Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 232 At this moment, Ruyan was driving on her way.
Su He's house was quite lively, including Su He's father, Su Hongye, who was also home at this time. The two elders were very happy about Liu Ruyan's sudden visit.

However, despite her joy, Su He's mother, who was also Lin Mo's aunt, couldn't help but feel that something was amiss with the things Liu Ruyan had brought.

Cigarettes, alcohol, candy, tea, nutritional supplements, skincare products—if Liu Ruyan weren't also a beautiful young woman, she would have thought it was that young man visiting his parents for the first time.

Moreover, this wasn't Liu Ruyan's first time here. She remembered that although the things she brought last time weren't cheap either, they weren't as extravagant as this time.
However, she had heard from her daughter that her classmate's family was very well-off, and that it would be great if the boy was the one who found a partner. That way, her daughter would be settled, and she wouldn't need to work part-time at a matchmaking agency.
As she was thinking, Zhou Hui suddenly paused, and then, under the pretext of going to the kitchen to cut fruit, forcibly pulled her daughter into the kitchen.

"Mom~ what are you doing?" The incredibly lazy Su He was very dissatisfied with her mother's behavior. It was just cutting fruit, why did she have to drag her along?
But Zhou Hui didn't care about that at the moment. She glanced cautiously into the living room and then whispered, "Tell Mom the truth, are you...?"

"Which one?" Su He asked, looking puzzled.

Zhou Hui: "That one?"

"Which one is that? What are you talking about?"

Seeing her daughter's expression, Zhou Hui decided to drop the pretense and be direct: "Don't you like boys?"

Su He: ? ? ?
It's no wonder Zhou Hui thinks this way. Firstly, her daughter is so old, and she's never heard of her dating anyone. Of course, it's also possible that she did date but didn't tell her, but in any case, she's never brought a single one home.

Secondly, she's been going on blind dates lately, and one after another, they haven't worked out. She's starting to seriously doubt whether her daughter actually likes men, since she thinks the guys she's chosen are all pretty good.

Finally, and most importantly, when Liu Ruyan came over, she brought so many things, and her daughter actually told her to accept them with a clear conscience, saying it was what she should do.
What is considered "ought to"? Only things that a man comes to pick up are considered "ought to"?

The Su family is a very honest and upright family; they can't have a daughter who is unconventional!
"No, what are you thinking? I like women, not men? Wait... you wouldn't happen to be..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Liu Ruyan outside, then looked at her mother, her pretty face turning red with anger.

"Really not?" Zhou Hui asked cautiously.

Su He gritted her teeth and angrily replied, "No~~ that's not it!"

"That's good, that's good. You just said it was what she should do, that startled me." Seeing that her daughter didn't seem to be lying, Zhou Hui finally felt relieved.

Su He:
When I said it was her duty, did you mean that? I originally wanted to subtly tease Liu Ruyan, but I ended up getting caught up in the gossip myself, and she almost became a lesbian.

"You have quite the imagination, haha, hahaha," Su He rolled her eyes at her mother and said with a forced smile.

But the next second, her mother, Zhou Hui, pushed her out of the kitchen: "This is none of your business, get out of here!"

Su He: ? ? ?
Su He was mortified after being kicked out of the kitchen by her own mother, but she couldn't say anything and just felt incredibly frustrated.

Soon, Zhou Hui finished cutting the fruit and came out, and the family chatted with Liu Ruyan.

"Ruyan, you've only just arrived, so you should have a good time for a few days. Tell Auntie what you want to eat, and Auntie will make it for you," Zhou Hui said with a kind smile.

As long as you're not here for my daughter, you're a good kid. How much can you possibly eat?

“Okay, Auntie, it’s a holiday, and I was bored at home. I thought Nancheng wasn’t far, so I came to visit Susu,” Liu Ruyan said with a sweet smile, looking very well-behaved.

Today, Liu Ruyan wore a black skirt, a white shirt tucked into the skirt, and white sneakers. Her silky hair was draped behind her head, making her look like the perfect outfit her mother would praise.

Combined with her looks, she was practically unbeatable among the elders; any elder who saw her would like her from the bottom of their heart.

If Zhou Hui hadn't given birth to a daughter, she would have already set her sights on Liu Ruyan.

