Chapter 49 (Combined with Chapter 49)

Yan Ruyi had just repeated Song Yiping's name three times when she saw a jeep driving towards them.

Yan Ruyi didn't even see clearly whether it was the car Song Yi usually drove before running towards it.

The jeep sped up, then braked sharply and stopped right in front of her.

Song Yiping opened the car door, jumped out, and, resisting the urge to kiss her, hugged her tightly. "When did you get back?"

Yan Ruyi: "I just got back not long ago. I didn't know if you were back from the training camp. I called your office just now, but no one answered. I thought you weren't back yet."

Song Yiping: "I just got back from field training and haven't gone back to the office yet."

Yan Ruyi said sweetly, "My grandma said that if you miss someone, just say that person's name a few times, and that person will appear. I was just saying your name, and it really brought you to my attention. Grandma's words are really effective."

Song Yiping asked in a low voice, "Did you miss me?"

Yan Ruyi immediately replied, "I did think about it. I even wrote you a letter. Did you not receive it?"

Where did you send it?

"It's been sent to the military compound, to the address you gave me before I left."

I squeezed her hand and found it was ice cold. "I'll go check if it's arrived yet. It must be cold. Get in the car first."

He opened the passenger door, and Yan Ruyi had just sat down when Song Yiping kissed her.

Yan Ruyi was so frightened that she quickly pushed him away.

Song Yiping: "There's no one on the road."

Yan Ruyi looked around, and there was really no one there.

It was cold and snowing, and there were hardly any people on the road.

She mustered her courage and went over to Song Yiping, gently biting his lip.

Song Yiping's hand trembled, and he almost drove the car onto the curb.

Startled, Yan Ruyi sat up straight immediately. Seeing that Song Yiping had turned the car back, she asked him, "Why did you turn it back again?"

Song Yiping: "Go get the letter."

Yan Ruyi muttered, "You don't miss me at all. I remember writing to you, but you haven't written to me."

"It's my fault. I'll make it up to you later. If you don't mind, I can pay you the interest now."

Knowing he was talking nonsense again, Yan Ruyi's face turned red again, "Drive carefully and don't talk nonsense."

Song Yiping's lips curled up into a smile.

She's so easily embarrassed; what will she be like after she gets married?

Song Yiping drove to the military compound.

When sending letters to the military, they are usually first sent to the political department, which then distributes them to other departments.

He was not in the military region during this period. If Yan Ruyi's letter had been sent to the troops, it should still be in the political department.

He let Yan Ruyi sit in the car while he went to the political office to get the letter.

Before long, he returned with a letter.

After getting on the bus, I opened the letter, and as I read it, a smile crept onto my face.

Yan Ruyi wrote this letter because she missed Song Yiping so much.

So the whole page was filled with longing, and she even said that she couldn't sleep at night because of it.

She didn't feel anything when she was writing it, but now that Song Yiping was reading it in front of her, she felt a little embarrassed. She snatched the letter away and stuffed it into an envelope, very domineeringly, "You're not allowed to read it now. You can read it when you're alone."

Song Yiping smiled and ruffled her hair. "Okay."

Song Yiping then drove to the machine tool factory's residential compound.

When Ye Hongzhen saw him, she said happily, "I was just talking to Ruyi about how long it had been since you last came. I just found out you went on a training exercise. It must have been tough going out in this cold weather. You look so tanned. I'll go buy a chicken and make some chicken soup to help you recover."

Ye Hongzhen busied herself making chicken soup for Song Yiping, while Yan Ruyi pulled Song Yiping to her room to show him the good stuff she had found in Hong Kong.

She opened the drawer, took out an object wrapped in black velvet, placed it on the table, and then unwrapped the velvet.

It is an iron artifact in the shape of an animal, about the size of an adult's palm. Because it is so old and has not been properly maintained, it is already a bit rusty.

Song Yiping, "Beast Devouring?"

Yan Ruyi was quite surprised that Song Yiping even knew about Zeng Tun.

Song Yiping explained, "I have read the book 'The Complete Treatise on Military Classics,' which mentions beast swallowing. The description is very similar to this."

