1987 My Era

Chapter 690, The Tone of Both Families

My aunt's family came over for the weekend.

The talkative cousin immediately approached Li Heng, "Brother-in-law, when are you going to deliver the chocolate you promised me?"

"It's in the room upstairs, I'll go get it now," Li Heng said with a smile, and went upstairs.

He thought to himself, "Luckily I didn't forget about this. Otherwise, given my cousin's personality, she might bring up this old grievance ten years later."

Upon learning from her younger sister that Yu Bao and Li Heng were now sleeping in the same room and on the same bed, the aunt was first surprised, then happy, and finally pulled Song Yu to a secluded corner.

The aunt circled her niece once, then again, and finally stopped on the third circle. "Yu Bao, did you really sleep with Li Heng in public?"

Song Yu's face flushed slightly from what she was told, but she didn't refute it.

Seeing her niece like this, the aunt asked, "Did you take any safety precautions?"

Song Yu pursed her red lips: "We are still students."

Being reserved, she didn't answer directly, nor could she answer directly, so she chose to use these ambiguous words.

My aunt asked again, "I heard Li Heng is taking you to his parents' house? Are your older brother and sister-in-law going too?"

Song Yu said yes.

After thinking for a while, the aunt said earnestly, "If your two elders really meet, then Yu Bao, you should finalize things as soon as possible, so as not to give outsiders an opportunity to take advantage of you."

What does it mean to get things done?
Like the other women in the Song family, she thought: don't take any special precautions, just give birth to the child if you have one.

Clearly, Song Shuyu had told her aunt about all of Li Heng's female confidantes, which is why she said those words.

Song Yu hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. After all, she had promised Zi Jin, and she couldn't go back on her word.

The aunt didn't notice anything unusual about her, assuming that her niece, who was more beautiful than a flower, was just shy.

In the days that followed, Li Heng would accompany his grandfather and the others to fish in Dongting Lake in the early morning, and spend his days with Song Yu or reading books together. Occasionally, when the weather was nice, he would also help pick tea leaves.

Every evening, without fail, the two would appear by the lake, hand in hand, strolling along the shore, chatting and laughing.

At first, the people on Junshan Island were curious and would often pretend to stake out the places the two of them would pass by, just to see what Song Yu's boyfriend looked like up close.

Does that great writer have three heads and six arms? How did he manage to win Song Yu's heart?
But as time went on, all the people on the island felt was envy and jealousy. Many elderly people said that they looked like a married couple and that they would bring good fortune to each other when they were together.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was August 22nd.

That day, Li Heng, Song Yu, Song Shi, Sun Manning, and Jiang Yue set off from the county town before dawn, heading straight for Changshi.

Around noon, the group arrived at Huanghua Airport.

Sun Manning hugged Song Yu for a while and said, "I won't go to Beijing with you. School starts soon, so I'll just go to Shanghai."

Song Yu said, "Okay, take good care of yourself over there."

Song Yu didn't ask her if it was safe for her to be alone. It's likely that Manning had already communicated with Mai Sui and the others, so she should have company.

And that is indeed the case. Today, Mai Sui and Zhou Shihe will return to Shanghai from Yuhang, and the three girls will meet at school.

As they were about to part, Sun Manning whispered a blessing in Song Yu's ear: "Song Yu, good luck! I wish you a smooth journey and hope you can win over the Li family in one go."

Song Yu smiled and said okay.

Sun Manning is gone.

Twenty minutes later, Li Heng and his family of three boarded a plane bound for Beijing.

The plane arrived in Beijing a little after 2 p.m. As the four of them walked with the crowd toward the exit gate, they were greeted by Li Lan, Li Jianguo, and Tian Run'e.

Wow, good heavens! All the Li family members in Beijing have come out.

Tian Run'e, in particular, dressed up meticulously so as not to be outshone by her future daughter-in-law and to have some confidence when interacting with her. This shows how much she valued it.

