Chapter 193: This Is No Joke

Gu Ning’an ate his meal in peace, but Zheng De seemed to be holding back a stomach full of frustration.

As soon as they stepped away from the table, Zheng De dragged Gu Ning’an aside to vent—his complaints, of course, were directed at his second aunt and cousin.

According to him, that mother and son duo had always been vain and eager to flaunt their superiority since childhood. Over time, their relatives grew tired of it. Whenever possible, they would avoid them, and when avoidance wasn’t an option, they would simply feign ignorance or pay lip service with a few perfunctory words.

That much was tolerable—after all, they only met on holidays or for weddings and funerals.

But what truly made many relatives uncomfortable was his second aunt’s treatment of her daughter-in-law.

To start with, let’s talk about their family’s situation.

Yu Fu’s father died early, leaving the Yu family struggling financially. Many relatives had lent a helping hand over the years.

When Yu Fu reached marriageable age, his mother searched tirelessly for a match.

However, their household had little to offer, and given the off-putting personalities of Madam Yu and Yu Fu, matchmaking efforts went nowhere for years.

Then, one day, Jiao Qingqing, a young woman from another province, entered their lives.

She didn’t mind that the Yu family was poor, nor did she mind Yu Fu’s vain personality. She married into the family without demanding a single coin.

Even after marriage, she often took on odd jobs to help with household expenses.

At the time, everyone thought Yu Fu had lucked out, marrying a devoted, virtuous, and hardworking wife.

In the beginning, during New Year gatherings, things seemed fine—the three of them got along well enough.

But as time passed, Madam Yu’s treatment of her daughter-in-law deteriorated.

At the heart of it all was one issue—”continuing the family line.”

Because of this, Madam Yu constantly brought home all sorts of bizarre folk remedies for Jiao Qingqing to consume.

Jiao Qingqing, for her part, never resisted. Whatever her mother-in-law told her to drink, she drank, without complaint.

At this point, Zheng De furrowed his brows, his face twisting in disgust.

“Mr. Gu, you wouldn’t believe it—my second aunt even gave me one of those so-called remedies!”

“That wasn’t just a folk remedy—it was downright wicked!”

“Spring silkworms, summer worms, autumn butterflies, winter cocoons… plus pokeweed and fleeceflower root…”

“Honestly, just reading the list made me want to vomit. I have no idea how my cousin-in-law managed to hold her nose and choke it down.”

Gu Ning’an paused before asking, “Have they ever consulted a doctor?”

“They say they have…” Zheng De sneered. “But if you ask me, they probably only had my cousin-in-law examined—there’s no way my cousin would agree to be checked himself.”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Every family has its own struggles. If one is willing to impose and the other is willing to endure, outsiders can’t do much about it.”

“Exactly…” Zheng De sighed. “I just couldn’t hold it in—nobody else dares to bring it up, so I had to drag you aside to vent.”

Suddenly—

“Look at you!”

“You won’t even get close to hold a child!”

“No wonder you can’t lay an egg!”

Before Gu Ning’an could respond, a sharp, scolding voice from the inner hall pierced the air—Madam Yu’s furious yelling.

Immediately after, the sorrowful wailing of Little Grape echoed through the house.

Zheng De, alarmed, rushed toward the inner hall, with Gu Ning’an following closely behind.

Inside the inner hall, Tan Bing, bundled in thick clothing, was holding the child, while Madam Yu stood beside her.

Not far from them, Jiao Qingqing and Yu Fu stood side by side.

“Little Grape, be good. Mommy’s here…” Tan Bing gently rocked her daughter while speaking to Madam Yu.

“Second Aunt, Qingqing has never held a baby before. It’s normal for her to be hesitant at first.”

“When our daughter was just born, even Zheng De took a long time before he dared to hold her.”

Madam Yu huffed impatiently. “How is that the same? He’s a man! But she’s a woman—what kind of woman is afraid to even go near a child?!”

At that moment, Zheng De arrived, quickly walking up to his wife.

“You’re still in your confinement period!” he scolded. “Hurry back inside before you catch a chill.”

“I’m fine. Besides, I’ll have to come out for the full-month banquet tomorrow anyway… And I don’t feel any discomfort anymore.” Tan Bing shook her head, then turned to Gu Ning’an, who had just approached, and nodded in greeting.

“Mr. Gu, happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” Gu Ning’an replied with a cupped-fist salute. “Congratulations on your daughter’s birth.”

Their brief exchange momentarily eased the tense atmosphere.

However, Madam Yu was far from finished. She placed her hands on her hips and snapped, “Jiao Qingqing! Get over here and hold the child!”

Zheng De’s frown deepened. His daughter had cried earlier, all because Madam Yu’s loud voice had startled her.

And now she wanted to continue? What, was his precious daughter just some kind of training dummy?!

Unacceptable!

“Second Aunt, lower your voice! You’re scaring the baby!” Zheng De’s tone was filled with displeasure.

Madam Yu, however, completely ignored him and pointed a finger at her daughter-in-law.

“Useless! You won’t even hold a child—I doubt you can even bear one!”

“Listen up! Once this matter is settled, I’m finding Yu Fu a second wife to carry on the family line! And if you dare make a fuss, I’ll have you divorced!”

Silence fell over the room.

Even Zheng De, who had been seething with anger, was completely stunned by her words.

“Mom, stop joking,” Yu Fu said, though he didn’t seem particularly shaken.

He even gave Jiao Qingqing a light push on the back, urging her forward.

“Go on. Mom’s just saying that in anger. Just hold the baby.”

“Alright…” Jiao Qingqing lowered her gaze and took slow, hesitant steps toward Little Grape.

From the way she moved, she didn’t look like she was about to hold a baby—she looked like she was walking to the execution ground.

When she was less than three feet away, her teeth clenched tightly, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an sensed something was off. He activated his Spiritual Eyes to observe her—

And what he saw was a swaying blade of grass!

“I’ll be careful…” Jiao Qingqing’s voice was barely a whisper as she tremblingly reached out her hands.

Tan Bing hesitated for a moment and was just about to hand over the child when—

Gu Ning’an suddenly stepped forward, swiftly pulling away the red string tied around Little Grape’s abdomen.

“I’ll make a new bracelet for the baby,” he said casually, without giving anyone a chance to protest.

After taking the red string, he quietly stepped back.

At the same moment, Jiao Qingqing’s body stopped trembling, and she successfully cradled the baby in her arms.

Holding Little Grape, she instinctively glanced up at Gu Ning’an before looking down at the child in her arms.

“Mom, look!”

Yu Fu grinned. “Qingqing can handle it. She was just nervous and needed time to adjust.”

“Hmph!”

Madam Yu snorted coldly.

“Don’t change the subject! I wasn’t joking just now—I’m finding you a matchmaker today!”