Chapter 11: The Son-in-Law Visits!
Huang Guixiang had no choice but to swallow her pride and go to Auntie Wu next door to borrow money, grain coupons, and meat coupons. Auntie Wu was on good terms with her, and seeing that the prospective son-in-law had brought Maotai and Chunghwa cigarettes, she knew the family had real financial backing. She wasn’t worried that Huang Guixiang would default on the loan, so she lent her the money and coupons with rare decisiveness.
Huang Guixiang immediately ordered Zhang Hongqiang to run to the state-owned restaurant to buy steamed buns and braised pork.
The neighbors in the family compound were stunned by her sheer extravagance. On second thought, however, they realized that if they were in her shoes and such a handsome son-in-law arrived carrying Maotai, they too would bleed themselves dry to entertain him!
He was a driver, one of the coveted “Eight Great Professionals”!
Even if his qualifications were slightly a step down from Zhang Qin’s boyfriend, to be completely honest, a catch like this was still hard to find even if you searched with a lantern.
For a moment, a wave of envy rippled through the family compound.
None of the men in the Zhang family amounted to much, but the daughters were each better than the last at reeling in a man.
At noon.
The members of the Zhang family returned home one after another.
The entire household was exceptionally warm and enthusiastic toward Huo Xiao. The moment Zhang Hongqiang walked in, he blurted out, “Brother-in-law!”
Huo Xiao handed him a handful of White Rabbit creamy candies.
This made Zhang Hongqiang yell the title even more eagerly!
Seeing this, Zhang Weiguo, Zhang Weimin, and Zhang Zhi also swarmed over. “Little Uncle-in-law!”
Huo Xiao distributed White Rabbit creamy candies to them as well.
The kids felt so happy they were about to faint.
White Rabbit candies! A whole handful of White Rabbit candies!
Lin Wan hurriedly called for a halt. “Stop shouting blindly! We aren’t married yet!”
Bao Yan teased, “Little Huo has already visited the family, so getting married is just a matter of a couple of days. There’s nothing wrong with the kids calling him that ahead of time!”
Judging by Huo Xiao’s sheer generosity, Bao Yan and Zhong Hongmei were thoroughly satisfied.
Everyone else felt the same way, happily chiming in with their agreement.
Who could possibly understand their feelings?
Before yesterday, they were still relying on sweet potato broth to trick their stomachs into feeling full, passing gas non-stop under the blankets at night. The moment Lin Wan found a boyfriend, she brought home meat buns and roast chicken. Now that the boyfriend had stepped through the door, he brought Maotai and Chunghwa, and even stuffed the kids’ pockets with so many White Rabbit candies!
The dining table was lined with big white steamed buns and braised pork…
This kind of happiness was simply beyond words!
By contrast, their biological sister Zhang Qin’s boyfriend was a cadre, but despite the two dating for so long, she had never brought him home to visit. Leave alone White Rabbit candies—they hadn’t even seen a single piece of fruit candy.
Regardless of whether it was Zhang Qin’s boyfriend or Lin Wan’s boyfriend, no matter how high their status and position were, it had nothing to do with them. Only what they could actually hold in their hands counted as a real benefit!!!
Lin Wan protested, “Even so, you can’t just shout blindly! As long as we haven’t registered for a single day, things can still change!”
The moment she said this, the entire room fell dead silent.
Huang Guixiang froze for a moment, then cast a sharp glare at her two cheap daughters-in-law. “Wanwan is right!”
“We’ll change how we address him after the wedding. We represent the bride’s side—what’s the rush!”
However, a sudden wave of unease swelled in her heart.
As long as the certificate wasn’t issued, there was a chance Huo Xiao could be snatched away! A man with such incredible conditions was bound to have eyes on him! Her daughter must be dropping a hint to alert her!
The methods she originally intended to use on Guo Xuyang would now have to be deployed on Huo Xiao! Once the deed was done, no one would be able to steal him away!
“Little Huo, come, sit down and eat!”
“Old Zhang, open the wine Little Huo brought!”
Zhang Aimin had been eyeing the Maotai Huo Xiao brought for a long time, but as long as Huang Guixiang didn’t speak up, he wouldn’t dare mention it. Now that Huang Guixiang gave the word, Zhang Aimin’s face split into a massive grin, and he eagerly fetched a bottle of Maotai to open and pour a drink for Huo Xiao.
“Little Huo, since this is your first visit, Uncle will accompany you for a drink!”
Apologetically, Huo Xiao stood up and moved the wine glass in front of him away. “I’m sorry, Uncle. Our unit has strict regulations—we aren’t allowed to drink!”
Zhang Aimin slapped his own forehead. “Oh, look at my stupid brain! You drive for a leader, so of course you can’t drink. Then how about a cigarette?” He eyed the Chunghwa pack again.
Huo Xiao waved his hand. “Unit regulations state we cannot touch tobacco or alcohol!”
Lin Wan had been entirely consumed with thoughts of how to fool Huo Xiao while in the car earlier, completely forgetting to coordinate with him regarding his false identity. She hurriedly chimed in, “Right! He’s a driver who drives for a leader, so he absolutely cannot have the smell of smoke or alcohol on him! Besides, driving after drinking easily leads to accidents. Their unit enforces things incredibly strictly!”
After saying this, she flashed a smile at Huo Xiao, batting her eyes at him.
