Chapter 52: Going Home to Meet the Future Sister-in-Law

The sound of music suddenly arose, a melodious flute tune, as distant and profound as a lone orchid in an empty valley!

Yet Liang Jiyong still remained still, unsure of what Jiang Lan was up to.

Sensing Jiang Lan drawing closer, Liang Jiyong turned his head, and when he opened his eyes, he was struck dumb!

For Jiang Lan was draped in layers of sheer gauze.

Then, Jiang Lan began to dance gracefully right before Liang Jiyong.

Jiang Lan truly had a solid foundation in dance, her posture soft and beautiful.

Suppressing his surging desires, Liang Jiyong finally watched Jiang Lan's dance to the end.

However, at the very end, that split made him instantly forget all of Jiang Lan's admonitions!

"Vixen, you really are a vixen!"

...

When Liang Jiyong returned home, his eldest brother, second sister, and future sister-in-law An Ruotong had already arrived.

His second sister looked slightly thinner than when he last saw her, but she appeared more energetic and capable. At home, she wore a cashmere sweater and jeans, with her hair cut short to her ears.

An Ruotong, the future sister-in-law who had been in a long-distance relationship with his eldest brother for two months, was indeed a stunning beauty.

She wore a blue knitted sweater, a brown long skirt on the lower half, and black thermal leggings. Her long hair was slightly curled and fell on both sides, and her features were delicate and sweet, resembling a girl-next-door with a strong sense of approachability.

"Hello, Sister-in-law. I am Liang Jiyong, the third child of the Liang family. You can just call me Little Third!"

Liang Jiyong's straightforward address and introduction made An Ruotong slightly surprised, and then she seemed a bit shy. She spoke in Mandarin with a Jiangsu-Zhejiang accent, "Thank you, Little Third. This nickname is lovely. Long ago, I wished I could have a younger brother or sister, but my wish never came true. I never expected that today I would have both a younger brother and sister. I am so very happy!"

"Sister-in-law, to be honest with you, when I found out my eldest brother had a girlfriend, the person in our whole family who was happiest was me!"

The others burst into laughter, though how much of it they believed was hard to tell.

"Why do you say that? Is there some special reason?" An Ruotong was very talkative and skilled at conversation.

"Of course. My dad is rather traditional. He feels that until the eldest son has a girlfriend and gets married, the third son shouldn't jump ahead of the eldest. My big brother is beyond reproach when it comes to his studies and his character; he's just utterly clueless when it comes to girls. I was more anxious than he was. He is a whole ten years older than me, and people his age already have kids about to enter primary school, yet he didn't have a single girlfriend. This held me back, too! So, since you're willing to put up with my big brother, who has just graduated from the primary school of romance, I owe you my thanks. In the future, if my big brother acts clueless about anything, you let me know. While I can't beat him up, I can snitch on him to Dad and let Dad beat him up. When it comes to snitching in our family, I am the absolute best at it!"

An Ruotong laughed so hard she swayed, finding this younger brother utterly amusing.

Liang Shaoping casually tossed half an orange at Liang Jiyong and said unhurriedly, "You may be good at snitching, but you end up getting beaten every time!"

"Why bring that up? Don't undermine me, Second Sister!"

With that, they began chatting about interesting anecdotes from their childhood.

Among the three siblings, Liang Shaoping's anecdotes were all about how she started doing business from a young age, engaging in all sorts of ventures to make money.

Liang Jiyong's stories were far more numerous, ranging from getting into fights with people to robbing bird nests.

Liang Shaoan really didn't have many funny anecdotes; he had been sensible since childhood and basically never gave his parents any cause for worry.

After chatting idly for a while, Liang Jiyong inquired about An Ruotong's career.

To his surprise, this future sister-in-law was also a law major—a Peking University Master of Laws graduate, and an alumna of his second sister two years her senior.

Perhaps they had crossed paths on campus back then, but surely neither of them ever imagined they would become family!

"Big Brother, with Masters and Bachelors sitting right here, all from either Tsinghua or Peking University, I feel a lot of pressure!" Liang Jiyong said helplessly.

"Who told you not to study hard!" his eldest brother retorted crossly.

"You're partly to blame for that. Whenever you came home, it was always studying or practicing calligraphy, refusing to play with me. So I told myself that when I grew up, I definitely wouldn't study, and I wouldn't practice calligraphy properly either!"

"Faulty logic!"

"Faulty or sound, I now understand a truth: you'll only regret not reading enough when the time comes to use your knowledge! In my last monthly mock exam, I only got 452 points. I feel like I'll struggle just to get into Yunnan University. Do you guys have any secret cheat sheets? My demands aren't high; as long as I can boost my score by another hundred points, getting into Yunnan University will be secure!"

