Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 264, Section 265. Lin Xiao: Don't worry, I will take action!

Ding Caifeng's arrival was sudden, and Lin Xiao and Xixi were both very wary of this stepmother.

But for several days in a row, the old lady was relatively quiet.

Even her three grandsons, after being threatened by Lin Xiao on the first day, became much more obedient afterwards.

Although he still makes a fuss at home, he doesn't dare to swear anymore.

Especially whenever she sees Lin Xiao, she immediately becomes obedient, sitting up straight like a model student.

even so.

Lin Xiao and Liu Liyun also agreed to let Xixi stay at the villa and not return to Jili Garden for the time being.

Ding Caifeng had many complaints about this.

The old woman nags incessantly every day, openly and subtly criticizing her granddaughter for being ill-mannered and disrespectful to her elders, saying that she would have been beaten up and disciplined long ago back in their hometown, and so on.

Liu Liyun, however, only gave a perfunctory answer, her determination to protect her daughter and grandson remained unwavering.

After all, you can't see into someone's heart.

Even one should be wary of their own grandmother, let alone a stepmother who is not related by blood, has had a distant but distant relationship for many years, and whose arrival was suspicious and sudden.

Although Xixi didn't like this grandmother, she wasn't as wary as her mother and husband, feeling that they were making a mountain out of a molehill.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you just let them go back to Qinghe? That way, Mom won’t have to run back and forth every day. She has to take care of me here, and she has to feed four people there, plus she still has to go to work during the day…”

Xixi looked at her mother and felt sorry for her, noticing how much more haggard she looked lately.

Liu Liyun and Lin Xiao simply smiled at this naive suggestion without saying a word.

It's not that they don't want to.

Instead, they knew in their hearts that they absolutely could not do that.

Despite the fact that the stepmother was not related by blood, and despite their suspicions that she had ill intentions.

But on the surface, she is a genuine elder, the "biological mother" whose name is recorded in the family genealogy!
They came all the way to visit their pregnant granddaughter. Although they caused a scene on the first day and had an unpleasant encounter, they still brought plenty of local products and mountain goods.

No matter how you look at it, they came from the heart.

As a result, he was kicked out of his eldest son's house in less than a week.

It doesn't make sense no matter what!
Given Ding Caifeng's character and eloquence, she can make the dead seem alive. If we really "invite" her home, who knows how she will twist the truth and embellish the story.

What will our relatives think then?
Does the South Korean Navy even care about its reputation back home?!

Lin Xiao knew without a second thought that Xi Xi's family of three, along with him as the new son-in-law, would immediately become infamous in their hometown.

They may not care, but the South Korean Navy cannot.

Even if he doesn't care in his heart, being in officialdom is like walking a tightrope in the air. Professional ethics and personal ethics are equally important, and he must not give others any reason to criticize him.

Therefore, even if it's just an act, Lao Han has to pretend to be respectful and filial to his stepmother.

After all, he had spent eight years under Ding Caifeng's care before he turned 18.

In those eight years, he didn't go hungry or cold, and he even went to university, becoming the only university student in his family.

Although all of this was thanks to the strong support of my uncles and cousins.

But Ding Caifeng did not cause any trouble or obstruction. Under the existing secular judgment mechanism, she, as a stepmother, could be given an excellent score of 90 points.

Therefore.

Han Haijun genuinely respected his stepmother, providing her with money for her retirement and taking his two children back to his hometown for the Lunar New Year every year.

The two of them displayed a loving and filial demeanor.

Against this backdrop, even though Liu Liyun had been assertive in her career her whole life, as a wife, she had no choice but to treat her vulgar stepmother-in-law with courtesy and serve her wholeheartedly for the sake of her husband's face and filial piety. She dared not let her have the slightest displeasure, let alone kick her out of the house.

Upright officials can hardly break housework!
There's no solution to this!

Lin Xiao understood this perfectly, so even though he knew his wife was unhappy and his mother-in-law was suffering from both sides, he couldn't come up with any solutions.

The only thing he could think of was to hire a nanny to take care of the four generations of the family in Jili Garden.

