Chapter 549: , Cannot Avoid Custom, Pressure from the Great King

Entering the study, looking at the room full of books and smelling the faint scent of ink, Wei Shiman's heart calmed down, and she inexplicably gained a new recognition of Li Heng.

The newspapers said Li Heng liked to take notes and write reflections when reading, having read thousands of books. Xiao Qing immediately flipped through about 20 of them, sighing with every one she flipped through.

When she flipped to the 22nd one, Xiao Qing no longer had any distracting thoughts in her heart, only admiration!

Seeing that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law liked the atmosphere of the study, Li Heng gave Xiao Han a few brief instructions, didn't stay long, and left the study to go buy groceries.

He planned to eat dinner at home and cook it himself.

There was no other way; he discovered that this mother-in-law and sister-in-law loved spicy food, and many of the meals here didn't suit their tastes, so he might as well do it himself.

Xiao Han didn't go out to buy groceries with him. Her mother and sister were here for the first time and were unfamiliar with the place, so she stayed behind to accompany them.

Passing by Small Building No. 27, Li Heng didn't hesitate at all and dived straight in.

He ran up to the second floor and bumped into Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe's eyes. The two women were sitting cross-legged on the sofa eating melon seeds, turning their heads to look at him.

Mai Sui got up, put on cotton slippers, and asked softly: "Why are you here?"

Li Heng said with concern: "I came to see you, I'm a bit worried."

Both knew clearly what he was concerned about. Mai Sui felt very satisfied in her heart: "I'm fine, don't worry about me, entertain your distinguished guests well."

Li Heng was silent, then said to the two women: "Let's eat dinner together later, I'll go buy a few more dishes."

Zhou Shihe looked at Mai Sui, quiet and not making a sound.

Mai Sui thought for a while and shook her head in refusal: "We have a dormitory gathering tonight, Shihe and I are going over."

Hearing this, Zhou Shihe withdrew her gaze and continued to eat melon seeds on her own.

Where was there a gathering at night? There was no gathering at all; it was purely an excuse Mai Sui had found.

After chatting for a few sentences, just as Li Heng intended to turn and leave, Mai Sui behind him suddenly said: "Li Heng, will the clothes and pants on the balcony affect you?"

Li Heng turned back, hugged her with a smile, and doted on her: "I have never hidden you from anyone, don't think too much. It's windy outside, remember not to let the clothes be blown away."

Mai Sui blushed and said okay.

The sentence "never hidden you from anyone" completely struck Mai Sui's softness. Although it was the dead of winter, her heart was warm.

Li Heng left, rushing to buy groceries.

Hearing the footsteps going downstairs, Zhou Shihe, who hadn't spoken the whole time, put down the melon seeds in her palm and evaluated him with a gentle-as-jade tone: "Very good at sweet talk; for one sentence of his, you have to pay with your whole life."

In fact, Li Heng had never avoided Mai Sui in front of others. He hadn't in front of his biological mother, Comrade Tian Run'e, and his second sister; he hadn't in front of Zijin; he still hadn't in front of his childhood brothers.

Even when facing Song Yu's attack, he remained frank.

As for Yu Laoshi, Chief Editor Liao, Old Man Ba, Wei Xiaozhu, Shen Xin, Principal Sun, and Dai Qing, they had long known about the intimate relationship between Mai Sui and him.

Mai Sui took off her cotton slippers and sat back beside her best friend. After a while, she said softly: "I am very content."

Zhou Shihe tilted her head to look at her best friend for two seconds, then said: "I am currently carrying a huge amount of money, is there anything you want to buy?"

Mai Sui asked: "Can I buy anything?"

Zhou Shihe said: "Li Heng is probably not something you can buy."

After the words fell, the two women looked at each other and laughed happily at the same time, putting on their shoes side by side, riding their bicycles away from Lushan Village, and rushing toward the Wujiaochang Department Store.

Returning from the vegetable market, Li Heng threw himself into the kitchen.

Just as he was concentrating on cooking, Wei Shiman walked in at some point, didn't disturb him, and just watched from the side.

She was a bit astonished; Li Heng wasn't old, but whether it was his knife skills or his grasp of heat, he was completely like an old master who had been immersed for decades, his technique actually more seasoned than hers, who had been cooking for years.

When he finished stir-frying a plate of dragon-coiled eel and stir-fried pork kidneys, Wei Shiman finally couldn't help but speak, "Do you often cook at home?"

Li Heng turned back and smiled: "Yes."

Wei Shiman asked: "How old were you when you started?"

Li Heng replied: "8 years old."

Hearing this, Wei Shiman reached out and pulled a pair of chopsticks from the bamboo basket, picked up a piece of stir-fried pork kidney that was perfect in color, aroma, and taste, put it in her mouth, chewed a few times, and asked: "Suits my taste. Is there any wine at home?"

Li Heng said: "Yes, Erguotou, beer, red wine, and white wine are all available. Mom, which kind would you like to drink?"

Wei Shiman said: "Erguotou, this dish goes well with wine. Drink some with me later."

