Chapter 945: It's on your brother-in-law's shoulders

Zhou Tong thought to himself, When did I ever look for you? Really.

But he still said sincerely: "Brother-in-law, I've been thinking these past few days—could I bring Song Linlin over? Let her also attend your wedding, so that at least Grandpa and Grandma can see her and know she exists. Then you can help me think of a solution later, to see if they can accept her."

Su Yang smirked and said: "What can't be done? If I'm not mistaken, you've already brought her over, right? Come clean—where are you hiding her?"

Zhou Ruohan also said from the side: "I say, how can you be so clueless? You've already brought her to Jingcheng, yet you're hiding her—what for? Even if you don't dare bring her home, you could at least take her out for a meal or shopping. Here's what we'll do: tell us where she's staying, we'll go see her first. Since she's come to Jingcheng, she's our guest; no matter whether things work out in the future, we can't neglect propriety."

Zhou Tong said somewhat embarrassedly: "Isn't it because you've been busy preparing the wedding these past few days? I'm afraid I'll cause trouble for you, and besides, Grandpa has already scolded me plenty over this—I can't implicate you at this critical moment."

Su Yang snapped: "What nonsense? I already told you I'd help you with your matter, yet you're hemming and hawing—nothing like a soldier's demeanor."

Although Zhou Tong's face was flushed with embarrassment, he was still deeply excited inside. He also knew that if he wanted to resolve his matter properly, Su Yang had to step forward—no one else's words would help, not even if his uncle Zhou Weiguo stepped in; the old man would likely still scold him.

Shortly afterward, Zhou Tong brought Su Yang and Zhou Ruohan to a guesthouse not far from their old residence.

Although the guesthouse's conditions were not bad, Zhou Ruohan's face was frosty: "Are you short on money or what? How could you let someone stay in a place like this? No way—wait a moment, you'll put her up in our house."

This time Zhou Tong was all yeses and nos, not daring to utter a word.

He opened one of the rooms at the far end, and immediately a very pleasant voice came from inside: "You're done with your work? If you have something to do, you don't need to come see me here—I'm fine staying here."

As soon as the words fell, Su Yang and Zhou Ruohan entered the room.

Instantly, Song Linlin jumped in fright, instinctively stepping back two paces like a child who's done something wrong.

Zhou Ruohan said: "Hello, I'm Zhou Ruohan, Zhou Tong's older sister, and this is Su Yang—you've probably heard of him. Zhou Tong acted without thinking, placing you in such a place and not letting you see anyone; that's all our fault, so we've come to pick you up and take you to stay at my home."

Song Linlin was so startled she couldn't speak; Zhou Tong had often told her about the various affairs of Jingcheng's aristocratic clans, and the more he spoke, the more she felt these people were beyond her reach. Girls like her already have an innate sense of inferiority, and now she's so nervous she doesn't know what to do.

Zhou Tong said from the side: "Don't be nervous, brother-in-law and sister are fine people—they might be able to settle our matter. Don't stay silent; hurry up and call out."

Only then did Song Linlin timidly call out: "Sister, brother-in-law, hello."

Su Yang smiled and said: "There's nothing to be nervous about. If you've heard of me, you'd know I'm just a pure grassroots—we're all farmers' children, raised in the countryside from childhood; we're basically the same kind of people, so meeting me should give you a natural sense of closeness."

After saying that, Song Linlin relaxed quite a bit.

Zhou Ruohan added concernedly: "Haven't you even had dinner yet? If you're waiting for Zhou Tong to arrange things, I doubt you'll get a late-night snack. Come on, let's not say anything else—first go out for something to eat, then head to my place."

Zhou Tong said: "That won't do—how can you let her stay in your new place when you haven't even moved in yourselves?"

Zhou Ruohan retorted: "Shut up—are you talking about the new house? Don't we still have a renovated unit? What's wrong with letting Linlin stay there? And if you think it's inappropriate, you can accompany Linlin; if anything comes up, I'll explain it to the old man."

Upon hearing this, Song Linlin burst into tears—she had never imagined receiving such high courtesy.

Zhou Tong didn't dare say another word; Song Linlin wanted to utter some polite remarks, but she couldn't get them out right now.

After leaving, they went to eat a late-night snack, but the better eateries at this hour were already closed, for which Zhou Tong got scolded again.

After eating, Zhou Ruohan bought lots of snacks: "These past few days have really been unfair to you—if Zhou Tong had told me earlier, you wouldn't have had to stay alone. The fact that you made it all the way to Jingcheng shows your feelings for him, so this matter of yours is now on your brother-in-law's shoulders."

Su Yang, who was smoking nearby, upon hearing this, immediately took a puff and thought, "You've done me a great favor—when have I ever had such face in your family? This isn't a small matter; essentially, it's challenging the old man's authority and also challenging Jingcheng's backward customs."

But as soon as Zhou Ruohan's words fell, Zhou Tong and Song Linlin both turned their hopeful gazes toward Su Yang.

Su Yang also had to steel himself and say: "You two can relax—these next two days are our wedding, the old man's mood will surely be great, plus my recent work performance has been decent; I'd say this is one of the few highlights of my life, so tonight I'll go talk to the old man about your matter."

"Put your hearts at ease, and Zhou Tong—she came all this way to see you; you can't leave her alone at home. Later you'll keep her company. Anyway, our courtyard is big enough; you can move in first and liven things up for us."

If it were the bridal chamber, naturally no one else would stay there—custom-wise and psychologically, that's out of the question. But they originally bought two courtyard houses; the larger one was intended for everyone to live in, so letting Zhou Tong and Song Linlin stay there for a few days is fine.

Besides, they never cared about such things anyway; if it were an ordinary family, they'd hardly let someone stay in a newly renovated place that's still unoccupied.

Zhou Tong was so grateful tears streamed down: "Brother-in-law, I'm entrusting this entirely to you—once you settle it, I'll repay you with my utmost devotion, body and soul."

Su Yang slapped Zhou Tong on the shoulder: "What are you talking about? With our relationship, we don't need to stand on ceremony. Just look after her properly—that's the right thing. Anyway, it's not far from here to the old residence; I'll walk over with your sister, and you two can go straight to move in."

Saying that, he then greeted and bade farewell to Song Linlin.

To be frank, it's been a long time since he last went out for a walk or stroll alone with Zhou Ruohan; it's only about one or two kilometers, perfect for walking back.

On the way, Zhou Ruohan said: "I can tell from that girl's eyes that she truly likes Zhou Tong; no matter what, we have to settle this for them. I don't know her educational level, though—if it's comparable, we should find her a job; otherwise, having her do odd jobs all the time isn't acceptable."