This is at most an opportunity for Zhou Qingyang to meet more girls his own age, in case he really hits on one.

"Besides, didn't Secretary Zhao bring his daughter and son along? They're all young people, they'll have plenty to talk about when they get together."

As soon as Sheng Xiping saw the expression on his wife's face, he knew there was something fishy going on.

Zhao Guangning got married last year, and I heard that Zhao Rui is also engaged and will get married in the spring. These two are just there to make up the numbers.

Today's main character is still the daughter of Director Chen.

Alright, I see through it but won't say it out loud. This matter is indeed not suitable to be publicized.

If the brother-in-law is truly in love and falls for that girl, that would be wonderful.

But if it doesn't work out and the news gets out, it's bad for their reputation. It's better to just pretend you don't know anything.

"Understood, I'll go chat with Uncle Zhao and the others." Sheng Xiping smiled, turned around, and went inside to chat with Zhao Yongsheng and the others.

Although Sheng Xiping was just an ordinary worker, he was Zhou Mingyuan's son-in-law and had a close relationship with Zhao Yongsheng, so others wouldn't look down on him.

Everyone chatted and laughed together, making it quite lively.

Wang Chunxiu had prepared a lot of dishes in advance, and with the food that Sheng Xiping and the others had brought yesterday, today's banquet was exceptionally lavish.

Sauerkraut with braised pork belly, stewed spare ribs, four-happiness meatballs, fried eggplant fritters, deep-fried pork tenderloin, fried ribbonfish, stewed river fish, braised roe deer meat, pheasant stewed with mushrooms, and rabbit stewed with potatoes are almost all hearty dishes.

With so many dishes on the table, everyone praised them highly.

"Hey, Lao Zhou, your food is really good! So many hearty dishes, not a single vegetarian dish. You're really something," Zhao Yongsheng said with a smile.

"Isn't that just benefiting from the son-in-law's good fortune? Yesterday, the son-in-law brought over two big bags of food, all of it meat."

"Isn't that perfect? ​​We've made it all today, so why don't we invite everyone to come and have a taste?" Zhou Mingyuan was incredibly proud when he mentioned this.

"Come on, let's eat! We're here at your home, so don't be shy. Eat and drink as you please."

There were quite a few members of the Zhou family today; they set up three tables in total.

Zhou Mingyuan sat with Zhao Yongsheng and other leaders from the bureau at the table at the head of the kang (heated brick bed), while Wang Chunxiu sat with the hospital leaders at the table at the end of the kang.

The three Zhou siblings, Sheng Xiping, Zhao Guangning, Zhao Rui, and Chen Jie were at the table on the floor.

"Guangning, Chen Jie, Xiaorui, make yourselves at home, don't be shy."

"Qingyang, this is Chen Jie's first time visiting our family, so please take good care of her and be observant."

Wang Chunxiu specifically instructed her son and daughter to take good care of the guests.

“You’re all around the same age, so you’ll have common topics to talk about and can chat freely.”

Zhou Qingyang wasn't stupid. If he still couldn't figure out what his parents were up to from this situation, then all these years would have been for nothing.

He glanced at Chen Jie across from him, then suddenly felt his face getting hot and his heart beating a little fast, so he quickly lowered his head.

On the other end, Chen Jie understood something to some extent, and she also looked embarrassed, not knowing where to put her hands.

Fortunately, Zhao Guangning and Zhao Rui were also at the table.

Zhao Rui and Chen Jie both work at the hospital. Although they are not in the same department, they are quite familiar with each other.

Needless to say, Zhao Guangning is such a smart and quick-witted person, how could he not understand this little thing?

With the help of the brother and sister, and the presence of Sheng Xinhua, this rare little darling, the atmosphere at the table soon became lively.

Young people are naturally carefree and easygoing. Besides, no one brought up the matter publicly today. Everyone pretended not to know, laughing and joking, and soon they became familiar with each other.

Taking the opportunity, Zhou Qingyang also served Chen Jie some food, and the two exchanged a few words.

With fine wine and food before them, and Zhao Guangning and Sheng Xiping getting along well, and also having great respect for Zhou Qingyang, the three of them inevitably ended up having a few drinks.

However, they all understood that they had other tasks to complete today, so no one drank much; they just drank a little and that was about it.

The two tables on the kang (heated brick bed) were occupied by people from the forestry system, whom they knew quite well. Soon, the atmosphere became lively, with everyone shouting that they wouldn't leave until they were drunk.

At this moment, it becomes clear that Sheng Xinhua is not afraid of any occasion.

Even though the house was noisy and someone suddenly shouted out, the child sat steadily in her mother's lap and ate her meal.

No matter how noisy the surroundings were, they couldn't disturb him from eating.

The little guy's demeanor amazed Zhao Rui and Chen Jie, who kept praising Sheng Xinhua for being so steady, not like a child who had just turned one year old.

"Sister Qinglan, how did you raise your son? He's fair-skinned and chubby, and he's so adorable. The key is that he has such a good temper too."

I've seen many children, and most of them can't stand noisy environments; they cry when there are too many people in the house.

Your Xinhua is so well-behaved, never cries or makes a fuss, it's truly admirable.

Chen Jie is slightly younger than Zhou Qinglan, so she calls Zhou Qinglan "sister." Her saying this naturally implies both praising the child and trying to build a closer relationship with Zhou Qinglan.

"There are many people in our family, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are all playful and mischievous, which may be related to this."

Anyway, we don't usually control our volume when we talk; we speak loudly whenever we feel like it, and the child is used to it.

Zhou Qinglan looked down at her eldest son and saw that his mouth was covered in oil from eating meat. She quickly took a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and then explained to Chen Jie with a smile.

"Oh, I see. That's good."

Chen Jie was deliberately trying to strike up a conversation with Zhou Qinglan; she just needed to agree with whatever Zhou Qinglan said.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!