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Xiao Ke Ai's phone broke during a mission, and after a few days of silence and rest, it was Song Bunan who could no longer stand it. He insisted on going out to buy a new one for him. Thus, the two of them ventured out after a long time. As they descended the stairs, they encountered Xiao Ke Ai's parents carrying groceries in the community courtyard. The four of them exchanged glances under the sun, and it was Song Bunan who, like an eel, slipped over to hug his mother and playfully complained about her not informing him before coming.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ke Ai stood frozen in place, feeling a rare sense of helplessness and nervousness. He thought how nice it would be if he had a mission to run away from this situation. The elderly woman before him was gentle, her eyes filled with warmth that made him feel as if he were basking in spring sunshine. In stark contrast, the elderly man looked at him with an intensity that made him feel as though he might be devoured, causing him to tremble with anxiety.
"Hmph, what if I told you that you ran away because you were feeling guilty? Where are you taking Xiao Xiao? Are you going to eat? Look at you, you've lost weight again." His mother affectionately pinched his cheek and handed the grocery bag to Bunan before stepping in front of Xiao Ke Ai. "I didn't get a good look at you last time when you were sick. You’re really handsome and tall; your build is sturdier than both of my sons combined. That’s wonderful! Come here, lower your head; I can't reach you."
Being touched on the face by an elder for the first time left him nearly petrified under her gentle caress. He nervously trembled, his body stiff as she pinched and examined him here and there until she finally grabbed his wrist and led him upstairs. "Come on, let’s go up; why are we lingering in the courtyard?"
The elderly couple went upstairs first while Song Bunan hesitantly stood beside his father with the groceries in hand. With his brother's message echoing in his mind that their dad wasn't angry anymore, he leaned closer to his father and playfully tugged at his wrist, asking if he could accept having Xiao Ke Ai as his boyfriend.
The old man lightly tapped his head, scolding him for being useless—how could such a big guy be a zero? Song Bunan was overjoyed; his father's willingness to understand their relationship meant he didn’t dislike it. He linked arms with his father and headed home.
"What are you two planning to do?" His father asked again in the elevator. Song Bunan explained that Xiao Ke Ai's phone was broken and he intended to take him out to buy a new one. The old man frowned disapprovingly at this response, muttering about how it shouldn’t be him spending money.
Song Bunan proudly lifted his chin and replied that he had saved all his money himself. Just then, the elevator reached their floor, and his mother stood waiting at the door with Xiao Ke Ai. As soon as her husband stepped out of the elevator, she began scolding their younger son about how letting him manage money would lead their family to ruin.
"What’s going on? Why are you two arguing again? Who's managing the money? What money?!" The mother, who held the financial reins of the household, stopped them both and declared that no one would enter the house until they clarified everything.
"Brother Xiao let me manage the money; he gave me his salary card to keep safe. But Dad says I can’t handle money and will waste it," Song Bunan pouted unhappily, his tone filled with defiance.
The old man poked him on the forehead and asked where he had gone wrong while bringing up his business matters: "You have a good shop but only open three days out of seven; how long has it been since you last opened? You can’t just sit back and eat away your savings; how much is enough for you to waste at home?"
Until Song Buxian brought his girlfriend over, one could hear from outside the door how their parents were teaching Song Bunan and Xiao Ke Ai about managing household finances. The main speaker was their mother while their father supplemented with small details. The girl behind him smiled charmingly, expressing her initial worries about how well their parents would get along.
Song Buxian sighed, expressing that there was no one in his family who was difficult to get along with, except for Curly Brother, who was a bit slow-witted and could be quite frustrating to deal with.
In the end, the task of cooking fell to the old man and the two brothers, while their mother sat in the living room, chatting warmly with her future daughter-in-law and son-in-law, thoroughly enjoying herself. She even dug out an old photo album from Song Bunan's house, flipping through it with the two of them and reminiscing about the brothers' embarrassing moments from years past, all captured in high definition.
"My kids are good people; they aren't petty at all. They just have a few bad habits from being spoiled since childhood. If you have any issues while spending time with them, just speak up directly. If you're unhappy about something, let them know. If they’re too foolish to fix it, Auntie will step in to make things right. I won’t let you suffer any grievances," she said, holding one of their hands and sighing contentedly.
Xiao Ke Ai found himself gradually getting used to this warmth. He gently squeezed the elder's hand back and looked up to see a smile in her eyes that was so gentle it could almost bring tears. The young woman sitting next to Auntie looked at her with the same tenderness, filling his heart with a warm sensation. He quietly expressed his gratitude for their acceptance of him.
