General Xia was a little anxious. He wasn't good at comforting children. He had only thought about his own pleasure and hadn't expected the little guy to suffer. He didn't know what to do for a moment.
"Lili, don't cry. Your great-grandfather kissed you because he likes you. He didn't notice that his beard pricked you. Call him great-grandfather."
Lin Yao calmed down and pressed his face against the little guy's pink cheek, personally comforting him.
"Grandpa, please stop pricking Lili, okay? It hurts so much."
Little Guli looked at General Xia with teary eyes, stopped crying, and seemed very sensible.
Little Guli's performance immediately won the old general's favor. He reached out to hug him, but worried that he might hurt him if he couldn't resist, so he waved his hand and said, "Come on, let's go home and eat fish."
Lin Hongmei quickly walked to Duan Ruolan, her future mother-in-law, and said, "Well... Mother-in-law, let's go eat fish together. Let's all get together. We're all busy usually and it's rare to be together. Let's not be so formal and go back together."
Duan Ruolan listened to Lin Hongmei's words with a smile, then turned to exchange a glance with her husband, General Xia Luobing. After receiving confirmation, she nodded in acceptance of the invitation, "Alright, we're all family, so let's not stand on ceremony. Let's go and trouble our mother-in-law together."
"Come on, what are you dawdling for! Everyone, let's go eat fish!"
General Xia's loud voice had already alerted the surrounding travelers, and many people had stopped to watch, both to see the show and to admire the demeanor of the crowd.
Those who like children can look at the two adorable little darlings, Guli and Nannan; those who prefer young people can look at the handsome Lin Yao or the charming Xia Yuwen; for middle-aged people, there is the refined and composed Luo Jimin and the heroic General Xia Luobing; there are also two middle-aged women, Lin Hongmei and Duan Ruolan, who are still beautiful; even the seventy- or eighty-year-old General Xia is a rare beauty. This is much more pleasing to the eye than watching the stars in TV dramas.
The admiring gazes of the crowd made the old general very uncomfortable. There was no element of worship in them, which he disliked, so he immediately decided to leave.
A military vehicle and a Toyota minivan drove into Lin Yao's villa. When they got out of the car, Ge Yong wanted Nannan to go back with him. The original plan for the family to attend a dinner to welcome Lin Yao back had changed. At this moment, Ge Yong did not want to ruin the atmosphere between the two families.
"Brother, come together. You're family, why are you avoiding each other? Don't worry about it."
Lin Yao blocked Ge Yong, while Nannan tightly wrapped one of her little arms around Lin Yao's neck, and her other hand was held tightly by Xiao Guli, as if she was afraid that Ge Yong would snatch it away. At this moment, the two little ones were very united and stood together against the enemy.
Although the two families have different styles, neither of them are pretentious or hypocritical, nor do they have many long-winded rules. This dinner, which was decided on the spur of the moment, was the first formal meeting between the two families and also officially confirmed the relationship between Lin Yao and Xia Yuwen.
From then on, Lin Yao officially called General Xia "Grandpa," Lieutenant General Xia Luobing "Dad," and Duan Ruolan "Mom." Xia Yuwen also happily but shyly called Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei "Dad" and "Mom."
Only Xiao Guli and Nannan were the happiest. The two little ones called out "Grandpa" and "Grandma" everywhere without restraint. The title of "Great-Grandpa" made General Xia very happy. He hugged and kissed the little ones without thinking twice. However, this time he took special care to avoid the attack of his beard and prevented the little ones from crying.
Now that they were officially a family, Lin Yao stopped talking about the outside principles and directly had the three elders of the Xia family take the "Life-Giving Pill" and the "Year-Round Pill," which could be considered as the first time he had shown his filial piety.
The miraculous effects of these two pills astonished the three elders, but also displeased General Xia. He caught Lin Yao and berated him for being too stingy in the past, for only bringing out such good stuff to offer to him now. He also questioned Lin Yao about whether he had ever thought of taking advantage of her and then ignoring her. Such vulgar words made Xia Yuwen so embarrassed that she immediately ran away, leaving Lin Yao helplessly to be scolded.
"I'm innocent! We only held hands, hugged a few times, and kissed on the cheek, but we didn't even kiss on the lips, so how could we have eaten each other?"
Lin Yao felt wronged but dared not say it to the public. He thought to himself, "You two are clearly martial artists. You can clearly see that Xia Yuwen is still a virgin. How can you say such things?"
Finally, no one dared to or could persuade the old general who was roaring like a tiger. Lin Yao could only shut the old man up with two bottles of "Creation Pills". He kept saying that this kind of pill was something even his parents had never used. It was not only extremely rare, but it could also directly improve one's power. Only then did the old general feel at peace and he was all smiles, just like a child.
