Chapter 724: Chapter 709: I Am Not a Slut 20
Xiao Yuan glanced at his watch. Itās almost noon now. When Anning arrives, heāll suggest, "Letās have lunch together."
Jiang Anping couldnāt wait: "Sounds good."
Chen Jia felt a bit embarrassed, but Jiang Anping dragged her along: "Isnāt it nice when someone else is treating? We finally caught one; of course weāre going."
Chen Jia felt unable to refuse, so she agreed.
So, the four of them went to the fourth floor, and Xiao Yuan picked out a restaurant with a fairly nice environment and walked in.
Anning, holding Jiang Anping and Chen Jia, also entered.
While walking, Jiang Anping introduced Chen Jia to Anning.
By this time, Xiao Yuan had already found a spot, choosing a very quiet corner.
At this moment the restaurant was not too crowded, leaving plenty of open seats to choose from.
Once all four sat down, Jiang Anping looked at Xiao Yuan and asked: "Arenāt you going to introduce yourself? Where are you from, what do you do, and how did you meet my second big sister?"
Anning slapped Jiang Anping lightly: "Letās order first."
Jiang Anping didnāt stand on ceremony, grabbed the menu, and quickly ordered several dishes. She then let Chen Jia pick something. Chen Jia didnāt order like Jiang Anping; she just picked a very cheap cold dish.
Xiao Yuan smiled, took the menu, and ordered two more dishes before handing it to the server.
After ordering, Jiang Anping eagerly waited for Xiao Yuan to speak.
Xiao Yuan smiled: "My family is from the countryside. Right now, Iām a doctoral student at the Medical College. Iāll graduate next year. As for work..."
Jiang Anpingās frown deepened as she listened.
She finally understood why Anning kept this a secret from home.
She looked Xiao Yuan over and felt quite conflicted.
Is Xiao Yuan personally suitable? Of course, he isnāt bad. Heās tall, handsome, has a good temperament, and seems to care a lot about Anning, subtly taking care of her since the moment they arrived.
But his situation wasnāt that great either.
Coming from a rural background, still a student with no real source of income ā isnāt he what people call a Phoenix man?
To think of Anning marrying a Phoenix man, not to mention Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang, even Jiang Anping herself was not pleased.
However, with Chen Jia and Xiao Yuan present, Jiang Anping didnāt feel it was appropriate to say more.
Anning poured a cup of warm water for both Jiang Anping and Chen Jia and then asked Jiang Anping, "You skipped class to come out today, right?"
Oh no.
Jiang Anping inwardly cried. How could she have forgotten about that?
With her hands pressed together in a pleading gesture, she said: "Second sister, I have no clothes to wear, so I came out to buy a couple. Iāll go back to school right after lunch."
Chen Jia also chimed in on her behalf.
Anning didnāt press the matter further.
After the meal, Jiang Anping and Chen Jia hurriedly left. Anning and Xiao Yuan continued to shop, buying a few outfits and playing on the fifth floor for a while until Xiao Yuan took Anning home after dinner.
When Anning arrived home, she happened to run into Jiang Anping.
Jiang Anping immediately pulled Anning aside: "Second sister, you and that Xiao Yuan... you two..."
Anning chuckled and patted Jiang Anping: "Speak freely, donāt beat around the bush."
Jiang Anping heaved a sigh of relief: "Xiao Yuan is indeed good-looking, but his family background is not great. Theyāre from a mountainous area. I looked it up today when I went back to school. Itās really poor there, and the local customs arenāt that great either. His familyās situation is truly burdensome. Plus, heāll have to buy a house and a car after he starts working. Just the thought of that is distressing. And heās an only son, so after you guys get married, his parents will definitely want to live with you. Big sis, have you thought about how inconvenient it is to live with your in-laws? If they are like our Grandma, oh my, your whole life would be over."
Despite Jiang Anpingās young age, she was very pragmatic. The concerns she expressed were genuinely for Anningās sake, laying out all the potential difficulties clearly.
Jiang Anping was just afraid that Anning would act on an impulse, like someone infatuated with love, and commit to Xiao Yuan without considering anything.
If that were the case, Anning would surely suffer in the future.
Anning looped her arm through Jiang Anpingās and spoke as they walked back: "Iāve thought about all of these, and I donāt think thereās a problem. Xiao Yuan is still a student, but heās already making money. Besides doing some work for his advisor, he has also apprenticed under Mr. Lu. With Mr. Luās network and connections, he definitely wonāt fall short in the future."
"Mr. Lu?"
Jiang Anping was not familiar with the medical system.
So Anning patiently explained who Mr. Lu was: "Xiao Yuan has already earned his Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor certificate, and heās able to practice independently. Do you know how sought-after a good Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor is nowadays? Moreover, Xiao Yuan is not only skilled in traditional medicine, his western medicine knowledge is also exceptional. For him, buying a house and a car really isnāt a problem. And the situation at his home is not as troublesome as it seems."
Jiang Anping wanted to ask why, but seeing Anningās calm and confident face, she couldnāt bring herself to ask.
After entering the house, dinner was ready. Jiang Anping ate in the dining room while Anning went to her room.
Once Anning was in her room, Xiao Yuan sent her a Flying Messenger.
Anning pulled out her phone to check; Xiao Yuan had sent several interior design photos of houses.
"Which one do you like?"
Xiao Yuan asked Anning.
Anning realized that Xiao Yuan hadnāt originally planned to buy a houseāhe probably wanted to save more to buy a house outright or perhaps a villa in the future.
But today he happened to meet Jiang Anping, and Xiao Yuan could tell she had an opinion about him, so he decided to move forward with buying a house.
However, Xiao Yuan probably didnāt have enough money to buy a house outrightāhe must be planning to make a down payment.
Anning looked carefully at the photos and picked one to tell Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan quickly replied: "Letās go with this one then. Iāve pulled some strings; these houses are all good, spacious, and they are model homes, ready to move in."
After waiting a while, Xiao Yuan asked Anning: "Your sister didnāt say anything, did she?"
Anning laughed: "She did. She said youāre a āphoenix man,ā and told me to think it through carefully. What do you say? Should I consider or not?"
Xiao Yuan also couldnāt help but smile when he read this in his dorm: "Then I really should think about it."
He let out a sigh: "Ningning, I need to work even harder."
After thinking for a while, Anning said: "I have some money here, Iāll transfer it to you. Use it to pay for the house in full."
Xiao Yuan hurriedly said: "You can transfer the money to me, but it canāt be used for the house. I have to get things sorted back home first."
After waiting a bit more, Xiao Yuan sent Anning photos of his hometown: "What do you think of the environment?"
Anning slowly browsed through the photos: "Scenic mountains and clear waters, itās a nice place."
She also pointed out a mountain in one photo: "This place has some spiritual energy. If developed, it could become a resort or something."
Xiao Yuan sent a photo of a reservoir: "The reservoir area is also nice. I plan to have my parents contract the reservoir and lease the mountain, starting with planting and breeding businesses. Once our familyās conditions improve, then I can ask for your hand in marriage with dignity."
Anning tapped her chin, feeling that Xiao Yuanās idea was quite good.
"Alright, as long as you have a plan."
Xiao Yuan shared his thoughts with Anning and as he lay in bed, he began to refine the details of his plan.