"Mom, this is my younger sister, Li Hongying, and this is my brother-in-law, Ding Weihuo. They’re from Huaixi County. Last night, Zhenhua and I stayed at their place," Li Honghua explained with a smile.

"Grandma, it might be the first time you’re meeting my aunt and uncle, but you definitely know their family. They’re Anmin’s parents," Dai Zhenhua added with a smile.

Mrs. Dai was a bit surprised, and Ning Xinyuan was also taken aback. After the initial shock, Dai Chunhui and the rest of the Dai family felt a closer connection.

"Ah, Anmin’s parents, no wonder, no wonder. The first time I saw that child, I thought it was our Zhenhua. They really look alike. So they’re cousins," Mrs. Dai reacted with a joyful smile.

It was the first time Mrs. Dai heard her eldest daughter-in-law mention her family, so she couldn’t help but ask a few more questions, "Eldest daughter-in-law, besides Hongying, do you have other family members? Invite them over for a meal during the new year. I haven’t met your relatives in all these years."

Li Honghua’s expression was somewhat indifferent, "Mom, other than my younger sister, I don’t have any other family."

Seeing that Li Honghua was unwilling to say more, Mrs. Dai didn’t press further and turned to ask about Li Hongying and Ding Weihuo.

The Dai family knew Yi Roujing was pregnant; they saw it last time at Lou Wenjian’s wedding. The Ding family was all working, while Li Hongying was responsible for cooking and household chores at home. Mrs. Dai acknowledged her efforts, saying it’s hard work to manage a big family.

Ding Weihuo was a diligent person, and people liked him for that. Most importantly, the couple raised their children well, moving from the countryside to settle in the county, which wasn’t something just anyone could achieve.

"Today, her little sister-in-law’s family was supposed to come. We prepared quite a lot of dishes, so let’s invite Anmin and her family to join us for lunch. Otherwise, we can’t finish all this food," Mrs. Dai suggested to Ning Xinyuan with a smile.

"Yes, exactly, sister-in-law, invite your family to liven things up. We’ll be back at work tomorrow, so let’s have a meal together while we’re still on break. We didn’t know before, but now that we do, it’s good to strengthen these family ties. Even if sister-in-law returns home later, we can still visit each other," Ning Xinyuan agreed immediately after hearing her mother-in-law’s suggestion.

"That’s right. Later, let’s have Shuhao invite them over," Mrs. Dai agreed with a smile, knowing the other family wasn’t coming, so Li Hongying’s family would be perfect.

"Thank you for going through the trouble," Li Honghua responded with a smile.

Once it was settled, Dai Shuhao went to Bright Alley to invite them, in case the Ding family started lunch already. Xu Ancheng and his family warmly accepted the invitation.

At ten-thirty, Xu Ancheng, along with his family, carrying a bag of food, knocked on Dai’s door. Dai Shuhao personally opened it and welcomed them in.

Mrs. Dai was delighted to see so many young people entering and took each one’s hand, asking about their work, relationships, and even about unborn children...

Dai Shuhao, being straightforward, bluntly asked why Xu Ancheng’s last name was different after he introduced himself.

The Huang family knew about Xu Ancheng’s background, but the Dai family did not.

Both Li Honghua and Dai Zhenhua were aware of Xu Ancheng’s background. Previously, Dai Zhenhua was worried that Li Hongying’s family was trying to leverage her father’s status for a connection, so she directly clarified Xu Ancheng’s lineage, stating he was a son of the Xu family in Jing City. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Dai Zhenhua wasn’t aware of the Xu family in Jing City, but her father, Dai Chunsheng, knew. Although Dai Chunsheng was a top official as the head of the East Province’s Department of Transportation, he was several ranks lower than Xu Zongyin and realized they didn’t need to cling to his family.

Even though Li Honghua knew, she hadn’t informed her in-laws. This time the Dai family asked, and Xu Ancheng explained himself: he wasn’t Ding family’s biological child, but an adopted son. Although he acknowledged his ancestry, he would always be part of the Ding family as they had officially adopted him.

The Dai family knew little about the Xu family. Dai Chunhui was just the deputy director of Huaixi County’s Gomei Committee, having no political power, and knowing little about the prominent families in Jing City. The family understood Xu Ancheng’s background, but nothing beyond that.

The Dai household was rarely this lively, with nearly half of the people there being from the Ding family. Together with the Dai family’s table, it was a bit crowded, so Ning Xinyuan set up two tables, which fit nicely in the sizable living room.

Ning Xinyuan and her daughter-in-law, Jiang Yuhua, had been busy in the kitchen for over two hours, turning out eight dishes and two soups. Dai Shuhao assisted in setting the tableware and serving spoons. Just as everyone was about to sit down to eat, there was a knock at the main door.

The Dai family was somewhat surprised, as it was unusual for someone to visit at lunchtime. "Could it be the sister-in-law’s family coming over?"

Ning Xinyuan was puzzled since the family was supposed to come today but had to cancel because the brother-in-law needed to go on a business trip. Now, the only possibility anyone could think of was the sister-in-law’s family, so Ning Xinyuan went to open the door.

"Sister-in-law," Ning Xinyuan’s elder sister-in-law, Dai Chunmei, greeted with a smile, "Xianhai’s business trip was canceled, so here we are. Do you have enough for us?"

"Sister-in-law." Chen Xianhai, as the Huaixi County Committee Secretary, carried the aura of an official, but not so much in his demeanor; still, he showed a slight smile.

"Aunt," said Chen Xianhai and Dai Chunmei’s two sons in unison.

"Sister-in-law’s family has arrived just as the food is ready. Junjie, Juncai, come inside and have a seat; it’s too cold out there," Ning Xinyuan warmly welcomed the assistants, also whispering, "We also have sister-in-law’s family here. There was a misunderstanding, thinking you weren’t coming, so Mom invited them."

"Ever since sister-in-law joined, we haven’t met her family, so Mom warmly invited them. You should have heard about their children. It’s the future daughter-in-law of the Huang family, named Ding Anmin, and they’re actually sister-in-law’s relatives," Ning Xinyuan rapidly explained everything clearly before they entered the living room.

"It’s the holidays, and the more people, the merrier," Chen Xianhai remarked, and Ning Xinyuan felt relieved. With Chen Xianhai’s status, many in Huaixi County wanted to associate with him. The timing of the Ding family’s visit was coincidental.

Moreover, Li Honghua was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Dai family, and with Dai Chunsheng’s high position in the province, even Chen Xianhai could not compare. Knowing the guests were brought by Li Honghua, Ning Xinyuan believed Chen Xianhai would not mind, but clarifying beforehand would keep him in the loop.

"Xianhai is here, Junjie, Junsheng, come let Grandma look at you," Mrs. Dai was thrilled to see her daughter’s family.

"Mom, sister-in-law," Chen Xianhai and Dai Chunmei addressed Mrs. Dai and Li Honghua warmly.

"Brother-in-law, sister-in-law," Li Honghua hadn’t seen them in years, and it was the same for the Chen family’s children. She immediately gave the siblings red envelopes, although they differed in age by ten years, with the older one not yet married, hence eligible for red envelopes.