Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1037: A Different Kind of Father-in-Law (2)

Chapter 1037: Chapter 1037: A Different Kind of Father-in-Law (2)

When Xiao Ruiyuan arrived at the Scholar Mansion, the dinner had already been set. It wasn’t his first visit to the Scholar Mansion, but it was the first time he had been invited to stay for a meal.

There were only five simple dishes on the table, all prepared according to Xiao Ruiyuan’s taste. Seeing this touched him; his hand holding the chopsticks tightened slightly, and he felt a bittersweet softness in his heart that was hard to describe.

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and eat before it gets cold, it’s not good for your digestion," Mo Qingze, seeing his son-in-law not moving his chopsticks, urged impatiently.

Xiao Ruiyuan snapped out of his trance, and as he watched his father-in-law continue to serve him food, his gaze softened considerably compared to when facing his own father, Xiao Xiong—it was like looking at two different people.

"Thank you, father-in-law!"

Mo Qingze nodded slightly and placed a dish of soy-glazed duck in front of Xiao Ruiyuan, "Yanyan made this herself. Try it quickly, it tastes really good."

Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes lit up as he picked up a slice of the fragrant soy-glazed duck with his chopsticks and savored it carefully. The familiar flavor made him indulge in a few more pieces than he intended.

Seeing him enjoy the dish made Mo Qingze crack a smile. He took up the wine jug, avoiding Xiao Ruiyuan’s offered hand, and poured him a full cup himself, "We are family now, no need for so much formality."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruiyuan withdrew his hand, inwardly surprised by his father-in-law’s change of attitude.

As if perceiving his thoughts, Mo Qingze smiled with a hint of melancholy in his tone, "Although I had betrothed Yanyan to you before, I wasn’t optimistic about you, always worried that it was a wrong decision! Fortunately, you haven’t let me down, and now I can finally rest assured."

Forming a marriage alliance is about bringing two families together, not just a matter between two individuals. With the two families being so mismatched and the Xiao Family going through such troubling times, he, as a father, naturally didn’t want his own daughter to be trapped in endless disputes in her married life. Even the deepest love can’t withstand endless grinding down. How many loving couples end up as resentful spouses in the end—is it really just the fault of two people?

After listening to his father-in-law, Xiao Ruiyuan was moved by his sincere love for his daughter and simultaneously relieved that he had decisively dealt with those so-called relatives who never stopped plotting against him. He wondered how long it would have taken to earn his father-in-law’s approval if he hadn’t resolved those issues.

He had an intuition that until those individuals were dealt with, his father-in-law would not have allowed the marriage. Thinking of this made him break out in a cold sweat, and he earnestly said to Mo Qingze, "Father-in-law, I have never changed my heart towards Yanyan and I will certainly not allow her to suffer any grievances in the future."

Mo Qingze smiled gently, his expression softening considerably, "I trust you." Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given you the chance to be engaged.

Xiao Ruiyuan understood the unspoken message from his father-in-law, and the gratitude he felt need not be mentioned. Father and son-in-law continued their meal and chat, enjoying a very nice atmosphere.

After dinner, Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t rush off. Instead, he took a walk with his father-in-law in the courtyard to aid digestion, and then stayed to keep him company in a game of chess, worrying that his father-in-law might feel lonely on his own. In fact, with two little creatures in the mansion, Mo Qingze was anything but lonely,

Right on cue, the green-feathered parrot and the black myna, which had been frolicking outside all day, stormed in with bluster, landed on the chessboard, and started squawking at Mo Qingze, instantly wreaking havoc on the well-arranged game with their tiny claws.

Mo Qingze had a headache from the noise, but didn’t have the heart to scold the two little ones. He tapped their heads gently and asked helplessly, "What is the cause of the quarrel this time?"

"Master, you must settle this for us!" Little Green, the green-feathered parrot, seized the opportunity to speak first, "It was Little Green who found something interesting on the street and got to it first. But Little Mo insisted that it had seen it first and wanted to fight Little Green for it. While Little Green was arguing, it accidentally loosened its grip, and the item fell into the water. And now it keeps blaming Little Green, saying it’s Little Green’s fault—now, isn’t that irritating?"