The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 363 - 334 Too Many Light Bulbs_1

Chapter 363: Chapter 334 Too Many Light Bulbs_1

Along the way, there were no incidents.

Upon arriving in Huai City, Director Liao personally arranged a car to escort Huo Yingjie.

By the time Huo Yingjie reached Qijia Village, a whole day had passed, which was the fastest possible journey aside from taking a plane.

It was the evening of the sixth day of the lunar month.

He Tiantian was cooking at home, her dad had just cut a bunch of leeks from the greenhouse behind the hill, and she was preparing to make leek stuffed buns, with two eggs added in, both fresh and tasty.

This time, Huo Yingjie knew his way to Third Grandma Qi’s home and didn’t need anyone to guide him, coming directly to the house.

It was already evening, and it was rare for people to visit each other’s homes in Qijia Village.

Surprised by the sound of knocking, He Tiantian found it very strange.

Her mom was in the washroom, scrubbing Dad’s back!

Grandma Qi was inside and couldn’t hear anything, so He Tiantian had no choice but to put down the leeks and answer the door.

With a "squeak," the wooden door swung open.

In the darkness, the silhouette of the person outside was faintly visible.

"Brother Yingjie," He Tiantian exclaimed with joy, "Did you really come?"

Under the cover of night, Huo Yingjie embraced He Tiantian in a hug and kissed her, saying, "Yes, I have come."

Zhang Aijun and Li Yunzhong were on the side, filled with envy!

As for the four people in the distance, their expressions turned to disbelief—was Huo Yingjie such a romantic, crossing thousands of miles just to visit his sweetheart?

Just then, Third Grandma Qi heard the noise and came out, shouting, "You rascal, come on in."

"Grandma Qi, how have you been?" Huo Yingjie asked affectionately, stepping forward to pay his respects to the old lady.

"Enough with the formalities, come and sit inside," Third Grandma Qi said. "Warm up a little; it gets particularly cold outside once evening falls."

Zhang Aijun, Li Yunzhong, and Huo Yingjie put down their things.

At that moment, Wang Shuping came out of the washroom, brimming with joy.

Huo Yingjie had rushed over, all for her daughter!

Seeing her prospective son-in-law so concerned about her own daughter naturally made her very happy.

"Yingjie, please sit down and rest for a while, I’ll go cook," Wang Shuping said with a smile. "Old He, hurry up, Yingjie has arrived; don’t dawdle anymore."

He Jingyu, who was bathing, quickly dried himself off and got dressed, his hair still dripping wet.

The son-in-law’s visit couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

"Uncle He, it’s cold outside, make sure to dry your hair quickly," Huo Yingjie reminded with a smile, obviously not wanting his future father-in-law to catch a cold because of his visit.

The caring He Tiantian quickly brought her dad a dry towel.

"Dad, you talk with Brother Yingjie, I’ll go cook," He Tiantian said. With so many people over, the house wasn’t prepared for this many guests.

Huo Yingjie smiled and replied, "There are still four people outside, Tiantian, make some extra food."

"Ah?" He Tiantian was taken aback. There were four more people? The scale of the gathering had certainly increased in just half a year!

"Yes, four people, that’s kind of a lot." Huo Yingjie felt a little embarrassed, thinking that if it were like last time and they stayed for half a month, they might end up eating all the food at home.

"No problem, I’ll start cooking now, we have enough food at home." He Tiantian explained, turning around to cook. Preparing meals for eleven people was no light task!

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuping noticed there wasn’t enough chive filling. She directly chopped up the home’s salted pork, stir-fried it in a pot, and mixed it with the cabbage filling—for later, they would wrap some with the cabbage and salted pork filling.

It was really cold outside, and those few people had been following the whole way; it must have been tough for them.

"Brother Zhang, go and tell the four people outside to come here," Huo Yingjie said. "After eating, we will find them a place to stay for the night." Ah, having many people around is troublesome!

Third Grandma Qi was taken aback and asked, "There are still people outside?"

"Yes, four more people," Huo Yingjie said with a wry smile. "Sorry to trouble you, Grandma Qi."

"Heh, that’s because you, young man, are capable," Third Grandma Qi chuckled. "It doesn’t matter, let them come in! They are here to protect you. I’ll talk to the neighbors and arrange for them to stay at houses on either side. Shuping and Tiantian can stay in one room, and Tiantian’s dad can stay at the back mountain in the Peach Orchard. You, along with Little Zhang and Little Li, will stay in this room as before."

"Thank you so much, Grandma Qi," Huo Yingjie said, feeling somewhat relieved to have accommodations sorted.

"Treat it like your own home; there’s no need to be polite." Huo Yingjie smiled. Later, when it’s time to leave, he would leave the grain coupons and money behind.

Meanwhile, the four men outside were also feeling troubled, nearly freezing like dogs.

Zhang Aijun said, "Please show your identification, so I can arrange accommodations for you!"

A rather composed man stepped forward, took out his ID, and said, "We are from the security department."

It was too dark outside for Zhang Aijun to see clearly. He said, "I’ll take it inside for a look. If there’s no issue, you can come in. Please understand, it’s our job duty."

"Understandable," the man said with a smile. If they were anywhere else, they wouldn’t have been so easygoing. But here, where their basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were an issue, they couldn’t just go directly to the villagers’ homes and cause a big disturbance, which didn’t align with their purpose.

After Zhang Aijun took the IDs inside for verification, they turned out to be colleagues!

So he brought them in and introduced himself, "My name is Zhang Aijun, but you can just call me Little Zhang."

"I’m Li Liang; you can call me Little Li," the man replied. As for the others, there was no need for introductions—after all, Little Zhang hadn’t introduced his other colleague either!

Third Grandma Qi didn’t sit in the room anymore but went to the kitchen to help, only to be stopped by Li Yunzhong.

Li Yunzhong took care of the fire for Wang Shuping, while Third Grandma Qi went with He Tiantian to their neighbors’ homes on either side, asking them to spare a room with a bed for the guests staying over.

When the neighbors heard that it was He Tiantian’s suitor who had arrived, they were even more enthusiastic, immediately agreeing, and quickly took out new quilts and sheets from their homes to make up the beds.

Everybody was eager to show goodwill to a hardworking and respectable family.

He Tiantian felt grateful. Once her father succeeded with the Peach Orchard, she could repay their kindness.

For dinner, there were chive pockets, cabbage and salted pork pockets, served with rice porridge—fragrant, crispy, and warming.

After the meal, Zhang Aijun arranged accommodations for Li Liang and the four men, and also took He Jingyu to stay at the Peach Orchard in the back mountain.

Wang Shuping and her daughter shared a room! Zhang Aijun and Li Yunzhong took turns on night watch duty, with him taking the first half of the night and Li Yunzhong the latter half.

Li Liang and his group were divided into two shifts as well, keeping watch during the first and second halves of the night.

Huo Yingjie had a lot he wanted to say, but there were too many "light bulbs" around, blinding him so he couldn’t open his eyes, let alone find a chance to be alone with He Tiantian!

Feeling utterly frustrated, Huo Yingjie could only go to sleep early, to gather energy so that he could have a good talk with Tiantian the next day.

As for any intimate gestures, they would have to be sneaky about it.

Wang Shuping looked at her daughter, who always had a smile on her face and flushed cheeks, pinched her cheek, and said, "It’s okay to be shy, but you can’t just keep staring at Yingjie! Have some shame!"

"Why shouldn’t I look?" He Tiantian retorted. "We spend so little time together and part so often. If I don’t look now, who knows when I’ll get to see him next."