But as soon as Tian Run'e saw Song Yu from a distance, she began to have doubts and asked her second daughter, "Lanlan, is that girl in the white dress Song Yu?"

Li Lan waved to Li Heng and the other three, and replied, "It's her, she is Song Yu."

Upon hearing this, Tian Run'e and Li Jianguo exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with amazement.

Two or three seconds later, Tian Run'e sighed: "I'm getting old. All that dressing up was for nothing. No wonder Manzai can't forget Song Yu. Her looks and temperament are truly impeccable."

Li Jianguo agreed with this statement.

Li Lan joked, "Mom, don't be discouraged. There aren't many people in this world who can compare to Song Yu. I've traveled all over the country and met so many people, and only Zhou Shihe can compare to her."

Mentioning Zhou Shihe, Tian Run'e instinctively felt a chill, thinking to herself that Teacher Yu alone had already rendered her speechless, and now she wasn't even confident facing Song Yu. Naturally, she didn't want to see the even more difficult Zhou Shihe.

The elderly couple saw Song Yu and her family. The Song family also saw Tian Run'e and her husband, as well as Li Lan, in the crowd.

In particular, the fact that Tian Run'e and Li Heng looked somewhat alike made Jiang Yue, Song Yu, and Song Shi, a family of three, instantly guess who the other was.

At this moment, Li Heng and Song Yu walked side by side in front.

Jiang Yue and her husband followed behind.

Jiang Yue glanced at the back of Li Heng's head, took a step closer to her husband, and then said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Old Song, did you see any of the Li family members? It seems that Li Heng is serious."

Song Shi lowered his voice and replied, "It must have been arranged by Li Heng and his family beforehand. Look, he's even carrying flowers."

After saying that, Jiang Yue and Song Shi looked at each other for two seconds, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief for no reason. This feeling of being valued by the man made them feel secretly happy.

To be honest, they took a certain risk on their trip to Beijing.

After all, the Li family is no longer what it used to be, and Li Heng has already soared to great heights. Even if Yu Bao is beautiful and outstanding, Li Heng also has powerful female confidantes such as Zhou Shihe, Yu Shuheng, Chen Zijin and Xiao Han around him.

From Jiang Yue and Song Shi's perspective, Yu Bao was not irreplaceable in Li Heng's heart; at least Zhou Shihe gave them a strong sense of pressure.

Therefore, before coming, the couple had privately discussed that if the Li family and Li Heng valued Yu Bao, they would fully support the marriage; if the Li family took advantage of Li Heng's excellence and the many good women around him, and neglected their daughter, they would take their daughter away directly, and the relationship between the two families would end there.

In short, the couple knew that this trip was risky, so they had planned their options well in advance.

As the Song family members walked out of the gate, Tian Run'e, holding a bouquet of flowers, was the first to greet them.

Li Lan and Li Jianguo followed.

Upon seeing his parents arrive, Li Heng immediately reached out and took Song Yu's hand, introducing them as, "Dad, Mom, this is Song Yu."

"These are my parents, and this is my second sister."

Song Yu smiled and called out, "Uncle, Aunt, Second Sister."

Tian Run'e and Li Jianguo responded with smiles.

Li Lan took another close look at Song Yu and suddenly felt a little jealous of her younger brother. He had actually managed to win over such a perfect woman. She thought to herself, but she still handed Song Yu a bouquet of roses with both hands: "Sister-in-law, you are even more beautiful than I imagined. Our Li family is so lucky."

Li Heng secretly gave his second sister a thumbs up, and then introduced them again: "Mom and Dad, this is Uncle Song, and this is Aunt Jiang."

Just as Jiang Yue was about to speak, she was confused by Tian Run'e's way of addressing her.

Tian Run'e handed the flowers to Jiang Yue and greeted her with a big smile: "My dear in-law, you've come all this way, thank you for your hard work."

relatives by marriage?

Not only were Jiang Yue and Song Yu stunned, but Li Heng was also dumbfounded.

He thought to himself, "When did my mother become so sensible? When did she become so shameless?"

