Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 133 Lifting the Siege

The firecrackers started going off at 10 a.m.

One banner is placed at the village entrance, another at the ancestral hall, and yet another when a relative comes to visit.

Red paper scraps covered the ground, making a rustling sound when stepped on.

The dog was so frightened that it crawled under the table. The child covered his ears and ran around the yard, laughing and shouting. He bumped into an adult's leg, was scolded, and ran away again.

The courtyard of Xiao Yunqing's maternal grandmother's house was filled with tables, and red tablecloths were laid from the doorway to under the longan tree.

Relatives arrived in twos and threes, carrying gifts and greeting each other with smiles.

Someone recognized Xiao Haifeng, came over to shake his hand, and exchanged a few polite words.

Some people didn't recognize Song Huan, glanced at her a couple of times, but didn't ask any questions.

Heat wafted out of the kitchen, carrying the aromas of soy sauce, scallions, and ginger.

The poached chicken is chopped and arranged on a plate; the skin is yellow and the meat is white.

The seafood was served in large bowls; the shrimp were red, the crabs were red, and the clams had their mouths open, revealing their tender yellow flesh.

The meal started promptly at noon.

Xiao Yunqing pulled Song Huan to sit at Xiao Haifeng's table.

Several people were already seated at the table. Xiao Haifeng and Xu Wan were on one side, and the maternal grandparents were on the other side.

Song Huan hesitated for a moment before Xiao Yunqing pressed her into a chair.

"Sit here," she said, pointing to the seat next to her.

The table wasn't big, but it was piled high with dishes.

Boiled chicken, boiled shrimp, steamed crab, stir-fried clams, braised fish, and a large pot of chicken soup with goji berries and red dates floating on top.

Xiao Yunqing picked up her chopsticks and pointed at the plate of poached chicken.

"This was made by my grandma. Her poached chicken is the best, even better than yours! The meat is tender, the skin is crispy, and the sauce is a secret recipe that you can't find anywhere else."

She pointed to the plate of shrimp, "This was made by my grandfather. He's amazing at cooking seafood; he cooks it to perfection."

The chopsticks pointed to the pot of chicken soup again. "This was also made by Grandma. It has red dates and goji berries in it. It's very sweet. Drink more of it later."

She turned to look at Song Huan, her eyes shining.

"The fish was cooked by a chef we hired from outside, and it was delicious. The crab was cooked by my aunt; she puts a lot of ginger in it, so it's not fishy at all."

She chattered away like a cheerful oriole.

She ordered all the dishes on the table, specifying who made each one, which one was delicious, which one she wanted to eat more of, and which one she wanted to dip in which sauce.

Xu Wan sat opposite her, looking at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This girl hardly ever says a word at home, but now she's been talking nonstop.

Xiao Haifeng was also watching; his lips twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Grandpa kept his head down as he drank his soup, occasionally raising his eyelids.

Grandma, on the other hand, looked at Xiao Yunqing with a beaming smile, her eyes full of affection.

"Alright, alright." Xu Wan finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Stop talking. Let Xiao Song eat by himself. You're drooling all over his bowl."

Xiao Yunqing was stunned for a moment, her face turning red from her neck to the tips of her ears.

"Then I won't say anything..."

She lowered her head, poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, her mouth tightly shut.

Song Huan was also somewhat helpless.

He picked up a piece of poached chicken, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth.

The meat was indeed tender, the skin crispy, and the sauce savory with a hint of ginger spiciness.

I picked up another shrimp; the shell was easy to peel, the meat was firm, and it was fresh even without dipping sauce.

"It's delicious," he said.

Xiao Yunqing looked up at him and saw that he was indeed enjoying his meal, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

While we were eating, someone stood up at the next table.

He was in his thirties, had dark skin, and wore a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Holding a glass of wine, he walked over here.

"Brother Haifeng." He stood by the table, bowed slightly, and said, "I'd like to offer you a toast."

Xiao Haifeng stood up and picked up his cup.

"Ah Wu, we've been brothers for so many years, why bother with all this?"

Ah Wu held his glass very low, and when they clinked glasses, the rim of his glass was much lower than Xiao Haifeng's.

He tilted his head back, drank it all, and wiped his mouth.

"Brother Haifeng, you're a bureau chief now. Among all our relatives, you're the most successful."

Xiao Haifeng waved his hand, "Deputy, deputy."

At this moment, Xiao Haifeng already had a bad feeling.

Ah Wu put the cup on the table, put his hand on Xiao Haifeng's shoulder, and leaned closer.

"Brother Haifeng, I have a favor to ask you."

He lowered his voice, but everyone at the table heard him. "Look at me now, I'm working in a factory, making two thousand a month, working myself to the bone. Can you arrange a job for me? The police station will do, even just guarding the gate will do."

Xu Wan frowned slightly and placed her chopsticks on the bowl.

Grandpa kept his head down and continued drinking the soup, but his hand paused for a moment.

Grandma's smile faded, and she looked at the table.

really!

Xiao Haifeng removed his hand from his shoulder, his tone flat.

"Ah Wu, this isn't something I can decide. Hiring requires exams and going through procedures..."

