The next day, just as dawn broke, Granny Liu quietly got up. Today was the first time her youngest daughter was bringing her boyfriend to visit, and she wanted to go out and buy some fresh vegetables.

"Crunch," Zhang Xuemei rubbed her eyes and looked at her mother-in-law, who was getting ready to put on her shoes and go out in the living room, and asked curiously, "Mom, where are you going so early in the morning?"

"Going to buy groceries, the earlier you go, the fresher the vegetables. Isn't Xiao Lu coming over for lunch? I'm going out to buy some groceries." Granny Liu hadn't slept much all night, and now that dawn was finally here, she figured she might as well go buy some fresh groceries.

Zhang Xuemei glanced at the clock on the wall, yawned, and mumbled, "The seafood stalls don't open this early. Go buy some vegetables first, and when we come back, I'll take you to the big market to buy seafood. They have a wider variety and it's fresher there."

"You're buying seafood again? I don't know how to cook it!" At home, Granny Liu can only cook braised fish at most; she really doesn't know how to cook anything else.

"It's alright, I can do it." Although Tianshui City is not far from the sea, my mother-in-law has lived in the village all her life and has hardly ever eaten seafood, so it's normal that she doesn't know how to cook it.

"Okay, I'll come back later and you can take me there."

Zhang Xuemei didn't keep her mother-in-law waiting long. After a quick breakfast, she led her to the large vegetable market.

The market was bustling as soon as you entered. The vegetable section, seafood section, and fresh meat section were all clearly separated, and they wouldn't be outdated even 20 years from now.

Zhang Xuemei looked at her mother-in-law pushing a small cart and asked, "Mom, shall we go buy some meat first? How about we make your specialty, braised pork? I've already planned the menu, just buy whatever you have."

Granny Liu had no objections and waved her hand, saying, "I'll do whatever you say. I'll pay for the groceries."

"There's no need for you to pay. I brought my own money." Zhang Xuemei wasn't stingy, and besides, she wanted to take this opportunity to buy some of her favorite foods.

“No need,” Granny Liu insisted. “I’ll pay for it today. Don’t try to take it from me. I have money.”

Zhang Xuemei looked helplessly at her mother-in-law's insistent expression and gave in.

"Boss, give me a piece of pork belly, this one, this one is good," Zhang Xuemei said, pointing to a piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.

"Hey, why are you buying pork belly? You don't eat fatty meat." Granny Liu quickly stopped her. Of the family, only she and her sons ate fatty meat. Xuemei and Xiaowan couldn't stand even a little bit of fatty meat.

"But isn't braised pork made with pork belly?" Zhang Xuemei didn't want to buy pork belly either, but today's main character was Lu Baichuan, and Xiao Wan said he loved braised pork belly.

"Then you don't need to buy such a big piece. We can just buy a small piece and two spare ribs to make it together." Granny Liu instructed the shopkeeper to cut the pork belly in half and add two spare ribs.

Zhang Xuemei smiled and looked at her mother-in-law, "Mom still loves me the most; she knows I don't like fatty meat."

"It's not just for you. Alright, go buy some beef, or it'll be gone," Granny Liu said stubbornly, feeling rather embarrassed to say it with so many people watching.

Zhang Xuemei didn't expose her mother-in-law. Instead, she led her around to the beef stall, turned to her mother-in-law, and asked, "Mom, shall we buy some beef brisket stew with potatoes?"

"Buy it, I know how to cook this." After staying at Lao San's house for a long time, I've learned to cook many dishes that I didn't know how to cook before.

"Mom, buy some shrimp to make braised shrimp, and a few crabs to steam, and three pounds of crayfish too."

"Oh, I don't know how to make this. It has so many pliers. If you want to buy it, you can make it yourself." Granny Liu had absolutely no interest in crayfish and didn't know how to cook them.

"I can do this, let me do it. And another sea bass, steamed. Xiaowan said Lu Baichuan loves fish, this is perfect."

"Alright, alright, that's enough. We'll just buy another chicken later. There are only a few people eating lunch, and we won't be able to finish cooking too much." Granny Liu hurriedly stopped Zhang Xuemei, who still wanted to buy something else. She was a little heartbroken as the money was being spent.

Zhang Xuemei smiled as she looked at her mother-in-law, who was clearly distressed, and said, "Alright, alright, let's not buy anymore, let's go home!"

As soon as the two entered the house, they heard Xiao Wan laughing. Looking up, they saw that the person sitting on the sofa in the living room was none other than Lu Baichuan.

As soon as Lu Baichuan heard the door open, he immediately stood up and rushed forward to take the things from their hands. "Auntie, Third Sister-in-law, let me do it. Should we put them in the kitchen?" he said, carrying the bags towards the kitchen.

"Xiao Wan, why are you here so early? Mom and I just got back from the market." Zhang Xuemei went back inside to change her clothes before picking up her little daughter who was crawling around on the floor.

“Baichuan wanted to come and help as soon as possible. Third sister-in-law, look, Baichuan brought a set of skincare products for you, your eldest sister-in-law, and your second sister-in-law,” Xu Mingwan said with a smile, pointing to the bags on the coffee table.

"You've come all this way, why bring us gifts? Why be so polite?" Zhang Xuemei said somewhat embarrassedly. She hadn't prepared a gift for Lu Baichuan either, so accepting his gift made her feel a little awkward.

At this moment, Lu Baichuan also came out of the kitchen, scratching his head and smiling, "Third Aunt, this is all my little something. I also bought a box of donkey-hide gelatin for Aunt, which she usually stews to nourish her body. I prepared two bottles of baijiu for Uncle, and my brothers all brought tea. Of course, I didn't forget the toys for the children; I put them all here."

Granny Liu looked at her with a smile, "Little Lu, you really went to a lot of trouble, buying so many things must have cost you a lot of money. You can't do this again."

"Yes, buying gifts for you aunties is hardly a waste of money!" Lu Baichuan replied with a smile.

Zhang Xuemei leaned close to Xu Mingwan and whispered, "That Xiao Lu has a sweet tongue; look how well he's charmed Mom."

“That’s how he always coaxes his parents at home, he’s quite skilled at it,” Xu Mingwan replied quietly.

Meanwhile, Granny Liu had already begun the formal household registration investigation process. "Xiao Lu, you and Xiao Wan have been together for almost half a year now. Look at how I've treated your family..."

Lu Baichuan, quick to pick up the conversation, said, "Auntie, look, I forgot to introduce my family. I have three children: an older brother and an older sister, who are both married, and I'm the only one left."

My dad used to work for the forestry bureau, and now he works as a gatekeeper for a clothing market. My mom was a teacher, but she's retired. We're just an ordinary family, and my parents hope I'll settle down and get married soon.

"Oh, really? Your parents have good jobs, being educated is great. So what does your family think about you and Xiaowan? Xiaowan is the youngest child in our family, and we hope she can find someone who treats her well."

Granny Liu's point about "good" wasn't just about Lu Baichuan; his parents also needed to treat Xiao Wan well, otherwise a marriage that the parents didn't approve of wouldn't last.