Chapter 93: The Tigress Gets Married

Returning from outside, Wang Yuzhen and her daughter were both startled when they heard the door.

Wang Yuzhen in particular immediately stood up to greet them: "Why are you back so soon?"

She was worried that the two of them wouldn't get along; although Ning Weidong had changed quite a bit recently, Wang Yuzhen's memory of the original owner's habit of saying things that hit people where it hurt was too deep.

She hoped he wouldn't suddenly have an episode and snap at Zhao Ruyi.

Besides, Zhao Ruyi was no pushover and was famously difficult to deal with; if the two of them went head-to-head, they might just have a falling out.

Ning Weidong said with a chuckle: "Sister-in-law, Ruyi said she wanted to come back and help Mother and you make dumplings. Isn't that right, Ruyi?"

Zhao Ruyi's mouth twitched, thinking to herself, when did I ever say that? Damn it, I don't even know how to make dumplings!

But facing Ning Weidong's gaze, she could only endure it and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Wang Yuzhen blinked, doubting if she had heard wrong; since when was Zhao Ruyi so well-behaved?

And "Ruyi"—it had only been a few minutes, and they were already on such intimate terms?

While she was stunned, Zhao Ruyi had already taken off her trench coat and run off to wash her hands.

Wang Yuzhen went up to Ning Weidong and whispered: "Weidong, how did your talk go?"

Ning Weidong smiled brazenly and said: "Sister-in-law, don't you worry, it's a sure thing~"

Wang Yuzhen was somewhat skeptical; previously, apart from his good looks, this brother-in-law of hers wasn't exactly one to please women.

But if it weren't, she couldn't explain Zhao Ruyi's obedient appearance.

Could it really be that every thing has its match? With doubts in her heart, Wang Yuzhen went to the kitchen to help Zhao Ruyi.

Ning Weidong returned to the living room; he didn't feel awkward being alone, so he pulled a magazine from under the coffee table and started reading.

After a while, Ning Weiguo and Zhao Lichun came down from upstairs and were somewhat surprised to see Ning Weidong sitting there by himself.

Ning Weiguo asked: "Weidong, why are you all alone?"

Ning Weidong stood up, nodded at Zhao Lichun, and replied: "Ruyi went to help Mother make dumplings."

Ning Weiguo and Zhao Lichun were both stunned; it had only been a short while, and he was already calling her Ruyi? Zhao Lichun in particular—although he came today for the sake of the marriage alliance, reason was reason, and feelings were feelings.

In his heart, apart from his height and appearance, Ning Weidong was completely unworthy of his sister.

On the contrary, through their recent contact and conversation, Ning Weiguo was indeed very capable; no wonder he was valued by the Wang Family and they were willing to pour resources into him.

Afterward, the three of them sat down to chat, mainly with Ning Weiguo and Zhao Lichun talking, while Ning Weidong chimed in from time to time.

The topic was primarily focused on economic work.

Ning Weiguo was from the Mechanical Bureau, and Zhao Lichun worked in the ministries, leaning toward the energy sector.

The two of them were considered the cream of the crop among their peers; even in families like theirs, important positions were scarce resources.

Moreover, at this time, family planning wasn't strictly enforced yet, so there were many children in families; being able to secure a position was actually quite rare.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people in the various residential compounds idling their days away.

One couldn't say it was absolute for all of them, but most of those people were idlers abandoned by their families.

Zhao Lichun, however, was somewhat surprised by Ning Weidong's performance; although Ning Weidong didn't interject often, every time he did, it was at a critical point, and the views he expressed were very insightful.

This couldn't help but make him overturn his impression that Ning Weidong was just a "flowery pillow," and he began to take him more seriously, suddenly asking: "Weidong, what are your thoughts on our economic development over the next few years?"

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow, not expecting Zhao Lichun to ask him suddenly.

Zhao Lichun added: "Speak freely, there are no outsiders here."

Ning Weidong smiled and organized his thoughts slightly: "When it comes to economic development, it depends on which sector of the economy we're talking about."

Zhao Lichun was a bit surprised; he had thought Ning Weidong would take the opportunity to brag, but he didn't expect him to start by analyzing specific problems specifically.

This couldn't help but make him interested in what Ning Weidong would say next.

"Oh? Tell me specifically." Zhao Lichun straightened his posture slightly.

Ning Weidong looked at his brother and said unhurriedly: "What is the foundation of economic development?"

Zhao Lichun and Ning Weiguo paused slightly, not understanding why Ning Weidong had jumped to this.

Ning Weidong answered his own question: "The foundation is capital!"

Zhao Lichun frowned; even now, these two words were still somewhat sensitive.

However, he didn't rush to interrupt, intending to hear what this prospective brother-in-law had to say.

Ning Weidong continued: "For the economy to develop, there must be continuous capital investment. Why did our economy encounter difficulties in the past few years? The root cause was the depletion of capital, making it impossible to sustain investment."

