Chapter 122 - 121: Honey, I Want to Have a Daughter Someday Too

Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Honey, I Want to Have a Daughter Someday Too

They walked slowly to Nanshan Primary School, hand in hand. A large crowd of parents had already gathered at the school gate, all there to pick up their children after the final exam.

Although his little sister-in-law had used a flimsy excuse to steal his ice cream last time, Jiang Xia didn’t forget to buy her an iced boba milk tea this time around. He was a magnanimous son-in-law to the Lin Family, after all.

A short while later, the school bell rang. The once-silent academic building gradually came to life. The parents, who had been baking in the sun, collectively sighed in relief and squeezed toward the gate, waiting to see when their children would emerge.

As always, they stood waiting under their usual tree. Xiao Man would know to find them there when she came out.

Just then, Jiang Xia’s phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out and saw it was a call from his mom.

"Hello, Mom, what’s up? Uh-huh, we’re at the school gate. Yep, the bell just rang. Xiao Man will probably be out in a little while. Yes, she’s at work today. Huh? Lunch at our place? Okay, then I’ll tell Mom... I mean, Aunt Ji. No, no! I was calling *you* Mom. Uh-huh, okay. I’ll hang up now."

"Your mom wants us to go to your place for lunch?" Lin Yanwan asked, glancing at him.

Jiang Xia nodded. "Yeah. She just finished proctoring an exam and is heading home after dropping the test papers at the dean’s office. My dad already left to pick her up. She said we should head over as soon as we get Xiao Man."

"Oh. In that case, you call my mom and explain. I’m not doing it," Lin Yanwan said, handing him her phone. After all, what kind of daughter-in-law runs over to her mother-in-law’s house so often before even being married?

Of course, the shameless Jiang Xia was an exception.

"I’d do anything to bring you home with me, never mind just making a call," he said with a laugh. "You keep an eye out for Xiao Man. I’ll go tell our mom right now."

He dialed the number. After a few rings, a woman’s slightly weary voice came through the line, along with the sound of machinery.

"Hello, Yanwan, what is it?"

"Aunt Ji, it’s Jiang Xia. Yes, Xiao Man just finished her exam. She’ll be out in a bit. My mom said she’d like you to come to our place for lunch," Jiang Xia said.

"Thank you, Xiao Xia, but I’m quite busy right now, still talking business with someone. I probably can’t make it. You just take Yanwan and Xiao Man, don’t worry about me."

"Alright then."

Ji Wanqiu hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Xiao Xia, in a bit, please apologize to Xiao Man for me. Tell her that Mommy is busy today and couldn’t come pick her up. Once I’m not so busy, I’ll take her out to play every day."

"Auntie, please don’t worry. Xiao Man is very understanding," Jiang Xia said with a smile. "I won’t keep you any longer then."

After hanging up, Jiang Xia returned the phone to his wife and shrugged. "Your mom said yes, but she’s busy and can’t make it for lunch. By the way, what’s really going on with the family business?"

"It’s all just small, piecemeal orders. The money we earn probably isn’t even enough to cover the factory’s electricity bill."

Lin Yanwan sighed. "The truth is, the factory started laying people off a while ago. But even so, we’re still losing money. Otherwise, my parents wouldn’t be out all day, networking and chasing down business. If this keeps up, I doubt we’ll even make it to the end of the year."

"Don’t worry, things will get better soon." Jiang Xia gently squeezed her hand.

In his past life, his father-in-law’s toy factory had gone bankrupt during the financial crisis. This time around, he would use an animated series to revive the factory and ensure that past regret became a thing of the past.

Time passed, and elementary school students began to emerge from the academic building in groups. Carrying her backpack, Lin Xiaoman cheerfully said goodbye to her deskmate, Xiao Mei, and immediately spotted her sister and brother-in-law standing under the tree.

"Sister, Brother-in-law!" His young sister-in-law skipped over and positioned herself between them, skillfully taking one of each of their hands.

"Was the test hard? How do you think you did?" Jiang Xia asked with a smile, ruffling her hair.

"It was super easy! I finished really quickly and even checked it over carefully twice. But the teacher wouldn’t let us turn it in early, so I just had to sit there and stare at the clock until class was over," Xiao Man said with a pout.

"Sounds like you have a good shot at getting first place, huh?"

"Of course! C’mon, I’m the class president~"

Jiang Xia smiled and handed over the milk tea. "Here, I bought this for you."

"Boba milk tea! Yay! Thanks, Brother-in-law!"

Xiao Man immediately let go of their hands, poked a straw in, and took a satisfied sip. Then, holding the milk tea in one hand and her brother-in-law’s hand in the other, she left her sister standing on the sidelines.

Lin Yanwan: "..."

She looked at Jiang Xia with a deadpan expression. ’So it turns out I’m the outsider here, huh? Since the brother-in-law and his sister-in-law are so close, why don’t you two just be a couple instead?’

Just as her mind was running wild, Jiang Xia suddenly stepped beside her, took her hand, and whispered, "Lin Cucu, you still don’t see it? Xiao Man’s doing this on purpose to get us to hold hands."

Feeling the warmth from his palm, Lin Yanwan paused for a moment before snapping back, "What ’Cucu’?"

"You, Lin Cucu. How come I never realized you were so prone to jealousy before? Was it because we got married so early back then?" Jiang Xia said, leaning close to her ear.

"I am not!!!" Her face flushed red as she retorted through gritted teeth.

"Honey, being a tsundere is out of style, you know. But I just love how you deny everything, even though your heart is being completely honest."

"Hmph!"

Lin Yanwan turned her head away, suddenly not wanting to talk to him anymore.

’He’s so infuriating! Is that Jiang Gouzi a mind-reader? How does he know everything?’

Watching her sister and brother-in-law whispering to each other in front of so many passersby, Lin Xiaoman’s eyes went wide. ’Is this the world of adults? So thrilling!’

The three of them walked for a while before Xiao Man suddenly stopped. Chewing on the boba and Yuyuan in her drink, she said, "Sister, we’re going the wrong way. This isn’t the way home."

"We’re not going home for lunch today, Xiao Man. We’re going to eat at my house," Jiang Xia said with a smile.

"Eh?"

"Want to have some of Teacher Xia’s cooking?"

"Yes!"

"Good girl~"

Walking ramrod straight like a little grown-up, his sister-in-law asked, "Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, how come I didn’t see Teacher Xia at school today?"

"She went to another school to proctor an exam."

"Oh! Is the other school full of kids like me, too?"

"I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Teacher Xia that yourself." Jiang Xia swung her little hand playfully. "But I do know that Xiao Man is definitely her most, most, most favorite student."

"Hehehe, and Teacher Xia is Xiao Man’s most, most, most, most favorite teacher!"

Hearing this, the couple looked at each other and smiled. They truly hoped Xiao Man could stay this innocent forever and never have to experience the troubles of adulthood.

Suddenly, Jiang Xia turned and kissed his wife on the cheek, whispering softly:

"Babe, what do you say we have a daughter of our own someday?"

...

(3 Chapters done, good night~)