Uncle Zhou's smile only made him look scarier.
Aunt Zhou narrowed her eyes and gave both father and son a warning look. Uncle Zhou, seeing his wife's signal, forced an even bigger smile.
Aunt Zhou: "..."
Really, just stop smiling.
"Hello, Uncle Zhou."
"Mm, hello."
Uncle Zhou tried to soften his tone. Aunt Zhou glanced again at her son, who was still standing there stiff and motionless.
"You brat! Aren't you going to greet Liz?"
Henry walked over, lowered his head, and looked at Liz. In that instant, she felt completely covered by his strong male presence.
"Hello, I'm Henry."
Liz looked up at him. Henry's face was cold and intimidating, and even his voice carried no emotion.
"Hello, I'm Liz."
"Mm, I know."
Liz: "..."
She pressed her lips together. Henry was even colder than she had imagined. She started to doubt if she and this man could ever get along peacefully.
Inside the house, Liz's mother heard voices and came out, saving Liz from the awkwardness.
"Lady Wei."
"Lady Yuna."
As soon as Liz's mother and Aunt Zhou saw each other, they hugged tightly, their excitement washing away everyone else standing nearby.
"Oh, I've missed you so much."
"Me too, finally we're together again."
As the saying goes, when three women talk, it becomes a stage play. Liz quietly joined her mother and Aunt Zhou's lively conversation.
"Look at Liz, how graceful she is."
"She's really pretty, just like you when you were young."
Aunt Zhou quickly held Liz's hand and praised her. Parents love hearing their children praised, and sure enough, Liz's mother's eyes curved into happy crescents.
"Not at all, it's just how she grew up."
"Your son Henry is handsome too, and very capable. My father-in-law often praises him."
"Not at all, this boy relies on his own ability."
"Still, Liz is wonderful."
"I heard from my father-in-law that she's been learning psychology from him."
"That's amazing, she'll definitely have a bright future."
Both mothers spoke humbly, but their faces were full of pride for their children. Liz quietly turned her head away.
The moment she turned, her eyes met Henry's. She forced a little smile, then looked up at the sky.
Henry was 1.9 meters tall, while Liz was 1.7 meters. Standing next to him, she looked delicate and petite.
He even noticed her rolling her eyes as she looked at the sky, which made him want to laugh.
Still the same as when she was little, a spoiled child.
Liz had no idea that, in Henry's mind, she was still "spoiled." She actually thought she was pretty capable.
"Henry, Liz, come inside quickly."
Liz's mother called to the two still standing at the door. Liz walked in first, with Henry following right behind.
"Mr Zhou, Lady Wei, please sit. I'll make some tea for you."
Liz's mother smiled, then carried out the tea she had already prepared. When Henry saw her bringing the tray, he stood up immediately to help.
"Auntie Xu, let me do it."
"No need, you don't often come to Auntie's house. Just sit down and rest."
Mother Xu was very particular about manners, she would never let a guest do chores. Seeing the two keep refusing each other, Liz had to step forward to break the awkwardness.
"I'll do it."
Mother Xu glanced at her daughter, then looked at Henry, and finally smiled as she handed the tray to them.
"Alright, then Liz can do it."
Mother Xu held back her smile and sat beside Mother Zhou. Mother Zhou also looked at the two young people with a smile.
To be honest, these two standing together looked very pleasing to the eye. Not only did their looks and height match, but even their temperaments complemented each other. One was firm, the other gentle. One was cold, the other warm. There was an unexplainable connection.
Henry's looks weren't the kind of upright appearance people preferred at that time. His face leaned toward a restrained, ascetic style. His brows carried a trace of sharpness, and when he raised his eyes, there was a sense of pressure.
He looked hard to approach, especially when the corners of his lips pressed down, which made him seem intimidating.
This was something he inherited from his father. Both father and son naturally carried a sense of authority in their expressions.
"Uncle, Auntie, please have some tea."
"Comrade Henry, please have some tea."
Liz placed the tea on the table. When she addressed Henry, her tone was polite and distant.
This was the first time he had heard her call his full name. Her soft voice made it sound very pleasant, but the words "Comrade Henry" felt too formal.
Liz sat on the sofa watching the three elders. Mr Zhou accidentally met her eyes and forced a smile.
Liz thought, "..."
If you don't like smiling, it's fine not to smile.
Mother Xu grew anxious seeing her daughter act so distant with Henry. Wasn't she always calling him Brother Henry when she was little?
"Liz, when you were small, you loved following little Henry everywhere."
"Like a little tail."
Liz didn't remember much about her childhood. After thinking a bit, it seemed true. But that was something from when she was a little kid. Now she really couldn't bring herself to call out "Brother Henry."
"At that time, Liz was still very young. Later, after you went back to Su City with your grandparents, you didn't see him anymore. Not remembering is normal."
Mother Zhou stepped in to ease the situation. It was fine if Liz didn't remember — it was enough that her son remembered.
Liz smiled and nodded. Henry glanced at her smiling face, then lowered his eyes.
"You're right, old friend."
Mother Xu stopped there. In front of others, she couldn't let her daughter lose face. Just teasing them a little to close the distance was enough.
After chatting for a while, Mr Xu came back from work. With him home, Mother Xu could go cook.
"Old Xu, you sit with Old Zhou and talk. I'll go cook."
Liz was about to offer help, but Mother Xu gave her another task first.
"Liz, take Henry to the yard to see the flowers. The flowers in the yard were all carefully taken care of by her."
As soon as she said this, Mother Zhou cooperated naturally. "Liz is so capable? Henry, hurry and go see with her."
