Chapter 130: The Matrilocal Son-in-Law

Early in the morning, Qiao Lin and Su Yueling left the park. They traveled in Drift, who had transformed into a second-hand minivan, observing their surroundings as they went. They were once very familiar with this place, but looking at it now, both felt as if they had returned from another lifetime.

In just over a month, the area had undergone earth-shaking changes. The original farmland was long gone, replaced everywhere by bustling construction sites. A small hill, which had been a part of their memories, had been leveled to make way for a six-story building; the scaffolding was already down, and the facade was being finished. Long lines of dump trucks filed past in an endless stream. A little further away, red flags fluttered behind a walled perimeter—according to Drift, which had visited several times, that was a military base.

Along the roadside, one could see women in skimpy clothing holding selfie sticks for live streams, and occasionally, fair-skinned, blonde-haired faces appeared among the pedestrians. Low-flying airplanes crossed the sky, and the two could clearly see the markings on the fuselage.

"An airport to the west was just completed and put into operation," Drift explained. "It took a little over a month. For you humans, it’s truly incredible."

Qiao Lin said proudly, "That’s why we’re called the 'Infrastructure Maniacs'."

Ignoring her husband's inexplicable pride, Su Yueling asked with anticipation, "I wonder how the village has been after all this time."

"Do you want me to speed up?" Drift asked. It loved the feeling of the wind rushing against it.

"Let’s keep looking for a bit," Qiao Lin said. "The changes really are massive."

A puff of air escaped from Drift’s exhaust pipe, and it said listlessly, "You two have just been away for too long." It added, "What’s so interesting about this? It’s not as fun as the park."

"Don't you miss home?" Su Yueling asked.

Drift was about to say, "What's there to miss?"—after all, before joining the Autobots, it had spent most of its time wandering—but then a thought flashed across its processor. "Of course I do, but we still owe Mr. Qiao money, so we have to work to pay off the debt."

Su Yueling asked sympathetically, "How much do you owe?"

"One hundred thousand game coins," Drift said, its tone deepening. "My monthly salary is only one hundred. If I don't eat or drink, it will take me a hundred years to pay it off."

After speaking, it quietly observed their reactions. If the two could put in a good word to have the debt waived, that would be even better.

Seeing his wife about to speak, Qiao Lin coughed lightly and said, "That’s true. In our village, kids who have any ambition go out to work; nobody stays at home sponging off their parents."

Drift’s speed slowed down instantly. Had it not been for the fact that the man was the boss's father, it would have driven the car straight into a ditch.

"However, I do need to have a word with him," Qiao Lin added, noticing the rearview mirror shaking. "Old Drift and Old Optimus have been at our house for so long; he should at least give them some extra bonuses."

Drift’s wheels suddenly felt lighter. "Actually, life is pretty good right now. A hundred years is just the time it takes for me to get into a scrap and recover from a few injuries."

The atmosphere became pleasant again. Before long, the car reached the entrance of the village. Several banners came into Qiao Lin’s view:

[Nail houses suffer losses; households that move early get the sugar.]
[Persist in peaceful demolition, build a harmonious society.]
[There are laws for expropriation compensation; those who try to be clever will surely suffer.]

Qiao Lin and Su Yueling looked at each other, both wearing complex expressions. There were already quite a few people at the village entrance. Some were riding electric bikes, preparing to head to nearby construction sites, while others were gathered together playing cards and chatting. When they saw Drift approaching, many recognized the dilapidated minivan.

"Huh, is that Old Qiao back?"
"Didn't he go off to enjoy life with his son?"
"That kid Qiao Mian is useless; he became a live-in son-in-law. Enjoying life? More like suffering through it!"

As the car drew closer, the chatter died down. Qiao Lin leaned out as the window automatically rolled down. The villagers greeted him warmly, and he responded to each one in turn. After promising to chat later, he told Drift to drive quickly to their home.

By the time Drift pulled into the courtyard and they moved their few belongings inside, several people had already gathered at the gate. They were old neighbors who had heard the couple was back and had come over to exchange pleasantries. Su Yueling chatted with the women while tidying up the house. While the air in the park was fresh and the environment quiet and comfortable, she had never felt truly free there; being home put her at ease.

Qiao Lin, after making a show of moving a few chairs, slipped out of the house to smoke and chat with his old buddies.

"Old Qiao, how did you decide to come back?" an old friend asked with a chuckle as he approached. He pulled a cigarette case from his pocket and flicked one over.

