C1 Soninlaw Jiang Yan

In the kitchen, Jiang Yan was a whirlwind of activity, expertly washing, chopping, and stir-frying vegetables. He had become adept at navigating the culinary tasks that filled his days.

Bursts of laughter echoed from the living room now and then, where Jiang Yan's in-laws were engaged in lively conversation with their prospective son-in-law.

Jiang Yan, too, was a son-in-law of the Xu family, but his was a different story—he had married in, becoming part of the Xu household. Lacking both a job and a notable family background, he had never quite found his place in the family's affections.

All the household chores, from laundry to cooking to cleaning, fell squarely on his shoulders.

Despite his hard work, his in-laws remained unimpressed.

With a warm smile, Jiang Yan's father-in-law, Xu Guangchang, spoke to the young man visiting their home, "Zhao Yu, your aunt and I have pretty much given our blessing to your marriage with Jiao. We should arrange a meeting with your parents soon to iron out the details."

Jiao, short for Xu Fengjiao, was Jiang Yan's sister-in-law, and Zhao Yu was her boyfriend. Their relationship was a whirlwind romance, having blossomed into talks of marriage in less than three months. Zhao Yu's visit today was to formally meet Jiao's parents.

"Sure thing, Uncle. Whenever you and Auntie are available, my parents can make the time," Zhao Yu responded eagerly.

Jiang Yan had just finished preparing the last dish, a sweet and sour carp, and he carefully arranged the meal on the dining table.

"Dinner's ready, Mom and Dad. Let's eat," he announced.

Zhao Yu, curious about the man who had been bustling in the kitchen, inquired, "Jiao, who is this?"

With a dismissive toss of her head, Xu Fengjiao replied, "Him? That's Jiang Yan, my sister's husband. He's jobless, living off my sister, a parasite in our household."

Jiang Yan's frown deepened at her words. Regardless of everything, he was her brother-in-law, and it stung to be demeaned in such a way.

In this family, Jiang Yan's voice carried little weight. His in-laws doted on Xu Fengjiao, which meant he usually kept his grievances to himself.

Especially today, with Xu Fengjiao's boyfriend visiting, Jiang Yan didn't want to stir up trouble with a few misplaced words, lest it cause discomfort for his wife, Xu Fengqiu, upon her return home.

Xu Fengjiao suddenly blurted out, "What time is it already? Why isn't my sister back yet? Mom, didn't you tell her that I'm bringing my boyfriend home today?"

Just then, the door swung open, and in walked Xu Fengqiu, clad in sleek black professional attire.

"Sorry for being late. I had a last-minute client meeting after work," she apologized.

Zhao Yu's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Jiao, is this your sister? You're quite beautiful yourself, but I didn't expect your sister to be just as stunning."

"Nice to meet you, sister. I'm Zhao Yu, Jiao's boyfriend."

"Oh, hello. Jiao's boyfriend really is quite the catch," she remarked.

At 26, Xu Fengqiu was a vision of elegance, with a statuesque figure and long, shapely legs that turned heads – a beauty in her own right.

Xu Guangchang chimed in, "Now that Fengqiu's here and dinner's ready, let's eat and talk. It's just a simple home-cooked meal, Zhao Yu, so I hope you won't mind."

As everyone took their seats, Jiang Yan sat beside Xu Fengqiu, offering her a piece of the sweet and sour fish he had prepared.

"Fengqiu, try this sweet and sour fish I made. Let me know what you think."

Xu Fengjiao grabbed a piece for herself, but no sooner had it touched her tongue, she spat it out.

"Blech! That's awful. Jiang Yan, did you buy spoiled fish? It's not fresh at all."

Xu Fengqiu sampled the fish but detected no off taste.

"Jiao, what are you talking about? The fish is perfectly fresh."

Undeterred, Xu Fengjiao tried a stick of celery, only to spit it out again.

"This celery's too tough to chew."

Then, with a smug look, she boasted, "Dad, you've heard of the Dragon River Hotel, right? That's Zhao Yu's family's place. They run a four-star establishment, and their head chef is a returnee from an overseas Michelin-starred restaurant. The food there is out of this world."

Zhao Yu offered with a smile, "Uncle, Auntie, how about we dine out tonight? I can have the hotel's chef whip up some of his signature dishes for you to enjoy."

