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

Chapter 271 Agree

They could focus on their work, spending time together at get off work and after work. No matter what event they attended, Xiao Jinlin always brought Chen Xinyue with him. From the initial awkwardness to the later naturalness, everything seemed to fall into place naturally.

Aside from SY company employees, everyone else assumed the two were a couple.

Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, and things had completely calmed down at the Xiao family's place since the commotion during the Spring Festival. Even Mu Qinglian, who used to call Xiao Jinlin from time to time, reduced the frequency of her contact.

Xiao Jinlin was happy to live a quiet life in the courtyard, where he could grow vegetables and flowers with Chen Xinyue when he wasn't working.

To cheer Chen Xinyue up, Xiao Jinlin even bought her a snow-white puppy.

With the puppy around, the two of them interacted more frequently than usual, and the door that was supposed to open from both sides seemed to have never been closed since it was installed.

On the weekend, Chen Xinyue was playing with the dog when Xiao Jinlin suddenly appeared. He walked in, lay down on the sofa, and said lazily, "Grandma wants us to come over for dinner tonight. I was thinking of having Lao Fang pick up Grandpa and Grandma and bring them over here. What do you think?"

“I’m fine with it!” Chen Xinyue said, then naturally asked, “Would you prefer something more formal or more casual? What do I need to prepare?”

Xiao Jinlin curled the corners of his lips and shook his head, "No need to prepare anything, this is fine as it is."

Chen Xinyue didn't think much of it. Around three o'clock in the afternoon, Madam Xiao and Mr. Xiao arrived at the courtyard with the driver's escort.

The elderly couple entered the house and looked around the courtyard without saying a word. After looking around, they slowly said, "This is your newly bought courtyard house? The decoration is quite impressive."

The old couple were already surprised that their grandson would choose to stay in a courtyard house instead of his perfectly good villa. They thought he wouldn't stay for long, but he ended up staying for more than half a year.

Today is Xiao Jinlin's birthday. The couple originally wanted to take the opportunity to invite them back to their old house for a meal to ease the tension between their eldest son's family. However, their grandson unexpectedly invited them over for dinner.

Driven by curiosity, the two still came.

Seeing the open door by the wall, Old Madam Xiao asked with some confusion, "What's that place over there?"

Once you enter this courtyard house, you can see right to the end. Did the grandson buy two courtyard houses and combine them?

Xiao Jinlin grinned and happily led them over, "Grandma, that's Xinyue's house, we live next door."

Madam Xiao suddenly realized, her face crinkling with laughter. She teased Mr. Xiao, "Look, you were worried that Jinlin wouldn't find a wife, but his skills in pursuing a wife are far superior to yours!"

Mr. Xiao's serious face softened with a smile as he asked gently, "Does that house belong to Xinyue?"

Xiao Jinlin nodded. "Her parents bought it when she was in college. Each of her siblings has their own house. They finished renovating it last year and moved here from the company this year. I bought this courtyard house to make her commute more convenient."

"You little rascal," Mr. Xiao muttered.

The three of them walked through the small gate and saw Chen Xinyue playing with the dog. In the clean and tidy yard, the two of them ran and jumped around, looking full of energy.

As people get older, they tend to prefer bright and lively young girls.

Xiao Jinlin called out, and Chen Xinyue suddenly looked up, giving the two elders a bright smile, "Hello, Grandpa Xiao and Grandma Xiao."

"Alright, alright, Xinyue, you don't mind if we visit your home, do you?" Old Madam Xiao said with a kind smile.

Chen Xinyue quickly shook her head and invited them to rest in the living room. Then she went to the kitchen to get the tea-making tools.

"The tea we drink most in my hometown is oolong tea. I don't know if my grandparents like it." She said, fiddling with the tea leaves with an elegant posture, clearly someone who had studied it carefully and was an expert.

Mr. Xiao clicked his tongue in amazement, "You know how to brew tea?"

Chen Xinyue nodded honestly, "My maternal grandfather and father both like to drink tea. I have been learning piano and dance at an institution since I was a child. My teacher is also an expert in these fields. Every time I came back from a lesson, I would show off in front of my maternal grandfather and father. They were very supportive, so I studied even harder."

Without realizing it, I learned a bunch of weird and wonderful things.

Madam Xiao laughed heartily, "These aren't some strange or unusual things. They're good for self-cultivation! By the way, Xinyue, when are your parents coming to the capital? If they do, remember to let us know so we can all have a meal together." Chen Xinyue paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Xiao Jinlin. Seeing his expectant expression, she lowered her eyes.

Xiao Jinlin was visibly disappointed and was about to help her out when Chen Xinyue said obediently, "Okay! They should come to see me in October or November."

Madam Xiao was overjoyed, "That's wonderful!"

Even happier than the elderly couple was Xiao Jinlin. If his grandparents weren't still alive, he would have rushed up to Chen Xinyue and asked her if she had accepted him.

The inability to ask immediately resulted in this guy acting like he was on stimulants, constantly piling food onto his grandparents' and Chen Xinyue's plates during the meal, and talking more than before.

Anyone with eyes could see his joy.

Seeing her grandson's rare joy, Madam Xiao didn't want to spoil the mood, so she took out the gift she had prepared earlier and said, "Happy birthday to my grandson! May he be healthy, safe, and have all his wishes come true."

"Grandma." Xiao Jinlin was deeply moved as she carefully accepted the gift and solemnly expressed her gratitude.

Mr. Xiao was straightforward; he simply gave a large red envelope and that was it.

Xiao Jinlin accepted their gifts with great joy.

Madam Xiao was pleased to see this and stood up, saying, "Alright, it's getting dark, we should go back. When you have time, bring Xinyue back for a visit and have a meal with us."

"Okay!" Xiao Jinlin led Chen Xinyue to see them out.

After the car drove away, Xiao Jinlin turned around and looked at Chen Xinyue expectantly.

Chen Xinyue's cheeks flushed from his gaze, and she looked away, saying, "What are you looking at!"

"Today is my birthday," Xiao Jinlin emphasized, word by word.

Chen Xinyue nodded. "I know! You want a gift, right?"

Xiao Jinlin's eyes lit up. "Are you prepared?"

Chen Xinyue shook her head.

Xiao Jinlin was somewhat disappointed.

Chen Xinyue couldn't help but laugh at his expression. "Although I didn't prepare a physical gift, I accept your confession. Isn't this gift sincere enough?"

Xiao Jinlin was overjoyed and picked Chen Xinyue up in his arms. "Are you serious? You've agreed to be my girlfriend?"

Chen Xinyue nodded repeatedly in fright, "Really, really, please put me down right away!"

People come and go; if someone sees you, they'll definitely point and whisper.

Xiao Jinlin didn't care at all; he now wished everyone knew they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Overjoyed, he carried Chen Xinyue home.

That evening, Xiao Jinlin called Tang Ming like a peacock displaying its plumage.

Tang Ming was eating when he received a call from his boss. Thinking there was an urgent event, he hurriedly prepared to leave.

Then Xiao Jinlin said, "From this moment on, Xinyue is officially my girlfriend and my future spouse!"

Tang Ming paused for a moment, then said "Oh" expressionlessly. "Congratulations, boss! Do you have any other instructions? Should I announce this news to the public?"