About five minutes after Fang Jingzi left, Fang Jingyi and Zhao Yulan returned with a large basket of vegetables. Not seeing her sister, Fang Jingyi looked at Chuxia full of confusion... 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Third sister-in-law left first..." Chuxia smiled at Fang Jingyi, "Third sister-in-law also reminded that Sister Jingyi should stay here for dinner, she’ll come over again tonight." To make Fang Jingyi feel at ease staying, she told a little white lie.

"Okay." Hearing Chuxia’s words, Fang Jingyi agreed readily. Her sister’s affairs being resolved was a weight off her mind. As for staying to eat at Lin’s, she certainly didn’t mind, nor did she feel uncomfortable, having been there often before. She was quite familiar with Lin Baohe and his wife’s personalities, and there was no need to mention Chuxia. Compared to her own family’s atmosphere, she even preferred the Lin Family.

"Auntie, I’ll do the stuffing then..." Fang Jingyi looked at Zhao Yulan and offered. If she’s staying for dinner, she should naturally lend a hand, otherwise she’d feel like a freeloader.

"Sure." Zhao Yulan didn’t stand on ceremony with her. The Fang sisters visited often, and she liked them, knowing their characters well, she’d naturally not be pretentious with them.

"I’ll just wait to eat..." Chuxia leaned back lazily, with a face of contentment, "With days like these, is there anyone happier than me?"

"You should move around a bit..." Zhao Yulan looked at her daughter with a smile, "Your grandparents went to Elder Wan’s place, call them, invite Elder Wan’s family to dinner, also call Elder Qi’s, and don’t forget Elder Yuan’s family either."

"Alright." Chuxia responded while picking up the phone. After notifying everyone, she looked at Zhao Yulan with mischief, "With so many people coming to eat, mom, make sure not to skimp on the dough."

"If your mom couldn’t handle just this, then we’d really be in trouble..." Zhao Yulan glanced at her daughter, turning toward the kitchen. She heard her daughter leisurely say from behind, "Mom, you forgot Mengran and the others, they’re coming over tonight too, so, hehe..."

"Do I need reminding? I already counted them in." Zhao Yulan said without turning back.

Indeed, these past few evenings, the friends were always dining over. Her mother must have already considered them as part of the family; no additional notification needed?

As someone silently grumbled there, a few friends walked in, with arms around each other’s shoulders.

"Look at your lovely pose over there..." Lin Mengran came up to pat Chuxia’s belly, "You really look like a frog basking in the sun."

Chuxia: "..." Is that how you describe someone?

"Have you seen a frog basking in the sun?" Yang Xiaoli looked at Lin Mengran with confusion, "Are you sure frogs can sunbathe without getting sunburnt or half-dead?"

"You don’t understand, do you?" Lin Mengran looked at her with disdain, "I used to see frogs sunbathing when I was little. That expression, it really resembled Chuxia’s just now."

"Lin Mengran..." Chuxia glared at her, "Try describing it like that again!"

"Hehe..." Lin Mengran laughed awkwardly, "I was just giving an example, didn’t say you are like a frog, right?" Seeing the fists about to be thrown her way, she quickly changed her tune, "I’m wrong, I’m wrong, I should say, you just now looked like a sunbathing kitty cat, so adorable..."

"Scram!" Chuxia glared at her, "Hurry and get to the kitchen to help. We’re having dumplings tonight with a lot of families, so don’t just flap your gums, get moving!"

Li Xinli was the first to turn and quickly entered the kitchen, followed by Wu Jingbo and Yang Xiaoli. Lin Mengran hesitated for a moment, then gave Chuxia a sheepish smile, "I don’t know how to do anything, give me something else to do."

Chuxia: "..."

"Don’t look at me like that..." Lin Mengran came and shook Chuxia’s arm, "At home, the garlic sauce for dumplings was always my task."

Chuxia had no choice but to wave her hand at her: "Fine, then you go mash the garlic."

Lin Mengran trotted off to the kitchen, grabbed a few heads of garlic, brought out a pestle and mortar, "I’ll chat with you while working, otherwise you’d be bored here alone."

"You’re just wanting me to help peel the garlic, huh?"

"Don’t wrong me like that..." Lin Mengran glared at Chuxia displeased, "Am I that kind of person? Just this small task, do I need you to help?

You know, back at home when the whole family ate dumplings, I used to mash a whole basket of garlic cloves into sauce without ever asking for help."

Chuxia was speechless: "Does your ’whole family’ mean hundreds of people?"

"There were over two hundred." Lin Mengran sighed, "But that was initially; it was quite lively and harmonious with so many people gathered.

Later, such big gatherings became fewer and fewer as grandma’s health declined, bringing more and more chaotic troubles. Counting now, it’s been five or six years without such liveliness."

"I really can’t imagine the scene you’re describing." Chuxia patted her shoulder, "But with so many people, conflicts and arguments are normal too.

If you want to have such gatherings again, you should work hard and help the Lin Family thrive with your leadership. When you gather next time, I can drop by and witness it myself."

Lin Mengran pouted, "Alright, stop comforting me. I know very well what I’m capable of. If I can gain their acceptance, that would already be great, let alone dreaming of unity, huh?!"

"Not necessarily..." Chuxia suddenly slapped her forehead, "By the way, there’s something I’ve been forgetting to ask. Now looking at it, the possibility of Zuo Jiang becoming the successor of the Zuo Family is quite high too.

And you also have a high chance of becoming the Lin Family’s successor. If eventually, you both become focus targets for family development, what will you do?"

"We’ve discussed this. If he becomes the successor of the Zuo Family first, I won’t compete for the Lin Family’s succession; if I take Lin’s first, he won’t go for Zuo’s.

He mentioned they have another candidate, his second cousin. For us, now it seems, if I don’t compete, it probably goes to Lin Mengye.

While it’s a bit bitter to let her have her way, when I think about it, my lifelong happiness is also important. It’s unnecessary to sacrifice my happiness for bitterness, wouldn’t you agree?"

"You make a valid point..." Chuxia sighed, "But your approach seems quite passive. If you both strive for your family succession, then after marriage, mutual benefits may occur?

If elders object, you can persuade them, right? Both families’ business scopes don’t conflict and could even collaborate, as the saying goes, ’Don’t let the fertile soil go to others,’ right?"

"We’ve considered that possibility too, but the odds of success are slim. Moreover, I don’t want us both to be so busy that we hardly see each other. Whether for his family or mine, taking over will mean being busy like a wind-up toy. I don’t want us to reach old age and realize that even though we’re spouses, we hardly spent time together. Much less do I want our children to grow crooked due to our negligence."

"Thinking quite far ahead." Chuxia laughed looking at her, "I was just casually mentioning. Since you have concerns, I won’t say anything more. However, among successors in both families, never mind Zuo’s, if your sister takes over, all your efforts would be for nothing, and Lin’s future can be predicted. Are you okay with that?"

"Not really, but..." Lin Mengran sighed with a bitter smile, "If it really comes to that, it only shows Lin’s fate. Can’t blame anyone."

Chuxia stopped persuading her: "Okay, as long as you think like that."

"I don’t want to think like this, but I have no other way; it’s the only way to comfort myself." Lin Mengran shook her head, "Forget it, let’s not dwell on these troublesome matters first..." She then switched topics, "Sister Jingyi is here, why didn’t Sister Jingzi come too?"

"Third sister-in-law came with Sister Jingyi; now they’ve gone to find Third Brother." Chuxia answered succinctly, leaving Lin Mengran puzzled, "Why the rush to find your Third Brother?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)