Chapter 739: Meeting the Parents

Not until the figures of Chen Nanxing's parents, who were still lingering in their affectionate farewell, could no longer be seen behind them, did Xu Hongdou finally heave a long sigh and relax.

"Thinking of Chen Nanxing again?"

"How could I not? Chen Nanxing was the same age as me. All these years, she'd been clamoring about buying a house, a car, and finding a partner. But look at Beijing's housing prices—you know as well as I do, she couldn't afford one at all. As for a car, you can't even buy one without a license plate, and to get a plate, you have to enter a lottery; it's basically no different from winning the jackpot. As for wanting a partner, even though she shouted about it loudly, when it came down to it, she got scared and hesitant. In the end, she got nothing but a terminal illness, leaving her parents to endure the white-haired burying the black-haired. Just thinking about it makes me feel terrible."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "The departed are gone, after all. Whether it's parents or friends, one must learn to accept it. You've just been spending too much time with Chen Nanxing's parents lately. They look cheerful enough, but the pain of losing a daughter doesn't pass that quickly; it's something they won't recover from for a lifetime. You've just been influenced by them. This sadness you're feeling now comes quickly and goes quickly; once you get home, you'll be fine."

Xu Hongdou's mood sank even lower. "That's true. You know, when Chen Nanxing first passed away, I really couldn't find the energy to do anything; I was muddled every single day. Four months later, although it still hurts to think about it now, it's not like it was before..."

Wang Yan understood that she was afraid of forgetting Chen Nanxing, of forgetting that feeling, or that when her own time came, she wouldn't be remembered—that was a sad thing. But the source of it was time, which no one could fight. Regarding this, he had a deeper understanding.

"Don't be overly sentimental. Think about it from another angle: things that once made you happy to the point of madness, when you look back on them now, aren't that happy anymore. People can't maintain a single emotion for a very long time; perhaps this is also a form of protection for us. Otherwise, in a person's life, there are too many joys, angers, sorrows, and delights. If the brain were too active—crying one moment, laughing the next, irritable one moment, cursing the next—how could one even live?"

Xu Hongdou imagined that scene in her mind and burst into laughter. "If it were really like what you said, then it would truly be impossible to live."

"So, you see, when you're happy, be happy; when you're sad, be sad. It will all become the past."

Turning his head to look at Wang Yan, who was propping his chin with his left hand, steering with his right, and swaying his head nonchalantly to the music with his head tilted slightly, Xu Hongdou said, "Everything you say comes in sets. I think you have the potential to be a master of successology."

"Then why don't you hurry up and listen, then applaud?"

Xu Hongdou really did clap her hands in a playful manner to cooperate. For a moment, the car was filled with laughter, and the touch of melancholy that had been there just a moment ago vanished in an instant.

After joking for a while, she turned and asked, "Are you nervous?"

Wang Yan couldn't even remember how many fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law he had. He said with a chuckle, "Do I look nervous to you?"

"You're so cunning, I can't tell." Xu Hongdou didn't care about Wang Yan's reaction and continued on her own. "But even if you are nervous, it doesn't matter. My parents are very easy to talk to, and they respect my own ideas quite a bit; they won't meddle in my affairs recklessly. Besides, you've already met Xu Hongmi before. Didn't I ask her later? She said nothing but good things. Just like you said before, first impressions are key, and since they already have a good impression of you, you should just be natural."

"Perhaps it would be better to think from another direction."

"What?"

Wang Yan said with a smile, "Their old maid is thirty-two. Forget about marriage; she doesn't even have a partner. Seeing her age getting older and older, if she can't find a partner, no one will want her. Won't my father-in-law and mother-in-law be so worried they can't sleep? Now that I, this son-in-law, am showing up, don't you think they'll have to treat me with the best food and drink, just for fear of scaring me away? So, if anyone is nervous, it should be them."

"Go to hell, you're the one no one wants."

"Hey, look, didn't we make a perfect match? You're the one no one wants, and I'm the one no one wants; you want me, and I want you."

Xu Hongdou curled her lip and gave him a slap in annoyance...

Zizhou was not a very large city. Although Xu Hongdou's home was in the county seat, it wasn't far from the city center—just a twenty-minute drive. If Zizhou's overall economy were improving and its finances were abundant, with a greater need for development, it might have been expanded and annexed into a district. Thus, these conditions determined that the county seat's development was actually quite good.

Looking at it generally, it wasn't much different from the city. It had all the things it should have; it was just that the hospital's treatment level and the school's teaching quality were relatively lower, but there wasn't much else different. In the absence of illness, disaster, or hardship, it was still very comfortable.

