Just as the grandfather and granddaughter were locked in a stalemate, the door swung open.
Zhao Lei walked in, followed by Shen Xinrou.
The moment the two of them saw that Elder Zhao had woken up, they were overjoyed!
"Dad, you're finally awake!"
"How are you feeling? Is your health any better?"
Zhao Lei hurried over, looking anxiously at the old man.
Zhao Quanlin waved his hand. "With our little Feng here, this old frame of mine isn't kicking the bucket anytime soon!"
"Even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take me!"
"Your daughter, on the other hand, nearly scared this old man half to death just now!"
Hearing this, Zhao Lei immediately glared at his daughter. "Anqi, what is the meaning of this?"
"Your grandfather just woke up, how can you be so disrespectful!"
Shen Xinrou also stepped forward, tugging at her daughter's sleeve, and gently scolded, "Why are you acting up again?"
"Who's being disrespectful?"
Zhao Anqi glared at Qin Feng, unhappily demanding, "You want to marry me off to this poor bumpkin, and I refuse!"
"He's just some country hick from the mountains, what right does he have to marry me?"
Zhao Quanlin said angrily, "So what if he's from the mountains? Oh, and a poor kid from the mountains isn't good enough for you?"
"How did Grandpa teach you when you were little? As long as a person is good, that's all that matters!"
"Have you become some pampered missy now? Starting to look down on the poor and fawn over the rich?"
Hearing this, Shen Xinrou quickly tried to soothe him. "Dad, calm down!"
"You've just recovered from this illness, don't upset yourself!"
With that, she turned her head and gave her daughter a pointed look. "Anqi! Stop talking nonsense right now!"
"You're a grown young woman, still acting like a child?"
"Don't make Grandpa angry!"
Zhao Anqi bit her lower lip and said nothing more, though she still wore a deeply aggrieved expression!
Seeing that the atmosphere was rather unpleasant, Qin Feng had no choice but to chime in. "Elder Zhao, you can't put it that way either!"
"Though there was an engagement when we were kids, we've both grown up now. This is an era of freedom in love and marriage. If we really don't feel anything for each other, we shouldn't force it, right?"
Hearing this, Shen Xinrou looked at Qin Feng with some surprise.
She didn't seem to expect him to say such a thing!
Zhao Quanlin couldn't help letting out a sigh. "Yes, yes, yes! Little Feng, I know all of that!"
"Old as I am, I'm not an unreasonable man."
"Of course I know matters of the heart cannot be forced!"
"But when all is said and done, feelings can also be cultivated!"
"Without spending some time together, how can feelings develop? How else would you know if there's anything between you?"
"If you ask me, if the two of you really aren't willing, then just spend some time together first and see how it goes!"
Hearing this, Qin Feng hurriedly made faces at Zhao Anqi, as if to say: Did you hear what your grandfather said?
Zhao Anqi glared at Qin Feng through clenched teeth, wishing she could take a bite out of him!
"Hmph! I'm not talking to you people anymore!"
She spun around and walked out!
Shen Xinrou let out a helpless sigh. Fearing her daughter would brood in anger, she quickly hurried after her...
"You head out too, I want to talk to Little Feng alone." Zhao Quanlin waved his hand at Zhao Lei.
Zhao Lei nodded, closed the door, and left.
Once everyone had gone, Qin Feng sat down in a chair and smiled wryly at Elder Zhao. "Elder Zhao, to be honest, the reason I came here this time was actually to call off the engagement!"
"Ah, Little Feng! I know!"
"Don't let this old bag of bones fool you, lying in bed all this time; my ears can actually catch sounds faintly!"
"I heard every word of the conversation between you and that girl just now!"
"But you must realize, marriage is no child's play!"
"I still hope you'll reconsider!"
"Besides, if I'm not mistaken, that piece of jade your master gave you—you must have lost it, haven't you?"
