Chapter 435: Meeting at the Aobao

"Is there nothing wrong?"

Li Li Xuewu put the remaining half-bottle of wine back for his father, answering his mother's question.

"Nothing wrong."

Liu Yin held Li Shu, stood in the living room, and looked at her son, "Your father gave her sister-in-law a look and prescribed some medicine."

"Is it about having a child?"

Li Li Xuewu guessed it was this; Mu Mu Hongyan was also a doctor, so how could she find his father for other illnesses?

"Yes."

Liu Yin looked at her son's white shirt, which had turned into a black shirt, and urged him to hurry home and change his clothes.

"I just saw Yu Li go over, and she was with two girls. Go wash up early, come back early, and go sit at Gu Ning's house after dinner tonight."

"I'll go tomorrow when I have time."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and tried to push it off, but was glared at by Liu Yin.

"I know you; once you get busy, you won't have time."

As she spoke, she urged, "Gu Ning's mother is thinking of you. If you don't go tomorrow, what will that look like? Go early and come back early so you can get enough rest."

This wasn't because Liu Yin didn't care about her son, but because she was teaching her son the principles of how to conduct himself.

Li Li Xuewu smiled and agreed, said goodbye to his daughter, and then headed to the back.

Passing through the middle courtyard, he happened to see Yu Li helping Xilin and Diliya find quilts and make the beds.

Because both were coming from a long distance, they didn't have quilts at all, so Yu Li took her own quilts and gave them to the two.

When Yu Li divorced, Yan Brother Jiecheng didn't take anything away, including those quilts.

Because this was the dowry given by the Yu family, she was willing to take it out and give it to these two strangers.

It wasn't for anything else, just because they were people Li Li Xuewu brought back.

"I'm going to change my clothes, and in a while, we'll go to the bathhouse at the entrance to take a bath."

Li Li Xuewu stood in the courtyard and said to Xilin in the room, then headed to the back courtyard.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu head to the back, Yu Li gave Xilin and Diliya a reminder and then went out to the back courtyard.

Xilin looked at Yu Li's back; until now, she still hadn't figured out this woman's identity.

Didn't Li Li Xuewu say he had a partner?

The stove in the back courtyard had been stopped during the day, but the room was still very warm.

Li Li Xuewu walked into the room and saw that the desk in the inner room had been restored to its original position; he turned and asked Yu Li, who followed him in, "Is that calligraphy mounted?"

"Yes, it was mounted yesterday."

Yu Li slipped past Li Li Xuewu and entered the inner room, saying, "After mounting it, I put it away, thinking I'd wait for you to come back to decide where to hang it."

"Mm."

Li Li Xuewu didn't say where to hang it, but asked, "Did you give Master Zhao money?"

"I gave it, but Ye Ye Erye gave it, and Master Zhao wouldn't take it."

Yu Li had already found the clothes Li Li Xuewu wanted to wear by this time.

"Just wear this to go; take this set, and after you wash there, change everything. I'll wash the ones you take off for you."

"Mm."

Li Li Xuewu replied, and reached out to touch Yu Li's face.

"Go~"

Yu Li smiled at the corner of her mouth and urged Li Li Xuewu to hurry and take them to take a bath.

"If there weren't guests, I'd wash at home, and I'd scrub your back for you."

She packed the clothes and toiletries into a bag for Li Li Xuewu, nagging, "Remember to find a bath attendant to scrub you well when you get there; you never listen when I tell you to wash often."

"It's not convenient to take a bath there."

Li Li Xuewu retorted, and changed into the cloth shoes Yu Li had found for him in the entryway.

"The gifts are in the luggage bag, take them yourself."

After reminding Yu Li, Li Li Xuewu carried the bag and went out the door.

Yu Li looked at Li Li Xuewu's back and touched her own face, then went to the inner room to pack the clothes Li Li Xuewu needed to wash in the luggage bag.

Although she didn't think Li Li Xuewu would bring her anything, the sudden surprise still made her hands, which were pretending to be calm, shake a little.

After gently opening the luggage bag and seeing the shoebox on top, Yu Li smiled.

"Knew he'd send shoes~"

Although she said it with a curl of her lips, the smile on her face couldn't be held back.

After opening the shoebox, it was a pair of thin sheepskin gloves and a pair of women's leather shoes for spring and autumn.

She reached out to touch the soft sheepskin and took out the leather shoes to look at them.

The style was still very good-looking, and as for the size, there was no need to worry; that bad person...

