Yan Yu followed Lin Ning into the Lin family ancestral home.
The further they walked inside, the more nervous Lin Ning became.
Almost all the relatives had arrived—no matter what the elders were discussing, as they watched her and the captain walk past, they would immediately show a kindly aunt’s smile, as if to say, "Ah, Ningning finally has a partner."
Lin Ning really wanted to catch each one of them and explain that the captain was just the captain, not her boyfriend, but no one said this outright; it was all implied in their facial expressions, and saying it directly would have been like giving away that there was "silver hidden here."
Besides, Lin Ning knew that some of the elders were particularly gossipy, very fond of making embarrassing remarks to enjoy the awkward expressions on the younger generation’s faces; and a few of the elders were the type "who were very good at fishing for information," their favorite thing to do was to have a long chat with you, then pick out the fun from your answers to spread around...
Ugh, how annoying!
"I’m telling you," she whispered to Yan Yu, "when people ask you anything later, you better answer properly! Don’t say anything weird! Our relatives are super gossipy!"
"What kind of weird things?" Yan Yu asked.
"Like…" Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, "like all the things that will get you kicked by me if you say them."
"Ningning, are you born in the year of the horse?"
"Nope… Oh, that’s one!" Hindered by the presence of so many elders, Lin Ning couldn’t afford to be too aggressive, so she could only rub her foot against his to give a yellow card warning.
"Come on over!" A male elder, who was either an uncle or a great-uncle, warmly pulled Yan Yu to sit down on a rosewood bench and smiled, "Since you’re visiting us, you definitely must enjoy Lin’s tea!"
Lin’s tea... Oh, have some tea.
Yan Yu took the tea bowl handed to him with both hands and took a sip. It was slightly bitter, with a lingering aftertaste, not bad indeed.
Lin Ning sat down beside him, assuming a defensive posture, afraid that the captain would be tricked into saying something if she wasn’t around.
"Keep a close watch," the male elder said, seeing her nervously guard Yan Yu, immediately showing a teasing smile, and joked, "Make sure no one steals him away, several of your cousins have yet to find partners."
Lin Ning became anxious again, and began rattling off in dialect, probably still explaining "the captain is not my boyfriend" or something similar. Yan Yu figured he wouldn’t understand anyway and couldn’t be bothered, simply leisurely drinking his tea.
He drank his tea unhurriedly, while Lin Ning beside him spoke a few words to the elder, obviously unable to argue convincingly, getting so angry her eyes were nearly red, and forcefully stepping on Yan Yu’s foot under the table.
"I can’t speak your local dialect, I can’t help you argue," Yan Yu transmitted his voice to her, "Why are you stepping on me?"
"Don’t just focus on drinking tea!" Lin Ning said angrily, "Talk to the elders, clarify your identity!"
"Didn’t you explain that?" Yan Yu asked, puzzled.
"Just because I explained doesn’t mean you don’t have to!" Lin Ning said urgently, "They say a girl is too shy to admit, it’s different when you explain!"
"I see," said Yan Yu, feigning realization, then sighed, "Still, it won’t work."
"Why not?" Lin Ning held back her anger.
"Because I don’t speak your local dialect," Yan Yu said.
Lin Ning finally snapped, and her left hand reached around her back to the right side, grabbing a pinch of Yan Yu’s waist and twisted hard.
Damn! Casting a Barrier Charm? I’m going to bite you to death!
The elder, seeing the little interaction between the two, found it even more endearing and funny, he teased Lin Ning a few words, and she simply refused to reply, just glared fiercely at Yan Yu.
"Eh? Ningning is back?" A woman came down from upstairs and suddenly asked.
"Big sister!" Lin Ning immediately seemed to have found a savior, and hurriedly pulled Yan Yu over (taking the opportunity to slip away from the elders), introducing them, "This is my captain, Yan Yu. This is my big sister Lin Lan, Lan as in orchid, you can call her Lan sister."
"Nice to meet you, big sister," Yan Yu smiled.
"I told you to call her Lan sister!" Lin Ning exploded.
"It’s okay, it’s okay," Lin Lan winked at her, "He’s your age, so he’s younger than me, it’s okay for him to call me big sister."
Lin Ning was speechless, only able to drag Yan Yu upstairs:
"Our generation is playing upstairs. Downstairs are all the elder relatives, you better not stay here, come up with me."
"I’ll listen to you," Yan Yu said.
"You two really have a good relationship," Lin Lan laughed from behind.
"Sister, he’s not my boyfriend..." Lin Ning said, almost jumping with irritation, "If you keep this up, I’m going to ignore you!"
She dragged Yan Yu upstairs and as expected, they saw the second floor was indeed full of young people, with those old enough to work, alongside high school, middle school, and even elementary students, gathering in small groups to play cards, use their cell phones, or watch TV.
"Ningning is here!" someone called out.
"She’s brought her boyfriend!" another person echoed, stirring up trouble, "The Longcheng Flying General!"
"Come on, sit down!" someone quickly dragged over two stools, "Tell us how you two met?"
Lin Ning sat down unceremoniously on a stool, pulling Yan Yu with her, and explained:
"He’s not my boyfriend, he’s the captain of our team, so don’t get the wrong idea! Especially you! Lin Han! If you keep spreading rumors, I’m really going to hit you!"
The crowd burst into laughter: Ningning, you’re still holding onto his arm, looking so intimate; how can you say it’s not a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?
"Then can I pursue your captain?" a cousin sitting nearby asked with a laugh.
"No!" Lin Ning bristled immediately.
"Why not?" the crowd laughed and jeered.
Lin Ning didn’t know how to explain and shouted:
"No means no! Yan Yu, come on, explain, don’t just sit there watching the show!"
Yan Yu said cheerfully:
"Sorry, but I’m not considering dating anyone at the moment."
"Why not?" a cousin asked out of curiosity, "Is there someone you like already?"
"No, no," Yan Yu waved his hand, "It’s too much trouble with all the approvals needed."
The crowd oh’ed in realization, but they were speechless.
The idea of needing approval to date was too far removed from their world.
"What if you dated Ningning?" a little brother from the sofa asked, "Would internal relationships also require approval?"
"Lin Zihao, watch yourself!" Lin Ning warned through gritted teeth, "Don’t use me as an example, I’m telling you!"
"Yes," Yan Yu said with a smile, "But if both parties are cultivators, the approval might go through a bit faster. If one is a common person, we’d have to look into archives going back three generations or more, which can be quite cumbersome."
"Well, if you’re considering dating, think about our Ningning," Lin Lan suggested with a smile from the side, "Our Ningning is beautiful and talented, plus she’s also a cultivator, so she’s a good match for you."
"Sister!" Lin Ning stomped her foot.
Yan Yu had also realized that Lin Ning’s siblings weren’t actually trying to set them up, they just enjoyed seeing Lin Ning get flustered.
Great, I’d like to see that too.
"I’m afraid Ningning won’t fancy me," he said with a smile, deflecting, "After all, she has high standards."
"Oh—," the crowd drew out the tone in unison, their faces all showing a mix of amusement, teasing, and mockery.
Lin Ning looked at him incredulously: Captain, you’re betraying me too?
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"So tell us, Ningning!" a cousin urged, "Do you like the type of guy your team captain is?"
"I don’t like him, I don’t like him, I don’t like him!" Lin Ning yelled hysterically, "Stop asking, stop asking, stop asking!"
She stood up in a huff, grabbed Yan Yu, and headed up the stairs.