Chapter 27

The warm and happy atmosphere at the Ye family was in stark contrast to the atmosphere in the capital city.

Xu family, Beijing.

Zhao Hongxia: “Jianwen, go play with your friends later. Your Uncle Hao’s family will come to pay New Year’s greetings later.”

The Xu family and the Hao family had always been close, like birds of a feather. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have considered a marriage between their children.

Xu Jianwen was a little impatient. The Hao family was such a nuisance. One “Hao Xiaoxiao” left, and now another, Hao Yanyan, came along.

Now that free love was encouraged, only his parents were still so stubborn.

“I’ll go out at noon. I’ll wait for them for two hours. If they don’t come, forget it.”

Zhao Hongxia: “You haven’t met Yanyan yet, have you? This time, talk to her more.”

Zhao Hongxia quickly accepted the change in future daughter-in-law.

Anyway, she was interested in the Hao family, not their daughters.

The only thing she felt sorry about was that Xiaoxiao was more beautiful.

But beauty couldn’t put food on the table. That girl had a spoiled personality. She was less obedient than the current one.

Xu Jianwen didn’t say anything, clearly not willing to agree.

The Hao family couple didn’t make them wait long. Half an hour after Xu’s mother and son finished talking, they arrived.

Zhao Hongxia called her husband downstairs to entertain the guests.

Hao Yanyan was wearing the most fashionable red padded jacket in Beijing. Her original braids had been cut into a shoulder-length bob. She looked obedient with her head lowered.

“Yanyan, come sit down.” Zhao Hongxia pulled her to sit on the sofa and introduced her. “This is your Jianwen gege.”

“Jianwen gege.”

Hao Yanyan knew about the relationship between the two families. She had also learned from her parents that the handsome man in front of her would be her fiancé. She couldn’t help but feel a little shy.

Xu Jianwen just nodded at Hao Yanyan and then looked away.

Now he thought of Xiaoxiao. Although she had a bad temper, she was a stunning beauty, and it was good for face to take her out to play.

This Hao Yanyan.

She was a bit boring.

Seeing that he didn’t react, Hao Yanyan felt a little disappointed. She thought, could it be that Xu Jianwen was still thinking about Ye Xiaoxiao?

That person had stolen her life, and now she was going to steal her fiancé’s heart too.

The two families chatted for a while, and Xu Jianwen was about to leave.

“Mom and Dad, I have a date with my friends.”

Zhao Hongxia quickly said, “Jianwen, Yanyan has never been out to play in Beijing. Take her out and let her get familiar with the environment.”

“Mom…” Xu Jianwen was reluctant.

“Your Uncle Hao and Aunt He are here. Quickly, make a good impression!” Zhao Hongxia whispered.

Xu Jianwen could only agree to take Hao Yanyan with him.

He Qiaoxiang was very satisfied with the Xu family’s understanding. She smiled and said, “The two children get along very well.”

“Yes, Yanyan is still studying, right? If she has any problems, she can come here and let Jianwen tutor her.”

Zhao Hongxia just said it casually, but He Qiaoxiang’s face changed slightly.

Actually, Hao Yanyan had stopped studying a long time ago. It wasn’t because the Ye family didn’t support her, but because she was a poor student and gave up on her own.

After coming to Beijing, He Qiaoxiang hired a teacher to tutor her, but the results were mediocre.

Hao Yanyan was afraid of disappointing her mother, so she made up an excuse that she only finished elementary school when she was at the Ye family, so she couldn’t learn these things.

Now, faced with Zhao Hongxia’s suggestion, He Qiaoxiang felt embarrassed and could only brush it off.

As Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan were leaving the door, they bumped into Xu Jianli, who was coming home.

Xu Jianli was Xu Jianwen’s younger brother, only sixteen years old.

Seeing his brother standing with a woman, he was a little angry and said, “Brother, when are you going to pick up Sister Xiaoxiao?”

Xu Jianwen glared at him. Why did he have to bring this up?

Hao Yanyan’s face turned pale.

Xu Jianwen: “I don’t even know where she is. Where would I pick her up? Go back home. Don’t meddle in other people’s business.”

Xu Jianli was indignant. “Brother, you’re such a scumbag!”

Xu Jianwen: “You…”

He wanted to say something else, but Xu Jianli had already run to the door in three steps, opened it, and slammed it shut, leaving the two of them outside.

Xu Jianwen’s temples throbbed.

“Don’t mind him. Let’s go.”

He said this to Hao Yanyan, and Xu Jianwen went downstairs.

Hao Yanyan followed behind Xu Jianwen, her expression complicated. She was even more certain of her previous thoughts.

The compound during the Spring Festival was a bit quiet. They didn’t meet anyone on the way.

Xu Jianwen was a little relieved. The place they were going was a bit far, and he could only ride his bicycle with Hao Yanyan.

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

Xu Jianwen stopped his bike and called out, “Brother Luge, you’re just back?”

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

“Yeah.”

His attitude was cold.

Xu Jianwen was actually a little afraid to talk to Lu Hanchuan. Although they were not much different in age, Lu Hanchuan had been sent to the army by his grandfather to train when he was sixteen.

Now he was already a lieutenant colonel, one of the most prominent figures in the entire compound.

Moreover, Lu Hanchuan had been a tyrant since he was young. Anyone in the compound who dared to challenge him had been subdued.

His parents were both national leaders, and his background was top-notch.

As the only child of the Lu family, no one in Beijing dared to do anything to him.

“Then we’ll go first, Brother Luge.”

Xu Jianwen was eager to leave.

It wasn’t until they left the compound that Hao Yanyan remembered the man’s cold face and whispered, “Jianwen gege, who was that just now?”

Xu Jianwen: “Lu Hanchuan. He’s also a guy in the compound, but he’s not in the same world as us. We don’t play together often. He has a terrible temper. Just stay away from him when you see him.”

Hao Yanyan: “I understand, Jianwen gege.”

She was completely like a dutiful little wife.

Seeing Hao Yanyan so obedient, Xu Jianwen, although he was a little dissatisfied, was no longer so harsh.

At least she was much easier to deal with than “Hao Xiaoxiao,” that little miss.

Lu Hanchuan, on the other hand, watched Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan leave, lost in thought.

…

The New Year passed quickly.

It was already the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Ye family was making glutinous rice balls, preparing for the Lantern Festival tomorrow.

Except for the heavy snowfall before the New Year, the past ten days had been sunny.

At noon, Ye Changyuan ran over excitedly. “Second Uncle and Second Aunt, my second sister is back.”

Miao Cuifang exclaimed, “Ye Mei is back? Is she alone? Did she bring the child?”

Ye Changyuan’s voice was tinged with disappointment. “No, just my second sister and brother-in-law. The mountain road is difficult to travel, so they didn’t bring Huzi back.”

Miao Cuifang: “I’ll go over when I’m done with this. It’s been almost a year since I saw Mei.”

Ye Mei’s in-laws were in the county, and she was considered one of the better-married girls in Baishi Village.

Ye Mei and her husband, Wang Dongqiang, were classmates and had a good relationship.

Wang Dongqiang’s parents were also good people. After Ye Mei gave birth to a son, her mother-in-law gave her job at the textile factory to Ye Mei and stayed home to take care of her grandson.

Ye Mei had been educated and was literate. In a couple of years, she was promoted from a factory worker to a team leader, and her status in her in-laws’ family was even higher.

Ye Xiaoxiao came to the front yard and immediately noticed the woman with permed hair and a big red hair clip.