Li Li Xuewu carried the bag and met up with Xilin and Diliya, greeted the people in the courtyard, took the initiative to introduce the two girls, and went to the inverted room to meet up with Pazile and Seeing Gelin.

Once the five of them went out of the courtyard, they were quite eye-catching to the neighbors.

All the neighbors knew Li Li Xuewu and greeted him whenever they met.

When greeting, their eyes would unconsciously look toward Seeing Gelin, the big guy.

Such a strong and tall man was indeed quite eye-catching.

There weren't many people in the afternoon, and there were one or two "old loafers" nearby.

Old Lao Biaozi should know them, because they always came.

Li Li Xuewu wasn't very familiar with them, only vaguely knowing they should live across the street, and hadn't really talked much.

However, these two old men knew Li Li Xuewu and took the initiative to greet him.

"Yo, Li Chu, long time no see!"

"Hehe, Li Chu is even coming to take a bath himself!"

"Hahaha, I have a place to take a bath at home."

First, he explained with a smile, then as he stepped into the pool, he said, "But I still prefer to soak here, because if I don't come again, I'm afraid some ignorant old things will talk about me behind my back~"

They teased, and Li Li Xuewu teased along; they were all men, so it was nothing to make a joke.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu had a good temper, the two old men also laughed along.

"Man, you're even bringing guards when you come out to take a bath?"

This was said about Seeing Gelin and Pazile who followed in.

At this time, there was no fat on people, and these two were men who risked their lives on the grassland, with muscles all over their bodies.

Seeing the steam curling in the bathhouse, Seeing Gelin wasn't quite used to it.

Pazile had seen bathhouses before, so he took off Seeing Gelin's clothes and pushed him into the pool.

"These two don't look like they're from around here, right?"

"Your eyes must be blind if you think they're locals, considering their appearance!"

These two old men were just people who had nothing to do all day and came to the bathhouse to soak and play, chatting nonsense with a few people every day.

They didn't just tease Li Li Xuewu, they also teased each other, but no one got angry.

Seeing that Seeing Gelin was a bit shy, Li Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "This is my comrade-in-arms, and this is his younger brother, who came from the frontier to rely on me."

"Yo~ so that's it!"

A bald old man splashed some water and wiped his face, then carefully sized up Seeing Gelin.

"This child must have grown up eating beef and mutton, otherwise he couldn't have grown so strong!"

"Call them Grandpa."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and taught Pazile and Seeing Gelin, and both of them politely called out.

The two old men felt it was novel, and seeing that Li Li Xuewu had a good attitude, and that these two were good-tempered despite their fierce looks, they sat on both sides of them.

One said a sentence and the other said a sentence, starting to ask about the situation in the frontier.

Hearing what Pazile said was mysterious, the two old men would occasionally "Yo~" in admiration, just like people who were there to support the performance.

Li Li Xuewu didn't feel these two old men were annoying; this was also a type of person in Jingcheng, a type of culture.

Pazile and Seeing Gelin had to live here, so they would have to deal with them sooner or later.

Getting in touch early and getting used to it early wouldn't be a loss.

Furthermore, people like this knew the boundaries best and also knew the old etiquette; talking to them more wouldn't be a loss.

They were used to teasing children who grew up in the hutongs like Li Li Xuewu.

If you didn't respond to them, they would say behind your back that you had no ability and would be useless when you grew up.

But if you retorted, they would say you would be naughty and mischievous in the future.

Anyway, there was no good talk in teasing; it was just idle chatter.

Pazile could talk to these two, and Seeing Gelin, soaking in the water, mostly listened to them talk.

When asked, he just replied honestly.

Seeing Seeing Gelin's personality, the two old men stopped teasing and started talking about serious things with the two.

Talking about playing in Jingcheng, talking about places in Jingcheng, talking about the old and the young, men and women.

As long as you had time, they could sit there and chatter with you all day.

Li Li Xuewu couldn't wait; he had things to do at night.

Feeling that the skin on his body had soaked open, he went to call the bath attendant to scrub his back, telling the attendant to scrub hard, as he hadn't washed properly for ten days.

This attendant was also a truly practical person; he reached out and suddenly used too much force, almost scrubbing Li Li Xuewu off the scrubbing bed and into the pool.

Watching Li Li Xuewu lying there like a pig being dehaired, being scrubbed by someone, Seeing Gelin found it very magical.

Pazile didn't care; he had seen and heard everything while following Li Li Xuewu.