The following days passed peacefully and warmly. Although Minhong's affairs were still busy at the end of the year, the group, which was on the right track, allowed Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei, the two leaders, some free time, and the family could enjoy family life every day.
These days, Xia Yuwen has been spending all her time at Lin Yao's house. Lin Yao accompanies her to work, and she accompanies him after get off work, ostensibly to accompany her future in-laws. This infuriates the old general, who curses her, saying, "A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup." He finally manages to return to Chengdu, but he can barely see his granddaughter a few times. In the end, she ignores everything and comes to Lin Yao's house to freeload meals, demanding a "Creation Pill" every day before she'll stop, leaving Lin Yao helpless.
The first visit of the son-in-law was completed. The way Luo Jimin, Lin Hongmei and Lin Yao's whole family came together was contrary to tradition, but it was fully accepted by both families. Everyone was busy, and talking about so many rules was just asking for trouble. As a result, the relationship between the two families became closer.
Lin Yao had a very fulfilling New Year, the first time in his twenty-three years of life that he was healthy.
Without the distractions of tedious tasks or the endless stream of patients needing help, Lin Yao, like an ordinary boy in love, accompanied Xia Yuwen to and from get off work, went shopping with his beloved woman, and went to parks and amusement parks alone, without bringing Xiao Guli and Nannan, to parties invited by Xia Yuwen's best friends, accepting everyone's teasing and blessings.
Lin Yao felt that all of this was the most beautiful thing in his life, and he felt happy.
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Chapter 391 Extreme Panic (1) (Second Update)
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Chinese New Year is an extremely important event in China. Most industries experience a sense of burnout. Apart from service industries such as shopping malls and entertainment venues, most manufacturing companies have loose management, and employees who work overtime are eager to go home and reunite with their families. This is because the significance of Chinese New Year to the Chinese people is too great, and this is a concept that no one can change.
However, the Minhong Security Team was busier than ever during this period because they received an important task: to investigate "naked officials" (officials whose spouses and children have emigrated abroad) across the country.
"Naked officials" refers to individuals in senior positions in government departments or large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises who send their wives or husbands, children, and even parents and important relatives abroad under various pretexts to obtain long-term residency or even citizenship, while leaving themselves alone in China to work.
Not to mention that some people send their relatives abroad because they yearn for the superior material life overseas, the immigration requirements and the money needed to survive in those countries alone are enough to make it unaffordable for almost all civil servants and heads of large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises with only their legal wages and bonuses.
Therefore, apart from a few officials whose families already owned legitimate companies and could generate substantial wealth, almost all the remaining "naked officials" were involved in corruption and illegal activities. They sent their relatives abroad with full psychological preparation, knowing that if their misdeeds were exposed, they would either quickly leave the country through various channels, or face execution or imprisonment, bearing the consequences alone – a typical "sacrifice my family's happiness" mentality.
ZY issued relevant documents to restrict the phenomenon of "naked officials" and made specific provisions. Once a "naked official" situation occurs, clear provisions are made regarding the person's job position, recusal in handling public affairs, application for private passports and travel documents to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, application for private travel abroad or emigration abroad, and the management of their entry and exit documents, as well as the handling of violations.
However, although this regulation has great positive significance and there are many norms and systems to restrict the behavior of "naked officials", in Lin Yao's view, it is difficult to investigate the corruption and illegal acts that have already occurred. Some loopholes in domestic entry and exit management can also become a way for these people to escape after they get into trouble. Therefore, Lin Yao decided to put a "tight rein" on these people himself, because he now has this ability, which can also be regarded as a means of punishing evil and eliminating wickedness.
Because it is inconvenient for "naked officials" to travel abroad, the vast majority of their families return to China during the most important traditional festivals, which presents the best opportunity for investigation.
The entire Minhong Security Team worked overtime and spent a busy but meaningful New Year. The confirmed "naked officials" and their families were all unknowingly fed a sesame-sized pill by the team leaders of the security teams in various places. Inside the pill was the "Soul-Eating Ant" Gu, which Lin Yao would use to settle accounts with these potentially corrupt "naked officials" in the future.
Whenever a security team leader finishes administering medicine to someone, Lin Yao can use the Gu control technique he learned from Dika MM to grasp the person's physical condition. This grasp of the condition can only be achieved by having Xiao Cao release the "Soul-Eating Ant" mother Gu from the clouds at her roots into Lin Yao's body.
If the mother Gu is controlled by Xiao Cao, Lin Yao will lose the ability to control the offspring Gu. However, because Xiao Cao shares the same fate as Lin Yao, she can also control all the Gu worms on her own, including the mother Gu and offspring Gu of the "Soul-Devouring Ants".