The two of them chatted and laughed all the way and soon arrived at their destination—an old, dilapidated residential compound that didn't even have a main gate, let alone property management. Xu Hongdou's parents were waiting downstairs, and they had even occupied a parking space. Although it was a county seat, there were plenty of cars. New cars were cars, used cars were cars, cars worth hundreds of thousands were cars, and cars worth ten thousand were also cars, so parking spaces were still quite tight.

As soon as Wang Yan got out of the car, he received a warm welcome.

Xu's father reached out with both hands to greet him, grabbed Wang Yan's hand, and gave it a good shake. "Oh my, Wang Yan, you're much more handsome in person than you look on the phone."

"Thank you, Uncle. You two are also much more spirited than on the phone," Wang Yan replied politely.

Before Xu's father could continue, the somewhat chubby Xu's mother came up, pushed Xu's father aside, and enthusiastically grabbed Wang Yan's hand, continuing to shake it. "You child, you just look different. No wonder you could become a celebrity by filming documentaries. You don't know, but we watch your videos at home every day. You just filmed that little village, and you made it famous. You're truly amazing..."

Xu's father didn't have any dissatisfaction; he just stood to the side, nodding with a smile and echoing Xu's mother's words.

Watching her own parents' behavior, the ignored Xu Hongdou leaned helplessly against the car. Seeing her mother talking endlessly, she had to speak up to declare her existence. "That's about enough."

"You're still talking? You don't let people worry less day by day. After all these years, you've finally brought Wang Yan back to me." Xu's mother pointed at her old maid and scolded.

Watching Xu Hongdou's speechless expression, Wang Yan laughed out loud and gave a thumbs up. "Aunt, what you said is truly high-level. We really do have fate. If Hongdou had brought someone back earlier, there wouldn't have been any room for me."

This Xu's mother was much like his own mother—quite talkative, willing to talk, and very capable of rambling on about this and that.

"That's right. You say China is so big, yet you two just went to Dali for a trip and bumped into each other on the road. This is Heaven playing matchmaker." As Xu's mother spoke, she slapped Wang Yan's arm hard. "You don't look like you have much meat on you, but this slap feels quite sturdy."

Xu Hongdou was annoyed on the side. "Let's hurry upstairs; it's quite cold outside."

Xu's father nodded in agreement. "Hongdou is right. Let's not stay downstairs. That... Wang Yan, you open the trunk; I'll help you carry the luggage. It's an old, broken, small place, no elevator, and we live on the fifth floor; it's quite a chore going up and down."

"Oh my, Dad, why carry the luggage? Mom has already had someone calculate the auspicious day; aren't we moving tomorrow? Wang Yan bought quite a lot of things, and Chen Nanxing's parents also packed quite a bit, so let's not go through the trouble."

The current house was old, broken, and small, and they lived on the fifth floor. The old couple were getting on in years, and going up and down was very inconvenient. They hadn't bought a house before—it wasn't that the sisters Xu Hongdou and Xu Hongmi weren't filial, but that their parents were dead set against it. Although it was a county seat, a house still cost hundreds of thousands, and adding in renovations, it was quite a lot, and it would add trouble to their children, so of course, they didn't want to.

Xu Hongdou didn't mind, but she earned little, and the old couple were even less willing to let Xu Hongdou spend her money. Although Xu Hongmi had great ability and earned a lot, she was already married, and this kind of thing easily caused conflict, so it dragged on until now. They had money in their own hands—previous savings and their daughter's filial piety—but they always wanted to save it and didn't want to spend it.

The reason I bought it now is that my steps have indeed become heavy and inconvenient. I simply stopped resisting, and as Xu Hongmi nagged, "Look, you'd have to buy it sooner or later; why suffer and hold out for so long?", I happily paid for a three-bedroom elevator apartment of over a hundred square meters.

"Right, and besides, even if you need to take it, you don't need to do it yourself, old man. I can do it myself. I heard from Hongdou that your lower back isn't great? I've learned a couple of massage techniques from someone; I'll give you a rub later."

Xu Fu nodded with a smile, not refusing, because he didn't think he could be massaged into a worse state, so there was no issue. "It's just that I'm getting old. If you don't find it troublesome, then give me a rub. Tossing and turning day after day is exhausting enough. Alright, let's go upstairs and talk."

"Let's take some food up. It's all local specialty from Yunnan Province; they packed quite a lot for us when we came back. We also bought gifts for you two. Hey, Uncle, Aunt, you two should stop talking. Even if you travel all over China, there's no such thing as visiting someone's home for the first time empty-handed."

"Look at this child, you won't even let people speak." Xu Mu laughed heartily and patted Wang Yan, not forgetting to give Xu Hongdou a satisfied look at the same time.

Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes wildly...

Wang Yan is very experienced in dealing with fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law. Besides, with his current conditions, he doesn't actually need to "deal with" them. He just stands there, lays out his conditions, and it's pretty much satisfaction.

