"Okay, I'll tell you about what happened before in the next few days."

Liu Xiaoshan arrived just in time to pick them up, and when he saw that all the bowls and plates on the table were empty, with only some condiments left, his expression froze.

Ying Yan hummed in agreement: "There's nothing we can do. My husband and I live in the countryside all year round, and we don't eat much oily food, so we have a bigger appetite."

"I wonder if Director Ying's salary is enough for my wife and me to eat?"

"Don't let our return burden him too much, otherwise we would be unfilial."

"No, not at all," Liu Xiaoshan quickly said with a smile. "Director Ying has been frugal all these years, and his wife is not the type to be extravagant. The three young ladies in the family are also well-behaved and sensible. They manage to save a lot of their monthly salary, which they all keep for you."

"That's good. The two of us can eat as much as seven or eight of you. Since your family is well-off, we don't need to go hungry."

Liu Xiaoshan drove them back to their residential area.

This place is some distance from the city center; according to later classifications, it should be located on the outskirts of the Third Ring Road.

"Xiao Liu, who is this relative of the Ying family? Such a grand entrance, and they even made you drive to pick them up?"

As soon as Liu Xiaoshan got off the bus and ran to open the door, he was surrounded by several aunties and grandmas carrying baskets.

Since the beginning of this year, stalls have started appearing at Nanfeng Market, organized by suburban communes. These stalls sell products grown on villagers' private plots, as well as meat and eggs from their own livestock. The market is usually open in the morning, with prices decreasing after noon.

Many people like to go out at the exact time to find bargains.

“This is the son of our Ying family,” Liu Xiaoshan said with a smile. “He just came back from the countryside and will be staying here permanently. We’ll need the aunties and uncles to take good care of him.”

Their eyes lit up as they looked at Ying Yan, and before they could say anything, they watched as he turned to the other side of the car and opened the door.

What an outstandingly good-looking young couple! They couldn't help but gasp, their minds going blank for a moment.

By the time they came to their senses, the person had already gone upstairs.

Liu Xiaoshan, carrying heavy luggage, led the two up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door, panting.

The person inside responded lazily, and after a while opened the door; the woman was in her thirties or forties.

According to Ke Meiyu's estimation, the person was about 1.55 meters tall and weighed about 130-140 kilograms. The skin was slightly dark, but it was covered with a layer of white powder, and the white particles floated around as the person moved...

His facial features weren't particularly outstanding, but his eyes had a lot of white showing; it was unclear whether this was innate or a sign of disdain.

She was wearing a white round-neck blouse, a pale yellow floral skirt, and her shoulder-length hair was shiny with oil.

"Madam, this is Ying Yan," Liu Xiaoshan introduced with a slight bow and a smile.

The woman stared at Ying Yan for a while, glanced at Ke Meiyu, stepped aside, crossed her arms, and pouted, "There aren't any extra slippers at home, so you can come in barefoot. No, you've been sitting in the car for so long, your feet must smell. Xiao Liu, go to the bathroom and get a basin of water so they can wash and dry their feet before coming in."

"In the summer, it's hot and there's not a breath of wind. The smell in the house takes forever to dissipate!"

Liu Xiaoshan didn't dare to say a word, glancing at Ying Yan out of the corner of his eye.

Ke Meiyu, clinging to Ying Yan's arm, huffed angrily, "Ying Yan, is this your family's nanny? How come you, a proper young master of the Ying family, can't even come into the house?"

"If this doesn't work out, how about we stay at a guesthouse? I heard there's a guesthouse in the Second Ring Road that's all private, one-room guesthouses. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than the whole family huddled together here?"

The woman's chest heaved with anger.

Before this, Ying Xuhui had repeatedly emphasized to her that as long as Ying Yan came back, he would do everything he could to keep her there.

She was also thinking that after living in the countryside for so long, suffering and to the point of despair, all her edges had been worn down. If she could return to the city, wouldn't she be extremely careful and afraid of going back?

What's with this self-righteous little devil?

As soon as they met, was she going to back down? How could she maintain the demeanor of the mistress of the Ying family in the future?

Before she could think it through, she turned around and started walking down the stairs without any hesitation.

“Ying Yan, where is as comfortable and reassuring as home? You only have a letter of introduction for visiting relatives, so you can only stay in a nearby guesthouse. Besides, Kyoto is not like other cities or towns. Guesthouses are usually overcrowded with people visiting relatives and friends or on business trips.” Liu Xiaoshan hurriedly spoke up, then looked at Ai Yufeng with a pleading expression: “Madam, Director Ying repeatedly told me to bring the young master home.”

"If he doesn't see anyone at home, he'll definitely throw a tantrum."

Ai Yufeng thought about how her father had been dismissed from his post, and how she had lost her former glory in the past two years, now having to be subservient to men.

Thinking about the benefits she could gain from her adopted son, she pursed her lips in resentment, snorted coldly, and turned back into the house.

Liu Xiaoshan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and welcomed Ying Yan and Ke Meiyu into the room. He busied himself pouring them water and cutting watermelon, then carried their luggage to the bedroom.

As a result, all three bedrooms were locked from the inside!

Faced with Ying Yan's impatient expression, Liu Xiaoshan felt like crying but had no tears left. He could only quietly go from room to room to discuss and persuade her.

"Why should I give him my room? There's a proper order to things. The living room is big enough; let him sleep on the floor! What's a grown man afraid of?"

The girl inside deliberately raised her voice and shouted.

Another voice from the other room also shouted, "There are only three rooms in total. My parents have one room, and the remaining rooms are for one big and one small child. Why should we give the big room to him and leave the three of us sisters to live in the small room?"

"My eldest sister is getting married soon. Are we going to have the wedding procession come to our house and see the director's three daughters looking like pitiful little girls, crammed into a tiny room? Tomorrow the Ying family will become the laughingstock of Kyoto!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!