Chapter 44: Playing Along

Su Qinghu took a small step back.

She was happy to watch the drama, but she wanted to keep a safe distance.

Er Dan, that little rascal… he was probably in for a beating this time…

Er Dan immediately noticed her movement and shot her a look full of reproach.

He’d only gotten caught by Dad because he was worried about her, and now all the blame was falling on him. Instead of joining forces with him against their common enemy, she actually took a step back?

How was this any different from abandoning a comrade?

Traitor!

Good thing he and his brother hadn’t sworn brotherhood with her back when she’d bravely spoken up for them—otherwise, there’d be two heartbroken people today!

“What are you all doing?”

Father Chen—Chen Bai—and his son-in-law Qian Yin stood at the doorway, watching the three people in the yard with varying expressions for a while before finally speaking up.

Chen Lie glanced at Er Dan and pointed at him. “Stand up straight!”

Er Dan immediately straightened up, puffing out his little chest, looking like he was absolutely ready to obey orders.

If he behaved, even if Dad didn’t care about his feelings, surely Grandpa would?

Grandpa would tell all the old men at the end of the alley—weren’t grandparents always softer on the grandkids?

He looked hopefully at the smiling Chen Bai, silently pleading for help.

But Chen Bai didn’t look at him. Instead, he swept his gaze over Su Qinghu and Chen Lie. Seeing that the two didn’t seem to be arguing or in the middle of a conflict, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Chen Yan was his and his wife’s first child, doted on by both them and the grandparents, but… she wasn’t the most considerate person.

When Su Qinghu had come out of the kitchen into the yard earlier, he hadn’t thought much of it. But after his son-in-law finished explaining science to Da Dan, and his son and daughter-in-law still hadn’t come back inside, he started to feel uneasy.

Now, seeing the three of them almost in a standoff, and his daughter-in-law’s wet eyelashes, his heart skipped a beat.

“What’s going on here?”

His heart was in his throat, but he still wore a cheerful smile, not letting anything show.

Er Dan kept quiet, looking first at Su Qinghu and then at Chen Lie.

Su Qinghu glanced back at him, only for the little guy to “hmph” and turn his head away.

What was that about?

Su Qinghu raised her eyebrows. For someone so small, he sure had a big temper!

He wanted her to face reality, to show her through his actions that all her so-called flirtatious moments—those pink bubbles—were just in her head, making her feel super embarrassed!

So what was wrong with her leaving him to face his dad’s wrath alone?

He wasn’t stupid—he was even a little clever—so why should she have to give in to him?

Besides, in terms of relationships, Chen Lie was his dad, not hers. Emotionally, Chen Lie was his father, while she and Chen Lie were just in a mutually beneficial arrangement. In terms of time, they’d had four or five years of father-son bonding, while she and Chen Lie had only been “partners” for six or seven days!

So who was really the pitiful one here?

If they started fighting, it’d just be the usual “beating means affection, scolding means love”…

Su Qinghu tried to justify abandoning her teammate, but when she saw Chen Lie about to speak, she quickly jumped in first, just to be safe.

“Er Dan just told me a joke, and I couldn’t help it—I laughed so hard I hurt myself,” Su Qinghu said, glancing at Er Dan.

That look was crystal clear—Er Dan immediately got the message.

—You little rascal, remember this: you owe me one today, and you’d better pay it back later!

That was exactly what Su Qinghu meant. On her first day meeting her in-laws, she’d self-deprecated just to defuse the tension between Er Dan and Chen Lie!

That was a big enough sacrifice, right?

A big enough sacrifice meant a big favor—he’d have to pay it back!

Er Dan swallowed nervously.

A joke? What joke? What kind of joke could make her laugh so hard she got hurt?

What if Grandpa asked what the joke was? What would he say? He couldn’t think of a single joke right now!

Chen Lie, seeing Su Qinghu had taken over, simply stood quietly to the side, watching her perform with an unreadable expression.

Sure enough, Chen Bai asked, “So, what was the joke?”

He was just asking casually, not really expecting an answer. But the three of them didn’t realize that, and all perked up.

Er Dan looked at Su Qinghu, as if to say, See? He asked!

Chen Lie looked at Su Qinghu, who was smiling with arched eyes and a breezy air, but said nothing.

Er Dan pouted at him.

Chen Lie: “…”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say something—he just didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t a single funny story in his head at the moment.

Su Qinghu: “Ah, well, it’s kind of a lame joke. It’s about… about…”

About what?

Crap!

She couldn’t think of a joke right now!

Under Chen Bai’s expectant gaze, Su Qinghu took a deep breath, her mind working overtime. “It’s a joke about a fight between a steamed bun and a noodle!”

Er Dan: …Wow, that’s a new one. A steamed bun and a noodle fighting!

Chen Lie glanced at her, worried for a moment that she wouldn’t be able to come up with a joke that could make someone laugh so hard they got hurt.

But as soon as he saw her brows arching and the spark in her eyes, he relaxed.

She looked like she was about to pull off something wild…

Qian Yin, listening to Su Qinghu, started wondering what kind of chemical reaction would happen if a steamed bun and a noodle fought.

Chen Bai: “A steamed bun and a noodle?”

Before Su Qinghu even started, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself.

She wondered if they’d even get such a lame joke, hahaha.

“So, one day, a steamed bun and a noodle got into a fight. The noodle beat up the steamed bun. The steamed bun wasn’t happy, so he brought his buddies to get revenge. On the way, they ran into instant noodles, and they beat up the instant noodles. Afterward, they said, ‘Don’t think I can’t recognize you just because you got a perm!’”

Chen Bai: “…”

Chen Bai hesitated. The joke was over, but he didn’t find it funny. So should he laugh or not?

If he laughed, it’d be insincere; if he didn’t, would his daughter-in-law feel awkward?

While he was hesitating, Er Dan burst out laughing. “Hahahaha, poor instant noodles!”

Seeing that at least someone laughed, Su Qinghu relaxed a little. She glanced at Er Dan to make sure he was genuinely amused, then stepped forward and ruffled his hair. “Want some instant noodles?”

Er Dan: “If you want to buy it, just buy it!”

A pack only cost 0.25 yuan, or the fancy ones were 0.35—enough to buy a whole kilo of rice. Would she really be willing?

Su Qinghu shot back, “Why else would I ask you?”

Er Dan: “If you keep your word, I’ll forgive you for abandoning your teammate just now.”

He said it quietly, but Su Qinghu heard him. Meeting his clear gaze, she hesitated, then threw out a condition: “Can you handle your brother?”

Da Dan was like a little housekeeper—every time he looked at her, it was as if he was thinking, “There she goes wasting money again!”

She couldn’t even spend money happily!

Er Dan: …That might be tough.

While he was hesitating, Chen Bai—thinking Su Qinghu only wanted to buy instant noodles for one child because she didn’t have enough money—spoke up, “Buy them! Buy them all! I’ll have someone go get them later—every kid in our family gets a whole box!”"