Jane Sampson sat next to James Black, laughing with her mouth wide open as Alexander Forest teased her. Out of curiosity about Jamesās expression, she turned her head to glance at him, and saw he had just swept a look her way. Jane stuck out her tongue and pulled a face at James.
"I think itās you whoās toxic, brother," Quincy Forest dismantled her own brotherās cool front with impressive agility. "Youāre always lingering in the flower fields, when are you going to bring home a proper sister-in-law for me? And you, playing with emotions all day, be careful that one day emotions wonāt toy with you instead, and youāll be the one seeking revenge."
"You little rascal, canāt you say anything nice?" Alexander raised his hand and thumped his sister on the forehead without any courtesy. "Being nagged at home is bad enough, what, now even when Iām out, I still have to be nagged by you? Thinking of rebelling, huh? Besides, if our cousin isnāt worried, why should I be, as his younger brother?"
"Looking for trouble?" Kane Forest shot two sharp words at Alexander as soon as he heard his brother trying to pass the buck onto him.
"My brother has a point," Quincy chimed in, nodding in agreement and then turning to Kane, "Cousin, you must have a girl you like, right? Hehe, I overheard it that day, so come on, cousin! Iām really looking forward to the day I get to meet my cousin-in-law! Itās like a thousand-year-old iron tree blooming, when it finally does, boy, I wonder what will happen."
Kaneās expression shifted slightly, and he promptly stuffed a piece of meat into Quincyās mouth, "Eat more, talk less, nobody thinks youāre mute if youāre quiet."
"Cousin, even James has got himself a wife now, you canāt fall behind," Quincy mumbled as she chewed on the meat.
"James has Old Master Black to find him one, otherwise, this guy would be destined for a lifetime of singledom. By the time my grandson is old enough to fetch soy sauce, heād still be sadly single, hanging out in the guard team," Alexander envied as he clicked his tongue thrice, "Itās really an era of relying on the old sirs."
"Is Mr. Black as bad as you all say he is?" Coco Edwards asked, puzzled. "I think Mr. Black is quite nice. Heās handsome, considerate, and takes care of people. Such a man should have plenty of women chasing after him to marry, right?"
"Naive," Alexander pointed at Coco and then shook his head.
"Innocent," Quincy imitated, with expressions and gestures perfectly matching those of her brother.
At that moment, Jane was laughing so hard her teeth were almost the only thing visible, her hand holding the chopsticks trembling with laughter, clearly enjoying the moment immensely.
James watched as the vegetables near the edge of his lips trembled several times before plopping onto his pants, his eyebrows almost imperceptibly twitched, his voice carrying a tinge of sternness, "Enjoying this?"
Jane was taken aback.
She blinked and looked at James.
Listening to these people bad-mouth James, she actually felt quite happy inside.
But had she been showing it too obviously?
"Not really enjoying it," Jane quickly reined in the smile on her face, then lightly tapped the table, "Hey, hey, hey, you two, weāre eating at our house here, and youāre bad-mouthing my husband right in front of me. Be careful or Iāll kick you out."
"Hypocrite, you were clearly enjoying yourself just now," Alexander sneered. "So tell us, what are the good points of your husband?"
No matter what Jane and Alexander said next, the fact that Jane had referred to "my husband" noticeably improved Jamesās mood.