Having found a demon, I've decided to raise her.

His mother told him to relax and said—

"If you protect her now, she will protect you in the future."

Chen Ming was taken aback, looking into his mother's eyes, as if she had seen right through him. In the future, Chen Mei would take care of him from his childhood until he came of age, and dote on him.

The mother continued—

"That's how it is between husband and wife: supporting and understanding each other. She's still young, so please be patient with her. When she grows up, she'll be your strongest support, someone you can rely on."

"She's pregnant now, which has delayed her studies, but I still hope she can go back to school after giving birth. This is also my expectation for my daughter as a mother."

"Even though Xiaomei will be married off tomorrow, can you promise me that she can finish her studies so she can be someone you can rely on?"

Chen Ming, of course, couldn't refuse, and he said—

"I know that studying is very important."

The common saying that "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" is utter nonsense. A person without knowledge is like a rootless duckweed, unable to stand on their own in society; it is a necessary condition for survival.

She held Chen Ming's hand, always doing this to him, not only to ease his tension but also to feel his body temperature and pulse, to see if he was lying.

Judging from the results, he was very honest, which made his mother nod in satisfaction.

Looking at his face, his wrinkled hands gently stroked his cheek, and he let out a soft breath, seemingly completely relieved, and said—

"It's strange, why do you seem more and more familiar to me the more I look at you? It's as if it's only natural that you're here."

This indescribable feeling connects them.

Looking at her aged face, and thinking that they would never meet in reality, Chen Ming couldn't help but give a smile that looked almost like a cry, and said—

"Perhaps it's because...we should be, after all, one family..."

Mom, it's so good to see you.

Chapter 856 Passing on the Responsibility

She was restless in the room, glancing out the window every now and then, and then walking to the door to look into Seventh Sister's room.

What will Seventh Sister-in-law say to him? How will he respond? Will they discuss her? Is he really going to "marry" her off to Mingming?

The blush on her face never subsided. The thought of boldly telling everyone that she liked him and that she was going to marry him left her stunned, staring blankly at everyone busy at work.

stomping on...

Chen Jun carried a large box and walked over with Yun Yi. Looking at the heavy box, she tilted her head and asked—

"Brother, what is this?"

Chen Jun smiled, looked at his younger sister, and said—

"Come and see for yourself."

She walked over with a puzzled look in her eyes, and with their encouragement, she opened the box.

Inside was a set of red clothes, both ornate and antique, adorned with gold and silver. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the magnificent attire.

It is a complete set of red makeup for the bride.

"This...this is..."

"This is what I used when I got married."

Seventh Sister-in-law, supported by Chen Ming, walked over, looked at the contents of the large box, then glanced at Yun Yi beside her, and said—

"I was thinking that if Shijiu got married first, I would give it to Ayun, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this... I'm really sorry to Ayun."

Yun Yi smiled and shook his head, saying—

"It's alright, Seventh Sister-in-law. This should have been left to Xiaomei in the first place. Even if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have accepted it."

The best thing to pass on to a daughter is as her dowry when she gets married. However, since Yunyi is marrying into the family, the dowry should be provided by the other family, and the bride price should be paid by this family.

Chen Ming's gaze met Chen Mei's. Looking into her pale eyes and flaxen hair, he couldn't help but smile, and gently mouthed the words—

"Miss."

"Well……"

Chen Mei and he were of one mind; she knew he was secretly flirting with her, and she gritted her teeth inwardly. How long had it been since she was the one flirting with him? Now it was truly karma; she was being constantly bullied by him, and even blushing, she felt a strange, unsettling sense of pleasure.

Chen Mei, how could you be so depraved? Are you really going to let him get his way and become his obedient wife from now on?

Although... it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with it...

The mother watched as Xiaomei shyly lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, blinked, glanced at Chen Ming who was secretly laughing to himself, and patted him playfully, saying—

"I need to talk to Xiaomei now, son-in-law, you and Shijiu go out first."

"Hey."

Chen Jun heard this, nodded, and pulled Chen Ming away.

