Chapter 184

Chapter 184: The Eldest Princess of the Mei Family

Mei Fang answered without hesitation:

“Who would call me like that… must be Sister Yueyue?”

“Hmm… Bingo!”

Mei Fang pushed away the other person’s hand and faced a big sister wearing jeans and a white cotton jacket. She had tousled curly hair, and her pretty features were marked by a distinctive mole under her left eye.

Seeing Mei Fang, she was filled with joy.

“Oh my gosh, Little Fangzi, you’ve grown so handsome! I might not recognize you on the street.”

“Isn’t it a bit exaggerated?” Mei Fang waved his hand, engaging in some family flattery, “It’s you, Sister Yueyue, who has become even more beautiful. By the way, did you come here with Uncle and Auntie?”

“Yes, Uncle kept insisting we visit your new home. I took some extra vacation days for this. Last year during the Spring Festival, I couldn’t see you because I was preparing for the civil service exam. This year, I came specially to see you and Xiao Ya.”

As Mei Yue spoke, she couldn’t help but pinch Mei Fang’s cheeks.

“No kidding, you’re so handsome! Let Sister Yueyue pinch more! The more you let me pinch, the more red envelopes I’ll give you!”

“Phew…”

This lively and cheerful young lady was Mei Fang’s cousin, Mei Yue. She was about seven or eight years older than Mei Fang, but she always lived with her parents in Echeng, a city closer to Jiangcheng. Thus, they rarely met.

In their previous lives, when they were children, they had a good relationship. Mei Fang spent his summers at Uncle Mei Lixiong’s place in Echeng during second, third, and sixth grades, and Yueyue always took care of him.

But in this life, Mei Fang was preoccupied with maintaining pure friendships with two childhood friends, so he only went to Echeng once for summer vacation.

However, because Xiao Xia needed to hide from acquaintances in the county while pregnant with Mei Ya, she spent the entire year at Uncle’s house in Echeng.

Mei Ya was also born in Echeng, and Mei Yue helped take care of Xiao Xia and baby Mei Ya during those two years.

This experience kept the cousins in good contact, even though they saw each other less often as they grew up. Each meeting remained warm and close.

Recently, however, whenever Mei Fang talked to Yueyue, he always asked her about one thing, which seemed to have been on his mind for a long time:

“Yueyue, do you have a boyfriend now?”

“Oh, Little Fangzi, why are you suddenly so interested in my love life? Are you worried I won’t get married?”

Mei Yue sighed helplessly.

“This is about our family’s future, Yueyue. You probably had many suitors in college, and even more after you started working. You are the eldest princess of the Mei family, so you can’t just fall for anyone.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t have one yet…” Mei Yue looked away, a shy gesture Mei Fang had seen many times with Xia Yuan. He understood her thoughts immediately.

“So, you haven’t confirmed anything yet…”

Mei Fang continued, “Is there anyone close to becoming your boyfriend?”

“Well, there is someone,” Mei Yue replied awkwardly.

“What does he do?”

Mei Yue playfully punched Mei Fang, “You’re checking up on me already? Didn’t you come here to gather information with Dad? He keeps pushing me to go on blind dates with people Uncle introduces, and I hate it.”

“No, no, it’s not related to Uncle. I’m just curious!”

Mei Fang smiled, “Ordinary people wouldn’t be good enough for our Yueyue.”

“Don’t say it like that. I’m nothing special, but he does run a business in Jiangcheng. He’s a small boss.”

“Really? I see! So Yueyue is attracting attention from high-status men?”

“Not yet, don’t tell Dad!” Mei Yue teased, hugging Mei Fang’s shoulder, “Otherwise, I’ll show you my Yueyue Iron Fist, the one you used to be afraid of as a kid!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything. But if you ever meet him, let me meet him too. I can help screen him out.”

“Sure… since you’re so interested, I’ll think about it. He works in Jiangcheng, and we can meet up sometime after the New Year when I visit your school.”

“Great! But don’t confirm anything with him before then, or I’ll tell Uncle and Auntie.”

“Alright, Little Fangzi, you’re quite responsible… Go back inside, Mother hasn’t seen you yet. I need to spend some time with Xiao Ya.”

“Got it!”

After Mei Fang finished talking with Mei Yue, he walked behind her with a gradually fading smile.

