Chapter 16

The four elders were Ou Changqing and Zhong Qing's parents. Ou Lao Ye, Wu Di had seen on TV, and although he had never seen Zhong Lao Ye on TV, with three gold stars, he was a general! Wu Di was secretly amazed and a bit frightened, thinking that if this hadn't been a performance just now, he would have been dragged out and shot a hundred times by now. He looked at Ou Changqing's apologetic smile, wondering if he should give this guy a little golden man. Then he thought, if it came to acting, more than half of the officials would meet this standard, which would bankrupt him.

Ou Doudou, who had been deliberately led out by his uncle, came back. Seeing Wu Di, he cheered and pounced, chattering non-stop, making the people around them envious. Zhong Lao Tai Tai sighed with relief, realizing that the child wasn't autistic, just unfamiliar.

"Zhong Qi, you good-for-nothing playboy, thank you, Wu Di."

"You're welcome."

Zhong Lao Ye slapped the back of Zhong Qi's head,

"Get lost!"

The old lady pulled his hand away,

"You're so big, how can you just hit him? If you break him, he's still your son."

Zhong Qi hid behind Zhong Qing, grinning at the old man, and Ou Doudou, who was clearly a bit afraid of the old man, bravely said in a trembling voice,

"Don't hit Uncle, Uncle is a good person!"

Zhong Qi proudly made a victory sign with both hands but was hit by the old lady again,

"Disrespectful!"

Wu Di was dumbfounded. This was different from what he had seen on TV. Such a family should be... well, it should be... it seemed like it should be like this at home.

Zhong Qing smiled and said,

"Alright, everyone's here, let's prepare for dinner. Wu Di, I have two older brothers, both out of town. They came back a few days ago and left again. Next time I'll bring you to meet them. Old Ou is an only child in their family. Dad and Mom are here today. By the way, Doudou's hukou is registered, and his full name is Ou Xingfu."

Wu Di thought of the old people in the mountain village, his eyes a bit red, and nodded tightly. Ou Doudou excitedly whispered in Wu Di's ear,

"We're going back to Kaoshan Village the day after tomorrow. Mom asked if you're free to come with us."

Wu Di leaned in and whispered back,

"I'm free."

The little guy ran over to Zhong Qing and whispered in her ear. Seeing Zhong Qing's eyes filled with sweetness, Wu Di felt very happy.

In the evening, Minister Ou went home alone, while Zhong Qing and Zhong Qi stayed with the child. Wu Di wanted to go back, but the old lady firmly refused. Later, Zhong Qing intervened, asking Wu Di to come over the next evening and leave together the day after.

On Monday, Manager Le successfully signed the contract and brought back a 30% advance payment. Zhao Haoran, tapping the check, sighed,

"Brother Wu, the relationship you've built, I haven't had such a smooth deal in half my life! Little Le, quickly arrange for the invoice to be sent."

Wu Di confirmed the supply would be one month later and called Old Yuan. Then he went back to the company to ask for leave.

Old Zhao was astonished. Just back, he wanted to leave again, and the time was uncertain. Was Wu Di up to something? But if the sky was going to rain and the mother was going to marry, he couldn't stop it. He probed Wu Di, making him laugh and cry. Wu Di really had no intention of looking for a better job. But Old Zhao's words reminded him that he could do it himself, avoiding any guilt. If that didn't work, he could be a freelancer, doing whatever he wanted. With the Heavenly Book in hand, even if he didn't use it much, making one or two deals a year would be very comfortable.

Wu Di bought a DVD player and a pile of books, waiting at home for Zhong Qing to pick him up. At around three, the car arrived, a military vehicle, a Haval. Wu Di was astonished. Were there still such frugal official cars?

Ou Doudou and Zhong Qing came with the car. Now, the two were almost inseparable. On the way, Wu Di learned about Zhong Qing's family. The old man was nearly seventy, in the Central Military Commission, and would retire after this term. Doudou was lost when he was three years and four months old, while his grandmother was taking a walk in the park. The old lady, who was just fifty at the time, collapsed. She hid in her hometown in Hei Province and didn't see anyone. From then on, Zhong Qing didn't work, shuttling between the capital and Hei Province. The child's return saved the old lady's life, clearing years of depression. Although her health was still not good, it was no longer as life-threatening as it had been in the past two years. Zhong Qing and Ou Changqing had a significant age gap. She was not yet thirty-two this year. Once her spirit was relieved, she immediately exuded the charming demeanor of a young woman.