When it was Seeing Gelin's turn, the bath attendant was almost exhausted.

Large volume, thick old mud, hard muscles, all muscle blocks.

The hardest people to scrub were these kinds of people; the bath attendant actually preferred the white and fat ones, whose meat was soft and easy to scrub.

When he was rinsing by the faucet with Li Li Xuewu, Seeing Gelin's mouth was still grinning.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, no."

Seeing Gelin looked at Li Li Xuewu in embarrassment and said, "First time, it's quite fun."

"Hehe."

Li Li Xuewu looked at the red marks on his body from being scrubbed and felt it was quite painful.

You can't tell the truth to an honest person, otherwise they'll really be ruthless.

After the three of them washed and changed into clean clothes, when they walked out of the bathroom, they felt like different people.

The sky was so blue, the air was so fresh, and their skin was breathing.

It was as if life had never been so clean and relaxed, as if they had arrived in another world.

Xilin and Diliya were already waiting on the wooden bench at the entrance.

"How long have you been out?"

Li Li Xuewu smiled in embarrassment.

The men's bathhouse had a soaking pool, but the women's didn't, so their bathing time was long.

Don't ask why the women's bathhouse didn't have a soaking pool; Li Li Xuewu hadn't been in, so he didn't know.

"For a while."

Xilin also felt much more relaxed after bathing.

Especially with the warm weather in Jingcheng, changing into light clothes really gave her the feeling of weight loss.

"Let's go, we'll eat after resting for a while when we get back."

The bathhouse was at the entrance of the street, only a few steps away from the Sihe Academy, otherwise why would Old Lao Biaozi and the others come here to relax after drinking at night.

Taking the four of them back, he introduced the recycling station and scrap store in the west courtyard, and introduced the situation in the courtyard.

This really couldn't be explained clearly in three or five sentences.

The distance was really close, so Li Li Xuewu told the four of them the important things, and the rest would have to be understood and experienced slowly in their lives.

When he led the four of them into the Jinyu Hutong, he didn't even need to look at his watch to know it was time to get off work.

"Yo, off work?"

"Hey! Buying a pack of cigarettes at the entrance~"

"Ring ring~"

People greeting each other, people riding bikes home and ringing bells, people who were annoyed by their wives' nagging at home and came out to buy cigarettes; the city atmosphere was full, making the four people who saw this scene for the first time look on with curiosity.

They found others curious, and the neighbors also found them curious.

Living in an old neighborhood is like this; if a guest comes to someone's house, there will always be curious eyes looking over.

Those who are fond of fun will even take the initiative to tease you, asking where you're from and what kind of relative you are.

They aren't from the neighborhood committee, nor are they working part-time at the police station; they just have this addiction.

"Hehe, it's only this lively when getting off work at night."

Li Li Xuewu turned back and smiled at the four, "Usually, it's just those grandpas and grandmas sitting at the door chatting."

"This is the first time I've seen so many people crowded into such a small place."

Xilin looked around at the pedestrians coming and going with some amazement; the key was that these people all lived here and were all polite to each other.

"Compared to the big grassland at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, you can indeed use 'small' to describe our Jinyu Hutong."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Furthermore, your use of 'crowded' is a bit rushed. Wait a while, and one day you'll see even more crowded."

"Yo, you're back!"

Just as Li Li Xuewu was speaking, Qin Qin Huairu rode her bike into the Jinyu Hutong and happened to face Li Li Xuewu.

"We were calculating your train time this afternoon."

No need to ask, Li Li Xuewu understood who "we" represented, and also received the information that she and that person were concerned.

Qin Qin Huairu got off her bike, pushed it to Li Li Xuewu's side, and talked, but her eyes looked at Xilin and the others.

"Arrived a little after 3:00 PM."

Li Li Xuewu replied, then signaled toward the courtyard, saying, "Hurry into the courtyard, otherwise I won't be able to stop greeting people."

"Hehe, it just means you're popular~"

Qin Qin Huairu learned from He Yushui and also parked her bike in the west courtyard, so she wouldn't have to lift the threshold when going in and out.

At this moment, she followed Li Li Xuewu and them into the west courtyard gate, and Old Lao Biaozi and the others were unloading the car.

"Wu Ge~"

"Hey, hey~"

There were more people in the courtyard at this moment, and seeing Li Li Xuewu enter, they all rushed to greet him.

Li Li Xuewu also responded with a smile one by one.

Even the Thirteen Taibao mustered up the courage to take the initiative to greet Li Li Xuewu.

