Chapter 752: Chapter 651

After mid-November, the weather turned truly cold. Snowflakes drifted down continuously, and before long, it was the twelfth lunar month. Every household was busy preparing goods for the New Year, and though the holiday had yet to arrive, the festive atmosphere was already thick in the air.

Xiao Man hadn’t been able to return to the South for her summer break. In her letters home, she only hinted that she would be back in the village for the Spring Festival. The moment winter break started, Sister Xinghua and her siblings began calling one after another: "What day are you coming back?"

"Are you getting ready to come back? We want to go to Wancheng to pick you up!"

Qiuyan said, "We went into the mountains and found a lot of wild goods. We saved some chestnuts and chinquapins for you, Sister Xiao Man. We also left some big pears and mandarin oranges on the trees—about half of them. The big pears by our front door are a gorgeous golden-yellow, and everyone who sees them gets greedy for a bite... Sister, hurry back! I can’t guard them for much longer!"

Grandpa and Grandma also called. They sent dried fish, smoked chicken, cured duck, cured pork, and wild mushrooms gathered from deep in the mountains. The elderly couple didn’t press Xiao Man about her return date, only exchanging greetings with Grandma Tang and catching up on each other’s family situations. Grandma lamented that the little babies were too young and the weather was too cold, otherwise they could have come to the countryside with the adults for the New Year. She said the holidays in the countryside were a lot of fun, that the village was setting up the rural opera stage again this year, and that there would be straw dragon and lion dances. The colorful dragon and the big lion would visit every household to offer New Year’s greetings, making things very festive and lively.

Xiao Man knew that Grandpa and Grandma were too considerate to ask her to return to the South for the holidays. Grandma, in particular, was very thoughtful and tended to overthink things. She felt that with Hao Hao abroad and her two younger brothers in Beijing still so little, there was no one to play with them. It was only right for Xiao Man to stay in Beijing for the New Year.

Grandma Tang was indeed reluctant to let her granddaughter run off to the South again for the New Year, but she was a reasonable person. When Xiao Man said she wanted to go back to the countryside, she nodded and agreed.

Grandpa Tang offered a few words of comfort from the side, saying that their eldest granddaughter only had another two or three years of this freedom. Once she married into her husband’s family and had children, she would inevitably have less control over her own time. Right now, she was just traveling between her two homes in the North and South. In the future, with her in-laws’ home and her own little family to consider, she would be stretched thin during the holidays. She and her husband might even end up arguing over which family to visit, becoming a burden on them. So, there was no need to hold her back. They should let her go wherever she pleased. Life isn’t a race; they should take things slow and not rush the child.

So, Grandma Tang and Mrs. Hao took the initiative to discuss with Xiao Man the date of her return to the South. The New Year goods had been shipped long ago, so Xiao Man only needed to pack a suitcase with her own clothes and books, and another with gifts for her siblings. Of course, Mrs. Hao didn’t know that she had a portable dimension where there was certainly no shortage of food. She packed another travel bag full of snacks for the road—chocolate, beef jerky, milk candies, cookies, and fruit—to pass the time. Xiao Man was speechless but could only accept it.

On the day of her departure, Xiao Man had to leave stealthily to avoid Tang Haobo and Tang Haofang. Otherwise, there would be another scene.

The two little brothers and Gu Shaoying had been secretly and openly fed food from Xiao Man’s dimension and given regular medicinal baths since they were little. Their physiques and intellect surpassed those of other children their age. The three little ones were noticeably strong. The twins, in particular, had absorbed nutrients from the dimension’s food even while in their mother’s womb, making them slightly superior to Shaoying in all aspects. If the two brothers worked together to cling to Xiao Man, she wouldn’t be able to use force against them and would have a hard time getting away.

But taking them with her was impossible. The adults wouldn’t be at ease, nor could they bear to part with them.

The Gu family had arranged the plane again. Gu Shaoqin really wanted to go with Xiao Man, but unfortunately, Jiang Yuyan wouldn’t let him. Her son had brought her great honor. In the gaokao this past July, Gu Shaoqin had earned a place at Kyoto University on his own merit—the top institution of higher learning in the country! Who wouldn’t be envious? At family and friends’ gatherings during the holidays, her old friends always had something to brag about. This year, she could finally take her son back to her maiden home and show him off.