"There are no shortcuts to be taken here!" Liang Shaoan said solemnly.

"Don't go thinking about any shortcuts," Liang Shaoping also chimed in. "Undergraduate studies focus on building a foundation. As long as you put in effort during your four years of undergrad, you can test into a better university when you go for your master's later."

Liang Jiyong shook his head with a smile. "I'll finish my undergraduate degree at most. Even if I pursue a master's or anything further in the future, it'll be while working."

"Why are you in such a rush to start working?" An Ruotong asked.

Liang Shaoan had mentioned that his younger brother was very mature in his thinking. Although An Ruotong trusted Liang Shaoan's words, she also wanted to make her own judgment.

"I've already chosen my university major—definitely law. In the future, I will undoubtedly work in government departments. I was playful in primary school, was held back a grade, and then spent another year in tutoring, so I'm already two years older than the average undergraduate. By the time I graduate from university, I'll already be twenty-four. In officialdom, age is sometimes a rigid standard; being half a year older means lagging a whole step behind!"

"Why do you like being an official?" An Ruotong asked.

"Big Brother has a technical background, and Second Sister has a business talent. I'm not as smart as them, so I can only go dabble in officialdom! Our family's intelligence index is quite high; I'm the dumbest in our family, but I'm still just a tiny bit smarter than most people!"

"Your skin is thicker than most people's by more than just a little!" the second sister remarked.

Liang Jiyong remained unbothered. "Can you survive in officialdom with thin skin? With everyone smiling on the outside while cursing inwardly, you have to be thick-skinned to adapt!"

An Ruotong nodded. "That makes some sense. So, what are the other two reasons?"

"Secondly, I feel that I have some ideas in my mind that can only be realized once I enter the system. As for how high I can climb, it's hard to say, but I believe that one day, I will become a pragmatic person capable of doing things that benefit the country and the people, thus not辜负 (failing to live up to) my youthful years."

Hearing this, Liang Shaoping smiled and asked, "Not failing to live up to whose youthful years (韶华)?"

"Second Sister, you're a high-achieving liberal arts graduate from Peking University after all. This 'youthful years' isn't that kind of youthful years!"

"I feel that seventy percent of what I gained at Peking University was outside of my major. Back then, within my major, all that was left to me were some carefree, melancholic memories!"

A rare trace of melancholy flickered in Liang Shaoping's eyes.

Liang Jiyong sensed that perhaps his second sister had experienced a deeply ingrained romance during her time at Peking University, one that ended without a fruitful conclusion...

That was why she remained single in her past life; that brief and unknown romance had seemingly exhausted all of her capacity for romantic passion.

Liang Jiyong dearly wanted to explore this, to help his second sister move past it so she wouldn't have to spend this lifetime in perpetual solitude. A life without love accompanying it was never complete.

Yet today was hardly an opportune moment.

"Thirdly, what I say might sound a bit lofty and empty, but I feel that during China's development process, certain problems have emerged, and I hope to participate in changing these conditions! However, given my current insight, I can't articulate a concrete plan just yet. Perhaps after tempering myself in officialdom for twenty or thirty years, I'll finally be qualified to discuss these matters!"

"Little Third, I believe that one day, your dreams will come true," Liang Shaoping said.

"That's right, work hard and become a good official," Liang Shaoan nodded in approval.

A look of admiration flashed across An Ruotong's eyes. "You possess grand ambitions and a steady demeanor, qualities that far exceed what a teenager under twenty should attain. I believe that through four years of growth in university, your ideals and aspirations will surely be realized!"

"Hehe, then this time I certainly won't let down the expectations of Shaoping, Shaoan, and Ruotong! Besides, I hereby officially declare that starting today, I am twenty years old. In the past, I should have celebrated my coming-of-age ceremony today!"

"Oh right, I almost forgot—today is Little Third's birthday! Twenty years old, not an easy milestone," Liang Shaoan exclaimed with emotion.

"Big Brother, you didn't almost forget; you genuinely forgot. Not to mention my birthday, when have you ever remembered any family member's birthday? I feel like your brain is like a high-speed precision machine, and these trivial matters are completely outside your programming!"

Liang Shaoping agreed as well. "Little Third is right about this, Big Brother. Not remembering in the past was forgivable, but from now on, you must remember many important dates. For instance, do you still remember the day you confessed your feelings to Sister-in-law?"

Liang Shaoan immediately grew somewhat flustered; he truly couldn't remember very clearly.

"I... I was drunk that day, I really can't remember!"

