The two bodyguards got up from the ground, not daring to say anything for fear of alerting Zhang Xiaohui.
Otherwise, they would seem incompetent.
The car stopped at the entrance. Li He didn't get in but walked along the side of the road.
The buildings were getting taller and the roads were getting wider. Basically, there would be a big round of demolition every few years. The changes every day were too much for him to take in.
Song Gu followed behind him unhurriedly. When he saw him turn around, he thought he had something to say, so he said in a low voice, "Mr. Li."
Li He asked, "What happened just now?"
Song Gu said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li. They provoked us first."
Li He waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's inevitable. Even chickens and dogs will rise to heaven."
Unknowingly, he found himself looking up at Wangfujing Bookstore. He walked in and suddenly met an unexpected person on the first floor.
After being stunned for a moment, he looked unhappy. "Mu Yin, why are you here?"
Mu Yin looked very much like Mu Yan when he was young. He was tall and thin. He smiled and said, "Uncle Li, long time no see. I didn't expect to see you here."
Li He asked, "When did you come? Why didn't you say hello? You treat me like an outsider. "
He had a reason to be angry. He treated Mu Yin like an outsider.
But he didn't say hello to him when he came to Beijing.
Mu Yan put down the book in his hand and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, Uncle Li. I just arrived yesterday and didn't dare to trouble you and Auntie He."
He was very grateful to Li He. He had lost his parents when he was young. It was Uncle Li who had traveled thousands of miles to pick him up from Australia and he and his grandmother had depended on each other for survival.
From junior high to high school and then to university, Uncle Li had cared for him at every step of his life.
Even now, when he started his business, he had the help of his father's old friends and Uncle Li.
Li He said with a straight face, "What book are you buying? Hurry up and buy it. Follow me. "
His tone was unquestionable.
Mu Yan paid the bill and took the book out of the bookstore. Li He was already waiting at the door.
The two of them walked out of the commercial street, got into the car at the intersection, and sat side by side.
Li He glanced at the book in his hand and sighed. "Your father's favorite was' Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio '. It wasn't easy to buy books at that time. In order to buy this book, he queued for an entire day at the entrance of the bookstore.
He said that Pu Songling was the king of short chapters in this matchless and wondrous book. Pu Songling held him in high esteem and could recite most of it.
Because of your father's influence, I went to Zichuan and paid a visit to Pu Songling's old residence. Only then did I know that 'where there's a will, there's a way' was written by him.
It's very motivational, and I think that's why your father likes it. "
Mu Yin said, "I'm not as good as him. I only know how to recite 'Promote Knitting', and it was a text from the textbook when I was still in school. The day before yesterday, when he was tidying up the house after fetching his grandma, he found a Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. It was densely packed with annotations, and it was so tattered that it was unreadable.
I happened to see a bookstore here, so I came in to take a look and bought it. "
Li He asked, "Your grandma is willing to go with you?"
Five or six years ago, he went to Xiangxi to visit Old Madam Mu. She was in her seventies, and she was not deaf or blind. Not only could she take care of his three meals a day, but she could also pick tea leaves and grow vegetables.
Every time he saw the old lady walking up the steep hill, he would be frightened. At that time, he suggested that the old lady follow his grandson to the city, but the old lady was unwilling to burden him and insisted on living alone.
Mu Yin blushed and said, "Uncle Li, I'm getting married."
Li He said impatiently, "It's such a big thing. You won't tell me if I don't ask?"
Mu Yan lowered his head even more.
Halfway through the journey, Mu Yin said, "Uncle Li, can we stop the car first?"
Li He said, "My family doesn't lack anything. You don't have to buy anything."
Mu Yin said, "Uncle Li, no matter how expensive or cheap it is, it's my sincerity to buy anything. Moreover, I'm buying it for Auntie He, so you can't stop me."
Li He laughed.
Qiu Liang stopped the car by the roadside.
When Mu Yin came out of the mall, he was carrying bags of various sizes. Song Gu, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, got out of the car and helped him stuff the bags into the trunk.
Li He smiled and said, "It's a waste to buy so many things. Your Auntie and I don't eat bird's nest or deer antler. It's good enough if we can eat three meals a day. You haven't contacted your Uncle Meng, right? "
Mu Yin said, "I heard that Uncle Meng is in the north of Hebei Province. I don't go there often."