In their previous lives, Mei Yue was usually an optimistic and cheerful girl, but she fell in love and married a scoundrel soon after graduation.

The scoundrel not only used sweet talk to drain Mei Yue’s savings but also mortgaged Uncle’s house for a project, leaving them penniless and disappearing.

Uncle, retired for years, had to work odd jobs and sell things on the street to pay off debts.

Mei Yue never found the scoundrel again and developed hysteria due to guilt and shame, often acting疯疯癫癫.

This tragedy shattered Uncle’s family, turning them into laughingstocks, and Auntie cried every day.

Mei Fang could do nothing for Uncle’s family in the past, watching his once lively cousin fall into such despair, deeply troubling him.

Now reborn, Mei Fang would ensure this tragedy didn’t repeat itself in the Mei family.

He would definitely find a way to prevent Yueyue from falling into another trap.

Mei Fang returned to the inner room and greeted Uncle Mei Lixiong and Auntie warmly:

“Uncle, Auntie, hello!”

“Oh… Mei Fang, you’ve grown so much!”

Auntie was delighted to see Mei Fang, “You’ve grown so much, boy. It’s like a different person every year.”

“You look younger, Auntie. Your skincare is excellent.”

“Mei Fang, you’re so polite. No wonder you came from Jiangcheng Normal School.”

Compared to his lively brother Mei Lijun, Uncle Mei Lixiong was much more composed, “How is life in Jiangcheng Normal School? Is the study pressure heavy?”

“It’s alright. Everyone is great… I can barely keep up.”

“That’s already impressive. Keep working hard. You’re the most promising among us in this generation. You should also take care of your cousin. Though she’s much older, she doesn’t think much.”

“Brother, stop saying bad things about me in front of everyone! I heard that!”

Mei Yue protested loudly at the door, holding Mei Ya’s hand.

Mei Fang’s paternal relatives were few. Uncle Mei Lixiong and Uncle Mei Lijun, plus his sister Mei Lerong, who had married far away in Xiang Province, only met occasionally.

Grandpa and Grandma passed away when Mei Fang was three, leaving behind an old house given to Uncle Mei Lijun, the youngest son who stayed in the village.

Of course, Mei Lijun lived up to expectations, through hard work, becoming the most successful member of the Mei family, known as Commissioner Mei.

After Mei Lijun became Commissioner, distant relatives who rarely contacted them began to seek connections, so moving to Baizhou reduced some of the familial stress.

However, the brothers’ relationship remained close, even before Mei Lijun achieved success. Now, they interacted naturally, with the elder still calling the younger brother Lijun.

After chatting with Uncle and Auntie, Mei Fang noticed Xiao Xia coming out of the kitchen wiping her hands. They frequently communicated via phone and video, so it wasn’t a long reunion. She exclaimed when she saw Mei Fang:

“Come wash up, you’ve been traveling for so long. Xiao Ya, you too.”

Xiao Ya reluctantly replied, “Why should I wash? I bathe every day. It’s so cold, I don’t want to take off my clothes.”

“Don’t be silly, go wash up.”

“I’ll help Xiao Ya with her bath!”

“Sure! I want to take a bath with Yueyue!”

“You’re so old and still need help washing up. How embarrassing!”

“Not embarrassing, I’m very happy!”

“Such a girl…”

Mei Ya became lively with her sister’s presence, and the family atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

Mei Fang chatted with everyone while secretly browsing his phone. In the three-person QQ group, Xia Yuan had sent a message half an hour ago saying they had arrived and posted a photo of a family dinner.

The photo included Xi Yi’s family and Teacher Yu, who was still elegant and graceful.

[We’re having dinner at my place tonight! Mom’s cooking seems better now. What do you think?]

[I should try it when I get back.]

Just as Mei Fang sent the message, Xia Yuan replied instantly.

[No, don’t try it. It might ruin the perfect image of Mom in your heart QWQ]

Mei Fang shook his head with a smile, then involuntarily sighed deeply.

Although the atmosphere at home was warm, something felt missing.

He wanted to boost Yuan Yuan and Xi Yi’s spirits. Sigh…

Recently, he lost all his royalties playing mahjong during the New Year, so he had to work hard to earn royalties again. Sigh…

(End of Chapter)