"It doesn't matter, as long as I remember. I'll remind him in the future. He really doesn't have a very high emotional intelligence!"

An Ruotong smiled, then stood up and retrieved an exquisite gift box to present to Liang Jiyong!

"Happy birthday, and also, Happy New Year!"

Liang Jiyong knew that An Ruotong certainly couldn't have known today was his birthday; this must be a welcome gift for meeting him, so he didn't stand on ceremony. Being overly polite would only create distance.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law, and by the way, thank you, Big Brother, for bringing back such a virtuous sister-in-law for me. From now on, whenever I have a birthday, I'll get an extra gift!"

"You, when will you ever grow up!" Liang Shaoan smiled and shook his head.

"No matter how much I grow, I'm still your younger brother. As the saying goes, an elder brother acts as a father; you'll have to keep looking out for me!"

"Stop joking around. Happy birthday, Little Third. Twenty years old, time really flies!"

His second sister also handed Liang Jiyong a gift box.

"Thank you, Second Sister. The thing I've looked forward to most over these past twenty years has been opening your gifts. You always manage to surprise me, and today my surprise is doubled!"

Liang Jiyong directly unwrapped the gifts. What An Ruotong gave him was a very handsome pair of roller skates.

Because Liang Shaoan had mentioned that this younger brother loved swimming and roller skating, sending a pair of swim trunks certainly wouldn't be appropriate, so she bought him roller skates. These were presumably the best currently available in the country!

"Thank you, Sister-in-law! These are the prettiest roller skates I've ever seen!"

Liang Jiyong genuinely loved roller skating, though as he grew older, opportunities to skate would likely diminish.

Yet he would surely treasure this pair of roller skates to commemorate his carefree youth!

Liang Jiyong glanced at his second sister, wondering in his heart what kind of unforgettable, deeply etched story filled her carefree youth, causing her to remember it for a lifetime!

Opening the gift from his second sister, he found a silver-gray brick phone—presumably the newest model on the market, costing no less than fifteen thousand yuan!

Although a bit pricey, Liang Jiyong knew that his second sister didn't have much cash on hand right now, but her stock investments already held assets worth over a hundred million. Just waiting to cash out in five months, his second sister might soar onto China's rich list.

And it would undoubtedly be the most legendary path to wealth. Very few people would even know where his second sister had dug out her first pot of gold.

"Thank you, Second Sister! I've always felt this thing is sturdy and just as useful as a brick!"

"I just said you grew up, and in the blink of an eye, you're itching for a fight again!" Liang Shaoan chided, looking very much like a stern elder brother playing the role of a strict father.

"Fighting? That was all stuff before turning twenty. From now on, unless pushed beyond endurance, I resolutely won't fight. It's too low-class; I'll be using legal weapons to protect myself from now on!"

"Studying law is great; with your personality, you really need to study it well!" Liang Shaoan said.

"I think that from now on, whenever Big Brother sees law students, he'll feel a sense of closeness. That's what they call 'loving the house and its crow'!" Liang Jiyong joked.

The eldest brother responded with a hearty laugh.

Afterwards, they discussed their respective work matters. Liang Jiyong didn't say much; by now, his elder brother and second sister's careers had their own trajectories. As long as they didn't deviate from the general direction, he wouldn't interfere.

Because he knew that in terms of working capability, his elder brother and second sister were stronger than himself.

Without the life experience of his past life, he would indeed fall far short. After all, the books they had read exceeded Liang Jiyong's reading volume tenfold and more. True elegance comes from poetry and books—this point was indisputable.

People who read extensively, as long as they aren't rigid in their thinking, will inevitably have talent. How much talent depends on one's own comprehension.

Not long after, their father came home from work. Although today was New Year's Day, the Red Flag Factory didn't take a holiday, and their father's warehousing department was even less likely to have one.

Earlier, the vegetables in the kitchen had already been chopped. Their mother wouldn't let An Ruotong enter the kitchen to help, but in the end, An Ruotong and the second sister still went to help out, cooking together.

The dishes could be considered abundant—at least, this was definitely the most lavish meal Liang Jiyong had ever eaten at home.

Aside from the braised pork, spareribs, sweet and sour meatballs, and steamed perch made by his mother, there was also wild boar meat and the danggui and gastrodia wild mutton soup that Liang Jiyong had brought back from Yalanju!

With various other dishes added, there were a full twelve items, making it an absolute banquet.

"Sister-in-law, I'm basking in your good fortune today. My birthday feast is simply too extravagant!"

His mother cheerfully handed Liang Jiyong a bowl of longevity noodles. "Your birthday feast is right here, find a seat and eat these longevity noodles!"

