Chapter 166 - 164: Jiang Xia, the Chicken Soup is Delicious, I Want to Eat Rice

Chapter 166: Chapter 164: Jiang Xia, the Chicken Soup is Delicious, I Want to Eat Rice

With a warm smile, Lin Yanwan’s mother placed her daughter’s hand in Jiang Xia’s. Xia Shanshan was also beaming.

The two of them had just been in the kitchen, where they had a long talk about their children’s future. They both thought the other’s child was outstanding, and since their families knew each other through and through, it was what you’d call a perfect match.

So they hit it off instantly and decided to become family, to just lock this couple in for good. Better that than opening a blind box down the road and ending up with a daughter-in-law or son-in-law they didn’t know at all, someone they’d find fault with at every turn. That would just be an unnecessary headache.

But really, the main reason was that both mothers felt their love story, born in high school, was pure and untainted. They were each other’s first and most idealized love, a bond they would surely cherish all the more.

They admired, encouraged, attracted, and loved one another. They had fought their way from high school to a top university just to be together. If a love like that couldn’t make it, then what hope did anyone else have?

Looking at Lin Yanwan’s small hand in his, Jiang Xia blinked. ’Is this... an engagement?’ His mother-in-law’s decisiveness had caught him completely off guard.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Lin Yanwan said, her face flushing. She sounded bashful, which only made her look all the more adorable.

She struggled a bit but couldn’t pull her hand from Jiang Xia’s grip. ’I’m still years away from the legal age of marriage,’ she thought, completely baffled. ’Why is Mom in such a rush to marry me off? Am I sure I wasn’t adopted?’

"She said I should take good care of you," Jiang Xia said shamelessly. ’Since my mother-in-law gave the green light, I have to call her Mom. I’ve been holding that in for months. Now I can finally say it out in the open.’

’Sweet!’

"Yanwan, if this kid ever bullies you, I’ll be the first one to give him a piece of my mind!" Jiang Wende chuckled. ’The way he called her "Mom"... he’s definitely been practicing that in secret.’

"Mm..." Lin Yanwan nodded, her face burning crimson.

’So much for a celebration dinner!’

’How did it turn into an engagement party without me realizing it!’

She glanced up at Jiang Xia. He was grinning from ear to ear, his happiness plain for all to see.

’Hmph. Look at him, so pleased with himself.’

So, she secretly gave him a firm squeeze on a... sensitive spot. She felt him react instantly, his... anger flaring to life.

"I want to get some rice," she said suddenly, looking at Jiang Xia with a sweet smile.

Jiang Xia’s body went rigid. ’How am I supposed to stand up now? If I get up, won’t everything be... exposed?’

Under the table, Lin Yanwan continued her subtle ministrations. ’Since he promised to take good care of me, he’d surely be willing to do a small thing like getting my rice, right?’

He gulped and took a few deep breaths, but his body still reacted uncontrollably to her touch.

’This woman is definitely doing this on purpose!’

He suppressed the rising panic and said with feigned calm, "Getting rice already? Why don’t you have some more of the other dishes first?"

Seeing him trying so hard to act composed, Lin Yanwan had to stifle a laugh. ’Go on, keep pretending. Let’s see how long you can keep that up!’

"Aunt Xia’s cooking is just too good, especially the chicken and mushroom stew. The broth is so savory! Just the smell makes me want to eat two bowls of rice!" she said suggestively. Her hand, as soft and yielding as spring water, was intent on fanning the flames within him.

Jiang Xia was about to lose his mind. ’How dare she pull a stunt like this right now?’ At his age, when a young man’s vigor could practically start a fire, just keeping a straight face was already a monumental effort.

"Big Sis, Xiao Man wants some chicken soup too!" his little sister-in-law suddenly piped up, holding up her bowl.

"Okay, Xiao Man, I’ll get it for you."

Jiang Xia let out a sigh of relief. He picked up the ladle to serve Xiao Man some soup, and the brief interruption was enough to help him regain some of his composure.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

"You’re welcome, Xiao Man."

He smiled and "accidentally" dropped his chopsticks. As he bent down to retrieve them, he tried to picture Qiao Biluo’s face to calm himself down, but it was completely useless.

The mental image of Qiao Biluo was instantly obliterated by the real, tangible softness of his girl’s touch!

"G-Get... get some rice, you said." He bit his lip, shooting his girlfriend a look that pleaded for mercy. He could feel every muscle in his body tense up.

Lin Yanwan’s eyes sparkled with amusement. ’Now that I have the upper hand, isn’t it easy to make him behave?’

She decided she’d had enough fun teasing him. She gave his thigh a final, hard pinch, then picked up her bowl and skipped lightly toward the kitchen.

After all, if he got exposed, she’d be just as mortified.

Jiang Xia let out a long, slow breath. ’After dinner,’ he vowed, ’I am going to teach her a proper lesson. She likes to tease, does she? We’ll see who’s afraid of whom when we’re alone.’

The meal stretched on until seven in the evening. Seeing the time, Lin Xiaoman happily carried her bowl over to turn on the television. Her nightly ritual of watching *Cat and Mouse* was about to begin.

"That cartoon seems to be really popular lately. *Cat and Mouse*, is it? I’ve seen a lot of kids watching it," Xia Shanshan remarked.

"It’s a massive hit," said Lin Gaoyuan. "From what I hear, the network’s ratings have gone through the roof. Its popularity is off the charts. It’s on track to become the most popular cartoon of the year."

As he spoke, all eyes subconsciously turned to the TV. The cartoon was at the part where Tom ran groin-first into a large tree, splitting it in half. All the adults couldn’t help but laugh, and Lin Xiaoman was cackling with delight beside them.

"Old Lin, you’re in the toy business, right?" Jiang Wende said, raising his glass to clink with his. "You should ride this wave. Make some toys related to this cartoon. They’d be a guaranteed bestseller."

Lin Gaoyuan took a small sip. It was Wuliangye, aged for over a decade, with a rich, complex aroma.

"If only it were that easy."

He popped a couple of peanuts into his mouth, a look of weary resignation on his face. "In my line of work, if you want to make merchandise for something, you need to get the license. Otherwise, it’s illegal. The moment they send a cease and desist, you end up paying out more in fines than you ever earned."

"That’s true," Jiang Wende agreed with a nod. Even though he was a taxi driver, he understood that much.

If there were no intellectual property rights or regulations, and anyone could freely counterfeit products without consequence, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.

"I’ve been keeping an eye on it," Lin Gaoyuan said. "But so far, there’s no official *Cat and Mouse* merchandise on the market. My guess is they haven’t settled on the licensing fees yet."

Jiang Wende laughed. "Well, you should give it a shot! What if you manage to land the exclusive license? Then every distributor in the country would have to buy from you. Imagine how fast the money would roll in!"

"You think I don’t want to? But just think about it. For a cartoon this popular, they’re going to want to license it to a major manufacturer. Someone who can guarantee a huge supply, high quality, and good after-sales service—and offer a bigger cut of the profits. They wouldn’t even give a small business like mine a second glance."

Lin Gaoyuan let out a heavy sigh. An opportunity was right there in front of him, but it wasn’t one he could seize.

In this global financial storm, a small company like his was just a tiny boat, liable to capsize at any moment amidst the relentless, cutthroat competition.