RGL – Chapter 171

After returning home, Su Min went back to her room to pack her luggage.

Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang were in the kitchen preparing food.

Seeing that their daughter had gone into her room, Su Changrong finally said, “Are you seriously planning to have our daughter go on a blind date? With her qualities, you think she’ll have trouble finding someone?”

“It’s not that,” Sun Qiufang shook her head, glanced in the direction of the room, and then said, “You don’t know. Last time I went to visit Old Lady Xue, do you know what she said? She suggested our daughter marry her grandson. I was completely taken aback. I mean, I know she’s sick and her words might not hold weight, but thinking about it later… even while ill, she still kept our daughter in mind and even went out of her way to bring it up to me. Doesn’t that mean the two kids might be dating or something?”

“Really?” Su Changrong looked surprised. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I wasn’t sure about it myself. I’ve been holding it in for months, and I was worried she might be secretly dating someone, so I kept asking her about it just now. But it looks like she’s not seeing anyone.”

“No wonder you were so curious last time about whether any families had suitable young men,” Su Changrong sighed. “Actually, that Xue Mian kid is pretty good.”

“He’s definitely excellent, but his family situation… sigh, I really don’t want our daughter involved with their family.”

In terms of external conditions, there was really nothing to complain about. But their family wasn’t greedy for such things—when choosing a son-in-law, it had to be someone truly suitable.

The environment in Xue Mian’s family really wasn’t right for their daughter. Just look at how his mother and grandmother had been feuding for most of their lives, to the point that the old lady had a stroke from the stress. If their daughter married into that family, could she possibly have a good life?

Sun Qiufang had suffered through most of her own life, so she knew better than anyone.

Su Changrong didn’t have anything more to say.

He could only sigh quietly to himself, feeling a bit emotional—after all, once children grow up, they inevitably have to face these things.

Su Min, of course, had no idea what her parents were thinking.

That evening, she went to visit Grandma Sun and Doudou at Sun Hai’s house.

Sun Hai’s hotel had expanded again and was now several floors high. It had become a well-known establishment in the city.

Speaking of which, Sun Hai had never imagined the hotel would grow this big. He originally only planned to open a restaurant. But after seeing Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang open supermarkets in the provincial capital and even set up a chain management company, he got inspired and impulsively upgraded his restaurant into a full-fledged hotel.

Su Min only knew that Sun Hai had opened a hotel, but she hadn’t visited it yet.

When she arrived at Sun Hai’s house, only Li Meng and Doudou were home.

“Where’s Grandma? And where’s Uncle?”

“They both went back to the hometown,” Li Meng replied while preparing candy and snacks for her, smiling as she spoke.

Su Min was surprised. “Why go back now? Is something going on with Uncle?”

“It’s not your eldest uncle this time,” Sun Qiufang said, sipping her tea and sighing. “Your second uncle’s grandmother passed away, so your grandma went back to pay her respects.”

“Second uncle’s grandma passed away? Wasn’t she only sixty?” Su Min asked in surprise.

Although she wasn’t particularly close to that side of the family, she still knew them. That grandmother had always been very energetic.

“It was sudden,” Sun Qiufang said, full of emotion. “They say it was a cerebral hemorrhage, and she passed just like that—without any warning. When your grandma heard the news, she couldn’t react for half a day. That woman was actually much younger than your grandma.”

Hearing this, Su Min’s heart sank. She suddenly thought of how she herself had died so suddenly in her past life. Who would’ve thought a house could just collapse like that?

She clutched her cup tightly, feeling a sudden wave of sorrow.

The winters in their hometown were still warmer than the north, though it had snowed on New Year’s Day.

This year, Sun Hai had canceled the hotel’s Chinese New Year banquet events. So during the New Year, the hotel remained open for business. On the first day of the New Year, Sun Hai returned from the countryside and invited Su Min’s whole family to have New Year’s dinner in a private room at his hotel.

“The chefs at your hotel are really getting better and better,” Su Changrong said with a smile.

Sun Qiufang laughed too. “Exactly. I think they’re even better than Sun Hai’s cooking now.”

“His skills were fine for the county, but in the city, you’ve got to hire pros like this,” Li Meng said with a laugh as she picked up some food for her son. She glanced at Sun Hai affectionately—even though her words were casual, her eyes were full of admiration.

For a woman, finding a capable husband like this was a blessing.

Seeing the family business grow day by day, and remembering the hard times of the past, all she felt now was gratitude. If she had missed out on this man back then, who knows what her life would be like now.

Sun Qiufang smiled and said, “I heard you’re planning to open a new branch. Where at?”

