Chapter 186: Marrying into the Family

Xu Ning heard someone opening the door and initially thought it was Xu Mo returning.

When she stepped out and saw Lu Xiaotang, she smiled and said, “I thought it was Xu Mo.”

“He probably won’t be back for a while. He’s in the village chatting with a few of the elderly women. I overheard him just now, and it sounded like he was asking someone to find him a pretty wife,” Lu Xiaotang said, unable to suppress a chuckle.

“That little guy really is a wife chaser, though he won’t admit it. He’s always teasing Xiao An,” Xu Ning remarked.

She recalled the amusing incident when Xu Yang had come back last time and found it quite funny.

Lu Xiaotang tidied himself up, then took Tang Tang on his back while holding onto Niu Niu and Pi Pi as they went out to play.

Since the kids hadn’t come looking for her, Xu Ning decided not to follow them. Instead, she cleaned up the house and began preparing dinner.

Xu Mo returned home with Chen Xiangdong, the two of them chatting and laughing along the way.

“Brother Chen, your little chubby Pang is so adorable! When he grows up a bit, I’ll take him to the river to catch fish and go to the mountains to gather wild goods, and I’ll bring along Xiao Ya and Niu Pi Tang too,” Xu Mo said excitedly.

Chen Xiangdong chuckled, “Sure! By then, you’ll be their big brother, leading them up the mountains and down to the river.”

Xu Mo disagreed, saying, “Brother Chen, you’re my elder brother! If I’m the big brother of your son, then the hierarchy is all mixed up! I should at least be an uncle!”

“Hahaha, alright, alright! You can be their uncle,” Chen Xiangdong laughed heartily at his words.

Lu Xiaotang was walking Niu Pi Tang along the main road when he saw a big person and a small one approaching from the village. He could hear their laughter from a distance.

Xu Mo spotted them as well. He turned to Chen Xiangdong and said, “Brother Chen, I see Niu Pi Tang! I’m going to play with them for a bit, and I’ll come by to play with your Xiao Pang tomorrow.” With that, he ran ahead.

Chen Xiangdong shook his head with a smile, amused by how lively Xu Mo was.

As Xu Mo ran over, Niu Niu and Pi Pi jumped onto him, nearly knocking him down. Lu Xiaotang quickly went over to embrace all three of them.

Tang Tang thought they were playing a game and giggled as she hugged her father’s neck.

Seeing the two little ones laughing, Xu Mo stood up and whispered, “You two little rascals nearly knocked the old uncle’s back out!”

As he spoke, he exclaimed, “Ouch, ouch!” while standing up.

A their position was still a bit away from the educated youth compound, Chen Xiangdong nodded at Lu Xiaotang before heading inside.

Xu Mo held Niu Niu with one hand and Pi Pi with the other, then asked, “Brother-in-law, where’s my sister?”

“She’s at home. We should head back too; it’s time to make dinner,” Lu Xiaotang said as he led them all back.

“Xiao Mo, you seem to have a good relationship with the village aunties!” Lu Xiaotang joked.

“Brother-in-law, the village aunties are so enthusiastic! Whenever they see me, they say they want to introduce me to a wife. Some even said they’d let me be their son-in-law when I grow up. Ugh, it’s making me feel too embarrassed to go play in the village now,” Xu Mo complained.

However, Lu Xiaotang noticed that he didn’t actually look worried; instead, he seemed a bit pleased.

So, he teased him, “When you grow up, marrying a girl from the village wouldn’t be bad. That way, you’d just move into your wife’s family and wouldn’t have to worry about building a house for yourself.”

Xu Mo exclaimed anxiously, “Brother-in-law, how can that work? I’m a boy; I’m supposed to marry a wife, not move into her family! That would be embarrassing!”

As for living at his wife’s home, Lu Xiaotang…

Just then, Xu Ning, who had just opened the door to call them for dinner, overheard his words and glanced at Lu Xiaotang’s expression. She couldn’t help but laugh.

When Niu Niu and Pi Pi saw her, they each hugged one of her legs and shouted, “Mommy!”

She picked up Niu Niu and Pi Pi and laughed, “Xu Mo, when are you planning to go look for your bride? I’ll prepare the betrothal gifts for you!”

“Sis, stop joking around! I’m still young!” He shot her an annoyed glance and headed inside.

The couple couldn’t help but laugh. With such a lively treasure at home, it was hard not to feel cheerful.

Once inside, Xu Mo saw a bowl of porridge on the kitchen counter. He picked it up and called out to the little ones, “Niu Pi Tang, time to eat!”