Chapter 70

Wang Yulan was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine when she heard her daughter joking about herself. She immediately rolled up the magazine "Zhizhi" and threw it at her: "You little brat, you dare to tease your own mother, I'll beat you to death." As she ran over, her slippers fell off.

Ma Ling laughed and dodged to the side. Wang Yulan put her slippers back on and said seriously, "Ling, this young man is the head of the Agricultural Bank's finance department, now he's a financial manager at Hanwei. I think he's a good match for you."

"Mom, are you crazy about finding a son-in-law? I'll bring one over some day," Ma Ling said half-jokingly.

"Really? Which company does he work for?" Wang Yulan's ears perked up.

"It's that special police officer I mentioned before," Ma Ling said casually, stealing a glance at her mother's expression.

Wang Yulan was very nervous: "Daughter, you're not serious, are you? How far have you gone?"

"Not that far, just went to Jiangbei and met his family," Ma Ling said nonchalantly, but her heart was pounding.

Wang Yulan didn't lose her temper. After today's investment, she felt her intelligence and decision-making skills had improved dramatically. She thought her daughter was still naive and impulsive, so she had to use her wits. Remembering a touching family story she read in "Zhizhi," she had an idea.

"Ling, let me tell you a story," Wang Yulan cleared her throat and sat cross-legged on the sofa.

Ma Ling started eating at the dining table: "Go ahead, Mom, I'm listening."

Wang Yulan told the story with great emotion: "When I was young, I was one of the five golden flowers in the bus system. I worked as a ticket seller on the No. 2 bus. A few hooligans rode the bus without paying and tried to harass me. Then a young, handsome police officer came, wearing a white top and blue pants, looking so cool. He beat the hooligans to a pulp in no time."

Ma Ling put down her chopsticks: "No need to ask, that handsome police officer is my dad."

Wang Yulan said, "Yes, it's your dad, Ma Guoqing. That year he was a police academy student, he liked to wear white shirts and blue pants, and his shoes were always shiny. It was a time of strict law enforcement, and police officers were very powerful. I was tricked into marrying him."

Ma Ling said, "Then I was born, what a romantic story. I didn't know you were such a good storyteller, Mom."

Wang Yulan shook her head: "The climax hasn't come yet. Listen, I married your dad under pressure. Many people pursued me, including a young man who worked at the city's Youth League. Unfortunately, I was infatuated with Ma Guoqing's police uniform and insisted on marrying him. When we got married, he was just a grassroots police officer. Now that you're working, he's still a grassroots police officer. Our house is less than 80 square meters, and we have only about 100,000 yuan in savings. We have to count every penny to buy pork ribs. I have a hard life."

Ma Ling blinked: "Mom, what are you trying to say?"

Wang Yulan said, "Don't rush, the climax is coming. The young man who pursued me, after being rejected, worked hard and is now the mayor of Jinjiang. He has great power and will soon be part of the provincial committee." She even wiped away non-existent tears to enhance the effect.

Ma Ling's mouth dropped open. She had never heard that her mother had dated Mayor Jin Muchen. She thought it was a romantic story, but it turned out to be an inspiring rags-to-riches story.

Wang Yulan, quite pleased with herself, tucked the "Zhizhi" magazine behind her and said with deep regret, "Ling, if I had been wiser and chosen Jin Muchen, you would be the mayor's daughter now."

Ma Ling thought for a moment and stopped eating.

"Daughter, when you marry a man, it's all about clothes and food. A man who looks good and can fight can't put food on the table." Wang Yulan walked over, put her arm around her daughter's shoulder, and said earnestly.

Ma Ling suddenly burst out laughing: "Mom, have you been reading too many 'Zhizhi' stories? You can make up stories now. Mayor Jin is a transferred official from another province and wasn't in Jiangdong when he was young."

Wang Yulan, caught in her lie, said angrily, "Anyway, you're not allowed to date that black car driver. He's always getting into trouble and will end up in big trouble."

"Mom, I'm full." Ma Ling pushed away her bowl and went into her room, took out her phone, and sent a message to Liu Handong, telling him to get ready to visit her future in-laws the next day.

From her mother's attitude, it seemed she needed to take a strong approach.

...

After receiving Ma Ling's instructions, Liu Handong immediately took action. As a new son-in-law, he needed to dress up, but all his clothes were either old military uniforms or worn-out jeans, which wouldn't do.

He thought for a moment. Shan Pao had a few new suits, but he was too short, so the clothes wouldn't fit. However, Hu Lei's build was similar to his, so the clothes should fit. He went downstairs to find Hu Lei, but he wasn't there. No problem, Hu Ying was at home. She hadn't been going out to dance and party much lately, and seemed to be turning into a good girl.

"Hu Ying, does your brother have any nice clothes for tea? Can I borrow them?" Liu Handong asked straightforwardly.

"Yes, I'll find them for you. Do you want a suit or a jacket?" Hu Ying was very enthusiastic.

