“Really, you don’t need me to call a car?”
Halfway there, Zhan Zhongxiao called.
“No, I drove over. Where are you?”
“At the intersection of where I live.”
“Okay, wait for me here, I’ll be right there,” Liu Nanfeng said, hanging up.
Then, with a hint of mischief, he said to Su Jinxiu, who was sitting in the passenger seat, “He’ll be very surprised to see you later.”
Su Jinxiu covered her mouth and chuckled at his words.
“Should I tell him that you already know my identity?”
“If he asks, you can tell him,” Liu Nanfeng said after thinking about it. It was something he would find out eventually, so there was no need to hide it.
He imagined Zhan Zhongxiao’s expression would be quite amusing when he realized Liu Nanfeng knew his identity.
“How is this car? Are you getting used to driving it?” Su Jinxiu suddenly asked.
“It’s… not as good as the Mercedes you bought me. That car is more comfortable to drive, and I’m used to it. I feel a bit awkward driving this one.” Liu Nanfeng shifted in his seat.
In reality, he wanted to say it was good, but his mind reacted quickly, and he changed his words instantly.
How could Su Jinxiu not know he was being insincere? Seeing his behavior, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny? I’m telling the truth.” Liu Nanfeng gave her a sincere look.
“You,” Su Jinxiu glanced at him, a hint of sourness in her eyes.
Liu Nanfeng suddenly felt that Su Huamei coming to live with them might not be a good thing.
As they neared Zhan Zhongxiao’s residence, the sky was already bright. There weren’t many pedestrians or vehicles, and a few sanitation workers were diligently cleaning the road.
From a distance, they saw Zhan Zhongxiao standing by the roadside, looking at his phone while occasionally glancing left and right. He had a lot of bags and packages at his feet.
“Is that your childhood friend?”
Su Jinxiu recognized Zhan Zhongxiao at a glance. His build was too distinctive, and as fellow members of the demon race, it was easy to identify him.
“Yes, that’s him. He’s so chubby. When we were kids, we nicknamed him Zhan Dun Dun.” Liu Nanfeng chuckled.
“What was your nickname?” Su Jinxiu asked curiously.
“Liu Ying Jun (Liu Handsome),” Liu Nanfeng shamelessly replied.
“You’re just boasting.” Su Jinxiu smiled gently.
“No one would believe me if I told them.” Liu Nanfeng feigned distress as he honked the horn and slowly stopped the car next to Zhan Zhongxiao.
“Liu Shu Tiao, is this yours…”
Zhan Zhongxiao was also surprised to see Liu Nanfeng driving a Lincoln Navigator. He was about to ask when he saw Su Jinxiu sitting in the passenger seat.
“Hello.”
Su Jinxiu glanced at Liu Nanfeng with amusement, then waved at Zhan Zhongxiao and greeted him.
“You… hello.” Su Jinxiu was so beautiful that Zhan Zhongxiao was momentarily stunned, only managing to respond blankly.
He quickly regained his senses, his body tensing up, revealing a guarded expression. The woman in front of him, impossibly beautiful, was a demon, and a powerful one at that.
But before he could speak, Liu Nanfeng opened the car door and got out, saying, “Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Su Jinxiu.”
“My best friend, Zhan Zhongxiao.”
Liu Nanfeng introduced them to each other. At this point, Su Jinxiu also got out of the car.
“You’re married?” Zhan Zhongxiao’s mind was a bit muddled, still trying to process everything.
“Yes, we’ve been married for several years.” Liu Nanfeng smiled.
“But… but…”
“But what?”
“I just didn’t expect you to marry such a beautiful wife. Hello, Miss Su.”
He smiled and greeted Su Jinxiu again. He had already recovered, and although he remained cautious, he showed no outward signs of it.
“Don’t just stand there. Grab the stuff. But why did you buy so much?” Liu Nanfeng was also a bit surprised to see the gifts beside him.