Sun Hai waved his hand. “We’re thinking of the provincial capital, but it’s just an idea for now. Nothing’s been decided yet. It’ll need a huge investment.”

As soon as Su Changrong heard the word “investment,” he immediately said, “How much are you short? I’ll talk to your sister and see if we can help you put something together. Didn’t you lend us money back when we were opening branches? Don’t be polite with us.”

Sun Qiufang agreed. “Exactly. Business at the supermarkets is doing great now. The provincial capital branch is up and running, and we’ve got plenty of funds. By the way, if you’re opening a new store over there, are you planning to move too?”

Sun Hai nodded. “The provincial capital’s market is much bigger than our city’s. If I move there, I’ll definitely be busier. I’m thinking of relocating when the time comes—it’ll be easier to manage things too.”

Hearing that he planned to move to the provincial capital, Su Changrong immediately beamed with joy. “That’s great! Your sister and I are planning to move there too. The policies over there are more relaxed now, so we can even buy a house and settle down.”

Su Min looked up in surprise. “Dad, Mom—you’re moving to the provincial capital? Since when? Why didn’t I know anything about this?”

“Haha, you weren’t home, were you? Your mom and I talked about it in private. We weren’t ready to tell you yet,” Su Changrong replied happily.

Now that the family business was growing, the company was up and running, and new branches were opening one after another. Things that had once seemed impossible were now becoming reality, little by little.

Su Min bit the end of her chopsticks, realizing that her parents didn’t need her anymore. They had their own lives now.

And what about her? Where was she supposed to go?

For a moment, Su Min felt lost.

She used to think she couldn’t live without her parents. And they had always been reluctant to let her go. But now, she had already left home for B City, and her parents had their own careers and lives.

After dinner, Su Changrong and Sun Hai continued chatting over drinks. Sun Qiufang sat with Grandma Sun and Li Meng, chatting about everyday life.

Su Min played with Doudou for a bit. When the little one fell asleep on the couch in the private room, she asked a server for a blanket to keep him warm.

Seeing that everyone was busy, she got up and said to Sun Qiufang, “Mom, I’m going out for a walk.”

“Alright, don’t go too far. Come back early,” Sun Qiufang reminded her without turning, already back to discussing house-hunting in the provincial capital with Li Meng.

Su Min glanced around the room before walking out.

Outside, because of the New Year dinner rush, business was bustling. Everywhere was lively and festive.

Sun Hai’s Sihai Hotel had a great location in the city. Just outside the main entrance was a bustling street, and nearby was a newly built pedestrian street.

But even as she watched the people bustling to and fro, Su Min couldn’t feel happy.

“Su Min?”

She was walking with her head down when a familiar voice suddenly came from ahead. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up—and sure enough, a familiar figure stood before her.

Xue Mian.

Tall and upright, he was dressed in a black down jacket that made him look especially striking. Under the streetlights, his eyes shimmered as if glistening with tears.

“Su Min, it really is you!”

As he spoke, Xue Mian’s lips curved into a smile.

Su Min was in complete shock. She hadn’t expected to run into Xue Mian at this time, in this place.

It took her a while to recover before she asked hoarsely, “What are you doing here?”

Xue Mian rubbed his head shyly. “I came to spend the New Year at my aunt’s place this year.” Then he added, “Grandpa and Grandma are here too. We’re all celebrating here this year.”

Su Min nodded, but didn’t know what else to say.

Her relationship with Xue Mian had already soured back in B City. It had been months since they last saw each other, and now she didn’t know how to face him.

But compared to the confusion and avoidance she felt before, she now felt a bit more relaxed—and even a little happy.

Xue Mian also stared at her in a daze.

The truth was, it had been his idea to come here for the New Year.

For one, it was just the three of them in the family—no matter where they celebrated, it was all the same. So why not come to the city and enjoy a livelier time with his aunt’s family? The other reason was… he had hoped to see Su Min again.

But after arriving, he hadn’t dared to seek her out directly. So he kept wandering the streets.

Now, just when he was about to head back without even catching a glimpse of her, he finally saw her. His heart had been in a state of anxious uncertainty all day. It was the first day of the Lunar New Year—he couldn’t sit still and had run out after dinner.

And to his surprise, he really did run into her.

Thinking of that, Xue Mian couldn’t help but smile with joy.

The two of them stood silently for a moment. A gust of cold wind blew past, and Su Min shivered.

Seeing this, Xue Mian immediately stepped forward to block the wind. “Shall we go somewhere and have a cup of tea?”

