Rebirth in the 90s: Her Counterattack and Redemption

Chapter 880: Chapter 530: The Banquet (Part 3)

Song Yaxian playfully slapped Li Ru: "Alright, alright, you really get worked up when people tease you. What nonsense are you talking about? Okay, we’re here, zip it."

"You don’t appreciate good intentions!" Li Ru mumbled as she pulled Song Yaxian along.

Song Yaxian looked at her, puzzled: "What’s up?"

Li Ru carefully looked her up and down: "Let me see if the makeup’s messed up or if your clothes are in order. You’re my third sister, on such an important day, don’t embarrass me."

"Ru Ru, thank you." Song Yaxian’s eyes filled with gratitude. This little cousin always stuck to her since childhood. Even though they couldn’t be together all the time as they grew up, their bond hadn’t changed. If anyone dared to badmouth her, her cousin would rush to her defense as if she were even closer than a real sister.

"Promise me your life then." Li Ru chuckled, hooking Song Yaxian’s arm as they walked inside.

Song Yaxian laughed, "Sure, I’ll promise you if you can marry me." By this point, she had to take it one step at a time, hoping to find a chance to slip away and catch Yang Ming once the banquet began.

After all, the impact of being late the first time meeting the parents was bad enough. Moreover, Yang Ming’s behavior had made her doubt their relationship. After all, the birthday banquet was already over, and there was no immediate rush since there was still some time before the New Year.

"Oh, Yaxian and Ru are back, we’ve been waiting for you. Great Grandpa’s so old, it’s so thoughtless of you." As soon as the two entered, cousin Song Yaqin began chattering.

Li Ru rolled her eyes at Song Yaqin: "Big sister, Third Sister and I went to greet guests at the door, is that wrong?"

"Are there still guests who haven’t arrived?" Aunt Wang Xianglan raised an eyebrow in confusion. To her, her daughter was the best, but the only daughter of the younger brother’s family always seemed to overshadow her own daughter.

Academically, her daughter was middle-upper, but the other was always in the top three. Work-wise, her daughter graduated from a junior college and became a small cashier in a state-owned enterprise, whereas the other one graduated from BD with a bachelor’s and entered the tax office straight away. Now she’s a deputy section chief in the third tax department, an entirely different league than her daughter.

Luckily, in terms of marriage, Song Yaxian didn’t match up to her daughter. Her daughter married early to Lin Xiaosen, the son of Mr. Lin from the municipal textile industry department, their grandson already three years old. Meanwhile, Song Yaxian, a year younger than her daughter, still didn’t have a boyfriend, so at least they turned the tables in this round.

But despite turning the tables, she couldn’t forget the grievances her daughter faced since childhood, so she didn’t miss any chance to ridicule the other side. After all, any chance to gain a bit of dignity for her daughter was worth it.

After Wang Xianglan spoke, Song Yaxian’s parents wore embarrassed expressions. Li Ru’s eyes darted around, looking at Wang Xianglan in surprise: "Aunt, did you forget? Brother-in-law hasn’t arrived yet."

"He..." Wang Xianglan choked for a moment, then displeased, said, "Your brother-in-law’s a leader, he can’t just leave before finishing work, right?"

Mr. Song glared at Li Ru, who was about to argue, and waved his hand: "That’s enough, everyone shut up. Today’s Grandpa’s 102nd grand birthday celebration. Anyone looking for trouble can leave! "

In the Song family, Mr. Song had quite the authority. Once he spoke, no one dared to peep.

"No more waiting for Xiao Sen, let’s begin." Mr. Song said, raising his wine glass, delivering a long toast, prompting others to quickly follow with well-wishes to Grandpa.

At 102, Grandpa Song was physically quite robust, but not mentally. He couldn’t distinguish between people, replying with chuckles to all the celebratory words, holding every gift presented to him, refusing to let anyone put them aside even when he couldn’t hold them all.

The adorable child-like demeanor of the old man made everyone laugh, finally easing the previously tense atmosphere into a joyous one.

After toasting Grandpa with the longevity wine, everyone settled down, eating and chatting. At a gigantic round table packed full with over twenty family members, it all appeared very close-knit and lively.

The conversation gradually turned towards Song Yaxian again, making her wear a wry face as she had been looking for an opportunity to slip out. Unaware, others assumed she was distressed by the pressure to marry. Grandma Song looked at her granddaughter, advising earnestly: "Xiao Xian, Grandma and all the elders are saying this for your own good. You’re young now, but the years creep up. If you wait too long, you’ll regret it."

"A woman having children too late is dangerous, and weakens the body after giving birth. These are lessons from the ancestors. You should listen. No matter how society progresses, people need to get married and have children, especially women. Careers, they are a man’s business. Trust Grandma, and seize good introductions, nurture good relationships, and don’t be picky anymore."

The long-winded lecture from Grandma left Song Yaxian bewildered, and she could only nod repeatedly: "Grandma, I get it; I’ll definitely listen to you."

"Exactly, that’s right." Grandma beamed happily, looking seriously at everyone, "All of you, listen up. Starting tomorrow, everyone should get busy with Xiao Xian’s affairs."

Song Yaqin put down her chopsticks: "Grandma, you’re putting us in a tough situation. She’s already 27; the guys around my workplace are at most 24 years old. How would they be interested? Of course, there are older ones too, but they are either divorced or in their 40s. Would Third Sis fancy that?"

"I said we should all help, I didn’t mean only you," said Madam Song, displeased at her eldest granddaughter, "You’re married and have children yourself. You’re just mocking your sister now? If it were Yaning, she surely would be concerned for Yaxian."

"Mom, could you not mention Yaning?" Wang Xianglan’s eyes reddened. Yaning was her second daughter, twin to Yaqin, born just three minutes later. Despite being twins, the sisters’ personalities were worlds apart.

Yaning was a classic tomboy, always loved sports and standing up for others. Three years ago, she ended up in a vegetative state after being stabbed while chasing a thief who harassed a girl. Now she remained bedridden, like a living dead.

"Sorry, Mrs. Qin." Madam Song instantly regretted her slip of the tongue and quickly apologized to Wang Xianglan.

Mr. Song waved a hand: "Enough, enough, it’s meant to be a joyous day. Aren’t you all tired of this? Let’s proceed with the meal and share a word with Grandpa. As for Yaxian’s situation, you can think it over after returning home. Introduce suitable candidates but don’t force it. With our Yaxian’s condition, there’s no reason to worry too much."

The more Mr. Song spoke optimistically, the worse Song Yaxian felt. Her resentment towards Yang Ming grew stronger, thinking what a joyous banquet it could have been if he hadn’t let her down. With such thoughts, her eyes reddened again.

"Knock, knock..."

"Since when did Brother-in-law become so polite?" Li Ru mumbled while standing up, and Song Yaxian nervously rose, hurrying to the door before her. Li Ru thought Song Yaxian was annoyed with all the talk and purposely distancing herself from the table, so she stopped with an amused smile.

Standing at the door was Yang Ming, with his arms wrapped in bandages. Song Yaxian froze momentarily, then worriedly surveyed him up and down: "What, what’s happened to you?"

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Nu’an has reached 5000 words today. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian () and cast a recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)