Chapter 125: Meeting Brothers

"Boss, how about you take us to visit sister-in-law's place tomorrow?" Lin Kai suddenly spoke up.

Yan Rushan glanced at him, his gaze no longer as cold and distant as before. "No, my parents are coming back tomorrow, and Yuxiu will have dinner at my house."

"Oh~ meeting the parents, huh," Wu Chao drawled in a funny tone, making everyone laugh.

Zhong Yuxiu’s cheeks flushed slightly, her eyelids lowering. Yan Rushan shot Wu Chao a cold glare. "Noisy. The day after tomorrow, I'll take you all there."

"Okay," Wu Chao nodded eagerly, afraid Yan Rushan might change his mind.

"The day after tomorrow morning or afternoon? When exactly?" Cao Zheng asked with a smile.

Lin Kai chuckled softly, and Cheng Minglang smiled faintly, pressing his lips together. "Dashan, let's make it in the morning. That way, we can get a free meal at sister-in-law’s."

"Free meals sound great! Morning it is," Wu Chao’s eyes lit up. "We can have breakfast, then lunch, and dinner afterwards."

"Don’t you guys have to keep watch at the black market?" Yan Rushan said sternly. "Livestock, and you still want to freeload food at Yuxiu’s all day?"

Wu Chao laughed. "Sister-in-law's home isn’t some stranger’s place; we’re all family. What’s wrong with freeloading? From now on, we’ll eat there every day. Look at you, always running over to her place. I bet her cooking’s better than at home."

"Get lost." Yan Rushan pushed him aside, taking Zhong Yuxiu’s hand and heading out.

The others fell behind, watching Yan Rushan’s back with amused smiles.

Luo Lijun said, "Knowing the boss is fond of sister-in-law, you guys should be careful. If you annoy him too much, see if he doesn’t come looking for a fight."

"No worries. The boss has been back for a while and hasn’t fought at all. He’s definitely not tougher than me," Wu Chao said proudly, raising his head.

Luo Lijun’s eye twitched involuntarily. "Where did you get that confidence?"

"Since coming back, the boss only trains military boxing every day, nothing else. I don’t think he practiced during the countryside years—working in the fields is too exhausting; who has time to train? So, I’m sure he can’t beat me now."

Cheng Minglang spoke expressionlessly, "Don’t forget, you also spent two or three years in the countryside."

Caught off guard, Wu Chao clutched his chest, feigning pain.

"Right in the heart."

"Fake," Cheng Minglang sneered and quickened his pace to Yan Rushan’s side. "Dashan, the second brother wants to spar with you."

"Hey, when did I say I wanted to spar with the boss?"

Wu Chao, ignoring his act, protested loudly, "I never said that! You fourth uncle, that’s not fair!"

Cheng Minglang didn’t look back.

"Fourth uncle?" Zhong Yuxiu tilted her head toward Cheng Minglang.

Cheng Minglang’s expression froze, and he glared at Wu Chao. "Shut up."

"Sister-in-law, let me tell you: Cheng Minglang is serious, strict, and taciturn, much like an old man. He’s good at lecturing and has a tough temper. Since he’s the fourth brother, sometimes we call him that," Luo Lijun explained. He had known Zhong Yuxiu longer than the others, and though their time together was brief, he considered himself more familiar with the brothers.

Zhong Yuxiu laughed aloud. "Fourth uncle, huh? Not bad."

"Right? It fits him perfectly."

They chuckled and chatted as they left the courtyard. Outside, two small cars were parked—both Hongqi models. The seven of them split into the two cars, comfortably seated.

Cao Zheng and Lin Kai drove. Yan Rushan and Zhong Yuxiu sat in Lin Kai’s car, with Wu Chao insisting on joining them; he took the front passenger seat. Luo Lijun and Cheng Minglang rode in Cao Zheng’s car.

Wu Chao turned around from the front seat, facing Yan Rushan’s cold stare but grinning as he asked, "Sister-in-law, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure! What do you want to ask?" Zhong Yuxiu smiled gently. "But I’ll refuse anything inappropriate."

"Absolutely not, don’t worry. I know my limits," Wu Chao’s smile deepened. This elder brother’s sister-in-law really suited his taste—easygoing, playful, and upfront about her principles. It was quite interesting.

A smile spread across Zhong Yuxiu’s eyes. "Go ahead."

"Sister-in-law, what do you usually study? What area are you responsible for?"

"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t," Yan Rushan frowned.

Zhong Yuxiu smiled slightly. Such questions were difficult to answer; no matter the technology, it wasn’t convenient to reveal details.

Wu Chao understood. "Alright, maybe that was inappropriate. Sister-in-law, what’s it like doing research? Why did you decide to pursue it? Researchers work so hard; some people go bald in their thirties. Aren’t you afraid of that?"

"What’s wrong with research? Creating good things, one after another, is like raising children. We bring them into existence and turn them into something useful for society and the nation. That’s achievement, responsibility, honor, and our reason for being," Zhong Yuxiu said with a sincere smile. "When we shoulder this responsibility, it pushes us to grow. As new technologies emerge, the country grows, and we grow alongside it. We accompany the nation’s progress."

That feeling, perhaps, only researchers truly understand.

"Is that so?" Wu Chao pondered, trying to empathize but getting nowhere. "I don’t get it. Sister-in-law, what you say sounds so profound. I’ve never felt that way."

"Then you’re just too lazy," Lin Kai bluntly jabbed at him. "You see, sister-in-law started from nothing and worked her way up. And you? Born into a good life, even though you suffered for a few years, you’re still muddling through and can’t even get into university."

Wu Chao gave an awkward chuckle. "What’s so great about getting into university?"

"It really is impressive," Lin Kai said coldly, then glanced in the rearview mirror at the two. "Sister-in-law, Dashan is practically a graduate of Huada University. What about you? I heard from Dashan that you skipped a grade."

Zhong Yuxiu smiled. "I’m just like Rushan."

"Impressive," Lin Kai gave a thumbs-up and praised them.

Wu Chao was truly embarrassed now. "Why is everyone so smart except me? Look at the eldest brother and sister-in-law—they got out of Huada early. You two are married and have kids; I wonder how smart your kids are."

With excellent parents, children are seldom dull.

"Exactly!" Lin Kai nodded in agreement. "I need to find someone to marry soon. If Dashan and I have sons, they can be brothers; if daughters, sisters. One boy and one girl could even be in-laws."

"You’re thinking too far ahead," Wu Chao rolled his eyes. "You don’t even have a partner."

Lin Kai was speechless.

Yan Rushan was speechless too: I don’t even have kids yet—being in-laws is impossible, and will remain so in this lifetime.

Zhong Yuxiu couldn’t help but laugh. Wu Chao truly was a character.

Someone lightened the mood, and the atmosphere in the car became very harmonious, filled with laughter. Zhong Yuxiu realized she got along well with Wu Chao. Despite his questionable intelligence, he was humorous and probably misplaced his IQ points into EQ.