The toss was a bit off, landing to Qiao Lin's left. Just as the man was about to call out for him to catch it, he saw the cigarette perform a strange twist in the air, falling diagonally toward Qiao Lin’s hand.

"Is it windy? That's quite a coincidence," the man remarked.

Qiao Lin caught the cigarette, took a lighter from his pocket, lit it, and took a satisfying drag. "Not bad," he laughed. "Smoking the high-end stuff now?"

The man grinned and held up a finger. "I signed the demolition agreement early, so I got this much extra."

"A million?" Qiao Lin asked, surprised.

"You guessed right on the money," the man laughed. "The first ten households all got an extra million; I just made the cut."

Qiao Lin looked regretful. "Is it true that your boy became a live-in son-in-law?" he asked.

"That's right," Qiao Lin said. "Don't mention that wretch. Have the authorities said when they're going to demolish the place?"

"Didn't you see on the way here? They're building apartment blocks to the west. We'll be relocated there; they're all six-story buildings with elevators," the man said happily. "I picked two top-floor units; they have more space."

"You're a fool; the top floor will leak," someone chimed in.

"And you, dammit, the first floor is damp," the man retorted unhappily.

"The first floor comes with a garden where I can grow vegetables," the other man said proudly.

Qiao Lin suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the vegetables in the park. "Why didn't you tell us about picking the apartments ahead of time?" he asked, feeling frustrated.

"I didn't know at first either. The village officials are heartless; they let their own people pick first," the man spat.

"What about your boy?" Qiao Lin asked again.

"He went to work on the construction site. Four hundred a day, with food and drink included," the man laughed. "Why don't you tell Xiao Mian to come back too? The work isn't hard, and they pay every week."

"That kid of mine is lazy," Qiao Lin said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up a live-in son-in-law."

"That's because Xiao Mian is handsome and smart. As for my boy, even if he wanted to be a live-in son-in-law, nobody would want him!" the man said.

"Old Qiao," someone asked, "is it true your Xiao Mian found a high-ranking official's daughter?"

"A high-ranking official's daughter?" Qiao Lin was puzzled. He had made up the story about his son being a live-in son-in-law, but how had it become so detailed?

"My niece works at the county committee. She said the Party Secretary asked her to inquire about Xiao Mian and told her not to talk about it," the man said.

"Old Qiao, did Xiao Mian hook up with the Party Secretary's daughter?" someone asked enviously.

"I..." Qiao Lin opened his mouth to refute.

"No," the previous speaker added, "it's said there’s someone else. The Secretary treats that person with great respect. I heard they came from the capital."

"Xiao Mian went to school in the capital. Did he meet her back then?" an old man with half-white hair asked curiously.

"Now that you mention it, it makes sense. Xiao Mian dropped out halfway through university. Maybe her family didn't approve and pressured the school, just like in the TV shows," someone said excitedly.

"Oh, that explains it!" another man slapped his thigh. "They must have been seeing each other in secret. Do you think they got the girl pregnant?"

The old friend looked at Qiao Lin, looking envious. "Old Qiao, are you a grandfather yet?"

Qiao Lin was dumbfounded. What was all this? He wished he were.

"Come on, are you still trying to fool us?" The old friend patted Qiao Lin on the shoulder. "Don't tell me that the person who appeared in the park the other day, who looked a bit like you, really was you, and you have a connection with that Mr. Qiao?"

The man with half-white hair suddenly had a look of realization. "Your family moved here before Liberation. Could that person in the park really be you? Did your in-laws get you the tickets?"

"I admit it," Qiao Lin said helplessly. "My son did climb the social ladder, but I'm not a grandfather yet."

"No wonder our village's demolition compensation is so much higher than the others. Some say our Feng Shui is good, but it turns out we were just basking in Xiao Mian's glory."

"Old Qiao, what's the background of your in-laws?" someone asked.

Qiao Lin shook his head. "Don't discuss that. It's better if you don't know."

Everyone wore expressions of "I understand, I understand."

In less than half a day, the rumor that Qiao Mian had become the live-in son-in-law of a national bigwig spread throughout the entire village. The rumors were incredibly detailed. Some said they had seen him walking down the road five years ago, holding a bottle of wine, looking dejected after being forced to break up. Others claimed to have seen a girl driving a Mercedes-Benz coming to the village to find him. Some even insisted they had seen him and a woman holding a child in the provincial capital just a few days ago...

When Qiao Mian learned of all this, his expression was like this: ⊙﹏⊙∥