Jiang Yan's face soured as he came to the realization that Xu Fengjiao was intentionally trying to embarrass him today. Previously, she had praised his cooking, claiming it surpassed even her mother's, but today she was nitpicking at every turn, clearly to flaunt that her boyfriend's family owned the Dragon River Hotel.

Xu Fengqiu interjected, "Jiang Yan has prepared a whole spread of dishes; it'd be a shame to let it go to waste. Let's postpone our visit for another day. For now, let's make do with what we have."

Jiang Yan's mother-in-law, Zhou Hui, huffed in disapproval, feeling slighted in front of Zhao Yu. She berated him, "Jiang Yan, look at yourself. No job is one thing, but you can't even cook properly. What good are you?"

Zhao Yu sampled a dish, his tone patronizing as he commented, "The flavor of this dish is somewhat lacking. Since we're going to be family, Jiang Yan, if you have an interest in cooking, I could arrange for you to apprentice in the hotel kitchen. You'd pick up a trade and earn a little something—maybe one or two thousand a month—to help out with expenses."

Zhou Hui glared at Jiang Yan, pressing him, "Zhao Yu is being so thoughtful. Aren't you going to thank him?"

Jiang Yan's fists clenched in anger; Zhao Yu's offer was not kindness but a thinly veiled insult. Xu Fengjiao gave a subtle tap on his balled hand under the table, signaling him to keep his cool. He begrudgingly relaxed his grip.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested in becoming a chef," he replied curtly.

Xu Fengjiao, stoking the fire, taunted, "What's the matter? Too proud to be an apprentice? Look at you, too vain to admit your struggles. When you and my sister go shopping, she's the one footing the bill, isn't she? Have you ever bought her a single piece of clothing or jewelry?"

She flaunted a necklace adorned with dazzling stones, "Take a good look. This is the necklace Zhao Yu got for me—38,800 yuan. You couldn't afford it in a lifetime! You didn't even buy a diamond ring when you married my sister, and now you're just mooching off us at home."

"Enough, Jiao!" Xu Fengqiu's anger drained the color from her face. Regardless of Jiang Yan's shortcomings, he was her husband.

Zhao Yu wasn't even married to Xu Fengjiao yet, which technically made him an outsider.

To mock Jiang Yan in front of an outsider was not only humiliating for Jiang Yan but also for Xu Fengqiu.

"Your brother-in-law has always been good to you. What's gotten into you today, spouting all this nonsense? Have you forgotten who braved the rain with an umbrella to pick you up? Or who carried you to the hospital in the middle of the night when you were sick?"

Xu Fengjiao was ungrateful, retorting, "Pfft, he only picked me up with an umbrella and carried me to the hospital because he's poor. If he could afford a car, would he have bothered with all that?"

"I won't need him in the future, rain or sickness, because Zhao Yu will drive me, right, Zhao Yu?"

Zhao Yu grinned and responded, "Absolutely. Once we're married, I'll even get you a car of your own."

"Thank you, darling!"

Without a hint of shyness, Xu Fengjiao planted a kiss on Zhao Yu right there in front of everyone.

"This food is terrible. Let's not eat at home today. You've already met my parents, so why don't we go out instead?"

Xu Fengjiao took Zhao Yu by the hand, and they headed out together.

"Mom, Dad, I might be back late tonight. Don't wait up for me. Get some rest early!"

Xu Guangchang let out a sigh and said, "Alright, just eat."

Zhou Hui, fed up, slammed down her chopsticks and exclaimed, "I've lost my appetite from all this anger. Why bother eating?"

And so, the family dinner ended in discord.

Xu Fengqiu tried to comfort Jiang Yan, "Don't let it get to you. Jiao isn't a bad person. I don't know what got into her today, talking such nonsense."

Jiang Yan offered a wry smile, "No worries. I won't hold it against her."

"Alright, I need to head back to the office. I have a client meeting this afternoon. Let's catch a movie together tonight," Xu Fengqiu suggested.

"Alright!"

After escorting Xu Fengqiu to the door, Jiang Yan turned back to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks.

Just then, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

"Young Master Chiang Yan, your three-year term has concluded. The family-imposed restrictions have been lifted."

"Effective immediately, your Swiss bank account is now accessible, and your Centurion Black Gold Card has been reactivated. Should you require assistance, feel free to contact the family's internal support line at your convenience."