"Look at what you’re saying! Who wouldn’t want such a handsome son? Tall and strong too; he’ll definitely help me carry bags in the future. From now on, whenever I go shopping, I must take both of you along. We’ll handle the shopping while you gentlemen carry everything; four people with eight hands can carry so much!" Her words made both of them laugh. Xiao Ke Ai seriously agreed, while the girl who had become familiar with her smiled and said she would make sure Song Buxian paid his fair share.
The mother nodded at the girl and mysteriously advised her, "When you're with that boy, make sure you hold onto the financial reins. Don’t let him waste money. Both these brothers have a habit of buying things impulsively, hoarding like pack rats. With you keeping an eye on them, I’ll feel at ease."
After saying this, she pulled out gifts she had prepared for them from her bag and didn’t hold back as she began handing them out according to her own marking system. Before long, both of them were holding boxes and bags filled to the brim, repeatedly insisting they had enough but unable to stop her. It wasn’t until the elder had nothing left to give that this one-sided gift-giving session came to an end.
The girl felt a bit shy at first and scratched her head, saying she had come in a rush today and only brought some small gifts for the elders without much preparation. She exchanged glances with her future "brother," urging him to help convince the elders to go out shopping with them in the afternoon. Xiao Ke Ai quickly understood and carefully withdrew his hand from the gifts to hold Auntie’s hand instead, saying he also hadn’t prepared anything properly and insisted that she accept their invitation for afternoon shopping.
The elder cheerfully embraced both children and readily agreed, happily running into the kitchen afterward to boast to her husband and two sons about how her daughter-in-law and son-in-law had invited her out shopping that afternoon, asking them whether they wanted to join or not.
Song Buxian glanced outside where his girlfriend was already helping Xiao Ke Ai tidy up the cluttered sofa while Old Father’s voice came from nearby: "Let’s go! I must go! You two have to go too!"
"Fine, we’ll go," he replied nonchalantly as he continued chopping vegetables, indicating that he had planned on going out anyway. Suddenly stopping mid-motion, he looked up with a grin and suggested, "How about we eat out instead?"
A spatula came down hard on his head as he turned around to see his father glaring at him like he wanted to eat him alive. He quickly retracted his neck and said hurriedly, "No going out! No going out!" "You really are itching for trouble! Do you think I didn’t see those takeout bags in the trash? What skills do you have that would allow you to eat out? Haven't you spent enough time at the hospital?"
The young woman initially intended to check the kitchen for tasks she could help with, but upon hearing the commotion inside, she quietly retreated to the sofa and extended her hand towards Xiao Ke Ai. "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Zhao Guangyan, and I am 34 years old."
"I am Xiao Ke Ai, 42," she replied. After the introduction, she gasped dramatically, gesturing in the air with her hands before reaching out to pinch his arm. This reaction was unexpected; Xiao Ke Ai watched as she boldly took out her phone and snapped a picture of him, her voice filled with delight. "I thought you were around thirty! Your physique is amazing. I have to send this to my friends; it's too eye-catching."
Faced with such straightforward praise, Xiao Ke Ai felt a bit shy, while she generously began to figure out how to address him. "Bunan has to call me sister-in-law. Even though you're older than me, you should call me sister-in-law too. From now on, I'll just call you A Ke, how does that sound?"
"Sure." He didn't care much about names; having such a close family was more than enough for him.
The first to be kicked out of the kitchen after receiving a scolding was Song Bunan, who clutched a bag of yogurt and sulked back to the sofa, complaining about how badly he had been scolded. Following him was Song Buxian, who emerged calmly, carrying a plate of cut fruit. After placing it on the coffee table, his first action was to pinch his younger brother's cheek and grumble about how he always managed to hit the couple's sore spot.
"Can't you at least throw the takeout bag away after you're done eating? You idiot! Now I got scolded too!" As the older brother sighed in exasperation, he thought that if his girlfriend weren't sitting across from him, he would have smothered Song Bunan with a pillow. The one whose hair was tousled squirmed on the sofa like a worm and claimed it was Xiao Mei who brought it. "I can't believe you," Song Buxian said as he pinched Song Bunan's lips, as if considering sewing them shut.
Watching the childish antics of the two brothers made Zhao Guangyan unable to hold back her laughter. She turned to her boyfriend and said, "So you're not always so composed after all." The one who had revealed his true self in front of his girlfriend bitterly explained that he had been dragged down by his younger brother.
"You’re lying! When I suggested going out to eat, you clearly nodded!" Song Bunan broke free from his brother's grip and barked before being silenced again.
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