Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

Lei Li frowned.

"I share Cong Ying's thoughts. I won't lose myself for a man."

Song Tingting looked him straight in the eye. "I don't want to go through all the trouble of dealing with the other person's family after entering a relationship, like the power struggles within a family in the old society."

My energy is limited, and I have many more important and meaningful things to do. I don't want to waste it on these internal conflicts.

Lei Li listened.

His expression turned extremely serious.

"Tingting, you absolutely don't need to worry about this," Lei Li said quickly. "My mom likes you very much. There's absolutely no mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict in our family. Even if we get married, we'll move out and live separately."

"My grandparents only said I wasn't good enough for you, but my ancestors blessed me and said I might be able to win you over."

He stared into Song Tingting's eyes:

"I assure you, I will not allow any conflict to arise between you. All unpleasantness will be cut off directly with me and will never spread to you."

"You don't even need to socialize with anyone in my family."

Song Tingting listened quietly to the end.

He didn't make a sound.

Lei Li's voice held a hint of anticipation: "Tingting, you've agreed to be my girlfriend?"

Song Tingting twirled the water glass in her hand.

"I don't have much time left."

She began by laying the groundwork, saying, "Not only now, but in the future, when I enter the field of scientific research, I am destined to be very busy."

I might not be home for months, or I might spend consecutive days in the lab.

I would not be a good housewife, and I would never give up my career for my family.

"I understand," Lei Li replied without hesitation.

"You probably don't understand what this means."

Song Tingting looked at him and said, "This means that you will have to take on most of the responsibilities at home."

Lei Li smiled.

"I was in the army, so doing housework is also one of my strengths."

He leaned back in his chair. "This is not a problem at all. It's fine if you don't have children in the future. I'll do the talking to you."

Song Tingting laughed at his words.

"It's not to the point of not having children."

"Now that we're married, having children is naturally part of the plan. But even if I have children, I will still focus my main energy on scientific research."

"I don't think I'm a good wife or a good mother."

Lei Li's smile deepened.

"Actually, my grandfather had a special talk with me before I came here."

Lei Li composed himself and said, "The old man said it's not easy for the country to cultivate a top talent."

All that resources and effort wasn't spent just to trap her in the kitchen and diapers after she got married.

A man marries a wife not to clip her wings and lock her up at home, but to be her strongest support.

Let her dedicate herself fully to her career and create a better future for the country. Only then can he be worthy of being your husband.

Song Tingting hadn't expected this.

The Lei family not only doesn't care about social status, but also has such a broad mind and vision.

She thought she was luckier than Cong Ying.

They met elders like Grandpa Lei and Grandma Lei.

"Brother Lei," she looked at him earnestly, "please guide me in the future. I'm a complete novice when it comes to love. But I'll try my best to learn."

Lei Li opened his mouth.

"Tingting..."

His Adam's apple bobbed. "So... you've agreed?"

"Actually, I don't have that kind of intense feeling of liking someone."

Song Tingting's candor was almost cruel: "But after thinking about it, if you were my marriage partner, I wouldn't be opposed to it at all. Maybe I really could try to enter into a relationship."

Lei Li let out a heavy sigh.

enough.

that's enough.

"When a girl looks for a boyfriend, she should find someone who loves her. You're absolutely right."

Lei Li grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "It's my treat today. Add whatever you want to eat."

"This meal has to be on me," Song Tingting stopped him.

"There's no reason for a girl to pay for the meal," Lei Li disagreed.

"First, I came here to eat so that I could test out the boy who works as an apprentice in the shop for Qiaozhen."

"Secondly, since I have a boyfriend today, it's something to celebrate. It's only right that I treat him to a nice meal."

When Lei Li heard the words "boyfriend," he felt a weight lift from his bones.

He leaned back in his chair, grinning.

"Okay. My girlfriend is really generous." Lei Li seized the opportunity, "If anyone asks us who spends more money in our relationship, I'll confidently tell them that I'm the one who lives off her."

A short while later, a serving of sauerkraut dumplings was served.

A serving of sweet and sour pork.

Chicken stew with mushrooms.

Order a plate of braised pork ribs.

She knew that Lei Li had a big appetite, and she herself was hungry.

"Brother Lei, try the dishes here."

The proprietress smiled and said, "Our food is delicious. You'll definitely come back for more after you've tried our dumplings."

Lei Li first served Song Tingting some food.

"Boss lady, another serving of mushroom soup."

"Okay!" The proprietress took notes, turned around, lifted the curtain, and went into the kitchen.

Less than half a minute later, the sound of cursing and swearing came from the kitchen.

This restaurant is small.

Poor sound insulation.

The sounds inside could be heard clearly.

"Yan Xiaowu! What time did you get back last night?" the landlady's voice boomed. "You're just dozing off at work all day! Do you think this is a hotel?"

An impatient grumbling came from the kitchen.

The proprietress was even angrier:

"Don't give me that 'helping others' nonsense. What kind of loyalty is that? You're clearly just hanging out with those shady friends outside."

"If you don't want to learn a trade properly, you'd better get back to your hometown. Our place is too small to accommodate idlers."

With a loud "clang".

It looked like a wooden barrel had been kicked over.

Then came Yan Xiaowu's furious roar:

"I'm learning a trade from my own uncle. Who gives you, an outsider, the right to tell me what to do? I came here to learn how to stir-fry and flip dishes, but all you do is make me chop vegetables, wash vegetables, and serve plates. Do you treat me like family?"

There was a lot of commotion and banging in the kitchen.

The proprietress laughed in exasperation, "So many people outside want to become apprentices but don't know how, and you're the one finding fault."

Do you think that as an apprentice you can immediately start flipping the wok and don't have to do anything else?

I'm telling you, I'm your uncle's lawfully wedded wife. In this shop, he has to listen to me, and you have to listen to me too.

There was a huge commotion inside.

Song Tingting sat at the table.

He took a sip of water from his teacup.

Lei Li raised an eyebrow and glanced at Song Tingting opposite him.

"Mao Qiaozhen has such a gentle personality," Lei Li said in a low voice, "Is it really suitable to find someone with that kind of temperament?"

I haven't seen anyone yet.

His volatile temper and unrealistic ambitions are enough to make people shake their heads in disapproval.

Song Tingting put down her teacup.

"I'm just here today to get a feel for things. I'll tell her the truth later and let her decide what to do. This person doesn't seem like a good fit."

Mao Qiaozhen's personality.

Living with this kind of person will only lead to suffering.

Lei Li leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.

"Actually, quite a few of my soldiers are single."

Lei Li suggested, "Some of these young men are good people, hardworking and honest. It's just that their hometowns are in other places, so they can't stay and develop their careers here."

If one of them were introduced to Mao Qiaozhen, it would be perfect if the other could settle down in Beijing. With someone protecting her, Mao Qiaozhen would be less likely to be bullied in the future.

Song Tingting listened.

He started to make plans in his mind.

That's a good way out.

But she had concerns.

"We can definitely consider men from other places." Song Tingting frowned. "I'm just worried that if the man's relatives from other places all flock to Beijing, Qiaozhen won't be able to handle that kind of situation."

Mao Qiaozhen already had an extremely awful older brother.

If another bunch of awful in-laws come along, my life will be ruined.

"What's there to be afraid of with you watching over her?" Lei Li laughed. "Chang Ping is a formidable character. Besides, I'll definitely be very selective with the person who introduces her, making sure they know her background. If they really run into someone who doesn't do anything right, even if it's just a local, they'll still bully her."