"Third Uncle, you've worked hard. I heard your waist isn't feeling very well?"

Li Li Xuewu greeted Wen San'er as he walked over.

Wen San'er looked at Li Li Xuewu, curled his lips, and then laughed.

"My waist is fine, but working hard is true."

This was also using a joking tone to claim credit.

"Hard work, hard work~"

Li Li Xuewu smiled and shook hands with Wen San'er.

At this moment, seeing Li Li Xuewu interacting with Wen San'er, everyone thought it was a joke.

"Don't go back tonight. Let Lao Biaozi pick up Third Aunt and the child to eat together; it's been a long time."

"Your Third Aunt might have already cooked."

Wen San'er wanted to decline, but was stopped by Li Li Xuewu.

He didn't wait for him to say anything else, and Li Li Xuewu said to Old Lao Biaozi, "Go pick up Third Aunt and the little cousin, and let's have a lively time together."

"Okay!"

Old Lao Biaozi smiled and agreed, pedaled the tricycle, and went out.

It wasn't that he wasn't willing to drive, nor was he avoiding anything, but Wen San'er's house wasn't far, and it only took a moment to ride a bike.

Starting that car was too much effort; it was better to ride a bike.

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu had arranged it, Wen San'er smiled and followed Li Li Xuewu into the inverted room.

Because many people were meeting for the first time, they all sat in the east room, and Li Li Xuewu came forward to introduce everyone.

When introducing Pazile and the others, he introduced them according to the identity they had discussed on the way back.

The household registration would have to wait until tomorrow when he could ask Shen Fang for a favor.

The days were getting longer, and the shop in the west courtyard closed late; at this moment, Ye Ye Erye and the others were still busy over there, but Yu Li came back first.

She took the clothes Li Li Xuewu was carrying and put them aside, preparing to take them to the back to wash at night.

Sha Zhu stood in the corridor with a long-handled spoon, looking into the east room at the new members.

These two frontier girls are actually quite pretty~

Li Li Xuewu also discovered this when he came out after bathing.

It was just that their appearance and bone structure still had characteristics, and their skin looked cleaner than before.

I don't know why, but in the frontier, they just felt a bit dirty.

Li Li Xuewu smiled and introduced the four to Sha Zhu; Sha Zhu nodded and smiled at the two girls, and also took the initiative to shake hands with Seeing Gelin and Pazile.

Seeing Qin Qin Huairu park her bike and enter the courtyard, Li Li Xuewu happened to be standing by the window, so he opened the window and invited her to eat here tonight, to have a lively time.

Qin Qin Huairu was a bit hesitant; the old six at home might not have been seen by Li Li Xuewu yet, otherwise he would definitely have scolded her.

But if you stick your head out, it's a knife; if you shrink it, it's also a knife, so it's better to be proactive.

So when Li Li Xuewu said it, Qin Qin Huairu smiled and agreed, and even said she would come over to help later.

Yu Li stood in the kitchen cutting vegetables, curled her lips when she heard Qin Qin Huairu's words, but didn't say anything.

The inverted room was lively today; Li Shun was invited over by Wen San'er, which counted as a welcome banquet for his son.

Li Xuecai basically stayed wherever there was good food, and today the food in the inverted room was good, so he definitely had to be here.

The weather was warm, and the old lady held Li Shu and also came over to join in the fun.

But she wasn't prepared to eat here; she just wanted Li Shu to see more strangers.

Children all have cognitive stages for accepting new things, and the old lady had her own set of standards for raising children.

You can't let the child be shy, and then be petty in everything they do in the future.

Li Li Xuewu held his daughter, sat by the long dining table, and talked about the frontier itinerary with Li Shun and Wen San'er.

Pazile and the others were surrounded by Old Lao Biaozi and the others asking this and that.

Noisy and chaotic, the lively sound couldn't even be shut out by the windows.

Just think, Li Li Xuewu's family had six people: the old lady, the big grandma, Li Shun, Li Xuecai, and Li Shu.

Wen San'er's family of three, Old Lao Biaozi, Shen Guodong, Yang Erhai, Xiao Yan, Ye Ye Erye, the Thirteen Taibao, Yu Li (19 people), Sha Zhu and his brother, the four new "siblings," and Qin Qin Huairu and her child.

Good heavens, 36 people were squeezed into this room; although the talking wasn't very loud, it was about to lift the roof.

When the food was served, Liu Yin brought a large basket of steamed buns, and she was still afraid there wouldn't be enough to eat, so Yu Li steamed some rice on this side.

