Chapter 244
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Chapter 244 The Day of Great Joy
The courtyard was filled with artificial mountains and ponds, with ornate beams and painted rafters. Every corner was exquisite and grand, suggesting that the fallen prince who first lived here had quite refined tastes.
Su Rui was mentally prepared for this, so he wasn’t surprised by the grandeur of the courtyard, but rather…
At this moment, the courtyard was decorated with colorful lanterns and ornaments, just like during the New Year celebration, with red “happiness” characters pasted everywhere!
Was someone getting married today?
Of course, none of this was particularly shocking, nor was it the reason for Su Rui’s exclamation of “Oh my!”
Because along the festively decorated corridor, there were a full twenty or thirty tables set up!
And these tables were already filled with people!
Twenty or thirty tables, ten people at each table, that’s two to three hundred people!
What an enormous gathering! No wonder Su Rui exclaimed “Oh my!”
Of course, from the moment he and Zhou Anke appeared at the main gate, the gazes of these hundreds of people shot toward them!
The two children, Xiao Qing and Xiao Yu, fluttered like butterflies among the tables, running and shouting: “Auntie and Uncle Su are back! Auntie and Uncle Su are back!”
The smile on Su Rui’s face instantly froze.
Even Zhou Anke felt uncomfortable.
Born in Lotus Pond Town, she knew that for major events, her family would entertain acquaintances from town, but what was happening today? With all these decorations and paper-cut happiness symbols, why such a grand occasion? She hadn’t heard about anyone in the family getting married!
The two of them stood stunned at the entrance.
At the same time, a middle-aged woman wearing a vintage palace dress and a man in a black robe walked over. Even from a distance, the woman’s smile was already blooming.
“Dad, Mom.” Zhou Anke, like a little girl, hurried to meet them. Su Rui naturally quickened his pace to follow.
Zhou Anke’s father, named Zhou Zhongtian, had features somewhat similar to Zhou Anke’s. Although middle-aged, he still had a strikingly handsome quality. The scholarly aura that unconsciously emanated from him would be an absolutely terrifying weapon against young girls.
Presumably, Zhou’s father had a personality similar to his daughter’s. Seeing Su Rui, he smiled slightly: “Anke, won’t you introduce us to your parents?”
Every father must have complex feelings when first meeting his daughter’s boyfriend.
Just as Zhou Anke was about to make introductions, her mother Ming Jie directly took Su Rui’s hand and said enthusiastically: “What’s there to introduce? Just call him son-in-law! Look at this son-in-law, so talented and handsome, Anke is almost not good enough for you!”
This was truly a case of a mother-in-law adoring her son-in-law, finding him perfect in every way!
Zhou Anke was speechless beside them: “Mom, I’ve told you, we’re just ordinary…”
Ming Jie interrupted directly: “Oh, my daughter is just too shy. She’s never dated before, and now that she’s in a relationship, she’s too embarrassed to admit it. Enough, don’t say anything. Today, your mother has arranged everything perfectly for you!”
Saying this, Ming Jie pulled Su Rui along and said: “Come, son-in-law, knowing you were coming, every household in our town has sent someone. I’ll introduce you properly later.”
It seemed this mother wasn’t giving Zhou Anke any chance to explain!
Su Rui could only nod awkwardly, smiling embarrassedly: “Auntie, you’re being too kind.”
“Oh, what’s this talk about being kind? We’re all family now. You’re our Zhou family’s son-in-law, which means you’re the son-in-law of the entire Lotus Pond Town.” Ming Jie’s enthusiasm was somewhat overwhelming.
As she finished speaking, all three hundred people stood up and applauded Su Rui.
At this, Su Rui almost took a step back. So many people standing up at once, a vast sea of dark figures, created an extremely powerful atmosphere of pressure.
Su Rui could only smile and wave.
Zhou Zhongtian watched from the side with a smile, nodding inwardly. It seemed this son-in-law’s psychological quality was quite good, showing proper decorum. Facing so many people, he showed no signs of nervousness.
“Son-in-law, let me first introduce you to our Zhou family relatives, and then we’ll start the banquet!”
Ming Jie pulled Su Rui to the main table and introduced him to everyone from grandparents to uncles and aunts. Su Rui was quite smooth with his words, addressing everyone as Zhou Anke did, while adding a few words of blessing, which was very pleasing.
The elders were equally generous, repeatedly saying things like wishing the son-in-law an early birth of a son. Poor Su Rui couldn’t deny it, as doing so would mean publicly disrespecting Ming Jie.
They had made such grand preparations, inviting three hundred people to their home, decorating everywhere festively, creating an atmosphere of great celebration. If Su Rui denied his relationship with Zhou Anke at this point, it would be like slapping them in the face.
The Zhou family would completely lose face, Su Rui would never be able to visit again, and Zhou Anke might become the laughingstock of the entire Lotus Pond Town.
Zhou Anke clearly realized this too and didn’t insist on denying it, though her pretty face remained flushed as she advised her mother: “Mom, that’s enough, don’t scare Su Rui.”
