Before leaving Pingxi County, Xia Yunyao and Song Ze went to the county's textile factory.

Back then, Song Ze had received help from Qi Guangliang, one of the old man's subordinates, here. Now that he had returned to Pingxi County, he felt he had to go and visit him.

Qi Guangliang was pleasantly surprised to see Song Ze. He patted Song Ze on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Ze, when did you get here? How has the old commander been doing lately?"

"Uncle Qi, I came back with my fiancée and stopped by to see you. Grandpa is doing well, thank you for thinking of me," Song Ze said with a smile.

Xia Qingqing smiled and nodded at Qi Guangliang: "Hello, Uncle Qi."

Qi Guangliang's gaze fell on Xia Qingqing; he remembered this little girl.

Song Ze had originally been transferred back to Beijing by his old superior, but he returned because of this young girl and even took a position at the textile factory so that he could be closer to her.

Qi Guangliang sighed inwardly, thinking that after all these years, Xiao Ze had finally won the heart of his beauty.

He said with a smile, "The young lady is really pretty. Xiao Ze, you're such a lucky guy. When are you planning to get married? Uncle Qi will give you a big red envelope then."

"The date has been set, it will be in March."

Song Ze didn't suggest inviting the other party to a drink. It takes four or five days to travel from Pingxi County to Beijing and back. As the director of the textile factory, Qi Guangliang doesn't have that much free time to waste on attending a junior's wedding.

After exchanging pleasantries for a short while, Qi Guangliang invited the two of them to his home for dinner: "I'll have your aunt prepare a few more dishes, and we'll have a good drink together."

Song Ze quickly declined, "No, Uncle Qi, we have other things to do. We'll come see you again next time."

After leaving the textile factory, Xia Qingqing and Song Ze went to find Xiao Hui again.

Ever since Xiao Hui and Xia Heping went to Guangzhou, he has unlocked his full potential and opened a department store in the county town, selling all sorts of things.

He had money and people under him, and his business was thriving, making him a fortune.

When Xia Qingqing and the others arrived, they happened to run into Xiao Hui, who was about to go out to inspect the stores.

Xia Qingqing teased, "Oh, where is Boss Xiao rushing off to?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Xiao Hui turned around with a pleasant surprise: "What? You're back? I thought you weren't going back to your hometown this year. You didn't even tell me you were back."

Xia Qingqing briefly explained Xia's grandmother's situation: "That's how it is, that's why I haven't had time to come to see you."

Upon hearing that the old man had passed away, Xiao Hui's smile immediately vanished: "I didn't even know that."

Logically, given his relationship with Xia Qingqing's family, he should have gone to have a drink with the deceased.

Xia Qingqing shook her head calmly: "It's nothing serious. We're planning to go back to Beijing tomorrow, so we came to let you know."

"Leaving tomorrow? Why the rush?" Xiao Hui had wanted to treat them to a meal, but now he was afraid there wouldn't be time.

Xia Qingqing smiled and invited, "Why don't you come back with me for dinner? My dad was talking about you the other day. He's been in a bad mood lately, maybe your visit will cheer him up."

“That works too,” Xiao Hui said after a moment’s thought.

On the way back, Xia Qingqing casually mentioned that she and Song Ze were getting married soon: "If you have time, you can come to our wedding banquet. If you don't have time, I won't mind if you give me a red envelope."

Xiao Hui was stunned by the news, and said with a hint of envy, "When did this happen? So everyone will be married in the future, and I'll be the only single dog."

"Not only that, there's also Jiale to keep you company as a single dog, hahaha," Xia Qingqing pressed her face against Song Ze's back, the vibrations from her laughter spreading throughout Song Ze's body, causing him to unconsciously curl the corners of his lips.

Xiao Hui rolled his eyes and said seriously, "Have you set a wedding date yet? I need to check my schedule, and I'm not sure if I can find the time."

"Boss Xiao is currently very busy with important matters..."

The three of them chatted and laughed all the way back to Shihe Village.

Xia Mingde, who had been listless for the past few days, perked up when he saw Xiao Hui arrive: "Xiao Hui, what brings you here? Come in and sit down."

"Qingqing told me you went back to your hometown, so I thought I'd come and freeload a meal. I hope Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia won't mind," Xiao Hui said with a smile.

Because he had to spend time entertaining Xiao Hui, Xia Mingde's sadness had noticeably dissipated.

Xia Qingqing secretly gave herself a thumbs up for her cleverness.

Upon hearing Xiao Hui mention that he had opened a three-story department store in the county, Xia Mingde was clearly intrigued: "So you actually own that store? I've heard so many people mention it these past few days since I got back. They say it has a complete selection of items and you don't even need coupons."

"Well, it's nothing special," Xiao Hui said modestly.

Xia Heping patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Xiao Hui, don't be so modest. If such a big department store is still like this, how can ordinary people like us survive?"

“Yes, Xiao Hui is a big boss now,” Zhang Hongyan chimed in.

Xiao Hui was a little embarrassed by the praise: "Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia, you flatter me. I heard that you also opened a clothing store in Beijing. Is business doing well?"

When the topic turned to clothing stores, Zhang Hongyan became noticeably more talkative: "Business is indeed not bad, but it can't compare to a department store as big as yours."

He said with a hint of regret, "If we had known that department store was owned by you, we would have definitely gone to take a look. It's a pity we have to go back to Beijing tomorrow."

"Yes, if I had known you were back, Auntie, I would have definitely treated you to a meal," Xiao Hui said.

Seeing her parents chatting happily with Xiao Hui, Xia Qingqing quietly pulled Song Ze to the kitchen.

By the time Zhang Hongyan realized what was happening and went to the kitchen to cook, Xia Qingqing and Song Ze were already stir-frying the dishes.

Zhang Hongyan quickly stepped forward to take the spatula from Song Ze's hand: "Oh, Qingqing, how can you let Song Ze cook? Let me do it, let me do it."

As she spoke, she glared at her daughter, saying that she had never seen a family let their prospective son-in-law cook, and only her daughter would do such a thing.

Xia Qingqing brushed Zhang Hongyan's hand away: "Mom, go and rest. Aze and I will take care of it. We'll eat soon."

Song Ze chimed in, "Yes, Auntie, there are only two more dishes to finish. You should go and rest. Don't stand on ceremony with me."

"Mom, you should go out now," Xia Qingqing pushed Zhang Hongyan to the kitchen doorway.

Zhang Hongyan had no choice but to return to the main room after dealing with the two men.

Half an hour later, Xia Qingqing brought the last dish to the table: "Come on, try the food that Aze and I made and see how it tastes."

"Oh, you two cooked this yourself? I'm in for a treat today," Xiao Hui said with a smile, glancing at the delicious-looking dishes on the table.

......