Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

Chapter 1367 - 783: Single Dogs Have No Rights—Did the Huo Family Get Roped In Too? (Part 2)

The "promotion" by the Jiang Family wasn’t ongoing; they all understood the need for moderation. After praising Jiang Chengsi, everyone gathered around the table to sit down and prepare for the meal.

The old lady looked around at the people at the table with immense satisfaction. Seeing her grandchildren all establishing their own careers and families, or having settled down, the feeling in her heart was naturally different. But as she surveyed the room, her eyes stopped on Jiang Shiyi, and her gaze changed...

Jiang Shiyi saw his grandmother looking at him and thought she wanted to say something. Just as he was about to ask, the old lady snorted and turned away from him.

At the table, he was the only lone soul. Both of his younger brothers were already in relationships and married, yet as the older brother, he wasn’t anxious at all.

Does this kid have his mind fully set on academics? Has he become oblivious to the idea of dating?

Jiang Shiyi thought he sensed "disdain" from the old lady, but a bigger "malice" was soon upon him...

Everyone else was coupled up, and as the sole "single dog" at the moment, he kept getting his seat shifted around. Everyone wanted to sit with their spouses and children, so he was the one who had to move.

Eventually, he found himself sitting next to Jiangjiang.

And he was given a task:

Take care of the kids!

Usually, this would be Jiang Chengsi’s job. But today, he was the main focus, and everyone was pampering him.

In this household, being single meant having no rights.

All you could do was bear the workload and let others order you around.

Si Qingxiao observed this scene but didn’t think Jiang Shiyi was being "bullied." It genuinely showed that the Jiang family’s relationships were very good.

There were quite a few rumors outside about the Jiang family. After all, Jiang Zhaolin had done many excessive things back in the day, and Jiang Shiyi and Jiang Chengsi were his biological sons. Many speculated that the two of them had laid low in Jiang Zhenhuan’s house, ready to bide their time and avenge their father, with plenty of versions floating around.

Now it seems those are baseless rumors. If the relationships weren’t good, Jiang Shiyi couldn’t have had his seat moved around so much without showing any hint of annoyance.

"Oh, Chengsi, go to the wine cabinet and get the plum wine," the old lady suddenly thought of something.

"Grandma Jiang, I don’t drink," Si Qingxiao was worried about losing her composure if she got drunk.

"Just try a little. It’s homemade by the Huo Family. It’s from last year since this year’s plums at their place haven’t ripened yet. Does anyone in your family like drinking? Once they start brewing this year, let Chengsi bring some over for you," said the old lady with a smile.

The old lady’s warm enthusiasm made it hard for Si Qingxiao to refuse, so she smiled and said, "Thank you."

The Jiang family members remained silent.

Little Xiaosi is quite something. For the sake of pursuing a spouse, he even brought in wine from the Huo Family.

It’s hard to tell what Huo Qinqi would think if he knew.

**

After everyone sat down, except for Tang Wan and Shen Zhixian who still had to take care of the kids, almost everyone had a small amount of wine in their little cups.

After that, the Jiang family did not do any further "promotion" of Jiang Chengsi. Instead, they asked Si Qingxiao about what she usually does at home, her hobbies, and later chatted about Jiangjiang and Taotao starting elementary school. The topics were many and varied, not solely focused on Si Qingxiao, which made her feel much more at ease.

The Jiang family isn’t foolish. If they continued with the promotion, they might scare people away.

So after a round of active promotion, everyone chatted about various things, creating an atmosphere similar to an ordinary family gathering.

As Si Qingxiao started to relax, she occasionally joined in the conversation here and there.

Actually, it’s not easy for the Jiang family either. The most talkative person in their family is Jiang Chengsi. However, today he acted all mature and reliable in front of his wife, so others had to step up.

Even Jiang Yanting, who usually spoke little, actively found topics to discuss. Not knowing what else to say...

He brought up Xie Duo and let it linger for a while.

"Speaking of finding a partner, recently our eldest uncle’s been arranging blind dates for Xie Duo. It’s said he has three lined up for a single day this weekend."

"Xie Duo is about your age, so it’s normal for the Xie Family to be anxious," the old lady laughed. Even though Xie Duo’s age wouldn’t be considered old for a single man in Beijing, because everyone around him seemed to be getting married, the Xie Family naturally felt some pressure.

Jiang Jinsang looked at his own brother and couldn’t help but click his tongue:

To create a topic, they even brought up Xie Duo. If Xie Duo knew, he’d probably die of frustration.

