Liu Qin pulled her daughter over, saying, "Didn't you keep saying you wanted to see Qingyun? Now that he's here, what are you still standing there for?"
Zhou Ying frowned slightly in displeasure, but smiled brightly when facing Zhao Qingyun, "Brother Qingyun, it's been a long time. How have you been lately?"
Zhao Qingyun gave a slight smile. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you for your concern."
A little while later, the aunt called for dinner to be served, and everyone took their seats. The elders sat at one table, while the younger generation sat at a separate table.
Zhao Qingyun was originally at the table with the younger generation, but the old man hadn't seen him for so long and was reluctant to part with him, so he called him to sit down next to him.
Zhou Ying pursed her lips. If she were at this table, she could switch seats with someone else and sit next to him, but that was Old Master Zhao. Even if she had the guts, she wouldn't dare.
Zhao Qingyun didn't have much of an appetite. He didn't really like the feeling of eating with a large group of people. Even though the family rule was not to talk while eating or sleeping, he still found it noisy.
Once all the dishes were served, he made an excuse to smoke and went to the balcony. Judging by the time, Xu Lai should still be downstairs warming herself by the fire, with two big dogs lying at her feet.
He fiddled with his phone for a moment, then dialed the number. Xu Lai answered, "What's up? Missing me again?"
Zhao Qingyun chuckled softly, "Yes, I really want to go back and see you right away."
Xu Lai patted the dog's head. "Come back as soon as you're done with what you've done over there. I made a new dish for Grandpa and Grandma today, and they both thought it was delicious. You're the only one who hasn't tried it yet."
Zhao Qingyun asked with a smile, "What dish? Tell me about it?"
Xu Lai took a slice of sweet potato and said while eating, "Hmm, it's spicy cabbage stewed with pork ribs. I took out half a head of the spicy cabbage that time I made it. The pork ribs were stewed until tender, and with the sour and spicy spicy cabbage, the soup was especially good with rice. I ate half a bowl more rice today."
Zhao Qingyun smiled and said, "The food is pretty good, Boss Xu."
Xu Lai snorted, "Of course, it's a pity you don't get to taste it."
Zhao Qingyun asked, "Will you still make it for me when I get back?"
Xu Lai hummed in agreement, "It depends on your performance, and also on my mood."
As the two were chatting, Zhou Ying suddenly stood behind him and said, "Brother Qingyun, Grandpa asked why you haven't gone home for dinner yet. He's looking for you."
Hearing the sweet female voice on the other end, Xu Lai's smile slowly faded, and she asked, "Brother Qingyun?"
She clearly heard him, and heard him perfectly. Zhao Qingyun frowned and glanced at Zhou Ying, then said, "Something came up here. I'll explain when we get back tonight, okay?"
Xu Lai wasn't one to hold grudges; she had only called him that in jest. Hearing this, she nodded and said, "Go ahead and get back to work."
He returned to the table, and his grandfather began to ask, "What were you doing just now?"
Zhao Qingyun replied, "I smoked a cigarette."
Old Master Zhao knew perfectly well that he hadn't smelled any smoke at all. Ever since that incident, the boy had become estranged from him.
The old man patted him on the shoulder: "My good friend has a granddaughter who just returned from abroad this year. When do you have time to go and meet her?"
Zhao Qingyun gave a forced smile: "Grandpa, please don't worry about me. I don't like overseas returnees."
The old man clearly hadn't caught up with his train of thought and didn't understand what he meant. He paused for a moment and said, "What does a perfectly nice young woman have to do with a sea turtle? Your rejection was too abrupt."
Zhao Duo couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Grandpa, what my brother means is that he doesn't like students who have studied abroad and come back from overseas."
The old man looked left and right, unsure of what to say. Liu Qin then chimed in, "If you ask me, our Yingying is quite nice too. Both of them are single, so they could give it a try."
Ms. Yingqiu couldn't help but laugh, "Let me make this clear from the start, I don't want this daughter-in-law."
Out of consideration for his son and grandson, the old man did not reprimand Ms. Yingqiu. She was not afraid of what the old man would say; at worst, she would break off all ties. She had long disliked Liu Qin.
Last year, she instigated her daughter to hide in Zhao Qingyun's room, hoping to take advantage of him while he was drunk and force herself on him to become Zhao's daughter-in-law. However, Zhao Qingyun returned to his apartment that day and did not allow the mother and daughter to succeed.
Jiang Yingqiu forced herself to keep quiet about it, thinking that the old man was unaware. However, when she went to the old house for dinner, she overheard Liu Qin and her mother's conversation and realized that the old man had tacitly approved of it.
Zhao Qingyun was well-liked by all the directors, and the old man eventually felt a sense of crisis. Although he had stepped down, he could not tolerate his grandson stepping on his head.
He felt that if Zhao Qingyun married a nanny's granddaughter, he would not receive any support, and his power would naturally be dispersed.
When Zhao Qingyun learned of this, he applied for a transfer to the Hengxian branch without saying a word, using the excuse of accompanying the old lady back to her hometown to recuperate.
Zhao Qingyun suddenly spoke up: "I'm not single, I have a girlfriend, and we love each other very much."
Towards the end of the meal, the atmosphere became tense. Liu Qin felt embarrassed after being publicly humiliated, so she excused herself to go to the restroom and left with her daughter.
Jiang Yingqiu was also tired, so she made an excuse that the old lady was still at home and left with her husband and son.
"I just can't stand her. Who does she think she is, acting as a matchmaker? She doesn't even deserve it," Ms. Yingqiu said, sitting in the back row, going on and on.
Zhao Qingyun, driving the car, said, "Alright, Mom, let's not bring this up again now that it's over."
Ms. Yingqiu abruptly stopped, saying, "Let's not talk about it anymore."
She then asked, "How are things going between you and Xiao Lai?"
The light ahead was red, so he stopped the car and said, "The situation is stable at the moment. How's that answer?"
Jiang Yingqiu sighed. She kept repeating the phrase, "A son looks just like his father." Who says he doesn't?
Two days later, Zhao Qingyun prepared to return to Heng County. The old lady also wanted to go back, so he comforted her, saying, "Grandma, just stay here and spend the New Year in peace. I'll take you back then. It's cold at home, and your body can't handle it."
Grandma Jiang nodded: "Take care of yourself over there, and be good to Xiao Lai."
He arrived back in Heng County in the afternoon. He found his car parked at the airport, went to a flower shop first, and bought a bouquet of roses.
Then I went to the supermarket and bought some groceries. Even though I'm here alone, I still need to eat well.
When he returned to Shangxi Village, it was past mealtime, and Xu Lai was already washing the dishes.
He parked the car in front of the yard. When Xiao Hei and Lai Fu heard the noise, they ran out and barked. When they saw it was him, they wagged their tails and came over to rub against his trouser legs.
Zhao Qingyun squatted down and patted the two dogs' heads. "Where is she?"
Xiao Hei rushed to the kitchen door, turned to him, and Zhao Qingyun smiled before walking towards the kitchen.
Xu Lai had just finished washing the last dish when she was hugged around the waist. She was startled, but then she smelled Zhao Qingyun's scent and knew it was him.
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