Power and Wealth

Chapter 1652

Afternoon.

The meal was finished.

Fang Shuiling hurried to tidy up the dishes and utensils on the table. Seeing this, Xie Jing didn't let her do it all and helped her go to the kitchen to wash the dishes together.

As the two left, Xie Ran asked, "Brother-in-law, how was it?"

Dong Xuebing knew what he was asking and replied, "It was pretty good."

Xie Ran seemed unsatisfied with this assessment. He glanced towards the kitchen and said, "Did Xiao Jing tell you? Although Fang Shuiling is from the Fang family, her temper is good, and she cooks well. She's especially sensible. You can't find a woman like her among the aristocratic families. Let's not even talk about others. Just look at Fang Wenping, who's quite famous in the Fang family, and Xiao Ling's aunt. Aunt Fang's temperament and personality are typical of pampered aristocrats, but they don't mention it. Look at how sensible Xiao Ling is."

Dong Xuebing still didn't evaluate much, "It's okay, pretty good."

Xie Ran knew that the resistance between Dong Xuebing and Fang Shuiling was too strong. He couldn't help but want to enlist Dong Xuebing's support. If the eldest brother-in-law could support their marriage, it would be easier to persuade the eldest sister. This matter would have a little bit of hope. The Xie family's eldest sister and her husband were completely different exceptions. Let alone the eldest sister Xie Huilan, her position at home was high from a young age, and her personality was always unruly. Even relatives at home couldn't do anything to her. Everyone in the family had to defer to Xie Huilan, who established her authority at home. So, the strength of what the eldest sister said was almost not inferior to that of the elders. With the eldest sister's status getting higher and higher, even becoming a member of the municipal party committee, Xie Ran had reason to believe that what the eldest sister said now could influence their grandfather's opinion. If the eldest sister could say a word for them, Xie Ran believed that the resistance between him and Fang Shuiling would be reduced.

As for the eldest brother-in-law.

That goes without saying.

Dong Xuebing's unruly personality was even more formidable than Xie Huilan's.

Xie Ran thought of the various things when his sister and brother-in-law were not yet married. Even if his sister, indifferent to relatives, disagreed with his grandfather's opinion, she would at most argue a few times and then ignore it. But her brother-in-law was different. Dong Xuebing was the only one in the Xie family who dared to criticize their grandfather to his face. Who was their grandfather, and who was their brother-in-law at that time? Their brother-in-law was just a child from an ordinary family back then. Xie Ran couldn't understand how his brother-in-law at that time had the courage and audacity to criticize their grandfather to his face, yet their grandfather didn't get angry. After a drinking and chess session, he even leaned on Dong Xuebing's shoulder, and after Dong Xuebing got drunk, he called their grandfather "Old Xie" without any rebuttal but just laughed heartily. From this, you could see how much their grandfather loved their brother-in-law. Although the brother-in-law was a son-in-law, not surnamed Xie, no one dared to ignore his influence in the Xie family. Even Xie Ran sincerely admired Dong Xuebing. There was no other reason. Dong Xuebing indeed had extraordinary abilities.

The brother-in-law's influence could also be seen in his sister's affairs.

At that time, the family members all opposed Xie Jing's relationship with Sun Kai. Even his parents ruined Sun Kai's job to warn him. In this matter, even Xie Huilan didn't stand on Xie Jing's side. But Dong Xuebing, as a son-in-law of the Xie family, dared to boldly disregard the Xie family's decision and help Sun Kai find a job. He even paved the way for Sun Kai's future. It was completely on his initiative.

But how did it end up?

Senior Xie didn't get angry.

Neither did my parents or Xiao Jing's parents.

Because of a sudden event, everyone at home agreed to Xiao Jing and Sun Kai's relationship.

With these two privileged figures in the family, Xie Ran naturally wanted the support of his sister and brother-in-law. Because he and Fang Shuiling had reached a point where they couldn't be separated, like glue, their relationship had always been underground, actually for a long time.

"Brother-in-law," Xie Ran said.

"Oh," Dong Xuebing pretended to be foolish.

Xie Ran said, "Xiao Ling is nice."

Dong Xuebing nodded, changed the subject, and said, "Yeah, I think so too. By the way, you just mentioned Xiao Ling's aunt, Fang Wenping. Why does that name sound familiar to me?" He had to change the topic. Dong Xuebing understood Xie Ran's meaning, but he really couldn't handle this matter.

One Fang family.

One Xie family.

They had been archenemies for many years.

The feud began with Senior Xie's generation. Dong Xuebing didn't think he could resolve it, so he pretended not to understand what Xie Ran was saying.

At this moment, Fang Shuiling and Xie Jing finished washing the dishes and came out.

Dong Xuebing immediately greeted them, "Come, have some tea. You two girls have worked hard."

Xie Jing smiled, "You didn't even pour us tea, not sincere at all."

Dong Xuebing chuckled, "Alright, I'll pour tea for our two heroines."

But Fang Shuiling didn't dare, hurried over, and grabbed the teapot.

Xie Ran saw this and didn't say anything more, just sighed.

Fang Shuiling probably knew that Xie Ran was planning to ask his brother-in-law for help. Seeing Xie Ran's expression, she knew Dong Xuebing hadn't agreed. Her eyes dimmed, and her mood dropped, but she didn't show it on her face. She graciously filled Dong Xuebing's cup with water and poured one for Xie Jing.

Xie Jing said, "Thank you."

Dong Xuebing showed great demeanor, nodded, then lifted the teacup and sipped it lightly. Anyone who knew him would know that he didn't usually drink tea so elegantly.

Xie Hao couldn't help but want to laugh, pretending, pretending.

But Dong Xuebing didn't care. He felt that he must have present himself well in front of Fang Shuiling, and he was pretty satisfied with his performance.

Dong Xuebing's appearance indeed deceived Fang Shuiling. Because Xie Ran hadn't mentioned Dong Xuebing's bad habits to her, only talked about Dong Xuebing's glorious deeds, this led to a cognitive bias on Fang Shuiling's part. Although Xie Ran's brother-in-law looked ordinary, she thought he had dignity and leadership. As for the occasional dirty words from Dong Xuebing before, Fang Shuiling also thought it was a sign of Dong Xuebing's uncompromising character, indicating that he had principles and his thoughts. After this meeting, Fang Shuiling had a good impression of Dong Xuebing.

The group continued to drink tea and chat.

But no one expected an unexpected guest to show up.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The courtyard door was suddenly knocked on.

Yes, it wasn't a knock but a bang. The sound was too loud.

"Xiao Ling, open the door for me," a woman said. "I know you're in there."

Hearing this, Fang Shuiling's face changed drastically. "It's my aunt. Why would she come?"