Chapter 1139: Tears of the Desert

The future brothers-in-law were bullying their future brother-in-law en masse; it wouldn't be right for Shi Youxuan, as the future mother-in-law, to ignore it, but interfering too much wouldn't be good either.

Just putting on a show of it was enough; she went back to prepare hot tea and snacks to entertain the honored guest!

The son-in-law is an honored guest, and a future son-in-law counts as one too.

The children had finished their rowdiness outside, and they came back laughing and joking, with their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Look at how wild you all are! Go take Brother A Heng's luggage to his room," Shi Youxuan instructed.

This sort of thing would normally be done by the servants, but she felt it was better for her sons to deliver it.

Qi Heng received a warm welcome this time, but there was one exception—Sheng Hanyu.

Sheng Hanyu didn't say a word; seeing Qi Heng, let alone taking the initiative to greet him, he even pretended not to see him when Qi Heng greeted him, turning around and walking away!

Moreover, his expression was unpleasant, and he kept a straight face, as if someone owed him money.

Fortunately, everyone else in the house was very enthusiastic, so Qi Heng wasn't left too embarrassed.

Finding a spare moment, Shi Youxuan dragged her husband back to their room and questioned him: "What is wrong with you? Everyone is perfectly fine, why are you pulling such a long face?"

Her husband still kept a straight face: "What do you know? Old Qi called me just now."

"Old Qi?"

"It's Qi Heng's father."

"Oh, I see."

When Qi Heng's father was in exile, Sheng Hanyu would respectfully address him as: Qi Xiansheng.

No one knew why.

When asked, he said it sounded more intimate that way.

Intimate my foot; it was clearly much more distant than before.

No matter how many times she heard such a form of address, Shi Youxuan always found it strange.

Now was not the time to dwell on forms of address, so Shi Youxuan asked: "He called you, what did he say?"

"Old Qi wants the two children to get engaged, hmph!"

"Getting engaged again? Does Ranran agree?"

"Hmph! She agreed."

Sheng Hanyu's expression looked even worse; if his daughter had said she didn't agree, he probably would have been happy.

Shi Youxuan sat to the side, head bowed in thought.

Although they said they would listen to the children regarding their own affairs, some things couldn't be left entirely to them; parents had to help make decisions too.

After all, they were older and had seen more of the world.

The couple didn't hope for Shi Ran to get engaged too early, and this point happened to coincide with their daughter's own thoughts, which was why they said they would listen to the children.

But the Qi Family had been urging them too many times.

In the past, it was Lady Qi urging the engagement, but now even Old Qi had come out in person, and the important thing was that their daughter had also agreed, so should they compromise?

"What are your thoughts?" Shi Youxuan raised her head and asked her husband.

"I'm not willing."

Sheng Hanyu said in a muffled voice: "My daughter is so outstanding, Qi Heng isn't good enough for her." In fact, in a father's eyes, no boy could ever be good enough for the daughter he had raised in the palm of his hand since she was little.

"If even Qi Heng isn't good enough for her, what kind of son-in-law do you want to find for her? Or are you saying you want her to stay at home for the rest of her life?"

Sheng Hanyu:...

Staying at home for the rest of her life wasn't realistic, and it was even more impossible.

Not letting her marry Qi Heng wasn't because he truly didn't want his daughter to marry him; he was just speaking out of anger.

This matter was settled just like that.

Although it was only an engagement, the ceremony was very complicated and had to be prepared for two months in advance.

The preparations in L Country were a bit more grand, while those in Jiangzhou were relatively simple, but they couldn't be too simple either.

For the first child of the Sheng Family to get engaged, there had to be a grand ceremony.

Their daughter was the apple of the couple's eye, and they wished they could give her everything best in the world.

Shi Youxuan called Shi Ran into the room, watching her daughter without blinking for a long time without speaking, though there were glistening things in her eyes.

Shi Ran rarely saw her mother looking so serious and was very unaccustomed to it.

"Mom, what's wrong with you? Don't look at me like that, it's scary."

Shi Youxuan wiped the corner of her eye: "Nothing, some sand got into my eye just now."

By middle age, lying still came as easily as breathing.

However, she couldn't fool her daughter anymore, yet her daughter didn't expose her: "Oh, you got something in your eye? Let me blow on it for you."

She leaned close to her mother, blew gently on her face, and then mother and daughter hugged each other.

"My Ranran has grown up; in the blink of an eye, you've grown into a big girl. Mom feels terrible just thinking about you leaving me far away to marry into L Country in the future."

"Mom, I won't marry; I'll stay with you and Dad forever."

Shi Youxuan tapped her daughter on the shoulder, a light tap that didn't hurt at all, and chided: "You child, you only know how to coax me. You've finally reached this point with so much difficulty, and you say you won't marry? If you don't marry, I'm afraid that boy outside will be worried to death."

"I don't care."

Shi Ran lay in her mother's arms acting like a spoiled child: "I just want to stay with Mom and Dad, not leave Jiangzhou; if you don't agree, I won't marry."

"Alright, stop acting like a child. Mom has prepared a set of jewelry for you to wear at the engagement ceremony; see if you like it?"

Shi Youxuan opened the safe and took out an exquisite purple linden jewelry box from inside.

The box opened, revealing a brilliant radiance.

Shi Ran had never lacked money since she was born and had seen countless good things from childhood to adulthood, but she had never seen such beautiful diamonds!

The jewelry in the box was a set: a necklace, earrings, and a ring.

Every piece is a work of exquisite craftsmanship, truly perfect!

The chain of the necklace is made of platinum in two styles, with the English initials of Shi Ran and Qi Heng forming the chain itself; the craftsmanship alone required quite a lot of effort.

The pendant on the necklace is a massive, teardrop-shaped gold diamond!

The surrounding area is inlaid with small white diamonds and green emeralds, dazzlingly beautiful.

The golden diamond has perfect facets, emitting a brilliant luster from every angle, eye-catching and dazzling.

The ring also has a platinum band with a square gold diamond.

The stud earrings are relatively simpler, with slightly smaller gold diamonds polished into a round shape.

"Mom, I can't accept this. It's too extravagant; I can't pull it off," Shi Ran declined.

Shi Youxuan smiled and pointed at the jewelry: "This was custom-made specifically for you; if you don't take it, no one else can match it."

"Accept it and wear it on the day of your engagement in L Country. Let's see who dares to look down on my daughter."

The Sheng Family are merchants, and many people have been making snide remarks since the two children started dating.

They say things like the Sheng Family is climbing the social ladder for business, selling their daughter... in any case, they say all sorts of things, each remark more unpleasant than the last.

If it were gossip about herself, Shi Youxuan wouldn't care about the idle chatter of others, but she won't allow it when it concerns her daughter.

She wants to prove with concrete actions that her daughter's engagement to Qi Heng is a case of Qi Heng marrying up to Ranran, not that Ranran is unworthy of Qi Heng; on the day of the engagement, her daughter must be dressed like a princess... no, a Queen!

This gold diamond is called the Tear of the Desert.

Just hearing the name tells you how precious it is.

The engagement gown is even more extremely luxurious; besides being hand-sewn by a top international master, the various diamonds inlaid on it alone are worth over a hundred million.

Everything is prepared, just waiting for the auspicious day after the Spring Festival.