country bumpkin

Chapter 337 Arriving at Xiang Hong's House

The elderly couple were resting in the inner room when they heard their grandson-in-law had arrived. They happily came out to talk to Kong Xiangwei.

When Nie Dayong returned from outside, he saw Kong Xiangwei delivering New Year's gifts and happily praised Kong Xiangwei for being sensible.

The family invited Kong Xiangwei into the living room, and Li Chunmei brewed tea and placed it on the table in front of him.

Then Li Chunmei went to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Nie Dayong stayed with Kong Xiangwei, chatting and talking.

There's an age gap, and we don't know what to talk about, so we just chat idly about this and that.

The elderly folks had a whole host of questions. One minute they were asking what kind of work Kong Xiangwei did outside, and the next they were asking how much he earned a month, and whether it was more than he earned at home.

Kong Xiangwei only gave a rough estimate; he didn't want to expose his private life to his mother-in-law's family.

The old lady finally asked a crucial question, "Xiao Wei, where do you stay when you're away from home? And where does Xiang Hong stay?"

Kong Xiangwei dared not tell the truth. After thinking for a moment, he said timidly, "Grandma, there are dormitories in our factory."

The male and female dormitories are separate, separated by a high wall. It's very strictly managed; you can't just visit each other's rooms.

The old lady, Fang Jinxiu, smiled slightly, a smile full of meaning. Perhaps she had already guessed that her granddaughter was living with him, and just wanted to see how this brat would respond.

As expected, the kid wasn't telling the truth; you could tell just by looking at his shifty eyes.

However, the shrewd old lady wasn't about to expose their secret. The young couple was now inseparable, and she couldn't bear to break them up.

If she upsets her granddaughter, and the granddaughter holds a grudge against her, the worst consequence could be that the granddaughter becomes irrational and stirs up a hornet's nest. She dares not take that responsibility.

Nie Xianghong helped out in the kitchen, washing vegetables and chopping meat. Li Chunmei started the stove and, after a flurry of activity, four dishes were ready.

She then shouted at Nie Dayong, asking him to go to the cellar and pick some coriander, spinach, and scallions, and also bring out some fruit.

Nie Dayong obediently went to get the things, leaving only the old couple and Kong Xiangwei in the house.

He felt a little uneasy as the two elderly people scrutinized him. He sat on the stool, feeling extremely uncomfortable, wanting to get up and stretch his legs, but not daring to.

The old man noticed his nervousness and smiled kindly, saying, "Xiao Wei, you and Xiang Hong are already engaged, we're all family. Come to your own home, don't be so reserved, relax a bit, haha."

Kong Xiangwei: "Um...uh...Grandpa, I'm not nervous. It's just that it's my first time here, and I don't know how I can help. My aunt is busy in the kitchen, and I feel a little embarrassed to be idle."

Li Weixiu: "It's alright, it's alright. With Xiang Hong's help, it'll be done in no time."

Kong Xiangwei fell silent. An awkward silence fell; they ran out of things to say and didn't know what to talk about.

The old lady also felt the atmosphere was awkward, so she walked to the table and turned on the TV.

The TV was showing "Investiture of the Gods," and the old man immediately perked up. He moved a stool and sat down in front of the TV, watching the series with rapt attention.

Kong Xiangwei took a sip of tea and stretched his body to make himself feel less restrained.

He looked up and started watching the TV series. But he didn't like watching TV series, and no one talked to him. He just sat there pretending to watch TV.

My mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts, my thoughts had already wandered off.

If you ask where it flew off to, it's in the kitchen, in his girlfriend's heart. His eyes were fixed on the TV, his mind filled with the smile on his girlfriend's face when she came out to greet him earlier.

The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his face. At that moment, the TV drama showed Mei Bo being executed as a warning to others, suffering the torture of being burned alive in the Nine-Room Hall. His pitiful screams were utterly horrific.

The elderly viewer, Li Weixiu, pointed angrily at the television screen and cursed, "A tyrant! What a tyrant..."

The old lady, Fang Jinxiu, was also filled with righteous indignation, speaking of Daji's viciousness and ruthlessness.

A quick glance revealed Kong Xiangwei's upturned lips, and I immediately realized that this young man wasn't so great after all.

She tentatively asked, "Xiao Wei, do you also like watching the TV series 'Investiture of the Gods'?"

Kong Xiangwei was still lost in thought when he heard someone calling him. He continued to smile, his mind filled with thoughts of his girlfriend's charming and lovely face.

The old lady took one look and realized, oh, this young man was daydreaming and wasn't watching the TV series at all.

He thought to himself, "Hmm, that's more like it. This is how a normal person thinks. If a good person is framed and he can still laugh about it, then that young man isn't very kind or good-hearted."

The old lady nodded quietly again, gaining even greater approval of Kong Xiangwei's character and virtue.

The old man was so engrossed in the story that he had no time to think about anything else.

The old lady glanced at the old man without saying a word, then at Kong Xiangwei, and said, "Hmm, I'm satisfied with this grandson-in-law."

The TV series was playing enthusiastically in the living room, while the kitchen was bustling with activity.

Li Chunmei has already prepared six dishes and a soup; she only needs four more finished dishes before she can eat.

She plans to prepare ten dishes, a perfect and auspicious number.

Nie Xianghong was also a quick and efficient person; she had everything prepared, from washing to chopping. Now she started bringing the dishes to the living room.

Kong Xiangwei was still fantasizing about his girlfriend in the living room when he saw her carrying a plate out of the kitchen.

He jumped up and took the plate of food from his girlfriend's hand.

He even asked considerately, "You've worked hard, Xiang Hong. Are there any more plates of food inside? I'll get them. You can rest."

Nie Xianghong smiled slightly, "I'm not tired, you can just sit down, I'll go get the plates."

Kong Xiangwei didn't give her a chance to refuse and rushed to the kitchen. Once there, he saw the cooked dishes, plate after plate, placed on the wooden table.

He walked over and called out "Auntie!" before starting to carry the plates out. Li Chunmei was still turning the spatula in her hand when she heard her son-in-law greet her, and she responded.

He said, "Xiao Wei, don't keep your hands occupied, just go to the living room and have some tea. Let Xiang Hong bring the dishes."

Kong Xiangwei: "It's okay, I'm bored sitting here anyway, it's good to move around."

Li Chunmei smiled and didn't stop him anymore, continuing to cook.

Kong Xiangwei brought out several dishes, and saw that there were already eight dishes laid out, plus an egg drop soup.

He went to the kitchen and said to Li Chunmei, "Auntie, don't make so much food. It'll be a waste if we can't finish it."

Li Chunmei said, "It's alright. This is your first time visiting my home as my son-in-law. How could we not take it seriously?"

We've been neighbors for a long time, so anything goes. But outsiders like to gossip, and we need to let them know that our whole family likes you as our son-in-law and values ​​you highly. We need to let them know we're very satisfied with you as our son-in-law.

Kong Xiangwei nodded, indicating that he understood. This was to shut up those gossipy women!

However, his mother-in-law and her family were very satisfied with him as their son-in-law, which made him very happy. He glanced gratefully at his girlfriend, feeling quite pleased with himself.