After being reborn, I raised my childhood sweetheart.

Chapter 35 The Adults' Gathering (Please read on, please vote with monthly tickets~)

Bai Mei County in 04 was much more lively than the era Xu Yuan was familiar with. At that time, there were not so many people going to work in other places. Young couples holding hands and families gathering everywhere on the streets were a sight that was usually only seen during the Spring Festival.

It can be said that everywhere is full of vitality, a realm where all things flourish.

Because of the limited entertainment and cultural facilities, a strong night market culture emerges in certain places, which brings us to the cultural square in Baimei County.

This is a newly built park, and it's always very lively in the evenings. The streets are lined with all sorts of barbecue stalls and food stalls, and the surrounding area is full of electric bikes and motorcycles.

Xu Yuan is having barbecue with his dad at this place tonight.

The word used here is "accompany," because today is, after all, a gathering of Dad's friends, which is similar to a social event.

The two got out of the car and, after walking a few steps, saw a burly man sitting at a large wooden table on the side of the street, with a gentle and sweet-looking woman sitting next to him.

Upon seeing Xu Yuan and Xu Jingguang, he waved vigorously to them:
"Old Xu, over here, over here!"

Xu Yuan has always been a polite and well-behaved child in his father's circle, and he always greets people proactively.

"Hello Uncle Song, hello Aunt Feng!"

"Hey there, Yuan Yuan! You're getting more and more handsome."

"Hehe, not at all, I'm far from being as good as Uncle Song Ming."

Xu Yuan deliberately imitated the way adults spoke, which amused Song Ming so much that he couldn't stop laughing. "Good, good, good, how come you're so good at talking? I think you only look handsome when Uncle Song gives you a red envelope, right?"

Xu Yuan lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Hmm... I'm usually very handsome, but when I'm given pocket money, that's when I'm at my most handsome."

Xu Yuan swayed with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Okay, okay... I just can't do anything with you."

As Song Ming was about to take out his wallet to give Xu Yuan some gold coins, Xu Jingguang quickly stopped him:
“Song Ming, don’t spoil him. Yuan Yuan might have more pocket money than you do.”

Xu Jingguang put down his bag and sat down, then asked Feng Lian with a smile, "When this kid got married, he said he wanted you to manage the money. He should have kept his word, right?"

Song Ming's wife, Feng Lian, simply smiled but didn't continue the conversation, while Song Ming patted his old friend on the shoulder:

"Sigh, your brother is really... things are different now. I really envy you being free and independent, Lao Xu!"

"They didn't want it this way, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Feng Lian was very polite to outsiders, but she was rude and even elbowed Song Ming when she spoke to him. "Besides, if you really had Jin Guang's ability to make money, I wouldn't need to manage your money! You clearly don't have much money, but you still like to spend it extravagantly and suffer for the sake of saving face. If I don't help you manage it, how will you save money to buy a house and a car?"

"Your sister-in-law is right, you don't really know how to spend money."

Xu Jingguang said, "He made a lot of money in the decoration business in the past two years. I told him to invest it and buy a shop in Xiheqiao. But he insisted on buying a car instead. Now that the project has just opened, the shop's value has almost doubled, but cars only depreciate."

Feng Lian was also annoyed by these words. "You, if you had gone into business with our old classmates, you would have been successful long ago. You wouldn't be living with your parents now."

"Oh, it's not like we can't afford a house now. We just want our baby to live in a better place."

Song Ming said, "I also want to live in a detached villa like the Xu family's, that would be so comfortable!"

"Anyway, our child will be born next year, so you, as the father, still need to put in more effort."

From the adults' conversation, Xu Yuan learned that Song Ming and Feng Lian were getting married because Song Ming was pregnant. Feng Lian's family seemed to be not well-off, so Song Ming's mother was against the marriage and it took quite a while before she finally gave in.

However, since his wife and mother live together, it's inevitable that there will be some friction in their lives. In their chats, Feng Lian would occasionally show the little grievances she suffered at home.

A classic mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict.

Life is all about the mundane things like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea; even the smallest, most trivial matters can cause trouble and annoyance.

Song Ming was caught in the middle and had no choice, since the house did indeed belong to his parents. As they talked, he started pouring beer.

"Come on, Lao Xu, I haven't had a proper drink with you since we got married. Let's have a go."

Xu Yuan immediately became alert upon seeing this, "Dad, didn't you drive here? You can't drink!" "Beer is just water, don't underestimate your dad's alcohol tolerance!"

Song Ming said with a smile, "I remember on his wedding day, he drank with all of us at the table. In the end, all of us guys were drunk, but he was still able to carry his wife home!"

It seems that in this era, not only children have high health, but adults are also incredibly daring and fearless.

"No... Dad can't drink it."

Xu Yuan persisted, his eyes full of sincerity: "Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health. I hope Dad will always be healthy."

"Look at this child... how eloquent he is!"

Feng Lian's affection for Xu Yuan grew even stronger. She rubbed her stomach and said with emotion, "If my child were half as sensible as Yuan Yuan, I would be so happy."

Xu Jingguang was also very proud of his son's thoughtfulness. "It's okay, Yuanyuan. If he drinks too much tonight, I won't drive. I'll leave the car here and we'll take a taxi home."

"You have to keep your word, Dad."

"When did I lie to you?"

"Aunt Feng, can you be my witness?"

“Okay, Aunt Feng will help you keep an eye on your dad.” Feng Lian nodded with a smile.

Everyone took the menu and started ordering barbecue. A moment later, a familiar voice came from behind Xu Yuan:
"Oh dear, I didn't expect you to arrive so early. And you're already drinking..."

Appearing behind Xu Yuan were He Xiaona and her best friend Wang Wenhui, with Wang Wenhui also holding the hand of a five-year-old boy.

After autumn arrived, He Xiaona wore a chestnut-colored coat, and her original Sassoon short hair was changed to a more fashionable slightly wavy style, making her look more mature and stylish.

"It's Aunt He!"

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up when he saw He Xiaona. "I didn't expect Aunt He to come today! You must have bought my Shark Giant, right?"

"A shark, a giant shark..."

He Xiaona looked troubled. She had thought the child had long forgotten about it, but she hadn't expected him to have such a good memory.

He Xiaona muttered, "Um... Auntie searched all over the county town before, but couldn't find any Shark Giant for sale?"

"Like This……"

Xu Jingguang said to Xu Yuan, "Yuanyuan, it's okay if you don't have it. Don't make things difficult for your Aunt He."

"Um……"

My rating in Xu Yuan's eyes has dropped!

He Xiaona felt that she had missed a great opportunity to win Xu Yuan's favor, so she quickly patted Xu Yuan's drooping head and comforted him, "Don't worry, Yuan Yuan."

"Auntie will ask her friends in Shanghai to help you buy the Shark Giant toy. If she can't buy it this time, Auntie will really be too ashamed to face you!"

"Really, Auntie?"

Xu Yuan said seriously, "You have to keep your word!"

"Auntie always keeps her word, I'll pinky promise you!"

Xu Yuan and He Xiaona made a pinky promise, swaying back and forth. Xu Yuan muttered a spell: "Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred million years. If Aunt He is lying, may I swallow a hundred thousand needles, climb mountains of knives, plunge into boiling oil, and enter the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reincarnated!"

"One hundred thousand...one hundred thousand needles is a bit too many, isn't it?"

"That's how friends at my school pinky swear."

Xu Yuan's childlike voice was full of childlike innocence and naivety, and he didn't seem to be lying!
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(End of this chapter)