Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

Jiang Linyuan drove home, and Mother Jiang, who was sitting by the front door, was quite surprised.

Hadn't he just gone out a moment ago? Why was he suddenly back?

“Did the car break down?”

Watching Jiang Linyuan get out of the car, she casually asked.

“Nope, finished with things.”

Jiang Linyuan replied offhandedly, and behind him, Yu Songsong followed suit, a little embarrassed as she greeted them.

“Moth... Auntie, hello. My name is Yu Songsong. Sorry for the intrusion today.”

?

Mother Jiang rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn't seeing things.

How did this kid go out alone and come back with two people?!

And a pretty girl, at that! Wasn't she supposed to come tomorrow? What was this, a nighttime surprise attack?!

Mother Jiang was a bit stunned, unsure what to say, staring at Yu Songsong, then back at Jiang Linyuan.

“What are you standing there like a dummy for, same as Dad? Aren't you cold? Get inside, no need to be so polite.”

Jiang Linyuan gave Yu Songsong a gentle shove, herding her toward the house. Then, he turned back to look at Mother Jiang:

“This is my friend. She had nothing to do tonight, so I brought her over to hang out.”

Friend my ass! “Friend,” huh?! This girl's eyes are practically glued to you! And she called me “Auntie”!

Mother Jiang smiled slightly and looked at Yu Songsong:

“Oh, so you're Linyuan's friend. Come on in, have a seat. Make yourself at home, don't be shy.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Yu Songsong met Mother Jiang's gaze, her heart pounding with nerves. It would be a disaster if she left a bad impression on her future mother-in-law.

Her little sister-in-law's cautionary tale was still fresh in her memory.

Everyone went inside. Father Jiang was watching TV. Jiang Zhiyao was nowhere to be seen; she was probably busy in the kitchen.

“Is dinner ready?”

Father Jiang heard some commotion and, thinking it was Mother Jiang calling him to eat, looked up.

Hmm? Hmm?!

Seeing a girl trailing behind Jiang Linyuan, Father Jiang sat up a little straighter.

“Hello, Uncle. My name is Yu Songsong.”

Yu Songsong greeted him.

Uncle? 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Father Jiang glanced at Jiang Linyuan and noticed he wasn't correcting her.

Sigh. So, this day has finally come, huh?

He wasn't a man of many words, so he reached into the pocket of his coat, pulled out a red envelope, and said:

“Mm, Happy New Year.”

Yu Songsong didn't take it; she sneakily glanced at Jiang Linyuan.

“What's the red envelope for?”

Jiang Linyuan asked.

“Lucky money.”

Father Jiang didn't understand. Since he'd already brought her home, shouldn't they be solidifying the relationship by now?

Why was his own son not letting her accept it?

“Just one?”

Jiang Linyuan took the red envelope and felt it. It was pretty thick. The old man had some cash on him. This red envelope didn't look like a last-minute thing.

What did he mean by “just one”?

Father Jiang's expression turned strange, feeling that what he'd prepared was a bit lacking.

“Take it.”

Jiang Linyuan stuffed the red envelope into Yu Songsong's coat pocket, then asked:

“Where's Jiang Zhiyao? Is she busy in the kitchen?”

“Mm.”

Father Jiang nodded, then looked at Mother Jiang.

Mother Jiang nodded:

“You guys chat. Yaoyao can't handle everything alone. I'm going to help in the kitchen.”

Yu Songsong immediately said:

“I'll help too!”

Mother Jiang initially wanted to refuse—it wasn't right to have a guest cook—but thinking she could also have a private chat with her, she didn't turn her down.

The two of them headed to the kitchen.

“She's a really nice girl. You need to seize the opportunity.”

Father Jiang said to Jiang Linyuan.

“We're just good friends.”

Jiang Linyuan sat down beside him and said it very frankly.

Father Jiang looked at him:

“She can be your girlfriend in the future.”

Got it. The old man's logic was that all good friends could become girlfriends!

He was way too open-minded!

“I'll give it a try.”

