“This girl, how could she leave our guest alone and run off like that? Honestly!”
As Duanmu Qing’s mother grumbled and stood up, a sudden series of honks echoed from outside.
“Hm? That’s odd, it’s almost dark, why’s someone honking at the door now?”
With that, Duanmu Qing’s mother stepped outside to check.
The moment she did, a loud voice called out,
“Dad, Mom, I’m back!”
Hearing that booming voice, Duanmu Qing’s mother broke into a slight smile, recognising it as her eldest son returning home.
Descending the steps, she reached out to greet him, just as a car slowly pulled into the courtyard and parked.
Though she didn’t know the make, Duanmu Qing’s mother could tell from its look that it was a fancy vehicle.
Unable to resist, she asked,
“Well, son, did you strike it rich again? Swapping for such a nice car?”
Xu Fei, drawn by the commotion, stepped out too, glancing at the black Mercedes SUV now parked in the yard—a top-tier luxury car for a remote mountain village like this.
No wonder Duanmu Qing’s mother couldn’t keep the grin off her face.
“Oh, come on, Mom, what are you saying? I don’t have that kind of skill! It’s all thanks to finding a great brother-in-law!”
With that, Duanmu Lei flung open the car door, and out stepped a man in his early thirties, wearing glasses and looking refined.
“See, Mom? This is the great son-in-law I brought you, my awesome brother-in-law, my old college buddy Dong Tianyi!”
Duanmu Lei’s words left Dong Tianyi visibly embarrassed, prompting him to quickly clarify,
“Hey, don’t talk nonsense, Duanmu Lei! I just drove you back and came to check on your parents, since when did I become your brother-in-law?”
Duanmu Lei, knowing Dong Tianyi was just shy, teased back,
“What’s that, Dong Tianyi? You weren’t saying that on the drive here! Don’t tell me now that you’ve seen this rundown rural courtyard, it’s beneath the dignity of a deputy director at a provincial hospital!”
“What? Little Dong’s a deputy director at a provincial hospital? That’s incredible!”
Hearing Dong Tianyi’s title, Duanmu Qing’s mother couldn’t help but gush. She hadn’t expected this young man to hold such a high position at his age.
“Of course!” Duanmu Lei bragged to his mother, “My college buddy’s a genius! After graduation, I just grabbed any old job, but he went big—cross-disciplinary master’s and PhD, studied abroad, and came back a star!”
As Duanmu Lei hyped up Dong Tianyi, he suddenly looked up and noticed another young man standing by the door, feeling a bit odd, and asked,
“Mom, who’s that? I don’t recognise him.”
Seeing Duanmu Lei point out Xu Fei, his mother finally reacted, ushering Dong Tianyi and the others inside while explaining,
“Oh, this is Doctor Xu, your sister Duanmu Qing brought him from the provincial capital to treat my back pain!”
With that, she hurried to the kitchen to call out Duanmu Qing, who’d been hiding there.