Chen Ming kept turning back to look at Chen Mei's figure, feeling extremely reluctant to part with her as he thought about how she was going to marry him the next day.

Seeing his absent-minded look, Chen Jun smiled and said—

"Alright, alright, you look so pathetic..."

He subconsciously used a scolding tone, which startled him. He suddenly felt that it was a bit impolite, after all, Chen Ming looked a few years older than him and was probably already in the workforce. He should call him "brother"...

Chen Ming didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Being told by his father that he was useless was a very common thing, and it was completely in the category of "spare the rod and spoil the child."

His father is the one who spoils him the most in the family.

But there's a saying that goes something like this: those who are favored are fearless. So Chen Ming sometimes habitually ignored his father's nagging and those repetitive nagging remarks.

It's good that the phrase "good-for-nothing" falls into this category.

Being nagged too much can lead to "drug resistance".

So she didn't notice the struggle on Chen Jun's face, and then, completely unprepared, heard him say—

"Brother Chen Ming..."

"puff!"

Boom!

Chen Ming stumbled on the spot and fell face-first to his knees.

Chen Jun was startled and said—

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"No, it's nothing, it's nothing..."

Chen Ming, hands on the ground, sweating profusely, stared at his father with a strange look in his eyes. This puzzled Chen Jun greatly. He tried to help him up with his strong arms, but halfway up, he suddenly said—

"It's been raining these past few days, the ground is slippery, be careful, Brother Chen Ming..."

Pfft!

Chen Ming slipped again and fell to the ground once more, his mouth twitching wildly. Seeing that his father was still trying to call him "brother," he quickly interrupted him—

"Chen Ming! Just call me Chen Ming!"

I can't stand you calling me "brother," Dad!

However, Chen Jun was a very serious guy, and although he did feel inexplicably awkward, he persisted and said—

"But you're much older than me... just call me by my name..."

Chen Ming lay flat on the ground and shouted—

"Just call my name, just call my name, otherwise I won't get up from the ground!"

"..."

Chen Jun stared blankly at him lying on the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum, determined to get what he wanted.

It would seem very incongruous for such a grown person to do this, but in Chen Jun's eyes, it was perfectly reasonable... as if the other person was supposed to be a child who would act cute and affectionate towards him.

His expression grew increasingly conflicted, and finally he sighed and said—

"Alright, Chen Ming, get up now."

His tone was as doting as ever.

When his mischievous son, Chen Ming, heard that his father had given in, he immediately stopped making a fuss, stood up, and said—

"That's more like it."

As expected, it was his familiar father. He could easily make his father do whatever he wanted. The positions of the younger brother and the emperor in the family were not on the same level!

My silly dad can only spoil me.

Chen Jun patted his clothes and said casually—

"You're such a grown man, and you're always getting all dirty. You're about to marry Xiaomei, you should be more mature..."

The more he talked, the more something seemed off. Chen Jun frowned, opened his mouth, and added—

"Otherwise, I wouldn't feel comfortable entrusting Xiaomei to you."

Chen Ming looked at him, blinked, and couldn't help but laugh. Sure enough, no matter where he was, his father was still his father, and his tone of voice always felt the same.

Chen Ming said—

"I will treat Xiaomei well, no matter what happens, I will not back down, I promise you..."

"..."

Chen Jun glanced at him and said—

"Originally, when I heard that Xiaomei had been cheated on by a heartless man, got pregnant, and couldn't find him, I was furious. I secretly thought that if I found out who he was, I would make him pay..."

Chen Ming smiled awkwardly. Of course, he couldn't explain that he hadn't gotten Xiao Mei pregnant; that it was her own virginity that had led to her pregnancy. Not many people would believe that, so it was best for him to take the blame.

Chen Jun lowered his head, kicked the ground, and said—

"However, incredibly, seeing you appear, my previous anger dissipated considerably, and I felt a sense of familiarity, as if I could trust you..."

Dad...

Chen Ming looked at him, feeling somewhat moved.