"That’s true." Ji Shuanglin couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up to his wife’s trick, "I didn’t expect that when you were young, you were full of clever tricks, and even as you got older, those tricks haven’t decreased a bit."

"Who are you calling old?" Meng Qingmei glared playfully at her husband, with a hint of the charm she had in her youth, "If it weren’t for my clever tricks back then, how could my parents have agreed to let me marry a poor boy like you?"

"Yes! You’re a lady from a good family." Ji Shuanglin laughed dotingly, "You’re my Qingmei! The Qingmei I’ve loved all my life."

"That’s right..." Meng Qingmei’s face was full of happiness, "But in the end, our marriage was successful because of your talent. I didn’t suffer with you in this life. You’ve lived up to our vows."

"Yes. My Qingmei..."

"If you eat too many green plums, be careful they might make your teeth ache." Ji Chuan leaned against the door, laughing at his parents’ mushy conversation, "At your age, still calling each other Qingmei every other word. Dad, why not stop calling yourself Shuanglin and just call yourself Zhima* instead? Qingmei and Zhima, that’s a real pair."

"Get out of here, you brat." Ji Shuanglin turned to glare at his son, "Instead of staying in the living room, why are you over here?"

"Oh. I just wanted to say that Yan Huan prefers salty food, so don’t make it too sweet." Ji Chuan reminded them.

"Look at this, he hasn’t even married Yan Huan yet, and his mind is completely occupied with her." Meng Qingmei teased her son, "Go on, sit nicely in the living room and chat with those two girls. Don’t forget what your mission is. I’ve created the conditions for you, whether you seize them is up to you."

"But..." Ji Chuan couldn’t bear to let Yan Huan feel even a bit of sadness.

"What’s this ’but’? If your barrage isn’t strong, you won’t be able to take the hill, figure it out yourself."

After his mother’s reminder, Ji Chuan understood and put it into action.

"Hey, Qingmei, do you think what we’re doing might be a bit unfair to Xia Lin?" Ji Shuanglin felt that what his wife was doing might be a bit unethical.

"Yes, it’s a little unfair." Meng Qingmei stopped what she was doing, "But if we tell Xia Lin now, she’ll definitely turn around and leave. Think about it, in this heat, she came all this way, it wouldn’t be right for her not to even get a meal. If we’re blaming someone, it’s really your son to blame. Later on, we’ll explain things clearly to Xia Lin and invite her for a meal to apologize."

"It’s the best we can do now." Given the situation, all they could do was try to make amends as much as possible.

In the living room, the atmosphere was mysteriously awkward.

Ji Chuan had Xia Lin sitting to his left and Yan Huan to his right.

He was sandwiched in the middle, feeling truly uncomfortable.

Every time he spoke to Xia Lin, he felt Yan Huan watching him from behind, like there’s a prickling sensation on his back.

He didn’t dare to look Yan Huan in the eyes.

"Ji Chuan, I bought a couple of things on the way. I think they’re fun. Why don’t we play with them?" It was Xia Lin’s first time coming for a matchmaking meeting. She didn’t even ask about Ji Chuan’s situation but invited him to play like a child.

"What kind of toys?" Ji Chuan asked.

"These..." Xia Lin pulled a Nine Links puzzle and a Rubik’s Cube out of her bag, "These really test intelligence. Let me test how smart you are?"

*Zhima means "sesame" but in context, it’s being used to playfully imply "Zhima" (Sesame) as a counterpart to "Qingmei" (Green Plum), referring to the Chinese idiom "青梅竹马" or "childhood sweethearts".