Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 116

Chapter 116

“You didn’t bring your… girlfriend?”

Shen Hongjun tentatively asked his daughter, locking eyes with her.

Shen Qingyi looked at him curiously: “Why? Do you need me to bring her over?”

Shen Hongjun gave a dry laugh and didn’t continue the topic. He knew his daughter had a strong attitude and wouldn’t backtrack on a decision she had made.

“Let’s not talk about that. It’s rare for you to come home. Today, our whole family is having a barbecue in the yard,” Shen Hongjun happily led his daughter to see the grill set up by the nanny and Tao Wanyue. He told Shen Qingyi, “Your Auntie Tao knew you were coming, so she prepared a lot of good things, all your favorites.”

Looking at the busy figures, Shen Qingyi lowered her gaze and said, “Thank you to her.”

“We’re family, no need to be so polite,” Shen Hongjun told her. “Go see how they’re skewering the meat. We have a whole large lamb leg to roast later. We’ll eat as we roast. Young people like you surely enjoy this.”

Shen Qingyi said nothing, just quietly observing the scene.

Shen Jiaojiao soon returned with her first-place piano competition trophy. The crystal trophy was sparkling. Although it was a city award, it wasn’t easy to win, especially in a big city where many children study piano. It was genuinely impressive that Shen Jiaojiao won.

As an older sister, Shen Qingyi naturally offered generous praise, making the little girl happy for quite a while.

Tao Wanyue and the nanny were skewering the meat for tonight’s barbecue in the yard. Tao Wanyue glanced back at her daughter and Shen Qingyi, paused her gaze, and then turned back to continue skewering.

Auntie Jiang naturally saw Shen Qingyi. Looking at her chatting with Shen Jiaojiao, she smiled and told Tao Wanyue, “Jiaojiao really likes Yiyi. They weren’t this close before.”

“Yes,” Tao Wanyue smiled gently, “Jiaojiao has been talking about wanting to see her sister for a while. Now that they’ve finally met, she probably has a lot to tell her.”

Auntie Jiang also nodded: “It’s a blessing for sisters to have a good relationship. Yiyi didn’t have much attention when she was young. It’s a good thing she has a sister now.”

Tao Wanyue glanced at Auntie Jiang and said, “Yes, as long as they can get along peacefully, I, as a stepmother, can’t manage much more than that.”

“Don’t say that, Madam. Yiyi is actually quite nice, just a little quiet.” Auntie Jiang looked at Shen Qingyi, noticed she was playing with the big Golden Retriever, and saw the two people and the dog sitting on nearby chairs, feeding the dog treats. She couldn’t help but smile, growing fonder of the sight the more she watched.

Tao Wanyue opened her mouth but didn’t say anything more, lowering her head to continue skewering the meat.

When the skewering was nearly done, the sky gradually began to darken.

The weather was nice today. There was little wind as night approached, and the garden walls were high enough, making it perfect for a barbecue in the yard.

Shen Jiaojiao ran over with a ball. Seeing her mother and Auntie Jiang setting up the grill, she peeked inside and saw the glowing red charcoal, excitedly asking, “Are we starting the barbecue?”

“Yes,” Tao Wanyue smiled gently at her daughter. “Stop playing with the dog. Go take your sister to wash her hands. We’re about to eat the grilled meat.”

Hearing this, Shen Jiaojiao ran off with the ball, pulling Shen Qingyi towards the house, saying she was taking her to wash her hands.

“I know where the restroom is. You don’t need to drag me,” Shen Qingyi followed Shen Jiaojiao into the house helplessly. She washed her hands according to the little girl’s method. As she came out, she saw Auntie Jiang carrying a large lamb leg out.

“Jiejie, Jiejie,” Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes widened at the sight of the lamb leg. She told Shen Qingyi, “Look at that! Isn’t it huge? It’s the first time I’ve seen such a big leg.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the little girl beside her and felt like she was drooling as she spoke.

Looking at the lively scene, Shen Qingyi felt nothing special, only thinking that if Shan Ling could have come along, she would probably be as happy as Shen Jiaojiao.

Shen Qingyi mused that if she could bring Shan Ling next time, she wouldn’t be so reluctant to visit the Shen family.

Since Shen Hongjun already knew about her relationship with Shan Ling, bringing Shan Ling was inevitable sooner or later.

With this thought, Shen Qingyi’s mood improved significantly, and her tone became much lighter when speaking with Shen Hongjun and the others.

The home grill was relatively small. Even the largest model couldn’t roast a large lamb leg and small skewers simultaneously. So, Auntie Jiang and Tao Wanyue grilled the small skewers first, planning to put the lamb leg on when they were almost done.

Shen Hongjun was very happy today. For him, today was a minor holiday, and with everyone gathered, it naturally called for a drink or two.

With so many women in the house, he couldn’t find anyone to drink with, so he happily drank by himself, holding the wine bottle.

“Yiyi,” Shen Hongjun had a few drinks, and his heart opened up. He told his daughter, “You’re not young anymore. You need to think carefully about everything you do. Your father doesn’t expect you to achieve great things; staying safe and healthy is the only wish your late mother and I ever had.”