“I haven’t seen Uncle and Auntie for a long time, so I bought a bit more.” Zhan Zhongxiao helped Liu Nanfeng move the items into the car while discreetly observing Su Jinxiu.
After they finished packing, Su Jinxiu proactively said, “I’ll sit in the back.”
“No, I’m bigger, I’ll sit in the back seat.” Zhan Zhongxiao wouldn’t dare let Su Jinxiu sit behind him; he was on edge.
“Alright then, get in, we can chat on the way.”
Liu Nanfeng beckoned them to get into the car. Su Jinxiu guessed Zhan Zhongxiao’s intentions, chuckled lightly, and didn’t refuse, returning to the passenger seat.
As soon as the car started moving, Zhan Zhongxiao couldn’t hold back and spoke first, “Nan Feng, you’re not being a good friend. You didn’t say anything about being married the last time we met. I didn’t even prepare a gift.”
“Gift? What gift?”
“When you got married, I didn’t give any wedding money. Now that I know, I should at least make up for it with a gift.”
“Wouldn’t that break our connection? Besides, with our relationship, why bother with all those formalities?”
“You can’t say that. I’ll make it up to you when I get back this time.”
Liu Nanfeng didn’t dwell on the issue and smiled, “Alright, I’ll be waiting for your gift.”
“Dream on. It’s not for you, it’s for Miss Su.” Zhan Zhongxiao said.
He was the same age as Liu Nanfeng, so calling Su Jinxiu “sister-in-law” would be inappropriate, and calling her “young sister-in-law” would also be wrong. Thus, he could only refer to her as Miss Su.
Zhan Zhongxiao then continued in a joking tone, “Nan Feng, how did you meet Miss Su? How could such a beautiful woman fall for you?”
Su Jinxiu, who had been silent all this time, exchanged a look with Liu Nanfeng. They both saw the amusement in each other’s eyes.
They both understood that Zhan Zhongxiao was trying to probe Su Jinxiu’s background.
“We met in college. Jinxiu is my senior. When I reported for duty, she was the one who received me…”
As Liu Nanfeng recounted the past, he began to speak enthusiastically.
Su Jinxiu sat beside him, smiling and watching Liu Nanfeng.
Seeing the couple’s affection and deep bond, Zhan Zhongxiao’s guard lowered a little.
After all, his family situation was similar to Liu Nanfeng’s, just in reverse. His parents had a loving and deep relationship.
The only thing that worried Zhan Zhongxiao was whether they planned to have children. His family was rather special; they were able to transform thanks to the blessings of their ancestors. Otherwise, he didn’t know if he would still be in a zoo nibbling on bamboo.
However, he was an outsider. Even though he and Liu Nanfeng were childhood friends, they hadn’t seen each other for many years. If he spoke up rashly, it would only damage their relationship.
Along the way, Su Jinxiu also asked Zhan Zhongxiao about some amusing stories from Liu Nanfeng’s childhood.
In the summer, they went to pick up trash to sell bottles for ice pops.
In winter, they went ice skating on the lake and fell into the water, almost freezing to death.
In the scorching summer, he forgot to bring toilet paper when going to the restroom and almost suffered heatstroke while squatting.
He stole Wen Hui’s ice cream and, because he was too fast, kissed Wen Hui on the mouth. She reported him to Liu Nanfeng’s parents, and he was chased and beaten, hiding at his house and not daring to go home.
“Who is Wen Hui?” Su Jinxiu asked with a smile.
After speaking, she glanced curiously at Liu Nanfeng.
Liu Nanfeng was shocked. How could this silly cat say everything?
Wait, could he be doing this on purpose? The more Liu Nanfeng thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
“Those are all embarrassing childhood incidents. I’ve forgotten about them.” Liu Nanfeng pretended to be indifferent.
“Wen Hui is also our childhood friend. The three of us were quite close back then. Her family lived on the floor above Nan Feng’s, and their parents worked at the same factory.”
