Chapter 79: Family Lunch and Surprises

The five people’s gazes left Lin Zheng Ran looking completely exhausted.

Even eating lunch turned into a hassle for him: “Why are you all staring at me? Take back the food you put on my plate and eat your own.”

The three girls blinked their eyes, unfazed.

Only when Lin Zheng Ran looked at Heqing did she quickly take the big shrimp back and eat it herself—she didn’t dare defy him.

“I took it back, I took it back,” she said timidly.

Then he turned to Lily. Though she often bantered with Lin Zheng Ran, she didn’t really want to upset him.

“Got it.”

Finally, he locked eyes with Han Wenwen: “And you too.”

Han Wenwen took the ribs back and nibbled on them quietly.

She blinked innocently, acting like nothing had happened.

Lin Zheng Ran then glanced at his dad and mom, and they both chuckled, caught up in the moment.

Lin Zheng Ran sighed helplessly: “Mom and Dad, can’t we just eat in peace? Why join in the fun?”

Lin Ying Jun laughed heartily: “Right, the girls’ side still has some soup. Ran Ran, you should have some too.”

Lin Zheng Ran agreed and reached for the ladle, but saw Heqing and Lily had already beaten him to it.

In unison, they said: “I’ll get it for you.”

The two girls’ hands grasped the ladle at the same time, exchanging awkward glances.

Lin Ying Jun: “.”

Lin Xiao Li: “.”

The couple both thought inwardly: “This lunch isn’t going down easy.”

Meanwhile, Lin Zheng Ran casually picked at his food: “I told you to eat your own. I can serve myself.”

Only then did they start passing the ladle between them.

Lin Ying Jun whispered to his wife: “You know, Ran Ran really has that head-of-the-house vibe. It’s good he’s strong enough to keep these girls in check.”

Lin Zheng Ran overheard his dad’s murmur—he wasn’t your average person, after all.

“Dad?”

Lin Ying Jun laughed again: “Eat up, everyone. Help yourselves, no need to be polite.”

This lunch felt strange to the couple. Usually, when Han Wenwen, Heqing, or Lily visited alone, things were harmonious.

But together, no one could get a word in edgewise.

Only Lin Ying Jun and Lin Xiao Li occasionally spoke, prompting the girls to respond.

After lunch, the three girls eagerly helped the elders with the dishes and pots.

That’s when Lin Zheng Ran heard his dad Lin Ying Jun’s phone ring and pointed it out.

Lin Ying Jun checked the caller and realized it was his father. He answered quickly: “Hello, Dad? What’s up?”

Lin Zheng Ran’s grandfather said on the phone: “Son, I’m at your residential area’s entrance. Come pick me up?”

“Huh? Dad, you’re here at our residential area?”

Lin Zheng Ran’s grandfather: “Yeah, I missed Ran Ran and thought I’d drop by. Plus, I have something to discuss with him. He’s home, right? Isn’t junior high on break?”

“Yes, junior high’s on break. I’ll go down with Ran Ran to get you.”

Lin Zheng Ran, who was wiping the table, overheard the conversation: “Grandpa’s coming?”

Lin Ying Jun washed his hands and headed to change shoes: “Yeah, he’s at the residential area’s entrance. Let’s go meet him.”

“Okay.”

Lin Zheng Ran went to the door to put on his shoes. The three girls, hearing their talk, glanced over but kept helping Lin Xiao Li.

Lin Xiao Li asked her husband: “What’s Dad coming over for? So sudden?”

Lin Ying Jun opened the door: “I don’t know. Probably just to see Ran Ran. I’ll bring him back first.”

Lin Zheng Ran accompanied his dad to the residential area’s entrance and brought his sturdy grandfather back home.

On the way, Grandpa looked at Lin Zheng Ran with delight: “Little Ran Ran, you’ve grown so tall! It feels like just half a year, and you’re a whole new person.”

Lin Zheng Ran smiled. He’d shot up a bit in ninth grade: “Not by much. Oh, and Dad said you have something to talk to me about?”

Grandpa nodded:

“Yes, something’s come up. I’ll tell you once we’re upstairs. It’s not a big deal, but not small either. I almost forgot about it until your near-perfect middle school exam scores.”

He beamed with pride at his grandson: “You’re basically the top in town now. I mentioned it to some old comrades, and it reminded me of this.”

“What is it, Dad? Just spill it,” Lin Ying Jun said, looking confused.

By then, the three had reached the doorstep.

Lin Ying Jun opened the door.

Inside, the three girls and Lin Xiao Li heard the door and hurried to greet Grandpa.

Grandpa, holding the stair railing, stepped in and answered:

“I told you before, right? When I was young in the army, I was close to an old friend. But back then, you and his daughter were way apart in age,

so I just arranged a childhood betrothal for Ran Ran. We talked about it at our gathering, and he said his granddaughter goes to the same

high school as Ran Ran. I thought they should meet if there’s chemistry, maybe try dating.”

Grandpa froze at the door, spotting the three pretty girls in the house besides his daughter-in-law.

The last two words finally came out, along with his final thought: “High school, and see if they hit it off.”

In that moment, Lin Ying Jun, Lin Xiao Li, Han Wenwen, Heqing, Lily, and even Lin Zheng Ran all widened their eyes.

For the first time, everyone blurted out the same word: “Childhood betrothal?!”

After the shock, Han Wenwen and the others greeted Grandpa.

“Hello, Grandpa.”

Soon, Grandpa sat on the sofa, and Lin Xiao Li handed him water.

Han Wenwen, Lily, and Heqing stood aside, all jealous glances at Lin Zheng Ran—they’d never heard of this.

Lin Zheng Ran looked back at them: “What are those looks? This is news to me too.”

Grandpa blinked, not expecting things to get so awkward: “These three girls are…”

Lin Ying Jun introduced: “Dad, they’re Ran Ran’s good friends.”

Grandpa watched the girls’ jealous stares at his grandson and whispered to his son: “Are you sure they’re just good friends?”

Lin Ying Jun swallowed hard and whispered back: “Dad, you’re asking the obvious. Do they look like just friends? Anyway, what’s this about the betrothal? I don’t remember it.”

Grandpa glanced at the three girls and frowned: “What do you remember? But can I even say more now?”

Han Wenwen spoke up first: “Grandpa, what about this childhood betrothal for Lin Zheng Ran? We’re all curious.”

Lily and Heqing nodded eagerly: “Yeah, we’re really curious.”

Grandpa wiped his brow, thinking he’d worried for nothing about his grandson’s love life: “Well… actually, girls, about Ran Ran’s fiancée…”

They all chimed in: “Wait, now it’s a fiancée?!”

Grandpa corrected himself: “Oh no, no—childhood betrothal! I mean, I set one up for Ran Ran with my old friend’s family, and he was on board, but it all depends on Ran Ran. I just wanted to mention it.”

The room fell silent.

Grandpa, chuckling at the absurdity for his age: “Oh right!”

He pulled out a photo: “I have a picture of the girl. My old friend gave it to me—it’s from her junior high days. Ran Ran, want to take a look?”

Lin Xiao Li took the photo and glanced at it, and the three girls crowded in.

They were all stunned: “She’s gorgeous.”

In the photo, the girl stood on the grass in a pure white dress, one hand holding a large sun hat. Though it was just her side profile, her beauty was striking—a pair of cool eyes gazing into the distance, with black hair caught mid-sway in the wind.