Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 177 176. The Heehee Family Adds a New Member

After Lin Xiao's teasing, Han Xixi felt better.

But after calming down, I still felt a little depressed.

Lin Xiao could understand her feelings.

Putting aside the matter of time travel, in this life, he has walked out of the farming community and his path is getting wider and wider.

As people continue to move toward higher levels, their companions and friends from childhood and adolescence will inevitably be left far behind because they cannot keep up with their pace.

It will be difficult for us to meet again in the future.

Although Lin Xiao is currently working in Chaobai Town and living at home.

But when I occasionally meet my childhood friends, we can no longer talk to each other, and all that is left is unfamiliarity and awkwardness.

In comparison, Han Xixi and Xie Xiaowei are relatively lucky as they did not become alienated or estranged from each other just because Xixi became a big star.

But this is all thanks to Xie Xiaowei's strength.

If she had been a little darker or more fragile, she and Han Xixi would not have been able to maintain their friendship until now.

As for Xixi, she did not experience any accidents in her childhood. Now she has realized her dream of becoming a singer and has a happy love and marriage. It is no exaggeration to say that she is a winner in life.

But for kind people.

The happier you are, the more you can understand the misfortune and sadness of others, and even feel sad because of your own powerlessness.

Xixi is feeling the same way now, just like Lin Xiao feels about those lost childhood playmates.

This kind of moral guilt caused by kindness cannot be comforted and can only be digested by oneself.

When waiting for the red light.

Lin Xiao turned his eyes and saw a pet shop on the side of the road. He could see the cats and dogs inside through the glass.

It's not even nine o'clock in the evening yet, and the pet shop is still open.

"Honey, do you like kittens?" he asked suddenly.

"Ok?"

Xixi didn't know why he asked, so she answered honestly, "I like it~"

Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows: "Okay!"

The green light came on, and the car immediately turned around and stopped steadily in front of the pet shop.

Han Xixi looked through the glass window and saw the cats of various colors and patterns in the store. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she understood what Lin Xiao meant.

Lin Xiao wants to get off the car.

Han Xixi held him back, somewhat hesitant.

Lin Xiao understood, patted her hands and said with a smile: "Don't worry, you see there are not many people in the store, and there is nothing to be afraid of. I am your legal husband, not your kept gigolo. It is natural for you to hold my hand while shopping in the pet store. It doesn't matter if I am photographed!"

He tried to comfort her seriously, but Han Xixi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"Some people, do you want to look in the mirror? Xiaowei's compliments to you were just polite words, but did you really take them to heart?"

Lin Xiao was anxious: "No! Although I am almost 30 years old now, my appearance is still very good, okay? Who am I looking down on?!"

Han Xixi burst into laughter and quickly touched his chest to comfort him.

"I didn't say you're ugly, but with your skin color, you should be classified as a dark-skinned athlete. How dare you call yourself a 'pretty boy'?"

"..."

Lin Xiao’s mother tongue now is speechless.

He glanced at his wife and said, "Dark-skinned sports student? You know a lot of professional terms. You must have dealt with a lot of men who are close to you, right?"

Han Xixi suddenly felt something was wrong and immediately pursed her lips, looking silent as a cicada.

"Oh, go check on the cats, the store is about to close..."

He got off the car in a hurry.

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes and followed reluctantly.

The two men entered the store wearing masks. The staff were already cleaning but still welcomed them warmly.

The pet store is not very big.

After entering the door, there is a huge cat room on the left. The pure white decoration makes people feel bright. There are various cat racks, blankets, and of course, more than a dozen cats of different breeds, colors, and sizes.

Through a huge floor-to-ceiling glass wall, you can clearly see the details of each cat.

As soon as Han Xixi entered the store, she leaned against the glass and looked at the store with shining eyes.

Lin Xiao stood far away. He had never been interested in such fluffy things since he was a child, but seeing how obsessed his wife was, he still asked the price.

The reply I got was that it was 90 yuan for an hour of petting the cats, but they were about to close.

Lin Xiao wanted to plead his case.

Before he could speak, Han Xixi grabbed his hand and whispered, "Brother, I'll just take a look. Don't disturb others from getting off work."

Lin Xiao nodded and gave up.

The young couple lay in front of the glass window, looking at the room full of fluffy little things, and couldn't help feeling very happy.

Han Xixi suddenly said, "When I was in sixth grade, a stray cat suddenly appeared in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived. It was orange and very cute. I would feed it every day. Sometimes when I went to the vegetable market with my grandmother, I would specifically look for fishmongers and ask for some discarded fish gills and fish bladders, and bring them back to feed the kitten. It loved to eat it, and every time it would eat it all up, and even wag its tail at me..."

Lin Xiao listened to his wife's endless story. Her brows softened and he felt warm.

"and after?"

"Later, it gave birth to four kittens, all with different colors and patterns. The food I brought was not enough for them to eat."

Xixi said seriously, "I just wanted to bring them home to raise, but my mom disagreed, saying that she and my dad have to work, and I have to go to school, and we don't have time to take care of so many cats."

