Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 257 Met an Acquaintance

Guo Lingyue choked, her face paled, and she looked pleadingly at her husband, Xiao Jinchen.

Xiao Jinchen was also sizing up Chen Xinyue at this moment.

Putting everything else aside, just judging from her appearance, temperament, and demeanor, this woman is quite qualified.

With that thought, he immediately stood up with a smile and greeted, "Second brother, it's been so long since we last met, please sit down!"

Xiao Jinlin gave a soft "hmm" and led Chen Xinyue to Mr. and Mrs. Xiao's side.

"Grandpa and Grandma, I'm here. This is Xinyue. Xinyue, these are my grandpa and grandma."

Chen Xinyue quickly and obediently called out to someone.

She was naturally beautiful, with particularly bright eyes, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled, making people unconsciously feel good about her.

Madam Xiao had a good first impression of her, and quickly pulled her to sit down beside her, looking her over carefully. "Child, how old are you?"

"I'll be twenty-five by Chinese New Year, but I'll actually be twenty-four."

"Wow! This age is really suitable!"

Mu Qinglian quickly spoke up, "Mom, Su Su is also twenty-five, the same age."

Madam Xiao's smile faded considerably. She glanced at the woman named Su Su and nodded perfunctorily.

Mu Qinglian felt a little embarrassed and quickly tried to salvage the situation, "Mom, Su Su is Lingyue's best friend, and her family is well-off. There's definitely no problem for them to get along."

"Sister-in-law, what are you saying! How can best friends not get along?" Xiao Qiuyu rolled her eyes and retorted.

It wasn't that she was intentionally helping Xiao Jinlin; it was purely because she didn't get along with Mu Qinglian and wanted to deliberately upset her.

Mu Qinglian was furious. She glared at Xiao Qiuyu and turned her anger towards Xiao Jinlin, "What's wrong with you? You brought people to such an important occasion today without even informing us! Were you doing this on purpose?"

"My grandson can take whoever he wants. If he's angry, he can take it out on someone else!" Old Madam Xiao was displeased to see her precious grandson being scolded.

Mu Qinglian hurriedly explained, "Mom! I...I didn't mean that! You know, the second son has always been unconventional since he was little. If you tell him to go east, he'll go west. He just won't listen to advice. This shopping mall is a mess. There are all sorts of shady women here. He could easily get tricked. I'm just worried about him!"

This clearly implies that Chen Xinyue approached Xiao Jinlin with ulterior motives and looked down on her.

Chen Xinyue wasn't annoyed by what she was told. Instead, she nodded in agreement and looked at Xiao Jinlin reproachfully, whispering, "Did you hear that? Stay away from those messy girls outside."

Xiao Jinlin smiled indulgently and nodded obediently.

His reaction truly surprised the elders of the Xiao family. They all looked at him as if they were watching a peculiar spectacle, as if they didn't recognize Xiao Jinlin at all.

Mr. Xiao laughed heartily, "Not bad, not bad, this looks much more lively!"

Madam Xiao was overjoyed and tightened her grip on Chen Xinyue's hand. Just as she was about to ask about Chen Xinyue's family situation, the door to the private room opened again.

Xiao Jinlin's uncle, Xiao Sheng, arrived with his wife, He Xue.

As soon as He Xue entered, she greeted her parents-in-law, followed by Xiao Sheng's elder brother Xiao Bai, Mu Qinglian, and then Xiao Qiuyu's family.

After exchanging greetings, she finally noticed Chen Xinyue sitting next to Old Madam Xiao. She looked at her carefully, then looked at her again, her brows furrowed.

Old Madam Xiao noticed her unusual behavior. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

He Xue quickly shook her head, then smiled and said, "Mom, I just feel that this young lady looks familiar, like I've seen her before." As soon as she said this, everyone's attention was once again focused on Chen Xinyue.

Guo Lingyue was so jealous that she couldn't help but say, "Auntie, are you mistaken? There are plenty of people in this world who look alike."

What kind of family background does He Xue have! How could this woman Xiao Jinlin brought possibly know He Xue!

He Xue ignored her and asked hesitantly, "Where are you from?"

Chen Xinyue, puzzled, honestly replied, "I'm from the South, and my home is in Anshi."

Mu Qinglian had never heard of it and assumed it was a poor, remote place, so she looked at Chen Xinyue with increasing disdain.

He Xue stood up excitedly, "Do you know Lin Qin? She lives in Nanxi!"

Chen Xinyue was shocked, "That's my mom!"

"Ya Ya! You're Ya Ya, aren't you?"

Chen Xinyue: "!!!!!"

Oh my god! What's going on? I ran into an old friend of my mom's in a foreign land? Oh no! What am I going to tell my mom if she finds out about what happened today?

Chen Xinyue was in a complete panic.

He Xue had already run over, pulled Xiao Jinlin away, and snuggled up to Chen Xinyue affectionately.

Madam Xiao became even more curious about Chen Xinyue. "Second son's wife, do you know Xinyue's mother?"

He Xue nodded frantically, "Of course I know her! Sister Qin, she was my roommate in college, she's an amazing woman, Mom, you know E-Media, right? If you don't, have you ever read E-Media magazine?"

"We've seen it, we've seen it! Because Jinlin is in business, your father and I read these magazines and news articles. Is there a problem?" Old Madam Xiao was a little confused.

He Xue put her arm around Chen Xinyue's shoulder and solemnly introduced her: "This is the young lady of E-Media. She used to play with Mr. Stephen when she was a child! You know Mr. Stephen, right? He's very famous on the world's rich list."

After He Xue's "boasting," Mu Qinglian felt deeply humiliated and her face burned with pain, so she became completely quiet and obedient.

Guo Lingyue's face turned pale, and she couldn't hide the jealousy and resentment in her eyes.

Su Su, who was next to her, tried her best to minimize her presence.

Because of He Xue's words, Madam Xiao's fondness for Chen Xinyue increased even more. She praised her several times and even put the imperial green bracelet from her wrist onto Chen Xinyue's other hand.

"Grandma, this gift is too precious, I can't accept it!" Chen Xinyue said anxiously, then turned her gaze to the handkerchief that Madam Xiao always carried with her and changed the subject, "Grandma, this handkerchief is double-sided embroidered, isn't it? It's obviously made by a famous artist."

She made no secret of her fondness for handkerchiefs.

Madam Xiao was a shrewd woman, and she immediately understood what she meant. She smiled from ear to ear and said, "You have good taste. If you like it, you can have it."

Chen Xinyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. That bracelet was probably worth eight figures; she would be crazy to accept it. This handkerchief, on the other hand, was quite nice. It was a fine piece, presentable, and not outrageously expensive. She could accept it without any guilt.

Seeing that Chen Xinyue was discerning, knew how to conduct herself appropriately, wasn't greedy, and was eloquent enough to win over Old Madam Xiao with just a few words, the others also accepted her status.

Even Mu Qinglian, who had initially been criticizing Chen Xinyue, had softened her expression considerably.

Only Guo Lingyue and Su Su were angry and resentful, but no one cared.

Thanks to the warm hospitality of Madam Xiao and He Xue, Chen Xinyue enjoyed the meal very much, especially if she could ignore the sinister look in someone's eyes, which resembled a venomous snake.