Chapter 27: Lost in Thought

Chapter 27: Lost in Thought

The Ye family's cheerful atmosphere was a stark contrast to the mood in the capital.

At the Xu family in the capital.

Zhao Hongxia: "Jianwen, wait a bit before going out with your friends. The Hao family will be dropping by for a New Year's visit soon."

The Xu and Hao families had always been close, like grasshoppers tied to the same rope, which was why there had been talk of arranging a marriage between their children.

Xu Jianwen was somewhat annoyed. The Hao family was really bothersome—first, there was "Hao Xiaoxiao," and now here comes Hao Yanyan.

Nowadays, free love is encouraged, but his parents remain stubborn.

"I'll go out at noon. I'll wait for them for two hours, and if they don't come, forget it."

Zhao Hongxia: "You haven't met Yanyan yet, have you? Use this chance to get to know her better."

Zhao Hongxia had quickly accepted the change in her prospective daughter-in-law.

After all, what she valued was the Hao family, not the daughter herself.

The only thing she regretted was that Xiaoxiao was the more beautiful of the two girls.

But beauty doesn't pay the bills, and that girl had a rather difficult temperament. This one, on the other hand, seemed more obedient.

Xu Jianwen stayed silent, clearly unwilling to agree.

The Hao couple didn't make them wait long. Half an hour after the conversation between the Xu mother and son, they arrived.

Zhao Hongxia called her husband downstairs to help welcome the guests.

Hao Yanyan was dressed in the latest fashionable red cotton coat from the capital. Her braids had been cut into a shoulder-length bob, making her look more modern, and she looked demure with her head slightly lowered.

"Yanyan, come have a seat." Zhao Hongxia pulled her to the sofa and introduced, "This is Jianwen, your brother."

"Brother Jianwen."

Hao Yanyan knew about the relationship between the two families and had been told by her parents that this handsome man would be her fiancé. She couldn't help feeling a little shy.

Xu Jianwen just nodded at Hao Yanyan before looking away.

Now he found himself thinking about Xiaoxiao. Despite her temper, she was undeniably stunning, and it was always a point of pride to show her off.

This Hao Yanyan, however, seemed rather dull.

Seeing his lack of response, Hao Yanyan felt a pang of disappointment. She wondered if Xu Jianwen was still hung up on Ye Xiaoxiao.

That woman had already taken her spot in life—was she now going to steal her fiancé's affection as well?

After some small talk, Xu Jianwen got ready to leave.

"Mom, Dad, I've got plans with friends."

Zhao Hongxia quickly interjected, "Jianwen, Yanyan hasn't had a chance to see the area yet. Take her along and show her around."

"Mom..." Xu Jianwen was reluctant.

"Uncle Hao and Aunt He are both here, so be on your best behavior!" Zhao Hongxia whispered her instructions.

Xu Jianwen had no choice but to agree to take Hao Yanyan with him.

He Qiaoxiang was quite satisfied with the Xu family's tact and said with a smile, "The two seem to be getting along well."

"Yes, Yanyan is still in school, right? If she has any trouble with her studies, she can come over and let Jianwen tutor her."

Zhao Hongxia said it offhand, but He Qiaoxiang's expression shifted slightly.

In fact, Hao Yanyan had already dropped out of school, not because the Ye family failed to support her, but because her academic performance was poor, and she chose to quit school.

After moving to Beijing, He Qiaoxiang hired a tutor for Hao Yanyan, but it didn’t help much.

Hao Yanyan, afraid of disappointing her mother, claimed she had only finished elementary school while at the Ye family, hence her inability to grasp the current knowledge.

At Zhao Hongxia's suggestion, He Qiaoxiang felt awkward and quickly changed the subject.

Just as Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan stepped out the door, they ran into Xu Jianli, who was coming home.

Xu Jianli, Xu Jianwen's younger brother, was only sixteen this year.

Seeing a woman with his brother, he was annoyed and blurted out, "Brother, when are you going to bring Xiao Xiao back?"

Xu Jianwen shot him a glare, irritated by the untimely remark.

Hao Yanyan paled.

Xu Jianwen: "I don’t even know where she’s at, how can I bring her back? Go home and stay out of it."

Xu Jianli fumed: "Brother, you're such a jerk!"

Xu Jianwen: "You..."

Before Xu Jianwen could respond, Xu Jianli had already run to the door, opened it, and with a bang, shut the two outside.

Xu Jianwen’s temples pulsed.

"Don't mind him, let's go."

With that, Xu Jianwen strode downstairs, Hao Yanyan trailing behind.

The compound was somewhat quiet during the Spring Festival, and they didn’t encounter many people on the road.

Xu Jianwen was somewhat relieved; the place they were going to was a bit far, so he had to take Hao Yanyan on his bicycle.

When they reached the gate of the compound, a jeep stopped, and a man got out.

Xu Jianwen braked and called out, "Brother Lu, you just got back!"

Lu Hanchuan turned and saw Xu Jianwen and the woman behind him.

"Hmm."

His attitude was aloof.

Xu Jianwen actually didn’t dare to talk much with Lu Hanchuan; although they were close in age, Lu Hanchuan had been thrown into military training by his grandfather at the age of sixteen.

By now, he has already achieved the rank of major, making him one of the most prominent figures in the entire compound.

What's more, Lu Hanchuan has been a dominant figure since he was a kid. Anyone in the compound who dared to provoke him was put in their place.

Not to mention, his parents are both key national figures, and his background is top-notch.

As the only child of the Lu family in this generation, no one in the capital dares to cross him.

"We'll head out now, Brother Lu."

Xu Jianwen was eager to leave.

After they left the compound, Hao Yanyan, remembering the man's stern face, quietly asked, "Brother Jianwen, who was that just now?"

Xu Jianwen: "Lu Hanchuan, also a kid from the compound, but he's in a different league. We don't usually hang out. He's got a short fuse, so just steer clear of him."

Hao Yanyan: "I understand, Brother Jianwen."

She was completely in the obedient little wife mode, acting very submissive.

Seeing Hao Yanyan so docile, Xu Jianwen, though still a bit annoyed, softened his attitude.

At least she was much easier to deal with than "Hao Xiaoxiao," who acted like a spoiled brat.

Meanwhile, Lu Hanchuan, watching the direction Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan had gone, seemed deep in thought.

...

The New Year flew by.

Soon, it was the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, just before the Lantern Festival.

The Ye family was making tangyuan, preparing for the Lantern Festival the next day.

Except for the heavy snow before the New Year, the following ten-plus days had been sunny.

At noon, Ye Changyuan came running excitedly, "Uncle, Aunt, my second sister is back!"

Miao Cuifang exclaimed, "Ye Mei's back? Is she alone? Did she bring the kids?"

Ye Changyuan sounded a bit disappointed, "No, just my second sister and her husband. The mountain roads are rough, so they didn't bring Hu Zi along."

Miao Cuifang: "Once I'm done here, I'll head over. It's been almost a year since I last saw Mei Zi."

Ye Mei's in-laws are in the county town, making her one of the better-off married girls from Baichuan Village.

Ye Mei and her husband, Wang Dongqiang, were classmates and have a strong relationship.

Wang Dongqiang's parents are good people. After Ye Mei had a son, her mother-in-law handed over her job at the textile factory to Ye Mei and stayed home to look after her grandson.

Ye Mei is educated and literate. Within a couple of years, she went from being a factory worker to a team leader, further boosting her status in her in-laws' family.

Ye Xiaoxiao walked into the front yard and immediately spotted the woman with permed hair and a big red hairpin.