As a result, the nanny worked for two days, then got so angry that she quit and refused to take her wages.

This shows how infuriating these four people, grandfather, grandmother, and grandson, are.

The more this happened, the more Lin Xiao couldn't bear to watch his mother-in-law suffer while he was being mistreated. So, while continuing to hire a nanny at a high price, he also secretly contacted his father-in-law, Han Haijun, and invited him back from Yizhou, who was extremely busy with work.

It was already mid-January.

Xixi is already eight months pregnant, and by the end of the month she will be considered full-term, so she needs to be ready to give birth at any time.

At such a late stage of pregnancy, it's already worrying to see someone home alone.

Fortunately, when Aunt Liu Lixia, who lived far away in Beijing, learned of the situation, she volunteered to fly back to her parents' home and brought her two children, who were on winter vacation, with her. They moved into Lin Xiao and Xixi's newlywed villa and took care of her niece.

Lin Xiao had already hired a nanny, but felt it would be better to have family members take care of him, so he originally planned to call his parents over from his hometown.

But after all, there's a distance between Mom and Dad and Xixi, so it's not convenient for them to talk about things.

He was not nearly as close as his aunt, Liu Lixia.

Lin Xiao thought about it and realized that Liu Lixia was indeed more suitable, so he thanked his aunt repeatedly.

He and Liu Liyun could go to work with peace of mind during the day, and return to Jili Garden at night to continue their battle of wits with the old witch.

Just then, the South Korean Navy returned from Iju.

Lin Xiao deliberately didn't go home to have dinner with his wife after get off work.

Instead, he went to his in-laws' house with a heart full of questions, intending to dig out the truth of the matter. He felt from the beginning that Ding Caifeng's sudden arrival with her grandson was definitely for some ulterior motive.

The four generations of the family have been living here for half a month, but they still refuse to leave.

Lin Xiao became even more certain that the old woman had a secret.

Moreover, this secret is definitely related to the South Korean Navy, which means it's related to Hee-hee and the child in Hee-hee's womb.

My wife is about to give birth.

At this critical juncture, Lin Xiao was determined not to allow any accidents to happen.

Therefore, although my father-in-law is the top official of a prefecture-level city, this is the most crucial period for summarizing the year's work and striving to welcome the Spring Festival. He is so busy every day that he can't even go home.

But he still secretly asked the South Korean Navy to "invite" him back.

Evening, Jili Garden.

As soon as Han Haijun arrived home, he apologized to his nominal mother, claiming that he was too busy with work.

Ding Caifeng, however, rarely showed a smile, and was so affectionate towards Han Haijun that it was more like he was her own son than her stepson.

"Good heavens, you're the mayor! With such a high position, how can you not be busy?"

The old lady spoke with a very cloying smile, then pulled her three grandsons over and scolded them: "Hurry up and call him Uncle!"

The three boys shouted in unison, "Uncle!"

Han Haijun nodded with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the three boys' faces, a strange look flashing across his expression.

Lin Xiao was watching from the doorway.

Just then, he noticed this unusual sight and became alert.

This discovery confirmed his suspicions—there were indeed some secrets between his father-in-law and stepmother.

For now, we should remain patient and not retaliate.

Soon, the whole family sat down at the table for dinner.

Just as Han Haijun was about to raise his glass, the old woman launched another attack: "Where's Xixi? She's got quite the airs. Her father, such a high-ranking official, came all the way back, but she doesn't even show her face... Do I, this old woman, have to go and invite her?"

Liu Liyun quickly smiled and said, "Xixi is quite far along in her pregnancy and can't travel by car, so she's resting at her new house. She can't eat anything on this table anyway, so if we let her eat here, we'd have to accommodate her, and she'd feel uncomfortable eating there..."

Ding Caifeng persisted, launching into several more tirades.

Han Haijun was displeased, but he couldn't argue with his stepmother, so he could only laugh it off.

The dinner will continue later.

The three boys wolfed down their food and quickly left the table.

Soon only an old man, a young man, and two middle-aged men remained at the table. Each of the four had their own thoughts, and the dinner table was filled with suspicion.