The beast-head armor is a metal component in ancient armor that protects the joints of the shoulders, abdomen, and other areas. It is often shaped like an animal head and is usually made of cast iron.

Yan Ruyi was discovered in a small shop on the antique street in Gangcheng, placed in an inconspicuous location.

In the antique circle of the port city, porcelain and calligraphy and paintings are more popular, while iron antiques like this are rarely sought after.

So it's been gathering dust on the shelf all this time, and it's also covered in rust.

Yan Ruyi, however, fell in love with it at first sight.

She felt that she and Song Yiping were a perfect match.

I imagined Song Yiping wearing armor with beast-shaped ornaments, riding a green horse, holding a twelve-foot-long broadsword, standing on the battlefield with a cold and aloof expression, looking majestic and imposing.

Just for this scene, it's worth buying this beast.

So she bought it, spending a total of HK$20, which is equivalent to RMB 8.

Looking at the beast-devouring beast, a part of Song Yiping's heart seemed to be touched. He felt a sense of familiarity with it, held it in his hand, and patted Yan Ruyi's head. "Thank you, I like it very much."

After showing off the beast swallowing technique to Song Yiping, Yan Ruyi took out photos she had taken in Hong Kong and told him where they were taken.

Remembering the photos I took in People's Park before going to the port city, I asked Song Yiping, "Have the photos from People's Park been developed yet?"

"It's washed out."

Song Yiping took out his wallet, inside which was a photo of him and Yan Ruyi. "The rest are in the office."

This photo is the one of the two of them standing on the bridgehead. She is standing in front of Song Yiping, and Song Yiping has his arm around her shoulder.

She thought Song Yiping was looking at the camera just like her.

She even specifically told him to smile when taking the photos.

When they saw the photo, they realized that Song Yiping was indeed smiling, but he wasn't looking at the camera at all; he was smiling at her instead.

Moreover, at the time, I didn't realize how close she was to Song Yiping. It was only when I saw the photos that I realized she was leaning tightly against Song Yiping, grinning so wide her eyes were almost invisible.

Liu Yunmin didn't remind them and just took the picture.

Although it looks rather embarrassing, the photo is actually quite beautiful.

Yan Ruyi decided to confiscate the photo. She forcefully took it out of her wallet and said, "This one isn't good. You can find another one later."

Song Yiping calmly nodded, "Okay."

He liked this one the most, and he guessed that Yan Ruyi would do this, so he specially printed another one.

It doesn't matter if Yan Ruyi took it; he still has others.

Having stolen someone's photo, Yan Ruyi felt it necessary to take some action to comfort him, so she took out a piece of candy and stuffed it into Song Yiping's mouth, saying, "This is a famous lucky candy in Hong Kong. It is said that eating it will bring good luck."

Song Yiping felt that being in a relationship with Yan Ruyi proved that he was already very lucky.

Of course, it could be even better.

For example, he could take Yan Ruyi to meet his parents, and then naturally put marriage on the agenda.

Although Yan Ruyi couldn't help feeling nervous at the thought of meeting her future in-laws.

But Song Yiping had already met her family, and on such a grand occasion, and he had handled it all.

She should also go and meet Song Yiping's parents.

Ye Hongzhen also felt that her daughter should meet her future in-laws. "If Xiao Song's parents have time, I think this Sunday would be a good day. Last time Xiao Song brought some pork, I made several pounds of sausages, and they're all dried. He hasn't had time to pick them up yet, so we can take them over today."

Song Yiping's family background speaks for itself; they certainly lack nothing.

All they could do was send a token of their appreciation.

Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping discussed it and decided to hold it this Sunday.

She went to Hong Kong for half a month of training, and the first thing she did when she got to work was to report her progress to Director Liu.

She filled two large notebooks with her reflections on this learning experience and her vision for the architecture of Jialide.

I showed it all to Director Liu.

Director Liu praised her, saying, "Jialide will organize its structure according to your plan. As for the specific personnel allocation, you should first provide me with a plan, and after I report to the leadership, we will recruit the necessary personnel."

