Chapter 1489: Chapter 268: The Younger Cousin Is Here!
Even after paying taxes, the reward in hand is equivalent to several years’ salary, so it’s definitely worth celebrating.
As for how to spend so much money, the senior sister had already planned it.
When buying a second house in East Sea, my father-in-law borrowed a lot of money from my second uncle and little aunt back in Si Gang. Once the reward is issued, we can scrape together some more and go back to Si Gang to pay back the money we borrowed from my second uncle and little aunt.
The young couple found the spicy hot pot restaurant that Sister Ling mentioned and ordered a portion of beef and a bunch of vegetables, enjoying their meal when Master Han called from East Sea.
"Dad, what’s up?" Han Xiangning wanted to give her parents a surprise and decided not to tell them about the investment promotion reward for now.
"Ai Tong is coming to Binjiang for work, bringing his girlfriend along. Your mom and I can’t go back, so you and San’er should go to the pier to pick them up. He’s a chef with skills, and you and San’er know many people, so try to help him find a job."
"Ai Tong is coming, and he’s bringing his girlfriend?" Han Xiangning asked in surprise.
"He’s not coming, he’s already here!"
Xi’an Fan grabbed the phone and laughed, "Ai Tong is shy and hasn’t seen you in many years. He’s never met San’er and was too embarrassed to call you or even me. He didn’t even think of looking us up; I wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t called your uncle."
Uncle and Aunt have two daughters and a son.
The eldest daughter is Xiang Aifang, and the second daughter is Xiang Aiqin. They’ve been married for a while.
Xiang Aidong is the youngest, in his early twenties. He went out to work after middle school, and we only knew he worked in a restaurant. Little did we know he has become a chef.
Han Xiangning last visited with her mom when she was a kid and has a clear impression of her two cousins but can’t even remember what her cousin looks like. For a moment, she didn’t know how to proceed.
A nephew of the maternal family is a precious treasure!
Xi’an Fan already felt guilty toward her mother and brother far away at home, let alone her fondness for her nephew, she continued, "There are three hundred and sixty industries, and in each one, there are champions. Don’t be misled by Ai Tong’s young age; his cooking skills are excellent. A friend introduced him to work as a chef at a big hotel in Jiangcheng, but when he got there, someone had already been hired as a chef.
He planned to return to Chen City with his girlfriend and gave your uncle a call, telling your uncle and aunt not to worry. I thought, since being a chef is his trade, it doesn’t matter where he works. So, I just called him and told him to go to Binjiang with his girlfriend to find you."
Finding a job as a chef isn’t difficult, but the cousin can probably only cook Sichuan cuisine. Binjiang people don’t eat much spicy food. Do Binjiang’s big restaurants need a Sichuan chef?
But these thoughts could only be kept inside. Saying them out loud would definitely upset mom, thinking I don’t welcome my cousin.
Han Xiangning composed herself and asked with a smile, "Mom, is Ai Tong willing to come to Binjiang?"
"He was embarrassed initially, but after I talked to him repeatedly, he finally agreed. I arranged for the two of them to take tonight’s ferry, arriving in Binjiang around 4:30 in the morning. I know you and San’er are busy, but Xiao Jun and Mengmeng have tasks, so I have to ask you to pick them up."
"Mom, we’re not busy tonight. After dinner, we’ll go home to tidy up the room and be at the passenger terminal by four. The problem is I haven’t seen him in years and don’t know what he looks like now."
"He has a mobile phone. Do you have a pen to write down his number?"
It seems the cousin makes a decent salary as a chef and can afford a mobile phone!
Han Xiangning looked up at Han Yu, took Han Yu’s phone, and said with a smile, "Mom, go ahead, I’m noting it."
...
She entered her cousin’s number on the junior’s phone and quickly dialed it before hanging up.
Looking at the LCD on the junior’s phone, she relayed the number to her mom over the phone. After confirming the number, Han Xiangning curiously asked, "Mom, isn’t Ai Tong married?"
"No, he doesn’t want to tie the knot yet; he’s just been too busy. Xichuan isn’t like Binjiang; he and his girlfriend aren’t in government positions, and although they’re young, if they want to get married they can. Having kids isn’t a problem either."
"How old is his girlfriend?"
"Nineteen."
"Where is she from?"
"Also from Xichuan, but not the same county as us. They met at the restaurant where they used to work. The girl served there while he was in the kitchen cooking. I imagine they’ve been living together already. During New Year’s, she went home with him, and your uncle said she’s very pretty and sensible."
"Got it. San’er and I will tidy the house and go to the pier to pick them up."
"Remember to call me once you pick them up."
"Mom, what are you worried about now that they’re in Binjiang?"
"I’m worried you won’t pick them up."
"Okay, I’ll call once we have them."
After hanging up, Han Xiangning ignored explaining to Han Yu and used Han Yu’s phone to enter her cousin’s number on hers, then called.
After around twenty seconds, the call connected.
"Ai Tong, is it you? It’s Xiangning, your cousin. Do you remember me?"
"Yes, Sister Ningning, I... I’m on the boat now."
Mom was right; my cousin is indeed shy.
Curious about the little cousin she hasn’t seen in over a decade, Han Xiangning couldn’t help but laugh, "Which class of cabin did you book, and do you have a berth?"
"Fourth class, yes, with a bed."
"That’s good. The wind can be quite strong on the river at night; the cabin could get chilly, so dress warmly to avoid catching a cold."
