Chapter 137
Li Huaide's Father-in-Law
Chapter 137 Li Huaide's Father-in-Law
Cao Wei nodded in agreement, patted his chest, and said, "Don't worry, Director Li."
Seeing this, Li Huaide chatted casually with Cao Wei for a few more minutes, and then Cao Wei rode his bicycle home from get off work.
The next day, taking advantage of the rare weekend rest, Cao Wei naturally slept until noon.
After a quick meal, it was just past 2 PM.
Hearing the sound of a car at the door, Cao Wei naturally left.
At the entrance, Yan Bugui was staring intently at the car, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.
However, when his gaze fell upon Cao Wei, a vague sense of foreboding crept into his heart. The man in military uniform nodded slightly upon seeing Cao Wei.
He even opened the car door for him, and after witnessing Cao Wei walk up, Yan Bugui was furious.
He was muttering "nang" incessantly.
"Why! Why is this little beast so smug? Just you wait!"
But Cao Wei, who got into the car, felt completely different this time. After all, although he had ridden in cars before, those were Lou Bancheng's.
This time, he could tell from the appearance of the car and the fact that the man was wearing a military uniform.
Li Huaide's father-in-law is most likely to have some connection with the military.
Upon closer reflection, it makes sense.
You have to understand how many things Li Huaide did in the original timeline.
Not only did countless people die indirectly at the hands of the other party, but they also made a fortune from it. Yet, in the end, such a person was able to escape unscathed. It would be strange if he didn't have a powerful background.
Throughout the journey, Cao Wei kept in mind the idea of not saying much.
They didn't say a word more until the green military vehicle arrived at a large compound.
Or to be more precise, it's a small, detached house. If I had to describe it, it's similar to the Syrian-style house he initially lived in, and not much bigger overall.
As the car stopped, Cao Wei, being pragmatic, got out and readily allowed the two guards to search him.
As they gradually walked in, they didn't wander around aimlessly like someone who had never seen the world before; they simply walked straight ahead.
Soon, a woman dressed in plain clothes caught Cao Wei's eye.
The other person looked to be in his fifties or sixties. As for his appearance, Cao Wei couldn't really comment, but he could say that he looked somewhat like Jia Zhangshi.
The newcomer looked at Cao Wei with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, but quickly introduced himself.
"You're Chef Cao, right? You can call me Aunt Zhang. Come in."
Hearing what the other party said, Cao Wei followed this so-called Aunt Zhang, skipping other places in the courtyard, and went directly into the kitchen of the courtyard.
When he stepped into the kitchen, he realized that it was not spacious at all, and not much bigger than his own home.
However, this is quite normal, after all, how could Li Huaide's father-in-law be the same as Lou Bancheng?
Cao Wei glanced at the vegetables on the cutting board, while Aunt Li continued to speak.
"I'll ask you to cook the dishes in advance. You can wait here for a while."
After saying that, Aunt Li ignored Cao Wei and turned to leave.
Cao Wei, who was in the kitchen, was somewhat nervous.
There was no way around it; given his location, he was well aware of the other party's true worth.
Even without being a businessman, one can acquire a small, detached house in no time simply by virtue of their status.
The tension quickly dissipated when she saw that she wasn't asked to cook right away.
Cao Wei went straight to the kitchen door, lit a cigarette, and released some stress.
Inside the main hall.
At this moment, the omnipotent figure that Cao Wei remembered, who later dominated the steel rolling mill, was now just smiling obsequiously.
On the other side is his wife, who can be described as a younger version of Jia Zhangshi.
They are about the same size, but look slightly younger.
The man sitting in the main seat was about 1.82 meters tall and around 50 or 60 years old.
Although his hair was completely white, it was combed meticulously, pulled back without a trace of mess, and his sideburns were neatly trimmed.
His facial features are strong and well-defined, with slightly high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and deep, knife-like wrinkles.
His skin was a deep tan from years of sun exposure, with faint old scars on his neck and the back of his hands. He wore a dark gray Zhongshan suit with the collar tightly buttoned up, the top button never undone, and the fabric was smooth and wrinkle-free.
His cuffs were always neatly trimmed to his wrists, and he wore black cloth military boots or shiny black leather shoes. He wore no accessories, and even his watch was an old-fashioned model.
Although he was rather thin and his eyes seemed to be fixed on no one, he exuded an aura of authority simply by standing there.
And what about the others who were sitting?
Besides Li Huaide and the person beside him, the other two were both dressed in military uniforms and appeared to be around thirty years old.
Judging from their posture, these two men are clearly the old man's younger brothers.
They now exuded a certain imposing aura characteristic of soldiers.
One of them was playing chess with the old man.
Even if the other person only glances at you occasionally.
This made Li Huaide, who was sitting below, feel immense pressure.
He could only sigh inwardly, since it was always the same every time he visited his father-in-law's house.
At that moment, the man sitting at the main table finally turned his gaze over.
Looking at the person next to Li Huaide, who was none other than his daughter, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.
When the object landed on Li Huaide, it seemed to show no emotion whatsoever, yet Li Huaide felt as if he were carrying a mountain on his back.
"Hui De, the people you brought this time are a bit young."
These words, spoken without any emotion, made Li Huaide immediately stand up and pat his chest to assure him.
"Dad, trust me, you'll be satisfied with his cooking."
As he finished speaking, Li Huaide's body tensed up almost unconsciously.
Seeing this, the woman beside him couldn't help but frown and said to the old man sitting in the main seat, "Dad, do you believe in Huai De?"
Upon hearing this, the other party seemed to have heard a joke, and a sharp and cold glint flashed in their eyes.
It can be said that Li Huaide's rise to his current position is inseparable from his help over the years.
As a shrewd man himself, he could see that the reason Li Huaide married his fat daughter was simply because he wanted to help her climb higher in the social ladder.
But seeing how genuinely pleased his daughter was, he could only shake his head helplessly.
Then he couldn't help but mention Li Huaide.
Sometimes, you have to take things one step at a time.
Upon hearing this, Li Huaide felt utterly ashamed.
There was no way around it; he had only briefly discussed the current situation of the steel rolling mill, seemingly asking for advice, but in reality, he was testing the waters, or perhaps wondering if he could see if he could move up in the ranks, without even hinting at it.
The other party spoke so directly, which clearly showed their dissatisfaction with me and that they had seen through my thoughts.
He sighed and then changed the subject to his mother-in-law, Aunt Zhang.
"Aunt Zhang, some dishes take a long time to prepare, so you should let Xiao Cao start preparing them now."
Hearing this, Aunt Zhang nodded lightly and went to the kitchen. She saw Cao Wei smoking, but unlike Lou Tanshi, she didn't urge him. Instead, she calmly reminded him.
"We can start preparing now."
Seeing that even this so-called Aunt Zhang had spoken up, Cao Wei quickly nodded.
Then came the preparations.
Looking at the ingredients on the cutting board, Cao Wei started his own work in the kitchen all by himself.
Under his step-by-step arrangement, the entire kitchen became like a well-organized musical movement.
He remained calm and composed even with three pots burning at the same time.
After all, some dishes cannot be made in a short time.
As time went on, seeing that Aunt Zhang had arrived again, Cao Wei finally put the dishes aside.
This time, Aunt Zhang brought another young man in military uniform, who slowly placed the dishes on the table.
Looking at the dishes that looked and smelled delicious, the old man at the head of the table took a couple of bites, and a hint of surprise crossed his face, which had always seemed to have no great emotions.