Yan Ruyi expressed her gratitude to Director Liu, saying, "Thank you, Director Liu, for your strong support of our work."

Director Liu waved his hand with a smile, "Although you have only been working for a short time, your achievements are obvious to all. Otherwise, the bureau would not have entrusted you with such a heavy responsibility. The city leaders also unanimously approved it, which shows that they also recognize your work ability. Vice Mayor Xu praised you highly, saying that you are young and promising."

Yan Ruyi asked in surprise, "Vice Mayor Xu still remembers me?"

Director Liu chuckled, “You’re on the list of city leaders now. When it comes to selecting outstanding city workers at the end of this year, our bureau has submitted your name. If you’re selected, it won’t be Vice Mayor Xu, it will be Mayor Liu himself who presents you with the award.”

Yan Ruyi felt that she had hit the jackpot this year.

First, she pulled Song Yiping, this coveted prize, into her own bowl.

He was promoted to deputy director.

Although she was a deputy, Director Liu was just a figurehead and didn't do any real work; she was no different from the director.

If she is selected as a municipal-level outstanding worker again, then this year will be a triple celebration for her.

Yan Ruyi quickly told Director Liu, "I will definitely work hard and live up to your and all the leaders' trust in me."

She was so surprised that her mouth remained open until she got home.

Ye Hongzhen, "What's making you so happy?"

Yan Ruyi said, "Today, Director Liu told me that I have a chance to be selected as an advanced worker at the city level, and Mayor Liu will personally present me with the award."

Ye Hongzhen exclaimed with delight, "Then I can see the mayor!"

Yan Ruyi said happily, "I'll be able to shake hands with the mayor then."

She had never spoken to Mayor Liu, but once when she went to the city government office on business, she saw him from afar. Mayor Liu wore glasses and spoke in a gentle and refined manner, clearly an intellectual.

I heard that Mayor Liu is a very good ballroom dancer; he even attended last year's Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day) social gathering.

In a moment of impulse, she even considered going over to talk to Mayor Liu.

Thinking about it, I didn't know what to say, so I gave up. I never thought that one day I would actually shake hands with Mayor Liu.

Li Yan, however, poured cold water on her enthusiasm, saying, "The selection hasn't even started yet. What if you don't get selected?"

Yan Ruyi confidently analyzed, "I heard from Sister Qingmei that the bureau only nominated two people this year, one is me, and the other is Cheng Hui from the archaeological team. I compared our work performance. Cheng Hui participated in three archaeological excavations this year and spent most of the year at the field archaeological site, but he did not make any particularly outstanding contributions. If it were a selection for hard-working workers, he might be on the list. However, the selection for advanced workers values ​​personal contributions to the work. It requires both hard work and merit. In this respect, I am better than him. If I were a judge, I would definitely choose me over him."

Li Yan: "What if neither of them gets selected?"

Yan Ruyi: "No, according to convention, each unit has at least one spot, it's impossible for two people to be left out."

Although Ye Hongzhen didn't understand, she believed her daughter's words.

Song Yiping agreed with Yan Ruyi's analysis, saying, "Then we should celebrate."

Yan Ruyi said modestly, "Let's wait until the results are in before we celebrate. If I don't win, your family will laugh at me when we meet."

Early Sunday morning, Song Yiping came to pick her up.

She didn't say it, but it was obvious to her that she was a little nervous.

Song Yiping comforted her, "You don't need to be nervous, my dad and mom are both very easygoing."

Yan Ruyi said, "You don't understand. How can a daughter-in-law not be nervous when she meets her in-laws for the first time?"

Song Yiping smiled and called out to her, "Wife."

Yan Ruyi realized what she had just said and punched Song Yiping, "I was just saying it offhand, don't shout nonsense."

He was also warned, "When we get to your house, you're not allowed to shout, or you'll be so embarrassed."

Song Yiping assured her that he would behave properly when the time came.

Yan Ruyi was relieved.

This was her second time visiting the military compound.

However, last time she only stayed at the gate for a short while, but this time she took a car to Song Yiping's house, and her mood was completely different.