His life was already tough enough after the news of the couple’s relationship went public, and now being used as a joke by his brother made it even harder for him.

"Xie Duo?" Si Qingxiao didn’t seem to have clarified the relationship yet, so she pretended to drink and leaned closer to Jiang Chengsi, "What does Young Master Xie call Second Master?"

"Uncle. If you marry me, you’ll also be his elder," Jiang Chengsi replied.

"..." Si Qingxiao sipped her wine, finding it quite novel to suddenly become Young Master Xie’s elder.

While she was still contemplating what Xie Duo should call her, Jiang Chengsi added:

"But you know, in the Xie Family, our seniority is high, but over at the Huo Family, our status is lower. My child still has to call Old Huo ’Granduncle.’

"Cough—" She was sipping on the plum wine, and the strong taste instantly made her choke. She hurriedly put down the glass, turned her head, and coughed twice while covering her mouth.

"What’s wrong? Are you choking?" Everyone’s attention turned to her, and Jiang Chengsi quickly reached out to pat her back. Tang Wan, being closer, had already handed her a tissue.

"No, no, I’m fine. I probably drank it too quickly. I’m not really used to alcohol," Si Qingxiao quickly explained.

Jiang Chengsi knew why she was coughing and couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Was it really that scary, just because of the ’Granduncle’ thing?

Si Qingxiao’s choking incident shifted the topic to the Huo Family.

"Oh, by the way, Wanwan, has a name been decided for Shuci’s child?" The old lady, recently preoccupied with Jiang Chengsi’s matters, had not paid much attention to the Huo Family.

"Not yet," Tang Wan chuckled, "Both Grandpa and the Huo Family have thought of many names but seem not to be satisfied yet. They haven’t settled on one."

"That child came as such a sudden surprise, catching everyone off guard. Does Qinqi know how long he can stay in Beijing? Will he be around for the baby’s full moon?"

"Probably not, he should be leaving in a few days," Tang Wan said.

"Those two kids have it tough too."

...

As the group continued to eat, drink, and chat, the time flew by. By around nine o’clock, Si Qingxiao’s phone vibrated. It was a call from her father.

"Are you still eating?"

"Yes," Si Qingxiao said, holding the phone as she moved to a quieter spot to answer.

"How is it? Is everything okay? If you feel uncomfortable, just find an excuse to come home early." Si Yushan had experienced how the Jiang Family operated during a birthday banquet and was worried his daughter might have ended up in a den of wolves.

"It’s fine. They’re all treating me very well."

"That’s good then, I’m relieved to hear that."

Despite his words, Si Yushan remained unsettled. Although he said it was just a meal, it was essentially meeting the family. Marriage isn’t just between two people; the family’s hospitality is crucial. As he strolled in the yard, he noticed the clouds obscuring the moon and a chilly breeze rising, making him frown.

Is it about to rain?

Back at the Jiang Family, they guessed it might be a call from the Si Family. Seeing that it was getting late, they were ready to serve the main course. But when Si Qingxiao returned, she toasted the Jiang Family members, thanking them for their hospitality.

"We’re all family, no need to be so formal," the old lady said with a smile.

"Speaking of thanks, I should really thank you for the Xiuhe gown you gave me during my wedding," Tang Wan said as she stood, smiling. "It’s a pity you couldn’t attend the ceremony. I’ve always felt that was a regret..."

"Though you didn’t attend, you sent such precious jewelry."

"When I was in Pingjiang, you also helped me and my little aunt."

...

Tang Wan expressed her gratitude, but since she was taking care of the child, she substituted tea for wine in toasting Si Qingxiao. Meanwhile, Si Qingxiao’s cup contained nothing but wine. A few glasses in, while she wasn’t drunk at first, she was starting to feel a buzz now.

Jiang Shiyi stood up and expressed hope that the two of them would be happy together, so of course, they had to drink for that.

Originally, they intended to end the meal, but after Tang Wan and Jiang Shiyi started, everyone began to toast as well, wishing them happiness.

Since toasting involves reciprocating, as the meal drew to a close, Si Qingxiao ended up drinking quite a bit. As she got up, she stumbled, and it was fortunate that Jiang Chengsi caught her in time.

"Aunt Si is drunk," Taotao said bluntly.

"Chengsi, help her over to the sofa for a rest and get some sobering tea. Later, I’ll have the driver take you both home," the old lady initially didn’t intend to have Si Qingxiao stay the night.

But it seemed the weather had other plans...