Even though it was cold, the streets were still lively because of the holiday. They found a café and chose a window seat. Sitting there, watching snow begin to fall outside the window, they drank quietly.

“This year is colder than usual, but thankfully it’s still warmer than the north.”

Xue Mian took the initiative to start the conversation.

Su Min quietly nodded and couldn’t help glancing at him.

He still looked very young, with a touch of spirited energy between his brows—the kind of confidence and pride unique to youth. That was what Su Min had envied most about him in the past. Now, looking at him again, she found it hard to look away.

Her gaze made the already somewhat nervous Xue Mian even more embarrassed. His smile grew a bit stiff, and he had to turn his head slightly to avoid her eyes.

After watching him for a moment, Su Min suddenly asked, “Why are you out shopping alone today?”

She knew Xue Mian was even more of a homebody than she was. Normally he never liked going out, yet today he had come out to stroll in the cold wind.

“I couldn’t stand being at home, so I came out to look around,” Xue Mian said, looking out the window.

Su Min smiled and continued, “Really? Is that the truth?”

“…”

Xue Mian was silent for a moment before turning to look at her. “No. I came out hoping I might run into you.”

After saying that, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.

He had already confessed before—there was no need to hide it anymore.

Seeing the calm expression on his face, Su Min suddenly felt a pang of emotion—touched and unexpectedly joyful.

“Do the words you said before still count?” she asked.

“What?” Xue Mian was a bit startled. He had thought Su Min was about to reject him. He hadn’t expected such a sudden and ambiguous question, and it took him a moment to react.

Su Min pressed her lips together, as if she had made a big decision. “I have a bad temper and I’m selfish. You know all of that. So do your words about liking me still count?”

The moment she finished speaking, she saw that Xue Mian’s expression had frozen.

Seeing him like that, Su Min suddenly felt a bit shy.

She hadn’t expected that one day she would be the one to hint at wanting to date someone—and that someone was just a young man.

She had lived two lifetimes, after all. The thought of this felt oddly surreal.

Just as Su Min was laughing at herself, Xue Mian finally reacted. His face showed disbelief and overwhelming joy, and his lips even trembled. “You—you mean, you’re agreeing to date me?”

Su Min couldn’t help rolling her eyes at that.

She’d made herself so clear, yet Xue Mian still had to ask such a thing. She grew a bit flustered and angry, stood up, and said, “Well, does it count or not? If it doesn’t, then just pretend I never said anything.”

With that, she turned to leave.

But before she could take a step, Xue Mian grabbed her arm, then stood up and pulled her into a hug. “It counts, it counts—it’s always counted!”

Ever since that confession at the restaurant, the two of them had officially started dating.

This time, Su Min was serious about it. On the very first day of dating Xue Mian, she told Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang about it.

The couple was both surprised when they heard the news.

Su Changrong was completely unable to accept that his daughter had been snatched away so quickly. Sun Qiufang, on the other hand, was clearly more worried.

She simply pulled her daughter into the room for a private chat.

“Have you really thought this through?” Sun Qiufang asked solemnly.

Su Min nodded. “I’m planning to visit his aunt’s house for the New Year tomorrow. We’re taking this seriously.”

She had thought it through clearly. She and Xue Mian had known each other for many years—they were well aware of each other’s tempers and habits, so there was no need for a “let’s try it and see” kind of relationship.

Naturally, Xue Mian felt the same.

Sun Qiufang hadn’t expected her daughter to settle down so soon, and she grew anxious. “Xue Mian is a good kid. Your dad and I both like him. But his family… it’s a bit complicated. If you marry into their family, how will you deal with his mother? I’ve suffered because of your grandma all these years—I don’t want you to follow in my footsteps.”

Su Min was moved. She reached out and hugged Sun Qiufang’s arm. “Mom, I used to think the same, which is why I never accepted him. But now I’ve figured it out. Who knows how long we’ll live? Who can say whether we’ll be happy marrying someone else in the future? We just don’t know. If we keep hesitating and worrying, in the end, we might be left with nothing.”

Although she’d always felt that Xue Mian was too young, not seeing him for several months had helped her understand her own feelings. As for her previous concerns, they now felt unnecessary.

In her past life, she hadn’t even gotten to experience love before she died. Who knew what might happen this time around?

She had already experienced life and death—what was there to fear about the little things?

“I’m still in college. It’s too early to talk about starting a family. Let’s just date for now. Maybe when the time is right, all these worries will resolve themselves.”

Although Sun Qiufang was worried, she was still an open-minded person. And besides, Xue Mian was truly excellent—it wouldn’t be easy to find someone like him again.