Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2314 - 2250: A Meeting Gift

Previously on Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s...

Chiang Xiao spends her time honing her culinary skills with Aunt Yang and learning the art of gardening from Old Yang. Utilizing the unique properties of her Space, she secretly enhances the rooftop garden with Spirit Spring Water and Black Soil, leading to a harvest so miraculous that Old Yang hails her as a lucky star. While Meng Xinian enjoys the fruits of her labor, a playful tension remains with Yang Zhiqi, who finds himself repeatedly excluded from their special family meals. Under the guise of a peaceful pastoral life, Chiang Xiao continues to experiment with the rapid growth of her medicinal and edible plants.

Yang Zhiqi arrived that evening carrying a bag of oranges, which he immediately presented to Chiang Xiao upon entering the room.

"These oranges are exceptionally sweet, Xiao Chiang. You should have some," he offered.

"Thank you, Uncle Yang," she replied.

Chiang Xiao accepted the fruit without giving it much thought, intending to head to the kitchen to slice them for the group. However, Meng Xinian, who was busy sketching a training diagram at the desk, spoke up with a cool remark: "Little, you should hold onto those. That is a meeting gift from your Uncle Yang."

A meeting gift?

Chiang Xiao felt a wave of confusion.

Yang Zhiqi grumbled under his breath, calling the younger man a brat.

"Am I really that miserly?" he asked.

Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small box and held it out to Chiang Xiao. "I have a former teammate who started a jade business after leaving the service. He gave me this bracelet a while ago. It's quite beautiful, but my wife's wrists are too thick to fit into it."

Meng Xinian turned around at this, his eyebrows arching as he looked at the box.

Yang Zhiqi went on, "We had planned to save it for a daughter, but after raising two troublesome boys, it seems having a girl is a lost cause. You take it instead. Treat it as a formal meeting gift from your Uncle Yang."

Previously, he hadn't focused much on building a rapport with Chiang Xiao. His bond with Meng Xinian was already as deep as that between a father and son; in fact, Meng Xinian spent more time with him than with the boy's own father, Meng Chaojun.

There were times when Old Meng couldn't locate his son and had to come to Yang Zhiqi to find him.

Having watched Meng Xinian grow into a man, their connection was truly unique.

He had originally assumed that once Meng Xinian married, Chiang Xiao would simply be like a daughter-in-law to him. He hadn't anticipated his own parents taking such a liking to her, treating her as a true member of the family.

Since she was calling him Uncle, a meeting gift was only appropriate.

Furthermore, she had saved his father's life—a debt of gratitude he felt he could never fully repay.

Chiang Xiao turned her gaze toward Meng Xinian.

"Jade is incredibly precious; how can I possibly accept this?" She shook her head in refusal.

"How valuable could it be? It's just a simple jade bracelet," Yang Zhiqi said dismissively. "My old teammate explained that unless the jade is entirely green, it isn't worth much. He mentioned this one only has a faint trace of green, so it's not that expensive."

Hearing his explanation, Chiang Xiao felt a spark of curiosity and wanted to see the bracelet for herself.

Meng Xinian spoke up, "Little, let's just accept it. The most we'll do is let him stay for dinner tonight."

Yang Zhiqi pointed a finger at him. "You little rascal."

He understood Meng Xinian's implication; he was simply looking for an excuse to get a free meal.

His parents had been praising Chiang Xiao’s cooking incessantly every day. Lately, their complexions had improved visibly, and their faces had regained a healthy color. Seeing this made him realize how negligent he had been in the past, failing to notice how gaunt and sallow his parents had become.

Chiang Xiao took the box and flipped it open. When she saw the bracelet inside, her eyes widened in surprise.

Even though she lacked expert knowledge on the subject, she could recognize quality when she saw it.

She was an amateur, yet she possessed a discerning eye. She recalled a part-time job she held during a holiday where the shop owner, knowing she was an art student, commissioned her for a portrait. She remembered being paid two hundred bucks for the finished piece.

Back then, the owner had been very specific about including the jade bracelet on her own wrist in the painting, even taking the time to explain the nuances of jade's value to her.