Shen Jiaojiao looked up suspiciously, curiously looking at her father, then at Shen Qingyi, not quite understanding the meaning of Shen Hongjun’s words.

Shen Qingyi, however, was quite at ease at the moment. She took a sip of orange juice, picked up a skewer, and placed it in front of Shen Jiaojiao, telling her, “This one isn’t spicy. You should be able to eat it.”

Shen Jiaojiao thanked her quietly and then started eating, alternating bites for herself and the dog.

Auntie Jiang brought another plate of grilled skewers and looked at the wine in front of Shen Hongjun, telling him, “Madam just said you should drink less. You need to take care of your health at your age.”

Shen Hongjun laughed heartily, “I’m not that old. Besides, Yiyi is here! Since none of you women drink, I have to drink alone.”

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him, Auntie Jiang shook her head and left.

Shen Jiaojiao, however, spoke up: “Dad, Mom is right. You’re over fifty. You shouldn’t drink too much. Drinking is bad for your health.”

“Alright, alright,” Shen Hongjun rubbed his little daughter’s head and smiled at her, “Then Daddy will drink less. Just let me have one glass since your sister is here today.”

“I don’t count. I’m just a child. You adults never listen to children,” Shen Jiaojiao said solemnly, “You’ll know whether you should drink or not when Mom gets angry.”

Shen Hongjun ‘ha-ha’ laughed twice, looking at Shen Qingyi and saying, “Look at this little girl. She’s so small and already trying to lecture me.”

“She’s not wrong,” Shen Qingyi said, “You really should drink less. It’s fine for socializing when you were young, but now that you’re older, drinking is very harmful to your body.”

“Yes, getting old,” Shen Hongjun stroked Shen Jiaojiao’s head and said, “At my age, there aren’t many days like this left. I need to cherish them.”

Then, Shen Hongjun looked at Shen Qingyi and told her, “Yiyi, your father also hopes you live well, like me, with a happy and fulfilling family.”

Shen Qingyi was eating a skewer. Hearing this, she felt something was wrong and looked up at him.

Since he had started the conversation, Shen Hongjun didn’t beat around the bush. He told Shen Qingyi, “I know you like that girl named Shan Ling. Your father doesn’t particularly object, but I still hope you can have a family, have a cute child, and let me be a happy grandfather.”

Shen Qingyi frowned: “What do you mean?”

“An old friend of mine has a son about your age who just returned from studying abroad,” Shen Hongjun said, “I want to arrange for the two of you to meet, just as friends.”

“You want me to go on a blind date?” Shen Qingyi’s face immediately darkened: “Did you ask me to come here today just to talk about this?”

“Of course not. The main reason is for our family to gather,” Shen Hongjun placated Shen Qingyi, telling her, “But I saw the young man. He is sharp and handsome, and his family background and education are excellent. He has a Master’s in Finance from abroad. I think he’s a rare talent, so I just want you two to be friends.”

“Dad, I recall telling you before that I’m already with Shan Ling,” Shen Qingyi said with displeasure. “I don’t plan on dating anyone else.”

“I know, I know. I’m not opposing your relationship with Shan Ling. I just want you to make more friends.”

“I don’t lack friends.”

Shen Qingyi’s attitude was unyielding. The sense of warmth that had just gathered immediately dissipated. Shen Hongjun was also very unhappy, looking at her with a somber face.

“Why are you giving me that attitude all of a sudden? I’m only thinking about your future. You’re young now, so you don’t feel anything, but what about when you get older? When you reach my age, in your fifties or sixties, you’ll know the benefits of having children,” Shen Hongjun said sternly to Shen Qingyi, “If you want to be with that little nanny, that’s your business. Anyway, you can’t get married or register your union. In a couple of years, when the feelings fade, you’ll naturally understand my good intentions.”

Shen Qingyi’s face was grim. She looked at Shen Hongjun coldly: “Even if we can’t get married or register our union, I’m willing to.”

“Why are you so disobedient!” Shen Hongjun slammed his wine glass down on the table with a loud crack, startling Shen Jiaojiao, who was sitting next to him.

Tao Wanyue and Auntie Jiang, who were grilling nearby, both heard the noise and turned around, confused about what had happened.

“I’m doing this for your own good,” Shen Hongjun said to Shen Qingyi, his face pale, “If your mother were still alive, she definitely wouldn’t want to see you dating a woman.”

“But my mother is already dead,” Shen Qingyi’s face was also very grim. She looked at the man in front of her and said, “When you were with my mother, you got married and registered your union, but didn’t you still fail to be together forever? When you put her in the mental hospital, when you remarried, when you had children—why didn’t you think of my mother then?”

“You!”

Shen Hongjun furiously pounded the table and yelled at Shen Qingyi, “No matter what, you must go to that meeting! What’s with all this fussing around with a woman? What can she give you? Can she give you a child? I’ve never interfered with you all these years, and look how spoiled you’ve become!”

Shen Qingyi also stood up from her chair and retorted sharply, “Want a child? What kind of child? Are you planning to have another lunatic?!”

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