Grandma Tang had taken the twins to visit a friend, so Tang Qingshan and Mrs. Hao took Xiao Man to the airport. Watching the helicopter carrying Xiao Man make a turn in the sky and fly south, Tang Qingshan let out a gloomy sigh and turned to Hao Wenli.

"Our daughter has been spirited away again!"

Hao Wenli shot him a look. "What nonsense are you talking about? Isn’t it flying directly to Wancheng? Someone will take her to Gongdao Village as soon as she lands, and the Mo siblings will be there to pick Manman up too. Where’s the opportunity for anyone to spirit her away?"

"You know who I’m talking about."

"Who else could it be? Our son-in-law, Gu Shaojun."

"Watch your words, my dear. Our daughter isn’t married yet. Don’t go naming names."

"Why can’t I name names? They’re already engaged."

"So what if they’re engaged? If he steps out of line even one minute before the wedding, we’ll replace him just the same! And then it won’t be that name we’re saying."

Hao Wenli was speechless. ’Is my husband going through menopause?’ It seemed that ever since Manman and Shaojun got engaged, he had been like this, finding fault with his son-in-law at every turn.

She suddenly recalled consulting a friend who was a psychologist about her husband’s attitude not long ago. Thinking of her friend’s words, Hao Wenli couldn’t help but smile.

Her friend had said this behavior was completely normal and that many fathers with daughters were like this. Daughters are naturally well-behaved and adorable, deeply doted on by their fathers. Isn’t there that saying that a daughter is her father’s lover from a past life? Seeing his "little lover" about to be snatched away by someone else, a father naturally feels a sense of crisis. Even knowing he can’t stop it, he still has to put up a last-ditch struggle. He has to wait until he takes that final blow—when his daughter is married off and becomes someone else’s wife—before he’ll finally give up and be at peace.

Hao Wenli felt she should humor the little emotions of the father before her and said with a smile, "So, what is it about our son-in-law that you’re not happy with? Tell me."

Tang Qingshan didn’t hold back and began his tirade: "That brat is as cunning as a fox! Just look: every time Manman has a break, he makes a move. Last year, when Manman went back to Gongdao Village for winter break, Shaojun told his family he didn’t have leave and couldn’t return to Beijing for the New Year. But what happened? He ran straight to the village on New Year’s Eve! Was that three-day leave stolen? With three days, how could he not make one trip back to Beijing? He insisted on squatting in the village and had Mr. and Mrs. Mo hold a wedding banquet for him. That was a rural wedding banquet! It has a special significance. Even without a marriage certificate, people there consider them husband and wife. It makes me so mad! Then there was this summer break. Manman didn’t go back to the South, and Gu Shaojun stuck to her like glue. Now that Manman’s going back to the village for the New Year, you just wait and see—Gu Shaojun will show up in the village in no time! With tricks like these, how can my daughter not be tricked away by him? If only she were a few years younger and still clueless, I’d keep her by my side every day during the holidays and not even let him get a glimpse of her!"

Hao Wenli studied her husband seriously, half surprised and half amused. ’Has his imagination gotten this rich from being influenced by his writer wife?’

However, for the sake of her daughter’s happiness, she temporarily pushed aside the unrelated topic and came to her son-in-law’s defense.

"Dear, you’re overthinking it. In the military, especially since Shaojun is in the border defense force, the situation is as unpredictable as the weather. Whether he has leave or not is never certain. The young couple is so sweet together, and they’re destined to be husband and wife for life. What’s the big deal about having an early wedding banquet in the countryside? It was a heartfelt gesture from the two elders, and Shaojun couldn’t possibly have refused. As for this summer break, Manman stayed in Beijing because her traditional Chinese medicine research group at the university hadn’t finished its project. And Shaojun? Weren’t you the one who told me he had just completed a dangerous mission, performed a great service, and was given a half-month leave, which is why he came back? Now Manman is going to the South for the New Year, and she and Shaojun will be in the same province. If Shaojun can’t create an opportunity to get together with Manman, then he’d be a fool. And that would make him unworthy of being our son-in-law!"

Tang Qingshan: "..."

He was overcome with a deep sorrow. ’This definitely isn’t my wife. She must have been swapped out. Who ever heard of a wife who sides with an outsider like this, defending her son-in-law at every turn and speaking up for him instead of being on my team?’

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