Mother Zhou gave her son a look. Henry stood up, then lowered his eyes to Liz.
Liz kept a perfect smile on her face and stood up to lead him to the front yard. She maintained her polite smile the whole way.
"If you don't want to smile, you don't have to."
His steady voice sounded in her ear. Liz looked up in surprise. At her sudden movement, Henry quickly hid the emotion in his eyes.
She stared at him. Did she imagine it just now? Why did it feel like there was a trace of affection in his gaze?
Liz quickly shook her head. She and Henry only spent a few years together as children, and that was when they were very young.
Friendship between children at that age could never turn into love. She thought maybe the hot weather today made her see things wrong.
She gathered her thoughts and asked again what he had just said:
"What did you say?"
"If you don't want to smile, then don't."
His voice carried no emotion. This time Liz heard clearly. She put away her polite smile and stood there, feeling awkward.
"The flowers are well taken care of."
"Do you like raising flowers?"
He started a conversation. Liz looked at the colorful flowers in the yard and nodded.
"There's no girl who doesn't like beautiful things."
Hearing this, Henry's face grew serious. He lowered his head, looked at her, and said firmly:
"You can keep raising them in the future."
Liz looked at him. Their eyes met. He saw she didn't understand his meaning, so he stepped closer.
His clean, fresh soap scent surrounded her.
"What do you mean?"
She had a guess in her heart, but she was afraid it was just her imagination and that she might misunderstand.
Her uncertainty made him frown. Henry straightened up, put his feet together, and gave her a soldier's salute.
"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Henry, 30 years old, commander of a regiment in the Northern Army."
"My monthly salary is 100 yuan. With bonuses from missions, about 120 yuan a month."
"My grandparents and parents are alive and healthy. I have one younger sister, she's already married."
His sudden, formal introduction left Liz stunned. But she also understood what it meant.
An unmarried man explaining himself so clearly to an unmarried woman could only mean one thing.
"I'm the only son in my family. You don't need to worry about taking care of my parents when they're old."
"They are healthy and have their own income, so it won't be a burden."
His parents: "..."
So we're just part of your marriage deal?
"My salary will be kept by me, but it's enough to guarantee your life. After marriage, I'll hand it all over to you. Whether you want to raise flowers or dress up, it's up to you."
"As for my health condition, you already know. If you mind, you can pretend you never heard what I just said."
Hearing this, Liz finally understood. Henry truly meant to marry her.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Yes."
"Why do you want to marry me?"
She had to ask. She was afraid he only wanted this because of the ties between their families. Right now, one of them couldn't have children, and the other was facing being sent to the countryside. That made them a match.
But what about later? She worried he would regret it, and they would live with awkwardness that could never be broken, which over time would cause problems.
"Because I want to."
"Not casually. I've thought it through carefully."
He finished speaking and looked into the distance. Hearing that he had considered it seriously before deciding to marry her, Liz's guarded heart eased a little.
"I also thought it over carefully."
Liz gave her answer. Henry lowered his head, looking at her gently. "I know."
Little Liz never does things she doesn't like.
The awkwardness between them faded, and the atmosphere slowly became warm.
"This is a rose."
"This one is osmanthus."
Liz introduced the flowers she grew. Henry, as a man, didn't care much about flowers, but he still listened very carefully.
Seeing that he was listening so seriously, Liz spoke with even more enthusiasm. She didn't realize that her small, unconscious movements were all seen by Henry.
Whenever she was happy or lost in excitement, she always had little gestures of her own. Henry watched her waving her hands as she talked, a smile flickering in his eyes. He occasionally answered her with a short "mm" or "good," but his tone was serious, so she didn't feel brushed off.
What Henry learned today was that Liz loved beauty and flowers.
When it was time to eat, Mother Xu called them inside. At the table, the two families sat on opposite sides.
"Mr Zhou, Lady Wei, Henry, eat more."
"Try my cooking."
Mother Xu warmly served food. Father Zhou and Mother Zhou praised her cooking as even better than before, making her smile happily.
"You rarely come to Haishi. Let Liz take you around to have fun these days."
Mother Zhou did want to stay longer, but Father Zhou only had a one-month leave, and half of that would be spent on the road.
"I'd like to, but Mr Zhou only has one month off."
"This time we mainly came for the children's marriage."
"Mr Xu, Lady Yuna, you know what kind of people we are. The old master also likes Liz very much."
"We can promise you that Liz won't suffer any wrongs if she marries into our family."
"Mr Zhou's monthly salary is enough for the two of us to live on. After the children marry, they can focus on their own small family."
"We know Henry's health is unfair to Liz, and we feel guilty about that."
"If you agree, tomorrow I'll call the old master to arrange the wedding."
"We'll hold banquets in both the capital and Haishi, and make sure Liz marries into our family with honor."
Mother Zhou started the topic, and naturally Father Xu and Mother Xu had to respond. After all, the Zhou family came all this way for this matter.
"Lady Wei, then we'll be straightforward."
"Alright."
"As for Henry's health, saying we don't mind is not completely true."
Mother Zhou nodded in understanding. She knew what they meant, because which family could easily accept such a thing?
"But Liz is open-minded about the matter of children. She thinks more clearly than us."
"She already said she can accept it, so as her parents, of course we'll fully support her."
Hearing this, the worry on Father Zhou and Mother Zhou's faces eased a lot. This meant the Xu family agreed!
"Only, we have one request."
"Lady Yuna, just tell us directly. If we can do it, we definitely will."
Mother Xu looked at Father Xu. His eyes were serious as he looked at the Zhou family, then he voiced their request.