A few days later, the Xia family's new house was finally completed. According to local custom, after the new house is built, relatives and friends are invited to a meal, which is called "warming the house" and also to increase the house's popularity.

Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping both disliked trouble and didn't want to have too much contact with the people from the old house. They couldn't very well invite friends over for dinner without inviting their own parents, so they simply didn't invite any of them.

But the completion of the new house was a joyous occasion, so Zhang Hongyan took out a large bag of candy and gave a few to everyone who came to watch that day, receiving a basketful of auspicious words in return.

The children, in particular, were overjoyed; who wouldn't love free candy?

Zhang Hongyan originally planned to have an old carpenter make a new set of furniture for her daughter's and son's rooms after the house was built.

But now it has been decided that the whole family will go to Beijing, so the furniture-making project will be put on hold for the time being.

Under cover of darkness, Xia Heping took the gifts to the brigade leader's house, hoping he could help him obtain a letter of introduction and relevant certificates.

When Zhang Yougen heard that Xia Heping's family was planning to go to Beijing, his jaw almost dropped: "Heping, are you really planning to take your whole family to Beijing? Didn't you just build a new house?"

"Besides, if you go to Beijing, you won't have a house or a job. How will you live? Will the whole family rely on Qingqing's subsidies to survive?"

Zhang Yougen secretly shook his head in his heart. Even if Qingqing was indeed capable, she was still just a student. How could she possibly support a large family?

"Well... Qingqing bought a small house in Beijing," Xia Heping said vaguely.

Zhang Yougen's pupils suddenly contracted: "You bought a house in Beijing?"

Xia Heping panicked and immediately covered Zhang Yougen's mouth: "Captain, don't speak so loudly. I don't want too many people to know about this. Please don't tell anyone, and it's best not to tell anyone."

Zhang Yougen nodded in agreement, and Xia Heping released his grip upon seeing this.

"Hey, isn't your Qingqing in school? Where did you get so much money to buy a house?" Zhang Yougen asked suspiciously.

He wasn't trying to pry into other people's private affairs; he was just worried that Xia Qingqing was young and had a bright future, but might ruin it because of a moment of confusion.

Xia Heping glanced at Zhang Yougen. Although he knew Zhang was a decent person, he still didn't want to reveal Xia Qingqing's private business dealings. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhang Yougen sighed and said, "You all know what's going on. Qingqing has a bright future ahead of her, so you must not do anything wrong."

Xia Heping said gratefully, "Captain, we know your good intentions. Hongyan and I will keep a close eye on Qingqing."

"Sigh, if you're not comfortable living in Beijing, you can come back anytime," Zhang Yougen said without adding anything else, promising to give the things to Xia Heping tomorrow.

Xia Heping thanked him repeatedly and went home under the moonlight.

Wang Meili entered the house only after the person had left: "What did Xia Heping come to see you for? And why did he bring so many things?"

“They’re getting a letter of introduction; their whole family is going to Beijing,” Zhang Yougen said, his voice tinged with envy.

Wang Meili clicked her tongue: "Why are they going to Beijing again? Train tickets are so expensive, their family really has money to burn these days."

Zhang Yougen said mysteriously, "It's not a trip. The whole family is going to live in Beijing. His son, Gou Dan, is also going to school in Beijing. It might be difficult for them to come back in the future."

"What? Really?" Wang Meili's sharp voice made Zhang's sons and daughters-in-law think something serious had happened, and they rushed over.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Mom, what happened?"

Wang Meili looked at her son and daughter-in-law who rushed in, and waved her hand awkwardly: "I'm fine, you and your dad are chatting."

"What are you talking about? You seem so excited. I think I just saw Uncle Heping coming over. Is there something you need so late?" Zhang Aiguo, the third brother, asked curiously.

Generally speaking, even if someone comes to see Zhang Yougen at night, they usually sit in the main room to talk. This time, Xia Heping specifically pulled Zhang Yougen into the room to talk, which is a bit strange.

Zhang Yougen met his son's gossipy gaze, frowned and scolded, "Why are you so curious, you big man? It's none of your business. Go back to your room and go to sleep."

Seeing their father get angry, the group quickly scurried back to their rooms.

Lan Meili closed the door before continuing her gossip: "Yougen, what's the deal with Xia Heping's family moving to Beijing? What will they eat and drink there? Are they going to let Qingqing support them all?"

"I don't know, but they must have already made plans. We should try not to lose contact with them after they go to Beijing. Maybe they'll find out some good ways to make money."

Zhang Yougen, having served as the brigade leader for so many years, is certainly not stupid. Xia Heping's family would never have blindly gone to Beijing without a plan.

Furthermore, as the brigade leader, he frequently needed to give reports and attend meetings in the commune and county, so he had some understanding of the policies at the higher levels and could vaguely guess why Xia Qingqing could afford a house in Beijing.

"Okay, I'll go talk to Hongyan tomorrow," Lan Meili said.

Lan Meili and Zhang Hongyan didn't usually interact much. After all, their children had wanted to meet before, but it didn't work out. Although they hadn't had any conflicts, there was still some awkwardness between them.

Lan Meili had regretted for a while that her second son and Qingqing hadn't gotten together, especially after Xia Qingqing was admitted to university. She felt it was a pity that she had missed out on a college student as a daughter-in-law.

Fortunately, Lan Meili has a good attitude. Although Xia Qingqing is a college student, her family is also well-off, and she is an officer in the army.

However, Zhang Jianguo's marriage was always a thorn in Lan Meili's side. Every letter she sent home would mention the issue of finding a partner, and Zhang Jianguo would either pretend not to see it or just brush it off.

Lan Meili doesn't ask for anything now, she only hopes that her son can quickly find a girl he likes and get married. She doesn't care about any other external conditions.

What else is there to complain about? It's a blessing that my son won't become a lifelong bachelor.

At this moment, Lan Meili had no idea that her son would soon give her a big surprise.

......

Zhang Jianguo, who was far away in the army, suddenly sneezed. He thought to himself, "It's so hot in the summer, I can't possibly have caught a cold." As if he had thought of something, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

Since Zhang Jianguo and Liang Feng went on a mission together last time, their relationship has become better and better.

After his previous conversation with Zhang Jianguo, Liang Feng had no further thoughts about the relationship between his sister and Zhang Jianguo.

Moreover, as an older brother, he always feels that no one is good enough for his younger sister.

However, after Liang's mother met Zhang Jianguo, she would occasionally mention such a sentence in her letters to her son. As the more she said it, the more Liang Feng unconsciously began to scrutinize Zhang Jianguo.