Liu Yin took Li Shu from Li Li Xuewu's arms and took the old lady back to eat.

This long dining table definitely couldn't seat 34 people, so two more kang tables were placed on the kang in the east room to squeeze them in.

Today was to welcome Li Li Xuewu, and also for a rare gathering, so Wen San'er had Old Lao Biaozi move the wine over.

They drank happily with Pazile and these new friends, and with the old friends present.

Li Li Xuewu and the others were all sitting on the kang; this kang table had the big grandma, the second master, Li Shun, Wen San'er, Sha Zhu, and Pazile.

The women and children sat at the table next to the kang, and the other young men all sat at the long dining table.

I don't know if it was really warm today, or if the atmosphere in the room was enthusiastic, but the windows of the east room were all open, yet it still felt hot in the room.

Maybe this is liveliness; the more you make a scene, the hotter it gets.

Those who loved to make a scene were Old Lao Biaozi and Sha Zhu; they couldn't sit still, and after drinking, they got off the table and went to toast everyone one by one.

When they were happy drinking, they sat together and chatted for a while, and after talking, they found someone else to continue drinking.

Sha Zhu left, and Qin Qin Huairu brought a wine glass to toast Li Li Xuewu and them a few times, which counted as officially having a relationship with these people of Li Li Xuewu's.

Just looking at the seating arrangement for the meal, you could tell that in Li Li Xuewu's circle of relatives and friends, there was still the idea of men being superior to women.

Even though Qin Qin Huairu was now a cadre, and even though Xilin and Diliya were guests, they were still arranged at a table.

This is tradition; it can't be called a bad habit.

Because men who are older, have power, and have ability sit together, they tend to be uninhibited.

Although there wasn't any in Li Li Xuewu's circle, they still separated tables out of respect.

Qin Qin Huairu coming over with wine at this moment was a new way of intervention.

It's a new era, and women can hold up half the sky.

Qin Qin Huairu, as a deputy section chief, was a unique new-era woman in this courtyard.

Although Li Li Xuewu contributed a lot to this, he still couldn't help but say she was amazing.

This woman, after adapting to the initial rhythm of the reception house, now truly showed her capable side in management and hospitality.

Otherwise, no matter how hard the relationship was, Li Li Huade wouldn't let her stay for long.

At worst, he would let Li Li Xuewu change to his own people.

If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't. The factory director's brother-in-law was kicked out, so what more could she be?

Nothing more; she dared to speak, dared to laugh, and dared to drink.

"Li Xuewu, come, let's have a drink, sister and brother."

Li Li Xuewu smiled as he looked at Qin Qin Huairu's slightly red face, picked up his wine glass, and clinked it with Qin Qin Huairu's.

"I wish you everything goes smoothly and everything goes according to your heart."

"Cheers~"

The two of them drinking was entirely for others to see; Qin Qin Huairu was also taking advantage of the alcohol to get close to Li Li Xuewu.

Which woman wouldn't be happy that her man had come home? Even if this man of hers didn't dare to tell others, she was still happy.

He Yushui sat on the kang holding her rice bowl, looking at Qin Qin Huairu with some envy.

Although she was also straightforward, she couldn't reach Qin Qin Huairu's way of doing things in every aspect.

Maybe she wasn't mature enough yet, or maybe she hadn't experienced these things.

Just as she was watching Li Li Xuewu and the others talking and drinking, He Yushui saw her brother and Old Lao Biaozi with their arms around each other's shoulders, starting to sing.

"The fifteenth moon has risen into the sky~"

"Why are there no clouds beside it?"

"I am waiting for the beautiful girl~"

"Why haven't you arrived yet~"

Too embarrassing~

It would be fine if they sang well, but these two were both broken gongs, people who were off-key by six or seven notes.

At this moment, they were completely roaring the song with their throats.

Especially her brother, who was singing this "Meeting at the Aobao" very seriously and with emotion.

But it was just off-key.

"If there were no rain from the sky!"

Just as everyone was laughing and teasing Sha Zhu and the others, Xilin, who was sitting on the kang, picked up the female part of the song: "The begonia flower won't bloom by itself~."

As soon as Xilin opened her mouth, everyone in the room was stunned; this singing voice was too crisp.

This was not following Old Lao Biaozi and the others' song; it was like a sable tail on a dog's body!

"As long as you, brother, wait patiently~"

"The person in your heart will run over~"

"As long as you, brother, wait patiently~"

The last few lines Xilin sang were about to reach the hearts of the men.

