Li Zhengguo finished kneading the dough and chopping the filling. Chen An and Xie Shilei came over to help.
Xie Shilei had already tied up her hair, making her look even younger.
Chen An and his uncle were rolling out dumpling wrappers, while Xie Shilei participated in wrapping the dumplings. wap.kanshuWu.net
Watching her nimble fingers pleat the dumplings, Li Mu asked, "Does Shilei cook at home?"
"Yes."
Xie Shilei looked up and smiled at Li Mu, "My grandmother has been paralyzed for over ten years. My mother has to take care of her, so all the housework falls on me."
Li Mu seized the opportunity to inquire, "How many sons does your grandmother have?"
"Two. My father is the elder one."
"Then, with your grandmother paralyzed, can't your mother rely on others?"
"My aunt also helps out."
"How many siblings do you have?"
"Just my younger brother and me. My uncle's family has two male cousins."
"Are you the eldest?"
"Yes."
Li Mu was very satisfied. Xie Shilei was the eldest, so she should be steady and mature. Having a grandmother who had been paralyzed for over ten years indicated that the Xie family was very filial.
The questioning continued, "How old are you? How did you meet An'an? Don't you find it too remote here?"
Xie Shilei turned her head to look at Chen An, who was rolling out the dumpling wrappers. Chen An happened to turn his head as well, and they smiled at each other.
Xie Shilei was 23 years old, four years younger than Chen An.
In the first lunar month of the year before last, after Chen An returned, he asked Li Zong to establish a branch company. Li Weili knew that her cousin was provoked by Hou Xiaojie. Considering that all the land the company had acquired had been developed except for Houzi Hutong, she agreed to let her cousin explore new markets.
However, she only assigned Li Weiyu to assist Chen An, and Chen An had to recruit all other staff himself.
Although Chen An wanted to do great things, he was not reckless. After discussing with Li Weiyu, they decided to establish the branch company in Bei Province.
The reason, of course, was that Bei Province had Yu Jinghai, his in-law...
Xie Shilei was one of the first employees recruited into the branch company.
As soon as she joined the company and found that there were only the General Manager and Deputy General Manager, she almost resigned, but Chen An persuaded her to stay.
Chen An used the reason of establishing the branch company to persuade her, and Xie Shilei, with a rush of enthusiasm, stayed.
In the early stages of the branch company's establishment, with few staff, Xie Shilei was practically an all-rounder, handling secretarial, assistant, and office duties.
She had many interactions with Chen An and witnessed his hard work. Chen An, in turn, was attracted to Xie Shilei's diligence, capability, and unassuming nature.
After the branch company's staff was fully recruited, Xie Shilei, the veteran who was initially coaxed into joining as a sales team leader by Chen An, was sent to the Beijing headquarters for training and returned as his assistant.
After returning from the headquarters, Xie Shilei's gaze lingered on Chen An more, as she had learned from Hou Xiaojie.
Hou Xiaojie was indeed capable, her abilities surpassing Chen An's. It was no wonder she had broken up with the former Chen An. She wondered if Hou Xiaojie would regret it if she saw the current Chen An.
Unconsciously, Xie Shilei's good feelings towards Chen An transformed into affection. Once she liked him, she decided to confess quickly, not giving Hou Xiaojie another chance.
Chen An was surprised by the confession. Afterward, he solemnly explained his family situation and the shortcomings that Hou Xiaojie had disliked.
Xie Shilei didn't mind. She knew Chen An's efforts were to prove something to Hou Xiaojie, which was why she stayed during the initial setup of the branch company. The shining qualities she saw in Chen An were different from what Hou Xiaojie had seen.
Xie Shilei also shared her family situation. Her family was from a rural area in Bei Province. Her younger brother was already engaged and preparing for marriage, and her two male cousins were still in high school.
She sent her salary home, and her mother saved it for her, not intending to use her money, only telling her to take good care of herself and not to worry about the family.
During the New Year, Chen An visited Xie's family. It was an ordinary village, and the Xie family members were simple and honest.