Ding Caifeng had been holding back for half a month, and finally, after seeing her stepson who was a high-ranking official, she could no longer contain herself.

"Navy, tell Mom the truth... Is the baby in Xixi's belly really going to have your surname, Han?"

The old woman suddenly spoke.

The question seemed absurd, but surprisingly, neither Liu Liyun nor Lin Xiao appeared surprised.

The two had long suspected that the old lady's long journey and persistent stay here were definitely related to Xixi's pregnancy.

This is why they would rather Xixi bear the reputation of disrespecting her elders than let her have much contact with this old witch.

In retrospect, this vigilance was not unfounded.

Liu Liyun and Lin Xiao exchanged a glance, both with clear minds and a touch of detached indifference.

On the table, Han Haijun seemed somewhat surprised.

Clearly, he hadn't expected his stepmother to bring this up suddenly.

“Ah, yes!” he admitted.

"Whether it's a boy or a girl, they'll all take your surname?"

"Correct."

"What if it's a girl?"

"..."

Han Haijun glanced at his wife somewhat guiltily and quickly said, "Boys and girls are the same!"

Ding Caifeng curled her lip, her expression disdainful: "Only those with sons can carry on the family line; those without sons will always belong to someone else's family! How can that be the same!"

These words immediately made Liu Liyun's face darken.

Han Haijun realized his wife's displeasure and quickly said, "Mom, why are you saying all this? Eat your food, eat your food..."

The once-powerful leader instantly transformed into the humble Xiao Han.

Ding Caifeng completely ignored them, acting as if she was the mistress of the house because her son had returned and she had someone to back her up.

"Uncle!"

She suddenly turned her attention to Lin Xiao, sneering, "You're a tall guy, over 1.8 meters, yet your wife's child takes her father-in-law's surname. Does that count as marrying into the family, or not?"

One sentence made Han Haijun and Liu Liyun panic.

"Mom, what are you saying!" Han Haijun shouted urgently.

"Exactly! What do you mean by 'marrying into the family'!" Liu Liyun was also agitated, but she was more indignant on behalf of her son-in-law.

These past few days, she has endured countless sarcastic remarks from her stepmother-in-law, yet she has never uttered a sound, accepting them all with a sense of satisfaction.

But now that her son-in-law has been humiliated, she couldn't help but say stiffly, "Mom, don't talk nonsense. Our family doesn't have such a thing as son-in-law marrying into the family!"

Han Haijun quickly tried to smooth things over, saying that the two children had the surnames Han and Lin, and also mentioned the relevant laws, clearly afraid that his son-in-law would take his words seriously.

Lin Xiao didn't really react.

When a person is guilty, they will naturally have many weaknesses, and bad people can succeed by stirring things up with just a few words.

But when a person is powerful, they cannot be instigated or manipulated, and can even see through the tricks of evil people at a glance.

Lin Xiao had been curious about what his stepmother was planning, and he had some guesses in his mind.

Just those two sentences.

He immediately deduced what this old woman from the countryside was up to.

From the very first day she arrived, she kept referring to Xixi's belly as "a girl." Now, she's sowing discord between Han Haijun and her father-in-law, and using the phrase "marrying into the family," which is the most humiliating thing for a man to say.

The old woman's only goal was to prevent the child in Xixi's belly from being born with the surname Han!

Of course, that's not entirely accurate either.

It's probably because she desperately wants Han Xixi to have a girl, and if it's a boy, he can't have the surname Han.

This idea is truly baffling.

But if you think about it from Ding Caifeng's perspective, it seems quite reasonable.

The old woman had two sons and a daughter.

These days, Lin Xiao inquired a lot about his hometown from his mother-in-law. He learned that Xi Xi's two uncles and one aunt were not very successful and used to make a living by doing odd jobs. In recent years, with the help of the eldest brother Han Haijun, they finally had the start-up capital to start some small businesses.

But none of them were cut out for it.

So business is good for a while and bad for a while; getting rich is out of the question, at best you can only barely make ends meet.

For this reason, although Ding Caifeng's two sons both moved to the city, the children were still raised by their elderly mother in the countryside.

The three precious grandchildren are spoiled like spoiled brats, and their mouths are full of foul language.