Especially looking at Xilin's generous manner, her nightingale-like voice, and her lively eyebrows and eyes, Old Lao Biaozi and Sha Zhu followed along actively when singing the chorus.

"The person in your heart will run over~"

"Good!"

"Good!"

Everyone in the room was applauding Xilin; Old Lao Biaozi and Sha Zhu knew that this applause wasn't for them, so they also grinned and clapped their hands to cheer.

"Thank you~"

Xilin held her wine glass, knelt on the kang with one leg, thanked the people in the room who cheered for her, said some auspicious words for their meeting, and drank a cup of wine.

Pazile could talk and drink, and could quickly integrate into this big family.

And Xilin integrated by singing a song.

Diliya was still a bit shy and didn't know how to interact with strangers, but Seeing Gelin knew.

That was by eating.

He was truly able to eat!

The steamed buns the size of a man's fist that Liu Yin steamed were two per bite for him, which made Bang Geng stare with wide eyes.

He Yushui covered her mouth, teased Yu Li beside her, and said, "This song Xilin sang the people of the grassland, and my brother and the others sang the wolves of the grassland~."

This song was called "Meeting at the Aobao," the theme song of the movie "People on the Grassland"; He Yushui was using this to tease her brother.

"Hahaha~"

The table of women and children laughed for some reason, while the table of men laughed while discussing Xilin's singing voice.

Laughter, delicious food, and fine wine were intoxicating and refreshing.

Li Li Xuewu spoke to everyone in the room at the end, left them to be lively, and came out early to prepare to go to his mother-in-law's house.

After his mother spoke in the afternoon, Li Li Xuewu had already called Gu Ning, saying he would go after dinner.

It was already almost 8:00 PM, and the Gu family must have been waiting.

Knowing Li Li Xuewu needed a car, Yu Li had already prepared it, and Li Li Xuewu drove out of the door after washing his face in the kitchen.

On a business trip, how could he not prepare gifts for Gu Ning and her family?

But this time it was rushed, and he didn't buy anything special; the most special thing over there was the girls, and he estimated that even if he brought them back, Gu Ning wouldn't like them.

The novel things he found at Old Lao Biaozi's place could serve as souvenirs.

Li Li Xuewu had already thought about Gu Ning's gift; it was the genuine leather suitcase that Old Lao Biaozi sold to him.

Inside were English and Russian books, and he believed Gu Ning would definitely like them.

Furthermore, there were over a dozen bottles of perfume in the suitcase; Li Li Xuewu only kept one bottle.

This thing wouldn't be good if left for too long; it was easy to spoil.

If he gave Gu Ning gold and silver, she wouldn't like them and would even be scared.

If he gave her a suitcase of books, she would definitely like them.

Plus the perfume from Europe and the chocolate from the Soviet Union, there would be both poetry and romance.

Li Li Xuewu kept thinking about who would be at home tonight on the way, putting things into the back cabin of the Willys one by one.

By the time he greeted the security guard at the gate, the back cabin was already full.

"It's so late, you shouldn't have come; you've been on the train for so long, you must be tired."

When Li Li Xuewu's car entered the courtyard, his mother-in-law was already waiting in the courtyard with people.

"Not very tired; there wasn't much to do on the return trip, mostly just sleeping."

Li Li Xuewu got out of the car, greeted his mother-in-law with a smile, and looked behind her.

Mu Mu Hongyan was standing there with Gu Ning's arm in hers, signaling to Li Li Xuewu that she wanted a gift.

Zhou Wang Yamei was holding her son's little hand, looking at Li Li Xuewu with a smile.

"Uncle Li!"

"Hey, Fu Zhidong has come to Jingcheng."

Li Li Xuewu finished talking to his mother-in-law, responded to Fu Fu Zhidong, and then followed Xiao Qi to move things down.

"Why did you bring so many things back?"

Seeing Xiao Qi moving things down from the car, Ding Ding Fengxia scolded Li Li Xuewu.

Seeing several large pieces of meat being moved down from the car, she scolded Li Li Xuewu even more.

"How can the family eat so much!"

"It's fine, Mom."

Li Li Xuewu put the suitcase for Gu Ning aside and said with a smile, "It was all brought back with the train; it can be frozen and eaten slowly."

Xiao Qi called others over to help, moved the beef and mutton, and then moved the chili peppers, dates, dried fruits, and other things to the kitchen warehouse.

