Heavenly Dragon Doctor Son-in-Law-Chapter 221 - 222: Long-Lost Family Affection!
"Sister Xuewu, your hair is so beautiful. What brand of shampoo do you use?" Zhang Xiaoyue, Zhang Meide’s eldest daughter, asked with a radiant look of praise for Tang Xuewu.
"It’s just some ordinary anti-dandruff shampoo..." Tang Xuewu replied with a smile, feeling quite happy. After all, it is in a woman’s nature to love beauty.
At this moment, Zhang Meilan, Zhang Meide, and Yang Meilian were busy preparing food. The younger generation had gathered to the side, chatting idly while cracking sunflower seeds. Even Tang De was discussing the art of tea with a few of the youngsters. Such a close-knit family scene had not occurred in over a decade.
This was a novelty for Tang Xuewu’s family; such gatherings were quite common for others. It was a truly precious and rare get-together.
Ever since Zhang Meilan had married into the wealthy Tang Family, the Zhang family had initially been very enthusiastic toward them. However, upon learning of Zhang Meilan’s low status within the Tang Family, they gradually grew distant. It reached a point where, after the Tang family patriarch drove them from the inner courtyard, the Zhang family even ridiculed and looked down on them. Every New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival, the neighbors’ homes would be filled with laughter and merriment, while the Tang family’s small courtyard remained cold and silent.
This experience made the family cherish such feelings all the more.
Tang Xuewu’s beautiful eyes slowly turned toward Qin Long, her heart filled with gratitude.
Her mom had said Qin Long was penniless. Yet, he had bought them jewelry and gems, a blue-and-white porcelain tea set for her father, and had even custom-ordered a princess-like Rolls-Royce for her. More recently, he had spent fifty million to purchase the Yulongwang Villa and its courtyard. Her mom had said Qin Long had no money or power, that he was just a mooch who lived off women. But Qin Long had quietly resolved Tang De’s troubles, and Li Mingjie’s reinstatement to his official post was further proof of Qin Long’s extraordinary relationship with Jiang Haijing. Her mom had said Qin Long would only bring them disaster, yet he continued to shatter her perceptions time and time again.
Even her famously stingy uncle, Zhang Meide, had completely changed, acting so warmly toward their family now.
She wasn’t a fool. This was all because of Qin Long! It wasn’t that she refused to believe it; it was an irrefutable fact!
Qin Long, who exactly are you...? Tang Xuewu found herself growing more and more curious about him.
「Elsewhere」
In the kitchen, Zhang Meilan and Zhang Meide had moved past their initial awkwardness and were now talking about everything under the sun. After all, they were brother and sister who had grown up together.
"Meilan, I told you to remove the cores from the chili peppers. You always forget," Zhang Meide called out to her while he cooked. "Just make a light slice with a small knife, and you’re done."
"Alright, alright, I get it. You’re as much of a nag as your brother-in-law," Zhang Meilan replied, rolling her eyes at him.
Afterward, they both couldn’t help but laugh.
Perhaps this was what they meant by letting bygones be bygones with a smile.
"What? You mean Mingjie got back into the regulatory department because Qin Long put in a word for him?" Zhang Meilan asked, raising her eyebrows as she finished washing the chili peppers.
Zhang Meide instantly grew alert. He scanned their surroundings before leaning in to whisper, "Meilan, let me tell you, your crippled son-in-law is no ordinary man.
"Last time, Li Mingjie offended him, and Qin Long told him he’d soon be working a post shoveling manure. Sure enough, that’s what happened. Then, just yesterday, after we apologized to Qin Long, he mentioned that Mingjie was performing well and said he’d find a chance to get him back into the regulatory department. Lo and behold, a call came from the higher-ups this morning, transferring him back to his old post.
"This is definitely not a coincidence! Without Qin Long pulling some strings, this would have been impossible!"
Hearing this, Zhang Meilan was even more shocked. "He’s just a fool who has been on crutches for three years. Who does he even know besides our family? He can manage personnel appointments in the government? With one wave of his hand, he sends someone to shovel manure, and with another, he gets them reinstated? I refuse to believe he’s behind this. I just don’t believe it."
Zhang Meilan touched her chin, pondering for a moment, but she remained unconvinced. After all these years, she had only ever seen the foolish side of Qin Long, which had been the cause of many arguments with Tang Xuewu.
"Meilan, don’t be wise your whole life only to be foolish now," Zhang Meide urged. "Qin Long is a walking network of connections. If he marries Xuewu, you’ll really have found a treasure."
"But why would he do it all secretly without letting us know?" Zhang Meilan clutched her head, her face a mask of disbelief.
"He does good deeds without seeking recognition, and you’re still not happy? I’m telling you, I’m growing more and more fond of this Qin Long," Zhang Meide said with a chuckle. "If you all don’t want him, I’ll betroth my third daughter to him. When that happens, Meilan, don’t you get angry with me."
"Wishful thinking! Even as a live-in son-in-law, I’m not giving him to you!" Zhang Meilan scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.
"Meilan, I was just teasing you," he said. "But honestly, you really shouldn’t hold such a fixed view of Qin Long. You should show more concern for him and try to understand him better."
Zhang Meide sighed helplessly but continued trying to persuade her.
Zhang Meilan was about to retort but paused. "Alright, alright, just stir-fry the vegetables!" she said a moment later, waving her hand impatiently to change the subject.
「Meanwhile, in a garden of the Yulong Estate」
On a second-floor balcony, Xiao Lingyue stood holding a glass of red wine. Qing’er stood ramrod straight behind her. Outside, the bustling city nightscape was incredible, with a vast panorama of Jiangzhong spread out before them.
They drove to the Longquan Grand Hotel, where the Sky Garden was decked out with festive lights and lanterns, creating a joyous atmosphere. Xiao Lingyue had come personally with Qing’er to inspect the arrangements. The fiftieth-anniversary celebration was about to begin, and everything needed to be perfect. Qin Long placed great importance on this event; it absolutely could not be botched.
"Miss, Wang Xiuhe is indeed investigating the Aixue Group," Qing’er reported seriously.
"Let her. Let her investigate all she wants," Xiao Lingyue said, her expression resolute and her tone ice-cold. "This time, we’re going to give the Wang Family a resounding slap in the face."
Even with her connections, what could Wang Xiuhe possibly discover? Anything she finds will only be superficial. The real secrets are things they wouldn’t dare speak of, even if it scared them to death.
"Understood, Miss Lingyue. What’s the next step of the plan?" Qing’er asked with a nod.
"First, investigate all the industries the Wang Family is involved in. I want to see just how arrogant they are," Xiao Lingyue said, her brow furrowed slightly. She took a sip of red wine, her expression filled with scornful playfulness. "Even without using the might of the Heavenly Dragon Army, we can still annihilate the Wang Family.
"We’ll start by slowly cracking down on their illegal operations. Then, we’ll deliberately extend a hand to ’rescue’ them, using it to probe the backers behind them. Eventually, we will eliminate all forces associated with the Wang Family."
Xiao Lingyue’s tone was decisive, her plan already set to completely eradicate the Wang Family.
But it required a careful strategy, one that had to be implemented slowly. After all, this was the mortal world, not a battlefield where one could kill without consequence. They had to abide by worldly laws. Even so, she had more than enough power to deal with the Wang Family.
