Aunt Mu was afraid her younger brother would incur expenses from Zhan Yichen. Although the Zhan family was wealthy, it wasn't for supporting such bloodsuckers. She would feel uneasy if they spent even a penny of Zhan Yichen's money due to the Mu family's connections.
Hearing her daughter say this, she finally felt at ease.
"Yichen, thank you for your trouble today."
Zhan Yichen shook his head, "Auntie, this is what I should do. Please feel at ease staying here. You can come to me with any issues. Don't be bothered by it. As a junior, isn't it for the elders to be bothered?"
These words further improved Uncle Mu's impression of him. Such a disposition was rare among young people nowadays.
Especially after Zhan Yichen had met with the Mu family's troublesome relatives, his words were truly those of a reassuring good child.
Aunt Mu had fully recovered. With less than half a month until the Lunar New Year and the company about to go on winter break, both she and her husband were busy. Thus, the meeting with the Zhan family elders was scheduled for the second day of their holiday.
After the parents met, Mu Linjing would take her parents back to their hometown for the Lunar New Year.
This timing was perfect, and Old Master Zhan had no objections, especially since Zhan Yichen had privately begged him many times to meet Mu Linjing's parents, otherwise, they wouldn't feel at ease entrusting their daughter to him.
Seeing his grandson so eager, Old Master Zhan naturally couldn't refuse.
As the day approached quickly, Zhan Yichen booked a restaurant early in the morning, waiting to pick up Mu Linjing and her family the next day.
Old Master Zhan was accompanied by Zhan Mohan and his wife. Both families arrived around the same time and entered the private room together.
Old Master Zhan spoke first, "The food at this restaurant is very good. Have Yichen order a few signature dishes for you two to try."
Considering Old Master Zhan was an elder, and he was being so considerate of Mu Linjing's family, they couldn't be impolite.
She gave Mu Linjing a look, and Mu Linjing quickly presented the gifts she had prepared. "Grandpa Zhan, this is a gift my parents asked someone to bring for you. It's not very valuable, but it's our token of appreciation. I'll be taking my parents back to our hometown tomorrow for the Lunar New Year, so consider this a New Year's gift for you."
The Zhan family naturally had no lack of these things. Moreover, Old Master Zhan had seen all sorts of treasures in his life; the sentiment was what mattered.
He asked Zhan Mohan to accept the gifts. "Linjing, that's very thoughtful. Grandpa will accept this gift from you. When you return next year, Grandpa will give you a big red envelope."
Mu Linjing's parents saw all this and realized their daughter was right; the Zhan family treated her very well.
However, looking at the people seated at the table, only Old Master Zhan was unfamiliar. Now that they had met, Uncle Mu noticed something amiss.
"Yichen, where are your parents? Why aren't they here today?"
A typical meeting of parents primarily involved the parents of both sides meeting, as the groom's parents were the bride's future in-laws. The Zhan family had an extraordinary background, so it wasn't inappropriate for the grandfather to be present, but the parents should have appeared as well.
This question stumped Zhan Yichen. He still held a grudge against Wen Yulan for Mu Linjing's disappearance, so he was hesitant to mention his mother in front of the Mu family.
This matter had never been brought up openly, which led to Uncle Mu not being very familiar with his family's situation.
They looked at each other, and finally, Old Master Zhan spoke, "My daughter-in-law is not in good health and is recuperating elsewhere, rarely going out. My wife and Mohan handle family matters. Don't worry, Linjing will be well taken care of in our home."
Wei Yumeng also chimed in at the opportune moment, "Yes, Uncle and Auntie. Look at me, aren't I doing fine? Don't worry."
Uncle Mu realized he had asked an inappropriate question and fell silent.
Fortunately, Old Master Zhan's attitude reassured him, and he no longer dwelled on the issue of Zhan Yichen's parents, as everyone had someone in their family they preferred not to be mentioned, like their own bloodsuckers.
Due to this issue, the atmosphere turned somewhat cold. Aunt Mu quickly tried to smooth things over by praising Zhan Yichen.
This helped to break the awkward silence. With Wei Yumeng and Mu Linjing livening up the atmosphere, both sets of elders were quite pleased with the meal.
Old Master Zhan said, "After the New Year, Mohan and Yumeng will be getting married. Linjing, bring your parents along then. We can have a lively gathering of both families, and it will also be an opportunity to hold an engagement ceremony for Linjing and them."
It was better for the groom's side to bring up such matters. Zhan Yichen was eager to marry Mu Linjing, especially after their tumultuous journey. He couldn't afford to slack off even after they were married, let alone now when she was just his girlfriend and not even an fiancée.
Therefore, he had been making signals and hinting to Old Master Zhan to bring up this matter. They couldn't wait for the Mu family to initiate it.
Now that Old Master Zhan had mentioned it, Zhan Yichen quickly followed up, "Yes, Uncle and Auntie, why don't you stay here with us? You can do any business you like. If Linjing misses home, she can visit you anytime."
Uncle Mu politely declined this offer. "We are quite happy living in our hometown. If Jing'er misses home, you can bring her back. We have a generation gap with you, so we won't live together."
Mu Linjing was not surprised by this. She understood her parents and knew they wouldn't adapt to the fast-paced life of a big city. Living here permanently might not necessarily mean happiness for them.
Fortunately, the engagement proposal was not rejected, and Zhan Yichen was ecstatic, as if he could already see their engagement ceremony.
This meeting was considered very successful. Zhan Yichen personally saw Mu Linjing's family back, while Zhan Mohan took Old Master Zhan home.
On the way, Old Master Zhan sighed, "You and Yichen are both getting married and having children. Grandpa is truly getting old."
The old no longer liked to celebrate the New Year, but thankfully, with a great-grandchild this year, the celebration would have more flavor.
Zhan Mohan knew that old people enjoyed liveliness, and he brought good news to Old Master Zhan that day.
"Grandpa, I'll go to the hospital tomorrow to bring Lin'er back. The hospital called me and said he has recovered and can be discharged."
Old Master Zhan's expression turned excited upon hearing this. "That's great. Bring him home first thing tomorrow morning."
Zhan Lin had been cared for by a caregiver all this time. The child was too young, and the injuries were slow to heal. He had initially feared there might be lasting damage, so his recovery was truly the best news.
Seeing his grandfather happy, Zhan Mohan also smiled with satisfaction. He had put in considerable effort for Zhan Lin to recover, and thankfully, it had all paid off.