A driver?
Huo Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Lin Wan secretly tugged at his hem beneath the table, her watery, almond-shaped eyes looking at him pitifully, resembling a kitten gently scratching someone with its small paws.
Huo Xiao’s heart skipped a beat for no discernible reason.
If this truly were a honey trap set by an enemy spy, any man with a less stable willpower would undoubtedly succumb to it.
He gave a slight nod. “Indeed!”
Lin Wan let out a sigh of relief.
Zhang Hongqi said with a smile, “Dad, our family has a cause for massive celebration today. I’ll drink with you!”
Zhang Hongbin chimed in as well. As they spoke, their eyes darted toward Huang Guixiang. This was Maotai after all!!! If they didn’t take this chance to freeload a bit, when would they ever get another opportunity? Once Huo Xiao left, all these items would be gathered by Huang Guixiang and locked away securely. Forget about drinking it—they wouldn’t even be allowed to steal a glance!
Huang Guixiang waved her hand. “Go ahead and drink a bit, all of you. If you drink too much, just request a day off tomorrow.”
Since it was her son-in-law’s first visit, she needed to display a bit of generosity.
“Auntie Huang, you should have some too! Everyone, please have a little!” Huo Xiao stood up to pour the wine for everyone.
Even female comrades like Bao Yan and Zhong Hongmei, who usually didn’t drink much, eagerly raised their glasses to accept a pour just to keep up appearances, their faces unable to hide their excitement.
Lin Wan realized Huo Xiao’s underlying purpose for bringing Maotai in an instant.
So this was what he had been waiting for!
Maotai! Who wouldn’t want to drink it? Once people got tipsy, what kind of secrets wouldn’t they blabber out? This man easily possessed eighteen thousand calculations up his sleeve!
“I won’t drink!” Huo Xiao went around pouring the wine. When he reached Lin Wan, she quickly shielded the glass in front of her. Her eldest and second sisters-in-law must have done this on purpose, setting a wine glass in front of every single person the moment they saw Maotai!
Huo Xiao didn’t force her. He simply agreed with a soft nod, then proceeded to pour plain water from the enamel mug into his own wine glass. “I will substitute wine with tea to toast Uncle Zhang and Auntie Huang…”
Lin Wan rolled her eyes wildly in her mind.
In no time at all…
The faces of the Zhang family members flushed red from the alcohol, and their mouths loosened up considerably. No matter what Huo Xiao asked, they answered thoroughly; even when Huo Xiao didn’t ask, they volunteered extra details. Over the course of a single meal, the Zhang family’s ancestral lineage across eighteen generations, as well as Lin Wan’s entire background, were completely extracted by Huo Xiao.
Yet, when it came to information about Huo Xiao himself, they only managed to gather a unit name and the fact that his family lived in Capital City; the positions of his parents were glossed over vaguely.
The members of the Zhang family were all thoroughly tipsy from the alcohol.
Huang Guixiang dismissed them back to their rooms to rest.
She then brought up the matter of Huo Xiao and Lin Wan registering their marriage. “Logically speaking, the parents from both sides should meet first. But our Wanwan is facing the issue of being sent to the countryside, so we must adapt to the circumstances…”
Huo Xiao said sincerely, “Auntie Huang, I understand. I also wish to resolve my personal matters with Lin Wan as soon as possible. The marriage report has already been submitted, and it should be approved within a couple of days. Even if it gets delayed by a few days, please don’t worry about the educated youth office—I will go take care of it.”
Lin Wan shook Huang Guixiang’s arm. “Mom, you can rest easy now, right? Anyway, I have some things to discuss with Huo Xiao, so we’re heading to my room.”
Lin Wan hurriedly dragged Huo Xiao into her bedroom.
The room wasn’t large—roughly five square meters, about the size of a restroom in her modern home.
Hanging behind the door was a set of army-green clothes, a canvas satchel, an army-green canteen, and a black umbrella. Near the door against the wall stood a small wardrobe.
Along one side of the wardrobe, a narrow bunk bed was pushed up against the wall. The top bunk held several wooden chests. The bottom bunk was covered with a blue checkered bedsheet, the blanket neatly folded into a square block with the pillow resting on top. The pink pillow towel featured a pattern of a rising sun.
On the writing desk by the window sat a glass jar holding a mixed bouquet of white, yellow, and purple wildflowers. Beside it lay a small mirror and a wooden comb carved into the shape of a fish.
The room was kept exceptionally neat and tidy, radiating a faint, subtle fragrance.
The space was tight and cramped. The atmosphere of a young man and woman sharing a room felt slightly unusual, and the air seemed to warm up by a few degrees.
Lin Wan’s face flushed red quietly. To break the awkwardness, she hurriedly pulled out the wooden stool in front of the writing desk for Huo Xiao to sit down.
Right as Huo Xiao took his seat…
Huang Guixiang walked in carrying a bowl of poached eggs in brown sugar water. She said enthusiastically to Huo Xiao, “It’s the custom in our hometown to entertain a new son-in-law with brown sugar eggs during his first visit. I was so busy and muddled earlier that I completely forgot! Hurry up and eat it while it’s hot! Wanwan, make sure Little Huo finishes it all!”
She shot a meaningful look at Lin Wan, pulling the door shut behind her as she left the room.