"Yes."
Having visited my grandmother’s house in my childhood, "Yes" sounds very familiar.
Han Xiangning glanced at the junior who smiled silently and continued, "The ferry docks at Binjiang Port at around 4:30 AM. You have a phone, so it’d be best to set an alarm to avoid oversleeping; otherwise, you might wake up already in East Sea."
"Yes, yes."
"My husband and I will pick you up at the pier; we’ll call you when we arrive."
"Yes, yes."
Just repeating "Yes." Finding it amusing, Han Xiangning saw the junior reaching out for the phone to talk to her cousin, so she handed it over.
"Ai Tong, I’m your brother-in-law."
"Brother-in-law... hello, brother-in-law, I’m... sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble," Han Yu smiled and asked, "Which cabin and berth are you both in? This is your sister’s number; text it to her."
"Sure thing."
"Say hi to your girlfriend for us, and make sure to take good care of her!"
As soon as the call ended, Han Xiangning asked with a smile, "San’er, my cousin is coming over. You don’t mind, do you?"
"How could I mind? Your cousin is like my cousin. Besides, haven’t you worried enough about my family?"
"Good that you have a conscience."
Han Xiangning giggled, then changed the subject, "About helping him and his girlfriend find jobs, you need to put some effort into that."
Han Yu chuckled, put down his phone, and said, "You’re a leader now; helping them find a job should be no big deal for you!"
"I don’t want to ask for favors for such matters. Besides, my mom made Ai Tong and his girlfriend come to us, and they definitely want to work in Binjiang. I can’t let them go to Changzhou for work."
"I’ll ask around tomorrow."
"Alright."
Right then, the phone beeped with a text message alert.
Han Yu opened his senior’s phone, glanced at a message from his little cousin, and dialed the number for the police within the Binjiang Police Station’s passenger terminal office.
...
Late at night, the Jiang Han cruise ship drifted down along the flow in the darkness.
The wind on the river was strong, and it was indeed cold on the deck. Xiang Aidong, afraid his girlfriend would catch a cold, decided not to view the Yangtze River nightscape anymore and pulled her back to the cabin.
The passenger cabin was mostly empty, and they were the only couple in the cabin that could accommodate eight passengers.
The bedding on the ship wasn’t just not very clean; it was also damp.
Zhang Hongmei simply folded the bedding into a pillow, squeezed onto her boyfriend’s bed, snuggled up beside him, and asked expectantly, "Ai Tong, is your eldest cousin really the Vice Mayor?"
"That’s what my dad said."
"How old is she this year?"
"Thirty, maybe. Either thirty or thirty-one."
"What did she do before?"
"Worked at the Port Supervision Bureau."
"What does the Port Supervision Bureau do?"
"I don’t know. Haven’t seen her in years."
Zhang Hongmei blinked her large eyes, pressing on, "What about your cousin’s husband?"
Everyone in the aunt’s family was outstanding, which made Xiang Aidong feel a bit inferior. If it wasn’t for the aunt almost crying on the phone, and if his parents hadn’t insisted, he wouldn’t have come to Binjiang.
Seeing his girlfriend’s eager face, he hesitated and said, "I’ve never met him, just know he’s with the police. When they got married, my grandma and dad went to their wedding banquet."
"What about your second cousin?"
"Both my second cousin and her husband work at the hospital."
"Also in Binjiang?"
"Yeah."
With only a few hours left until meeting his cousin and her husband, Xiang Aidong was getting tense. Subconsciously, he took out the phone he bought with five months’ salary last year, as if it could give him some confidence.
Zhang Hongmei, on the other hand, was beginning to feel there was nothing bad about relying on capable relatives, when there was a knock on the door.
The two of them were startled and quickly sat up.
In their rush, they bumped their heads on the upper bunk.
"Young comrade, did you bump your head? Are you okay?"
"I’m fine."
It turned out to be the onboard police. Xiang Aidong handed the phone to his girlfriend, hurriedly took out his wallet to find his ID card.
The onboard police looked him over, then glanced at the embarrassed girl hiding behind him, and asked with a smile, "Young man, what’s your surname?"
"My surname is Xiang; I’m Xiang Aidong."
"Where did you board the ship?"
"Jiangcheng."
"Heading to Binjiang?"
"Yeah, officer, here are our ID cards, and here are our tickets."
"I’m not checking your IDs or your tickets," the onboard police said with a smile, patting his arm, "Xiao Xiang, this is your first time on a ship?"
"Yes, it is."
"Is it also your first time traveling far?"
"Yes."
"Director Han from the Binjiang Branch feels uneasy about you two and specifically got someone to call me. This is your luggage, right? Come on, let’s change locations."
Xiang Aidong was startled, nervously asking, "Where to? Change what place?"
The onboard police bent down to help them with a big bag and smiled, "Director Han of the Binjiang Branch is your brother-in-law. So am I; I’m your brother-in-law’s colleague, not some outsider. What are you so nervous about? Come, let’s first change to another cabin, then take you for a meal."
Brother-in-law had married into the family, and his name was Han!
Xiang Aidong suddenly realized, hardly believing that his brother-in-law was so influential, knowing even the onboard police on the passenger ship. This cruise came all the way from Hanwu, which was far from Binjiang.
Zhang Hongmei was overjoyed. She used to be afraid of the police, even without doing anything wrong. Who would’ve thought there’d come a day when she’d be treated with such respect by the police...
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