Chapter 268: Chapter 367: Fertile Water Should Not Flow to Outsiders
Shi Yang returned home on the third day and received a call from the business administration department saying that the fire department had issued a corrective document and asked him to come and pick it up.
The corrective document was a one-page printed A4 paper listing several corrective requirements, with a big red official stamp at the bottom.
Shi Yang glanced through it, chuckled silently, finding the full page of requirements seemingly proper yet essentially having just one meaning: Since the upper authorities have already demanded a cease of operations for renovations, one must at least cooperate and put on a show.
Shi Yang used his phone to call Liu Xiue, asking her to contact the cleaning company they’ve always cooperated with, requesting them to send someone over to thoroughly clean Naughty Castle from inside out, ready to open any day.
From an outsider’s perspective, Naughty Castle seemed busy throughout the day; having the formality in place is just enough.
Sure enough, the business administration department notified again the next day that the fire department’s approval had come through, stating the fire inspection was passed and Naughty Castle could resume normal operation.
That afternoon, Shi Yang received a call from Qian Yonggui, inviting him and his family to dinner for a nice get-together in the evening.
Shi Yang agreed happily and ended the call, then turned around to call Li Shuren.
The call was quickly answered and Shi Yang went straight to express his gratitude: "Brother Li, today the fire department issued the notice allowing us to resume operations, really thank you so much."
Li Shuren chuckled twice, with barely concealable pride in his tone: "That’s good, they shouldn’t trouble you from now on."
Shi Yang again offered some flattering words, which delighted Li Shuren immensely, before hanging up the call.
With everything settled, Shi Yang finally called Liu Xiue, asking her and Zhao Dazhuang to stay over at the school district apartment with Zhao Meimei tonight, since he’d be at Qian Yonggui’s dinner with his parents, expecting a late return.
Liu Xiue made a special effort to return early and braise a pot of pig trotters, reserving two front ones in the fridge for Shi Yang to eat the next day.
Zhao Meimei went home after school for a quick bite then straight to her supplementary classes; Zhao Dazhuang picked her up when the class ended.
Returning home, Zhao Meimei had her milk, freshened up then went to her room to study.
After Liu Xiue tidied up and quickly freshened herself, afraid the TV noise might disturb Zhao Meimei, she lay in bed chatting with Zhao Dazhuang to pass the time, eventually shifting the topic to Shi Yang.
Liu Xiue said, "Didn’t expect Yangyang already has a girlfriend, never heard him mention it before."
Zhao Dazhuang propped his arms behind his head and said leisurely, "Yangyang, this kid, has always had ideas of his own. Do you expect him to report everything to his parents? Also, I think when he said he has a girlfriend, it was just a casual excuse to gloss over the matter."
Liu Xiue was puzzled, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Dazhuang viewed the situation from a man’s perspective: "Yangyang’s mother is just desperate for a daughter-in-law, so she’s set on finding a match for Yangyang. With Yangyang’s conditions, how can there be any shortage of girls around him? Who wouldn’t want a handsome and wealthy boyfriend? The reason Yangyang hasn’t been in a relationship all these years is probably because he himself is quite exceptional and has high standards. He’s a person with opinions, having him follow family arrangements to go on blind dates is clearly impossible."
Liu Xiue reached to brush away the hair beneath her neck, sighing in the darkness, "You can’t really blame Yangyang’s mom for being anxious; Yangyang graduated college years ago, continuously focused on his career without seeking a girlfriend. Classmates of the same age are likely married, and some may even have kids who can walk."
Liu Xiue turned to face him and asked, "Hey, do you think when Yangyang’s mom brought this up at the dining table, she was subtly hinting at us too?"
Ever since Liu Xiue began working at Naughty Castle, her connections rapidly expanded, and she stopped thinking in terms of trivial matters, now more attuned to reading others’ thoughts. Her inherently more shrewd and attentive nature compared to Zhao Dazhuang made her sense that Yangyang’s mom’s words contained some subtle meaning that day.
Liu Xiue adjusted her pillow for more comfort and said, "Yangyang’s mom surely thinks Meimei is holding Yangyang back, hindering him from finding a partner."
Zhao Dazhuang propped himself up and said, "You sensed that too? But really, it’s hard to blame Yangyang’s mom. Our families have been close for so many years; they’ve always cared for us more. Yangyang even bought a school district apartment for Meimei’s convenience, despite his busy schedule still finding time to care for her. Honestly, I, as her dad, can only do this much for a daughter too. Shi Yang’s busy with work while also tending to Meimei, surely leaving him no time for a relationship, how could Yangyang’s mom feel comfortable?"
Liu Xiue asked, "Then what do you think we should do now?"
Zhao Dazhuang lay back on the bed, scratched his head, and said, "It’s already the end of May, and in a month, Meimei will take her college entrance exams. We’re just shamelessly acting oblivious; what else can we do? If we actually move back, Meimei’s commute to school becomes impractical, and being too obvious could hurt relationships."
Liu Xiue sighed deeply, "For Meimei, we just have to do this; after her exams, we’ll bring her back home. We must ensure she doesn’t genuinely delay Yangyang because of this, affecting the relationship between our families. That would be too unfortunate."
The atmosphere grew heavy for a moment, then Zhao Dazhuang suddenly said, "Hey, you know, Yangyang is so outstanding and familiar with us. Anyway, he seems fond of Meimei; might as well have him be our future son-in-law, at least keeping the resource within the family."
Liu Xiue burst into laughter and poked Zhao Dazhuang’s head, "You fantasize pretty well. With Yangyang’s conditions, would he even fancy our daughter? Not to mention, let me ask you, if you had been like Yangyang, would you have chosen me?"
Zhao Dazhuang clicked his tongue, laughing aloud: "If I were that handsome and rich, why even get married? I’d just go enjoy life!"
Liu Xiue pinched him, making Zhao Dazhuang yell in pain, "Gentle! It hurts!"
They playfully wrestled for a while, and then Liu Xiue said, "With our daughter as she is, not exactly pretty, a temper that’s spoiled and stubborn, always carefree about house chores, would Yangyang, with his high standards, even fancy her? Even if he does, would Old Shi and his wife agree? It’s hard enough to nurture an excellent son, working tirelessly for years, only to have him delivered to us to serve Meimei? That’s nonsense! Besides, Meimei’s still so young, not even eighteen yet; do you think it’s like old times when child brides were a trend?...