"Haha, you've come to the right place. Just stay here. Although Nancheng is a county town, the scenery is quite nice, and there are a few small attractions. I'll have Su He accompany you to visit them later."

"Oh, right, when she goes on blind dates, Ruyan, you should go with her and see. She's been on three dates already, and hasn't liked any of them. Go and help your aunt figure out whose fault it is," Zhou Hui said, glancing at her daughter.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan's eyes lit up. Such a good thing? She absolutely loved watching gossip!
"Okay, Auntie, I promise to complete the task." After saying that, Liu Ruyan patted Su He's shoulder, raised her eyebrows, and laughed, "You went on a blind date? You're quite tight-lipped, hehe!"

Su He:
After spending more than an hour at Su He's house, the two finally left after Liu Ruyan gave them a nod.

Since we're all here, we definitely need to go out and have some fun.

Sitting in Liu Ruyan's Maybach, Su He touched the steering wheel and laughed, "Wow, this car looks so stable, it feels much better than yours."

I don't know what my mom was thinking, she actually wanted you to come with me to a blind date. She didn't even intend for me to succeed in the relationship. Perfect, if it doesn't work out this time, I won't even have to give a reason.

So, are you going to come with me to my blind date first, or should I call my cousin out to keep you company for a while, so you won't be bored?

Although Liu Ruyan came with other purposes, the charm of the Great Emperor Ruyan was undeniable. Although Su He considered herself to be quite beautiful, she was still far inferior to this woman.

If Liu Ruyan accompanies her to a blind date, wouldn't that be forcing the other party to reject her? It's fine, at least she can see what kind of person the man is.

"What are you saying? I came here to have fun with you. Of course, your business is the most important thing. Come on, come on, I've never been on a blind date before!" Liu Ruyan, sitting in the passenger seat, said excitedly.

Although she spoke very naturally, Su He knew perfectly well what was going on, but she was too lazy to expose her. Sometimes, it's better to have a lower emotional intelligence, otherwise, what if you make someone angry and cause trouble?
As for Lin Mo, what's done is done. What difference does it make if it happens sooner or later? Is Liu Ruyan going to go up there and get a beating?

Thinking of this, Su He started the car: "Elbow, let's go on the blind date!"

Meanwhile, Lin Mo and his son drove his mother's new car back to their hometown.

His mother initially disagreed, saying it was his own car and she hadn't driven it much herself. But Lao Lin said that since he was going back to his hometown, he should naturally drive the new car back; wealth and honor should not be returned home unnoticed.

We were supposed to go back to visit the graves a couple of days ago, but my dad had to work overtime and it rained for two days straight. Today the sun finally came out, so we had to go back.

As for his mother, she didn't go back. There are no elderly people left, and the old house is just an empty shell. What's the point of her going back? She might as well stay home and rest. Going back to the old house means work; let those two Lins do it. After all, it's their ancestral graveyard. If they don't do it, why should she?

And so, the father and son drove their new car out of the city and headed south, traveling at high speed for more than 40 kilometers.

Qinghe Village is a village that is a five-minute drive from the national highway. It gets its name from the river that runs right next to the village.

The village isn't remote; it's much better than Hukou Village, where Lin Mo's maternal grandmother lived.

The village has built roads and planned well in recent years, and many facilities have been improved, but there are still not many people in the village. Most of them are elderly people, and the village only gets lively during the Spring Festival.

When the father and son drove back, it was harvest time, and people could be seen working in the fields on both sides of the road from time to time.

Soon, Lao Lin parked the car in front of an abandoned courtyard near the river at the bottom of a gentle slope.

To the south of the courtyard was a vegetable garden, now abandoned. In front of the garden was a three-meter-wide stream, its waters flowing gently.

The courtyard gate was rusty, and the Spring Festival couplets on both sides were faded. The father and son got out of the car, and Old Lin took out a bunch of keys wrapped in a plastic bag from the crack in the stone wall and opened the lock on the gate.

With a creak, the gate slowly opened, revealing that although the courtyard was paved with red bricks, many weeds still stubbornly grew out from the cracks between the bricks.

Three main rooms and one side room—a very standard rural courtyard, but it appears somewhat dilapidated because no one has lived there for a long time.

As they entered the courtyard, Lin Mo, standing behind, clearly noticed that his father's shoulders had lowered considerably. He casually lit a cigarette and seemed to relax completely.

