Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 248 First Impressions

Chapter 248: Chapter 248 First Impressions

Jiang Yingxue was an extremely resourceful and intelligent person.

Although she was very surprised and curious when she heard Shen Siyuan mention that someone had given him a house, she still managed to restrain herself and did not ask him about it on the spot.

On one hand, she believed that asking her daughter about this matter would not be any different than asking Shen Siyuan directly.

Because for any man, this would be a source of pride, and he would certainly mention it in front of a woman to show off. Given this, it would be more straightforward to simply ask her daughter directly about the reason.

On the other hand, Shen Siyuan was currently just Ruan Hongzhuang’s boyfriend, and they hadn’t yet reached the stage of discussing marriage. Besides, the future of their relationship was still uncertain.

Therefore, she didn’t want to create an embarrassing situation for her daughter now. After all, this was her daughter’s first boyfriend, and even if they did not end up together, she hoped he would be a pleasant memory for her daughter.

As a result, the following conversation was less pointed and instead turned to discussing the fun attractions and delicious food in Bin Hai.

"I’ve actually been to Bin Hai many times, the earliest was over thirty years ago. Back then, Bin Hai was just a small fishing village..."

"Wow, Auntie, you’ve been to Bin Hai that long ago?" Shen Siyuan expressed his surprise.

"Yes, I had a classmate from Bin Hai at that time. We a few classmates went to visit her home; it was also our first time seeing the ocean."

Jiang Yingxue’s lips curled into a smile as she looked towards the sea outside the window, seemingly lost in some beautiful memory.

"Eh? I’ve never heard you mention that before. Why didn’t you go see her during your previous visits?"

"Contact was lost a long time ago. Bin Hai has changed too much; it’s impossible to find her now." Obviously, she had tried and failed.

"That’s really a pity, you must have been close friends." Jiang Taoshi also felt some regret.

She thought of her relationship with Ruan Hongzhuang—what if one day they lost contact and she couldn’t find her in Bin Hai? She would probably be very upset, right?

Thinking of this, she glanced at Ruan Hongzhuang sitting across from her.

Ruan Hongzhuang seemed to have considered the same problem and gave her a comforting look.

Jiang Taoshi smiled—it seemed unlikely.

In today’s society, unless someone deliberately breaks off contact, it’s practically impossible not to be able to reach someone. After all, in the past, the only way to keep in touch was through letters.

Hearing this, however, Jiang Yingxue gave everyone an unexpected answer.

"We weren’t on good terms, often quarreling when we met."

Although she said this, her lips involuntarily curled up, clearly implying their relationship wasn’t as simple as she had stated.

"I don’t believe that. If you weren’t close, would she have invited you to her home? If you weren’t close, would you have gone to her place?"

Traveling from Si Ming to Bin Hai in the past was truly a journey over mountains and rivers—it required days and nights on a train and a long boat ride.

Without a good relationship, why would anyone travel so far to visit a classmate’s home? It was actually quite a dangerous thing to do.

"Haha, it’s true. She used to call me ’Miss’, so I gave her a nickname ’Little Seagull’."

Afraid that the others wouldn’t understand, she explained further: "Back then, ’Miss’ wasn’t a nice term; it was like calling me a capitalist. But back then, my family was indeed better off, while she was just a country girl. As for why I called her ’Little Seagull’, it’s because she was from the seaside, lively, talkative, and noisy..."

Jiang Yingxue couldn’t finish her words, as she was already laughing uncontrollably.

The most enjoyable part of today’s meeting turned out to be reminiscing about the past.

After sitting in the teahouse for a while, they moved to the restaurant Ruan Hongzhuang had booked in advance.

On the way back, it was still Ruan Hongzhuang driving, but Shen Siyuan sat in the passenger seat.

"Xiao Shen, you should get a driver’s license too; it’ll be convenient for getting around later."

"Okay, Auntie," Shen Siyuan replied casually.

Ruan Hongzhuang, however, laughed. She had said something similar to Shen Siyuan before, and he had claimed he would travel by sword in the future. She took it as a joke at the time, but who would have thought he was serious.

Jiang Yingxue didn’t understand what was so funny about her comment and gave Ruan Hongzhuang a disgruntled look through the rearview mirror.

Once at the restaurant while looking at a table full of sumptuous dishes, Jiang Yingxue frowned with concern.

Although she was wealthy, some of her old habits remained, such as not wasting food.

"This is too much. We really shouldn’t have gone to the teahouse just now," said Jiang Yingxue.

At the teahouse earlier, they also ordered quite a bit of food and Jiang Yingxue had her fill—she was not at all hungry now.

"It’s okay, Si Yuan has a big appetite, and... Taozi can eat a lot too, nothing will go to waste."

"Eh? Don’t just make things up."

"Could you please swallow what’s in your mouth before talking to me?"

"Oh~"

Sitting beside her, Jiang Yingxue was amused by Jiang Taoshi’s hamster-like appearance and didn’t pursue the matter further.

Then, she witnessed Shen Siyuan’s real appetite—no food was wasted. He was impressively capable of eating a lot.

So much so that she rather impolitely kept glancing at his abdomen, very curious about where all the food went. She wondered if he truly had a sort of dimensional stomach.

