76: Chapter 76 A Group of Daughters-in-Law

"Oh, Lin Yu, are you done with your work?" Wang Xiulan stood up immediately, taking Lin Yu's hand and looking him over from head to toe. "Are you tired? Look at you, you haven't eaten anything all night."

"I'm not tired, Mom." Lin Yu smiled to soothe his mother, then looked at his father, Uncle Li, and Aunt Li. "Are you enjoying the food?"

"Enjoying it? We're loving it!" Lin Jianguo laughed heartily. "You've done a great job with this hotel, and the dishes are authentic. Your mother, me, and Uncle Li and Aunt Li are all having a wonderful time."

"That's good to hear." Lin Yu nodded and turned his gaze to Lin Wan and the others. "Sister Wan, Director Chu Yao, Wanwan, Su Qingxue, Huihui, you all should eat more too. Don't be shy."

Then he looked at Li Hang, who was still devouring his food, and smiled helplessly. "Fatty, can't you mind your image? This is the grand opening ceremony."

Li Hang swallowed the steak in his mouth, chuckled, and said nonchalantly, "Old Lin, what's the big deal? We're all family here, why put on an act? Besides, this steak is truly delicious. It would be a waste not to eat it!" As he spoke, he picked up another piece and popped it into his mouth.

Lin Yu was amused by his antics. He shook his head and said to Tang Man, "Tang Man, you should eat something too. Don't go hungry."

Tang Man smiled gently and sat down beside Lin Yu. She naturally picked up a piece of dessert and handed it to Lin Yu. "Boss, you should have some too."

Lin Yu took the dessert and took a bite. It really was delicious.

"Fatty," Lin Yu suddenly spoke up, his tone tinged with teasing. "You just said this steak is good. Tell me, how does it compare to the one we had last time?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hang immediately perked up. He put down his orange juice and began to analyze it eloquently. "Old Lin, you've asked the right person! The steak at that other place was decent, but the cooking time was a bit off, and the sauce was too heavy, overpowering the natural flavor of the beef. But this one is different. Look at the marbling on this steak; it's top-tier quality. The cooking is just right—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—and the sauce only enhances the flavor without stealing the spotlight..."

His professional-level analysis left everyone present stunned. Who could have imagined that this fatty, who seemed only interested in eating, actually had such a deep understanding of steak?

Lin Yu looked at him with some surprise, then laughed. "Not bad, Fatty. You really are full of surprises."

Li Hang chuckled and scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Old Lin, it's just that... I eat a lot, so naturally, I've learned a thing or two."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh at his words. This small dining area was filled with a warm and joyful atmosphere, forming a sharp contrast with the rest of the banquet hall.

...

The bustle of the grand opening ceremony slowly faded away.

The crystal lights were dimmed to a warm yellow, the champagne tower was cleared away, and the red carpet was rolled up. The vast banquet hall on the top floor of Junlin Yunding fell quiet.

Lins Father and Wang Xiulan were sitting on the velvet sofa next to the main table, looking slightly reserved. Wang Xiulan was still clutching a napkin printed with the Junlin Capital logo, as if afraid of getting it dirty.

Just then, a group of stunning beauties who usually dominated the business world had finished seeing off the guests and, like a flock of birds returning to their nest, gently gathered around.

Xia Xiaotang was the first to approach Wang Xiulan, her eyes sparkling. "Auntie, please try this osmanthus cake! I specifically asked the kitchen to use less sugar, as I heard you have high blood sugar." As she spoke, she pushed the small plate toward Wang Xiulan, not minding that her fingertips were covered in crumbs.

Su Qingxue immediately chimed in, her voice soft and sweet. "Auntie, I've poured you a glass of warm water so you won't choke." She crouched beside the sofa, looking up at Wang Xiulan with eyes as clear as a mountain spring.

Director Chu Yao and Liu Yifei stood on either side of Wang Xiulan. One gently massaged her shoulders, and Director Chu Yao asked softly, "Auntie, is this pressure okay? I often massage my own mother like this at home."

A waiter brought over a bowl of hot soup and explained with a smile, "This is mushroom chicken soup. Our hotel's CEO Su specially ordered free-range chicken from the countryside, and the kitchen has been simmering it for two hours."

When Su Manqin was mentioned, the noble hotel group CEO, who was standing a few steps away, felt her earlobes flush slightly. She seemed hesitant to speak. Seeing Wang Xiulan look over, she added in a low voice, "... Aunt Lin, please have some."

Tang Man didn't push forward but stood beside Lin Yu, quietly smoothing out his slightly wrinkled cuffs, though her gaze remained fixed on Wang Xiulan with a gentle smile in her eyes.

