Qi Si listened and didn't cause trouble at the door. Cheng Fuxing led everyone into the private room.
"Is this hotel nice?" Mr. Ding was a low-level railway employee, a cautious teacher who was terrified of his wife. As soon as he finished speaking, he was glared at by Mrs. Ding and shut his mouth.
"How can this small place compare to Shanghai? Let's just make do with this." Ding's mother sat down unceremoniously between Cheng Fuxing and Ding Xiaojie.
"Auntie, I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I took the liberty of ordering the dishes. I hope you enjoy them." Cheng Fuxing tried his best to speak Cantonese, but his pronunciation was quite clear.
"Don't you need to cook in the kitchen?" Ding's mother asked bluntly.
"He has a day off today, so I invited Uncle and Aunt over for a simple meal." Qin Xiaoyu smoothed things over and gave Ding Xiaoru a wink.
"Mom, have some tea." Ding Xiaoru poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, diverting her mother's gaze from Cheng Fuxing and taking a deflection for him.
When they came in, Qin Xiaoyu had already arranged for the dishes to be served. The waiters brought out the dishes in a rapid succession: slow-cooked soup, poached chicken, crispy winter melon, smooth shrimp balls, braised pigeon, sweet and sour pork...
Ding Xiaojie used to work on the Guangzhou route, so she was familiar with these things and explained them while eating.
The furthest Mr. and Mrs. Ding had ever been in the south was Beijing; anything further south was too far for them. But these dishes, though a little sweet, were all fragrant and smooth, each one with a unique flavor.
"He who eats another's food is bound to him," and before you know it, you're drawn in, and your tone becomes less forceful.
Qin Xiaoyu now understands why Chinese people like to solve problems at the dinner table. It's probably because people are most selfish when it comes to food, and the only people who can share a bowl of soup with each other are friends.
With this positive self-suggestion, everything becomes easier.
"Haha, you're here! I was late because I had something to do. I've come to offer you a toast." Qi Si walked in without missing a beat. He was tall and imposing, and the moment he stood next to Ding's mother, he created a sense of oppression, which made Ding's mother's aura much weaker.
"This young man may be short, but he's quick-witted. If your daughter marries him, she'll enjoy a life of ease." Qi Si directly brought up the main topic of the day, something Qin Xiaoyu had taught him.
Because Ding's mother was indebted to Qi Si, and given Qi Si's reputation, she couldn't ignore it and therefore didn't immediately refute him.
"Every family with a daughter shares the same thought: they don't want their daughters to marry far away," she said softly, making up an excuse.
“Xiao Cheng isn’t planning to go back. He’s doing just fine here, why would he leave? I’ll hand over my next branch to him to manage. I won’t pay him like a chef; he’ll be the head supervisor, and he’ll get a share of the profits in addition to his salary.” This was something Qi Si and Qin Xiaoyu had discussed beforehand; it wasn’t just a ploy.
Ding's mother was surprised that a mere cook could receive a share of the profits, and her eyes lit up.
"Mom, it doesn't matter how far away a husband marries, what matters is whether he has you in his heart. Look at your two daughters, I'm always away from home, I can only come home twice a year. But Xiaojie loves you the most, she buys you food and things as soon as she gets her salary, how can you bear to make her sad?"
"I'm just worried that if she loses her job and finds another one without a stable job, and then they have children, will they be able to make a living?"
"What do you mean by a stable job? If you earn all the money you'd make in a lifetime, what's so unstable about that?" Qi Si slammed his wine glass heavily on the table.
Mr. Ding glanced cautiously at Qi Si and gave Mrs. Ding a meaningful look.
"We're not necessarily against it, it's mainly about the child. It's about free love, haha, free love," Mr. Ding chuckled.
"It's good that you're open-minded. I think Xiao Cheng is truly sincere towards your daughter. It's rare to find a lover like that. Since neither of the children has any objections, let's get married. I can give Xiao Cheng a house." Qi Si offered his full support.
"A house? What house?" Ding's mother, sensing the hidden meaning, hurriedly asked.
“It’s built near the machine tool factory. I had someone get me an apartment there. It’s not big, only 48 square meters, but living in an apartment is better than a bungalow, right? When he’s able to afford it, he can buy a bigger one himself.” Qi Si sat down casually, took out a cigarette, and Ding’s father quickly lit one with a match and handed it to him.
"With Boss Qi taking such good care of me, I'm really at ease." Ding's mother was completely persuaded. Putting everything else aside, Ding Xiaoru's husband is a professor, and those positions are still based on seniority and housing allocation. Those who can live in apartments now are truly the elite.
"There's no time like the present. We originally planned to just have a casual meal today. I have a short temper, and since Xiao Cheng's parents aren't here, even though I'm just a boss, I can still act as his parent. How about we treat today as a meeting between in-laws?" Seeing that they had relented, Qi Si wanted to push things through.
"That's great...hehe, we can discuss it again." Ding's father's parental authority was challenged again. Just as he was about to agree with Qi Si's words, Ding's mother gave him a look that shut him up.
"I run several shops, and I don't have that much free time to drink with you guys. Since you still want to discuss it, then go ahead and discuss it. I'm not going to interfere anymore!" Qi Si got up and left.
Mr. Ding quickly gave Mrs. Ding a meaningful look, and in her haste, she got up and grabbed Qi Si's arm.
"Don't go! Today's a good day, let's discuss it today!"
"That's fine, Fourth Brother. You already have this stuff ready, right? I'll go prepare it." Qin Xiaoyu came out of the house still chuckling. This is probably what it means to be stubborn and push someone to back down.
Actually, the gifts were prepared long ago. Nowadays, it's common for in-laws to give red envelopes when they meet. Families with the means give 1001 yuan, while those without give 101 yuan, signifying that they are one in a hundred. Some families also give betrothal gifts, which are usually gold and silver jewelry.
Qin Xiaoyu's bag contained 1001 yuan, which was now meant to enhance Cheng Fuxing's image. The jewelry was a four-piece set bought from a gold shop: a necklace, earrings, a ring, and a bracelet. Cheng Fuxing paid for it.
"Sister Xiaoyu, I'm already very grateful to you. I'd feel bad if you spent any more money. Besides, this is my way of showing my appreciation to Xiaojie. Please do it yourself."
"Okay, the most important thing is to make sure Xiaojie doesn't suffer in the future." Qin Xiaoyu felt a pang of sadness. This short, unassuming man was kind, righteous, and capable; Xiaojie was lucky. But what about her? Who would care for her?
Qin Xiaoyu brought the tray over, and after glancing at the thickness of the red envelope, Ding's mother had completely given in.
“Sister-in-law, I’ve heard Xiaoru say that you’re different from others and that you’re a woman of great loyalty and affection. You’ve taken care of Xiaojie for a long time, so I’ll trust you this once and marry my daughter to him. If anything happens in the future, I’ll only talk to you.”
Ding's mother had put her on the spot, but Qin Xiaoyu simply smiled. Some things were too early to discuss. Who could truly know another's fate? It was all just a matter of responding to each move as it came.
As soon as she entered the Zhou family home that evening, she saw Zhou Xing's mother answering the phone and waving vigorously for her to come over.
She took it and heard Commander Wang roar.
Tang Fengqin was dismissed.
The reason was that he failed the political background check and his wife's family background was not good.
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