He himself helped Li Li Xuewu move the obviously gift-like suitcase into the living room.

Li Li Xuewu was chatting with his mother-in-law at this moment and asked about Zhou Wang Yamei a few times.

Rushing to unload the car, he also rushed to enter the house with his mother-in-law.

Ding Ding Fengxia felt sorry for Li Li Xuewu being tired, so she didn't ask him to move things, calling Xiao Qi and others to do it.

Before Li Li Xuewu could sit on the sofa, Mu Mu Hongyan smiled and asked Li Li Xuewu for a gift.

"Li Xuewu, where's the gift you promised me?"

Mu Mu Hongyan sat beside her sister-in-law, hugged Gu Ning's arm, and smiled, "If there's no gift, you won't be able to talk to Xiao Ning tonight."

"This child, hahaha~"

Ding Ding Fengxia also knew her daughter-in-law was deliberately teasing Li Li Xuewu, so she scolded her, but didn't say much.

Li Li Xuewu nodded with a smile and said, "I remember, I remember."

As he spoke, he stood up, took a box from the suitcase by the tea table, and handed it to Mu Mu Hongyan.

"There really is one!"

Mu Mu Hongyan was also very pleasantly surprised; she was just deliberately teasing Li Li Xuewu, and at this moment, she felt a bit embarrassed about whether she should take it.

"Sister-in-law has worked hard."

Li Li Xuewu smiled, looked at Gu Ning, and said, "A little bit of heart, it can't make up for the hard work of helping us clean the house."

"If you put it that way, then I really did work hard."

As she spoke, she deliberately let go of her sister-in-law's arm, exaggeratedly rubbed her arms and shoulders, and showed an expression of hard work.

"Hahaha~"

This was clearly her deliberately teasing Gu Ning, but she didn't expect to be the first to laugh.

Gu Ning was also embarrassed by the teasing and pushed her sister-in-law.

"I didn't want to take it, but you pushed me, so I'll take it."

Mu Mu Hongyan knew Li Li Xuewu sent it sincerely, so she smiled and took the box with both hands.

"Yo, what is it? It's so heavy."

Only when she held it in her hand did Mu Mu Hongyan feel that the thing wasn't light, and she was still teasing Gu Ning while opening the box.

"Yo, it's red wine~"

Ding Ding Fengxia sat on one side, also took a look with a smile, and then said to Li Li Xuewu, "Your own sister-in-law, why spend so much money?"

"Just because she's my own sister-in-law, I can't neglect her."

Li Li Xuewu replied with a smile, and his hand continued to take things out of the suitcase.

"I like hearing that."

Mu Mu Hongyan also saw the silk scarf in the box, and at this moment, she smiled and thanked Li Li Xuewu.

"Thank you, Li Xuewu. My pass is considered passed; I'll help you solve your brother's side."

"Hahaha~"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, winked at his mother-in-law's side, and said, "This gift wasn't sent in vain. Why don't I find some more rare things, and you help me pass Mom's pass~"

"Yo, yo, yo~"

Mu Mu Hongyan put down the box, hugged her mother-in-law's arm, and smiled, "Mom's pass still needs me to help you pass? She already let you pass a long time ago!"

"Hahaha~"

Li Li Xuewu didn't drink today, but still felt happy.

He took out the prepared gift and placed it by his mother-in-law's hand.

"Mom, the gift is given to you. Passing the pass has to count~"

"Haha, you child."

Ding Ding Fengxia was very touched by her son-in-law's personality.

He was open-minded and spoke straightforwardly; she just felt he made up for the regret that her daughter didn't talk much to her.

Before she could open the box, Mu Mu Hongyan, who was sitting on one side, helped her open it.

"Yo, Mom, you must have a big face."

Mu Mu Hongyan smiled and said, "My wine can't compare to yours~"

Ding Ding Fengxia also saw the object in the box; it was a jade bracelet carved with simple lines.

"Li Xuewu..."

"Mom."

Li Li Xuewu knew what his mother-in-law wanted to say; it was nothing more than that this thing was too valuable.

"You look at the color."

As he spoke, he pointed at the bracelet for his mother-in-law and said, "I know you are frugal, and my financial ability is limited, so I didn't dare buy an antique one."

"It's really a new one!"

Mu Mu Hongyan was someone who would help, and she took the bracelet out of the silk in the box to look at it.

Li Li Xuewu held his mother-in-law's hand and said, "People nourish jade, and jade nourishes people. A family that accumulates good deeds will have surplus joy. My mom wearing new jade can also be auspicious and everything goes according to her wishes."

