Chapter 168
The large hand that was gripping Su Xiaoxiao’s slender waist tightened. The intense sensation of tension caused her to arch backward, exposing her graceful, swan-like neck.
Jiang Yexun’s kisses followed her like a shadow, moving from her neckline to her shoulder, leaving behind faint pink marks. His marks intertwined with her fair and round shoulders, gradually becoming prominent.
During their two-day train journey, they had the luxury of being alone without any disturbances, but Jiang Yexun, despite his wild nature, had held back.
Su Xiaoxiao was quite unhappy about not getting to finish her meal. Just half an hour before disembarking, Jiang Yexun had packed everything up and then quickly placed her in his lap. He spoke tenderly, “Darling, don’t be upset. I promise that during the upcoming Chinese New Year, when we go back to Shanghai together, I’ll make the ultimate sacrifice. I’ll make your future parents-in-law agree to our marriage. Just be patient, and I’ll make up for what I owe you.”
“You’re not a real man!” Su Xiaoxiao pouted, kicked his leg with annoyance. She was genuinely irritated, and her kick was a bit too strong, making Jiang Yexun wince in pain.
If it were someone else, they might have lost their temper long ago. But when dealing with his own sweetheart, he had no choice but to pamper and cajole her.
“Okay, okay, whatever you say, I am. As long as you’re not angry, feel free to kick me as much as you like.” Jiang Yexun held her even tighter and kissed her delicate earlobe, continuing to soothe her.
After giving Jiang Yexun one hard kick, Su Xiaoxiao’s heart ached for him, and she didn’t have the heart to kick him again. She continued to sulk in his arms, and her sulking nearly melted Jiang Yexun’s heart. His comforting words seemed to flow effortlessly, as if they cost nothing.
By the time the train stopped, Su Xiaoxiao had finally been coaxed back to normal. When they disembarked, Jiang Yexun was filled with satisfaction, and Su Xiaoxiao had a soft, alluring glint in her eyes that was impossible to ignore.
Before boarding the train, they had called Jiang Xinyue to let her know they were coming. So as soon as they got off the train, they spotted the three people who had been waiting at the platform.
Aunt Guo and Jiang Xinyue were standing on their tiptoes, watching as people disembarked from the train. Their eyes locked onto Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun as soon as they saw them, and they hurried over.
Aunt Guo took Su Xiaoxiao’s luggage and then spun her around a few times to make sure she hadn’t lost weight. Satisfied, she nodded and said, “Not bad, not bad. That brat hasn’t let you down this past month.”
Su Xiaoxiao blushed and said, “Auntie, Yexun has been taking care of me so well that I’ve gained a little weight.”
“He should take care of you; it’s his duty! A grown man traveling with his girlfriend should know how to take care of her. If he doesn’t, he deserves to be a bachelor for life,” Aunt Guo said without hesitation.
A woman’s constitution was naturally weaker, and with all the bouncing back and forth on this road, if she still had to attend to a grown man, then what was the point of getting married?
After Aunt Guo finished speaking, she glared at Jiang Yexun, who had his hands in his pockets. She scolded him, “You rascal! When I asked you about what you said to Xiaoxiao’s parents, you hung up on me over the phone. Now you’d better explain it properly.”
“We didn’t go to Shanghai. We encountered my brother’s hospitalization in Dai City and stayed there for a month. However, my brother is very satisfied with Yexun, and he has agreed to our relationship. He’ll be coming home for Chinese New Year, and we’ll return to Shanghai together at that time,” Su Xiaoxiao quickly summarized the situation.
Aunt Guo, relieved to hear that her son had successfully won over Xiaoxiao’s family, but then grew anxious about a different concern. She asked, “Xiaoxiao, did anything happen to your brother? Is he okay?”
“Everything is completely fine now. He’s gone back to his military unit. Auntie, please don’t worry,” Su Xiaoxiao reassured her, hugging her arm as they walked out of the station.
“Brother-in-law, we’re going to the unloading area to get the stuff,” Jiang Yexun said.
Hua Shoucheng had just remembered that his younger brother-in-law had asked him to come for a specific reason.
“Mom, Yexun and I will go get the things first,” he raised his voice to remind the three people walking ahead.
Aunt Guo turned around and glanced at the two large bags in Jiang Yexun’s hands. She muttered softly, “You, my child, how much did you buy on this trip?”
“Auntie, we bought only what we really needed; we didn’t waste money,” Su Xiaoxiao quickly defended their shopping.
Hearing that she was so considerate, Aunt Guo’s disapproval immediately turned into indulgent laughter. “Alright, alright. If Xiaoxiao says it’s necessary, then it must be. Your house is already built, and I’ve asked Old Wang from the production team to have all the furniture made. When you get back, take a good look at what’s still missing. If anything’s lacking or if there’s something you don’t like, just tell me, and I’ll have it remade for you.”
Su Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm expression and obediently nodded. “Thank you, Auntie. By the way, did you return to the production team during the month we were away?”
“No, I know you two were worried, so I stayed in the city with Xinyue and Shoucheng, just the three of us. There are some friends of mine in the production team, so I had them help out. Your brother went over to lend a hand and got everything set up.”
Although Aunt Guo didn’t think the other two households of Jiang family would do anything to her, she was touched that her two kids had been worried about her. Even if she wasn’t particularly proactive, she wouldn’t do anything to make the two of them uneasy.
As Su Xiaoxiao listened to Aunt Guo, she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. “Auntie, you’ve really gone to a lot of trouble for us.”
“What trouble? It’s just lending a helping hand; the most important thing is that you feel comfortable when you come back.” Aunt Guo held Su Xiaoxiao’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, unable to hide the concern in her eyes.
She had been worried for more than a month, concerned that Su Xiaoxiao would return to their new home in Shanghai and be overwhelmed by its luxury, making her reconsider marrying Jiang Yexun. If that were to happen, Jiang Yexun would surely go mad and might even do something drastic.
At that moment, Jiang Yexun and Hua Shou Cheng came over carrying a large cardboard box. Both Aunt Guo and Jiang Xinyue were taken aback.
“What did you buy during your trip?” Jiang Xinyue, who was already pregnant, immediately asked, her hand on her belly, with a hint of shock in her voice.
“A washing machine,” Jiang Yexun replied casually.
Jiang Xinyue turned to look at her husband, and Hua Shou Cheng had already been stunned by the news.