Chapter 72

Ma Qi's bad idea was immediately approved by Ma Ling: "Good plan, just borrow your parents for a while."

"No, no, my parents are stubborn and can't act. They'll definitely blow our cover," Ma Qi waved his hands vigorously.

Liu Hane Dong was worried. His resources in the provincial capital were limited. He could probably gather a few dozen people for a fight, but finding two veteran actors to play Ma Ling's parents was a real challenge. Moreover, this kind of meeting between in-laws would definitely involve a home visit, which would require a proper setting. It was a very complex task.

This matter was quite difficult, and everyone treated it as a joke.

After dinner, they wandered around for a while. Liu Hane Dong sent Ma Ling home, but this time he didn't dare to go all the way to the building. They parted at the entrance to the residential area. Just then, Hu Lei called, inviting Dong Ge to have some barbecue. He said a few friends admired Dong Ge's reputation and wanted to meet him, and he insisted that Dong Ge give him some face. From his tone, it was clear he was already quite drunk.

Liu Hane Dong rode his motorcycle over. This Jialing 600 had already been ordered by Ma Guoqing to be returned to him, and it wouldn't be appropriate for it to appear in the parking shed of the Ma family building again.

When he arrived at the barbecue stand, sure enough, a group of delinquents were already quite drunk. They were all students from the Transportation Vocational College who had witnessed Liu Hane Dong's heroic stance against a black car driver at the school gate. They shook hands with Dong Ge, their faces red and necks swollen, speaking incoherently. Hu Ying was also sitting there, wearing a leather skirt and black stockings, smoking a cigarette. She hadn't drunk much and was sitting next to Liu Hane Dong, grilling meat for him.

Everyone chatted aimlessly. Liu Hane Dong had little in common with the young men and could only make small talk with Hu Ying. They eventually talked about the plan to find two middle-aged extras to play Ma Ling's parents. Hu Ying laughed, saying, "Dong Ge, you're really funny. How could you come up with such an idea?"

Liu Hane Dong laughed it off, treating it as a joke.

The next day, Liu Hane Dong went to the Transportation Vocational College as usual to look for work. Suddenly, he received a call from Song Shuang, asking him to help Grandma Sun move.

When he arrived, he found out that Grandma Sun had already sold her house!

Although the house was old, its location was good, and it was in a first-class area of the city. A house of less than 100 square meters sold for over a million yuan, which was enough to pay off her grandson's debts. Grandma Sun had done this without telling anyone. Although the property deed had been changed, there was still a legal battle to be fought. However, the old lady, unable to resist her grandson's persistent pleas, had decided to sell the house. Now, since they had rented a house in Huahu Village, it would be better to invite Grandma Sun to move in, where she could take care of the stray cats and dogs.

It turned out that Sun Xiaoyang owed money to Hanwei Company, which operated both legally and illegally and had many ways to make people pay. Over a million yuan was a significant amount, but compared to a human life, it was relatively cheap.

The No. 13 courtyard had been simply renovated. The thatch on the roof and walls had been removed, and the walls were painted white. The cobwebs and old dust had been cleaned, and simple furniture was placed inside. A few cat trees were set up in the yard, making it look like a home. Grandma Sun, having paid off her grandson's debts, seemed to have regained her spirit. However, Liu Hane Dong had lost his sympathy for this overly kind-hearted old lady, finished the job, and left without any further ado.

Just as he was about to leave, Song Shuang came running out, opened the car door, and got into the Fukan.

"Where are you going?" Liu Hane Dong asked.

"Home," Song Shuang said angrily, "A pitiful person must have a hateful side. Grandma Sun is really senile."

"She's not senile. Even if her grandson is a wastrel, she still has to rely on him for old age. Should she rely on the government?" Liu Hane Dong said, starting the car.

The car drove down Tiezha Street, and Mei Jie's hair salon flashed by the window. Song Shuang asked Liu Hane Dong to stop, wanting to check on Huanxi's recent life and studies.

Inside the hair salon, two men with gold chains were sitting, their black Adidas sportswear sleeves revealing crude tattoos. They were flirting with Nana and Xiaoya. When they saw Song Shuang come in, their eyes lit up, and they stared at her, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

"New girl?" one of the men asked with a smile.

"She's not in this business," Xiaoya quickly intervened, "Are you looking for Ling Shuai? He's inside, tutoring Huanxi."

Song Shuang didn't think much of it and pushed open the door to Huanxi's room. She saw Ling Zijie sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding an iPod, while Huanxi sat at the desk, with an English reading book open. They were both wearing one earbud each, listening intently.

Seeing the unexpected visitor, Ling Zijie became very awkward and hurriedly stood up to explain, "I'm helping Huanxi with her pronunciation."

Song Shuang didn't find anything amiss, nodded at him, and asked Huanxi if she needed any more study materials. At that moment, Liu Hane Dong also came in, and it was Huanxi's turn to feel awkward. She stood up and said, "Brother, Brother Ling is tutoring me in English."

Liu Hane Dong said, "Good, study hard. Ling Zijie is a top student from Beiqing University. His English is very standard, much better than the teachers in your rural school."

Song Shuang said, "Then we won't disturb you. Let's go."

She and Liu Hane Dong left together. She was uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the hair salon and didn't notice that Ling Zijie was waving at the car.

