Chapter 110 - 105: My Dad Already Told Me
Relieved to know she wouldn’t have to worry about being forced into blind dates for the next few years, Ni Bingyan hung up the phone in high spirits. She tied up her hair and did an hour of yoga.
She had another red carpet event coming up soon and planned to go all out in a qipao. She wanted to exude a sense of strength without losing her feminine grace.
After her workout and shower, Ni Bingyan found herself with nothing to do, so she grabbed her gear and went to the lake to catch a few crucian carp. She planned to make a cold-dressed carp salad for dinner to whet her appetite.
As a southerner living in the north, she found the dry climate often made her feel overheated. She didn’t dare eat too many spicy peppers, but if she went too long without them, she’d lose her appetite.
In times like these, fresh chili peppers were much more refreshing than dried ones.
For the cold-dressed carp salad, you select small, tender wild crucian carp, add scallions and ginger, and steam them. After draining the excess water, you chop up green and red Thai chilies for the dressing, pour it over the fish, and let it cool completely. It’s an appetizing dish that won’t make you feel overheated.
Best of all, it didn’t use a single drop of oil, so it was delicious without the fear of gaining weight.
Ni Bingyan absolutely loved it.
As she was returning with her small bucket, she passed by the Sang Family’s back gate and happened to see Sang Yuan’s car pulling up.
The two of them were basically friends now, and she had just learned today that he’d given her family’s business some support. Since they’d run into each other, there was no reason not to say hello.
"President Sang, are you back from your business trip?"
Ni Bingyan had been running into Mrs. Sang frequently lately, and they would chat from time to time. Just today, Mrs. Sang had told her that her son was away on a business trip and she wasn’t sure when he’d be back.
She assumed he was trying to surprise his mother by pretending to be on a trip. Standing outside their courtyard gate, she worried Mrs. Sang might hear them and come out, accidentally overhearing their conversation. Being considerate, Ni Bingyan didn’t expose his little fib.
Sang Yuan got out of the car and flashed her a brilliant smile, clearly in a good mood.
He had been thinking about her the entire way home. And then, just as he was pulling into his driveway, he saw her walking toward him with a bucket and a fishing bag, clearly taking a shortcut. He quickly stopped the car.
Sure enough, the moment he stopped, she came over to greet him.
"I saw you from a distance and knew it was you. Were you fishing? How was the catch?"
In their past life, after they were married, the reason he had insisted on living here—even if it meant waking up earlier for work every day—was not just so his parents could help with the kids, but also for this very lake, which made it convenient for his wife to go fishing.
He knew all too well how much she loved to fish.
"Not bad at all! Here, look! They’re still so lively! I’m going to make a cold salad with them later! Want me to give you a few?"
Sang Yuan leaned in for a look and saw a small green plastic bucket crowded with about ten palm-sized crucian carp.
"Cold-dressed carp salad? You can eat carp raw?"
’It was one of his wife’s favorite dishes. Sang Yuan could recall the taste just from hearing its name, but in order to score a free meal, he had to put on an act.’
It had to be said, Emperor Sang’s acting skills were as reliable as ever. Even a professional like Ni Bingyan couldn’t see through him.
"It’s not that kind of salad. You cook it first, then dress it cold. It’s delicious!"
"Ah, too bad I don’t know how to make it."
"It’s not hard at all! I’ll bring some over to your place after I make it."
"No, no, I couldn’t possibly trouble you like that. By the way, I just came from your family’s place. Your dad gave me a ton of stuff. I felt bad accepting it at first, but then I thought I should bring it back for you to have a taste of home, so I took it."
Sang Yuan hurried to the back of his car, opened the trunk, and revealed an assortment of jars and containers inside.
’He knew that deceiving both sides would blow up in his face sooner or later. So, he planned to use this "learning to cook" excuse as a way to let Ni Bingyan know that he’d met her father.’
’That way, when his father-in-law realized something was up and contacted his daughter to ask about it, she wouldn’t give anything away.’
’Sang Yuan wanted to put his hands on his hips and laugh out loud at the thought of his father-in-law discovering the truth only after he had already won the girl.’
’He had it all planned out. When his "wife" saw the things her father had given him, she would surely ask in surprise, "How do you two know each other?"’
’Then he would say that his company wanted to be more down-to-earth with their New Year’s gifts for employees this year and decided on some practical items. That led him to place an order with Guangyuan Food Factory. The owner then invited him to dinner, and during their casual chat, her name came up, which is when he learned the owner was her father.’
