Chapter 410: Wanting Shi Liu as a Son-in-Law

"Dad, don't walk over there; it's drafty."

Shi Youxuan appeared to be concerned for her father, but in reality, she was tipping off Sheng Hanyu so he could hurry and hide again.

While she was speaking, Shi Yucheng was already nearing the corner.

Her heart was practically in her throat, and her brain spun rapidly, wondering what she should say if he turned the corner and saw no one.

What kind of excuse could she use to reasonably cover this up?

At this moment, Shi Liu suddenly appeared, carrying a thermal container and a food box.

He smiled shyly at Shi Yucheng: "Hello, Uncle. I'm Shi Liu, here to deliver a meal for Sister Xuan."

Shi Youxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief; Shi Liu's appearance was incredibly timely.

At first, Sheng Hanyu had said to let Shi Liu wait outside the Hospital Ward, and that any errands could be handed to him.

She had even thought it was an unnecessary extra step!

It was very convenient to buy anything nowadays; placing an order on a phone would have it delivered quickly, so there was no need for Shi Liu to run errands at all.

If she wanted to find a doctor or nurse, she only had to press the button by the bedside, without even leaving the Hospital Ward, so whether Shi Liu was there or not didn't make much difference.

But looking at it now—it was absolutely necessary!

That guy Sheng Hanyu truly had great foresight.

Shi Liu's timely appearance prevented the truth from being exposed, but Shi Youxuan hadn't been happy for long before she discovered there was trouble.

The father and daughter took the food box back to the Hospital Ward, and her father asked her, seemingly casually: "Xuanxuan, do you know the young man who delivered the food?"

Shi Liu had just called her "Sister Xuan," and Shi Yucheng had heard it clearly.

What delivery guy would introduce himself by name when delivering food?

Furthermore, the way he addressed her daughter sounded like they knew each other.

Shi Youxuan was alert and replied: "Yes, I know him, but we aren't close."

Shi Yucheng perked up, his eyes shining: "How old is the young man? He seems a bit younger than you, three years younger would be best, a woman three years older..." Halfway through, he realized he was being a bit too eager, so he forced himself to swallow the rest of his words.

"Xuanxuan, invite Shi Liu to sit for a while. I'm very bored lying in this hospital bed every day; invite him over to keep me company and chat. You've been staying with me for a long time, you haven't seen the child, right? Go see Ranran."

"Because you're taking care of an old wreck like me, you can't even see the child. I'm truly useless, I can't help you with anything, and I only add to your troubles." Shi Yucheng felt very guilty, and as he spoke, tears almost fell.

Half of it was that his intentions were not really about the drinking, and the other half was indeed a genuine outpouring of emotion.

Shi Yucheng's state made her feel bad as well.

She knew what her father was planning, but letting him give up hope might be for the best, so Shi Youxuan agreed quite readily.

Shi Liu went to the Hospital Ward to "chat" with Shi Yucheng and received the highest level of hospitality!

First, Shi Yucheng "chased away" his daughter, telling her to go see the child and not to rush back.

Then he brought out the best fruit to treat Shi Liu and brewed the best tea for him.

Shi Liu had been sent over to run errands and help, but now he was being treated like a guest of honor, which he was very unaccustomed to.

"Uncle, please don't be like this. It should be me taking care of you; how can it be the other way around?" Shi Liu was flustered and stepped forward to help.

However, his fluster looked like politeness in Shi Yucheng's eyes!

Consequently, Shi Yucheng's impression of him became even better.

The two sat opposite each other, and Shi Yucheng looked at Shi Liu with a smile.

The young man looked quite good; although he didn't have the "country-toppling" looks of Jian Yining, he had delicate features, looked clean, was quite handsome, and was a good match for his daughter.

They say that when a mother-in-law looks at a son-in-law, the more she looks, the more she likes him.

In fact, a father-in-law who is anxious to find a home for his daughter is also full of joy when looking at a "son-in-law" he fancies.

