Chapter 31: Who Exactly Is Being Unrefined Here?
After finishing dinner, Huo Xiao discussed the logistics of hosting the celebratory dinner with Huang Guixiang.
Huang Guixiang didn’t want to invite a single member of the Lin family.
As for the Zhang family, they already had the immediate household present. Regarding the neighbors, she only intended to invite the old Wu family from next door.
“Arranging three tables will be plenty. Let’s set it for the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I’ll head back to the countryside to invite people!”
She then turned to Lin Wan. “Wanwan, do you want to invite your classmates?”
Lin Wan hurriedly shook her head. “No need!”
It was a contract marriage that could fall apart at any moment. She wasn’t going to trouble herself!
Huo Xiao nodded in agreement. “Alright, then I’ll make the reservations at a nearby state-owned restaurant.”
“Great, you arrange it!” Hosting a banquet at a state-owned restaurant gave her and her daughter an immense amount of face! Little Huo was truly propping up the stage for the two of them perfectly!
“It’s getting late. Eldest Son, take Little Huo to wash up. Little Huo will be staying over tonight,” Zhang Aimin spoke up, acting on a subtle hint from Huang Guixiang.
Zhang Hongqi instinctively stood up, but Zhong Hongmei whispered into Bao Yan’s ear, “How can a step-sister have her boyfriend stay over at her maternal home… isn’t that just inviting bad luck?”
“Sigh, our Hongjun still wants to strive for a promotion at work. Now I’m afraid that promotion is out the window!”
There was a local custom that a married daughter could not sleep in the same room as her husband at her maternal home, as it was believed to ruin the home’s feng shui and bring misfortune.
Upon hearing this, Bao Yan immediately flared up.
She forced a massive smile onto her face and said, “Dad, our house is so small, how could Little Huo possibly get used to sleeping here?”
She then turned to Huo Xiao. “Little Huo, where were you originally staying?”
It infuriated Huang Guixiang so much that she wanted to slam her hand on the table right then and there! These ungrateful wolves—picking up their bowls to eat the meat she provided, then setting down their bowls to kick out her son-in-law! Her son-in-law had given them all those items for nothing. Damn it! Those gauze scarfs should be used for them to hang themselves, and those tin frogs should be used for them to dance around performing funeral dirges!
Lin Wan hurriedly held Huang Guixiang back with a death grip. She hadn’t intended to keep Huo Xiao overnight at the Zhang house anyway; it would be far too awkward!
Huo Xiao didn’t seem to notice the tense atmosphere, his expression remaining perfectly normal. “I’m staying at the Armed Forces Department guesthouse.”
“I have to rejoin my unit in a couple of days. If Wanwan is willing, she can apply to accompany the military then.”
“If she prefers not to accompany the military, I’ll find a solution regarding the housing problem.” He lifted his hand to check his watch. “It’s getting quite late, so I’ll head back to the guesthouse first!”
Huang Guixiang immediately nudged Lin Wan. “Then Wanwan will go stay with you at the guesthouse!”
Lin Wan quickly grabbed Huang Guixiang’s hand. “Mom, there’s no need for that, is there? I still have to report for my new job tomorrow morning!”
Huang Guixiang glared at her. “Of course there’s a need!”
“You two are married. Once married, a young couple ought to stay together! Being a military wife isn’t easy to begin with, involving long separations, and besides, Little Huo is leaving in a few days!”
“Tomorrow morning, have Little Huo drive you to work.”
Lin Wan was pushed toward the door by Huang Guixiang. She cast a desperate glance toward Huo Xiao for help.
To her dismay, Huo Xiao merely nodded and agreed to Huang Guixiang’s unreasonable demand: “Alright, Mom. I’ll drive Wanwan to work tomorrow morning and make sure she isn’t late.”
Lin Wan clung to the doorframe. “Mom, Mom, Mom, I haven’t packed my things yet! I… I’ll wash up first before going over with him.”
Only then did Huang Guixiang let go, pushing Lin Wan back into the room and urging her to pack her things quickly.
“You’re right, we absolutely must split the household!”
“Those ungrateful wolves can never be won over, no matter how many items you give them!”
“They’re already plotting to kick you out!”
“This apartment was allocated to your Uncle Zhang by the machinery factory. It hasn’t got a damn thing to do with them!”