Oh my!

Gu Ning stared blankly at Li Li Xuewu, feeling that there must be a spring in his mouth, otherwise how could he be so good at chattering!

What did the quality of jade have to do with whether it was new or old? What value it was, it was.

The extra value was endowed by history; how did it get linked to auspicious words again?

Now seeing her mother being coaxed into only laughing, was she willing to sell herself to him now?

Why wouldn't she be willing!

Before, she was thinking of giving herself away, and now that she had received such an expensive gift, it was a gift.

Mu Mu Hongyan was so smart; seeing Li Li Xuewu holding her mother-in-law's hand, she had already smiled and handed the bracelet over.

"Li Xuewu, hurry and put it on Mom, so Mom won't go back on her word later."

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

Li Li Xuewu also took advantage of the teasing and smiled as he put the bracelet on his mother-in-law's hand.

Gu Gu Haitao was cautious and spoke little; his eldest son and youngest son were the same personality as their father, and neither stayed home.

The youngest daughter was even less willing to speak than her father, and there were few times she talked to her.

Now seeing her eldest daughter-in-law and son-in-law caring about her mood and accompanying her to talk, Ding Ding Fengxia truly felt that her son and daughter had been raised in vain.

"Hahaha, you two~"

Ding Ding Fengxia wouldn't really not like it; she just felt sorry for Li Li Xuewu.

Not to mention that the jade sent by her son-in-law was a good thing, even if it were an ordinary thing, she would be happy; the important thing was this heart.

In her heart, there was no pass set for him.

Ding Ding Fengxia held her son-in-law's hand and said sincerely, "As long as you two are good, with Mom here, no one can give you a pass."

"Mom, with your words, I can rest assured."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and replied, and as he spoke, he took out two boxes from the suitcase.

He placed one on the tea table in front of Zhou Wang Yamei and one in front of Fu Fu Zhidong.

"Thank you, Uncle~"

Before Zhou Wang Yamei could speak, Fu Fu Zhidong thanked him first.

He also saw that everyone had gifts and was a bit anxious.

"Li Xuewu, this is so embarrassing."

Zhou Wang Yamei politely wanted to push it back, but was stopped by Li Li Xuewu.

"I'm handling the Steel City matter; give me some time."

Li Li Xuewu told Zhou Wang Yamei about the Steel City matter in front of his mother-in-law's family.

"The situation is more complicated than I thought; it's better for you and the child to stay in Jingcheng."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu speak seriously, Zhou Wang Yamei also knew the stakes involved. Her left hand unconsciously touched her son's little shoulder.

"You can stay at home."

At this moment, Gu Ning, who hadn't spoken, stood up and sat beside Zhou Wang Yamei, saying softly.

Zhou Wang Yamei looked at Li Li Xuewu, then looked at Gu Ning.

"I'm causing you trouble."

"No trouble, don't overthink it."

Ding Ding Fengxia was truly happy to see her daughter do this; Gu Ning being able to take the initiative to care about others was something she rarely saw.

Regarding letting Zhou Wang Yamei stay there temporarily, she thought more about it.

"Although I don't know what the matter is, I believe Li Xuewu can handle it."

Ding Ding Fengxia reached out and touched Fu Fu Zhidong's little hand, saying, "Just take this opportunity to stay in Jingcheng for a while."

"Thank you."

Zhou Wang Yamei was very grateful for Ding Ding Fengxia's understanding.

"You're welcome."

Ding Ding Fengxia looked at Zhou Wang Yamei and her son and said, "It's rare for Xiao Ning to get along with you; you two should spend more time together and talk more."

She knew Zhou Wang Yamei's identity, and Li Li Xuewu had explained it in the phone call that day.

So at this moment, although she didn't say it explicitly, she also thought that Zhou Wang Yamei wouldn't be staying there for nothing, which was good for both Li Li Xuewu and Gu Ning.

Zhou Wang Yamei was very grateful for Ding Ding Fengxia's understanding.

"You're welcome."

Ding Ding Fengxia looked at Zhou Wang Yamei and her son and said, "It's rare for Xiao Ning to get along with you so well; you should spend more time together and chat more."

She knew Zhou Wang Yamei's identity, and Li Li Xuewu had explained it over the phone that day.

So, although she didn't say it explicitly, she was thinking that Zhou Wang Yamei staying here wouldn't be for nothing, and it would be good for both Li Li Xuewu and Gu Ning.