As the days passed by in a flurry of busyness, time seemed to race by, and Qian Ping'an, like a bamboo shoot bursting through the soil, grew up in the blink of an eye and entered junior high school.
Qian Ya and Qian Wen also graduated from university smoothly, and neither of them pursued postgraduate studies.
With their formal graduation, Ding Yun lost no time in arranging for them to join the company officially, rather than just working during summer breaks as before.
Initially, Ding Yun was a little uneasy.
She personally supervised them for half a year.
Only after six months, when both siblings were performing well in their jobs, did Ding Yun finally relax. She then dedicated herself to studying and researching what else could be materialized from games and what was lacking in reality. To this end, Ding Yun even invested in opening a game company, specifically to create games she needed. The goal wasn't for them to be fun, but to contain the elements she required for materialization.
In short, as Ding Yun's assets grew, she was no longer limited to materializing whatever was available in existing games. Instead, she could create a game for whatever she desired to materialize.
As a result, the new products on her online store finally began to follow a pattern.
They were no longer haphazardly released as they were before.
Sometimes, she would even post a thread soliciting suggestions, asking netizens what kind of items and product effects they needed. She would then focus on developing the most voted-for products, designing games, materializing product formulas, and outlining the research and development process before officially listing them for sale.
After only a few such instances,
The thread became famously known as a "wish list" post.
Ding Yun also gained the nickname "Genie in a Lamp."
...
A little over a year later, during the summer break.
On July 1st.
After returning from work, Qian Ya, having finished dinner, calmly asked Ding Yun, "Mom, are you free tomorrow? I want to bring Li An home to meet everyone."
"Sister, you're quite persistent. It seems you're truly determined to tie yourself to this one tree for life."
Qian Wen knew his sister was dating Li An, but he hadn't expected her to bring him to meet the family so soon after graduation. It seemed like serious talk of marriage. How urgent was it for her to get married? Was it really that necessary?
"If you're bringing your boyfriend to meet the parents, how could I possibly not be free? Even if I had no time, I'd have to make some. How about this, the whole family takes a day off tomorrow and stays home waiting."
With Ding Yun's agreement, the matter was settled. What followed was Zhou Pinjuan's gossiping and Qian Ya's slightly shy recounting of their experiences over the years.
Then Zhou Pinjuan questioned Qian Wen about having a girlfriend.
With his sister on the verge of marriage, wasn't it a bit lagging for him, the brother, to still be single?
Even Qian Wen himself hadn't expected that his sister bringing her boyfriend home to meet the parents would end up being the most distressing for him, nearly forcing him into blind dates and the like.
...
The next morning, Ding Yun and her family began preparations, such as cleaning the house, tidying up cluttered areas, and pre-ordering lunch.
Just past nine o'clock.
Qian Ya, who had left at seven, arrived with Li An, who was carrying gifts in both hands, and knocked on the door. Ding Yun stepped forward at the opportune moment, offering polite greetings and asking why he had brought so many gifts.
Bringing gifts when visiting was actually quite necessary. First and foremost, it represented a polite and courteous attitude. Even setting that aside, it was essential.
Because if they truly disliked the person,
They could simply refuse the gifts.
This would be a relatively subtle way of expressing their rejection.
Since ancient times, accepting or refusing a gift has represented two different attitudes: acceptance and rejection.
Of course, if the person was shameless enough to persist even when rejected, there would be no other option but to have a direct confrontation.
Ding Yun's enthusiastic welcome and acceptance of the gifts at this moment signified that, for now, she was satisfied with him. Following this, the entire family sat down on the sofa, and Qian Ya began the introductions.
As Qian Ya introduced each person, Li An would greet them.
"This is my grandmother!" "Hello, Grandma!"
"This is my maternal uncle!" "Hello, Uncle!"
"This is my uncle!" Even though he was mentally prepared, Li An still hesitated for a moment before greeting the ten-year-old Qian Ping'an: "Hello, Uncle!"
"This is my brother!" "Hello, Brother Wen!"
"This is my mom!" "Hello, Auntie!"
"Good, good, good, everyone is fine. Please sit down."
After the introductions, Ding Yun first invited them and her daughter to sit down, and then, as if by procedure, she asked:
"What is the purpose of your visit this time?"
"Uh, Auntie, Xiao Ya and I have been together for a total of six years, more accurately, over six years. Through these years of interaction, I believe we have come to know each other well enough. I am confident that we are each other's destined partner for life.
And we have both reached the legal age for marriage.
Therefore, I would like to formally propose."
Strictly speaking, it would have been proper for a matchmaker to arrange the proposal. However, times have changed, and after dating for six years, neither family was unaware of the situation.
The fact that they were willing to allow him to visit and receive him was already tantamount to tacit approval. Therefore, his statement was not abrupt. Nevertheless, even so, he nervously watched Ding Yun after saying those words.
After all, if Ding Yun did not agree,
The matter would not be settled.
"Yes, but this shouldn't be solely on you. Go back and speak to your parents first, and then we can arrange a date to discuss further. Also, if you're willing, you can share your future plans, and we can chat for a while first!"
Ding Yun had initially expected him to make small talk before mentioning the proposal. However, since he had brought it up first, she could only give an initial response.
Then she steered the conversation back to the main topic.
Understanding his intentions, his future plans, his family, etc. While Ding Yun had already investigated much of this information, asking now would also serve to indirectly verify his honesty.
This was a test.
If he were full of lies, it would be unacceptable.
After chatting for a long time, they also had lunch together, and the date for the meeting of both sets of parents was set.
This meeting then concluded.
Overall, both Ding Yun and Zhou Pinjuan were quite satisfied. They dared not speculate too much about the future, but at least for now, he was a good prospect.
And that was enough.
Since he had no major issues, and their daughter liked him, what more could they ask for? Even if his family's financial background was slightly lacking, their daughter's family's conditions were worse than the Li family's when they started dating.
Now, it was up to the future in-laws.
If they also had no issues,
Then it would be a happy occasion for all.