73: Chapter 73 Island Life in the 1980s (8)

Having been quiet for so long, Grandfather Shen also wanted to liven things up, and it was the perfect opportunity to introduce the younger generation of the family to everyone.

The banquet was held at a restaurant, and by now, the scene was already very lively, with many friends and family members coming to offer their birthday wishes. Since it wasn't time to start the meal yet, people were gathering together to chat whenever they saw someone they knew.

Bai Xueqing had also brought her partner, Liang Shiwei, along. Given Liang Shiwei's family background, he certainly wouldn't have been able to get in here, but fortunately, he had a good partner.

As soon as Bai Xueqing walked in, she looked around, but she was surprised to find that Shen Zhao was nowhere to be seen. Hadn't she heard that Shen Zhao had returned on family leave? Why wasn't he here right now?

Of course, Bai Xueqing had come with her own family. After all, given her current status, she was merely the granddaughter of a friend, not his former fiancée, so there were still some barriers to getting in.

Bai Xueqing considered herself to have a good relationship with Mother Shen, so as soon as she saw her, she hooked her arm through Mother Shen's just as she used to and asked affectionately:

"Auntie, where is Shen Zhao? Didn't he come back on leave? Why isn't he here?"

Mother Shen glanced at Bai Xueqing, then at Liang Shiwei standing behind her, a polite but insincere smile on her face.

"He said he went to pick up some friends and would be here later. Xiao Qing, welcome to you and your partner. You young people have a good time, I'm going to go greet the guests now."

After saying this, Mother Shen pulled her arm away and walked straight toward some relatives in the distance.

How annoying; she had absolutely no sense of propriety. She wasn't her daughter-in-law anymore, so why should she treat her so well?

After breaking off the engagement with their family, she turned around and found a partner from an ordinary family background. She had thought that with her standards, her chosen partner would be something special, but to her surprise, was this it?

She couldn't understand what was so lacking about her son that he was looked down upon like this...

Mother Shen was truly baffled.

When Shen Zhao entered with Jiang Wan and Jiang Zhenlin, he drew everyone's attention.

Shen Zhao was already handsome to begin with, and it was said that he performed well in the military and was promoted rapidly, now serving as a deputy battalion commander.

After his engagement with the Bai family was dissolved, he was suddenly on everyone's mind.

Some families with daughters set their sights on him. Knowing he had returned, they brought their own daughters along today, hoping that perhaps they might catch Shen Zhao's eye and allow the two families to become in-laws!

Although the chance was slim, what if it happened? If it worked out, wouldn't that be a huge gain?

Those girls had all come with a mission, and as soon as they saw Shen Zhao's dashing appearance, their eyes turned into stars.

They all cheered themselves on, thinking about how they would perform well later to leave a deep impression on him.

As long as they could marry into the Shen family, they would have no worries for the rest of their lives.

To their surprise, Shen Zhao had actually brought a girl with him. Her looks and temperament were like those of a young lady from a wealthy family, causing those who wanted to step forward to stop in their tracks.

Those girls gritted their teeth and glared secretly at Jiang Wan, as if she had snatched their treasure away.

As for Jiang Zhenlin, who was following beside her, everyone selectively ignored him. Since he wasn't anyone important, why bother paying him much attention?

Jiang Wan noticed these gazes and chuckled to herself.

These girls were so funny; they actually treated her like an enemy.

However, she didn't want to clarify anything to those irrelevant people; she wasn't that bored. Besides, after meeting once today, there shouldn't be any opportunities to meet in the future, so what was there to explain?

When Mother Shen saw Jiang Wan, her eyes lit up.

"Son, is this your friend? Oh my, she is truly beautiful."

Looking closer, the more Mother Shen looked, the more satisfied she became.

Oh my, where did her son meet such a fairy? She was truly beautiful.

Seeing his mother's happy expression, Shen Zhao quickly introduced them.

"Mom, this is the child from Uncle Jiang's family I mentioned to you, and also the younger siblings of my comrade-in-arms, Jiang Zhenyi. This is Jiang Wan, and this is Jiang Zhenlin. They are currently students at Jing City University. Since the house is so lively today, I invited them to come over and have some fun."

After Shen Zhao's explanation, Mother Shen knew who they were. So, they were the friends her son had met over at his uncle's place!