Parents both deceased, no close relatives or friends, quite wealthy, looks aren't exactly handsome but are the type that grows on you, eyes are spirited, features are well-defined, and he possesses a natural air of composure. Height is decent, speech is adequate, well-traveled and knowledgeable, cultured, has depth, and is multi-talented.

You couldn't even find faults if you tried. If you really had to say something, it would be that all rich people are bad, or you'd drag it into the territory of complicated male-female relationships. But he has always been very good at giving people confidence, making them believe; otherwise, he would have lived his life in vain.

Of course, in today's society, for many families, as long as you have money and look like you have class, that's the best thing. If the "Living Father" configuration didn't give him so much money, he would still be excellent based on his other conditions, because it makes no sense for someone with so many traits to be unable to make money. People are willing to believe in his long-term ability to make money, to make big money.

If this were back when he first obtained the "Living Father" and traveled to a film and television world in a similar timeline, it would have been a waste. It's not that he couldn't find a partner, but he couldn't find one with conditions similar to Xu Hongdou's.

Daily gratitude for the "Living Father's" care...

Once upstairs, he first put the bracelet on Xu Mu, helped Xu Fu change into the watch, sat down and talked for a while, then gave Xu Fu a massage, and the old couple started preparing dinner.

If there's something to say, it must be said while eating and drinking. Xu Fu believes that one's character is revealed through their drinking habits. The old guy kept urging him to drink, and although he was cunning and took advantage of his seniority to drink less, after drinking from noon until evening, he finally succeeded in drinking himself under the table.

Xu Mu chatted with the two of them until after nine o'clock, then after they washed up, she instructed the blushing Xu Hongdou and the shameless Wang Yan to sleep early, and returned to her room.

Xu Hongdou was still a bit unaccustomed to it; she trotted to the bathroom to wash up, and only felt a bit better after she finished.

Wang Yan also washed up, returned to Xu Hongdou's room, let out a sigh, and lay down on the double bed.

"My dad is really something. He said you could drink, so he had to challenge you. He's an old bag of bones; what if he drinks himself into trouble?" Xu Hongdou looked very helpless, resting her legs on Wang Yan's stomach and shaking them back and forth.

"It's fine, I was watching. He drank over a long period, so there was time for the alcohol to take effect. It's no problem. It's just that he's getting old; otherwise, your dad's tolerance is actually quite good."

Wang Yan laughed, "He's also testing me with alcohol, checking me for you."

"He drank himself under the table; what is he checking?" Xu Hongdou scoffed at her old father's behavior.

"At least he confirmed that my tolerance is truly high, and I won't beat my wife when I'm drunk."

"If someone really wants to hit people, they can do it whether they're drunk or not." Xu Hongdou laughed, "Don't get cocky. My dad's tolerance isn't great, and your alcohol test is still to come. Didn't you hear my mom? Once we finish moving, we have to invite relatives and friends to the new home to see it and 'recognize the door.' I'll give you a heads-up in advance: those uncles and aunts can all drink quite a bit. If you say you can't drink, it's fine, but if you can drink, then it's an issue."

"I have some understanding of the drinking culture here; I've been here before. Don't worry, there's no big problem. I'm not someone who forces things; if I can drink, I drink, and if I can't, I surrender. It's no big deal. Alright, let's sleep; we have to get up early tomorrow to move."

Xu Hongdou hummed, turned off the light, lay under the covers, straddled Wang Yan, and wiggled a few times to find a comfortable position...

The next day, Wang Yan didn't get up early to go running; the old couple were getting on in years and had light sleep, making it easy to disturb them. If he got up, the old couple definitely wouldn't be able to stay in bed.

He just lay there until Xu Fu got up to go buy breakfast and returned, and Xu Hongdou was about to wake up, only then did he go out to wash up and eat.

Moving today, without a doubt, Wang Yan, the new son-in-law, was the main force. Although the old couple had already moved quite a lot of things over like ants, there was still a lot to move; a poor home is still worth a fortune, and they were reluctant to part with anything. Fortunately, they didn't plan to sell this house, so they could still leave things here.

They didn't buy the new house in the city center either; it was still in the county town. They were used to living there, and most of their relatives and friends were in this area, so they didn't want to be too far away. Therefore, they didn't call for a truck, nor did they let Xu Fu trouble anyone else; he just drove the large pickup truck and made two trips to move everything over.

That evening, a bunch of the Xu family's relatives and friends brought things over; this was to help "warm the pot." Of course, it definitely wasn't everyone, just the close relatives in the county town, adults and children, setting up two tables at home, which was very lively.

At the same time, it was also an opportunity to introduce Wang Yan, the new son-in-law, to everyone, and they had a great time drinking...