Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Mrs. He beamed and asked, “How did Hongdou sleep last night?”

Yu Hongdou decided not to be too shy and followed He Yunqin to the table, smiling as she said, “I slept well.”

Then, she and He Yunqin greeted everyone one by one. “Dad, Mom, Big Sister, Big Brother, Sister-in-law. Little Sister.”

Yu Hongdou had officially met the He family a few days prior, and today marked the first family dinner together since their marriage.

He Ningzheng and Duan Mingyi both wore gentle smiles. He Ningzheng was especially composed. He looked at Yu Hongdou and said warmly, “Sister-in-law.”

Next to the eldest daughter, He Lanzhi, sat her husband, Zhang Mingjing. Zhang Mingjing was the director of the government’s financial department and was usually swamped with work. He Lanzhi, having little to do at home, often visited her parents.

They hadn’t met last time because Zhang Mingjing had an urgent matter to attend to, so this was their first official meeting. Yu Hongdou turned her gaze to her brother-in-law with a smile. He wasn’t particularly refined, but he was tall and fair, giving him a gentle and appealing look. It seemed he had gained some weight in his early thirties due to a lack of activity.

His face radiated friendliness. He looked at Yu Hongdou and smiled at He Lanzhi, saying, “It seems the He family isn’t just satisfied with having good-looking kids; they also pick outstanding daughters-in-law. All the talented folks in Shanghai seem to have gathered in the He family.”

He Lanzhi chuckled and replied, “You sure know how to flatter. It’s nice that you praise your sister-in-law, but why not throw in some praise for yourself too?”

He Zhujun stood up and greeted softly, “Second brother and second sister-in-law.”

Yu Hongdou smiled and sat down with He Yunqin.

He Mengmei had a dignified smile on his face and said to Yu Hongdou, “Second brother is also an ignorant person. If there is anything at home in the future, tell the servants. If the servants are not considerate, tell your mother and sister-in-law.”

Yu Hongdou turned around, met Duan Mingyi’s gentle gaze, and said with a smile, “Your daughter-in-law knows.”

Her voice was crisp, and her smile was bright. 

He Mengmei saw it, and his expression became even more pleasing. He raised his eyes and saw that although his son didn’t say a word, his face was full of smiles. Seeing that he felt completely relieved.

While the servants were setting the table, Mrs. He smiled and said to He Yunqin, “You have nothing to do today. After breakfast, you can take Hongdou around the house first.”

He Yunqin looked at Yu Hongdou and said, “That was my original plan, but I remembered that Wang Peter had something to do yesterday, so I decided to go to Fuhua Lane with Hongdou later.”

“Inspector Wang is busy with cases. You are newlyweds; what are you doing there?” Mrs. He didn’t like that idea.

Afraid that Yu Hongdou would be unhappy, she blamed her son for being wilful and hoped that the couple would not quarrel on their wedding day.

He Zhujun looked up quietly and saw that her second brother was calm and composed. She remembered that her second sister-in-law liked these strange things at school. From this point of view alone, her second sister-in-law and her second brother got along well, and she might not be unhappy.

Sure enough, the second sister-in-law didn’t show any surprise on her face. She picked up the bowl of porridge with bright eyes and ate quietly. 

He Lanzhi and the others saw it and were surprised and admired her.

They never imagined that women would be interested in these things. They just thought that Yu Hongdou was very good at forbearance. 

‘No wonder she could keep the old man’s cock so tight in just one or two months.’

After breakfast, Yu Hongdou chatted with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law for a few words, then returned to her room with He Yunqin.

“Do we really have to go to Inspector Wang?” As soon as he closed the door, she turned around and asked him.

Upon hearing that, he averted his gaze and glanced at her. It was bright outside, and they couldn’t mess around in the room anyway. Plus, he wasn’t sure if Yu Hongdou was on board with the idea of fooling around. Instead of just standing there, he thought it was better to take her to visit Wang Peter.

“There was a weird strangulation case at the Keyu Theatre. Inspector Wang has no leads, so he reached out to me twice. But since I was caught up with my wedding, he stopped contacting me. It’s been over a month now. I’m really curious about the murderer and want to see how things are going with him.”

As he talked, he stepped into the inner room, turned back to her, smiled, and asked, “Do you want to come along? If you do, I’ll wait for you to change. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to go out in that.”

“The strangulation case at the Keyu Theatre?” YU Hongdou suddenly perked up. There was no reason not to go, so she quickly replied, “Then you wait for me outside.”

‘Does this mean she doesn’t want me to come into the inner room because she needs to change?’ He wasn’t distracted at first, but now his mind was wandering.

Ten minutes felt like an eternity. Finally, she came out of the room. She had taken off her necklace and changed into a long dress and pants. But she was still blushing from head to toe.

Yu Hongdou noticed the slightly surprised look on He Yunqin’s face. Yet they were newlyweds; she thought to make a good impression on him. To prevent him from sensing her inner thoughts, she approached him with a composed demeanour and said, “Let’s go.”

Nevertheless, she clearly underestimated He Yunqin’s keen perception. He scrutinised her closely and noticed that she was even wearing red leather shoes. “What Mother just mentioned is reasonable. We are newly married. Let’s stay at home today, and I will give you a tour of the house instead.”

Upon hearing that, Yu Hongdou was taken aback. She was astonished by how keen this man was. As she looked at him, a blush appeared on her cheeks.

He Yunqin was about to open the door to leave, but when he turned back, he caught Yu Hongdou looking at him intently, appearing somewhat bashful. He felt an impulse, but suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Second Young Master, Inspector Wang is here,” someone called out.

Both were taken by surprise. It turned out they did not need to go out after all; Wang Peter had come to them.

He Yunqin presumed he was likely there for a case, so he opened the door and said, “Inspector Wang, please wait at the study. The Second Young Lady and I will join you shortly.”

When they arrived at the study, Wang Peter was indeed there, sipping tea. He was dressed quite formally today. His eyes were sharp and clear, which was unusual for him at this hour, suggesting he had not been drinking early in the morning.

When he noticed the two of them walking in, Wang Peter got up. Unlike his usual laid-back and indifferent self, he felt a bit awkward speaking today. He grinned and said with a hint of humour, “We just had wine with the lovely couple yesterday. So, I really shouldn’t be interrupting your romance today.”

He Yunqin knew who Wang Peter was, so he understood the man’s sudden visit was not just a casual one. He glanced at Yu Hongdou, sent the servants away, and asked, “What’s going on?”

As He Yunqin asked directly, Wang Peter decided to get straight to the point. “Another person has died, and the circumstances of their death were exactly like how Yang Yutian died at the Keyu Theatre.”

End of chapter 44

Have a nice day!