Urban Soldier Young Master

Chapter 978 - 977: Taking a Stand

After Chu Ge finished speaking, he picked up the bottle on the table and poured a little for Qin Yan and a little for himself, just enough to cover the bottom of the glass, not even enough for a sip."Uncle, I toast to you, not for being a good father or a good husband, but for being a good policeman. I was afraid you'd say, 'Drink with me,' so I poured just a little. Don't complain, okay?"

Chu Ge said with a cheerful smile, raised his glass, and stood up across from Qin Yan.

Qin Ruo's lips twitched into a smile that was hard to tell if it was self-mockery or a bitter grin.

"You really are something... I can't tell if you're complimenting me or mocking me?"

Chu Ge smiled slightly, "I'm not sure either, maybe... a bit of both."

"You rascal..."

Qin Yan shook his head, muttered with a complex smile, then raised his glass and clinked it with Chu Ge, drinking up the small amount in his glass.

Chu Ge put down his glass, turned his head to look at Qin Ruojing who seemed a bit stunned, then shifted his gaze to the elderly couple opposite him.

"Uncle, the reason I said all this is to express to you and Aunt my intentions. Now that Jing and I are married, I'll definitely fulfill my responsibilities as a husband. Earning money is important, but caring for the family is equally important."

"Of course, saying it nicely is not as good as doing it nicely, so please watch and see. As a husband and a future father, I will not let my wife and children down."

Feeling the sincerity from Chu Ge's words, Qin Yan suddenly smiled, rubbed his forehead, and smirked at himself.

"Sigh, I never thought that after a lifetime of pursuing advancement, in my old age, I'd be used by my son-in-law as a negative example. Really..."

Chu Ge grinned, "Uncle, now that you're older, maybe you shouldn't focus all your attention on work. I'll say something you might not like: you should adjust your mindset and enjoy life a bit more. Otherwise, when you retire, you might not handle the sudden change well, and getting a psychological issue wouldn't be worth it."

"Hey? Are you cursing your father-in-law? Didn't you get enough from our wrestling match last time, and feel itchy for some more?"

Qin Yan put on a stern face, but everyone could see he was just pretending, his eyes showing some wistfulness and fondness.

Chu Ge scratched his head, "Well, I do feel a bit itchy."

Qin Yan nodded with a mix of frustration and amusement, "Okay, okay, let's eat first, and I'll deal with you afterwards."

"Alright! No problem!" Chu Ge agreed with a cheerful smile.

"What do you mean 'alright'?" Qin Ruojing rolled her eyes at Chu Ge and sighed to Qin Yan, "Dad! Chu Ge is still injured!"

"Oh, right, right, my memory... we'll leave it for a few days then."

As the two men at the table smiled, the atmosphere that had dropped to freezing thawed, and as Qin Yan reached for the first dish, this reunion meal officially began.

Before they knew it, more than half an hour had passed, and the five of them finished their dinner in a warm and joyful atmosphere. However, even as Qin's mother smiled along, she still felt anxious.

After dinner, while Qin's mother and the two daughters cleared the table, Qin Yan tossed a cigarette to Chu Ge, who caught it and handed it back.

Qin Yan was slightly surprised, "Doctor's orders? You drank, a cigarette won't hurt."

Chu Ge shook his head, "No, it's not about the injury."

"Could it be that Jing won't let you smoke? Don't worry about her, no matter how much you love her, you can't just listen to her every whim, otherwise, what if she gets spoiled?"

Despite the three women in the family clearing the table, Qin Yan spoke without reservation. Being accustomed to chauvinism for years, he didn't see any problem with his words, until he noticed Chu Ge's slightly helpless smile, recalling what Chu Ge just said, his expression turned awkward.

"Uncle, actually, it's because Jing and I want to have children, so I've quit smoking for a while now."

Although Qin Ruojing felt somewhat helpless about her father's words, she was used to it and didn't think much of it. But when she heard Chu Ge's words, feeling the others' gazes, her cheeks blushed slightly.

Qin Yan was again a bit surprised, shaking his head with a mix of amusement and helplessness.

"So much fuss over nothing! When your aunt was pregnant with these two girls, I didn't quit smoking beforehand, and weren't they perfectly fine? You young folks these days, sometimes you're just overly sensitive."

Even as he said this, Qin Yan put down the lit cigarette and extinguished it in the ashtray, his facade of saying one thing and doing another, showing a charming kind of elder male cuteness.

"Oh, Little Chu, how about another game of chess between us?"

Noticing the glances directed at the ashtray, Qin Yan strangely felt a bit embarrassed, as if he shouldn't have put out the cigarette, and quickly changed the topic.