Zhao Lichun pursed his lips and nodded.

Ning Weidong said: "But in the early seventies, we opened up the Four-Three Plan through debt from America and Europe, which to a certain extent alleviated the problem of capital depletion and caused our economy to experience several years of high growth..."

Ning Weiguo listened to his younger brother talk eloquently; he didn't show much on his face, but he was shocked inside.

He didn't know that this good-for-nothing brother had this side to him.

Ning Weidong caught his breath and continued: "But capital itself has different undertones. In the fifties, we received support from the Soviet Union, and the 156 Projects built our industrial foundation, while also imprinting our economy with a heavy Soviet color. Now we have accepted Western capital; it is also capital, but the undertone is different. Westerners cannot let their capital integrate into our existing economic system, as that would be equivalent to directly giving us a blood transfusion, which does not conform to their interests."

Speaking to this point, Ning Weidong chuckled: "At the end of the day, whoever's food you eat, you have to hold their bowl. We used to hold the Soviet Union's bowl, but now that bowl can no longer be held, so we have to switch to a Western bowl. But what about the leftovers in the original bowl? We can't just throw them away along with the bowl..."

After this speech by Ning Weidong, Zhao Lichun and Ning Weiguo were both speechless for a moment.

They had also considered this problem, but it was far less profound and straightforward than Ning Weidong's words.

Ning Weidong continued: "What's more, although we have picked up the new bowl, there isn't much food in it, far from enough to fill us up. Therefore, we must hold onto the new bowl, but we cannot immediately throw away the old bowl."

Zhao Lichun suddenly realized that the "which sector" Ning Weidong mentioned earlier referred to this: "Then do you think the original bowl is better, or is this new bowl better?"

Ning Weidong waved his hand: "It's hard to say which is better. If one thinks the new bowl is better, it's merely because the new bowl side can provide capital support at present. But fundamentally, it is still our original inherent foundation. If we sever the connection with the Soviet Union, this bowl becomes our own; this is a golden nugget, and we absolutely cannot lose it, otherwise, we will regret it too late in the future."

Just at this moment, Wang Yuzhen came out of the kitchen and said with a smile: "What are you all chatting about? It's time to eat." As she spoke, she went to tidy up the dining table.

At the same time, Zhao Ruyi came out wearing an apron, holding bowls and chopsticks.

Ning Weiguo stood up to help, and Ning Weidong and Zhao Lichun followed.

Mother Wang came out of the kitchen carrying an enamel basin filled with freshly cooked dumplings and said with a chuckle: "The next batch will be ready soon; let's eat first, don't let them get cold." Ning Weiguo checked the time and asked: "Mom, is Dad not coming back for lunch?"

Mother Wang said, "Don't worry about him, who knows when he'll be back once he goes out." Then she invited the Zhao siblings to the table and said to Wang Yuzhen, "Go to your father's study and get a bottle of wine; let Weiguo and Ning Weidong keep Lichun company for a drink." She then said to Zhao Ruyi, "We ladies will just have some soda."

Zhao Ruyi nodded, appearing quite well-behaved in front of her elders.

Besides the steaming dumplings, the table was set with four dishes: two cold plates and two hot dishes.

After a few drinks, Zhao Lichun brought up the topic they hadn't finished earlier: "Ning Weidong, you just said that economic development should be viewed in two parts, but the economy itself is an organic whole. It's easy to say it should be divided into two, but in actual practice, I'm afraid it won't be easy to manage~"

The three women at the table looked at Ning Weidong in surprise, not knowing what had happened.

What had these three men been talking about? They wouldn't have been surprised if Zhao Lichun and Ning Weiguo were discussing this issue, but Ning Weidong... judging by Zhao Lichun's tone, he was even asking for advice.

Ning Weidong said, "Of course it's not easy. It's like a person who has had another person's limbs transplanted onto them; they will experience skin-deep pain, they will have discomfort, they will have rejection reactions... but these are all necessary. They are the growing pains that economic transformation must go through. Like I said before, whoever's money we take, we must follow their rules."

After one o'clock in the afternoon, having finished lunch, the two families chatted for a while longer, and Zhao Lichun prepared to take his leave.

Today was quite satisfactory for both sides.

As far as Wang Yuzhen was concerned, Zhao Ruyi did not seem as "wild" as the rumors suggested, and her performance helping in the kitchen was quite good.

As far as Zhao Lichun was concerned, Ning Weidong was an unexpected surprise; this younger brother of the Wang Family's son-in-law was actually not just an empty-headed pretty boy.

Through their conversation, Zhao Lichun concluded that Ning Weidong had a deep understanding of political economy, and some of his viewpoints even struck him as refreshing.

Moreover, his own little sister seemed quite taken with this young man.

While the importance of the marriage alliance between the two families far outweighed Zhao Ruyi's personal happiness, it would be best if Zhao Ruyi's happiness could also be taken into account while forming the alliance.