Liu Hane Dong saw Ling Zijie in the rearview mirror and chuckled. This guy was quite a romantic, still trying to have it all.

...

A few days later, in the evening, Liu Hane Dong was chatting with Hu Lei at the gate of the Transportation Vocational College. The area was filled with internet cafes, game rooms, billiard halls, food stalls, and hourly hotels. Hu Lei and his gang of unemployed youth often hung out here, and they were considered the local toughs.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was his mother. Liu Hane Dong quickly answered.

"Xiao Dong, I'm already on the train."

"Where are you going?"

"To Jinhua, to meet your in-laws with Uncle He. I've brought a lot of things. Come and pick us up later. Hehe, I've prepared a big gift for your future wife."

Liu Hane Dong was speechless. He had forgotten about this and didn't expect his mother to come without prior notice. It was too late to tell the truth now. He mumbled a few "ahs" and "ums," and his mother hung up happily.

"Trouble," Liu Hane Dong said.

"What's wrong?" Hu Lei rolled up his sleeves, "Do you need to call for help? I can whistle, and I'll get thirty to fifty people."

Liu Hane Dong looked grim. "Even a hundred won't solve the problem. My mother is coming to meet the in-laws."

Hu Lei threw up his hands, "I'm out of ideas."

Liu Hane Dong had no choice but to drive to the train station to pick them up. On the way, he thought a lot and decided to tell his mother the truth, explaining that Ma Ling's parents didn't agree. He hoped his mother would understand.

In the past, it took over four hours to travel from Jiangbei to the provincial capital by train, but now it only took one hour and fifteen minutes by high-speed rail. Liu Hane Dong waited at the high-speed rail exit and saw his mother and stepfather come out, carrying large and small bags, looking very happy and dressed in their best clothes.

Liu Hane Dong went up to them, took the heavy gifts, and led them to his car. His stepfather looked at the car, which had the Big Dipper logo, and touched the bullet hole, deep in thought.

"It's just art, for decoration," Liu Hane Dong explained nervously, fearing his mother would have a heart attack if she knew he had been shot.

His stepfather smiled but said nothing.

The three got into the car. Liu Hane Dong was thinking about how to settle them and tell the truth. His mother took out a small box from her bag, opened it like a treasure, and showed a pair of gold earrings.

"These were passed down to me by your grandmother. They're from before the liberation. I'll give them to Xiao Ma as our engagement gift," his mother said with a smile.

"Mom, actually..." Liu Hane Dong found it hard to speak.

"There's more. Look, this is the tobacco and alcohol for your future father-in-law, and the clothes and scarves for your future mother-in-law..." His mother went through the items in her bag, very excited.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Hu Ying.

"Dong Ge, have your aunt and uncle arrived?"

"Just now."

"Have you told them the truth?"

"Not yet."

"That's good. Don't say anything, just come back. I've arranged everything."

"Where should I go? What have you arranged?" Liu Hane Dong was confused.

"Dummy, the extras. Don't ask, just come back and you'll see." Ma Ling hung up.

"Xiao Dong, what were you about to say?" his stepfather asked.

"Nothing, just asking if you've eaten on the train," Liu Hane Dong said.

"We've eaten. Drive quickly, don't let the in-laws wait," his mother said with a smile.

Liu Hane Dong, with a heavy heart, drove back to Tiezha Street. As soon as he arrived at No. 108, he saw Hu Lianhe and Bao Yumei standing at the door, dressed in eye-catching outfits.

Hu Lianhe was wearing a majestic police uniform, with a neatly tied tie and a national emblem on his cap. Bao Yumei was dressed like a middle-aged intellectual woman, with foundation and lipstick, but her vulgar demeanor couldn't be hidden. However, it didn't matter, as Ma Ling's mother was also vulgar.

"Ah, we've been waiting for you," Hu Lianhe opened the car door and extended his hand warmly, "Hello, hello, I'm Ma Ling's father, Ma Jianguo."

His stepfather shook his hand, "Hello, I'm from Xiao Dong's family, He Jian, named after He Long and meaning 'strong and firm.'"

Bao Yumei also came up, speaking sweetly, "This must be Xiao Dong's mother. You look so young and well-maintained. We've been waiting for you. If you hadn't come, I would have gone to Jiangbei to find you."

His mother was flattered, "Ah, Sister, I'm really sorry. We had some family matters that delayed us. We should have come earlier. Let's sit down and discuss our children's future."

Liu Hane Dong remained silent, got out of the car, and carried the things from the trunk into the yard. The regular mahjong game, which never stopped, was not happening today, and the house was cleaned from top to bottom.

The four parents exchanged pleasantries and entered the house. Hu Lei and Hu Ying were not at home, and Liu Hane Dong was busy serving tea and water.

Hu Lianhe looked at his watch and said, "Ma Ling will be off work in a while. Let's go to the restaurant first. I've already booked a table. Wait a moment, I'll change out of my uniform. We have strict rules in the police force and can't drink in uniform."

Just as he was about to leave, Shan Pao came in with a banner that read "People's Guardian."

"Officer Ma, you're a true hero!" Shan Pao knelt down as soon as he entered, tears streaming down his face, expressing his genuine gratitude.