When she was almost at Song Yiping's house, she quickly took out a small mirror and looked at herself to see if there was anything wrong.

Song Yiping: "You look beautiful today."

Yan Ruyi: "I'm beautiful every day."

Song Yiping liked her confident and flamboyant demeanor. He habitually reached out to ruffle her hair, but Yan Ruyi quickly protected him, saying, "You can't ruffle it, or my hairstyle will be messed up."

Song Yiping had no choice but to regretfully put his hand down.

Song Yiping parked the car at the entrance. Yan Ruyi peered out the window and saw a two-story building. Like the other buildings, it had red bricks and gray tiles, and the yard was filled with flowers and plants that she couldn't name.

In short, it's very clean and beautiful.

Fang Yuru heard the car horn from inside the house and, thinking that Song Yiping had returned, came out of the house.

Song Yiping got out of the car first, carrying gifts in his hand. The passenger door opened afterward, and Fang Yuru saw Yan Ruyi get out of the car and came to greet her.

She had already met Yan Ruyi before, but she still acted as if it were their first meeting and greeted her warmly, "You must be Ruyi?"

Yan Ruyi greeted her politely, "Hello, Auntie."

Fang Yuru: "Alright, alright, it's cold outside, please come inside."

Song Chengren also came out of the house. He was tall and serious, and his expression was somewhat similar to Song Yiping's.

Yan Ruyi also greeted him.

Fang Yuru: "Grandpa Yiping lives in the countryside. It snowed heavily a couple of days ago, and now that the snow has melted, the roads are all muddy. He wanted to come over, but there's too much mud, so he can't leave the village. He's feeling really annoyed right now."

Yan Ruyi said, "I'll call Grandpa in a bit and say hello."

Fang Yuru hadn't thought of that.

The prospective daughter-in-law had an idea and said happily, "Okay, give him a call later. The old man will be so happy to receive your call."

As Liu Sao came out of the kitchen, Fang Yuru introduced her to Yan Ruyi, "This is Liu Sao."

Yan Ruyi had heard Song Yiping say that Aunt Liu had been living with their family since Song Yiping was a child, and had watched him grow up, so she was practically family. So she greeted her, "Hello, Aunt Liu."

Aunt Liu said cheerfully, "Your name is Ruyi, right? Hello Ruyi, please come in and sit down. I'll pour you some water."

The group entered the house.

The room was heated, and it was very warm. Yan Ruyi's face immediately turned red from the heat.

Song Yiping helped her take off her coat and hung it on the hanger.

Just as Fang Yuru was about to ask Yan Ruyi to sit down, she heard another car outside. When she went out to look, she found it was Song Manli.

Because Song Manli had repeatedly belittled Yan Ruyi during their last meeting, Fang Yuru was reluctant to see her. She hadn't told Song Manli about Yan Ruyi's upcoming visit, and didn't know why Song Manli had suddenly shown up. Song Manli had already gotten out of the car.

She was wearing a leather coat with a fur collar, exuding an air of luxury.

"Is this the Jeep that Yiping drives? Why is he back so early today?"

Fang Yuru said indifferently, "His girlfriend is here. She just came in."

Song Manyi: "Yiping's boyfriend is coming today. Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Luckily, I made it in time. I'm going to meet him."

She didn't just happen to be there; she came specifically for this purpose.

She wasn't feeling well today, so she went to the military hospital for a checkup, but when she got there, she didn't see Fang Yuru.

She remembered that Fang Yuru was on duty today, which was why she came to the hospital.

A doctor in Fang Yuru's department said that Song Yiping brought his girlfriend over today, and Fang Yuru specially changed her shift to wait for her future daughter-in-law at home.

Song Manli was a little angry.

She's surnamed Song, after all. Why didn't Song Yiping tell her when he brought his girlfriend over?

Fang Yuru didn't want to invite her, but she insisted on coming anyway.

She had introduced Song Yiping to potential partners, but he never even went to meet them, which made her lose face.

She wanted to see just how amazing this girl was that she had captivated Song Yiping.

