Chapter 123: Cloud Phoenix

  "Zhang Jun, what's the point of this? We're not short of food at home." Kong Lianda helped while speaking with a hint of nonchalance, as if these things were abundant at home and he was just saving face.

  "It was all bought by Xiao Dong." Zhang Shidong jumped down from the car and quickly walked to Grandma and Grandpa's side, pulling Su Xixi along to greet the elderly: "Grandma and Grandpa, Xiao Dong has come to visit you."

  "Hello Grandma and Grandpa, I am Su Xixi."

  "Alright, alright, Xiaodong is back, and this year the family is complete." Kong Jiefang looked at his grandson with a nod, having affection but not being overly fond of him. He had a son and his son was doing well, Zhang Shidong's carelessness from years ago was widely acknowledged, but after not seeing him for years, he missed him dearly. In daily life, the strictness towards Zhang Shidong also subsided, replaced with more smiles.

  The old lady then pulled Su Xixi's hand, a woman who can combine temperament and beauty, and with some talent, it is easy to win the favor of most people. Su Xixi chatted with them for a while at that station, simply exchanging pleasantries, and won the affection of the two elderly people.

  "Second brother, call your older brother and sister and younger sister, tell them to come over today." The old man walked into the house with his hands behind his back, followed by a group of people who entered the first two-story building. The entire floor, except for the narrow kitchen and the bathroom under the stairs, was an enlarged version of a rural kang room. Near the back wall was a large kang bed, and near the courtyard side were sofas and tea tables. The room was very large, with six or seven hundred square feet. The men were outside sorting out goods, and the liquor had been moved to the corridor by the entrance, with boxes of Maotai lined up one after another. Cigarettes were sent into the house and piled up in a corner, seafood was placed in a large aluminum basin to soak some open, and the rest was left in the courtyard. Bags of food and snacks were also carried in, and on the warm kang, they were busy playing with Transformers and remote control cars. Seeing the variety of small foods, they immediately shifted their target, putting aside the toys, shouting with excitement, Zhang Yiqing placed a large pile of food in front of Dabao, and the child instantly entered his own fantasy world, enjoying the delicious flavors and fun inside.

  "Zhang Jun, how's everything going on your end?" Kong Jiefang asked as he sat down on the kang, looking at Zhang Jun who was sitting on the sofa.

  "Dad, it's okay, no need to worry about me." Zhang Jun's calm demeanor made the old man nod in agreement. They were all adults, and for many years, his second daughter and her family had been developing in Pingjiang. The old man could only ask a few questions to understand the situation, and even if he wanted to intervene, it would depend on whether they were willing or not. Hearing Zhang Jun's calm and casual attitude, he let it go and shifted his attention to Zhang Shidong.

  "What's going on? Have you struck it rich?" The old man turned to Zhang Shidong.

  In the past, Zhang Shidong would definitely be obedient and timid. From a young age to adulthood, not one of Zhang Shidong's generation of children was not afraid of Kong Jiefang. With just one glance from Old Master Kong, they would immediately shut their mouths, even if they had grown up and become adults, they would still behave like well-behaved babies in front of him.

  Zhang Shidong stood up and walked over to the old man, pulling out a cigarette and handing it to him: "Try one, I just smoked one earlier and felt that this cigarette isn't quite right."

  The old man and the old lady, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Kong, were all stunned for a moment. The mischievous little Dong had been sent to the army for more than six years, and he really changed. All the younger generation couldn't help but keep a distance from the old man, but he actually came closer, with an expression and tone that made people feel unbelievable, without any fear, but rather a kind of unusual closeness.

  The old man nodded, took the cigarette, and took a puff: "Not bad, you young kid has only been smoking for a few years, what do you know about good or bad?"

  A conversation changed the atmosphere in the house, and several years of estrangement disappeared quietly. Especially when Zhang Shidong lay on the kang, teasing Dabao on one side and watching a few women chatting with Su Xixi on the other, occasionally exchanging words with Grandpa. Half an hour later, Kong Lianda suddenly realized that the conversation at home had always been centered around his father or older brother, but today, unknowingly, his nephew became the protagonist.

  The sound of footsteps and voices echoed in the courtyard, a group of people walked in.

  "Big brother, big sister-in-law. Big sister, big brother-in-law." Kong Mei welcomed them out.

  "Second Aunt." The daughter-in-law of Lao Da Kong Lianren, the mother of Dabao, Yu Meidan greeted Kong Mei, a very fashionable young woman.

  "Second aunt." Kong Jiefang's eldest daughter, Kong Mei's elder sister Kong Lan's daughter Wang Yu stepped forward and warmly grasped Kong Mei's arm, her entire body covered in badges, seemingly trying to outdo her elder sister-in-law Yu Meidan.

  The whole family gathered together, and naturally, there were some polite introductions. Zhang Shidong's return did not cause a big stir in this family, which shows Zhang Jun's status and the past bad boy's status. When he went to join the army, everyone thought it was natural, and when he came back, there was no surprise. In short, they didn't pay enough attention to him. On the other hand, Su Xixi's appearance became the core focus. Yu Meidan, who works as an accountant in a real estate development company, comes from a wealthy family and is also considered beautiful. She has always been very confident. Wang Yu is the same, her family doesn't lack money, so she doesn't bother to work, and reading for a master's degree also gives her a sense of superiority.

  Su Xixi's temperament and appearance made it impossible for the two women to find any common ground, so they started inquiring about Su Xixi's background as their next main task. Dabao shouted at his mother from the kang and continued to indulge in his own world, while the Maotai liquor and Zhonghua cigarettes placed in the corridor and indoors emitted a different glow that shone on several families.