Although Ding Caifeng was an old woman from the countryside, her cunning was so profound that even Lin Xiao admired her.

The old woman watched helplessly as her three children were not as successful as her stepson, who was not related to her by blood. Naturally, she couldn't just watch Han Haijun, this cash cow, die in Ninghai. To judge whether this tree was broken or not, one should not look at what he thought, his family situation, or his job, but only at whether the child born to his daughter was a member of the Han family with a son.

If so, then the South Korean Navy must have poured all its enthusiasm into its grandson.

After all, they were his own flesh and blood.

With a legitimate heir, why would he bother with his nephews who live far away, especially since they are not blood relatives and are only half a generation apart?

Previously, the South Korean Navy had been continuously providing financial support to its homeland.

On the one hand, Ding Caifeng, his stepmother, had indeed never mistreated him, which was reasonable both morally and legally.

But more importantly, the South Korean Navy has no sons, only a daughter.

As a man from a rural family in northern China, even if he doesn't admit it, he must still hope in his heart that someone will take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days.

This person should ideally be a son.

If there are no sons, then the second in line is a nephew, not a daughter.

This is bizarre, but it's a bizarre fact!
No matter how much education the South Korean Navy receives, it cannot suppress the ancestral temple concept ingrained in their very being.

So while loving his wife and daughter, he couldn't help but send money back to his hometown to support his stepmother, help his younger brother, and even raise his nephews.

Liu Liyun never interfered with these matters.

This is not because she supports it.

Instead, as a career-oriented woman, Liu Liyun looked down on the intricacies of domestic life and found them boring.

Furthermore, since her husband left his hometown to settle with her in Ninghai, she understood the deep-seated attachment this northern man had to his hometown.

So for many years, they turned a blind eye to it.

Of course, the most important thing is that their little family is not short of money; her salary alone is enough to support the family of three.

So over the years, she has never inquired about Lao Han's salary.

Lin Xiao obtained all this information indirectly from his mother-in-law and wife over the past two days.

He concluded that the old woman had benefited immensely from her stepson, and naturally wouldn't allow those benefits to end, especially since her granddaughter, whom she had looked down upon the most, had now become a big star and was earning far more than her stepson.

Of course, Ding Caifeng also knew that Xixi disliked her very much.

It's too late to start talking about the deep bond between grandparents and grandchildren at this point.

So she didn't play that card at all, but instead put all her energy and hope into the South Korean Navy.

Once we capture him, it's equivalent to capturing his entire family.

Then you'll have money, power, and influence!
Once Lin Xiao understood this, he couldn't help but sigh at how terrifyingly cunning this old woman, who barely knew any words, was.

In fact, Ding Caifeng's plan has been successfully executed for more than 20 years.

The only thing that might affect her blood-sucking plan right now is Xixi's pregnancy.

If she gave birth to a boy, and that boy took the surname Han.

Then, the South Korean navy would abandon their entire family without hesitation, whether out of sentiment or blood ties.

Ding Caifeng must prevent this from happening.

So he brought his three grandsons from afar, on the one hand, to sow discord between the new son-in-law and his father-in-law's family, and on the other hand, to have his three nephews curry favor with their uncle, trying to awaken his Han family genes through their shared bloodline.

It must be said that Ding Caifeng's exertion of force was extremely precise.

If Lin Xiao had been even slightly insecure, and his pride had been so easily manipulated by his in-laws, a seed of hatred would surely have been planted in his heart after today's meal.

Even though Xixi gave birth to a boy, the boy temporarily took the surname Han.

He will also try every means to get the child to change his surname back to Lin in the future.

This is under the premise that he is shrewd and patient.

If he had that easily provoked nature, he would probably have already lost his temper and argued with his father-in-law until they were red in the face.

This was truly a peaceful day for household chores.

Han Haijun felt disheartened by his son-in-law and naturally felt closer to his younger brother and nephew, since they were family members who were still connected by blood.

Ding Caifeng has achieved her goal!

Once Lin Xiao understood all this, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine—this old woman was simply terrifying.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate that he and his wife had a good relationship, and that his parents-in-law trusted him enough. He also respected his parents-in-law enough, so that they wouldn't be easily swayed by a few words from outsiders.

