"You’re not angry?" Zhao Lanzi asked cautiously. She had actually grown accustomed to her son’s ways long ago, and her show of anger just now was purely out of concern that Ningning might be mad at Qigang, which is why she had made a point of showing it to her.
They had only just gotten married, and he had already been transferred; any other wife would have gone back to her parents’ home crying. And since Qigang was transferred while at his in-laws, this made her feel a little guilty as the mother-in-law.
"There’s nothing to be angry about, it’s quite normal, and I have to return to the General Union too."
"Why do you have to go back too?" Xu Xianxiong bellowed, "You’ve hardly stayed at home for a few days, and now you’re leaving?"
"Mhm!" Sheng Ning nodded, "Dad, Mom, take good care of yourselves while Qigang and I are not here."
"Don’t worry, do well at the General Union," Zhao Lanzi’s mood shifted immediately, smiling with understanding, "When are you planning to leave? We’ll see you off personally."
"No need, I’ll go back in my grandfather’s car."
"Your grandfather?" Zhao Lanzi was confused, nudging Xu Xianxiong and whispering, "When did Ningning get a grandfather?" Weren’t they told that her biological mother had abandoned her husband and child? And the stepmother had fled from another region, hadn’t she?
How could she have a grandfather?
Xu Xianxiong coughed awkwardly—how had he forgotten to mention this to his wife amid the chaos? "Well, the family of the grandfather came looking for us, so we just accepted it." Their son had been there when it happened, so he had mentioned it briefly when he got back. The in-laws didn’t hide it either, telling him the very next day.
"Oh! Then you should invite your grandfather over to visit soon, and have him over for a meal, how can you not when an elder pays a visit?" Zhao Lanzi said enthusiastically.
"Uh... let’s not," Sheng Ning hesitated, the senior leader was elderly and had a special status, with strict requirements for his daily life, so she didn’t want to trouble her in-laws.
"But how can that be..." Zhao Lanzi was about to speak when Xu Xianxiong pulled her to the side, realizing the situation wasn’t simple, she quickly swallowed her words.
"Ningning, we’re at ease with you going back with your grandfather, but once you’re at the General Union, you must take good care of yourself and Qigang. Remember to write to us often."
"Okay! Dad, you and Mom take good care of yourselves too."
"Don’t worry! We’ll be in the village every day, and we’ll surely take good care of ourselves."
Sheng Ning couldn’t help but smile when she thought of the formidable nature of her in-laws.
She had only recently moved in, so Sheng Ning didn’t have much to pack, just a small bundle of clothes. What she had most of were various snacks and local specialties, filling three large bags. When they reached the outskirts of the village, Sheng Ning wanted to stop several times and say not to bring so much.
But seeing the look in the elderly couple’s eyes, she could only delicately say, "Mom, isn’t this a bit too much?"
"Not at all, not the slightest bit too much!"
"That’s right! You can’t carry much with your small frame; Qigang brought back more than this every time he came home."
"..." Sheng Ning was speechless. Was it true that every time Living Yama came home, he carried a lot?
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhao Lanzi couldn’t stand her husband bad-mouthing their son and landed a punch on Xu Xianxiong, "Qigang comes home once every three years; is it too much to bring some things back?"
"Not at all, truly not too much, wife, I am wrong, sorry." Xu Xianxiong habitually placated his wife and only when he noticed she was embarrassed to the point of blushing did he remember that his daughter-in-law was still there!
How could he save face in front of his daughter-in-law in the future?
"Cough cough cough... Ningning, you didn’t see anything just now, did you?"