“Really? Why didn’t you ever tell me before?” Su Jinxiu asked Liu Nanfeng in the same tone.
However, Liu Nanfeng could still sense her jealousy.
He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Zhan Zhongxiao sitting obediently in the back seat, his head bowed, his expression unreadable.
As expected, this guy was doing it on purpose.
“If it weren’t for Zhan Dun Dun bringing it up, I would have forgotten about her. After junior high, I lost contact with her. Due to demolition, our families also lost touch.”
“However, Zhan Dun Dun always liked that young lady. He’s actually coming back this time to inquire about her. Did you think he was really coming back to the village with me just to see my parents?”
“Of course, I’m here to see Uncle and Auntie. I haven’t seen them for many years, and I miss them.” Zhan Dun Dun immediately chimed in.
Zhan Dun Dun had a honest appearance and a deep, resonant voice. It was unclear if this was a special ability of his panda heritage or something innate, but his words carried a sense of sincerity that made others easily believe him.
If he were to engage in fraud, he would surely make a fortune, though he would have to be careful about retribution.
“You want to see Wen Hui, don’t you?” Liu Nanfeng directly retorted.
Then, with a sincere expression, he said to Su Jinxiu in the passenger seat, “My parents were colleagues with Shen Wen Hui’s parents. They should still have some contact, so when we go back this time, Zhan Dun Dun intends to ask my parents for her contact information.”
“Is that so?”
Su Jinxiu’s beautiful eyes flickered, and she smiled charmingly. It was clear she was satisfied with Liu Nanfeng’s explanation.
“Of course, Zhan Dun Dun, you tell her yourself, right?”
Liu Nanfeng looked into the rearview mirror and met Zhan Dun Dun’s gaze. He then gave him a “fierce” glare and made a threatening gesture with his mouth. Sure enough, Zhan Dun Dun immediately backed down.
He didn’t dare to offend Liu Nanfeng too much, or else how could he compete with him for Wen Hui?
Well, he had a wife now, so he probably wouldn’t be competing with him anymore. That was good news, but if he tried to cause trouble, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
“Heh heh…”
So he scratched his head sheepishly.
His behavior made the truthfulness of Liu Nanfeng’s statement self-evident.
Because the journey wasn’t long, and there were few vehicles on the road early in the morning, they soon arrived at Liujiaqiao Village.
Liujiaqiao Village was a very small settlement with only about a hundred households. The reason it was named that was because near the village there was a river called Donghui River, an artificial river that was part of the Hui River.
On the other side of the river was a town called Majia Town, which was more prosperous and commercially developed.
For the surrounding villages of Liujiaqiao to sell their agricultural products, going to Majia Town was most convenient. However, due to the Hui River, transportation was inconvenient.
Therefore, the people of Liujia Village raised money to build a bridge called Liujia Bridge, and gradually Liujia Village became Liujiaqiao Village.
Due to the new "road access for all" policy, every village had cement roads built. Apart from being a bit narrow, they were not much different from those in the city.
Liu Nanfeng vaguely remembered visiting his grandparents when he was little. On rainy days, he would step into mud pits mixed with cow dung and chicken droppings. It was okay in summer, but in winter, it was a nightmare, which was why he disliked returning to the countryside.
After his grandparents passed away, the old house was abandoned, left in ruins with overgrown weeds.
A few years ago, his parents returned, tore it down, and rebuilt it with three rooms, enclosing it with a courtyard, making it look like a place for people to live.
The old house was located at the entrance of the village, so from a distance, Liu Nanfeng saw his mother, Yu Huilan, standing at the doorway, gazing towards the road.
However, because Liu Nanfeng had a new car, she didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t until Liu Nanfeng drove up to her and honked twice that she realized who it was.
“Huh? You got a new car?” Yu Huilan asked in surprise.
The car looked very high-class, clearly expensive.
