TMLFDN 97

Xie Li raised his head in bewilderment, only to see Xie Jun looking at him and saying, "Grandpa is asking you something." He shifted his gaze and saw the kindly face of the elderly man with gray hair and deep wrinkles beside Xie Jun. Xie Li couldn't help blurting out, "Huh?"

The kindly old man repeated himself.

Xie Li didn't understand.

In that instant, cold sweat broke out on Xie Li. The old man spoke in dialect, and even with just a bit of thought, Xie Li knew it was the accent from the old hometown of the Xie family. Elderly people's accents were particularly strong, sounding very different from Mandarin, with few pronunciations that Xie Li could understand.

Moreover, others seemed to be waiting for his response, and he couldn't possibly say, "I have no idea what Grandpa is talking about," right?

Xie Li's chopsticks paused as his mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. He truly didn't know what to do. The old man had probably asked him a question just now, but he had been focused on eating, and since the old man spoke in dialect, Xie Li hadn't even realized he was being addressed.

The baffled old man, not receiving any response, was puzzled. Everyone at the table stopped, thinking he hadn't heard. In this silence, the old man asked again.

It was beyond the point where he could pretend to have misheard.

And he had no idea what the old man was asking. He hadn't heard a single word clearly, and he couldn't even make up anything.

Xie Li was there, racking his brain, unsure of how to react, feeling like he might be exposed any moment.

But at that moment, sitting next to him, Jiang Yuying seemed like an angel descending to his rescue. With a smile, Jiang Yuying spoke to the older woman next to her, "Auntie San, what did Grandpa say? I didn't understand a word."

Auntie San cheerfully replied, "You're a daughter-in-law who married into the family from outside, not understanding is normal. Grandpa asked why we didn't see Xie Siqi today. Oh, it's my fault; I should have translated for you. These men are so careless; they don't care whether you understand their dialect or not."

With the problem identified, the answer became much simpler. Xie Li glanced at the old man, then at Xie Jun, his expression still puzzled, unchanged at all.

And he discreetly signaled to Xie Junhe.

The meaning was probably: Should I say it?

Xie Junhe was taken aback. In fact, the old man had asked him this question privately just now, and he had asked Grandpa to ask Xie Li, not expecting the ball to be kicked back.

This question was not easy to answer. It was no wonder Xie Li hesitated for so long. He couldn't possibly say that his son was studying abroad because of a woman, and he wasn't allowed to come home for the New Year, right?

Xie Junhe subtly glared at Xie Li, then turned back to the old man and laughed, explaining that Xie Siqi was currently abroad, and it was different from holidays in China, so he couldn't come back.

Xie Li breathed a sigh of relief, but when he tried to turn his head to look at Jiang Yuying, who had just helped him out, he found her chatting with Auntie San. Auntie San was quite talkative, and she was currently telling Jiang Yuying about the trending topic involving Xie Li and herself from a few days ago.

"Oh my, I envy you young couple. You easily made it to the trending list, and I've seen the photos; that girl took them really well."

Jiang Yuying maintained a dignified and polite smile on her face, and she could follow along with Auntie San's conversation. Seeing her lack of reaction, Xie Li could only chalk up Jiang Yuying's timely assistance earlier to coincidence.

But the nightmare had only just begun. At a family dinner like this, there was inevitably a toasting ritual, especially with the presence of the old master, and many people came over. Some of them were Xie Li's uncles and older relatives, and when they toasted, he had to drink.

The problem was that they spoke in dialect while toasting, and Xie Li was really sweating. Fortunately, when it came time to toast, Jiang Yuying would stand up beside him, holding a glass of wine, and when the guests saw Jiang Yuying, they knew she was a daughter-in-law who married into the family and couldn't understand the dialect of the old Xie family. So, speaking Mandarin, they repeated it again.

Although the dialect issue was manageable, he still had to drink, and unlike at the annual meeting, where he could drink from his own prepared pitcher, these relatives came over with wine bottles and poured his glass full...

Xie Li: Damn.

Search This Blog

Outpost Translations

TMLFDN 97