Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Just waiting around wasn’t going to solve anything. If they didn’t show up, it would all be for nothing.

Xu Jiali grew anxious from the wait. She stopped pacing, glanced at Qin Mei for a few seconds, and said, ”Fine, I’ll go make the call right now.”

Xu Jiali turned and had only run a couple of steps when Qin Mei saw a car approaching and called out to her. ”Auntie, don’t bother calling. Look, isn’t that your boyfriend’s family?”

Xu Jiali heard the car as well. She spun around and ran back. When she saw the familiar vehicle, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without a care for her appearance, she hiked up her dress and ran toward the car.

The car pulled up in front of Xu Jiali and stopped. Gao Qiang stepped out, and Xu Jiali threw herself into his arms. She gave his chest a light tap and complained softly, ”What took you so long?”

”Babe, I’m sorry. Something unexpected came up as we were leaving,” Gao Qiang explained, avoiding Xu Jiali’s gaze.

”Something unexpected? What happened?” Xu Jiali asked, looking up at Gao Qiang with her bright eyes full of concern.

Gao Qiang pressed Xu Jiali’s head against his chest, holding her tight. ”Granny found out we were coming to the Qiao Family today to discuss our marriage, and she insisted on tagging along,” he explained. ”Granny is getting on in years and moves slowly. The more I tried to hurry her, the slower she became.”

”What? Your granny came too?” Xu Jiali was stunned. Gao Qiang’s grandmother was the most senior member of the Gao family; her word was law. Xu Jiali had never dared to hope the old woman would attend the discussion about her marriage to Gao Qiang.

”See? That just shows how much our Gao family values you,” Gao Qiang teased.

Pleased with herself, Xu Jiali pushed Gao Qiang away. Grandma Gao was getting out of the car with Mr. Gao’s help. Mrs. Gao got out as well, and the two of them flanked the old woman, supporting her.

Xu Jiali ran over to them and called out with a bashful smile, ”Granny, Auntie, Uncle Gao.”

”Jiali,” Mr. Gao said, smiling at her.

”Jiali,” Mrs. Gao chimed in, her face wreathed in smiles.

Grandma Gao’s murky gaze drifted past Xu Jiali to land on Qin Mei, who was leaning against the main gate. ’She’s gorgeous. But no matter how I look at her, she doesn’t seem like a girl of fourteen or fifteen. She looks more like she’s nineteen or twenty.’

’Do girls in Huaxia develop earlier than girls in Xiangjiang? No, that can’t be right. In Huaxia these days, just getting enough to eat is considered a luxury.’

’Oh, whatever. As long as she’s the Qiao Family’s granddaughter, I can accept it. I wouldn’t even care if she was older than my grandson, let alone younger.’

”Mom,” Mr. Gao muttered, reminding his mother not to be so obvious. Otherwise, they might not even make it past the Qiao Family’s front gate.

’As far as Mr. Gao was concerned, Xu Jiali was their key into the Qiao Family. They couldn’t afford to lose that key before they’d even set foot inside. If they were going to get rid of her, they had to at least wait until they were in. And even then, they shouldn’t just toss her aside—they needed to keep her as a potential escape route.’

Heeding her son’s reminder, Grandma Gao composed herself. She turned her gaze to Xu Jiali and said perfunctorily, ”Such a good girl, Jiali. You’re getting prettier and prettier. Standing together, you and Qiang’er are a match made in heaven.”

”Granny, you’re so kind. I’m so flattered that you would come to the Qiao Family.” Xu Jiali took a step forward and bowed to Grandma Gao. Watching with interest, Mr. Gao let go of Grandma Gao’s arm. Xu Jiali paused for a second, then stepped forward to take his place, supporting the old woman.

The driver opened the trunk. There were so many gifts that he couldn’t carry them all himself. Mr. Gao shot Gao Qiang a meaningful look. Gao Qiang took the hint and started helping the driver with the bags of all sizes, but there were still more. Finally, Mr. Gao picked up two large bags himself.

”Granny, Auntie, you didn’t need to bring so many gifts,” Xu Jiali said out of politeness.

”Jiali, Auntie knows you grew up in the Qiao Family and want for nothing,” Mrs. Gao said with a smile. ”But we can’t skimp on the proper formalities for a marriage proposal.”

”Auntie, you’re too kind,” Xu Jiali said with a smile. ’Truthfully, I have no idea what formalities a marriage proposal even involves.’ Seeing them haul in so many gifts, she just thought it was a hassle.

”I’m very fond of you, so of course I’m going to put extra care into your and Xiao Qiang’s wedding matters,” Mrs. Gao said, her smile widening.

Xu Jiali called for someone to help with the gifts. Just as she was about to introduce Qin Mei to the family, Grandma Gao pushed her aside and walked toward Qin Mei. The old woman had put on thick makeup before leaving home, but it still failed to conceal her wrinkles.

She smiled at Qin Mei, but to Qin Mei, the expression looked twisted. ’Wouldn’t it be better to age gracefully, like my grandmother?’

The way Grandma Gao was looking at her was like a hunter eyeing its prey. ’She’s treating me like I’m her quarry.’

Qin Mei straightened up. ’What does this old hag want?’

”You must be Madam Qiao’s granddaughter, aren’t you?” Grandma Gao’s voice was kindly, completely lacking the haughtiness one might expect from an elder of her stature.