Lin Xiao laughed: "I think your mother is a germaphobe and can't accept that a cat makes the house messy and dirty, right?"

Xixi was surprised: "How did you know?"

Lin Xiao shrugged: "I have been with my mother-in-law for such a long time, how could I not know her personality and habits?"

Xixi scratched her head and smiled gently, with a hint of regret in her tone.

"So, these kittens were not adopted in the end."

"What then?"

"Later, I went to middle school. When I came back during the winter break, I found that the kittens were gone. I asked my grandmother, and she said that they had been adopted by several families. After that, I never saw those cats in the community again!"

Xixi said with regret.

Lin Xiao had mixed feelings, guessing that the cats must have been driven out of the community and wandered off somewhere else. The grandmother said this on purpose because she was afraid that her granddaughter would be sad.

"Should we buy one and raise it?" Lin Xiao suddenly asked.

"Ok?"

Han Xixi was shocked, her eyes widened even wider, "Raising a cat?!"

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Yes, you like it, don't you? Keep one at home... just as a preview for raising children in the future!"

Han Xixi didn't expect that these two things could be connected together. Her face suddenly turned red with embarrassment and she glared at him innocently.

I didn't say anything at the moment, but I felt moved when I saw these bright cats.

"But we don't have time, who will take care of it?"

"Let me go, my mom has time!"

"Uh……"

Han Xixi looked embarrassed. "These cats are very delicate. If they are placed in the countryside... I'm afraid they won't be able to adapt to that environment."

Lin Xiao thought about it and agreed.

These cats were bred specifically for the entertainment of wealthy people and have long been unable to adapt to the natural environment.

In my hometown in the countryside, I have to deal with chickens, ducks, cats and dogs roaming around everywhere.

I'm afraid he'll be bitten to death in two days.

"Then let it go to your home. Your mother has retired now, so she should have no problem taking care of the cat."

"That's even worse!"

Xixi was helpless, "My mom doesn't like cats, have you forgotten?"

Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows: "Don't worry, I have a way to convince her!"

Although Han Xixi didn't know what his method was, seeing his overflowing confidence, she couldn't help but want to try it out.

After some hesitation, I finally made up my mind.

Then start choosing cats.

There are many breeds of cats here, and they are all the most likable ones on the market, such as Ragdoll, Maine Coon, British Shorthair, etc. When they stand there, they exude a sense of arrogance and nobility.

Han Xixi liked them all and couldn't make up her mind for a moment.

At this time, I saw a gray kitten among the crowded cat group. It walked with a limp and was deliberately squeezed by several fat cats with a pitiful look in its eyes.

"What happened to the tabby cat?" she asked.

The clerk hurriedly said, "It was born with a disability in its hind legs and is a bit skinny, so it is inevitable that it is bullied by other cats."

Han Xixi looked at Lin Xiao with soft eyes.

Lin Xiao immediately understood and said without further ado: "We bought it!"

These four short words brightened up the eyes of Xixi and the shop assistant at the same time. They felt that he was like a god from heaven.

ten minutes later.

The tabby cat was put in a cage and taken into the car.

Then Lin Xiao completely fell out of favor. His wife meowed with a cat the whole time and didn't bother to say a single human word to him.

……

Return to Gillie Garden.

When Liu Liyun saw the two people bringing back a cat with problems with its legs and feet, she was immediately surprised and disgusted.

Han Xixi was a little confused, worried that her mother would not want to raise her.

At this time, Lin Xiao stepped in: "Mom, you see, now that you have retired to the second line, you are usually alone at home after get off work, how boring it is, this cat can keep you company, don't you think?"

Liu Liyun's brows relaxed a little, and her acceptance level increased by 30%.

Lin Xiao continued his attack: "And this cat is born with a disability. When we saw it, it was still being bullied by other cats. It was so pitiful. If it continues to stay in the cat cafe, it won't even be able to get food. It will starve to death sooner or later."

Liu Liyun's face suddenly glowed: "Really, look at how skinny he is..."

Acceptance increased by 60%.

Lin Xiao made the final move: "Besides, haven't you always wanted us to have a baby quickly? It's not easy to take care of a child. You've been busy with work these years, so you must be unfamiliar with this. Why don't you get a cat to practice with first? Then you will be more comfortable taking care of your grandson in the future, don't you think?"

Liu Liyun's face brightened at these words. After thinking about it, she felt that it was true.

Acceptance rate 100%.

"Where should I put the cat bed? How should I feed the cat? I need to learn this..."

As he spoke, he put on his reading glasses and started searching carefully with his mobile phone.

Han Xixi didn't say a word the whole time, it was simply amazing.

Looking at her mother's serious expression on the sofa and exchanging glances with Lin Xiao, the young couple smiled slyly.

"Brother, let's give it a name?" Xixi said.

"Okay, what do you want to be called?"

"Hmm... cluck."

"Brother?" Lin Xiao frowned, "It calls me brother, then what are you going to call me?"