"Eh, okay." The mother-in-law praised the food as delicious and wanted to drink wine; how could Li Heng have any reason to refuse? Of course, he agreed readily.

Coming out of the kitchen, Wei Shiman said to the two sisters chatting in the living room: "It seems that coming from a rural background also has the benefits of coming from a rural background; he knows everything. Li Heng's cooking skills are even more amazing than Mom's. You two sisters should also learn to cook; don't always keep your fingers away from the spring water."

Xiao Qing looked up: "You didn't teach us like this before; you couldn't bear for us to enter the kitchen."

Xiao Han echoed: "Exactly, when I was little, I once went into the kitchen with Dad and got my face full of oil, and you scolded Dad, saying my precious daughter only needs to be responsible for being beautiful."

Wei Shiman was rendered speechless by the two sisters; these were all facts.

She said after a while: "Times change; a woman who can cook is a bonus, and it can better tie a man's heart."

Xiao Qing laughed: "This trip wasn't in vain; it seems Mom's change in view of Li Heng is quite large."

Wei Shiman sighed secretly: Li Heng is good in every aspect, it's just that there are too many women with beauty around him.

Dinner was the fourth time the four of them sat at the same table for a meal.

Compared to the mid-meal departure of the first meal yesterday, and compared to the coldness of the first half of lunch, the atmosphere of dinner went on the right track from the beginning. The four of them each poured a small half-cup of Erguotou, and with a table of good dishes, they drank happily.

Xiao Han wasn't good at drinking, but for her mother and her own man, she kept interjecting and ended up drinking quite a lot, getting drunk to the point where Li Heng couldn't stop her.

Seeing her youngest daughter drunk in Li Heng's arms, Wei Shiman understood why this happened: Hanhan hoped to receive her sincere blessing.

After the meal, Li Heng put Xiao Han in the master bedroom.

Wei Shiman was very interested in the layout and house structure of Lushan Village, so she held an umbrella and walked in the rain with her eldest daughter, appreciating it while digesting.

After the mother and daughter finished circling Lushan Village and intended to go see other places at Fudan University, they happened to bump into Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe at the entrance of the alley.

At this time, Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe had just returned from eating at the cafeteria.

Don't know if it was because of the aura? Or some special reason? Inexplicably, the four women, each holding an umbrella, seemed to have a tacit understanding in the rain, looking at each other at the same time.

The moment she saw Zhou Shihe in person, the person who appeared in Wei Shiman's mind wasn't her youngest daughter, nor were those women she saw at noon today, but Song Yu.

That's right, for no reason, Song Yu appeared out of thin air in Wei Shiman's mind. In her 45 years of life, having seen so many people come and go, she felt that only Song Yu did not fall behind in temperament.

"One look tilts a city, another look tilts a country, beauty covers ancient and modern"—this was the true portrayal of Zhou Shihe to the Xiao mother and daughter. Gazing at Zhou Shihe from a distance, Wei Shiman felt very strongly; that aesthetic beauty like a light gauze fan really amazed her.

In the heavy rain, the four of them passed each other in pairs.

Wei Shiman didn't know how to grade Zhou Shihe in her heart; just a "great beauty" couldn't express the emotion just now. The Huang Zhaoyi, Wei Xiaozhu, and Mai Sui she saw at noon gave her the feeling of being very beautiful, beautiful with their own characteristics, very distinct.

For example, Huang Zhaoyi's atmospheric brightness.

For example, Wei Xiaozhu's first-love purity.

For example, Mai Sui's inner temptation.

But Zhou Shihe, besides amazement, gave Wei Shiman a sense of danger. Just like when Xiao Han first met Zhou Shihe, she instinctively felt danger.

This was a mental impact that other women couldn't give her right now.

Because Hanhan was already beautiful enough, Wei Shiman had long had visual immunity to ordinary women.

Walking forward about 30 meters, Xiao Qing broke the silence: "No wonder Mai Sui and Wei Xiaozhu are only rated as 'Small Kings' by busybodies, while Zhou Shihe exclusively enjoys the title of 'Great King'; it makes sense."

Obviously, the mother and daughter had some understanding of the situation around Li Heng from Xiao Han, and also knew the title of "One Great King and Four Small Kings" at Fudan.

Wei Shiman frowned, revealing worry: "It's only the first semester of sophomore year, and your sister isn't at Fudan; I'm afraid it will be easy for changes to occur in the future."

Xiao Qing turned her head: "Are you worried that Li Heng and Zhou Shihe will cooperate too much, and feelings will develop over time?"

Wei Shiman stared at the ground, "Your little sister suspects that there are already invisible feelings between them, it's just that they haven't been pointed out, haven't been put on the table."

Xiao Qing was stunned, then followed with worry.

This night, after Xiao Han woke up from her drunkenness, Wei Shiman was inquiring about information on Zhou Shihe and Song Yu from her youngest daughter, not closing her eyes until late at night.

The next day, after breakfast, Xiao Qing left; she had to attend an academic conference and didn't have time to linger.

