389: The convoy is still on its way

"Ah, Brother-in-law, drive onto the road on the left."

Luong Thi Thu quickly poked her small head over the armrest and immediately retreated back to the rear seat.

Only a faint trace of floral fragrance lingered at the tip of Li Qinghe's nose.

He didn't know what kind of shampoo this girl used, but the scent was quite pleasant.

Li Qinghe didn't have any particular thoughts about Luong Thi Thu; he simply said whatever came to mind.

"A Qiu, what shampoo are you using? It smells really fragrant."

"Let me smell it. Hmm, it really is fragrant. Brother-in-law, let me tell you..."

Li Qinghe's words made Luong Thi Thu's face flush instantly. Before she could answer, Nguyen Thi Thuy, who was beside her, had already pulled Luong Thi Thu over and taken a sniff.

Then she loudly announced the answer to Li Qinghe.

It turned out that the shampoo Luong Thi Thu used was homemade. She brought a bottle to school every week, and Nguyen Thi Thuy had also used the shampoo she brought.

According to Nguyen Thi Thuy's experience, it was no worse than store-bought shampoo, and the fragrance was even more pleasant than industrial shampoos sold in stores.

"A Qiu, the floral scent I smell seems a little different from usual."

Because he was in the cosmetics business, Luo Ke was currently quite sensitive to this kind of information, so he pressed further.

"The shampoo is made by my mother. It seems she added a kind of wild orchid found in the mountains near my home."

Without Nguyen Thi Thuy interrupting, Luong Thi Thu finally gave a gentle answer to Li Qinghe's question.

"A Qiu, are those wild orchids abundant? Have you seen them anywhere else?"

Li Qinghe continued to press her.

Luong Thi Thu frowned, thought for a moment, and then replied:

"I haven't seen them anywhere else. In the mountains near our home, there is only that one spot where they grow. My mother usually harvests a little when she goes up the mountain to chop firewood."

"Alright, A Qiu, I'm quite interested in your family's shampoo and that type of orchid. If your brother returns early after his engagement today, A Shui and I will go back with you to take a look at the orchids."

"Brother-in-law, are we going to A Qiu's house to visit?"

Nguyen Thi Thuy looked delighted. Going out with her Brother-in-law was always fun; she could go wherever she wanted, without having to ride a motorcycle and eat dust.

"All you ever think about is playing."

Li Qinghe glanced at Nguyen Thi Thuy in the rearview mirror.

Having been teased by Li Qinghe, the girl didn't get angry; she just sat in the back seat, smiling happily while hugging Luong Thi Thu and smelling her hair.

As the car drove past a bend, the road ahead was suddenly blocked by a cluster of motorcycles. These motorcycles were slowly following behind a Mitsubishi SUV.

"Why are there so many motorcycles here all of a sudden?"

Li Qinghe said curiously, having no choice but to drive slowly behind them.

Hearing the sound of a car behind them, the men and women riding on the back of the motorcycles all turned their heads to look.

Luong Thi Thu, who was leaning against the seat, looked forward and suddenly widened her eyes.

"Brother-in-law, those seem to be the elders from my family who are going to the engagement."

"Ah, A Qiu, didn't you say they set off in the morning? Why are they still here now?"

Nguyen Thi Thuy also straightened up instantly. She was tall and had sharp eyes, recognizing people she had met in the motorcycle convoy right away.

"A Qiu, that's your dad riding the motorcycle."

Nguyen Thi Thuy's discovery made Luong Thi Thu search everywhere for the button to roll down the car window.

Li Qinghe simply helped her roll down the window glass.

"Dad, Second Uncle, Elder Uncle, Younger Uncle..."

Luong Thi Thu poked her head out and shouted several times. The girl's voice was quite penetrating.

The entire motorcycle convoy stopped, and the riders all looked backward.

They had long noticed the large, shiny, dark car behind them. Some of the younger people recognized it as a Mercedes-Benz SUV and wondered why such a luxurious car had driven out to the countryside here.

When they heard the familiar voice and turned around, they saw Luong Thi Thu with almost half of her body leaning out of the car window.

"A Qiu?"

"A Qiu!"

"A Qiu."

... Although they all called her A Qiu, the meaning conveyed was varied.

The Mitsubishi SUV at the very front saw the motorcycle convoy behind it stop, and it stopped as well.

Li Qinghe parked the car behind the last few motorcycles.

He unlocked the car to let Luong Thi Thu get out.

He and Nguyen Thi Thuy waited inside the car.

Although he didn't know why Luong Thi Thu's brother and the others were still on the road in the middle of the day, it wasn't his concern.

After Luong Thi Thu got out of the car, she jogged through the motorcycle convoy and reached her father's motorcycle.

A crowd of relatives immediately surrounded her.

It was clear that everyone was curious why Luong Thi Thu had returned in such a nice car.

"Brother-in-law, have you ever seen what an engagement ceremony is like where we live?"

Nguyen Thi Thuy hugged the driver's headrest, leaning her head close to Li Qinghe's ear.

"Is there anything special about it?"

"A Qiu's family doesn't own a car, but when her brother gets engaged, they absolutely must hire a car to carry the engagement gifts sent by the groom's family..."

As Nguyen Thi Thuy spoke, her breath tickled the back of Li Qinghe's ear, making him involuntarily rub his ear.

"Brother-in-law, is your ear itchy? I'll scratch it for you."

A warm, small hand gently scratched Li Qinghe's ear.

"Alright, stop. The more you scratch, the itchier it gets."

Li Qinghe laughed and stopped Nguyen Thi Thuy from scratching further, then changed the subject.

"A Shui, based on what you said, engagement ceremonies here require hiring a car just to save face, right?"

"That's right. The more luxurious the car they hire, the more it shows how much the groom's family values the bride."

Nguyen Thi Thuy's attention was immediately captured by Li Qinghe's topic, and she chattered excitedly with him about the importance of having a fancy car.

Li Qinghe saw Luong Thi Thu talking to her family ahead and pointing toward him. She was likely introducing who he was and their relationship.

After hearing Nguyen Thi Thuy's explanation, Li Qinghe had a premonition that Luong Thi Thu's family might come over to ask for his help.

Sure enough, Luong Thi Thu's relatives chatted around her for a while, and then Luong Thi Thu led the way, followed by several male elders walking toward Li Qinghe, one of whom had just gotten out of the Mitsubishi SUV ahead.

Seeing that they had already reached the front of the car, Li Qinghe unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.

Seeing Li Qinghe exit the car, Nguyen Thi Thuy couldn't sit still either and followed him out.

The moment the two of them stepped out of the car, a chorus of gasps erupted from the motorcycle riders.

Li Qinghe guessed that the gasps were all directed at Nguyen Thi Thuy, because the tall, long-legged girl was significantly taller than the male elders standing behind Luong Thi Thu.

"Brother-in-law, excuse me. This is my Elder Uncle, Second Uncle, my father, and my Elder Cousin, and Younger Uncle..."

Luong Thi Thu introduced all the elders behind her.

These old men and middle-aged men clasped their hands together and bowed slightly in greeting.

Li Qinghe didn't understand, but he imitated the gesture and returned a bow.

"Mr. Li, thank you for specifically helping us drive A Qiu back to the countryside."

The one who spoke first was Luong Thi Thu's Elder Uncle.