Could it be due to the influence of Xiao Han, Huang Zhaoyi, and Teacher Yu last time?
Why not just settle things once and for all? Surprised as they were, the effect was extremely good. Jiang Yue and Song Shi had been wondering how to bring up their daughter's matter.

result!

Wow! The simple phrase "in-laws" saved Jiang Yue and Song Shi a lot of worry and concerns, as well as a lot of words, and directly set the tone for the close relationship between the two families.

A harmonious and peaceful tone was set.

Jiang Yue carefully observed Tian Run'e's micro-expressions and, seeing that the other party did not seem to be faking it, immediately felt relieved. She then happily accepted the flowers and said with a smile, "I only took a little over two hours on the plane, but I've kept you waiting."

The two women chatted casually at home, and Li Jianguo, without mincing words, took out a cigarette and handed it to Song Shi, lighting it for him. "In-laws, you've come all this way to the capital, so please stay a few more days this time and let Run'e and me properly show you our hospitality."

In the past, Song Shi would have hesitated, but seeing Li Jianguo and Tian Run'e's sincere attitude, there was no need to say anything. He smiled and nodded, "Okay. Last time I came to the capital, it was to send my daughter to school. I didn't expect time to pass so quickly. Two years have passed in the blink of an eye."

The two couples were talking when Li Lan took Song Yu's hand, looked her up and down, and said, "Don't worry about marrying into our Li family. If that brat dares to bully you, your second sister will back you up. We'll chase him down and beat him up."

Song Yu smiled gently, "Thank you, Second Sister."

Li Heng rolled his eyes and laughed as he retorted, "Second sister, what are you talking about? Song Yu is the wife I've always wanted to marry. How could I bully her? I'd rather bully you than her."

Li Lan turned her head: "Are you trying to bully me? Do you think I won't dare to hit you just because your sister-in-law is here?"

Li Heng obediently hid behind Song Yu and cried out for help, "Wife, please help me. She used to beat me up a lot when we were kids, so I'm counting on you to get revenge for me."

Song Yu had already heard from Zi Jin that Li Heng was often beaten by his second sister when he was a child, and asked with a faint smile, "Has second sister had lunch yet?"

Li Lan chimed in, "Not yet, we're waiting for you to arrive."

Seeing their daughter quickly become friends with the second daughter of the Li family, Jiang Yue and Song Shi were happy for her. The couple could tell that the Li family really liked Yu Bao, which was the scene they wanted to see most.

Li Lan was a pragmatic person. She didn't borrow a luxury car from Huang Zhaoyi, but instead drove the new van that the pastry shop had just bought.

A minivan can seat exactly 7 people.

After the car doors closed, the group chatted and laughed as they headed towards Quanjude to enjoy a Peking duck feast.

To be honest, this arrangement suited the tastes of Mr. and Mrs. Song Shi quite well. Quanjude roast duck is famous throughout the country, and the couple had missed it last time they came, which was a bit of a regret. This time they were able to make up for it.

When ordering, the waiter stared at Li Heng for a while.

Later, many restaurant staff members tried various ways to pass by him, their eyes constantly glancing at him.

Especially the female staff members, their eyes were so eager, they could eat him alive, they wished they could devour him.

Li Heng was speechless. Damn it, even eating a meal wasn't peaceful. Sure enough, one shouldn't be too handsome.

Jiang Yue and her husband also noticed the unusual situation, thinking: Li Heng, at such a young age, possesses a high social reputation and wealth, which is indeed as attractive as a magnet. Given this situation, it's quite remarkable that Li Heng can restrain himself from having only a few female confidantes around him.

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Yue and her husband felt a sense of bewilderment and realization regarding Li Heng's philandering.

Li Jianguo had worked in the system before, Tian Run'e was once a rich girl in the city, and Jiang Yue and Song Shi are currently teaching at Hubei University. All four of them have a lot of experience in dealing with people, so although it was their first time meeting, the atmosphere at the table was exceptionally good.