’He had it all rehearsed; he had to act completely surprised.’
’Between a man and a woman, just a few more of these little "fated encounters" would inevitably bring them closer and closer!’
Sang Yuan thought his plan was perfectly thorough, but he had no idea that just a few hours earlier, his dear father-in-law, in a typical fit of impulsiveness, had suddenly called his daughter and inadvertently revealed certain things.
So, when Ni Bingyan cheerfully said, "My dad already told me. You’re such a filial son," he was completely stunned.
’According to his plan, her father wasn’t supposed to know that he and Ni Bingyan knew each other yet, right?’
’He had approached him as a stranger!’
’Now that he knew Sang Yuan was acquainted with his daughter, would he think that he had ulterior motives and was only trying to curry favor with him in this roundabout way?’
’The whole reason he’d kept it a secret was because his father-in-law had never taken kindly to anyone who coveted his daughter. Even in their past life, years after they were married, his father-in-law was still constantly finding fault with him.’
’He had been counting on his father-in-law to be his support, not to sabotage his efforts. That was why he’d planned to wait until the relationship was on solid footing before finding the right moment for him to find out.’
’Then, he would think, "Wow, Sang Yuan is the perfect son-in-law for our Ni family!"’
’There’s a world of difference between being the guy who’s desperately trying to become a son-in-law and being the son-in-law personally chosen by the father-in-law!’
"Th-this..."
Even for a master spinner of tales like Sang Yuan, this was a tough one to talk his way out of.
’Truly the bane of his existence, his father-in-law!’
’Same as he ever was!’
’The ultimate nemesis of all sons-in-law!’
’Heaven must have a grudge against him, sending this man specifically to test him! Even after being reborn, there was no escape.’
"Haha, he was praising you to the skies! Let me tell you, do you know why he called me? He thinks you’re incredibly filial for going all the way to Rongcheng City just to learn to cook for your mom. Then he got jealous and called to tell me I’m not a good daughter! It’s so unfair! I cook for him every time I go home, but he never appreciates it."
Seeing that Mrs. Sang hadn’t come out, she just spoke her mind freely.
Sang Yuan’s heart was about to break!
’He had made a special trip just for his wife, patiently slaving over that godforsaken honeycomb corn, all so he could make her favorite dish without offending her father and touch her heart. And now, all that effort was credited to his love for his own mother.’
And he couldn’t even say that wasn’t the case.
SIGH!
He was suffering in silence.
"Shh! Don’t spill the beans yet! This is supposed to be a surprise! My grandpa’s birthday is in a few days, and I need to ask him for a favor, so I was planning to show off my skills. It’ll also make my mom proud."
As expected of Little Sang, whose mind was as intricate as a sieve; he came up with a new excuse in the blink of an eye.
"Hehe, my lips are sealed! You can count on me!"
Ni Bingyan glanced at the things in her hand, then at the local specialties in the trunk. She swallowed, but still refused.
"My dad didn’t know we knew each other before, so he gave you these in good faith. You should keep them for yourself! Next time you go to Rongcheng City, you can bring some back for me if you get the chance."
"Oh, come on. You know my parents don’t eat spicy food. It would take me forever to finish all this by myself! Look, this beef sauce—your dad made it himself. He said it’s your favorite for mixing with noodles. Don’t stand on ceremony with me. If you can’t carry it now, I’ll go home first and bring it over to you later."
Ni Bingyan wasn’t one to be coy, so she said, "Alright then, you should come over and have some fish! Since your parents don’t like spicy food, I’ll make them some fish balls next time I catch a big one."
Having lived here for a while, she had gotten to know her neighbors, who all liked to give her things. She always returned the favor, often by giving away the fish she caught.
For the elderly residents with poor eyesight or bad teeth, she would even choose large fish to make into fish balls for them.
After the elder Sangs realized their future daughter-in-law was right next door, they did some mental recalibrating and began interacting with her. They had given her fruit on several occasions recently, so her offer didn’t seem out of place at all.
Sang Yuan’s smile grew even wider. "Perfect. I just got off the plane and haven’t had a chance to eat yet."
’First comes one, then comes two, and a third is sure to follow!’
’If he goes over a little early, he might even get a chance to show off his skills!’
’Perfect!’
Ni Bingyan had no idea about her father’s little scheme, nor did she know what Sang Yuan was plotting. As far as she was concerned, it was a truly perfect day!