Chapter 40: Odd and Eccentric

Su Qinghu fell silent.

What on earth was this kid talking about? What did he mean by “every time you laugh, he has to hold you up in case you throw your back out”?

She looked at Erdan, thinking hard, and seriously doubted whether there had ever been a version of herself who laughed so hard she needed someone to hold her up…

Erdan met Su Qinghu’s gaze, and a chill ran down his spine, icy dread shooting from his heels to the top of his head. Under her inscrutable stare, his innocent expression and the words he was about to blurt out vanished instantly.

Oh heavens, his new… new mom was looking at him like a rat cornered on the stove. If it weren’t for the risk of knocking over the oil bottle, she’d probably smack him with a shoe right now!

He widened his eyes and blurted out a compliment, “Mom, you look so pretty when you’re not smiling!”

Su Qinghu was stunned, her mouth slightly open as she stared at Erdan in disbelief.

What kind of move was this? Was this… a reverse compliment?

She couldn’t help but want to laugh!

But just as the corners of her mouth started to turn up, she suddenly remembered what this kid had mumbled earlier…

Hold it in!

Some things are better safe than sorry. For example, in a city with over a dozen dynasties’ worth of history, where digging a subway line could trigger a major archaeological find, you should never swear that something has never happened to you—otherwise, you’re just inviting fate to slap you in the face.

The capital has over three thousand years of history, after all. You have to watch what you say. Better safe than sorry!

What secrets could the compound possibly hold? But if she really did laugh so hard she threw her back out, for the rest of her life, whenever anyone mentioned Su Qinghu, the first thing people would think of would be: “Oh, that’s the Chen family’s daughter-in-law who threw her back out laughing the first time she met her in-laws!”

Just the thought was terrifying!

Su Qinghu, proud and dignified all her life, absolutely refused to let her reputation be ruined by this reverse compliment!

Su Qinghu managed to hold it in, but Chen Lie couldn’t.

Before Erdan even finished speaking, Chen Lie’s mouth was already twitching with laughter, though he managed not to make a sound. But the more he thought about that ridiculous compliment, the less he could control himself. His face twisted as he tried to hold it back, but in the end, he gave up and burst out laughing.

As soon as he laughed, Father Chen and Qian Yin immediately caught on. They didn’t laugh out loud, but the amusement in their eyes was as obvious as a dam bursting.

Even Chen Yan’s face, which had been pale, regained some color from trying to hold back laughter.

Su Qinghu, both embarrassed and annoyed, shot Chen Lie a fierce glare. Seeing that he couldn’t control his expression and was still laughing, she steeled herself and decided to drag him down with her.

She nodded at the bewildered Erdan, who was still lost amid everyone’s laughter. “Come on! Compliment your dad.”

Erdan was already confused, but as soon as Su Qinghu gave the order, he immediately opened his mouth: “Dad, you look great when you laugh!”

Chen Lie was silent for a second, then burst out laughing.

This time, even Father Chen and Qian Yin couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud.

These two kids were just too funny!

Father Chen had just thought those words when he suddenly remembered that Su Qinghu wasn’t really a kid anymore. He cleared his throat and reined in his laughter.

Erdan ignored them. Seeing that Su Qinghu’s eyes were no longer inscrutable but as bright and clear as Shichahai in spring, he relaxed and patted his chest with a grin, promising, “Mom, from now on we’ll always protect you and never bully you!”

Dadan: “…”

Dadan shot him a look, annoyed that he’d spoken on his behalf.

But now wasn’t the time to say anything.

He glanced inconspicuously at Chen Yan. Family matters shouldn’t be aired in public. If he protested now, it would just make them a laughingstock in front of outsiders…

“Chen Lie, Xiao Su, Dadan, Erdan, you’re here!” Mother Chen had been busy cooking and hadn’t come out earlier. Now she turned off the gas, plated the food, tossed down the spatula, and hurried out. “It’s hot outside, isn’t it? Come, sit down!”

