Yin Shihua instinctively grasped her husband’s hand...

Shan Munan’s gaze involuntarily fell on the young woman sitting in the yard at this moment...

His wife’s eyes filled with worry, and Shan Munan seemed to become vaguely aware of it.

——————

Dinner.

The two elders of the Yin Family came downstairs, and at the large oval table, the two elders sat at the head.

Mr. and Mrs. Shan Munan sat on one side, while Shan Mingxu and Fu Sheng sat opposite them.

Ming Xu looked at the table full of delicious dishes and didn’t hold back at all, starting to eat as he moved his chopsticks.

"Eat slowly, no one is competing with you."

Yin Shihua saw her son looking like he had never had home-cooked food before and couldn’t help but feel distressed.

"Mom, your cooking is still the best. The food cooked in large pots in the army truly wastes the ingredients."

"If your leaders in the army hear what you said, will they mark it against you?"

Yin Shihua teased as she asked.

"How would I say this in the army? Saying this makes it seem like I’m boasting about having a mother who’s a second-level chef, and because of this, my comrades would probably flock to our home whenever they get leave."

Shan Mingxu said, casually placing a piece of braised pork in Fu Sheng’s bowl,

"Eat more, mom, isn’t Fu Sheng eating at home? She looks like she hasn’t gained any weight at all..."

"Fu Sheng has a small appetite, her absorption isn’t great, her body needs proper care, and it will take some time for her to gain weight."

Yin Shihua said as she placed two large shrimp in Fu Sheng’s bowl,

"For Ming Xu to care so much, Fu Sheng, you’re the first one!"

Fu Sheng raised her eyebrows slightly, a bit surprised, but soon a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Mom, why don’t you say the woman who can make people worry so much is the first one?"

Shan Mingxu said with slight irritation, burying his head in his food.

Yin Shihua looked at the two sitting opposite her, they didn’t communicate with each other at all, almost as if they were deliberately avoiding something.

She and her husband have been around for a while; how could they not notice the undercurrent of feelings between these young people?

Yin Shihua was worried.

Fu Sheng was a quiet and lovely girl, indeed charming and pretty enough.

But...

The concept of matching family backgrounds seems to be an eternal problem that can’t be avoided in big families like theirs.

Not to mention Fu Sheng’s background and family status, which they knew nothing about.

Letting her son get involved with such a woman, Yin Shihua couldn’t help but be worried.

"Ming Xu, how long do you plan to stay in the army?"

Yin Shihua asked casually as she lowered her head, picking up some greens and chewing slowly, as if in a casual tone, but actually touching on a very sensitive topic between mother and son.

Shan Mingxu paused his eating for a moment, then quickly swallowed the food in his mouth,

"I haven’t planned."

Without looking at his mother, Shan Mingxu replied offhandedly.

Yin Shaohui and Zhou Mengqin exchanged a glance, each having their own thoughts but choosing to stay silent at the moment.

The simple answer of "I haven’t planned" was somewhat unexpected for everyone present.

Even Shan Munan looked at him briefly, put down his bowl,

"You’ve been in the army for almost four years; what do you mean by no plans?"

"No plans means no plans."

Shan Mingxu pressed his lips together.

"Are you planning to give your life to the country until it’s over?"

"There’s nothing wrong with that."

Shan Mingxu’s words had a hint of sulkiness.

Even if he truly had no plans, his plans probably wouldn’t align much with his parents’ hopes.

Shan Munan put down his chopsticks,

"Ming Xu."

Shan Mingxu took a deep breath, looking at the table full of dishes in front of him, he thought for a moment, and also put down his bowl,

"It’s not that I’m not planning, it’s just that right now I still want to continue staying in the military, just like Grandpa did back then."

Yin Shaohui was being directly addressed, and since he was called out, he felt it inappropriate to remain silent,

"Ming Xu is grown up; he has his own thoughts. ’No plans’ doesn’t necessarily mean he truly has no plans."

"Dad..."

