Chapter 251: Chapter 251
The next morning, Li Xianglu tugged at the already pitch-black-faced Qin Xi, whispering, "Alright, the outcome wasn’t too bad, now eat up, we still have to head out after breakfast."
Qin Xi helplessly picked up his bowl of porridge and took a sip, while Qin Zhen shrank his shoulders in fear, trying his best to make himself less noticeable. The aura emanating from his older brother was too frightening, reminiscent of the times during his childhood when he’d be in trouble, and even their dad wouldn’t dare to speak up.
Li Jianqing also sat upright and silent, and everyone quietly ate their breakfast.
It was the eighth day of the month, and Sister Xing came over early in the morning, only to find that right inside the yard’s entrance there was a large, dirty patch of vomit. She hurriedly cleaned it up and came in to ask, concerned, who had thrown up.
Li Xianglu was at her wits’ end. Last night, before nine o’clock, Qin Zhen had returned home, escorted by the Lu Family themselves, and the man who had brought him back was none other than Lu Xun.
To this moment, Li Xianglu could still recall her flushed face in the cold wind, hot as a freshly steamed bun.
Lu Anna looked on helplessly as she recounted how Qin Zhen and her father had gotten into a drinking contest at home and ended up overdrinking, then started addressing each other as brothers.
Before Lu Xun left, he informed Qin Xi that the Qin Family should visit them the following day.
Meaning it was time to formally discuss this matter.
Early that morning, Qin Xi first called his father, arranged a meeting spot, and discussed that they should visit the Lu Family, bringing gifts, of course. Tobacco and liquor were a given since they had those at home, but they also needed some fruits and pastries to make a good impression.
So, after they finished breakfast, Li Jianqing and Grandfather stayed behind at home while the three of them set out, riding their bikes, first to the Overseas Chinese Store to buy pastries like croissants, and aside from tobacco and liquor, Li Xianglu also brought along four pieces of cloth—after all, they had women in their family, and they couldn’t just please Mr. Qin without considering the ladies.
Qin Shouren also had only just found out that his youngest son was in a relationship with the Lu Family’s daughter, and receiving such a call early in the morning also gave him a start, but as a father, it was still necessary for him to deal with these things personally.
The four met up and after briefly explaining the situation, Mr. Qin slapped his younger son on the back in annoyance and said, "Couldn’t you behave yourself on your first visit to the girl’s family? Why did you have to drink?"
Qin Zhen felt extremely wronged; it wasn’t that he wanted to drink—in fact, he had initially refused. But Nana’s brothers insisted that a man must know how to drink, so he ended up drinking, and it just didn’t stop. The men in their family kept pouring him drinks, which resulted in him overdrinking.
Seeing his son’s state, Qin Shouren was speechless and settled with, "When you go in later, speak less, got it? No more drinking, alright?!"
Qin Zhen nodded, full of grievance.
The Lu Family’s residence and the courtyard of the Pang Family were part of the same complex, but one had to go to the very end to find the Lu Family’s standalone building, which exuded an air of higher status. There was a separate guard at the entrance, and upon their arrival, someone led them through the main gate into the compound. Despite the bitter cold, Lu Anna was already waiting at the door to the courtyard, clearly suffering from dark circles under her eyes, yet unable to hide her excitement.
Mr. Qin and the others were ushered in, and they found that Lu’s mother and Xi Yunmei, along with Lu Ping’an and two other unfamiliar women, were already waiting in the living room.
After exchanging simple greetings and sitting down, Lu’s mother said apologetically, "Please have a seat for a moment. Nana’s dad drank too much last night and is still suffering from a headache. I will go check on him."
Upon hearing those words, Li Xianglu’s face suddenly felt fiery with embarrassment. Such misfortune for their household.
After Lu’s mother left, Xi Yunmei waited until the auntie brought up the tea before starting the introductions.
Sitting there, the two women were respectively the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law of the Lu Family, and Xi Yunmei was the third. All three brothers had gone out on business.
It wasn’t long before Lu’s mother returned with a man around sixty years old, coming down from upstairs, frowning and rubbing his temples from time to time, clearly suffering from a bad headache.
Mr. Qin stood up anxiously and greeted Mr. Lu. Lu Anna’s father had a stern face but was not overbearing at all, affably greeting everyone, then gave his wife a look when he saw that the three daughters-in-law remained seated.
Lu’s mother quickly understood and said to the three daughters-in-law: "Go buy some groceries, we’ll have lunch together at noon."
The three daughters-in-law didn’t really want to move, but seeing this, Li Xianglu also stood up with a smile and offered to accompany them.
Now only the heads of the two families and the three men from the Qin Family remained, and as it was inappropriate for a girl like Lu Anna to stay, a group of women and a child went out.
Lu Anna’s two sisters-in-law lived out of town, not knowing where to go shopping when they heard about it, but it was Li Xianglu who enthusiastically pulled out a stack of Foreign Exchange Vouchers from her bag, claiming that her family couldn’t use them all, and that if anyone wanted to buy something, they could take a few to see what they could buy.
Except for Xi Yunmei, who was used to Li Xianglu’s generous gestures, the other two were surprised and their mouths fell open. After all, the Lu Family was one of the top families in the capital, lacking nothing, and they often received gifts from the elders. But to offer so many precious Foreign Exchange Vouchers at once was truly a grand gesture.
However, neither of them was shallow, and they could see that both families were interested in a marriage alliance, so there was no need to worry. The women quickly divided up the vouchers and directly drove to the Overseas Chinese Store, each buying something.
Li Xianglu and Lu Anna walked at the back with Lu Ping’an, and at this moment, Lu Anna was somewhat preoccupied.
Li Xianglu comforted her: "Stop worrying, this is already the best outcome. If the two families can sit down together to discuss this matter, it means there is hope, and it also shows your parents have a good impression of Qin Zhen."
Lu Anna sighed softly: "I hope so."
When it was nearly time for lunch, they all drove back, excitedly showing off the things they bought along the way, and were extremely grateful to Li Xianglu for her generous exchange vouchers.
Xi Yunmei thought Li Xianglu’s tactics were amusing. Indeed, she had tactfully won over the two sisters-in-law who had been on the fence; after using the vouchers to buy things, they fully came around in support.
Upon arriving at the Lu Family home, Li Xianglu anxiously looked at the living room. By that time, Lu’s mother was no longer there. Only the three men from the Qin Family remained with Mr. Lu, talking to a slightly older man in a military uniform.
Lu Anna whispered, "My eldest brother’s back."
The food in the kitchen was nearly ready. Lu’s mother, seeing the daughters-in-law carrying shopping bags, assumed they went shopping and did not mind; she simply reminded them to wash up and get ready to eat.
Lu’s mother also headed to the living room to call the men for lunch.
Mr. Lu stood up to host, and everyone washed their hands and took their seats.
The men sat at one table, while the women all gathered around the coffee table in the living room to eat. Li Xianglu, noticing Lu Anna frequently glancing towards the dining table, guessed what was on her mind. She nervously half-rose to look over as well, relieved to see no alcohol on the table.