Chapter 138 - 58: Zheng Qi Disappears, 500,000 to Find Her, 1,000,000 to Bring Her Back
Upon returning to the villa, Xie Wan was waiting at the door with a group of people. "Welcome home, Miss Jiang, Mr. Shen!"
Jiang Li was taken aback. "What a production."
Shen Yanzhi set their luggage aside and wrapped an arm around Jiang Li’s waist. "Let’s go eat. Didn’t you say you were hungry?"
Lunch was a sumptuous spread of all of Jiang Li’s favorite dishes.
After lunch, they went upstairs for a nap.
By the time she woke up, it was late afternoon.
When she came downstairs to the living room, she found both the Jiang and Shen families there, sitting on the sofa and chatting.
Jiang Li instinctively glanced at Shen Yanzhi, who was seated in the center, afraid he might have already told their families about her pregnancy.
But the group was deep in conversation, and no one noticed her arrival.
To get their attention, she cleared her throat. Zhou Jiawen heard the sound and immediately stood up. "Sister-in-law!"
She trotted over to Jiang Li and nuzzled into her embrace. "I haven’t seen you in ages! I missed you so much."
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. "Did you miss me, or my gifts?"
She had previously bought clothes for Jiang Bowen and the others and sent them home. After that, she had made a habit of buying things at every new destination and shipping them back.
Sometimes it was clothes, jewelry, antiques and art, or shoes and bags.
She basically bought whatever caught her eye and then shipped it all back at once.
Zhou Jiawen giggled. "Of course I missed you!"
Jiang Li couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle Zhou Jiawen’s hair. "Alright, I’ll take your word for it."
’If I was worried before that Shen Yanzhi had let my pregnancy slip, judging by Zhou Jiawen’s reaction now, he almost certainly hasn’t said a thing.’
’After all, if the news was out, I’d be surrounded and treated like a national treasure by now.’
Jiang Li walked to one side and motioned for Xie Wan to bring over a suitcase.
She opened the suitcase and began taking out the gifts she had prepared. "I brought back presents for all of you. There’s something for everyone."
Jing Shiyun shook her head. "Honestly, dear. You already bought and sent so much back, and now there’s more? No matter how much money you have, you can’t be this extravagant. It’s such a waste."
Shen Yanzhi walked over to stand by Jiang Li, putting an arm around her waist. "Mom, these are our honeymoon gifts. And they’re for family, so it’s not a waste."
Jiang Manshu chimed in, agreeing with Jing Shiyun. "Still, try not to buy so much next time. We truly don’t need anything. If you must shop, buy things for the two of you."
The deliveries always arrived in huge piles, as if they were running a wholesale business. And most importantly, none of it was cheap.
Knowing it was impossible to stop Jiang Li from shopping, Shen Yanzhi decided to change the subject. "Dad, Mom, why don’t you open them and see if you like them?"
Because they had already bought so much before, this time they had picked out special gifts, with something unique for each person.
Shen Yuchu: "I like it."
Zhou Jiawen planted a kiss on Jiang Li’s cheek. "Thank you, Sister-in-law! I love it!"
’How could she not love it?’
’It was her favorite limited-edition handbag, one whose value went far beyond a simple price tag.’
Jiang Li chuckled softly. "I’m glad you like it."
’Asking Shen Yuchu about it beforehand had certainly paid off.’
’She was genuinely fond of her sister-in-law, so of course she treated her with special care.’
Afraid of getting another lecture from Jing Shiyun, Jiang Li made a suggestion. "It’s still early. Why don’t we play some mahjong until it’s time for dinner?"
Zhou Jiawen nodded. "That could work."
’Just sitting around and chatting was getting a bit boring. If she hadn’t been considerate of Jiang Li’s long flight and need for rest, she would have gone upstairs to wake her up long ago.’
No sooner said than done, the group split up to form two tables.
At seven o’clock, Xie Wan came upstairs to call them for dinner.
After dinner, Jing Shiyun pulled Jiang Li aside and asked in a low voice, "You two have been married for a while now. Is there any... news yet?"
Jiang Li was at a loss for words. "Mom..."
’I thought Jiang Manshu would be the first to ask about a baby, not my own mother.’
Jing Shiyun held Jiang Li’s hand and spoke earnestly, "You and Yanzhi aren’t getting any younger. You’re not working right now, so it’s the perfect time to have a baby. Otherwise, once you both get busy, you won’t have time to raise a child."
Knowing Jing Shiyun meant well, Jiang Li patted the back of her hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry about that, Mom. We have our own plan."
Jing Shiyun sighed. "As long as you have a plan. I was just worried you didn’t."
’There were things she’d rather not say, but if she didn’t bring them up and let Jiang Manshu speak first, the nature of the conversation would change entirely.’
’As a mother, she didn’t actually want to see Jiang Li go through the pain of childbirth.’
’If she could, she would have preferred to keep Jiang Li by her side forever, shielded from everything.’