Lin Wan quickly patted Huang Guixiang’s chest to soothe her breathing. “Mom, don’t be angry. If you make yourself sick, no one can suffer it for you!”
“I’ll work hard to earn a promotion and strive to get housing allocated early. Besides, Huo Xiao said he would find a way to resolve the housing problem in Huacheng. When the time comes, you can bring Hongqiang to live with me.”
“We’ll eat meat every single day!”
Huang Guixiang was completely coaxed into a bright mood by her daughter’s few words. She slapped Lin Wan’s shoulder. “Look at you talking big! Even if your husband has money, you can’t squander it like that!”
“Eating meat every single day, my foot! Just look around and see which family can even eat their fill right now! Being able to eat meat three to five times a month is already living like an immortal!”
“Listen to Mom—save up more cash! A woman must hold onto more money tightly in her hands; money is a woman’s true confidence. Everything else is absolute garbage!”
Lin Wan wrapped her arms around her and teased, “Then wasn’t my biological dad Mom’s confidence too?”
Huang Guixiang rolled her eyes. “He was the absolute treasure of my heart, but he wasn’t my confidence. If he had been my confidence, the two of us wouldn’t have been kicked out by the members of the Lin family.”
Recalling the past, Huang Guixiang felt a wave of melancholy in her heart.
She patted her daughter’s hand, speaking with profound earnestness, “Daughter, a man is someone you can like, someone you can love, and someone you can rely on. But remember this, you must always, eternally leave a safety net for yourself. Don’t end up like your mother. You have to understand that it wasn’t that your dad wasn’t good, but the world is volatile, and there are far too many times in life when one wants to help but simply lacks the power…”
Lin Wan hugged her tightly, nuzzling her face against her shoulder. “Mom…” Her heart was filled to the brim with Huang Guixiang’s fierce protection and love, aching intensely with emotion.
Huang Guixiang also tilted her head with a smile to nuzzle her back, tears glistening in her eyes. The daughter she had raised was married! She was forming her own household and embarking on a brand-new life.
She felt a massive amount of reluctance to let her go, but more than anything, she felt overjoyed that her daughter had found a husband who possessed excellent qualities in every aspect.
“Wanwan, run your life well with Little Huo and manage your marriage properly. But if there comes a day in the future when you feel slighted or unhappy living with Little Huo, your mother won’t stop you from getting a divorce. No matter the time, your mother will always stand firmly behind you.”
Although marrying a person required looking at their qualifications, a person could be perfect in every way, but you still had to genuinely like them yourself for it to work. Furthermore, running a life as a couple was done behind closed doors, and only the individuals involved knew whether it was warm or cold. Plenty of people who appeared flawless to outsiders were far from being good husbands or good fathers at home.
“Wanwan, don’t learn from others to become a completely selfless, submissive wife, and don’t learn from others to talk about absolute self-sacrifice. We are just ordinary citizens, we don’t care about a grand reputation… did you lock that in your mind?”
She only wished for her daughter to be happy; everything else was absolute nonsense!
“Mom…” Lin Wan began to shed tears.
Huang Guixiang pushed her away slightly, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, letting out a soft laugh. “Don’t cry! It’s not like you’re marrying into a far-off place, what’s there to cry about!”
“Let Mom tell you—a woman’s first time will hurt, but don’t be nervous, do your best to open up…”
“It’s just like driving a nail into a wall. The first time is bound to be difficult, but once it’s pulled out, a hole is left in the wall, and driving it in a second time becomes incredibly easy…”
“A man and a woman are completely two different creatures before and after sleeping together…”
Lin Wan: “…”
Why didn’t you drop a few words of advice when you drugged the food earlier? Is it really appropriate for you to pull a sudden sharp turn right when we’re being sentimental?
“Cough cough~ Mom, it’s getting late. I’ll pack my things and head out with Huo Xiao!”
Lin Wan leaped up to pack her belongings, and Huang Guixiang delivered a swift slap to her buttocks. “Look at you getting all anxious! Steady yourself! A young woman needs to be refined and composed!”
╮(╯▽╰)╭
Am I the one being unrefined here? It’s clearly because the topic you brought up was far too fierce, Comrade Huang Guixiang!