She was about to say more when the rear window rolled down, “Auntie.”
Yu Huilan was stunned by the greeting.
“Who are you?”
“Auntie, you don’t remember me?”
Seeing the honest smile, Yu Huilan was momentarily dazed, then exclaimed with surprise, “You’re Fatty? No, you’re Dun Dun?”
“Yes, it’s me, Zhan Zhongxiao.”
“Oh my, how many years has it been? You’ve grown so big! Come down quickly, let Auntie have a good look.” Yu Huilan said joyfully.
At this moment, Su Jinxiu also got out of the passenger seat.
“Mom.” Su Jinxiu called out.
“Jinxiu, haven’t you had breakfast yet? Come inside quickly and have some breakfast.”
Zhan Dun Dun, who had just gotten out of the car: …
Liu Nanfeng went to park the car on the side, and Yu Huilan pulled Su Jinxiu into the house. Halfway there, she remembered Zhan Dun Dun.
“Dun Dun, hurry up and come in. Auntie was too happy and forgot about you.”
Zhan Dun Dun: …
“Don’t leave in such a hurry. Help me carry the things.” Liu Nanfeng, who had just gotten out of the car, quickly called out.
But Yu Huilan seemed not to hear him and continued to pull Su Jinxiu inside.
Su Jinxiu could only turn back and give Liu Nanfeng an apologetic smile.
Zhan Dun Dun felt awkward following them, so he stepped forward to help Liu Nanfeng carry the things.
“That’s just how my mom is. As long as my wife comes over, she revolves around her. Don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s fine, I understand. With so many things, Auntie shouldn’t be the one carrying them.”
They said as they took the things down.
“But where’s your dad?”
“I don’t know. He probably went out.”
Liu Nanfeng was also puzzled as to why he hadn’t seen Liu Zonghe.
Meanwhile, Yu Huilan pulled Su Jinxiu into the yard and quietly asked, “Did you get Nan Feng another new car?”
“Yes, that car broke down, so I got him another one.”
“It wasn’t cheap, was it?”
“It was alright. Mom, let’s not talk about this. I bought you some summer clothes. Try them on later to see if they fit. If not, I’ll take them back to exchange.”
“We’ll talk about the clothes later, Jinxiu. Mom has something to tell you. Don’t spoil Nan Feng too much. You can’t be too good to a man; if you are, he won’t cherish you.”
“Mom, I know, but Nan Feng isn’t that kind of person.”
“All women think their man is the most special one. I’m telling you, as long as they’re still breathing, they’re all the same.”
“Mom, he’s your son. Is it good for you to say that about him?”
Su Jinxiu couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s precisely because he’s my son that I understand him better. He’s no different from other men. You can’t spoil him too much, or he’ll become incorrigible.”
“Mom, I know.” Su Jinxiu said with a smile.
In fact, although she doted on Liu Nanfeng, she was a “demoness” with many tricks. At home, Liu Nanfeng was easily controlled by her, but outsiders didn’t know that.
“You must be hungry. Mom made something delicious for you.”
Yu Huilan pulled her into the house. The large table in the hall was already laden with a sumptuous breakfast.
“Where’s my dad?”
“Knowing you were coming back today, he set some traps yesterday and went to collect them early this morning. He should be back soon. I don’t know if he caught anything.”
As they were talking, Liu Nanfeng and Zhan Dun Dun entered with a large pile of things.
“Oh my, Nan Feng, why are you letting Dun Dun help you carry things? He’s a guest. Dun Dun, come here and let Auntie have a look. You’ve gotten so strong after all these years.” Yu Huilan pulled Zhan Dun Dun over.
Liu Nanfeng: …
He turned to look at Su Jinxiu. Su Jinxiu winked at him playfully.
She lightly clenched her fist and silently made a “come on” gesture.
“Alas…”
They longed for him to come back every day, but when he did, they didn’t even want to look at him more than necessary. That was a mother.