Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 78: The First Wife of a 1980s Big Shot Who Died Young (11)
The driver listened with a beaming smile, thinking how sweet the young couple's relationship was; they were so affectionate in public, one wondered what they were like in private.
When they arrived at the Qin residence, the moment they got out of the car, they were warmly welcomed.
Qin Guozhong was all smiles as he handed Huo Meilan a thick red envelope and introduced her to his wife.
“Meilan, this is Auntie Suyun. You can just call her ‘Mom’ like Huaijing does.”
The first time Huo Meilan saw her mother-in-law, she couldn’t help but think she was truly a beauty.
Although Lai Suyun was already in her forties, her features were still striking. Her skin was smooth and well cared for, her eyes slightly upturned and full of charm. She wore a loose dark red cheongsam, with a beige shawl draped over it. The whole look was elegant, graceful, and full of class.
Huo Meilan called out naturally, “Mom.”
With how often she had been receiving gifts by mail, calling her “Mom” didn’t feel strange at all. Honestly, even her own mother hadn’t treated her this well.
Before meeting Huo Meilan, Lai Suyun, out of love for her son and after hearing her husband's stories of the girl's hardships, felt a pang of pity.
Now that she saw her in person, Lai Suyun immediately understood why both her husband and son kept praising her.
Huo Meilan was wearing the clothes Lai Suyun had sent over earlier. A blue coat with a soft fur collar, paired with a white wool skirt. On her feet were short leather boots, and her long hair was left loose with just a simple hair clip. No extra accessories at all, yet she somehow looked clean, elegant, and naturally refined.
Lai Suyun couldn’t help but sigh. The name really fit her. Huo Meilan had a gentle, graceful kind of beauty. Her eyes were clear and bright, her lips slightly curved in a natural smile, and she had an easy warmth to her presence.
Even her voice was clean and pleasant. When she said “Mom,” it came out sweet and soft.
Lai Suyun had a good first impression. She responded warmly, “Alright, alright. It’s good that you two are back. Come inside, it’s cold out here.”
The Qin couples led Huo Meilan into the courtyard.
Qin Huaijing followed behind them the entire time without getting a single chance to speak.
He sighed inwardly, a little helpless. Somehow it felt like Huo Meilan was the Qin family’s real daughter, and he was the awkward son-in-law who didn’t quite belong.
After meeting her in-laws, Huo Meilan also prepared gifts for the elders.
She brought homemade cookies and pastries from her space. Knowing her mother-in-law liked tea, she gifted her a delicate tea set. For her father-in-law, who enjoyed drinking tea, she brought two high-quality tea leaves.
This made the couple even happier. Qin Guozhong was already very satisfied with her, and he didn’t hold back his praise.
Lai Suyun, being discerning, naturally noticed the tea set was extraordinary and remarked that the girl was quite attentive to her, which made her like her even more.
The Qin parents prepared a full table of dishes, and the whole family sat down for a warm reunion meal. The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.
After dinner, the sky had already turned dark.
Qin Guozhong and Lai Suyun didn't chat much with the children; having traveled such a long train journey, they wanted them to rest early.
Lai Suyun had already prepared the room after hearing her son was coming back.
Qin Huaijing led her to the room.
He pushed the door open first, and the moment he saw how different it looked, he was stunned.
“Whoa, is this really my room?”
Huo Meilan, who was right behind him, peeked in. Her eyes immediately lit up. She squeezed past him at the doorway and walked in with a smile to take a closer look.
The whole room had a soft, warm tone. The curtains were a light apricot color, and a vase by the window held a few white plum blossoms.
The bedding was a fresh light pink set, and there was even a cute plush doll sitting on the headboard.
On the left side, next to the wardrobe, was a white European-style dressing table, fully stocked with all kinds of bottles and jars.
By the bed were brand-new cotton slippers for both a man and a woman.
Qin Huaijing sighed as he walked in. “My mom really went overboard. She got a daughter-in-law and forgot she still has a son.”
He opened the wardrobe casually, only to immediately regret it.
The large wardrobe had his clothes squeezed into one side, while more than half of the space was filled with women’s clothes.
Seeing that, Huo Meilan couldn’t help laughing too. She smiled and said, “Mom is really good to me.”
She hadn’t brought much luggage back for the New Year. If needed, she could always take things from her space, but now it looked like she didn’t even need to. Everything was already here.
Qin Huaijing let out a frustrated laugh. “Come on, this is my room. Where am I supposed to sleep, on the floor now?”
“You said it yourself. Tonight you’re sleeping on the floor.”
As soon as she said that, Qin Huaijing reached out and pinched the back of her neck. “Comrade Huo Meilan, can you show a little conscience?”
That spot on her neck was super sensitive. The moment he pinched it, she shrank away, ticklish and squirming. “Tch, let go already.”
“Nope, not letting go. Say it again, where am I sleeping?”
“You asked for this.”
The words had barely fallen when Huo Meilan suddenly struck from behind. One clean shoulder throw later, she tossed him straight onto the bed.
Qin Huaijing landed on the soft mattress, still a bit dazed as he rubbed his head.
Right then, a soft gasp came from the doorway.
Huo Meilan snapped her head up and froze.
There stood her mother-in-law, holding a fruit plate, mouth slightly open, staring blankly at the scene inside the room.
Lai Suyun quickly came back to her senses and gave an awkward laugh. “I, I just came to bring you some fruit. I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
Huo Meilan was so embarrassed she practically wanted to dig a hole with her toes. She hurriedly explained, “No, Mom. We were just messing around.”
On the bed, Qin Huaijing also recovered. He sat up with exaggerated coolness, ran a hand through his short hair, and said casually, “Mom, I didn’t scare you, right? This is just how we get along as a couple. I like how unique Meilan is.”
Hearing that, Huo Meilan felt even more mortified and quietly shot him a glare, like she was ready to strangle him for talking nonsense.
Seeing that, Qin Huaijing straightened his clothes and walked over with a grin, casually wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Lai Suyun shot her son an exasperated look at how hopelessly smitten he looked and said, “Alright, stop teasing Meilan. She just got off a long train ride. Let her rest properly tonight.”
Then she turned to her daughter-in-law with a warm smile. “Meilan, there’s sleepwear in the wardrobe. The bathroom is right next door. Go take a hot shower before bed.”
After the reminder, Lai Suyun set the fruit tray down and left the room.
Once she was gone, Qin Huaijing immediately went to close the door, even going as far as locking it just to be safe.
He turned back around, only to see Huo Meilan storming toward him. She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed his neck with both hands.
“You’re going to be the death of me. I just got here and my image is already ruined.”
She was clearly holding back her strength. To a grown man like Qin Huaijing, it barely felt like a tickle.
His shirt was slightly crooked, his handsome, masculine face full of that lazy rogue grin. He even stuck out his tongue a little while playing along, looking utterly shameless.
“Wife, you’re amazing. A super invincible power queen. I’m terrified. I was wrong, please forgive me.”
Huo Meilan was so annoyed by his thick-skinned acting that she ended up laughing. She shoved him away.
“Qin Huaijing, if there was a camera here, I’d record you and let the whole world see this.”
“Camera? I’ve got one in my room.”
Qin Huaijing snapped his fingers and casually went over to the cabinet to start rummaging.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment