Chapter 1116: Second Brother Ma Has Made It!

Ma Ran had two days off and took the time to return to his hometown.

He took the local specialties he had brought back from Xiyang and gave them to his older brother and his nephew.

"Sister-in-law, this silk scarf is for you." The silk scarves from Xiyang were quite famous, after all.

"Oh my, it's beautiful!" His sister-in-law couldn't put it down.

"Brother, this is tobacco from Xiyang; the flavor is quite good." Ma Ran took out two cartons of cigarettes.

His older brother, Ma Tao, took them with a smile, "Second Brother, it's not easy for you to make a trip back, why did you bring so much stuff? It must be heavy!"

Ma Ran shrugged, "Not heavy. Just a small token of my appreciation."

His sister-in-law went into the room and brought out a set of clothes, saying with a smile, "I bought this for you while I was buying clothes for your brother last time. Try it on; you seem to have lost weight, so I suspect the clothes might be a bit big."

Ma Ran took the clothes from his sister-in-law, went into the room, changed into them, and walked out.

Ma Tao's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Your sister-in-law has good taste; you look really sharp in it."

Ma Ran smiled, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

His sister-in-law's eyes turned red, and she said softly, "I need to apologize to you."

Ma Ran asked in surprise, "Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"

His sister-in-law wiped away her tears, "When your ex-girlfriend came back before, I intentionally gave her a hard time. I didn't give her a pleasant look at the time, and I didn't consider your position."

Ma Ran waved his hand magnanimously, "Sister-in-law, that's all in the past; I haven't taken it to heart."

A smile appeared on his sister-in-law's lips, "Your brother keeps nagging at me, saying that you've had it tough. Working in a place far away, unfamiliar with the people and the land, with no one to take care of you. By the way, a guest is coming over to the house later; take a look, and if you don't like her, it doesn't matter."

Ma Ran realized that his sister-in-law had set up a blind date for him.

"Alright, I'll listen to you both."

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang, and a tall, delicate-looking young woman walked into the house, led by a matchmaker.

The matchmaker introduced them, "This is Ma Ran, and this is Li Ping. You young people go ahead and chat by yourselves!"

Ma Ran and Li Ping went into the room.

Li Ping observed Ma Ran on the sly, and seeing that Ma Ran didn't speak, she took the initiative to say, "I heard you work in another province? When are you going back?"

Ma Ran said, "I'm leaving early tomorrow morning."

Li Ping asked in surprise, "So soon? It's rare for you to come back; can't you stay a few more days?"

Ma Ran shook his head, "I can't help it; work requires it."

Li Ping said with a smile, "I heard you are a leader."

Ma Ran waved his hand, "I'm no leader; I'm just someone who carries the bag for the leaders."

Li Ping thought to herself that he was quite humorous, and after a moment of silence, she said softly, "Do you... do you have anything you want to ask me?"

Ma Ran noticed that Li Ping's hands were trembling slightly; he could tell she was nervous, so he said in a serious tone, "I have nothing to ask you. Today was actually a bit of a surprise. My sister-in-law arranged for us to meet, and out of respect for her, and also respect for you, I didn't refuse. I work far away, and we aren't a good match. You are a very excellent young woman, and it is my fault, so I am sorry..."

Li Ping was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled, "You are very honest. Fine, I understand what you mean. I will tell my family that I don't want to be in a long-distance relationship."

Ma Ran nodded slightly, "Thank you for your understanding."

Li Ping left the house, and his sister-in-law came over to ask about the situation.

Ma Ran said, "The girl heard that I work far away and don't plan on coming back, so she hesitated."

His sister-in-law was furious, "Hmph, her standards are too high. I asked around with the matchmaker before; she has rejected many boys, just because her family has a bit of filthy money."

Ma Ran said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, don't worry about my affairs; marriage requires fate."

His sister-in-law didn't say much more. In the past, when Ma Ran worked in Dayu County, it was very difficult to find a match; although being a civil servant was an "iron rice bowl," everyone would frown when they heard he worked in a National-level Poverty-stricken County.

But, things were different now.

Everyone outside knew that "Second Brother Ma" had made it.

Her husband, who originally worked in the cafeteria of a small state-run factory, had recently been transferred directly to the cafeteria of the City Urban Investment Company as a head chef.

Everyone said that Second Brother Ma knew the big leaders in the city.

She used to find her brother-in-law an eyesore, but now everything about him looked pleasing, and she even enthusiastically helped arrange blind dates.

Because Ma Ran had to get up early the next day, he went into his room to rest early.

Ma Tao hadn't been in bed long.

His wife slipped under the covers.

"Your younger brother has really changed a lot now."

Ma Tao smiled faintly, "You bet! My brother is someone who will be a big leader in the future."

His wife said softly, "I had seen photos of that Li Ping before; I didn't expect such a big difference between the photos and the person herself. Let alone your brother not liking her, even I didn't think much of her."

Ma Tao couldn't help but laugh, "I think you are the one who has changed the most. You used to always say my brother had no future, holding onto a rusty iron rice bowl, and dating a spoiled little princess, saying they would break up sooner or later."

His wife thought of Huo Xiaowen and was full of complaints, "A few days ago, Huo Xiaowen even contacted me, hoping to chat with me. Looking at her, it seems she wants to get back together with your brother."

Ma Tao said angrily, "If she knew it would end like this, why did she act like that in the beginning?"

His wife pulled on Ma Tao's arm, "Our son is about to enter middle school. His grades are barely enough to reach the threshold for the First Middle School. Why don't you ask him to do us a favor and look for a leader?"

Ma Tao knew that his wife giving his brother clothes and arranging a blind date must have had ulterior motives.

"We can't help him with anything, so let's not hold him back or cause him trouble."

His wife's mouth twisted, and she turned over in a huff, thinking to herself that she would definitely make Ma Ran help when the opportunity arose.

Her husband was such a simpleton.

She had already inquired about it.

The leader of the Second Brother had a very solid relationship with Director Fang of the Municipal Organization Department.

With this connection, it must be put to good use.

She could overlook other things.

But, when it concerned her son's future, she would definitely have to put in the effort.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Ma Ran set off from his hometown to head to Xijing to meet up with Tang Ye.

"How did it feel to go home? Are your parents doing well?" Tang Ye asked with a smile when he saw that Ma Ran was in good spirits.

"Everything at home is quite good," Ma Ran said. "After my brother's job transfer, his income has increased quite a bit. My sister-in-law also switched to a stable job."

Tang Ye nodded, "That's good. If there's anything you need, just tell me directly, and I will ask Minister Fang to help."

Before getting into the car, Ma Ran's sister-in-law had mentioned the matter of her child starting middle school, and he kept it in mind.

For a matter like this, there was no need for Tang Ye to use Fang Chengxin's connections.

When Ma Ran returned home yesterday, several leaders in the town heard the news and came to visit.

The problem of his nephew's schooling could be solved through them.

In the afternoon, they took a Northwest Airlines flight and arrived at Qiongjin International Airport.

Xia Hong was very thoughtful and had arranged for a car to pick them up at the airport.

The journey was very smooth.

While checking in at the front desk,

Tang Ye saw a familiar face; it was actually Shen Mingcheng's brother-in-law, He Haiyang...