"Nothing too formal, just something clean and suitable for a formal occasion." Liu Handong scratched his head; he wasn't good at dressing up.

Hu Ying went into her brother's room, opened the large wardrobe, and threw the clothes out one by one like a bandit. She found a blue linen leisure suit, a beige short windbreaker, two pairs of Levi's jeans, a few belts, and two pairs of shoes from under the bed.

"You can wear a dark, fitted shirt inside. This one is nice, it's only been worn once." Hu Ying picked out a dark purple fitted cotton shirt.

"They all look good. Can I try them on?" Liu Handong asked.

"Why go upstairs? Afraid I'll peek? There's a full-length mirror in my brother's room, just change in there." Hu Ying turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Liu Handong didn't hesitate, took off his clothes, and put on Hu Lei's outfit. He looked at himself in the mirror and suddenly noticed that the door had opened. Hu Ying was leaning against the door frame, smiling at him.

"You look amazing." Hu Ying gave him a thumbs up.

"Really?" Liu Handong was pleased, took out his phone, and took a selfie in the mirror, then sent it to Ma Ling.

Hu Ying jumped over and hugged Liu Handong's arm, looking over his shoulder: "Let me see how it turned out."

Suddenly, Hu Lei burst in, saw his sister hugging Liu Handong, and quickly covered his eyes: "I didn't see anything, I came to the wrong room."

He turned and walked away, then suddenly realized: "Wait, I didn't come to the wrong room. This is my room. What are you two doing in here?"

Hu Ying said, "Bro, Dongge is going to meet his future mother-in-law and needs to borrow your clothes for a few days. What's the problem?"

"Of course there's no problem." Hu Lei looked Liu Handong up and down, "He's a bit more handsome than me, and he looks perfect with Ling."

...

The next day, Liu Handong went to the supermarket and bought four bottles of Wuliangchun, two cartons of Furongwang. Although cigarettes and alcohol weren't suitable for visiting a hospital, they were necessary for visiting his future father-in-law. He also added the ginseng, deer antler, and other supplements he had bought earlier, filling the trunk of his Fukan.

At 5:30 PM, Liu Handong, dressed in his new outfit, drove to the bus company to pick up Ma Ling. They headed to Ma Ling's home in Huanghua Neighborhood. On the way, Ma Ling called home: "Mom, is Dad back? Good, wait for us at home. I'm bringing a friend, make a few more dishes. I'll hang up, my phone credit is running out."

Liu Handong felt a bit nervous: "You're making me an uninvited guest."

"That's the way it has to be. If we wait for them to invite us, it will never happen. Remember to be sweet, call them often, and be thick-skinned. My parents are simple people and easy to please."

"Got it, I'll be thick-skinned," Liu Handong said.

When they arrived downstairs, Liu Handong parked the car, took the gifts, and followed Ma Ling up to the fifth floor. There was no elevator, and each floor had two apartments. It was rush hour, and the neighbors were all looking at Liu Handong curiously, making him feel uneasy.

When they reached the fifth floor, Liu Handong's heart started pounding. Ma Ling took out her keys, opened the security door, and called out, "Mom, Dad, the guest is here." She found a pair of slippers for Liu Handong.

The atmosphere in the living room was a bit tense. There were two dishes on the table, but Ma Ling's mother was sitting in a chair with an apron on, and her father was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, clearly not in the mood to continue cooking.

"Mom, Liu Handong is here," Ma Ling said softly, tugging at Liu Handong's sleeve and giving him a meaningful look.

"Aunt, Uncle, hello," Liu Handong said, changed into slippers, and carried the gifts inside, placing them in the corner. Ma Ling ran into the kitchen and called out, "Spicy chicken, why haven't you put it in the pan yet? Are you waiting for us?"

Wang Yulan huffed and turned away.

Liu Handong chuckled and took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, which he had taken from Wang Xing's car and hadn't smoked yet. He walked over to Ma Guoqing: "Uncle, have a cigarette."

"I don't smoke," Ma Guoqing said, pushing the cigarettes away.

The ashtray on the coffee table was full of cigarette butts and ash.

Liu Handong smiled awkwardly: "Well, I'll go check the kitchen."

In the kitchen, Ma Ling was trying to cook. Liu Handong took over: "Let me do it, you go talk to your parents."

"Can you cook?" Ma Ling asked in surprise.

"I helped in the kitchen at the military base," Liu Handong said, picking up two eggs with one hand and cracking them into a bowl, showing his skills.

"Okay, the dishes are all prepared. Just put them in the pan. I'll talk to my parents," Ma Ling said, handing Liu Handong an apron and heading to the living room.

"Daughter, come with me for a moment," Ma Guoqing said, leading her to the bedroom balcony to have a talk.

In the living room, Wang Yulan secretly kicked open the shopping bag and looked at the gifts Liu Handong had brought. They were all things bought from the supermarket, like ginseng, deer antler, and bird's nest. The boxes looked nice, but they weren't worth much. The cigarettes and alcohol were also mid-range. This guy, he's not much of a catch.