At this moment, Jiang Guohua also came back from his evening walk outside the shop. Zhou Caifeng immediately grinned and said:

“Old man, your son-in-law is here. Look at all the cigarettes and alcohol he bought you—the shop can barely fit them anymore.”

Jiang Guohua was also greatly shocked when he saw the pile of items on the floor. Logically speaking, someone of Xiao Liye’s status marrying Jiang Yuning should have felt unwilling or displeased.

Yet this extravagant gesture left him surprised.

“You didn’t need to bring so many things just for a visit,” he said.

The alcohol sold in Xiao Liye’s factory was all high-end liquor, though there were also mid-range boxed options. When it came to gifting his in-laws, even if he was unhappy about the marriage, he still had to maintain appearances.

“In the future, whenever there are guests at home, just treat them the same way you would treat others,” Xiao Liye said.

Then he took a cigarette from the pack and handed it over: “Here, Dad.”

Jiang Guohua broke into a delighted smile at being called “Dad.”

“I don’t smoke or drink,” he said, still smiling, “so don’t spend money on this next time.”

But he still accepted the cigarette Xiao Liye handed him.

“Still, since you called me Dad, I’ll take it even if I don’t smoke it.”

Jiang Yuning was a little surprised by how well he got along with her parents. She had originally thought he would be cold and distant, but instead he was extremely composed and even won over her parents.

And how naturally he called them “Dad” and “Mom”—as if it didn’t feel awkward at all.

Compared to that, calling him “Dad” herself and referring to him as “uncle” felt somewhat petty and formal.

A faint smile appeared on her lips, and the frustration she had felt all day suddenly eased. After all, who wouldn’t feel happy seeing their husband bring honor to them in front of their parents?

She also realized that no wonder he could run such a large business—he was completely at ease even when talking to elders much older than him, and handled conversations smoothly.

Unlike her, who felt nervous in crowded places and struggled to talk freely.

Feeling that staying here wasn’t useful, she went to the kitchen, steamed the chicken and fish, cut a piece of the pork Xiao Liye had brought, and prepared dinner.

She had originally planned to call her mother over to cook, but since her mother was laughing the loudest while talking to Xiao Liye, she gave up on that idea.

So she worked alone at the stove, cooking braised pork, stir-fried pork with chili, and a pot of red bean porridge with steamed buns.

When she saw the voices in the front room still hadn’t quieted down, she called out:

“Dinner’s ready.”

Zhou Caifeng’s smile hadn’t stopped the entire time. She walked toward the kitchen, but her eyes were still fixed on Xiao Liye. When she saw the dishes on the table, she said unhappily:

“Why only two dishes? It’s the son-in-law’s first visit—don’t you know to make more?”

Jiang Yuning replied: “It’s enough to eat. We won’t finish more than this anyway.”

Zhou Caifeng frowned even more:

“So what if it’s not finished and thrown away? That still doesn’t mean you only make two dishes!”

Jiang Yuning felt a little stiff. In the past, Zhou Caifeng had always been extremely frugal—so frugal she would even wipe clean the oil left on plates with a steamed bun. And now she was willing to waste food?

Just how satisfied was she with Xiao Liye?

Before she could respond, Zhou Caifeng pushed past her and took down preserved meat that had been hung under the roof and saved for New Year.

“Your cooking is good. Make all of this too. Don’t let Liye go hungry,” she said.

Now Jiang Yuning understood. Her mother really liked Xiao Liye.

She replied helplessly, “He eats good food every day. Why would he care about this?”

“If he doesn’t care, I still want to cook it for him,” her mother insisted. “Hurry up, I still need to go talk to him.”

Jiang Yuning looked at the pile of preserved sausages and meat in her hands and found it slightly amusing.

Still, she didn’t delay and steamed some sausage and stir-fried preserved meat with garlic sprouts.

“Mom, why hasn’t Xiaoya come back yet?” she asked.

Zhou Caifeng replied unhappily:

“I’m talking to Liye—why do you keep interrupting? She can go wherever she wants. Maybe she’s at Youyou’s house. Don’t worry about her.”

Jiang Yuning was once again speechless.

She carried the dishes out and stopped trying to say anything further, realizing everything she said would be wrong anyway.

Under Jiang Guohua’s urging, Xiao Liye washed his hands and sat down at the table.

Zhou Caifeng immediately kept picking food for him until his bowl was piled high.

“Son-in-law, eat more,” she said.

Looking at the table filled with braised pork, stir-fried chili pork, and preserved meat with garlic sprouts, Xiao Liye became curious about Jiang Yuning’s cooking skills.

Instead of eating the restaurant-bought dishes, he first picked up a piece of braised pork from his bowl.

The soft, savory flavor exploded in his mouth. It was even better than restaurant food.

He raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

The entire table was filled with laughter from Zhou Caifeng, while Jiang Guohua couldn’t stop smiling either.

Xiao Liye chatted while eating and finished three steamed buns and two bowls of dishes. After eating his fill, he didn’t stay long.

Jiang Yuning had originally planned to give Jiang Yaya some pocket money, but since she wasn’t around, she decided to do it next time.

She sat on the back seat of the bicycle while Xiao Liye continued exchanging polite refusals with her parents. In the end, Zhou Caifeng insisted on packing a pig leg and five bags of pastries into the basket, and he had no choice but to ride back with them.

They had eaten dinner early, so the sky wasn’t fully dark yet, but the wind already carried a hint of coldness.

Jiang Yuning couldn’t help but ask:

“When did you prepare all those things?”

Xiao Liye replied:

“This afternoon, after lunch, you said you wanted to bring leftover dishes over. I’m at least someone with status in the county—if my wife shows up on her second day of marriage carrying leftovers, what would that look like?

“So I simply moved the return visit to today and had them prepare some things.”

Jiang Yuning pressed her lips together, realizing she had thought too simply.

“I’m sorry you had to spend so much today,” she said quietly.

Xiao Liye asked, “So how are you going to thank me?”

She instinctively assumed that someone of his status would expect something expensive.

“I don’t have much money,” she muttered.

Hearing her cautious tone, he didn’t even need to look back to imagine her expression—probably like a well-behaved little cat.

He smirked slightly.

“You don’t need to do anything. Just behave yourself. When the time comes, explain everything clearly to your parents and leave.”

Jiang Yuning lowered her eyelashes and said softly:

“Don’t worry. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

Xiao Liye raised an eyebrow. He only hoped she would keep her word. If she started clinging to him just because her parents liked him, he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the good impression he had built today.

They rode in silence the rest of the way. After returning home and putting away the pastries and pig leg, Jiang Yuning started boiling water, feeling somewhat hurt by his subtle warning.

At that moment, Xiao Fangdong came around from the back of the house and shouted angrily when he saw Xiao Liye:

“You brat! Who doesn’t come home on the second day after getting married?”

Xiao Liye, already irritated by being controlled, let out a cold snort:

“Even if I go home, I wouldn’t sleep with her anyway. Whether I go back or not—it’s all the same.”