Xiao Haifeng was also helpless. He was just a deputy director of the police station, not Qi Tongwei. Where did he get such great power?

If I help Ah Wu today, does that mean I'll have to turn the village dog into a police dog and give it a government job tomorrow?

"Aren't procedures determined by people?" Ah Wu's voice rose a half-octave. "You're a deputy director, can't you even arrange someone?"

A woman with curly hair and bright red nail polish stood up at the next table.

She walked over with a cup in her hand and stood next to Ah Wu.

"That's right, Brother Haifeng, you're a high-ranking official out there, but you don't care about your relatives back home? Our Wu has been working in the factory for years, and he's made himself sick. Can't you help him out?"

The voice was shrill and had a strange, sarcastic tone.

"Now that you're an official, you don't care about your poor relatives anymore? Everyone in our village knows you, Xiao Haifeng, are capable, but even if you are capable, you can't forget your roots."

The table fell silent.

Xiao Haifeng stood there, his face expressionless.

Xu Wan's face was pale, but she didn't lash out, suggesting that this scene had played out many times before.

Grandpa put down the soup bowl without saying a word.

Grandma lowered her head. Xiao Haifeng was her son-in-law, and A Wu was her relative. As an elder, she shouldn't take sides.

Xiao Yunqing's face flushed red, and she tried to stand up, supporting herself on the table.

Song Huan pressed down on her wrist and stood up.

"Brother Wu." He picked up the glass on the table, walked over to Ah Wu, and said, "I'd like to toast you."

Ah Wu paused for a moment, looking at the young man.

He's tall, wearing a white shirt, and has a sunny smile.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Uncle Xiao's junior, and Yun Qing and I were classmates." Song Huan raised her glass. "I'm here to freeload today."

Ah Wu touched it with him, and it was dry.

Song Huan put down her cup and asked casually, "Brother Wu, what kind of work do you do at the factory?"

"Electric welding," Ah Wu said. "I've been doing it for five years."

"Welding is good." Song Huan nodded. "I have a cousin who also does welding. He got his certificate the year before last and now works in a shipyard, earning more than six thousand a month."

Ah Wu was stunned for a moment, "Six thousand?"

"That's right," Song Huan said. "The shipyard is short of welders right now, and anyone with a certificate can basically get in. It's much better than being a gatekeeper at the police station, where you only make two thousand a month. Don't be fooled by Uncle Xiao's position as deputy director. He may seem glamorous on the surface, but you don't know that he doesn't get home until after midnight, and he even works overtime until the early hours of the morning on weekends. Being a policeman is very tiring; it's not as easy as you imagine."

Xiao Haifeng was taken aback when he heard this, and looked at Song Huan in surprise.

Ah Wu's mouth moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.

His thoughts drifted over, jumbled and incoherent, but Song Huan heard them clearly.

[Can welders really earn that much?]

[I've been doing this for five years, and my skills are no worse than anyone else's.]

[It's just that I haven't taken the exam.]

Song Huan spoke up again, "The certification exam isn't difficult. My cousin passed the intermediate level after just two months of training. If you're interested, I can ask around for you later."

Ah Wu stood there, his expression changing slightly.

He glanced at Xiao Haifeng, then at Song Huan.

His wife was still holding a cup next to him, but the strange look on her face was gone, replaced by an indescribable expression.

"Well..." Ah Wu rubbed his hands together, "then I'll trouble you."

"No trouble at all," Song Huan smiled. "We're all on the same side. I'll introduce you to the place where you can take the certification exam later."

"Okay, okay, thank you very much."

Ah Wu and his wife went back.

The next table became lively again, with someone serving Ah Wu food and someone asking him about welding.

Ah Wu's voice came from the other side, tinged with excitement.

Xiao Haifeng sat down and glanced at Song Huan.

There was something in his eyes, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but Song Huan understood it.

Xu Wan glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, then picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.

Grandpa looked up at Song Huan and nodded.

Grandma smiled even more broadly and put a chicken leg into Song Huan's bowl.

"Eat, eat more."

Xiao Yunqing sat beside her, her face flushed and her eyes bright.

She watched Song Huan sit down, leaned closer, and lowered her voice.

"How do you know welders can earn so much?"

"Just a guess."

"That's a lie."

Song Huan picked up a chicken leg, took a bite, and said, "Your grandma's chicken legs are really delicious."

Xiao Yunqing glared at him, but the corners of her mouth were turned up high.

She turned back, picked up her chopsticks, and put a shrimp, a piece of fish, and a piece of green vegetable on Song Huan's plate.

The bowl was piled high.

"What are you doing?" Song Huan asked, looking at the bowl of food.

"Eat," she said. "Didn't you say it was delicious?"

Xu Wan sat opposite, watching this scene without saying a word.

Xiao Haifeng was also watching. He picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and swallowed his laughter.

Grandma smiled at Song Huan, then looked at Xiao Yunqing, and turned to Grandpa, saying something.

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone at the table heard it.

"Old man, this kid is not bad."

Grandpa didn't say anything, but picked up a piece of poached chicken and put it into Grandma's bowl.

"Have a meal."