Wei Shiman also left, together with Xiao Han, returning to the Hangcheng Medical University. The mother and daughter discussed buying some gifts to visit Professor Wen Yan and express their gratitude in person.

The purpose of this trip wasn't considered complete; they didn't see Yu Laoshi, but it didn't matter anymore. After seeing Zhou Shihe, Wei Shiman was now secretly breaking into a cold sweat for her daughter.

One Zhou Shihe had already brought pressure, plus a Song Yu; Wei Shiman felt that even if she were in this vortex herself, she might not be able to laugh last.

At one moment, she suddenly felt some regret, regret for entrusting her youngest daughter to Li Heng just like that.

But seeing Li Heng and Hanhan holding hands and laughing happily, Wei Shiman quickly suppressed this trace of regret.

When buying gifts, Li Heng asked: "Mom, how many days are you and Big Sister staying in Hangcheng?"

Wei Shiman said: "Qingbao has to take advanced studies here for a period of time, I have a flight tonight."

Li Heng thought for a while and discussed with Xiao Han: "Wife, why don't I buy a small building near the Medical University? In the future, when people come to the house, they can stay, and it will be convenient for me too."

Wei Shiman approved of this point of view and originally wanted to contribute some money for her daughter, but thinking of the family assets of the old Xiao family and thinking of Li Heng's huge wealth, she tactfully didn't say it.

Li Heng buying a house, Xiao Han was naturally happy; this meant he could have more time to come here to accompany her, and he wouldn't have to be in such a rush every time.

They had lunch at Professor Wen Yan's house. In the afternoon, Li Heng drove Professor Wen Yan's car and personally sent Wei Shiman to the airport.

Speaking of which, it was shameful; the person's flight ticket was even helped bought by Professor Wen Yan, and he hadn't been able to help much himself.

At the airport, Wei Shiman took a gift out of her bag and handed it to Li Heng, saying earnestly: "Hangcheng is so far away, Hanhan is here, and her father and I can't take care of her, so I'll leave her to you. Come to the house to play during winter break."

"Eh, Mom, you can rest assured 24 times. With me here, I won't let Hanhan suffer any grievances." Li Heng stated solemnly.

Wei Shiman nodded with a smile, reached out and pinched her daughter's cheek, then turned and left, afraid of being reluctant, and didn't look back.

Watching his biological mother disappear from his sight, Xiao Han had a small dimple and said with a smile: "Mr. Li, you are so smart, can you guess what gift Mom gave you?"

Li Heng blurted out: "Jade pendant."

Xiao Han was surprised and asked crisply: "How did you know? Can you pinch and calculate?"

Li Heng laughed and didn't answer. Because after their relationship improved in the previous life, Wei Shiman gave him the jade pendant she was wearing.

According to this mother-in-law, the jade pendant was a pair, one on her youngest daughter's neck, and one on her. Giving it to him now could be considered a "return to the original owner" in some form.

As for why she didn't give one to Xiao Qing? That was because Xiao Qing's parents had left similar heirlooms, so it wasn't needed.

Xiao Han took out a jade pendant from her neck to show him, then cleared her throat and said: "Please squat down, I'll help you put it on."

"Okay."

"From now on, without this beauty's permission, you are not allowed to take it off."

"Okay, listening to the wife."

Returning from the airport, because it was getting late, Li Heng couldn't stay long at the Medical University and took advantage of the bus to rush home.

Coincidentally, just as he arrived at the Fudan school gate, Li Heng bumped into Zhang Bing and immediately greeted him: "Old Zhang, how is business today?"

Zhang Bing said: "Not bad. Are you sending your mother-in-law back?"

Li Heng said yes, and asked: "Why are you alone today? Where is classmate Bai Wanying?"

Mentioning Bai Wanying, the desolation in Zhang Bing's eyes flashed by, and he scratched the back of his head and said, "Old Zhou and Yanling came to help, they went to watch a movie now. Wanying had something to do this afternoon."

Li Heng walked two steps closer and asked in a low voice: "Has she made a decision?"

Zhang Bing shook his head: "Not yet."

Then he said: "Old Li, are you in a hurry to go back? Why don't you accompany me for a drink."

Li Heng raised his left wrist to check his watch, it was just past 8 o'clock, and he agreed readily: "Okay, where are we drinking?"

"Old Li's Restaurant, I'm most familiar with that place." Zhang Bing said.

Then the two walked side by side to Old Li's Restaurant. As expected, there were quite a few people, including students and nearby residents. Almost every table had a hot pot, and the aroma was very tempting.

Li Heng didn't avoid custom, waved his hand to order a mutton hot pot, and ordered 8 bottles of beer, 4 each, agreeing to disperse after drinking.

At first, they didn't say much, both watching the excitement of the table next to them drinking. Until the hot pot came up, Zhang Bing picked up the beer bottle, clinked with him, and then tilted his head to blow a bottle and asked:

"Old Li, can I ask you a question?"

PS: Update first, edit later.

Ten thousand words updated.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 550 =====