"Alright, alright, your Lin Family has backbone, satisfied?"
"...Did he just ask you...did you agree to him?"
"For my godson-in-law, for my son, I canāt comply. This time Xiao Chi went too far. He needs to learn a lesson."
"Just a little lesson?"
"Old Lin, even if I donāt help, thereās still my old father. They didnāt tell him about Xiao Chiās situation because of his age. My elder brother saw no success with me, so he threatened to go to my old father. My dad always favored Xiao Chi the most, even my outstanding son couldnāt compare. Once my father gets involved, the punishment can be reduced by half."
"Since thatās the case, give your Mei Family a message: two grandsons, let them choose. Today, I will make the decision for my son-in-law, if thereās Mei Langchi, there wonāt be Han Yi, if thereās Han Yi, there wonāt be Mei Langchi. You decide."
"Old Lin, donāt drag me into this. Han Yi is my godson-in-law now, not my nephew. But Iāll definitely pass on your message. Mei Shuping, as a father, should deal with the mistakes he made in his youth."
"Old Mei, donāt blame me for speaking harshly. Mei Shupingās actions were simply too much. I have always despised men who toy with women. And this matter involves our family."
"Alright, alright, Iāll pass on your message. Arenāt you planning to go back home? When are you leaving?"
"Iām leaving right away. Just reminding you so you donāt play favorites."
Mei Shuqing smiled helplessly, "Youāre wronging me here; you know me. I havenāt even pulled strings for my son."
"Come on, donāt pretend in front of me; I know your little tricks. Iām done chatting idly with you, I gotta go. When I return, Iāll bring back some local specialties for you; I wonāt shortchange you."
"The specialties arenāt important; whatās important is you let Xiao Wan and Little Star stay with us for a while. I miss them dearly."
"Get out of here; you just want my daughter to cook for you, right?"
"Old Lin, my daughter and granddaughter are precious to me. Cooking or not, if my daughter wants to do it, how is that any of your business?"
"Old Mei, you seem to be forgetting something; thatās my daughter, not yours. Donāt keep calling her ādaughterā like that so intimately. If I had known it was those two siblings, I wouldnāt have agreed to this, letting you take advantage for nothing."
"You stubborn soul, if I hadnāt called for your help with my godson, would you have found your wife and child now? Isnāt all of this because I acknowledge them as god-relatives? Think about it: when my goddaughter was helplessly crying to me on the phone, where were you? My godson suffered so much in detention. Where were you as a father?"
"Alright, alright, youāre right, youāre right, Iām in the wrong, satisfied?"
"Humph, of course. Iām telling you, let my godson and goddaughter visit us more often. Without you showing up, they might have settled in the Capital City by now, with no place for you."
"..."
...
After finishing packing, Liang Hongmei waited for a few minutes without seeing Lin Guozhi come out, so she went to the study to check. When she entered, she found him holding the phone, red-faced and arguing with Mei Shuqing over the kids.
Liang Hongmei shook her head; two grown men acting like children.
If she hadnāt insisted on hanging up, who knows how long theyād argue.
The family didnāt have much clothing. They all wore heavy clothes, and the rest were suitable for the weather there, thin and not taking up much space.
They brought two bags of local specialties, a large plastic water jug, a gas stove, and a small bag of rice, just in case Little Star got hungry on the road and they couldnāt find a place to prepare hot water for formula, a good emergency measure.
They were driving back this time, taking a three-day journey.
Lin Yinghui could actually drive; he had learned for a few days when they bought the big truck, but he wasnāt very proficient.
For the main road sections, it was still Lin Guozhi and Han Yi driving.
They traveled by day and stopped for the night whenever they reached a city, finding a guesthouse to stay overnight. They hustled all the way, and by noon on the third day, they had already reached their county town.
Initially, the group wanted to go to an uncleās rice noodle shop but found out they had closed for the holiday.
After calculating the days, today was already the twenty-sixth of the New Year.
"Why donāt we buy some things in the county town? We return home now, and thereās nothing in the house."
Liang Hongmei thought that with so many people in their family, they couldnāt possibly eat at her elder brotherās house every day.