Zhou Li was more forthright. She pulled over a chair, sat down, and linked her arm with Wang Xiulan's, saying with a grin, "Auntie, you don't know this, but Lin Yu was so mischievous in high school! Once, he stole peaches from Aunt Li's house and was chased by a dog for three blocks—I was the one who helped him cover it up!"

Wang Xiulan was stunned at first, then burst into laughter, the tension in her eyes slowly melting away.

She looked at one, then the other, not knowing where to put her hands. These girls, each as beautiful as someone out of a painting, were surrounding her, chattering away, handing her water, and massaging her shoulders, their eyes full of sincere affection and cautious anticipation.

Lins Father couldn't help but laugh as well, whispering to Lin Yu, "This... these aren't just girlfriends; it's like you've found a whole group of daughters for your mother."

Lin Yu didn't speak, just watched the tears welling up in his mother's eyes, his heart softening completely.

Just then, Mu Wan walked over from the window, holding a small bouquet of white roses. She gently placed them on Wang Xiulan's lap, her voice ethereal yet earnest.

"Aunt Lin... we all really like Lin Yu."

She paused, her cheeks slightly flushed. "And we also want... to be liked by you."

This sentence was like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake.

All the women fell silent, looking at Wang Xiulan in unison, their eyes hiding the same emotion: not possession, but a longing to be accepted.

Wang Xiulan's eyes grew hot. She reached out to stroke Mu Wan's hair and then took Xia Xiaotang's hand, her voice choked with emotion yet gentle.

"Good children... you are all such good children."

And Lin Yu, standing outside the group, quietly watched this scene, a relaxed smile finally tugging at the corners of his mouth.

...

The next day.

At nine in the morning, sunlight filtered through the thin clouds onto the tree-lined path of the Jinxiu Jiayuan residential complex. Chen Huihui, accompanied by her parents, aunt and uncle, and her uncle, a group of six, came to visit Li Hang's home.

"Huihui, is this where Li Hang lives? It looks a bit old," said Wang Xiufen, Chen Huihui's aunt. Dressed in mass-market brands with permed hair, she stepped out of the car and swept a critical gaze over the slightly weathered exterior walls of the complex and the narrow spacing between the buildings, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible disdain.

Chen Jianshe, Chen Huihui's father, was a simple, honest worker. Hearing this, he rubbed his hands together, feeling a bit awkward. "Xiufen, what does it matter if the place is old? The important thing is that the kids are comfortable." Liu Fang, Chen Huihui's mother, agreed, "That's right. Huihui says Li Hang is a steady boy and treats people well; that's more important than anything else."

Chen Jianjun, Chen Huihui's uncle, was a small-time contractor who had a little money and was quite snobbish. He snorted but didn't say anything, though the expression on his face clearly showed he agreed with his wife's view.

The group followed Chen Huihui up to the third floor and arrived at Li Hang's front door.

"Oh, a small three-bedroom, one-bathroom place? In the future, if you get married, have kids, and then have an elder come to help with the children, one bathroom won't be enough, right?" Wang Xiufen scanned the room as soon as she entered, frowning and muttering, her voice just loud enough for everyone inside to hear.

Li Hang's parents, Li Guoqiang and Fattys Mom, came up to greet them. Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang frowned slightly but quickly regained his composure. Fattys Mom smiled and welcomed everyone, "Come in and sit down, come in and sit, don't just stand there."

In the living room, Li Hang was wearing casual clothes and nervously rubbing his hands. Beside him sat Lin Yu and a middle-aged man in his forties with an elegant demeanor—Li Hang's uncle, Li Guodong, an executive at a mid-sized company who was well-traveled and knowledgeable. Li Guoqiang had specifically asked him to come.

"Uncle, Auntie, this is my dad and my mom." Li Hang hurriedly made the introductions.

"Hello, brother and sister-in-law." Chen Huihui's parents greeted them hurriedly with simple, genuine smiles. Wang Xiufen and Chen Jianjun just nodded, their eyes still scanning the room.

Li Guoqiang invited them to sit. Fattys Mom brought out steaming hot tea, washed fruit, and melon seeds.

After some small talk, Wang Xiufen opened the conversation. Cracking melon seeds, she asked casually, "Little Li, I heard from Huihui that you're driving for a boss now? How much do you earn a month?"

Li Hang's heart sank. He had heard from Huihui about this aunt's personality, but he answered honestly, "Yes, I'm a professional driver. The income is... it's okay."