"Mom, you can't do this. I'm the son you've raised for twenty years, and you're dismissing me with just a bowl of noodles!" Liang Jiyong immediately protested.

"You still know I've raised you for twenty years? Just calculate how many days it's been since you last came home!"

Liang Jiyong felt a bit ashamed; recently, he truly hadn't been home much, and even when he returned to the Red Flag Factory, he stayed at Wanqing's place.

"Weren't my studies keeping me busy!"

Fending it off with chuckles and laughter, the family sat clustered together in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

"Little Third, these two dishes look like the ones from Red Leaf Manor. Does Yunzhou have them too?" Liang Shaoan asked curiously.

Though wild boar meat could be bought elsewhere, this unique preparation didn't seem to have been seen in Yunzhou before.

"It's a shop opened by someone over in Longshan—a teahouse selling dim sum and light meals. You should check it out if you get the chance. It's near Yunnan University, called Yalanju. The boss is a friend of mine!"

"Oh, is it that Chen Puer? That young fellow isn't bad. Although he tries a bit too hard to act profound, his disposition is alright. He'll amount to something in the future!"

"Second Sister, Puer would definitely disagree with that assessment if he heard it. He's even a few months younger than me; for a nineteen-year-old youth, he's doing great!"

"That depends on who you compare him to. He still falls a bit short compared to my younger brother!" Liang Shaoping said naturally.

"Haha, on that point, I agree!"

"Dad, let's have a drink tonight!" the second sister proposed.

"Then let's have a little. Bring out one of the bottles Uncle Long gave us, find something with a low alcohol percentage," their father Liang Dahong instructed.

Liang Shaoan said, "Dad, I have to drive tonight to take Ruotong to Pingzhou. She has a flight at 7:30 tomorrow morning!"

"Why in such a rush!"

"That's right, Ruotong, stay a couple more days!" both parents urged warmly.

"Uncle, Auntie, during this period our company has an important transaction, and our legal department also needs to participate in negotiations. I have an important meeting at 10:00 tomorrow morning!"

"Oh, work is important, work is important. Come back again once you're busy! What kind of enterprise is your company, you and Shaoan both being so busy?"

"It's a foreign-funded enterprise, mainly dealing in environmentally friendly building materials..."

Liang Jiyong could see it now—the underlying intention of his father and mother was probably to have An Ruotong transfer to work in Yunzhou, or at the very least Pingzhou, because how could they maintain a long-distance relationship otherwise?

And since his eldest brother now owned five percent of the shares in the restructured Red Flag Factory with a sixty-million debt, they unconsciously assumed his eldest brother's future career would remain firmly rooted in Yunzhou.

Liang Jiye and Liang Shaoping deftly steered the conversation away while An Ruotong answered with a smile, showing no trace of impatience.

Yet for now, neither of their jobs was likely to change.

Still, that wasn't a major issue.

Their marriage would be a matter for two or three years down the line. She was twenty-seven this year; getting married and having children before thirty was also part of her life plan.

For a woman, marriage and children had a massive impact on her career.

Although she was confident she could balance both, she still had to plan accordingly.

Currently, she was still in the learning phase of her career path. After turning thirty, following marriage and children, she might become a professional lawyer and open her own law firm. Her working hours would be freer then, allowing her to better care for her family!

She had discussed these matters with Liang Shaoan, and their plans didn't conflict.

Liang Shaoan wouldn't stay at the Red Flag Factory forever—perhaps three years, perhaps five. Once the Red Flag Factory was on the right track, that would be the time for him to leave.

Where they would go to develop at that point couldn't be determined right now.

The meal proceeded harmoniously. Everyone except the eldest brother drank a little alcohol.

Naturally, they didn't overindulge, but everyone had at least three liangs (about 150ml).

Liang Jiyong discovered that his future sister-in-law must have quite a high alcohol tolerance, because after drinking three liangs, she acted as if nothing had happened.

Upon asking, he learned that her mother was originally from Liaoning Province. In the Three Northeast Provinces, where freezing winters are the norm, people are naturally born with a half-jin (250ml) capacity, and she had naturally inherited that constitution.

After finishing the meal and chatting for a while, they looked at the time and saw it was nearly seven o'clock. Liang Shaoan had to take An Ruotong to Pingzhou, and Liang Jiyong had to return to school.

Amidst repeated admonitions from his parents, they reluctantly waved goodbye to this future daughter-in-law!

Watching the car drive away, Liang Dahong returned inside, sat down, and took a sip of tea. He said to the mother and daughter who remained behind, "That girl Ruotong is quite good, just lacks a formal job—it feels a bit unstable."

Hearing this, Liang Shaoping couldn't help but laugh despite herself.