"Shi Hua, I understand your concerns, Ming Xu being in the army, you always worry, but this is the path Ming Xu chose for himself. No matter how much advice we give as his elders, ultimately we can’t walk his life for him."

Of course, Yin Shihua understood what her father was saying; educated people as they were.

This era is no longer the same as the past.

The emphasis is on individuality, living a vibrant life.

Yin Shihua pressed her lips together,

"Mom isn’t trying to stop you from anything. You want to stay in the army, build a career, shed blood and sweat, and though mom worries, she’s more proud of you."

"But as you’re getting older, since you’ve chosen to be a soldier, mom hopes you can settle down and start a family soon."

"Pfft—cough cough..."

Shan Mingxu spat out the cola he hadn’t yet swallowed, quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth.

Ming Xu’s eyes widened as he looked at Yin Shihua in shock,

"Mom, I just turned twenty-three, isn’t it a bit too soon to be worried about this?"

"Why am I too soon? You’re twenty-three already, no longer in school; you’re a grown man now. Shouldn’t I worry about these things for you?"

"No, no, mom, you really don’t need to worry about these things for me."

Shan Mingxu hastily shook his head.

He truly hadn’t anticipated the topic would turn to him settling down.

With Shan Mingxu’s personality, he wouldn’t even consider marriage before the age of thirty.

Yin Shihua pressed her lips together,

"When do you plan to leave this time you came back?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Then it’s perfect. Tomorrow morning come out with me for a bit. Your dad has a really good writer friend, and he has a daughter who just graduated from college this year, just a year younger than you, and she’s very pretty, mom has met her..."

"Mom."

Shan Mingxu quickly interrupted Yin Shihua.

"What’s the matter?"

"I don’t have the time for a relationship right now; could you not get involved?"

Shan Mingxu never expected that his parents not only brought up his settling down but actually already had a candidate in mind.

It seemed they weren’t just mentioning it casually.

While discussing the blind date matter with Shan Mingxu, Yin Shihua constantly glanced at Fu Sheng’s expression from the corner of her eyes.

She kept her head down, quietly having her meal, seemingly unfazed.

"Mom is going to do some math for you, see if mom is right."

Originally, Yin Shihua just wanted to use the topic of "blind dates" at the dining table to test the waters between Shan Mingxu and Fu Sheng.

But since she had already broached the subject, Yin Shihua decided not to hold back and to properly discuss this matter with Shan Mingxu,

"You’re twenty-three this year, and you’re spending the whole year in the military, surrounded by men. Where do you find the resources and space to meet a girlfriend?"

Shan Mingxu took a deep breath, seated right next to Fu Sheng.

His mother’s endless nagging on these issues inexplicably made him restless.

"Mom, could we discuss these matters privately later?"

"There are no outsiders here, everyone at this table is family, and Fu Sheng has been staying with us for so long; she’s practically part of the family."

Yin Shihua said as she looked at Fu Sheng,

"Fu Sheng, you can tell if Auntie’s advice to Ming Xu is on point."

"Yes, okay."

Fu Sheng lifted her head, smiling as she agreed.

Seeing Fu Sheng so calm and composed, an inexplicable spark flared in Shan Mingxu’s heart.

Fu Sheng had no objections, so Shan Mingxu naturally had no other reason to refute Yin Shihua. He could only listen as Yin Shihua continued to nag,

"A man wants to throw himself into his career, I get that."

"So mom doesn’t force you to see anyone, but the reality is now in front of us. Today’s young people have higher expectations for their partners."

"Especially girls nowadays, they’re more assertive, all have distinct personalities."

"Of course, mentioning that you’re Yin Shaohui’s grandson will surely attract many young girls to us, but will the truly good and outstanding ones marry you for your grandpa? Or for your father’s fame?"

"They’ll surely be interested in you as a person."

"You’re twenty-three now. If you start meeting a girl now, at least two years of dating, right? Wouldn’t you be twenty-five by then?"