Li Lan acted as a topic generator, her thin lips moving like a machine gun, subtly praising everyone and providing them with high emotional value, making everyone at the table very happy.

After dinner, Jiang Yue quietly said to her husband, "This family seems pretty good so far. Especially Li Heng's second sister, I doubt even a TV host could be as eloquent as her."

Song Shi shared the same sentiment and, after thinking for a while, whispered, "Li Jianguo is steady and Tian Run'e has a kind face; neither of them seems like troublemakers. My daughter shouldn't have any trouble getting along with these two in the future."

As for Li Lan, whom you mentioned, if it weren't for the fact that she looks somewhat similar to Tian Run'e, I wouldn't believe she's their daughter; their personalities are so different.

Jiang Yue nodded and said softly, "Who says otherwise? The parents are honest and upright, but their children are all very clever. That's a blessing."

Song Shi said, "In today's society, it's better to be shrewd so you won't suffer losses when you go out."

Back in the middle of Xila Hutong, Song Yu took out her key from her bag and opened the gate of the courtyard house on the right.

Seeing this, Jiang Yue was shocked. After calmly walking around the courtyard house, she secretly asked her daughter, "This courtyard house has three courtyards and three exits. It's very large. How many square meters is it?"

Song Yu said, "Around 1000."

Jiang Yue then asked, "Is it Li Heng's business?"

Song Yu said yes.

Jiang Yue stared into her daughter's eyes: "It's his house, so how come you have the key?"

Meeting her mother's gaze, Song Yu said calmly, "Li Heng owns three more courtyard houses like this in Beijing. He initially wanted to give me this one, but I declined."

But his personality is rather... rather... I couldn't persuade him otherwise, so I came up with a compromise: I would temporarily keep the key and take care of the flowers and plants in the yard for him.

Jiang Yue wasn't stupid; she understood: this courtyard house was carefully prepared by Li Heng for his daughter, and if nothing unexpected happened, it would be Yu Bao's place of residence in the capital.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Yue asked, "Li Heng has prepared such a large property for you, but has he prepared one for other people?"

The other women refer to Li Heng's women.

Now that things have come to this, facing her current partner who cares about her, Song Yu didn't lie: "I heard that he bought Xiao Han a Western-style villa in Xuhui District, Shanghai."

"A Western-style villa?"

Jiang Yue pondered the four words for a moment, then asked, "How big is this villa?"

Song Yu remained silent.

Jiang Yue pressed further, "Is it larger than this area?"

Song Yu said, "It's different."

Jiang Yue asked, "What's different?"

Song Yu said, "This is the capital city, a place where every inch of land is precious. It's not easy to have such a large courtyard house."

Jiang Yue spoke up: "Shanghai is the country's economic center, so tell me, how big is the Western-style villa exactly?"

Song Yu said helplessly, "I heard it's over 1600 square meters."

Jiang Yue's mouth opened slightly: "So big?"

Song Yu nodded gently.

Jiang Yue asked, "Anyone else? Where are the others?"

Song Yu said, "There aren't any for now. They're just preparing some for the two of us."

Jiang Yue frowned, walked around the room a couple of times, and said, "Yu Bao, it seems you need to reassess Xiao Han's importance. Don't underestimate him."

Song Yu said, "I never underestimated her. However..."

Jiang Yue asked, "But what?"

Song Yu said, "Li Heng originally bought two houses and two shops for you and your father in Changsha, but I refused."

Jiang Yue asked, "When did this happen?"

Song Yu said, "This time, I rejected him at Dongting Lake."

Jiang Yue was not displeased upon hearing this, and kept saying that her daughter did the right thing: "That's right, you did very well. Although you are currently dating, you are not married yet. It is easy for people to look down on you if you accept his gifts casually, and they will think that you are only after his money."

P.S.: I haven't been feeling well these past few days and have been taking medication. I was really looking forward to the attendance bonus in March, but I had to give it up because of my health issues. I'm so sorry everyone.

(End of this chapter)