Li He said, "Your Uncle Meng is almost seventy years old and he just had a heart bypass surgery. His health isn't good, so he can't stay outside all the time. He retired last year and is very free now. His main task every day is to take care of his grandson and walk the dog."
Although they were colleagues, Meng Jianguo was much older than him.
At that time, there were many father-son classmates and father-son colleagues.
Mu Yin said, "I didn't know that Uncle Meng was having a surgery, or else I would have come to see him."
Li He said, "No one cares about that. It's more important for you kids to live well."
He Fang heard the sound of the car and went to the door to welcome him. When she saw Mu Yin getting out of the car, she said in surprise, "Kid, when did you come?"
Li He said, "If I didn't meet him, he wouldn't have come."
Mu Yin said embarrassedly, "Auntie He, how are you? I was afraid of troubling you. "
He Fang reprimanded him, "Kid, you're talking nonsense again. What trouble? I'm in good health. Come in, don't just stand outside. "
She invited Mu Yin into the house and poured him tea and fruits.
Mu Yin was a little flustered. He smiled and said, "Look, you're so polite. I really didn't dare to come."
He Fang said, "I treat you like my own child. When your brother and sister come back, I do the same. You don't have to be shy."
Li He said, "You're going to be busy from now on. This kid is getting married. As his aunt, you'll have to decide how to arrange it."
He Fang looked at Mu Yin happily and said, "Really? Where are you from? Have you met your mother-in-law? "
Mu Yin said, "I'm here to meet her family. She's my classmate from Hong Kong."
He Fang sat on the sofa and said seriously, "Then you have to tell me what her parents do. Do they have any requests? We're not bad either. We can't let her down. "
Mu Yin said, "I haven't met her yet. I'm waiting to see what her parents have to say."
He Fang said, "That's your fault. Meeting your parents is such an important matter, and you didn't even inform them. How would it look if you don't have an elder? They might even think that you don't value it."
Mu Yan lowered his head and took a sip of tea. "It's not that I don't have any parents. My grandma is here."
Li He stood up and reprimanded him, "Nonsense! You said you were going to fetch your grandma. I thought you went to Shenzhen. Why did she come to Beijing with you? You only told me now! Where is she now?
Hurry up and fetch her! "
He was really angry.
He Fang also said, "Your grandma is so old. Why did you ask her to come here? You're going to make her worry, are you? We're all here. Why don't you just tell us? "
Mu Yin smiled bitterly. "She's staying at a hotel. My grandma didn't want us to tell you. She said that you've done enough and it's not easy to take care of a family. She can't rely on you for everything. I'm not young anymore and I can handle a lot of things myself. She said that she'll treat you to a drink on the day of the banquet. "
Li He said, "You can't listen to your grandma all the time. She's old and doesn't know our situation, but you should know our situation. Let's go. I'll accompany you to fetch your grandma. Why are you staying at a hotel? You're so generous to leave your grandma there alone. "
He Fang added, "Where's your girlfriend? We can fetch her too. We don't need a place to stay at home. There are plenty of rooms at home. "
Mu Yin saw the situation and knew that he couldn't refuse. He stood up and said, "Uncle Li, lend me a car. I'll go fetch her. My uncle is here too. He'll be accompanying my grandma. "
Li He asked, "Which uncle?"
Mu Yin said, "My Uncle Mu Lei."
Li He rolled his eyes at him and said, "Hey, stop dawdling. Take the keys and go. We'll be waiting for you for lunch."
Just as Mu Yin left, Meng Jianguo, Liu Yibo, Hu Yuanchao and the others arrived.
Hu Yuanchao was already in a wheelchair pushed by his daughter.
The stairs to the Li residence were very high. The wheelchair couldn't get up, so Meng Jianguo and his chauffeur each took one side and tried to carry him up.
Li He pushed him aside and said with a smile, "Aren't you afraid that your heart will burst? Let the youngsters carry you."
Song Gu and Meng Jianguo's chauffeur worked together to lift Hu Yuanchao up.
Li He pushed from the back and said with a smile, "If it were in the past, I would have helped you up by myself."
Hu Yuanchao said, "Nonsense. If it were in the past, I wouldn't have been in a wheelchair. When I was fighting fires in Kuwait, I didn't sleep for days. "
Everyone laughed.
Li He personally brewed tea for everyone and told them about Mu Yin's situation.
Finally, he said, "Count the money on me. When the time comes, we'll stand up for each other. It'll look better."
Hu Yuanchao said, "You're thinking too much. We don't have money even if we want it. Sister-in-law and I are living on our pension every month. We don't want to be a burden to our child."