"What does 'okay' mean?" Chen Jianjun interjected. He glanced at Li Hang, his tone filled with a hint of disdain. "A driver, how much can you make? Four or five thousand at most, right? These days, if you don't make ten thousand or so, it's hard to live in this city." As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at the gold watch on his wrist.

Li Hang's face flushed red. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lin Yu cleared his throat softly from the side. Li Hang looked at Lin Yu, who nodded slightly, signaling him to tell the truth.

"I... my monthly salary is ten thousand," Li Hang said, taking a deep breath. "And that's not including the benefits and year-end bonuses the boss gives me."

"How much? Ten thousand?" Wang Xiufen's voice suddenly rose, her face full of disbelief. "You, a driver, can make ten thousand? Do you think we're fools? Even those white-collar workers, college graduates, don't necessarily make that much!"

Chen Jianjun also snorted coldly, "Exactly. Little Li, young people should be steady; don't brag just for the sake of face. Ten thousand? Is your boss running a gold mine?"

Li Hang's parents looked uncomfortable. Just as Li Guoqiang was about to speak, Chen Huihui beat him to it: "Uncle, Aunt, it really is ten thousand. We work at the same company."

Lin Yu put down his teacup. He looked at Chen Huihui's parents and smiled gently. "Uncle, Auntie, Huihui is a good girl—steady and kind. This kid, Li Hang, although he can be careless sometimes, has a kind heart and is sincere toward Huihui. As for the young people's affairs, as elders, we should support them more."

Chen Huihui's parents nodded hurriedly, expressions of relief appearing on their faces. Chen Jianshe even said, "We can also see that Li Hang is a good boy."

Huihui's uncle chimed in and asked, "Brother and sister-in-law, what kind of business do you do?"

"We run a breeding farm in the countryside. We're usually busy and rarely come back to this house; it's mainly for Li Hang," Li Guoqiang said in a loud, resonant voice, his tone full of simplicity.

"A breeding farm..." A flash of disdain flickered in Wang Xiufen's eyes. "That must be really hard work. No wonder I keep feeling like there's some kind of smell!"

Li Guoqiang smiled awkwardly. "Pig farming hasn't been great these past two years, so we've been raising cattle; it's a bit better." Fattys Mom hurriedly invited everyone to eat fruit. "These sugar mandarins were just bought; they're very sweet."

...

Li Guodong clearly saw that the situation was a bit awkward. He picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and his tone became gentle and meaningful. "Actually, the most important thing is that these two children were high school classmates and know each other well. Later, they met again after wandering in society; that is fate. I've looked at their horoscopes, and they are quite compatible. Isn't this a match made in heaven?"

"That's right!" Fattys Mom beamed upon hearing this, her face crinkling with joy. She was a straightforward person. Once the previous tension had passed, and combined with the fact that she was already very satisfied with Chen Huihui, she immediately took over the conversation. She leaned forward, looking toward Chen Jianshe's direction, and said, "Brother, sister, I can see that you two are straightforward and reasonable people. Our family likes Huihui from the bottom of our hearts; she's no different from our own daughter. You see, since the two children have feelings for each other, we have no problems either. How about... we set a date and let them get engaged? As for the dowry and such, we will certainly follow the local customs; we will definitely not treat your daughter unfairly!"

Once these words were spoken, Chen Huihui's parents, Chen Jianshe and Liu Fang, exchanged glances, and relieved smiles appeared on their faces. They only wanted their child's happiness, and since the groom's family was so open-minded, they naturally had no objections. Huihui's uncle also nodded in agreement.

"That's fine, sister-in-law. As long as the children are happy, we will listen to you," Chen Jianshe said with a smile.

Just then, Wang Xiufen's voice rang out again. She tossed the melon seed shells in her hand onto the table and asked with a fake smile, "Follow the local customs? Then why don't you tell us, sister-in-law, what exactly is the 'going rate'? The current market varies greatly."

Although Li Hang's dad, Li Guoqiang, was a rough man who ran a breeding farm, he had already inquired clearly for the sake of his son's marriage. He cleared his throat and quoted a figure that was quite respectable in the local area of Ze City: "We've inquired around. In some places, it's popular to do 'ten thousand purple, one thousand red, and a green sheet,' or 'three jin, three liang.' We're not going to mess with those superficial things. We'll give you a straightforward number: 188,000, for the good luck of 'wanting to prosper.' Additionally, we have prepared a wedding house for Li Hang in the city, which is currently being renovated!"

188,000, plus a house. In the dating market of Ze City, this was definitely hard currency, enough to satisfy the vast majority of families.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianshe and Liu Fang's eyes lit up, and they nodded hurriedly. "Oh my, in-laws, this is too much, too much..."