Chapter 542: 541: Questioning
’That’s what little Xingxing thought, and he was smart enough not to say it out loud.’
Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque had someone watch over the children as they played. It wasn’t until the sun went down and the sky began to darken that Liao Zhuxiu came out of the kitchen, calling everyone to the cafeteria for dinner.
Liao Zhuxiu still commanded great respect among the children. The moment she called out, they all put away their toys and trotted toward the cafeteria.
Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque followed behind the children. Only after all the little ones had found their seats in the cafeteria did the two of them enter.
“You’re here. Go on, sit down!”
Liao Zhuxiu patted the seat beside her.
Yun Zijin had always sat next to Liao Zhuxiu on her previous visits, so she didn’t find it strange at all.
Lu Yunque, however, cautiously took the seat on the other side of Yun Zijin.
Just as expected, Liao Zhuxiu glanced over at Lu Yunque, but she didn’t comment on his choice of seat.
“You… Should I call you Mr. Lu?”
“No, not at all. Please, just call me Xiao Lu.”
The speaker was the orphanage’s chef, and his very first question—the one about what to call him—filled Lu Yunque with trepidation.
He wanted to marry the girl they had raised, so he had to be on his best behavior. If he let a man who was nearly sixty call him “Mr. Lu,” he was afraid the chef would think, ’If you don’t want to marry Yun Zijin, just say so. Why bother making the trip?’
“Alright then. Xiao Lu. It has a nice ring to it.”
When the chef said “Xiao Lu,” Lu Yunque acknowledged it with a smile.
“Focus on eating, or your food will get cold.”
January in the south was already very cold. If you didn’t eat quickly, the freshly served dishes would turn cold in moments.
Following the orphanage’s tradition, whenever the weather turned cold, everyone would gather for hot pot.
When they had hot pot, everyone in the orphanage would split into a few tables, with ten to twelve people sharing a single pot at each one.
Besides, this was an orphanage. As long as everyone had their fill, they weren’t fussy about etiquette, so they weren’t in the habit of using serving chopsticks for hot pot.
They had canceled the hot pot and opted for individual stir-fried dishes instead, worried that Lu Yunque wouldn’t be comfortable with the communal style.
But in such weather, and with no heating indoors, you could imagine how quickly the food would cool down.
Everyone else knew this. Yun Zijin shot Lu Yunque a look, signaling him to eat faster.
Although Lu Yunque didn’t fully understand why, he listened to his girlfriend and sped up his eating.
Watching the couple’s interaction from the side, Liao Zhuxiu and the others nodded to themselves in approval.
’A man who listens to his woman can’t be all that bad.’
After dinner, Lu Yunque faced his first round of questioning from Liao Zhuxiu.
Lu Yunque sat bolt upright on the living room sofa, facing Liao Zhuxiu directly.
Yun Zijin sat beside Lu Yunque, ready to run interference in case Liao Zhuxiu asked any particularly tricky questions.
Liao Zhuxiu knew exactly what Yun Zijin was plotting and couldn’t help but smile.
’Someone who genuinely loves Zijin would have no trouble answering. But someone with ulterior motives would struggle.’
Liao Zhuxiu planned to judge by the tone of Lu Yunque’s voice and the look in his eyes whether he was someone Zijin could entrust her life to.
“Zijin, could you step outside for a bit?”
There were certain things she needed to discuss with Lu Yunque, and it wasn’t appropriate for Yun Zijin to be there.
Yun Zijin opened her mouth to protest, but one look from Liao Zhuxiu silenced her. Unable to defy her, Zijin gave Lu Yunque a final, reassuring glance before turning and leaving the living room.
Once Yun Zijin was out of the room, Liao Zhuxiu turned to Lu Yunque. “Why don’t you start with a brief self-introduction?”
Up to this point, all Liao Zhuxiu knew was that Lu Yunque was a Dijing native and the CEO of the Lu Group.
He clearly wasn’t lacking in wealth, but sincerity was a far more intangible quality.
Lu Yunque was taken aback for a moment at the request for a self-introduction, but he quickly composed himself. “Hello, Aunt Liao. My name is Lu Yunque, and I’m Zijin’s boyfriend.
I’m twenty-eight years old and from Dijing. My family includes my parents, my grandparents, and an older brother.
I’m currently the CEO of the Lu Group. I own shares in the company and receive a substantial dividend each year.
Besides the Lu Group shares, I also own some real estate…”
Lu Yunque’s self-introduction was so thorough he seemed ready to tell her the exact number of hairs on his head, terrified that any hint of insincerity would cause him to fail her test.
After all, Liao Zhuxiu held a very important place in Yun Zijin’s heart.
Fortunately, Liao Zhuxiu didn’t give him too hard a time. She had already learned a great deal from his introduction alone.
“Second question: does your family know about Zijin? And what is their attitude toward her?”
This was a crucial point. Liao Zhuxiu would never allow a wonderful girl like Zijin to marry into a family only to be worn down into a miserable state within days.
“Aunt Liao, you can rest assured. My whole family knows Zijin is my girlfriend, and they are all very fond of her.
My parents always wanted a daughter, but they ended up with two sons. Knowing that I’m with Zijin has, in a way, fulfilled their dream of having a daughter.”
The implication was clear: Ms. Huo doted on Zijin as if she were her own daughter.
Whether or not what Lu Yunque said was true, Liao Zhuxiu’s mind was put a little more at ease.
“If you two get married, will you live separately, or will you live with your parents and grandparents?”
This was another important issue that needed to be clarified before they married.
“My parents and grandparents normally live at the old family estate. I have my own apartment.
I’ll be preparing a new home for our marriage, and for the most part, it will just be the two of us living there after we’re wed.”
The Lu Family elders were quite open-minded; even if Lu Yunque invited them to stay, they would defer to Yun Zijin’s wishes.
So far, Liao Zhuxiu was quite satisfied with Lu Yunque’s answers.
As a result, a slight, upward curve could be seen at the corners of Liao Zhuxiu’s lips.
Outside, Yun Zijin leaned against the living room door, trying to eavesdrop. But whether the room was too well soundproofed or the people inside were speaking too quietly, she couldn’t hear a thing.
“Last question: after you’re married, who will manage the finances?”
Lu Yunque replied without the slightest hesitation, “As long as Zijin is willing, all my money is hers.”
Hearing this, regardless of whether he would actually follow through after marriage, Lu Yunque had at least earned a great deal of goodwill from Liao Zhuxiu in that moment.
With that, Lu Yunque had officially passed Liao Zhuxiu’s test.
When the two of them emerged from the living room, Yun Zijin quickly straightened up, hoping they wouldn’t suspect she’d been eavesdropping.
The moment Lu Yunque stepped out and saw Yun Zijin, a smile instinctively spread across his face.