Volume One, Chapter Eight: Our Family Flourishes

Seeing Chu Guanshan’s expression, Chu Mian found it amusing and asked with concern, "Father, what is the matter?"

Chu Guanshan had not expected a line outside of the script; he choked on a mouthful of rice, his voice turning somber. "Cough, cough... child, our family is poor. It is Dad... I am useless and have let you suffer."

He spoke with a slightly stiff tone, as if his mouth and brain were not in alignment.

Inside, Lin Yueru felt like a screaming toy; her husband couldn't even act! It was far too fake! She had guessed they were putting on a show, but she hadn't expected the results of this "crash course" to be so ridiculously poor.

Chu Mian kept her composure and shook her head obediently. "Father, being able to see you, Mom, and my brothers again is already a blessing. The family... may be a little poor, but I believe that our family will definitely get better in the future!"

"Hehe! Yes, yes, that's right!" Chu Xian chimed in with an awkward laugh, feeling both relieved and guilty.

"By the way, little sister, you studied medicine, right? I saw those old men at Shengdu Hospital holding you in such high regard." Only after sitting down did Chu Xian begin to seriously ponder the situation at the hospital. At first, he assumed the dean was being polite to his sister out of respect for him, given the Chu family's standing. But upon reflection, there were too many suspicious points. It seemed those old men valued his sister far more than they valued him.

Chu Mian picked up two pieces of greens. "Yes, that is correct." She had no intention of hiding her medical background; after all, she had worked at a hospital while with the Xie family, though they had never cared about her specific position.

"Shengdu Hospital specifically requested you to perform the surgery. So, you are a surgeon who can operate?"

"Yes." She was qualified to operate at Shengdu, though she was not a staff physician hired by the hospital.

"Our Mianmian is even a surgeon? That’s amazing! Then our family will finally have a child with a proper profession. How wonderful!" her mother, Lin Yueru, clapped her hands happily from the side.

Chu Xian’s mouth twitched. His eldest brother was a CEO, after all... why didn't that count as a proper profession? As for his second brother, he had earned the title of Best Actor in the entertainment industry, though in his father Chu Guanshan's words, he was just a "stage performer." His fourth brother spent every day dealing with motorcycles; in industry terms, he was a racer, but that wasn't considered a respectable career either. And the fifth... his health wasn't great, and he didn't like social interaction, so he had moved out early. He was reportedly quite skilled with computers—a "hacker," they called him. As for himself, he was just an unremarkable second-generation rich kid. When you added it all up, their family truly didn't have a single "decent" job among them.

"Little sister, about Fourth Sister-in-law's health..." Chu Xian started, but Chu Guanshan interrupted him with a sharp "Ahem." Chu Xian laughed awkwardly and buried his head in his rice.

Chu Mian noticed the undercurrents at the table and took the initiative to ask, "What is wrong with Fourth Sister-in-law?" She knew she had five brothers, but she hadn't realized the fourth was married.

The people before her seemed hesitant to speak. Under pressure from his father, Chu Xian stayed silent. Lin Yueru shot a serious glance at Chu Guanshan, then smiled at Chu Mian. "It's nothing major. It's just that Mengmeng and your fourth brother have been married for six years, and there has been no news. Our family is usually quite prosperous, and we don't demand that she bear children, but your fourth brother and his wife..."

"Infertility?" Chu Mian asked curiously. If there had been no progress in six years, they surely must have had check-ups; if there was still no result, it was likely more complex than simple infertility.

"We don't know the medical terms, but yes, that seems to be it."

Chu Mian nodded in understanding. "I can take a look at Fourth Sister-in-law."

"We will discuss that later. Mianmian has just returned; she needs to rest first," Chu Guanshan declared, ignoring Lin Yueru's gaze.

"Right, right, exactly."

As they spoke, Chu Xian’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at it, and his expression darkened. "I have to take this call."

Chu Guanshan noticed the change in his son, his expression remaining steady, though he chewed his food with more force. He seemed to have already guessed who was calling. Chu Mian, however, did not pay much attention; she was still thinking about her sister-in-law.

"Hello?" Chu Xian stood in front of the old locust tree at the entrance of the dilapidated house, one leg resting casually on a root, his tone unfriendly.

There was a two-second silence on the other end before a low, rich voice spoke. "Third Young Master Chu, this is Fu Jinnian."

"I know. Say what you have to say!" Chu Xian had no patience for the man to whom his sister had been betrothed since childhood, the second master of the Fu family.

"I heard that Miss Chu has returned to the Chu family. I would like to invite her to discuss our marriage contract."

News traveled fast. He had only just brought his sister back, and Fu Jinnian already knew. Could it be that he had been monitoring their family all these years?

Chu Xian snorted. "Fine. When?"

"Whenever you decide, Third Young Master."

"This afternoon. Pick a place, and I will bring my sister."

He hung up without a shred of politeness. He had long wanted to dissolve this engagement, and now that Fu Jinnian had taken the initiative, he wanted to fly his sister over immediately. Fu Jinnian was already pushing thirty and was a disabled man—did he really think he was worthy of being his precious sister’s husband? Hmph! As long as he was around, no one was going to snatch his sister away!

Returning to the house, Chu Mian had just finished her meal. Chu Xian strode over and grabbed her hand without explanation. "Sister, are you full? Come with me."

"Where to?"

Chu Xian didn't answer, merely exchanging a look with Chu Guanshan and Lin Yueru. Seeing the impatience in Chu Xian’s eyes, Lin Yueru understood the reason. She hesitated, then finally said to Chu Mian, "Mianmian, go with your third brother."

Seeing that they were hiding something, Chu Mian didn't press for answers and nodded, following him.

They arrived at a high-end restaurant in the city. Standing at the entrance, Chu Mian looked up at the skyscraper that seemed to pierce the clouds and asked in surprise, "Third Brother, can our family afford to come to a place like this?" It clearly looked very expensive.

Seeing his sister's "this is so luxurious" expression, Chu Xian worried. Would she refuse to break the engagement because Fu Jinnian was rich? No, he had to set her straight!

"Sister, one cannot be swayed by these superficial things in life! For example, if you had a very wealthy fiancé, but he looked down on our family for being poor, would you still marry him?"

Chu Mian lowered her eyes. She had a fiancé?

"Sister?"

"No, I wouldn't."

Chu Xian breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Actually, the reason I brought you here is to tell you that you have a marriage contract from when you were little..."

"Does he want to break the engagement?" Chu Mian asked directly.

Chu Xian was taken aback. Fu Jinnian hadn't actually said that, but he nodded calmly. "Yes, he looks down on our family for being poor. He says you aren't good enough for him and wants to call it off!"

"That's fine, then." Chu Mian hadn't wanted to marry so early anyway; she had too many things left to do.

Having received his sister's confirmation, Chu Xian felt more confident. He led Chu Mian into the restaurant with his head held high, spotting the man sitting by the window immediately.

"Look, sister, that's the cripple in the wheelchair." He deliberately used harsh words, wanting to deliver one final, strong dose of discouragement to Chu Mian.