"Alright, letās find a place to eat first; Little Star is hungry. After dinner, we can go straight to the department store."
"Dad, thereās no need for the department store; just find a market. We donāt lack whatās in the mall; now we need food for the New Year."
This time, the whole family was "returning home in splendor," so lots of guests were bound to visit, and food would definitely be needed.
After discussing, they decided to do just that, finding a rice noodle shop to have some rice noodles. Han Yi was worried Little Star wouldnāt be able to eat it, but she seemed to like it, munching with her four little tiger teeth at the front, savoring it.
"Itās been a long time since Iāve had such authentic rice noodles. When I was here in the military, this was my favorite thing to eat," Han Yi recalled, nostalgic for his time here.
"Xiao Yi stayed here?" Lin Guozhi had come and gone so hastily the last time that he didnāt get a chance to eat these. Thinking back over the years, he realized how much he missed them.
Back then, money was tight, and getting to enjoy a bowl of rice noodles was a luxury.
"I remember when Ah Hui was little, around Little Starās age. Your mom and I rarely brought him to the county to sell goods. It was just after the communal meal era ended, and everyone started earning work points. Our family was struggling back then. I took any free time to hunt game in the mountains, gathered it up, and secretly sold it in the town to exchange for some goods. That day, we just sold some wild game, and your mom, Ah Hui, and I shared a bowl of rice noodles. To be honest, I only had two sips of soup, but even that made us really happy. Later, when we got back, we brought something for your grandparents. Even though it had clumped up by the time we arrived home, your grandparents still didnāt want to eat it, insisting on saving it for Ah Hui to have by himself at night."
Lin Guozhi reminisced about the past, filled with emotion. So many years had passed. The county had changed quite a bit.
Many new buildings had sprung up.
"Although it was poorer than now, those years your father was home were the happiest times for our family." Back then, her parents had only her, a daughter, which was rare at home. People didnāt hold them in high regard.
Later, as she grew up, becoming quite pretty, some of the scoundrels in the village set their sights on Liang Hongmei.
Fortunately, during her prime years, she met Lin Guozhi, which allowed her to avoid those scoundrelsā attentions.
With Lin Guozhi around, the Liang family could hold their heads high. In the villagersā eyes, Lin Guozhi was without kin, almost like a live-in son-in-law.
Many believed Old Liang had struck it lucky, that heaven had given him a good son.
But things didnāt go as hoped, and such an incident occurred.
Listening to his in-laws talk about these matters, Han Yi was also deeply moved.
Without mentioning the past, since meeting Lin Wan in Huai County, his life trajectory had shifted.
"Li Hongqi, Iām telling you, if you donāt get your dad out today, donāt come back to this house anymore!"
"Honey, stop making a fuss. Itās the holidays; let my dad stay until after the New Year and then leave, okay?"
Not far from the noodle shop, the name Li Hongqi caught their attention, making the whole family squint.
"Li Hongqi, if you want the baby in your belly, then get your dad out of here! Iām waiting downstairs today, and I give you ten minutes to get your dad and make him leave!"
"Honey, you know he offended people in the village. If you send him back now, theyāll beat him up."
"For someone like him, getting beaten to death wouldnāt be too much. An in-law like that spying on his daughter-in-law changing, I canāt accept that."
Li Hongqiās wife, with her loud voice, made everyone around curious.
"Whatās going on? An in-law peeping at his daughter-in-law changes clothes? Such news isnāt common!"
"Can you keep your voice down?" Li Hongqi hurriedly stepped forward to cover his wifeās mouth, but she gave him a cold side-eye, shrugged off his hand, and said, "Your wife was peeped at, and youāre scared like a dog. Why should I be afraid? At worst, Iāll lose face. Li Hongqi, Iām telling you, I can still marry well with the child after leaving you. To be honest, I was blind to have chosen you, a coward. Ask other men; which would tolerate their dad peeping at their wife? If it were them, theyād beat their dad half to death and sever ties. But you, you continue to take care of that beast, leaving your daughter-in-law neglected."