CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 372: COUNTRY BUMPKIN QIAO XINGBANG

After returning from Ningbo, they went to Yuequan Village, where Mu Xiulan wanted to personally thank Tian Manjin and her husband Tian Mantong, along with the rest of the Tian Family. She had heard from Sisi that Tian Manjin and Tian Mantong doted on her daughter very much, even more than on their own children, and Mu Xiulan was truly grateful from the bottom of her heart.

Sui City isn’t too far from Ningbo either; it’s just over three hours by car. Setting off in the morning, they could still make it back home in time for lunch. Sisi had already phoned Tian Manjin earlier to tell her about Mama’s visit.

Tian Manjin and Zhu Aiqing had cleaned their home until it shone, and the house was filled with a delicious aroma, with Zhu Aiqing, Li Yuedi, and Jin Wanming all bustling about in the kitchen.

As the car drove into the village, many villagers working by the roadside looked at the jeep in surprise. Who was coming back? Could it be the Tian Family’s third son Ai Guo? But that couldn’t be right. Why would Ai Guo come back at this time of the year?

Sisi took out lots of snacks she had bought in the city from the car and distributed them to the villagers by the road. It was a minor gesture but enough to make the villagers feel good.

Mu Xiulan also stepped out, and the villagers’ eyes widened. Was this a movie star that had just arrived? So beautiful!

Mu Xiulan smiled at the villagers: "I’m Ah Nan’s Mama. Over the years, I am truly grateful for the care you all have shown my daughter. I’ve brought a little something to show my appreciation. Please accept this modest gift!"

Everyone in the village received a red envelope and was grinning from ear to ear. After the car drove away, they quickly opened their envelopes.

"Wow, five yuan! Striking it rich, aren’t we! No wonder my left eyelid has been twitching all morning!"

"Mines’s five yuan too, oh my! Ah Nan’s birth mother must be rich! So casual with giving out five yuan; oh boy, she really doesn’t treat it as money!"

"You think everyone is like you, having never seen paper money in your life? Haven’t you seen what she’s wearing and carrying? Any one item would be enough to feed us for a year!"

"Tsk tsk, Ah Nan’s luck is really something else. Her biological daddy’s loaded, and her mother’s got silver too. The Tian Family has hit the jackpot having such wealthy in-laws!"

...

"Here she comes, Sister is back!" Qinghua called out the news as he walked, today coincidentally being the weekend so he didn’t have school.

Tian Manjin grinned and hurried outside to welcome his precious daughter. As soon as Sisi got out of the car and saw her silly Daddy with his wide smile, she felt a twinge in her nose and threw herself into Tian Manjin’s arms, acting spoiled.

"Daddy, I’m back."

"Good to have you back. Your Mama has cooked a lot of your favorite dishes. Eat more later, you seem to have lost weight. You must be working too hard on your studies. Ah Nan, why push yourself so much for school? Don’t take Daddy’s words seriously about scoring a hundred percent. Daddy doesn’t expect you to become a top scholar; sixty percent is good enough for us."

Tian Manjin resumed his chattering, filled with dissatisfaction towards He Xuewen, thinking that Ah Nan studying so hard must be because of He Xuewen’s strict demands. Therefore, every time he saw Sisi, he would take the opportunity to complain about He Xuewen.

The wrongly accused He Xuewen helplessly touched his nose. In his defense, he had never demanded Ah Nan to score a hundred percent. How could Mantong possibly pin this blame on him?

Tian Manjin snorted: If not you, then who? Who else has been competing with me for Ah Nan’s affection?

Sisi, seeing her proud Daddy and her helpless Daddy, couldn’t help but laugh to herself. She quickly smoothed things over with a smile and introduced Mu Xiulan to Tian Manjin.

"Daddy, this is my birth Mama."

"Ah, please come in quickly, I got so excited seeing Ah Nan that I forgot my manners. Mama, please don’t take offense."

Tian Manjin felt a bit awkward and eagerly invited Mu Xiulan and Qiao Xingbang inside, completely ignoring He Xuewen who hadn’t even bothered with a proper greeting. He Xuewen didn’t care, though; he was so familiar with the Tian Family that he didn’t need an invitation from the host.

Qiao Xingbang was like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, finding everything so novel. He was amazed by the chickens and ducks walking around on the ground, and when he saw the pigs raised by Zhu Aiqing in the backyard, he couldn’t help but marvel, prompting Sisi to tease him.

"Do you really need to make such a fuss? Have you never seen these things before? What, do you think you’re a prince or princess from the palace?"

"I really haven’t seen them before. Where would I see them if no one raises these things where I’m from?" Qiao Xingbang felt quite wronged.

"Tsk tsk, you poor thing. Alright, I’ll take you up the mountain this afternoon to broaden your horizons so you won’t embarrass yourself in public." Sisi looked at him sympathetically, planning to show the bumpkin a thing or two.

Qiao Xingbang was thrilled about going up the mountain, but he found the girl’s speech a bit unpleasant. What did she mean by losing face? He was the Qiao Family’s second young master who’s studied abroad—who could match his breadth of vision?

Muttering under his breath at Sisi’s retreating silhouette, Qiao Xingbang didn’t dare to raise his voice. Everyone in this household was tall and strong; he wasn’t looking to suffer in front of them.

Lunch was extremely sumptuous, with chicken, duck, fish, game—a complete range—and all expertly cooked by Li Yuedi. Naturally, it was delicious, and Qiao Xingbang couldn’t help drooling.

"Delicious, Uncle Tian, Aunt Tian, the food your family makes is really good!" With good food, Qiao Xingbang couldn’t help but be sweet-tongued.

"If it’s delicious, eat more, and worry less about finishing your rice," Tian Manjin said, delightedly serving Qiao Xingbang two big chicken legs.

"I always thought that the meat here tastes so much better than the meat in Hong Kong, especially aromatic and tender, and the vegetables are delicious too, so sweet and tender. It’s amazing!"

Qiao Xingbang couldn’t stop eating and expressed the doubt he had these past few days. Ever since he came to the Mainland, he found the food so delicious that even ordinary vegetables tasted better than those in Hong Kong, making him eat an extra bowl of rice at every meal.

"Idiot, the pigs and chickens in Hong Kong are fed with feed, but our pigs and chickens eat vegetables, rice, and small insects, so naturally the meat is especially fragrant," Sisi couldn’t help but tease him again.

"Ah Nan, Xingbang is your second brother, show some respect," Zhu Aiqing couldn’t help but chastise Sisi.

Sisi giggled and stopped teasing Qiao Xingbang. Poor guy, he’d grown so big without ever tasting good food.

In the afternoon, Sisi, Tian Xinhua, along with Donghua and Qinghua, took the country bumpkin Qiao Xingbang up the mountain to see the world.

The pitfalls on the mountain were still there, set up by Tian Manjin and Tian Manmu, and over the years, these had added quite a lot of meat to the family’s dining table.

"Wow, Sister, you bring good luck as soon as you return, there’s something in both pits!"

Donghua happily shouted after looking into the pitfalls, and Qiao Xingbang, not knowing why, eagerly peered in as well. He was thrilled to see live animals inside.

A wild rabbit and a wild pheasant, both quite plump. Donghua, holding one in each hand, told Qiao Xingbang, "We’ll butcher these tonight for you to taste the game meat. Look at you, you must have never eaten game before, right?"

Qiao Xingbang honestly shook his head.

Donghua looked at him with pity, and Qinghua also felt sympathy for Sister’s unfortunate second brother, thinking to herself that Hong Kong couldn’t be that great of a place, considering how Qiao Xingbang was eating, as if he’d never tasted meat in his life.