Chapter 35: The Discerning Future Mother-in-Law

Zhao Yiming skillfully concealed the trace of annoyance in his eyes and smiled at Xiao Banxia, saying, “Confident talent breeds arrogance; your brother clearly has ability. Is he still in school, or is he working now?”

“My brother is capable, but he’s just too lazy. He graduated this year and opened a small restaurant in Hanzhou. I haven’t been home for a long time, so I don’t know how his business is doing.” With Xiaoyao’s repeated reminders, Xiao Banxia didn’t intend to disclose her brother’s wealth to her boyfriend for now, only mentioning his past.

“So he started his own business—truly bold. That’s something I admire.” Although Zhao Yiming secretly looked down on Xiaoyao for only running a small restaurant yet acting so self-important, he still spoke words of praise.

Now that Xiaoyao understood what kind of person Zhao Yiming was, he had no interest in dealing with him and remained mostly silent, showing a cold attitude.

After chatting for a while, Xiao Banxia asked, “When will your parents arrive? Maybe we should go downstairs to greet them; otherwise, wouldn’t it seem rude?”

“No need. My parents don’t care about that stuff. We can just wait for them in the private room.” As their son, Zhao Yiming truly hadn’t thought much about these things.

“They are elders, after all. Even if they’re not particular, as a younger generation meeting them for the first time, it’s better to greet them at the entrance. Otherwise, it would seem disrespectful.” Xiao Banxia took this meeting very seriously and didn’t want to leave a bad impression of poor manners on her boyfriend’s parents.

“My dad has to pick up my mom after work, so I’m not sure when they’ll get here. Since you care so much, how about we—”

Xiaoyao suddenly interrupted Zhao Yiming, “Old Zhao, as their son, surely understands his parents’ temperament. If he says there’s no need, then there’s probably no reason to go. Let’s just wait in the private room, and when his parents arrive, he can pass along your intentions.”

Zhao Yiming felt displeased at Xiaoyao’s informal address and withdrew his smile, his attitude no longer as enthusiastic as when they first met. “I’ll let them know, and we’ll patiently wait here.”

Her brother had once again undermined her, so Xiao Banxia glared at Xiaoyao and said, “Fine, when we get home, make sure to explain my intentions properly. Don’t let uncle and aunt nitpick later.”

Xiaoyao’s lack of cooperation made the atmosphere awkward, and Xiao Banxia and Zhao Yiming made small talk, soon passing half an hour.

When Zhao Yiming’s parents entered, the private room was quiet, with the three silently sipping tea.

Seeing his parents finally arrive—and no longer needing to awkwardly face his girlfriend’s difficult brother—Zhao Yiming quickly stood and introduced, “Dad, Mom, you’re here. Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Xiao Banxia, and her brother, Xiaoyao.”

“Uncle, Aunt, you must be tired from the journey. I’m Yiming’s girlfriend, Xiao Banxia.” With a sweet smile, Xiao Banxia greeted them gracefully.

“Hello, Uncle and Aunt, I’m Xiaoyao.” Although Xiaoyao was determined to expose Zhao Yiming’s true colors, he still showed proper manners in front of Zhao Yiming’s parents.

Zhao Yiming’s parents, though middle-aged, looked energetic and a few years younger than their actual age.

“So you’re Banxia. I asked Yiming to arrange to meet you several times, and today we finally get to meet. It really wasn’t easy.” Zhao Yiming’s mother had narrow eyes and a pointed chin, her naturally stern face matched her sharp way of speaking, full of insinuation and unpleasant undertones.

“Uncle and Aunt invited me to meet, so as a junior, I couldn’t possibly delay. Yiming had arranged our meetings twice before, and I took leave both times, but he suddenly had urgent matters—either had to work overtime or go on a business trip. I said he didn’t need to accompany me, that I could meet you both myself, but he worried. It’s been delayed until today; indeed, we juniors were inconsiderate.” Xiao Banxia’s voice was cheerful, hiding her annoyance well, and she left nothing unsaid. As the younger generation, she owed respect to her boyfriend’s parents, but that didn’t mean she would accept being wronged.

Especially since this was their first meeting, and her future mother-in-law’s first words were barbed, Banxia had no intention of indulging her.

Xiaoyao patted Zhao Yiming’s shoulder and said, “Brother Zhao, that’s not right. Work is work, but family matters need attention too—you can’t neglect them. Look at you, making Aunt He misunderstand on your first meeting. Clearly, you didn’t explain things properly. If I made such a foolish mistake at home, I’d be lucky to escape with just a scolding.”

Then he turned to Zhao Yiming’s mother, “Aunt He, am I right? For something this important, and Brother Zhao doesn’t clarify things to his elders—you tell me, shouldn’t he be scolded?”

Mrs. He was already dissatisfied with her future daughter-in-law. She’d only hinted with words, yet was promptly reproached by both Banxia and her brother, which made her quite unhappy.

Seeing his wife’s face fall, Old Zhao picked up the conversation, “Good things take time. We’ve been hoping to meet Xiao for ages, but Yiming’s procrastination delayed things until now, so we can finally gather as a family. Let’s all sit down and talk.”

Zhao Yiming had already ordered the dishes, and as everyone spoke, the cold dishes arrived, followed by the hot ones.

As the head of the family, Old Zhao poured wine for everyone and said, “It’s our first meeting. We should have invited you to our home, but neither I nor Aunt He are good cooks, and work has kept us busy, so we chose a restaurant instead. When you’re free, Yiming can bring you home for a meal—our cooking isn’t great, but don’t hold it against us.”

Xiao Banxia smiled, “Of course not. Home-cooked food may not be as refined as restaurant fare, but with the warmth of family, it always tastes better. I don’t think anyone would ever object.”

Despite her radiant smile, Mrs. He felt Banxia’s words had an undertone, as if she was dissatisfied that their first meeting wasn’t at home but in a restaurant.

With this impression, Mrs. He’s opinion of Banxia only worsened.