Meng Jianguo said, "Don't cry about being poor. If you're willing, you can ask for millions. I won't even frown."
Hu Yuanchao said, "Don't force me to make mistakes when I'm old."
Meng Jianguo said, "You're already retired. What mistakes do you have to make? Use your remaining energy and I'll pay you a consultation fee. Isn't that normal?"
Hu Yuanchao said angrily, "I'm not afraid of anything except talking to a layman like you. If I were someone like Old Liu, I wouldn't care. I'd give a speech at a university every few days, go on a program, publish a few books, promote something like Sinology or poetry. I'd just close my eyes and earn money. "
Liu Yibo said, "This is the only benefit I have. I'm taking advantage of my old age to earn some retirement money."
Everyone was chatting and laughing. It was very lively.
He Fang came in with a plate of pumpkin pie and said with a smile, "Eat this first. We'll eat when Old Madam comes."
Li He looked at the time. Mu Yan had been gone for more than 40 minutes.
He walked to the door and looked in the direction of the intersection from time to time.
After a while, the car that he had lent to Mu Yin appeared.
The car stopped at the entrance and he was about to open the door when Old Madam pushed it from the inside. He did not dare to move, afraid that he would hurt her.
He quickly took two steps back and waited for Old Madam to get out of the car before walking over and saying with a smile, "Auntie, you've really made me angry."
Old Madam smiled nonchalantly and said, "Be angry if you want. Sigh, it's not a big deal. I really don't want you to worry about it. I've caused you trouble. "
"If getting married isn't a big deal, then what is?" He Fang supported Old Madam.
Li He walked over and shook hands with Mu Lei. He smiled and said, "It's been hard on you. I really didn't know you were coming. Mu Yan, that brat, doesn't know anything at all."
Mu Lei said, "Mu Yin isn't a kid anymore. I even told Auntie that it's been so many years. It's all thanks to you guys."
Li He said, "Come in, come in. I don't like to listen to such polite words."
After entering the house, everyone exchanged greetings. He Fang began to serve the dishes and everyone took their seats.
Li He took a bottle of wine and said, "Little Yin, have a drink with your uncle. We'll replace wine with tea. "
Meng Jianguo had a bad heart, Hu Yuanchao was taking medicine every day, and Liu Yibo had liver problems. None of them could drink.
Mu Lei said, "I can't drink either."
Li He asked, "What's wrong? I remember that you can hold your liquor. "
Mu Yin said, "My uncle is suffering from coronary heart disease."
Li He said, "Oh, you really can't drink then. If your uncle doesn't drink, why don't you drink some?"
Mu Yin said, "I won't drink either. I'm going to meet his parents tonight."
He Fang said to Mu Yin as she picked food for Old Madam, "See, why didn't you say so earlier? We weren't prepared at all. Your Uncle Li and I will accompany you tonight. Don't worry, we won't embarrass you. "
Before Mu Yin could say anything, Old Madam Mu said, "What are you talking about? I'm more than happy that you guys can go. I'm just an old lady from the countryside who doesn't know anything, so I had to bite the bullet and come."
Li He said, "What's the situation with the girl's family? I asked you this morning, but you didn't tell me."
Mu Yin said, "I think it's a high-ranking family. Her grandfather is a leader, but her father is an ordinary businessman and her mother is a university teacher."
Liu Yibo asked, "What's her name? Tell me and I'll help you ask around. When the time comes, we can find a middleman and I'll be the matchmaker. "
Everyone looked at Mu Yin curiously. They were all teachers and their circle of friends was spread throughout the research institutes, schools and government departments. As long as they had a bit of a reputation, they would know them.
Mu Yin said, "I know his grandfather is called Yang Hao."
Everyone looked at each other and Hu Yuan muttered to himself, "There are quite a lot of people called Yang Hao. Since you said he's a leader, I know who he is."
He Fang said curiously, "I also know two people called Yang Hao, but they aren't government officials."
Li He said, "It's true that people who aren't from the same family don't enter the same house."
Yang Hao was his old colleague. He used to work in the same office with him and Chen Yun for many years.
Liu Yibo said, "That colleague of yours? He hasn't stayed in a single dormitory before, right? "
Li He said, "No, he's much older than us. After he was transferred, I rarely contact him."
Hu Yuanchao said, "I'm familiar with him. If we really meet tonight, you'll have to bring me along."
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