Zhong Qing had two twin brothers. One was in the military, a colonel, and the other was the deputy secretary of a city in the south. The old man's first wife died of illness and left no children. The later ones were born too late and none could take on the responsibility. However, as long as the old man was alive, no one dared to speak ill of the Zhong family. Zhong Qi, the youngest, was always idle, dabbling in everything. Recently, he had become obsessed with gambling on stones and had been disciplined by the old man many times.

Ou Changqing was forty-two this year and was a strong candidate for the next minister. However, his family had a single line of descendants for three generations, and Zhong Qing couldn't have children. If it weren't for Ou Changqing's firm opposition, they would have divorced long ago. Now that everything was back to normal, Zhong Qing's face was always smiling.

Zhong Qing smiled at Wu Di and said,

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

Wu Di shook his head foolishly. Zhong Qing tapped his forehead,

"Stupid brother, if anyone dares to offend you, you can hit them back. Whatever happens, I'll take care of it. Doudou, call him Uncle from now on, not Mister, got it?"

Wu Di's face split into a grin. Could he really start acting tough from now on?

Although Zhong Qing took care of Ou Doudou a lot, the child was actually closest to Zhong Qi. The mother, though doting, always wanted to control her son. The uncle, on the other hand, let him do whatever he wanted, whether it was fishing, bird hunting, or exploring the mountains and rivers. It was no wonder the little guy was won over. But even so, he couldn't compare to Wu Di. Ou Doudou, like a reborn chick, saw Wu Di first when he opened his eyes, and this bond was unbreakable. Zhong Qi, who was unmarried, was very jealous of Wu Di, muttering about making a little person to play with. The old lady heard and scolded him, saying that after a few years in Hei Province, this guy had gone wild and needed to be tamed.

Seeing this happy family, Wu Di couldn't help but think of his mother, who often threatened him with arranged marriages, his sister who had grown up following him, and his father, who seemed strict but always supported him. He was a bit lost in thought.

In the afternoon, many people came, including Zhong Qing's older brothers and their families. They were all very friendly to Wu Di. Wu Di was astonished and quietly asked Zhong Qing what was going on. She smiled but didn't answer. Wu Di felt something was off and that it was related to him, but he couldn't get an answer, so he just went with the flow.

Dinner was at home, with three large tables set up. Before the meal, the old lady stood up and announced with a smile,

"Today, we've gathered to tell everyone that our family has grown."

Wu Di thought they were celebrating Doudou's return, and he breathed a sigh of relief. But he noticed everyone was looking at him, and the old lady's gaze never left him, making him feel uneasy. Suddenly, a thunderous voice rang in his ear,

"Wu Di, would you like to call me your godmother?"

"Ah?"

Wu Di was stunned, mumbling incoherently. If the old lady were just a regular person, it would be one thing, but if she were a wealthy lady, he might run even faster. But...

"Brat, show the same spirit you showed yesterday with Ou."

Ou Changqing, who was also present, blushed, and Zhong Qing called out,

"Dad—"

Her voice was soft and lingering, and the old man laughed heartily,

"Qing, you're back."

This sentence woke Wu Di up. Zhong Qing had suffered a lot in recent years, and everyone in the family had seen it. The old lady had even been issued several critical condition notices, and the entire Zhong family couldn't hold their heads up in front of the Ou family. But now, the mother and daughter were both smiling, and the old man dared to joke with Ou Changqing. All of this was due to this young man! The crowd immediately cheered, urging Wu Di to change his address.

The old lady raised her hand, and everyone quieted down,

"The only concern is that your parents might not be comfortable, right?"

Wu Di, who hadn't thought of this valid reason, nodded vigorously. The old lady smiled slyly, much like Zhong Qing, and muttered, "If the road is blocked, it's fine." She then took a DV from the nanny and handed it to Wu Di. Wu Di immediately had a bad feeling, like when he deliberately left some obvious flaws in his graduation thesis so the teacher could find them easily and wouldn't ask deeper questions during the defense.

He reluctantly opened the DV, and his mother's hearty voice came through,

"Brat, quickly call me your godmother. Now you have someone to look after you in the capital. I told your godmother that I want to see my future daughter-in-law by the end of the year."

Everyone burst into laughter. Wu Di turned off the DV and tried to hand it back to the old lady, but she didn't reach out. Wu Di opened his mouth a few times, wanting to say something but stopping. Looking at the old lady's smiling face, he was reminded of the first time he met Aunt Song in Kaoshan Village. His heart moved, and a loud "Godmother" slipped out!