"Don't even mention it. Last time I went to Xiaoyu's mother-in-law's house to celebrate her wife's birthday, the whole family treated her like an honored guest. Even I, as her mentor, benefited from their hospitality. The way they get along with their mother-in-law and sister-in-law is truly amazing."
Master Wang was a smart man, so he quickly changed the subject. If he embarrassed Commander Wang, and he didn't come next time, it would hurt his benefactor.
"Really? I don't think anyone dislikes Little Fish. Sigh." Commander Wang sighed again.
"Stop praising me, or I'll get cocky. Don't blame me if my hair turns out badly," Qin Xiaoyu said with a grin.
"There are too few young people like you these days. The girls in our troupe, about your age, can't even speak properly. They come to me all pampered and delicate. 'Tour leader, I've been dancing the B role for over a year, when are you going to let me dance the A role?' Pah! You can't even stand on your tiptoes, and you want to dance the B role? Dance your grandma's legs!"
Commander Wang imitated it so well that he made Qin Xiaoyu and Master Wang laugh so hard they bent over.
"Don't laugh, really, I'm furious, but I can't afford to offend them, they all have powerful backers."
Commander Wang sighed again. Qin Xiaoyu carefully styled her hair and sprayed it with a lot of hairspray before letting her up.
"Satisfied!" Commander Wang exclaimed, made a delicate gesture with his fingers in front of the mirror, and took out ten yuan from his bag.
"Let's calculate it together next time. Wait, I'll bring you some wedding candy tomorrow."
"The ground is too slippery in this heavy snow, so don't come here. Maybe another time," Qin Xiaoyu hurriedly advised. Commander Wang was a stubborn person, and she might actually bring the wedding candy.
It was getting late, and Master Wang urged Qin Xiaoyu to go home early. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Grandma Hanhan waving from the doorway of the main house. Knowing that Hanhan and the others were there, she went straight in.
Hanhan and her younger sister were playing on the kang (a heated brick bed) when they saw her come back. They jumped and shouted.
"Come up and warm up." The wife lifted a section of the blanket and let Qin Xiaoyu crawl in.
Qin Xiaoyu knew that his wife had a rather peculiar personality; she wouldn't allow anyone to touch anything in the room. After hesitating for a moment, seeing her insistence, he had no choice but to climb onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
"You set up the air conditioner, and I'll bring over the steamed buns and soup," Grandma Hanhan said before walking out.
"Let her eat on the kang (heated brick bed), and bring over the small kang table," the lady instructed.
"That's too much trouble, I'll just go down to the ground to eat." Qin Xiaoyu was startled; this treatment was a bit too much.
"If your wife tells you to sit, then sit. You've worked the hardest in this family." It was my cousin's wife who spoke. She had just heard the commotion and came over, and she also brought the kang table.
"What's so hard about me? Everyone in this family works!" Qin Xiaoyu felt embarrassed by their words.
"Your mother is worried about you and keeps asking if you've come back. Didn't you see I was watching at the door?" Grandma Hanhan brought over a bowl of potato soup and two red bean buns. She put down the bowl but didn't move away immediately, keeping it waving in front of Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu then noticed that her mother-in-law was wearing a new dress, a dark purple wool sweater embroidered with small flowers and beads. Although it looked a bit old-fashioned, the colors were rich and pleasing to the eye.
"Mom, you bought new clothes? They look great!" Qin Xiaoyu exclaimed.
“I have one too,” the lady said hurriedly. It turned out that she was wearing a wool sweater that was exactly the same as Grandma Hanhan’s, only the color was different; hers was brown.
"I'm alive and well, and I even received help from my second daughter-in-law. I'm wearing clothes she bought for me." The lady sighed, praising Grandma Hanhan for once.
"Wasn't it Xiaoyu who gave me the money? Where would I get the money to buy this?" Grandma Hanhan knew not to take credit for it.
“She gave you the money but not me. The money she gave you is yours. I only care about your feelings.” The wife was quite stubborn.
"Okay, I don't care if my wife asks for favors, I only ask my mother, alright?" Qin Xiaoyu deliberately went along with his wife's words, making everyone in the room laugh.
Qin Xiaoyu originally wanted to go back to her room after dinner, but seeing her wife's intentions, she didn't want her to leave immediately.
My cousin's wife had already come over with the chores she was doing, and Grandma Hanhan also sat down after washing the dishes. Qin Xiaoyu told them the jokes she had heard at the shop during the day, especially the way Commander Wang spoke. She imitated him carefully, and the old lady laughed until tears came to her eyes.
After playing until after 7 p.m., Qin Xiaoyu carried her little sister and took Hanhan back to the house. She checked Hanhan's homework, arranged tomorrow's activities, and had a heart-to-heart talk with the two of them before finally getting some rest.
She noticed that the people in the family were becoming more and more dependent on her. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not. She couldn't always be there for them whenever they called. One day she would disappoint them. If that day came, would they abandon her?
Bang bang bang! The door was pounded on. Qin Xiaoyu sat up and looked at the door. It was almost nine o'clock. Who was this? It must be something urgent.
My cousin had already gone to answer the door, and I could faintly hear him talking; it seemed to be Master Wang.
Qin Xiaoyu jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed) with a start and hurriedly put on her clothes.
"Little Fish, hurry up and put on your clothes and come with me. Commander Wang needs your help urgently. The car is waiting outside."
"What happened?" Qin Xiaoyu asked as she put on her shoes.
"Isn't Commander Wang's friend's daughter getting married? She got her hair done at Dongfeng, but there was an accident, and her hair is completely ruined. She's crying her eyes out at home right now. She's coming to pick you up so she can take care of it and help you out in this emergency." After saying that, Master Wang pulled Qin Xiaoyu out without waiting for a reply.
"Keep an eye on the kids for me." Qin Xiaoyu only had time to say this to her cousin-in-law before she was already outside the door.
A jeep was parked outside the alley, and Qin Xiaoyu had a bad feeling. Commander Wang was sitting in the back seat. When he saw them coming, he waved. Master Wang climbed in first, and Xiaoyu was stopped just as she was about to get in.
"You sit in the front," Commander Wang said, closing the car door.
Qin Xiaoyu climbed onto the car and met Zhou Xing's impatient gaze. Damn it, she'd run into him again.
The one who needs saving is Zhou Xing's older sister, Zhou Yue.
The moment Qin Xiaoyu saw Zhou Yue, she thought about the importance of being born into the right family. While it's true that being born into the right family is important, one also has to be responsible for oneself, right? At least one should have a certain face, right? Indeed, Zhou Yue appeared with a system-generated face and a head full of messy hair; she looked nothing like a bride, but rather a refugee fleeing famine.
Even more panicked than her was Commander Zhou. Judging from what Regiment Commander Wang implied, he was a veteran general who had been through many battles. But looking at him now, he was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth. His face was full of wrinkles that said one word: worry.
Zhou Xing's mother is a carbon copy of him; she generously passed on all her good genes to her son. However, her personality is just like Zhou Xing's—an arrogant and unapproachable attitude that earned her a negative review from Qin Xiaoyu.
"Commander Zhou, I've brought Master Qin with me. Her skills are impeccable, don't worry." Commander Wang presented Qin Xiaoyu and Master Wang to the front as if they were treasures.
Master Wang had seen her share of big occasions at Dongfeng, including high-ranking officials and mayors, but today she felt unusually flustered. If it weren't for Qin Xiaoyu's support, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold on. Qin Xiaoyu, on the other hand, wasn't afraid. She smiled and nodded at them with composure and grace, neither humble nor arrogant.
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