Early in the morning, at seven o'clock, Dong Xuebing woke up. In recent days, he had been staying up late and waking up early with all the work he had, which had become a bit of a habit. Even though they had stayed up late the previous night with his wife, it didn’t stop Dong Xuebing from waking up early. He looked at his wife, Xie Huilan, who was sound asleep, and gently covered her shoulder with the thin blanket. He then carefully climbed out of bed, put on his shoes, and quietly left the bedroom to go downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for Xie Huilan.
Making scrambled eggs.
Even though Dong Xuebing did all the household chores alone, he felt very fulfilled and not at all tired; he even felt quite happy. Living a simple and ordinary life with his wife daily was quite lovely. Once he got promoted to the vice department level, he might get to rest for a while and enjoy life. He increasingly yearned for such days with his wife and kids.
“Huilan, Huilan!” Dong Xuebing called up to the stairs loudly.
After quite some time, a sleepy-eyed Xie Huilan finally came downstairs, covering her mouth and yawning. "Breakfast is ready. I was going to sleep a bit more."
Dong Xuebing said, “Go brush your teeth.”
At this moment, Dong Xuebing's phone rang. He grabbed it and saw it was his mother-in-law, Han Jing, calling. He quickly put the phone to his ear. “Mom.”
Han Jing said, “Are you up?”
“Yes, I was just about to have breakfast,” Dong Xuebing replied.
Han Jing hummed. “Did Huilan tell you?”
Dong Xuebing was taken aback. “Huh? Tell me what?”
“She didn’t tell you, this girl,” Han Jing sighed helplessly. “Call Huilan; she said she will visit your county in the next few days. I told her to let you know.”
Dong Xuebing said, “Huilan is brushing her teeth now, Mom. Any news?”
Han Jing thought for a moment. “You can ask Huilan later. It does not need to be urgently discussed over the phone.”
Dong Xuebing smiled wryly. “Please tell me, I have a heavy heart. If I don’t understand, I won’t be able to eat.”
Han Jing also laughed. “It’s about Xia Ran.”
Over there, Xie Huilan poked her head out from the bathroom, wiping her face with a towel. “It’s my mom. I’ll tell you.”
Han Jing said on the phone, “Mm, let Huilan explain. It’s not a particularly urgent matter anyway. I heard you just completed a very nice investment promotion project over there. You should be able to rest for a few days now. If you have the time, come back for a while.”
Dong Xuebing still didn’t understand what was going on. “What’s wrong with Xia Ran?”
Xie Huilan laid the towel on the chair and sat down to eat. “Just eat and listen. Well, it’s about Xia Ran and Fang Shuiling’s relationship. The family knows about it now. They’ve been dating for almost a year now, and it’s no longer something that can be hidden. Not just our family, but even the Fang family knows about it.”
Dong Xuebing asked, “And then?”
Xie Huilan picked up a piece of scrambled egg and chewed on it. “What else? They naturally all refused. This was just the other day. When you were busy with the investment project, I tried to call you about this, but you were so busy that I didn’t mention it. I don’t know about the Fang family, but Xia Ran’s parents are all firmly against it. Xia Jing’s relationship with Sun Kai was acceptable only because they saw Sun Kai’s brave and selfless qualities, but it was different for Xia Ran. After all, he’s our family’s third-generation grandson, and his marriage is seen with political considerations. Fang Shuiling originally would have been fine, as her family background is similar to ours and is a good match, but you know how the relationship between our family and the Fang family is. Water and fire.”
Dong Xuebing blinked and asked, “So, what happened in the end?”
When it came to this, Xie Huilan smiled with relief, “Then Xia Ran brought Fang Shuiling home and argued with his family for the right reasons. He even slapped the table and fell out with them. This kid, I’ve watched him grow up. He’s always lacked a bit of guts and decisiveness, but after all this time in the field, Xia Ran has become more assertive. He’s not far from how you were when I brought you home for the first time. Senior Xie was shocked. After he came downstairs, he didn’t say anything but directly called Mr. Fang in front of everyone, saying, ‘Old man, let’s not drag the grudges of our generation onto the kids, okay?’ I don’t know what Mr. Fang said, but the old man’s attitude was clear: he approved. He even held Fang Shuiling’s hand and chatted cheerfully with her for a long time. Xia Ran’s parents saw this and couldn’t say anything more.”
Dong Xuebing was also happy for Xia Ran. “So, it’s settled?”
Xie Huilan shook her head. “It’s not that simple. We don’t even know the Fang family’s attitude yet. While our family is more or less accepting of this, Fang’s family hasn’t officially agreed. Someone has to go and discuss this matter.”
Dong Xuebing finally understood and was taken aback. “You don’t mean... you want me to go, do you?”
Xie Huilan laughed. “Exactly. Who else would it be? Why not you?”
Dong Xuebing said, “You should go. You’re the eldest sister.”
Xie Huilan waved her hand. “I am the eldest sister in the family, but for such a big thing, it’s not appropriate for me, a woman, to step forward. This is a union between two families who have been enemies for generations. It’s a big deal that many people are watching. They want to send you because our family has already discussed it, and Xia Ran and Fang Shuiling proposed it. The family also trusts you to handle these matters.”
Dong Xuebing was speechless. “But I’m your son-in-law, not even from the Xie family. It’s not appropriate for me to handle such a big matter on behalf of your family.”
Xie Huilan said, “Exactly because you’re not from the Xie family and have not had direct political conflicts with Fang’s family, the family feels you’re the most suitable person to go. Otherwise, if my dad or uncles went to Fang’s family, all the old grudges would return, making things even more complicated. Plus, I heard from Fang Shuiling that you have a good relationship with her aunt now. That’s also a factor in easing the situation.”
Dong Xuebing clicked his tongue. He was thankful for the family’s trust but still felt a significant burden and a lot of pressure. “Then I’ll go back to Beijing.”
“See which day in the next two weeks you have free. The sooner you deal with it, the better,” Xie Huilan said.