Since everyone had arrived, Fang Yuru couldn't just kick them out, so she had no choice but to go inside with Song Manli.

Yan Ruyi had just sat down on the sofa when she saw the curtain being lifted again, and a woman dressed in elegant and luxurious attire entered first, followed closely by Fang Yuru.

She didn't know who this person was or what their relationship was with Song Yiping's family, so she stood up and waited for Fang Yuru and the others to introduce them.

Before Fang Yuru could introduce them, Song Manli spoke first, "You must be Yiping's girlfriend, right? Your name is Yan Ruyi, isn't it?"

Fang Yuru said, "She is Yiping's aunt, so you should call her aunt too, just like Yiping does."

Yan Ruyi obediently called out, "Auntie."

Fang Manli looked her up and down and said, "She's really pretty. No wonder Yiping took a liking to her."

Although it was meant to be a compliment, the words sounded strangely awkward, as if to say that Song Yiping was only after Yan Ruyi's looks, and that Yan Ruyi was all show and no substance.

Fang Yuru frowned.

Aunt Liu poured tea for Yan Ruyi and brought it over.

Fang Yuru: "Give it to me."

He took the tea and personally served it to Yan Ruyi. "Yiping said you like jasmine tea. Try this tea and see how it tastes. The old man heard you were coming and specially asked someone to send it over."

Song Yiping took it and placed it on the coffee table in front of Yan Ruyi.

Aunt Liu said, "I saw a lot of sausages in the kitchen. Did Ruyi bring them over?"

Yan Ruyi: "My mom made it herself, half spicy and half non-spicy."

Fang Yuru said, "I love eating this, and the old man loves it too. When the road is cleared, I'll send some over to him."

Song Manli said, "You can't eat too much of this, especially if you're older. It's too salty and it's bad for your health. My family never eats this kind of pickled food."

Fang Yuru bluntly exposed her, "Come on, every time you come, you take the whole jar of pickled green beans from Aunt Liu's house. You take them home and then throw them away without eating them? Then don't take them next time."

Song Manli was rebuked, especially in front of Yan Ruyi, an outsider, so she didn't look too good.

Fang Yuru could tell too, and thought to herself, if you're unhappy, why don't you just leave?

Song Manli refused to leave and turned to talk to Song Chengren.

They were talking about old stories, which were nothing more than a subtle way of showing off how glorious the Song family's ancestors were.

Song Yiping sneered, "Relying on the achievements of our ancestors to make a living, without any ambition of our own, will eventually squander our wealth. In comparison, people who are down-to-earth are more respectable. Ruyi does this better than anyone else. She is studious and ambitious. At a young age, she is already the deputy director, in charge of the establishment of the first auction house. I'm afraid few of those who lie on the laurels of their ancestors can do this job."

Although Song Manli's children all work in government departments, it was basically through Song Manli's connections that they got those jobs.

They weren't particularly capable, and despite being in their positions for many years, they hadn't achieved anything significant; they were just accumulating seniority.

The only one with any ability is her son, Yang Shiyuan. However, because Song Manli interfered with his marriage and he married a girl he didn't like, he became somewhat disheartened. Since getting married, he has been a bit depressed and is basically just wasting his time.

None of her children are presentable, and I don't know where her sense of superiority comes from.

Song Manli retorted stubbornly, "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Besides, some things can't be obtained just by hard work..."

Fang Yuru suddenly spoke up for her, "Ruyi is visiting for the first time, and she even called you 'Auntie,' so you didn't prepare a gift for Ruyi?"

Song Manli was organizing her thoughts on how to refute Song Yiping when Fang Yuru interrupted her. She was momentarily stunned and asked, "What kind of gift?"

Fang Yuru said, "It's a gift for Ruyi. It's the first time you met Ruyi, and she even called you 'Auntie.' Shouldn't you give her a gift?"

Seeing Song Manli's stunned expression, she asked in surprise, "You didn't prepare a gift for our first meeting, did you?"

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Author's Note: Song Manli, "Our wealthy family has many rules and etiquette..."

Fang Yuru: "So, have you prepared a gift for our meeting?"