Jiang Linyuan nodded. The old man's task was a bit tough, but not impossible, hehe.

“Mm. Good to know you understand.”

Father Jiang was quite relieved. This kid had finally started acting like a decent human being.

“Yaoyao told me that a girl named Su is supposed to come tomorrow, right? Once you've made up your mind, you should make things clear with her sooner.”

He added another reminder.

“It's a bit early. My other good friends won't agree.”

Jiang Linyuan said.

Father Jiang was stunned, feeling like they weren't on the same page:

“This thing between you and Little Yu, why do you need other friends' approval?”

“Who said this was just between two people?”

Father Jiang fell silent. Then he let out a resigned sigh. This kid... thank God he wasn't his biological son. He should just disown him from the family someday.

His own son was really not acting like a human being.

“Don't betray your good friends.”

“In this world, loyalty is everything!”

Jiang Linyuan nodded.

Friendship is pure. White is also pure.

So, I'm willing to take the purest thing inside my body and share it with my good friend.

Elevating friendship. A salute to pure friendship! To pure white!

“I'm glad you understand.”

Father Jiang felt he needed to prepare a few more red envelopes.

...

In the kitchen.

Mother Jiang was feeling conflicted.

It wasn't that she was dissatisfied with Yu Songsong; on the contrary, the girl pleased her far too much.

Watching her chop vegetables with swift, precise strokes, her knife skills were even better than her own.

She wasn't some spoiled, pampered girl.

She was pretty, had a great figure, knew how to sweet-talk people, and, more importantly, her heart was completely devoted to their son.

If this had happened earlier, she'd be grinning from ear to ear, just waiting for grandkids to arrive.

But now...

“It's really surprising that you came to our place today.”

Jiang Zhiyao was stir-frying some small pieces of meat on the side, glancing at Yu Songsong, who was chopping vegetables, as she asked.

“Yeah, I'm a bit embarrassed. Sorry for bothering you and your little sister, Auntie.”

Yu Songsong said apologetically.

Since when am I YOUR little sister?! Who told you to call me that?!

Jiang Zhiyao grabbed her spatula and gave it a fierce scoop:

“You're not going home for New Year's Eve? Won't your family be worried?”

Yu Songsong revealed a carefree smile:

“It doesn't matter to them whether I'm there or not.”

Jiang Zhiyao was taken aback. The irritation she'd initially felt upon seeing Yu Songsong began to fade, and the strength in her hand gradually softened:

“It's the New Year. Don't dwell on unhappy things.”

No wonder he brought her home... it really was...

It made it impossible to even stay angry. Jiang Zhiyao felt helpless:

“Is there anything you especially like to eat? I'll make you another dish.”

Yu Songsong's face lit up with joy, but she shook her head:

“No need to go to all that trouble. Just being able to come here today makes me really happy.”

Under the steaming heat of the kitchen, her face was filled with a blissful smile.

Unlike Su Muzhi, this person genuinely loved him...

Jiang Zhiyao thought.

Forget it. She'd just go along with what he said and treat it as a good friend coming over for a meal.

“Can you hand me that oyster sauce on your right? I can't reach it.”

“Mm-hmm, this one?”

“Yeah. Adding some oyster sauce makes the beef more tender. It's his favorite.”

“Thanks for telling me that, little sister.”

“Don't call me that! Call me 'Senior,' and get back to chopping your vegetables properly!”

The two girls busied themselves in the kitchen, one chopping and preparing ingredients, the other handling the pots and the heat, leaving Mother Jiang with nothing to do.

Her own darling was great, but this little Yu girl was also a wonderful girl.

Mother Jiang was filled with mixed emotions. She didn't know which one to let go.

Her own youngest was obviously out of the question. After all these years, she couldn't bear to see her cry.

And this little Yu girl was hard to give up on too. Her family situation seemed pretty pitiful. If she were lured in by the eldest and then discarded, wouldn't she be crying her eyes out every day?

Maybe they should just get rid of that thing called Jiang Linyuan instead.