Chen Lie called out to her, and Su Qinghu followed with a “Mom,” while Dadan and Erdan obediently greeted her with “Grandma.”

“Good, good!” Mother Chen looked at Su Qinghu, her heart full of joy and satisfaction, though for some reason she felt a bit awkward in front of her. “Xiao Su, are you thirsty?”

Su Qinghu smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”

As soon as she smiled, most of Mother Chen’s awkwardness melted away. “You all sit down. I’ll just cook a few more dishes and then we’ll eat.”

She was about to head back to the kitchen when she suddenly remembered something and turned to Chen Yan. “Yanyan, your cold dishes are really good. Come help me out.”

In that instant, Chen Yan suddenly felt like this wasn’t her home anymore. Why was she the only one called to help in the kitchen?

She couldn’t help but glance at Su Qinghu.

Su Qinghu met her gaze, seemingly by chance, and smiled.

What now?

Was her sister-in-law really going to start something on her very first visit?

Chen Yan felt uncomfortable under her gaze and turned to head into the kitchen. With her back to Su Qinghu, her emotions leaked out, and she looked at her mother with a hint of grievance.

Mother Chen glanced at her daughter, seemingly unintentionally, then smiled at Su Qinghu before heading into the kitchen.

Qian Yin didn’t notice anything amiss. He chatted cheerfully with Father Chen and his brother-in-law, and even made small talk with the two kids.

Su Qinghu stood next to Chen Lie, rolling up her sleeves as she listened to him talk with Father Chen and Qian Yin.

Hmm… She was now almost certain that Qian Yin was an engineering guy.

His attention wasn’t really on Father Chen or Chen Lie, but on finding ways to spark the kids’ interest and curiosity about engineering.

“What’s acid-base titration? What’s nitric oxide? Why does nitric oxide turn red when it meets air?” Erdan was full of questions. “What’s the point of learning this stuff?”

Before Qian Yin could answer, Dadan spoke up. “Be quiet.”

Erdan muttered, “I’ve never seen anyone actually use this stuff. And that thing Uncle said about breaking bricks with your bare hands—who does that? Construction workers all have brick knives…”

Not practical!

He silently reached his own conclusion and fell quiet.

Dadan frowned. “Just because you haven’t seen it used doesn’t mean it’s not useful in real life.”

Even though he didn’t know exactly where this knowledge was applied, he was sure it was only his own lack of knowledge that made him ignorant.

Qian Yin didn’t mind. He smiled and explained, “Chemistry lets us create and understand new substances. It’s a field full of change and challenge. Like the questions you asked—what are these things, why do they change, what can you do with them? All of that is for you to explore and discover.”

Erdan: “…” Just listening to this sounded like a headache.

But Dadan’s eyes lit up. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but there were so many questions he didn’t know where to start.

Su Qinghu thought, this was just like when a struggling student wanted to study hard and asked the top student for help. The top student would ask, “What don’t you understand?” and after a long pause, all the struggling student could say was, “I don’t understand anything.”

“Have you ever watched movies?” Qian Yin asked.

The two kids nodded. “Yeah.”

“Have you seen any war movies?” Qian Yin continued.

Erdan perked up instantly. “Yeah, the ones about fighting the Japanese!”

Qian Yin: “Have you heard of biological or chemical warfare?”

As soon as he said that, Father Chen and Chen Lie both stopped talking and looked over.

Su Qinghu could sense the sudden shift in their demeanor, which quickly faded.

Alright, things seemed pretty harmonious now. She turned to Chen Lie. “You guys keep chatting. I’ll go check on things in the kitchen.”

Chen Lie was just thinking about whether to follow her when he caught a warning look from Su Qinghu and immediately gave up. “Okay.”

Su Qinghu greeted Father Chen and headed for the kitchen.

Behind her, Qian Yin was still earnestly explaining to the two kids, “Biological and chemical warfare are both forms of biochemical weapons. They’re extremely dangerous, highly contagious, and uncontrollable…”"