"Just a little while, I'll help Aunt wash the dishes."

"What dishes? That's women's work, come on, come on, play chess with Uncle."

Chu Ge chuckled but still stood up from the table, "Uncle, we'll have plenty of time to play chess in the future, it really doesn't matter for now. I should butter up my mother-in-law first."

"This kid, really..." Qin Yan was feeling a bit frustrated.

Actually, a big part of the reason Chu Ge said those things at the table just now was to show his stance to Qin's mother. Since he knew there was a knot in Qin's mother's heart, he of course wanted to untie it. Just now was his first attempt, and he was about to take a second shot.

Instead of waiting for Qin's mother to come to him, he might as well take the initiative to find her. He Qing had taught him before that doing housework while communicating with elders often yielded twice the result with half the effort.

In Chu Ge's view, if such a smart woman like He Qing suggested it, it surely was worth trying.

By this time, the three Qin women had already tidied up the table and were carrying the last few dishes into the kitchen. After Chu Ge followed them in, he noticed that Qin Ruojing looked a bit tense as she glanced at him.

"Why are you coming in here?"

Chu Ge grinned, "Of course, to help Aunt wash the dishes."

"Alright, you don't need to do that. Go play chess with my dad." Qin Ruojing said while giving Chu Ge a look, she really didn't want her mom to have any chance to interact with Chu Ge.

Qin's mother was by the sink at that moment stacking the dishes together. Seeing Chu Ge come in, she felt a bit puzzled. She hadn't yet gone to look for Chu Ge, but he came to find her instead?

"It's fine, there's still time. After washing the dishes, it'll still be early enough to play chess with Uncle. You and Xiaoying go out, it's enough with just me here."

"Ah, really you don't need to, I know you're diligent, but I just dislike you not washing dishes thoroughly. Go play chess, quickly, go."

Just as Qin Ruojing was about to push Chu Ge out, her mother's voice came from behind.

"Xiaojing, it's rare for Chu Ge to have this kind heart, so don't push him out. If you're worried about your dad getting bored, you go keep him company and play chess, and Xiaoying, you go out too, it's enough with just me and Chu Ge here."

Qin Ruojing and Qin Ruoying exchanged glances, both looking a bit helpless, but since their mother had already said so, obviously wanting to have a private chat with Chu Ge, they really had no choice.

"Well, then, we'll head out."

Although Qin Ruojing was conflicted, she didn't say anything more, just gave Chu Ge another look, feeling apprehensive as she left the kitchen with her sister.

"Aunt, let me take over."

Once the sisters left the kitchen, Chu Ge casually closed the door that Qin Ruojing had deliberately left open, smiled at Qin's mother, and took over the dishcloth from her hand.

Watching Chu Ge meticulously washing the dishes, as she recalled the words he said at the dining table that struck a chord in her, for a moment Qin's mother was at a loss and chatted with Chu Ge about daily trivialities, hesitant to broach the main topic.

Chu Ge had almost washed half the dishes while Qin's mother continued to evasively steer the conversation. Chu Ge couldn't help but feel a bit helpless and amused. It seemed he had to take the initiative again.

"Aunt, actually... you have something you want to say to me, right?"

As Qin's mother was hesitating on how to bring up the topic, she suddenly heard Chu Ge speak so directly, which made her feel rather awkward. "Well... actually..."

"Aunt, just say whatever you want, there's really no need to feel embarrassed speaking to me, a junior."

Qin's mother sighed, "Xiao Chu, then let me speak frankly. My words might not be very pleasant. They could be too direct or too harsh, you..."

Qin's mother actually wanted to say polite words like don't take it to heart, but when it came to saying them, she found herself at a loss. How could he not take it to heart?

If Chu Ge didn't take it seriously, what was the point of her saying these words?

Qin's mother was deep in thought when suddenly, Chu Ge's voice came to her ears.

"In short, what you hope for is that I don't stay with Xiaojing anymore, that the wedding shouldn't be held, and that we get the divorce papers as soon as possible, right?"

Chu Ge's voice was calm, without any hints of joy or anger, as if what he was discussing wasn't a major matrimonial issue for two people, but rather casually talking about whether tomorrow's weather was suitable for a game of basketball.

Qin's mother's expression froze, and she subconsciously asked, "Xiaojing told you everything?"

Chu Ge washed a dish with the dishcloth, and when he placed the soapy dish aside, he turned to Qin's mother with a smile, shaking his head, "No, she didn't say anything to me. I just guessed it myself, and it seems I guessed correctly, didn't I?"

Qin's mother bit her lip, her gaze wavering slightly before she finally nodded.