The Magnificent Son-in-law

Just as Zhao Guo'an finished speaking.

"Creak…"

The gate of the courtyard was pushed open, followed by the sound of footsteps and a woman's voice: "Excuse me, is anyone inside?"

Upon hearing this familiar voice, Zhao Guo'an shivered and couldn't help but curse: "Damn! How did she follow me here?"

The others were curious about what kind of woman could terrify Zhao Guo'an so much.

"Yes, yes!" The little girl put down her chopsticks and responded loudly, then trotted to the door, enthusiastically saying, "Hello, sister, we're eating right now, come in and have a bite."

Hearing this, Zhao Guo'an jumped up in fright, then wandered around the room, frantically looking for a place to hide.

Zhen Jinghan seemed surprised by the little girl's enthusiasm, paused, and asked: "I saw a 'For Rent' sign at the door, is this your place?"

"No, we're here renting as tourists, we rented this courtyard."

"So you're not here alone?"

"Of course not, if it were just me, renting such a big place would be wasteful."

"Oh, then I'm sorry, I'll go look elsewhere, sorry for the interruption!"

Seeing that she's about to leave, the little girl quickly said, "Don't go yet, come in and eat with us."

Hearing this, Zhao Guo'an felt even more uneasy, thinking this was leading to his own demise.

But Zhen Jinghan hesitated, frowning: "This… doesn't seem quite appropriate, would it trouble you too much?"

Although she said it was a trouble, in her heart she couldn't help but suspect if the little girl had bad intentions.

After all, being hospitable is normal, but since everyone here is a stranger and this is a first meeting, inviting someone to stay for a meal would make anyone ponder over it.

At this point, Zhao Guo'an was frantically giving the little girl pleading looks inside the house, folding his hands, and begging: "Miss, please have mercy, let me off the hook this time!"

A look of reluctance flashed in the little girl's eyes as she thought of Zhao Guo'an's many trials and tribulations during his journey, which could be compared to a saga of blood and tears.

Thus, maybe I shouldn't put him through more trouble...

However, just as the little girl felt compassion, Zhen Jinghan, standing in the courtyard, brushed aside a strand of hair from her face and smiled, "Maybe I overthought, we're all out here to have fun after all, since you invited me, I won't be courteous."

"???"

The little girl was suddenly at a loss, thinking, sister, you're not playing by the rules here, I just invited you and you didn't come in, and now when I don't want you to come in, you're eager to join.

Left with no choice, the little girl turned back, with an expression of helplessness, only to be surprised to find two people missing inside the house.

The missing two were, without a doubt, Xiao Feng and Zhao Guo'an.

Zhao Guo'an needed no explanation, while Xiao Feng hid because he had met Zhen Jinghan before. His presence would reveal to her that Zhao Guo'an was staying in this courtyard.

"Please have a seat, let me introduce..." The little girl invited Zhen Jinghan to sit down and set a place for her.

After a round of introductions and handshakes, Zhen Jinghan said sentimentally, "It's really nice to meet you all, I'm really happy!"

Her words were genuine, sounding like typical niceties, yet, after knowing about Zhen Jinghan from Zhao Guo'an, everyone heard a sense of extraordinary longing for friendship in her voice.

Just imagine, a woman married three times with husbands passing away for different reasons, and her friends having inexplicable bad luck, it's no wonder regular people steer clear of such a friend.

And everyone secretly observed Zhen Jinghan while eating...

With an oval face, fair skin, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, her smile gave a pleasant feeling, she seemed to have a classic 'brings good fortune to husband' face, how could she be bringing misfortune?

For a moment, everyone started doubting the truth of Zhao Guo'an's words and if Zhen Jinghan's husbands' deaths were really accidents.

After a few bites, Zhen Jinghan put down her chopsticks and said, "I'm someone without friends and haven't had such company while eating in a long time, thank you for your hospitality, I have a few gifts for you."

Saying this, she took a lipstick out of her bag, handing it to Lin Zhiyan: "Rose red, it suits your skin tone, it's brand new, I haven't used it."

Then she approached Lu Yao, took out a palm-sized, delicately crafted ivory-colored box with a bow on top: "I bought these earrings during my travels, I hope you like them."

Everyone except Fujiwara Keiaki received a gift.

The little girl got a pen, Lin Jiaxuan received a mini bear doll, and Su Yuzhuo got an eyebrow pencil.

At this point, Zhen Jinghan stood up and said, "I should get going, hope to see you all again by chance."

"Hey, wait!" the little girl stopped her and said, "Aren't you looking to rent? We have a few empty rooms in this courtyard, you can stay here."

Zhen Jinghan paused, as if considering something, and politely declined, "No, I have some urgent matters, I have to return this afternoon, wish you all a joyful trip!"

Saying this, she turned around and left.

A few minutes later, Zhao Guo'an peeked out from behind a vat and whispered, "Are you sure she's really gone?"

"She's gone, come out then, right, where's Xiao Feng? Did you make him hide behind the vat too?" the little girl said unamused.

As soon as she spoke, a voice came from above: "I'm up here!"

Everyone looked up to see Xiao Feng laying on the beam, legs crossed, looking relaxed.

"I knew it, Xiao Feng wouldn't be as disgraceful as you," the little girl glared at Zhao Guo'an smugly, as though sharing in his honor.

Zhao Guo'an retorted unhappily, "How am I disgraceful?"

"Stop bickering, I think Zhen Jinghan is actually quite nice, don't you think?" Lu Yao chimed in.

Everyone nodded, not because they received gifts, but because from the dinner conversation, Zhen Jinghan truly seemed like a decent person.

"See? Everyone says she's nice, why do you keep talking bad about her?" The little girl protested as she glared at Zhao Guo'an.

Zhao Guo'an chuckled bitterly, "Did I ever say anything about her character? She just... never mind, I won't tell you guys!"

At that moment, Fujiwara Keiaki, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Have you considered, that woman appearing here might not have been just a coincidence?"