Who would have thought that at this moment, Zhao Ruyi would roll her eyes, deliberately put on a girlish air, and whisper, "Brother, why don't you go first? Ning Weidong said he wants to take me to a movie."

Ning Weidong was stunned, thinking to himself, *What the hell, when did I ever say I wanted to take you to a movie? This woman is quite good at making things up out of thin air. *

Seeing Zhao Lichun look over, he couldn't deny it, so he quickly nodded: "Brother Zhao, that~ don't worry, I will definitely send Ruyi home after the movie."

Zhao Lichun grinned and responded, suddenly remembering the saying that a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

Before they arrived, she was still making a fuss, saying she was unhappy and didn't like this or that.

As a result, once she arrived and saw that the young man was spirited, she wanted to go see a movie with him in less than a few hours.

No wonder they say a grown daughter is hard to keep? Ning Weiguo and Wang Yuzhen were overjoyed; it seemed the two of them had taken a liking to each other.

Little did they know, if Ning Weidong hadn't caught Zhao Ruyi's weak spot, the two of them would have been at each other's throats long ago.

Zhao Lichun had come by car. Although he had only had a few drinks and was far from being drunk, as the eldest son of the Zhao Family and their only male heir, he was quite cautious. Before leaving, he didn't drive himself but borrowed a driver from the compound's motor pool to take him back.

Ning Weidong saw this and secretly admired him in his heart. A child of a wealthy family does not sit in a dangerous hall; based on this cautious attitude alone, his future height would not be low.

After sending Zhao Lichun off, Ning Weidong went to say goodbye to Mother Wang, and only then did he leave with Zhao Ruyi.

Just as they stepped out, they ran into Ning Lei, who had been playing wildly outside for half the day, returning with two boys of similar age.

Ning Lei asked curiously, "Hey? Third Uncle, why are you leaving?" He then looked at Zhao Ruyi beside him.

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Taking your Third Aunt to a movie."

"This is Third Aunt?" Ning Lei blinked his eyes.

Zhao Ruyi blushed.

Unexpectedly, one of the two children who returned with Ning Lei suddenly shouted, "The tigress is getting married!"

Zhao Ruyi's face turned black instantly as she looked at the shouting child.

The child shrank his neck in fear and, without a word, turned and ran, giving Ning Lei and the other child a fright.

Zhao Ruyi was so angry she gritted her teeth, glaring at Ning Lei with a stern face: "What's that brat's name?"

Ning Lei subconsciously took a step back and stammered, "He~ he's not from this compound, I~ I don't know either."

After saying that, he grabbed his little friend and ran back into the house in a flash.

Zhao Ruyi, however, was still fuming.

Ning Weidong teased, "I couldn't tell, your reputation is quite loud."

Zhao Ruyi was incredibly depressed; a curse word almost slipped out, but she forced herself to swallow it back.

On the other side, Zhao Lichun returned home by car.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw his second sister Zhao Yushui, along with her husband, nephew, and niece.

Father Zhao was smiling and teasing his two-year-old grandson. Hearing the door, he turned his head to look, didn't see his youngest daughter, frowned, and asked, "Where's Ruyi?"

Zhao Lichun knew his father had misunderstood. Previously, Zhao Ruyi had been resisting the marriage alliance, and although she had reluctantly agreed in the end, given that girl's temperament, it wouldn't be strange if she had run off halfway through.

He hurriedly explained, "Dad, Ruyi is quite satisfied with the young man. After eating, the two of them went to see a movie."

At this, not only Father Zhao but even Zhao Yushui and her husband were taken aback.

No one knew Zhao Ruyi's temper better than them. Had the sun risen from the west today? Father Zhao nodded: "This girl, it seems she has grown up." After saying this, he felt a bit sentimental; the fact that the willful, mischievous little girl had grown up meant that he himself was getting old.

Zhao Yushui was even more curious and asked, "Brother, what does the young man Ruyi is seeing look like? Let me see a photo."

Previously, she only knew about the marriage alliance and hadn't seen a photo of Ning Weidong.

Zhao Lichun took out a photo and handed it over. Zhao Yushui looked at it and said with a smile, "This young man looks pretty good! How tall is he?"

Zhao Lichun said, "One meter eighty-five, looks like an athlete."

"That explains it." Zhao Yushui suddenly understood; as her second sister, she was very clear about her younger sister's obsession with height.

Father Zhao didn't care about that and asked, "You went today, what did you think of him?"

Zhao Lichun understood that "what did you think of him" wasn't asking about his character, but about his ability and insight.

As for character, in fact, most people cannot even talk about character; it's just that their own value isn't high enough, and they haven't encountered great temptations.

Only when one reaches a certain height, has a certain level of understanding of wealth and power, and possesses firm beliefs, is one qualified to talk about character.

(End of chapter)