Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties-Chapter 309 - 308: Stab Into Your Heart

However, Aunt Xu knew Jiang Mingyuan was on good terms with Lin Xia and her group. How could they possibly not attend Xu Haihua’s grand restaurant opening?

So, when Xu Haihua expressed her desire to offer support, Aunt Xu specifically mentioned beforehand that she must not create any trouble after arriving.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t want to bring her daughter along.

They were all neighbors, and any unpleasant scenes would cause her to lose face. This would make it difficult to approach the neighbors about anything else in the future.

Xu Haihua lowered her head and spoke softly, "I haven’t forgotten! I just wanted to see them. It’s been a long time, and they’ve changed so much!"

She already knew that Lin Xia was seeing someone, so her animosity towards Lin Xia had lessened considerably.

However, seeing Lin Xia and her sisters dressed so beautifully and being treated so warmly by Aunt Zhao still made her feel jealous and resentful.

Why was Aunt Zhao so cold and distant towards her? What was she lacking?

Xu Haimin had no time to bother with what his mother and sister were muttering. His gaze constantly swept across the tables. He had left behind so much work to come here; all he wanted was to catch a glimpse of that beautiful figure.

Finally, Xu Haimin’s eyes lit up; he saw Ji Man!

He hurried to his feet and approached just in time to see Jiang Mingyuan frowning and saying something to Ji Man.

"Ji Man!" Xu Haimin’s face bloomed with a smile.

Ji Man frowned in disgust upon seeing Xu Haimin. Jiang Mingyuan had shown no pleasure or welcome at her arrival and even asked her to leave immediately.

Feeling somewhat aggrieved, she had wanted to speak more with Jiang Mingyuan, but now seeing Xu Haimin, she finally understood Jiang Mingyuan’s kind intentions.

Thinking back, she realized she really hadn’t appreciated the good.

"Jiang Mingyuan! I’ll be leaving first, then!"

Jiang Mingyuan nodded indifferently, "Hmm."

Xu Haimin chased after her, taking two steps forward, "Ji Man! Don’t leave!"

Jiang Mingyuan stretched out his arm to stop him, "The feast is about to begin!"

"Jiang Mingyuan! What right do you have to stop me?" Xu Haimin was unhappy.

"Because you came here today to congratulate me on my opening! Didn’t you? Do you need me to escort you to your seat?" Jiang Mingyuan’s eyes flashed with coldness.

Xu Haimin forced a smile, "Fine! I’ll give you that respect!"

Today, many local neighbors had shown up. His sister still harbored those feelings for Jiang Mingyuan, and now even their mother no longer tried to intervene;

so if he caused a scene with Jiang Mingyuan, not only would he lose face and suffer the consequences, but once they got home, Xu Haihua and his mom wouldn’t let him off the hook.

The incident appeared to be just a minor interlude to those watching, but only Lin Xia understood what was actually happening.

Lin Xia had sensed that Xu Haimin would definitely approach upon seeing Ji Man at the entrance.

Now that her second brother had handled it, it was for the best.

When the feast began, several waiters dressed in uniform dark red outfits weaved through the tables serving dishes.

Lin Xia tasted a few dishes in front of her and nodded to herself. The presentation was appealing, the taste well-balanced - the chef’s skills were indeed commendable.

With a good number of old clients from the south coming to Spring City for the lumber trade, and as living standards improve and people have more money to spend, the number of people treating others to meals has also increased, so his business should fare well.

Afterward, Lin Xia indeed found an opportunity to persuade Jiang Mingyuan.

"Second brother! Look, you’ve got your business up and running, and you’re not getting any younger. Isn’t it time to consider settling down with a partner?"

He listened with a faint smile, then responded calmly, "Lin Xia! I’ve been thinking about it. Haven’t I just not met the right person yet? Has my mom asked you to talk to me?"

The day the business opened, his mother dragged Lin Xia and the others away, and he had a premonition.

In the past, he was afraid Lin Xia would drift away from him, so he dared not say he liked her.

Now that she and Lu Zheng had become a couple, he was even more scared to tell her his feelings.

Sometimes he also wondered if his hesitation and endurance had made him miss many opportunities.

Lin Xia laughed, "Auntie Zhao is also anxious! She talked to me the other day, and then I thought about persuading you! Don’t wait until Xiaoqiu and I are both married while you, as a brother, are still single!"

A touch of melancholy flickered through Jiang Mingyuan’s downcast eyes, but it quickly disappeared. He looked up, smiled, and evaded her concern, "Alright! You guys don’t worry! I’ll take this matter seriously, alright?"

Even though Lin Xia could detect the perfunctory tone in her second brother’s voice, she had no way to persuade him further.

She had initially wanted to bring up Ji Man, but recalling the previous incident, she didn’t dare to mention it, fearing that Ji Man and her second brother’s relationship, which had finally been improving, might turn sour again.

Jiang Mingyuan asked, "By the way, how have you and Lu Zheng been lately?"

Lin Xia smiled lightly, "Quite good!" Thinking of Lu Zheng, she subconsciously stroked the watch on her wrist.

Jiang Mingyuan’s eyes gleamed briefly, "If it’s good, that’s great!"

...

Far away in the provincial capital, Shao Meirou could finally confirm that her precious son was in love, and the object of his affections was indeed the girl named Xia Lin.

She held Xia Lin’s mailing address in her hand but hesitated, uncertain whether to do anything.

She understood Lu Zheng’s temperament; if she were to take excessive measures, her son was truly capable of cutting ties with her and not interacting with her for the rest of their lives.

But now that she knew he was dating a girl of average background, and she did nothing to stop him, letting their relationship develop to a point where they could hardly part, wouldn’t it be too late to intervene by the time she wanted to put a stop to it?

However, making this decision alone was likely more than she could handle.

She wanted to wait for Old Lu to return, to have a frank discussion with him, and then make a final decision.

But no matter how long she waited, Lu Pengcheng didn’t come back. She phoned him to ask when he would return, as she had important matters to discuss.

Lu Pengcheng’s tone was always so indifferent, "Whatever it is, say it over the phone! I’m busy!"

Shao Meirou suppressed the hurt and discomfort in her heart, "Old Lu! Our son seems to be in a relationship!"

"That’s good news! He’s old enough to be dating! Which family’s daughter?" Lu Pengcheng had always been hands-off with Lu Zheng, rarely intervening in his affairs.

In fact, when Lu Zheng was young, he had wanted to properly discipline him, but his father-in-law, who doted on his grandchild, interfered, and later he simply let go and let him be.

Now, to his mixed feelings, Lu Zheng had not turned out badly.

Shao Meirou’s lips curled up sarcastically. Since it was a phone call, Lu Pengcheng was unaware of his wife’s expression at the moment.

"It’s not any family’s daughter; she’s from a very ordinary family out of town!"

"What’s wrong with an ordinary family? He has to live his own life in the future. If he likes her, that’s enough! I’m busy! We’ll talk more when I have time!" Lu Pengcheng hung up the phone with a "snap".

Shao Meirou hung up the phone weakly, her eyes reddening as she coldly smirked, "The phrase ’ordinary family’ must have stung you!"

She leaned back on the sofa, closing her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.

The housekeeper was outside, so she could allow herself to vent her distressed emotions.

In terms of family background, Lu Pengcheng was no match for her own!

But when she was introduced to Lu Pengcheng back then, she had fallen for the tall and handsome man at first sight.