"Young man, why are you called Shi Liu? That's a rather strange name." Shi Yucheng began to probe without revealing his intentions.

Shi Liu said: "Because in our hometown, we have a seniority ranking, and I am sixteenth in the Clan, so everyone calls me Shi Liu."

"Oh, then I'll call you Shi Liu too. Where is your hometown..."

Before long, Shi Yucheng had clearly inquired about where Shi Liu's hometown was, who else was in his family, how many rooms they had, how many acres of land, and how many cows were in the fields.

Shi Liu was not bad; he was very satisfied.

He was three years younger than his daughter, his parents had both died in an accident, he had an older sister who had long since married, and he was the only one left in his family.

No ties, no burdens—perfect.

"Shi Liu, do you have a girlfriend?" Shi Yucheng finally asked what he wanted to know most.

Shi Liu shook his head: "No."

Shi Yucheng was relieved; the heart he had been holding up just now finally settled back into his stomach.

"No girlfriend? Then what kind of girlfriend do you want to find? Uncle will help you look. Tell me your requirements so I can have an idea..." He was cautious and didn't immediately push his daughter forward.

He was worried that Shi Liu might mind that his daughter had been married and had a child, and it would be very awkward if he were rejected on the spot, so he probed the situation first.

"I don't want to find a girlfriend; living alone is quite good."

Shi Liu smiled even more shyly.

He didn't tell Shi Yucheng that he was gay; many older people didn't understand such things, so it was better not to say.

"Nonsense."

Shi Yucheng didn't believe it: "Men should marry and women should wed; it's an old rule passed down by our ancestors for thousands of years. How can you not want to find a girlfriend? Your parents in the afterlife wouldn't be able to rest in peace..."

He hit Shi Liu's sore spot all at once.

Shi Liu's eyes grew moist, thinking of his parents.

He also thought about how, although his sexual orientation didn't affect others, it still couldn't be understood by most people in current society, which made him feel a bit sad.

"You're right, I should find a girlfriend."

The "girlfriend" Shi Liu meant and the girlfriend Shi Yucheng meant were not the same thing at all!

He wanted to find a lesbian in his own circle, and then the two of them would be boyfriend and girlfriend on the surface, or even get married, to block the mouths of the public.

It was a far cry from the kind of girlfriend Shi Yucheng had in mind.

"What kind are you looking for?" Shi Yucheng asked.

He replied, "Anything is fine, I don't have any requirements."

Seeing a chance, Shi Yucheng immediately asked, "If the woman has been married before and has a child, but all her other conditions are excellent, and her character is so noble that not a single fault can be found, would you be willing?"

He was one step away from talking directly about his own daughter.

Shi Liu was still immersed in his own sorrow and unable to pull himself out, so he didn't think much about it: "I'm willing."

"Good, it's settled then!"

Shi Liu was startled; what was settled?

Shi Youxuan went to the Villa of Sheng Hanyu to see her daughter.

The family of three gathered together, incredibly happy.

Happy times always pass by especially quickly, and the afternoon was over in a flash!

It was getting late, and Shi Youxuan had to return to the hospital.

Shi Ran wrapped her arms around her neck and refused to let go: "Mommy, when will Grandpa agree to let you and Daddy get married?"

"Soon, don't be anxious, Ranran. Grandpa is in the Hospital Ward right now, so we shouldn't upset him."

"Mm, I'll be good." The little girl nodded sensibly.

Originally, Shi Ran wanted to go to the hospital to see Grandpa, but since Shi Youxuan said she had sent the child to the home of Jian Yixin, she really couldn't go; if she went, the secret would be out.

The family of three parted with great reluctance.

As soon as Shi Youxuan returned to the Hospital Ward, she discovered—the atmosphere was wrong!

What was going on here?

She had only been gone for one afternoon, and her father and Shi Liu were already getting along like father and son!