Ming Jie gave her a side-eye: “Girls really do grow up and leave. This is nothing that would scare him. I can see the son-in-law isn’t that timid. What, are you worried about him?”
“Mom, what are you saying?” Zhou Anke’s face reddened even more, so she stopped talking. Explaining would only make things worse.
Her mother had always been open and bold; who knew what else she might do later!
By the time Su Rui had greeted everyone and sat down at the main table, Zhou Anke’s face was completely red. She had also “endured” many greetings and blessings without being able to deny them.
The typically introverted and quiet Zhou Anke had never encountered such a situation before. At this moment, she wished there was a hole in the ground she could crawl into and hide.
Leaning close to Su Rui’s ear, Zhou Anke whispered: “Su Rui, I didn’t expect my mom to make such a big deal. Just bear with it for now. If it gets too much, we can return to Ninghai tomorrow morning.”
“That won’t do. You haven’t been home for so long, so you should stay for a few days. I’m still your driver.” Being face-to-face with such a beautiful woman felt quite nice, and Su Rui whispered back: “Besides, this isn’t a big deal. Don’t worry, I won’t overthink it.”
“That’s good. I was just afraid you’d feel uncomfortable. My mom is a bit…”
“It’s fine. Auntie is very enthusiastic and nice,” Su Rui smiled.
Ming Jie, standing nearby, watched her daughter whispering with Su Rui and thought smugly: “Still claiming to be just ordinary colleagues, yet whispering in front of so many people. Daughter, you’re just not proactive enough. When there’s time, your mother will teach you all the tricks I used to pursue your father!”
Thinking this, Ming Jie walked to the side and said to Zhou Zhongtian: “Old Zhou, what do you think of our son-in-law?”
“Nothing’s decided yet, and you’re already calling him son-in-law. What if they break up while dating?” Zhou Zhongtian appeared far less excited than Ming Jie. Indeed, fathers and mothers have completely different feelings toward potential sons-in-law.
Sometimes, certain fathers might even feel jealous seeing their daughters holding hands with other men. It’s unknown if Zhou’s father had such feelings now.
“What kind of attitude is that? Are you cursing our daughter to break up?” Ming Jie raised her eyebrows.
“Of course not, I just…”
“Just what? I’m just asking what you think of our son-in-law.”
“He seems fine on the surface, but I don’t know what kind of person he really is,” Zhou Zhongtian said.
Ming Jie proudly nudged his waist and said: “You can rest assured about that. I’ve arranged everything. We’ll know what kind of person our son-in-law is soon enough.”
Saying this, her eyes began to sparkle again: “But speaking of which, our son-in-law’s looks and temperament are really not bad, much better than yours.”
Zhou Zhongtian didn’t dwell on this comment from his wife, but suddenly remembered something: “Actually, your tests are secondary. Our son will be back soon. He’s always been very protective of his sister since childhood. He might well give your son-in-law a hard time!”
Hearing this, Ming Jie fell into deep thought.
“You know, that’s quite possible. With our son’s temperament, he’ll probably give the son-in-law a really hard time.”
A really hard time!
If Su Rui heard these words, he might have felt the urge to escape again!
Since ancient times, mothers-in-law have always been the most difficult to deal with, and ranking second are the girlfriend’s brothers—the brother-in-law!
“Yes, honestly, our son has been outstanding since childhood, with pride second to none. He’s now the most excellent young man in Lotus Pond Town. With his high standards, I wonder if he’ll approve of this son-in-law,” Zhou Zhongtian said meaningfully. “So, even if you like him, if our son doesn’t, it won’t matter.”
“Then we can only hope this son-in-law passes the test,” Ming Jie replied, feeling there was nothing she could do to help Su Rui. They had never been able to influence their son’s opinions, so they could only hope Su Rui would meet their son’s approval.
At this moment, Su Rui was happily chatting with some elders at the main table.
Lotus Pond Town wasn’t famous, living peacefully apart from the world. People here lived tranquil lives in this rural water town. Their daily activities involved raising fish, practicing calligraphy, playing chess, and painting—almost the entirety of their lives.
Su Rui was no simple character either. The Zhou family elders were all well-informed people, yet they were charmed by him. His knowledge of calligraphy, painting, and antiques was not inferior to theirs. After this conversation, Zhou Anke’s grandparents and others felt this son-in-law was truly exceptional. It was rare to find a young person willing to immerse themselves in China’s classical culture.
Seeing Su Rui entertaining the family elders so well, Zhou Anke was also very pleased.
“Here, after talking so much, have some water,” Zhou Anke poured a cup of water for Su Rui like a little wife.
It was a simple, ordinary gesture, but to everyone watching, it confirmed that these two were indeed a couple.
By this time, the cold dishes had been served. Ming Jie stood beside the main table and called out with a strong voice: “Fellow townspeople, today is the joyous occasion of my daughter Zhou Anke. Everyone should eat and drink well…”
Bang!
Before Ming Jie could finish, Su Rui had already collapsed face-first onto the table.
