After seeing her grandparents take a few sips of water, Qian Duoduo finally felt relieved. She breathed a sigh of relief and began chatting idly with Yuanfang and the others. Meanwhile, Jin Kuohao also approached Qian Mao and started a conversation.
Amidst the laughter and conversation, Yuanfang glanced at the clock on the wall, estimating that it was getting late. He stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "Alright, it's getting late. I need to hurry to the kitchen to prepare the meal."
Before he finished speaking, Qian Duoduo, who was sitting to the side, immediately stood up and replied, "I'll go with you to help."
However, before Qian Duoduo could take two steps, Zhang Muyao stood up as well and said crisply, "Count me in, I'll help with the cooking too."
Seeing this, Yuanfang smiled slightly and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, Muyao, don't get involved. Stay here and keep your grandma company! Look, she can't get enough of looking at you right now!"
Upon hearing Yuan Fang's words, Zhang Muyao subconsciously turned to look at Old Madam Jin, who was smiling and gazing at her with gentle eyes. She had already slightly lifted herself up to leave her seat, but involuntarily sat back down.
Grandma Jin stared intently at Zhang Muyao's fair and delicate face, growing more and more delighted with each glance. She thought to herself, "The third son's family really made the right choice in marrying this daughter-in-law. Look at her obedient and clever appearance; she truly makes one want to love her from the bottom of one's heart!"
She turned to Grandma Jin and smiled, then chatted with her about things that happened in Pengcheng and Haishi. The old lady listened with great interest, occasionally praising her for being very smart, which made Zhang Muyao a little embarrassed.
"You're a really good child!" the old lady exclaimed. "Living a good life with your third son is better than anything else."
"I understand, thank you for the compliment, Grandma," Zhang Muyao said modestly.
At this moment, Yuanfang and Qian Duoduo were busy cooking in the kitchen.
Yuanfang looked up at Qian Duoduo, who was skillfully chopping vegetables, and said with a smile, "Our Duoduo is so capable. Lu Yuan will definitely be a lucky man to marry you!"
Qian Duoduo smiled shyly and said, "Third Brother is already married, so I'll be soon too."
Yuanfang was taken aback and asked, "Are you getting married? To Lu Yuan?"
Qian Duoduo blushed and lowered her head as she answered, "It's him."
Yuanfang suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "Oh, it's him. When are you two having your wedding?"
Qian Duoduo smiled shyly and replied softly, "Lu Yuan's parents came to our house to present the betrothal gifts a while ago. Now, we just need to see how Lu Yuan and I can arrange our schedules."
After listening, Yuanfang's lips curled up slightly, and he nodded in satisfaction, saying with a smile, "Hmm, it's about time you got married. Your third brother got married late, do you want to be even later than him?"
Qian Duoduo scratched her head sheepishly, chuckled, and explained, "Actually, it's mainly because Lu Yuan's job is quite special, so it's impossible to determine an exact time."
Upon hearing this, Yuanfang still had a smile on his face and teased, "Haha, that's wonderful! Auntie is really looking forward to drinking your wedding wine! I missed your third brother's wedding last time, but I definitely have to attend yours this time."
Qian Duoduo laughed happily, picked up the spatula next to her, and replied with a grin, "That's great! Auntie, you must come!" As she spoke, she continued to skillfully stir-fry the dishes in the pan, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
Before long, Qian Duoduo and Yuanfang had prepared a table full of dishes. Looking at the abundance of food, especially the chicken stew with mushrooms, Grandma Jin frowned and asked doubtfully, "Yuanfang, we don't seem to have any chickens at home, do we?"
Yuanfang explained with a smile, "These chicks were brought by Qian Mao and the others. They said that neither you nor my father were able to attend the main banquet, so they brought them over specially."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Jin turned to look at Qian Mao, pondering to herself. She then turned her gaze to her obedient granddaughter-in-law beside her, nodding inwardly. "Hmm, she's married now, let's give her some face."
However, Qian Mao had no idea what Old Mrs. Jin was thinking. He was wondering why the old lady had changed her tune today. If it were any other time, she would definitely be seriously criticizing him for not being frugal, and then start to launch into a long, rambling lecture that wouldn't stop until she was at least ten or eight tenths of her point. But today she was unusually quiet, which surprised Qian Mao.
After dinner, Qian Mao, Jin Kuohao, and Qian Duoduo started chatting. The topic naturally turned to the purpose of Qian Mao's return, which was the matter that Qian Duoduo had asked him to come back to prepare.
After living in Shenzhen with the Qian siblings for some time, Jin Kuohao was no longer the naive and ignorant person he once was. When Qian Mao brought up this matter, he immediately asked, "This project hasn't been officially launched yet, has it?"
Qian Duoduo nodded and replied, "The project is already underway. Yesterday, when my third brother got married, Yuzhu came to see me and told me that the land application for the timber factory had been submitted. Now it's up to us to figure out how to proceed at the provincial and municipal levels." After saying that, she turned her gaze to Qian Mao, because this former secretary of the current provincial party secretary was no pushover.
Qian Mao looked at Qian Duoduo's gaze, his eyes filled with helplessness. He sighed deeply and replied firmly, "Alright, I'll go then."
Upon hearing this, Qian Duoduo's lips curled into a slight smile. Then, she said softly, "Remember to let me know before you go see Secretary Lu, okay? I'll prepare some of the finest tea for him." Qian Mao nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
Qian Mao was a decisive and efficient man. On the third day after his wedding, he couldn't wait to drive to Harbin, carrying the precious tea carefully selected by Qian Gui and Qian Duoduo. The meeting with Lu Jiang went exceptionally smoothly; they had a very pleasant conversation. Naturally, Qian Mao received Lu Jiang's affirmative answer.
In fact, Qian Mao didn't need to make this trip personally. Given Qian Duoduo's current status in the Lu family, Lu Jiang could have handled it perfectly with just a phone call. However, she still insisted on having Qian Mao come. Perhaps she wanted to show Lu Jiang her sincerity and importance through this, and also wanted to establish a closer relationship between Qian Mao and Lu Jiang so that future cooperation would be smoother.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