"Son, your mom's not here today, so let's not cook. Dad brought a barbecue grill, and I also brought half of the watermelon you bought today. Find a basin, put the watermelon and drinks in it, and chill it with some well water. After we're done cleaning up, let's grill some skewers in this little yard. Dad'll have a drink, and you can drive back, okay?" Old Lin looked around and said with a smile.

Lin Mo nodded upon hearing this: "I understand, but there's no one here anymore, why bother cleaning up?"

“Even without anyone else, this is still home.” Dad went to the side room and took out a shovel and broom. While weeding, he continued, “You know, if it weren’t for your mother and you, that apartment building we live in would just be a temporary place for me. This is where my roots are.”

"This is how my life is going to be. You kid, try your best, and if you ever make some money, while your dad's still around, help me renovate this old house. If you can, then my life will have been worthwhile."

As he said this, Comrade Lin's face was full of smiles, as if he had really seen the day the old house was rebuilt.

For middle-aged men, there are three major obsessions: first, to return to the village to build a house; second, to repair the ancestral graves; and third, to return to their roots.

In fact, many boys' initial dream is to make money and build a villa back in their hometown, and every man's ultimate goal is to return home in glory.

This also shows how important it is for a man to build a house back in his hometown, especially for a child who grew up in the countryside.

Hearing this, Lin Mo smiled and said, "Okay, Dad, just you wait and see. By next year at the latest, I will build a small villa in this old courtyard for you. When you and Mom retire, you will have a place to live out your retirement."

Although he has enough money now, in his parents' eyes, he only has a few hundred thousand left. Although that's enough, they would never agree to him using that money to build a house in the countryside.

But Lin Mo was still quite confident. In another year, he could easily build a villa in the countryside using the shopping page.
It would be best to have a visible source of income; that would be even better.

"Hahaha, alright, then Dad will wait and see!" Old Lin laughed heartily upon hearing this, thinking his son was joking, completely unaware that Lin Mo had already taken this to heart.

The father and son then began clearing the weeds from the yard, and soon the two men were covered in dust and dirt.

"Son, I've left the barbecue grill here. Light the charcoal, the skewers are all ready, just melt them with water. Dad's going to visit your grandpa and grandma's graves."

After tidying up, Lao Lin took everything out of the car and began to speak.

"Wait for me, I'm coming too!" Lin Mo put down what he was holding and was about to follow.

But his father waved his hand and said, "No need, I can go by myself. You get your things ready, and we'll get started when I get back."

Little did they know, Old Lin took the paper money to the back mountain and talked to Lin Mo's grandparents mostly about how their grandson had grown up, become sensible, earned money, and knew how to be filial to his parents, and how their Lin family had a successor.

It is said that one should not forget to tell one's ancestors when offering sacrifices at family graves, and this is clearly reflected in his father's case. Whenever there is a major event or happy occasion in the family, he must tell the elders about it when visiting their graves, so that the elders can be happy in the afterlife.

Meanwhile, a Maybach was driving on the national highway south of the city.

"No, my cousin and my second aunt's husband are going back to their hometown. Why are you so excited?" Su He said as she drove.

Liu Ruyan's expression was slightly unnatural, but she answered smoothly: "Anyway, I'm here to have fun. It doesn't matter where I go. Besides, didn't you say that my brother's hometown has mountains and rivers and beautiful scenery? What's wrong with me going to take a look?"

“Going is fine, but this is my cousin’s hometown, and my second aunt’s husband is there too. Don’t you dare mess with your temporary girlfriend, you hear me? Otherwise, in less than two days, the whole village will know that my brother brought his girlfriend back home,” Su He said with a hidden meaning.

It was called a warning, but it was practically an indication of what she should do next.

Sure enough, Liu Ruyan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

A man's hometown, his ancestral home, must be very important, right? It would be good to go there first and make a name for yourself. Liu Ruyan thought it was a good idea.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, am I the kind of person who lacks tact? You just said Xiao Mo hasn't been in a good mood lately, so I'm going to go see what's going on!" Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Ruyan's lips curled up slightly, and she was so excited that she almost stomped her feet.

Su He:
Hopefully, her second aunt's husband's heart is in good condition and he doesn't collapse, otherwise things will get really messed up.

At this moment, Ruyan was on her way by car.

(End of this chapter)