“Eh?” The neighbors looked from Mrs. Lin to the new guy.
The man looked to be in his late twenties. One could tell he was young. He wore a smart business suit that fitted him nicely. His hair was also styled nicely, and he didn’t lack in the looks department.
The neighbors stared at Mrs. Lin again, wanting to confirm if they hadn’t heard wrong. Annie also had the same confused look as the neighbors.
“It’s no problem. Come come, please have a seat.” Mrs. Lin ignored the inquisitive eyes and quickly stood up then patted the empty space beside her. “I was worried you wouldn’t come. Hehe, so my worry was for nothing.”
“I am very sorry for the delay, Mrs. Lin. My car had a problem in the middle of the road. I had to take a taxi.”
The neighbors couldn’t help but take another look at the guy. He interacted with Mrs. Lin as if they knew each other well. However, they couldn’t remember ever seeing him around the neighborhood.
“Mrs. Lin-“ Mrs. Tan couldn’t take the suspense anymore and she broke the silence. “Who is this guy? I haven’t seen him before.”
“Did he just call you mother-in-law? Mrs. Lin, do you perhaps have another daughter who is married and we didn’t know?”
“Maybe Mrs. Lin has a relative who’s married to this guy, right? He looks so young, though.”
“Haha! You women won’t even hide it.” Mrs. Lin knew that the women were only hungry for gossip. “Alright. Alright. I won’t introduce him now. Let’s celebrate Annie’s promotion first.”
Mrs. Lin couldn’t tell them yet that this was the son-in-law she had miraculously found. Their encounter was one of a kind, and she couldn’t wait to share it with the neighbors. But first, she had other things to do.
“Ma, who is he?” Annie whispered to her.
Mrs. Lin stood up and pulled her to a corner under the watchful eyes of the neighbors. “Annie, he looks good, right?”
“He’s not bad.” Annie’s eyes strayed to the guy as if her mother’s question didn’t matter. She just wanted to clear up her confusion at the moment.
“Why did he call you mother-in-law?”
“Hehe, relax, Dear. He’s here to celebrate with us. After the party ends, I will officially introduce you.”
Annie didn’t like where this was going. She had an inkling about what her mother was up to. To not upset the woman, she didn’t show any displeasure and she went back to the bench.
“Hehe, everyone, eat to your satisfaction. Please don’t hold back. My daughter and I have prepared a lot of food. I hope it is to your liking.” Mrs. Lin returned and cheered up the crowd.
“Your food tastes great, Mrs. Lin.”
“If only I could get to eat this kind of food every day.”
“If you want to continue eating this kind of food, let’s pray for Mrs. Lin’s family’s success. Then every time, we will get to party.”
“Mother-in-law, the food is great.” Mrs. Lin took it upon herself to serve the guy. After having one spoonful of the spoon, his smile broadened.
Mrs. Lin was more happy by his compliment. “Son-in-law, you don’t have to flatter me. Actually, my daughter did all the cooking.”
“Mother-in-law, you thought her well.” The guy’s eyes settled on Annie and he smiled gently.
Staring at the beautiful girl with a calm demeanor, he wondered if he was actually meeting an angel for the first time.
She was even better than Mrs. Lin’s description. He thought he would meet a lovely girl. He, in fact, met a goddess.
Looking at her serene face, he could only think of the full moon surrounded by thousands of stars. His heart was beating already and he knew why.
“Argh! What is going on here!” Little Chen was so shocked when the guy arrived. He found it hard to speak any word.
Seeing how the guy was staring at his goddess like some predator, he couldn’t take it anymore and he balled his fists.
“Pretty Ann!” He looked at Annie. “Who is this guy? What is he doing here? Mrs. Lin, why did he call you mother-in-law?”
“Compose yourself, Little Chen. Only adults will understand.” Dylan had been watching everything in amusement.
He found it funny that his sister could keep her cool in this situation. Obviously, everyone was aware of what was going on even if Mrs. Lin did not offer any explanation. Ha! He couldn’t wait to see how this would unfold.
“You- Dylan! Watch your mouth!”
“Otherwise what, Little Chen? Tell me, do you have a business suite?”
Chen could understand the meaning behind Dylan’s words. The guy was comparing him to this new man already.
By asking him if he had a business suit, it meant Chen couldn’t be compared with the man.
Chen was annoyed with Dylan’s words. “I, Master Chen won’t expose you no matter what. Dylan! I’ll deal with you!”
“Come on, Chen. Just give up.” Dylan chuckled and ignored the boy.
“Little Chen, please don’t mind them. I am sure Mrs. Lin is pranking us. I know this guy. He’s married to one of Mrs. Lin’s relative’s daughter.” Seeing that her son was about to get mad, Mrs. Ming wanted to pacify the situation quickly.
No one even knew when Chen left the place, and they were soon to forget about him.
“Young Man, where are you from?” One of the elderly neighbors asked. The man was a bit displeased because he just suggested that Mrs. Lin let him connect his nephew with Annie, and then this guy arrived.
“Mister, I am twenty-eight.” The guy answered with a smile.
“Not a bad age.” Mrs. Tan nodded. “You look fit and can take care of a family. Do you have a stable job?”
“I work as a construction engineer. I get paid quite handsomely.”
“Oh, I see.” Mrs. Ming chipped in. While the other neighbors took on the role of interrogative relatives, she wasn’t pleased at all.
“You mentioned something about your car. Is it an old car? Is that why it stopped working on the road?” Mrs. Ming added.
“Erm, yes it is.” The guy looked a bit uncomfortable. “I’m planning to buy a new one in the next season.”
“Our Dear Annie is a great girl and loves taking care of others. Young Man, are you as generous?”