She had heard from her eldest brother long ago that her son was good friends with a family on the island and would go to their house for meals every time he visited the island.

Now, she heard that the two were also comrades-in-arms in the same unit.

Mother Shen felt a slight sense of regret; she had thought her son had finally opened his heart and brought someone to meet her.

Honestly, it made her happy for nothing.

This girl was truly beautiful, much prettier than Bai Xueqing. If only she were her son's partner, how wonderful that would be!

"Oh, so you are the younger siblings of his comrade-in-arms. Welcome, welcome! We are happy to have you."

Jiang Wan and Jiang Zhenlin greeted Mother Shen obediently.

"Hello, Auntie, sorry for the intrusion today."

"Hello, Auntie. This is a gift for Grandfather. It is just a small token of our appreciation, so we hope you will accept it."

Jiang Wan felt that, given her status, she certainly wouldn't be able to meet Grandfather Shen, so it was better to just hand it over to the current matriarch of the household. Whether they let it gather dust at home after accepting it or did something else with it, that was their business.

Mother Shen took the items from Jiang Wan's hands.

"Oh my, just coming is enough, why bring gifts? You are Shen Zhao's friends, there is no need to be so polite."

Both of them were still students, yet they knew not to visit empty-handed. Such a gesture left a very good impression on Mother Shen.

As the saying goes, it's the thought that counts. No matter what the two children gave, she would make sure to show it to Grandfather.

"The meal is about to start. Shen Zhao, take your friends and find a place to sit!"

Shen Zhao agreed and then took Jiang Wan and Jiang Zhenlin to find a random table to sit at.

Bai Xueqing also saw Shen Zhao, and seeing Jiang Wan by his side, she assumed she was Shen Zhao's new partner, so she brought her boyfriend over.

"Shen Zhao, long time no see. Is this your partner?"

As she spoke, Bai Xueqing pulled out a chair and sat down without invitation, looking curiously at Jiang Wan, who was sitting next to Shen Zhao.

Seeing Jiang Wan's beautiful face, Bai Xueqing had a dark thought.

"She really is a great beauty. I wonder if she will regret being with Shen Zhao when she becomes a widow in the future."

Just like a blooming flower, without nourishment, it would gradually wither away.

Shen Zhao neither explained nor refuted, simply spitting out three words indifferently.

"My friend."

As soon as Jiang Wan saw Bai Xueqing walk over, she knew she was the female lead without needing anyone to introduce her.

As for the female lead, she certainly had some looks, but compared to her, she was far behind.

And as for the male lead beside her, in Jiang Wan's view, he couldn't compare to Shen Zhao in height, appearance, or physique.

It was said that the male lead's family was an ordinary working-class family with younger siblings still in school.

Jiang Wan felt that the female lead's eyes must be blind to be able to fancy this male lead.

After receiving the information, Jiang Wan had thought that this male lead must be a phoenix man; he shouldn't be able to climb to that position on his own.

To be able to climb so high, he must have relied on nepotism.

But now, his original wife was gone, replaced by Bai Xueqing. She wondered if he would still be able to become a general in this lifetime.

Bai Xueqing felt uncomfortable seeing how cold Shen Zhao's attitude was toward her.

The person who used to be completely submissive to her was now so cold to her after the engagement was broken; anyone would feel unbalanced.

"Shen Zhao, we grew up together. Can you not be so cold to me? Even though we dissolved our engagement, we are still friends. Are all those previous feelings fake?"

Jiang Zhenlin had originally thought that this woman coming over here was a friend of Shen Zhao's, but to his surprise, he heard this explosive news.

Jiang Zhenlin complained frantically in his heart: Was this woman blind? She didn't even want someone as good as Brother Shen? Could there be something wrong with her brain?

Shen Zhao didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Sorry, that's just my personality. Miss Bai, your family is over there. The meal is about to start, you should go find your family."

As for Liang Shiwei, Shen Zhao had heard of his name too; he seemed to be from the neighboring regiment, but they weren't close, and there was even less to talk about.

Not all comrades-in-arms could be friends.

When Bai Xueqing heard Shen Zhao mention her family, she quickly looked over and found her mother looking at her sternly. Bai Xueqing felt a chill in her heart, so she quickly stood up and left with her partner.

Her mother had never approved of her breaking off the engagement in the first place, and even less of her being with Liang Shiwei, so she had better not do anything to upset her mother.