"This..." Qin Feng was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had stuffed that piece of Yang Jade into his jacket pocket earlier, and after saving that gorgeous woman last night, he had casually draped his outer garment over her!
Now the jade was gone...
"Elder Zhao, is that piece of jade really that important?"
"Oh, of course it's important!" Zhao Quanlin nodded repeatedly. "That piece of jade is a token of our pledge!"
"When the engagement was made back then, it was agreed: one piece of Yang Jade, one piece of Yin Jade. Only when the two pieces are brought together can one's identity be verified!"
"Now that you've lost your Yang Jade, it means there's no way to prove who you are!"
"Because of that, this old man can't hand the betrothal document over to you either, wouldn't you say?!"
Zhao Quanlin's argument was sound and well-reasoned, leaving Qin Feng with no room to refute him!
Seeing the difficult expression on his face, Zhao Quanlin continued, "Little Feng, don't let my granddaughter's arrogance and stubbornness fool you, she's actually a good kid."
"I'll say it again: spend some time getting to know each other, and give her a chance."
"Who knows, you might just catch each other's eye!"
"Besides, she's not hard on the eyes—you're not getting the short end of the stick!"
"I, this old man, promise you: if after spending some time together, the two of you still feel nothing for each other, then I won't interfere in this matter anymore!"
"How does that sound?"
"At that time, you can take the betrothal document with you, how about it?"
Since Elder Zhao had put it so plainly, Qin Feng had no choice left but to bite the bullet and agree!
Besides, as the old man said, with Zhao Anqi's looks and figure, no matter how you slice it, he wasn't losing out!
Seeing that Qin Feng had agreed, Zhao Quanlin was overjoyed beyond measure!
Now that the old man had recovered, Zhao Lei respectfully escorted all the renowned physicians he had invited back home...
From that moment on, the entire Zhao Family was filled with a celebratory atmosphere.
First, the elder's recovery from his severe illness was a cause for celebration; second was the upcoming marriage between Qin Feng and Zhao Anqi!
Elder Zhao personally took charge, decorating the entire Zhao Family in festive reds!
In no time, the Zhao Family residence was hung with colorful lanterns and festoons, looking for all the world like a wedding hall!
...
As night fell, the entire Zhao Family estate blazed with bright lights.
At the evening banquet, Elder Zhao sat in the seat of honor while the family toasted one another, each offering congratulations on the elder's recovery.
Aside from members of the Zhao Family, other relatives and friends were all in attendance.
Elder Zhao was naturally in high spirits.
During the banquet, Qin Feng also got acquainted with several members of the Zhao Family. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, he tucked into the food and drink as if no one else was around...
In stark contrast to Qin Feng was Zhao Anqi, sitting directly across from him!
Her heart was bursting with bitter frustration right now!
She, a dignified and pampered young lady, was actually going to marry a mountain hick like Qin Feng!
This was simply intolerable!
Yet for some reason, her grandfather just adored this poor kid!
She couldn't figure it out, she truly couldn't!
What was so great about this bumpkin in front of her?
Why was her grandfather bending over backwards to pander to him?
The way things looked, anyone walking in would think she and Qin Feng were already holding their wedding ceremony!
Zhao Anqi wore a frosty expression, her pearly whites clenched as she glared at Qin Feng in utter silence!
She looked precisely like a tigress on the verge of fury...
Qin Feng, however, remained completely unperturbed. Ignoring her baring of teeth entirely, he calmly went back to eating and drinking by himself...
Seeing her behave this way, Shen Xinrou could no longer stand it.
She gave a soft cough, glared at her daughter, and yanked her by the sleeve. "Anqi, are you planning to bite people with a face like that?"
"Eat your dinner!"
Zhao Anqi shot her mother a sidelong glance, pouted, and said nothing at all...
When the meal was over and the guests had dispersed, Shen Xinrou pulled her son-in-law and daughter together into a room and closed the door behind them.
Before leaving, she even pasted a double-happiness character right onto the door.
...