it was his father calling. He quickly answered. "Hello, Dad? What’s up?"
Lin Zhengran’s grandfather spoke over the phone. "Son, I’m at your neighborhood gate. Can you come pick me up?"
"Huh? Dad, you’re here at our place?"
"Yeah, I wanted to see Ranran. It’s been a while. And I also have something to discuss with him. He should be home, right? School’s on break now, isn’t it?"
"That’s right, middle school is on break. I’ll come down with Ranran to pick you up."
Lin Zhengran, who was wiping the table, overheard and looked up. "Grandpa is here?"
Lin Yingjun washed his hands and went to change his shoes. "Yep, he’s at the gate. Come with me to pick him up."
"Alright."
Lin Zhengran also headed to the door to put on his shoes. The three girls turned their heads at the mention of his grandfather but quickly went back to helping Lin Xiaoli.
Lin Xiaoli asked her husband, "Why is Dad here so suddenly? What’s he here for?"
Lin Yingjun opened the door. "I have no idea. Maybe he just missed Ranran? I’ll bring him up first and see."
Lin Zhengran accompanied his father downstairs, meeting his fit and sturdy grandfather at the entrance.
Along the way, Grandpa beamed at him. "Ranran, you’ve grown so tall! It’s only been half a year, and you already look different."
Lin Zhengran chuckled. He had indeed grown a bit taller in ninth grade. "Not by much. By the way, Grandpa, Dad said you have something to talk to me about?"
His grandfather nodded. "Yes, there’s something. I’ll tell you upstairs. It’s not a huge deal, but not a small one either. To be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. But then I heard about your almost-perfect score on the high school entrance exams."
At this, he looked at his grandson with pride. "Didn’t you get the top score in town? I was chatting with some old friends, and it reminded me of something from years ago."
"What exactly?" Lin Yingjun asked, confused.
As they talked, the three of them reached the apartment.
Lin Yingjun opened the door.
Inside, the three girls and Lin Xiaoli quickly came over to greet Grandpa.
Grandpa held onto the stair railing as he stepped inside and answered, "Remember how I used to tell you about an old friend from my military days? We were very close, but back then, his daughter was much younger than you, so we could only set up a childhood engagement for Ranran.
We were reminiscing about it at the reunion, and he mentioned that his granddaughter happens to go to the same high school as Ranran—"
His footsteps halted at the doorway.
He looked at the three beautiful young girls in the house besides his daughter-in-law.
Then, at last, he finished his sentence.
"—so I thought they could meet and see if they hit it off, maybe even try dating—"
At that moment, Lin Yingjun, Lin Xiaoli, Han Wenwen, He Qing, Jiang Xueli, and even Lin Zhengran himself all widened their eyes in shock.
For the first time, they all blurted out the same word:
"CHILDHOOD ENGAGEMENT?!"
After the initial shock, the three girls quickly snapped back to reality and greeted Grandpa.
"Hello, Grandpa..."
Before long, Grandpa was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea that Lin Xiaoli had brought him.
Han Wenwen, Jiang Xueli, and He Qing, however, stood off to the side, all throwing jealous glances at Lin Zhengran. Clearly, this was news to them.
Lin Zhengran looked back at them. "What’s with those looks? I’m just as surprised as you are!"
Grandpa blinked, not expecting things to get this awkward. "Uh, these three girls are...?"
Lin Yingjun introduced them. "Dad, these three are Ranran’s... good friends."
Grandpa observed their jealous expressions and whispered to his son, "Are you sure they’re just good friends?"
Lin Yingjun swallowed nervously and whispered back, "Dad, do you really have to ask? Do they look like just good friends to you? Also, why don’t I remember anything about this engagement?"
Grandpa glanced at the three girls again and frowned. "What do you ever remember? But now... should I still say it?"
Han Wenwen was the first to speak. "Grandpa, you just mentioned Lin Zhengran has a childhood engagement. What’s that about? We’re really curious."
Jiang Xueli and He Qing both nodded, looking completely focused. "Yeah, we’re all very curious."
Grandpa wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had once worried his grandson wouldn’t find a girlfriend, but now it seemed that was a completely unnecessary concern.
"Well... actually, girls, about Ranran’s fiancée—"
The three girls interrupted in unison. "How did she go from a childhood engagement to a fiancée?!"
Grandpa quickly corrected himself. "Oh, no, no, childhood engagement! I meant childhood engagement! Back then, my friend and I both agreed to it, but whether it actually happens depends on Ranran. I just came to mention it."
The room fell into silence.
Grandpa, feeling like even at his age, this was one of the most amusing situations he’d ever been in, suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right!" He pulled out a photo from his pocket. "My friend gave me a picture of his granddaughter from middle school. Ranran, do you want to see?"
Lin Xiaoli took the photo first, and immediately, the three girls crowded around.
Seeing it, they were all stunned.
"She’s gorgeous..."
The girl in the picture wore a pure white dress, holding a wide-brimmed sun hat. Though it was only a side profile, her beauty was undeniable. Her cold, distant eyes gazed into the distance, and her long, jet-black hair was frozen in time by the wind.
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