  "Laopozi, lao da xifu, lao er xifu, Xiao Lan Xiao Mei, you all go prepare dinner."

  "Linda, call your little sister and son, tell them to come back quickly."

  "Re-elected, call Xiaosheng and ask if the leaders on his side are busy or not, whether they can go home for dinner."

  The old man gave three consecutive orders, but except for the second son immediately taking out his phone, the other two commands were not faithfully executed. First was the eldest son Kong Lianren, who served as a deputy director of the Grain Bureau in front and had an attitude that was full of pretension: "Dad, you know it's not like I don't know, the more basic the leadership is, the busier they are, Mayor Zhao must need someone, how can I get away with this?"

  The old man nodded, the eldest grandson can drive for the vice mayor, and it's considered a real power level in the family. Mayor Zhao is about to retire soon, and has already made arrangements, at that time will arrange a good unit for his son, this is the critical moment.

  "Dad, what's the point of cooking at home? Let's just go out and eat. Why don't we ask that restaurant we booked for tomorrow to set up two tables and try some dishes today?" Madam Kong's wife, with her usual mannerisms, hesitated for a moment.

  "Big sister, Little Mei brought over a lot of seafood." Kong Lian's wife chimed in from the side.

  "There's no seafood, and the seafood at this time of year isn't fresh either. Xiaomei, I can understand that you want to show off your feelings, but don't do it like this, or people will laugh at us, as if we can't even afford to eat at home."

  Kong Mei was a bit angry, and the appearance of her sister-in-law, the official's wife, made her very uncomfortable. Not to mention that her brother was a deputy department-level cadre who was about to retire, even if he were higher up, what would it matter? In more than half a year, Kong Mei's vision had long since risen, and she had almost become related to the mayor, and her husband was known as a new star in Pingjiang politics. Returning home, she could no longer tolerate being humble like before; her husband and children could do it, but she couldn't. Just as she was about to speak up, Da Bao, who was playing on the kang, suddenly let out a loud cry.

  "Ah!" Tears hadn't fallen yet, and Yu Mei Dan immediately picked up her son: "Oh, big treasure, what's wrong."

  Dabao's eyes were blurry with tears as he stretched out his chubby little hand: "I want to eat at home, there are big lobsters, big lobsters..." Dabao seemed to not know how to gesture, his hands opened and closed, trying to convey the size of the lobster, but felt that no matter what, it wasn't accurate.

  In the house, the only fourth-generation treasure of the family cried and made a fuss. A group of women went outside to take a look. The Kong family, who thought they had seen many things, also knew that this time, Xiaomei's family came with real sincerity. The cigarettes and wine inside, those big lobsters over two feet long, and various expensive and fresh seafood, Zhang Shidong's eldest aunt secretly glared at the second aunt, if she hadn't spoken up just now, she would have been embarrassed again.

  "This is what Xiao Dong's friend brought from the south by train, just arrived in Pingjiang today..."

  Kong Mei felt a sense of pride, this world is indeed like that, with money and power, one's backbone becomes stronger. Watching her son recklessly spending money at the supermarket made her heart ache, but when she arrived at her mother's house, she was able to make everyone there speechless, and from the bottom of her heart, she felt happy.

  "Wow, great stuff! Dad, you've struck it rich? How come you're willing to splurge today? These things must be worth at least a million or two. I don't care, I'll take some and send them to Xiaojing's place." A young man with a slightly arrogant air about him walked in from the entrance, jingling his car keys, and seeing everyone wearing gloves and using pliers and hammers to crack open the seafood that had been frozen into ice blocks, immediately chimed in.

  Kong Lianda and his wife were somewhat embarrassed, Kong Lianda scolded: "Tianci, didn't you see your second aunt? These are all from your second aunt's house, the child doesn't understand a bit of politeness."

  Kong Tianci, a young master with assets and a carefree life, was taken aback for a moment before warmly greeting Kong Mei and Zhang Jun. He spotted Zhang Shidong standing at the back of the crowd and his face lit up with joy. Without regard for his grandfather's presence, he exclaimed: "Ah, I'm so glad to see you, little Dongzi! I've heard you're back, but you didn't come visit your big brother sooner? Do you still have a place for me in your heart, the old brother who used to take you to pee and play in the mud?!" He rushed over, wrapped his arm around Zhang Shidong's neck, and showed more genuine enthusiasm than Wang Yu had earlier.

  Zhang Yiqing was not enthusiastic about her sister-in-law Yu Meidan and older sister Wang Yu, but it wasn't obvious without a reference. As soon as she saw Kong Tianci's attitude towards Zhang Shidong, Su Xixi had already clearly understood the composition of this family. Zhang Jun and Kong Mei were truly good people, not to mention the changes in Zhang Shidong over the past half year since his return, even before he came back, the status they held was no worse than anyone else in this household.

  "Wow, beautiful girl, damn, I'm dizzy, too beautiful..."

  Known as the most useless member of the Kong family, Kong Tianci's straightforwardness shouted out words that made the Kong family feel ashamed. He kept asking Su Xixi questions, seemingly not stopping until he had surpassed her. As soon as Kong Tianci returned, he used a very masculine phrase to put Su Xixi on a pedestal, and she was indeed meant to be on a pedestal.

  The phoenix in the clouds is envied.

  "Xiao Su, which school did you graduate from?"

  PS: Thanks for zyb4777's reward!

  PS2: Tomorrow, it's estimated to be on the shelves. I'm nervous and excited. The efforts of nearly two months will be tested. Success or failure, both have been tried before, but it's still hard to calm down. Everything can only wait for the result now. More updates in the next chapter.