Grandma Xie was severely paralyzed and unable to care for herself, relying entirely on Mother Xie and Aunt Xie for care. The sisters-in-law got along harmoniously, and the Xie family had an atmosphere similar to the Li family.
Therefore, this summer, Chen An brought his girlfriend back. He intended to get married at the end of the year or in the spring of next year...
The three members of the Li family exchanged glances. These two were completely unfazed by Hou Xiaojie; one could say Hou Xiaojie was practically their matchmaker.
Chen An looked at Li Mu and asked, "Grandma, where are Mom and Dad?"
"They're at the farm."
Li Mu glanced at Xie Shilei and said, "Your mother doesn't allow your second sister-in-law to hire help, so she and your father go to help every day."
"At the end of the year, your second sister-in-law gave them money, but they refused. So your second sister-in-law gave it to me directly, saying that I've worked hard with Siji, and transferred your parents' hard-earned money to me."
"It's very suitable for Grandma to have it."
Chen An chuckled, "My mother has already taken enough care of Siji."
As he spoke, he called out to the children in the yard, "Siji, come in."
When the four children entered, Xie Shilei understood what Siji meant.
Chen An introduced Xie Shilei to the Siji, and they all called her "Little Aunt" in unison, making Xie Shilei blush deeply.
Li Mu asked Ji Qing and Ji Xiang to go to the farm to call their grandparents back.
Ji Xiang asked how they should call them. Should they just call them back without saying anything, or should they tell Grandpa and Grandma the truth?
Li Mu pointed at Ji Xiang, "Do as you wish. Grandma Tai will cover for you."
"Got it!"
Ji Xiang pulled Ji Qing and ran out.
Ji Nian and Ji Yang returned to the yard to accompany Si Ji and Si Yu.
Xie Shilei looked at the yard and said, "Ji Nian and Ji Yang look identical. Are Ji Qing and Ji Xiang fraternal twins?"
"No."
Chen An shook his head, "Ji Xiang is my sister-in-law's nephew. For some reason back then, he was placed with my eldest sister-in-law to be raised. It was always said they were twins."
Xie Shilei's mouth dropped open. They were from different generations!
Chen An reached out and tapped her nose, "Hurry up and wrap."
Xie Shilei immediately raised her hand to wipe her nose. Trying to tease her? No way.
The three members of the Li family watched their interaction and felt reassured.
...
Li Min, covered in sweat, ran back, "Why the rush to call me back? Isn't Little Brother here today... uh, An'an? You brat, you're finally willing to come back?"
Chen An quickly replied, "Mom, didn't you say I wasn't allowed back unless I brought a wife? I've brought your future daughter-in-law."
Li Min's gaze finally fell on Xie Shilei's face, "This? This girl is too young! An'an, you're a cougar eating young grass."
"Pah!"
Li Mu lightly chided, "Don't talk nonsense. Shilei is 23, which is perfect for An'an."
23? That's not young, but she looks a bit petite.
Li Mu waved her hand, "Go back and wash up quickly, you smell like fish."
"Okay, okay."
Li Min turned and ran out of the kitchen, "Shilei, right? I'll go back and wash up first, I'm quite dirty."
Xie Shilei's nervousness disappeared with her future mother-in-law's casual remark.
Her future mother-in-law was indeed straightforward and simple-minded, just as An'an had said.
...
Li Min intercepted her husband midway and dragged him back to wash: "An'an brought his girlfriend back! That rascal Ji Xiang lied to me. When I have time, I'll teach him a good lesson."
Chen Suozhu was stunned. With a surge of effort, he was now the one dragging his wife home: "Wash up quickly, and we'll take the meeting gift later."
"How much?"
"Ten thousand."
"Aren't we following the example of eldest brother and second brother's families?"
"No need. The time interval is too long. Besides, our family is different from elder brother and second brother. If you're competitive, your daughter-in-law will surely be competitive."
"Alright, we have cash at home."