Lin Xiao quickly composed himself and smiled at the old woman who was eyeing him menacingly.

He wanted to argue his case and prove that he wasn't marrying into the family, but he swallowed his words back.

If he were to say that, the old woman would only think he was guilty.

She became even more smug.

Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then quickly came up with a very wicked idea.

He immediately broke into a shy smile: "These are all family, I'm not afraid of Grandma laughing at me—actually, I really want to marry into the family, but my parents are afraid that if I do, I'll only know how to be lazy and good-for-nothing, so they don't agree. I don't really care whether the child has the surname Han or not, it would be better if they all had the surname Han..."

These words shocked Ding Caifeng so much that her triangular eyes widened to twice their normal size, and Han Haijun and Liu Liyun were also stunned.

"You... how can you be such a useless young man? You have hands and feet, yet instead of thinking about how to earn money to support yourself, you're always dreaming of marrying into my family!"

Ding Caifeng was furious; she never expected the script to go this way.

She no longer cares about sowing discord; instead, she has begun to teach and educate, and promote core social values.

This unexpected contrast almost made Liu Liyun burst out laughing.

Lin Xiao continued to lament, "Grandma, you don't know how hard it is to make money these days. What kind of good job can a country bumpkin like me find? I work myself to the bone and earn only two or three thousand a month, barely enough to eat. How can I possibly dream of becoming rich and successful in this lifetime?"

"Since that's the case, I might as well marry into the family. At least I won't have to worry about food and drink! My parents treat me well, and my wife can earn money. I don't have to do anything and I can eat and drink well every day, live in a villa and drive a luxury car. How wonderful is that?"

"It's just that the child doesn't take my surname! That's okay. Whether the child takes my surname or not, they're still my own child. They'll take care of me in my old age, won't they? You should think about it this way, don't you think?!"

Ding Caifeng was dumbfounded.

In her worldview, a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family is the most useless and worst kind of man, even more despised than someone who remains single for life.

Therefore, no man will marry into another family unless he is truly desperate to survive.

But now, the new son-in-law in front of him is acting as if he is proud to have married into a good family, as if he wants to announce to the world that he has married into a good family!

This……

Ding Caifeng had never seen anything like this before. Her simple values, which she had maintained all her life, were suddenly shaken to their core.

"Aren't you...aren't you afraid of being gossiped about behind your back?!" The old woman was still making a last-ditch effort.

"What's there to criticize me for? I didn't steal or rob anyone!"

Lin Xiao looked completely at ease, smiling kindly, "Just like you, Grandma, you're clearly not my dad's biological mother, but you've been living off my dad's money in your old age, and nobody's ever criticized you behind your back, have they?"

Ok?
Ding Caifeng was a little out of sync.

Weren't we talking about your marriage into my family? Why are you here?

The old woman belatedly realized what was happening, and her face instantly turned as black as charcoal with anger. She sat there speechless.

The South Korean Navy looked embarrassed.

He knew that his son-in-law was usually steady and proper outside, but at home he often joked around and showed some of the playfulness of a young man.

He genuinely likes this kind of witty and humorous young man.

However, such playful banter is somewhat inappropriate when done in front of elders.

Han Haijun frowned slightly, wanting to reprimand Lin Xiao, but he didn't open his mouth—after all, the person sitting next to him wasn't his own mother, and he was not completely unaware of how the old lady had been acting like a tyrant in his home these past few days.

So now, even if it's just to vent his anger for his wife and daughter, he should pretend to be deaf or blind as appropriate.

As for Liu Liyun...

She could endure any grievance for the sake of her husband's dignity.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't want someone to support her!
She knew she couldn't rely on her blindly filial husband, and with her daughter pregnant, it was even more inconvenient, so she gave up on the possibility of seeking justice.

Unexpectedly, the son-in-law, laughing and joking, vented the anger he had been holding in for half a month, making the old woman so angry that she could barely breathe and looked like she was about to faint on the spot.

Liu Liyun felt incredibly happy at that moment!

(End of this chapter)