Observing the sparkling clean plates, Ruan Hongzhuang flaunted a bit of pride towards Jiang Yingxue.

"I told you so."

Jiang Yingxue thought to herself, there is nothing to be proud of, fortunately, her family had some assets. Otherwise, with a son-in-law like this, just the cost of food could bankrupt her family.

At this moment, Jiang Taoshi truly felt envious, gazing at Shen Siyuan’s eyes sparkling with little stars—what a perfect dining companion he was.

Jiang Taoshi loved to eat but didn’t have a big appetite. Often she wanted to eat but couldn’t finish her food. For some dishes she craved, if she didn’t buy enough, sellers wouldn’t even bother with the sale—she was both hesitant and playful.

If she had a boyfriend like Shen Siyuan, she would be ecstatically happy to death.

"Hmph~"

She glanced enviously at Ruan Hongzhuang, who was glowing with health, and gave a light snort—that vile woman who stole her boyfriend.

After the meal, Shen Siyuan went to the restroom, and Ruan Hongzhuang went to pay the bill.

This action made Jiang Yingxue frown—what kind of man lets a woman pay, especially on the day they meet the girl’s parents?

What she didn’t know was that whenever they went out, it was usually Ruan Hongzhuang who paid. Shen Siyuan never seemed to know what embarrassment was.

She’s rich, so what’s wrong with her treating me, her boyfriend, to some perks—it makes perfect sense...

Of course, that’s just a joke. It’s just that his strength has altered his attitude towards money. He’s no longer as mindful of it as before. After all, who treasures things easily obtained?

By the time Ruan Hongzhuang had finished paying, Shen Siyuan reappeared with a bouquet of roses.

"Thank you," Ruan Hongzhuang happily took them.

They were today’s roses.

Yet, Jiang Yingxue was visibly annoyed—her silly daughter was duped by such crude tactics.

Still, she held her tongue, planning to have a serious talk with her daughter that evening.

A person might lack talent or ambition, but their character must be intact.

When they left the restaurant, they all went their separate ways, and even Jiang Taoshi didn’t stick with Ruan Hongzhuang, opting to take a cab home instead.

After all, the mother and daughter hadn’t seen each other in so long; she couldn’t keep intruding on their reunion.

This time, Jiang Yingxue finally took the passenger seat of the car.

As soon as she got in, she began to share her own experiences and perspective to analyze Shen Siyuan for her daughter.

"He gives me a strange feeling, exuding confidence—which is a good trait..."

"But I can’t tell where his confidence comes from. Apart from his looks, nothing particularly outstanding about him seems apparent..."

"His personality seems decent, though I’m not sure if it’s just an act..."

"However, it probably isn’t. At twenty-six, having achieved nothing, men without talent tend to have good temperaments; it’s the capable ones who are more temperamental..."

"He appears rather stingy, too, disappearing when it’s time to pay and reappearing only after the bill is settled. At the teahouse before, it was you who paid, wasn’t it? That’s not acceptable. It’s not about the money..."

...

Jiang Yingxue went on listing several points, most of which pointed out Shen Siyuan’s flaws.

Finally, she frowned, somewhat puzzled, "I don’t know if it’s just me, but he seems to look down on people..."

Ruan Hongzhuang, who had been nodding and not saying much, suddenly seemed interested.

"Look down? What do you mean?"

"It’s that superior air about him, looking down on others. Even though he’s always smiling, the way he looks at people, his tone of voice—it all carries a faint detachment, making me feel looked down upon. This kind of feeling... I’ve only ever sensed it in those with high positions and decisive power..."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang fell silent. She understood why—a being akin to Divine itself, how could you expect him to treat every mortal equally? Dragons don’t associate with snakes, and mythical birds don’t roost with the ordinary. That’s the rationale.

At this moment, Ruan Hongzhuang felt a bit scared. Although she couldn’t feel this detachment coming from Shen Siyuan yet, she was frightened by the possibility of losing him one day.

A sudden urge arose in her heart to turn back and find him, yet she managed to suppress it for the moment.

"I’m talking to you."

"I know."

"So, what’s your point?"

"You’re right."

"Then what?"

"There’s no ’then what.’ I just like him. What should I do about it?" Ruan Hongzhuang said with a smile, regaining her composure.

"Sigh, you’re beyond saving," said Jiang Yingxue, seeing her daughter’s state and feeling a mix of frustration and headache.

Once they reached home, Jiang Yingxue expertly took her luggage into the side room—as this wasn’t her first visit, and Ruan Hongzhuang even had a room specially prepared for her.

When she returned from the room, Ruan Hongzhuang handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks, I am quite thirsty. Everything’s good about Bin Hai, just the heat’s too much."

Jiang Yingxue fanned her cheeks with her hand, indicating how unbearable the heat was.

She had just taken a sip when she saw Ruan Hongzhuang hold out a small green pill.

"What’s this?" Jiang Yingxue asked curiously.

"Poison. You talked too much today," Ruan Hongzhuang said coldly.

Jiang Yingxue: ...

PS: Although I’ve updated three Chapters today, it’s actually the length of four Chapters. Please vote for the monthly ticket~