Han Xixi couldn't help laughing: "It's not this brother, it's the giggling 'hehe'!"

Lin Xiao finally understood and raised his eyebrows.

"Do you have any explanation, or do you just feel sorry for it and hope it can giggle again in the future?"

“That’s also a consideration.”

Han Xixi suddenly felt a little shy and said awkwardly, "But the main reason is to match the two of us. I'm hee hee, you're ha ha, and it's ke ke ke ..."

It took Lin Xiao a while to catch up with his wife's train of thought, and he was immediately amused and burst into laughter.

Now all the laughter and cackles are gathered together.

The sudden noise startled the tabby cat that was hiding on the balcony and trying to adapt to the new environment. It looked at the strange uncle in front of it with vigilance.

Xixi was so anxious that she kept hitting him: "What are you doing? You're so startled!"

Lin Xiao quickly shut up: "My fault, my fault... But Han Xixi, you love me so much that you have to name your pet in a way that is consistent with the style of our family of three!"

Xixi was embarrassed by the joke and quickly explained: "Who loves you? You are so narcissistic... Then it's not called Keke anymore. I'll give it another name!"

Lin Xiao quickly grabbed her little hand and said righteously: "No, no, this name is good, let's call it Gege!"

With a bright smile, he teased the kitten: "Lin Gege, come to daddy quickly..."

The kitten hiding in the corner was already unfamiliar and afraid of the new environment. When it saw this wretched old man reaching out his hands towards it, it was so scared that it meowed and shrank behind the wall.

"Haha, no one is paying attention to you!"

Han Xixi laughed, then suddenly realized something was wrong, "No! I chose the kitten and raised it in my home. Why should it have your last name, Lin?"

Lin Xiao said as if it was a matter of course: "You are all mine. What's the problem with the kitten you chose being named Lin?"

Han Xixi: “…”

He was speechless.

Rolling her eyes coquettishly, she clapped her hands at Lin Gege and quickly coaxed it into her arms.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but roll his eyes: "You little bastard, you know how to judge people by their appearance!"

I reached out to touch it, but it resisted and kicked me away with its front legs.

Now it was Han Xixi's turn to laugh triumphantly: "Haha, let's go and ignore the bad guy!"

Then he walked away very proudly.

……

With the appearance of the kitten, the separation between Lin Xiao and Han Xixi the next day was not so difficult to resolve.

Lin Xiao got up at six o'clock and went to work.

Before leaving, Han Xixi was still sleeping soundly in his arms. Hearing the noise, she pulled at the waist of his pants and entangled with him for a while, until she was almost out of breath from his kisses, and then she urged him to leave quickly.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Xixi was picked up by her assistant Chen Jiajia and flew to Haicheng to continue being a big star.

The couple were busy with their own things.

After finishing some daily work, Lin Xiao convened the tourism team to study the next steps in the development of rural tourism in Chaobai Town.

Members expressed their opinions.

The final conclusion is that the ancient village construction of Jiajia Village and the development of the ceramic industry of Xiaguan Village are promoted simultaneously.

The first step in industrial construction is, of course, the improvement of infrastructure.

In other words, if you want to make money by attracting tourists, you must first spend money to improve the overall environment.

The construction plan for Jiajia Village is easy to implement. It is to build roads and repair walls while maintaining the appearance of the ancient village. At the same time, it is also necessary to build public toilets, guide signs, cultural and art galleries, leisure squares, etc. These projects coincide with the rural renovation projects that the town has been promoting.

The focus of rural transformation this year is on the two villages of Jiajia Village and Xiaguan Village.

The renovation fund is 300 million.

This amount of money is more than enough for the original renovation plan, but it is obviously not enough to upgrade the village's infrastructure to a level that can both meet the villagers' lives and accommodate tourists.

Fortunately, after Laoyashan was sold, the county agreed to allocate a sum of tourism development funds to the town.

But the money has not arrived yet.

However, with the county's commitment, Lin Xiao became bolder in promoting the hardware facilities renovation projects in the two villages. He dared to plan in the direction of a tens of millions of projects, striving to create characteristics and highlights in the two villages, and not only having both "face" and "substance".

This puts higher demands on the selection of construction parties.

Previously, the construction partner of the rural renovation project in Chaobai Town was a local company in Anyang County called Honghui Construction, which has now completed the renovation of two villages in Chaobai Town.

Lin Xiao visited the two villages in person and found that the transformation results were unsatisfactory. Not to mention from the perspective of rural tourism, even from the perspective of improving the living environment of the villagers, the effect of this project was very average.

It can be seen how many little tricks are involved here.

Lin Xiao was too lazy to get involved and planned to find a few more qualified and experienced tourism planning companies from Ninghai or Yizhou to participate in this rural transformation work to ensure that the transformation funds would be spent wisely.

After the meeting, he began to study the project plan and prepare for the bidding matters.

This busy work took up most of the week.

On Thursday afternoon, Han Xixi suddenly sent him a photo of herself basking in the sun on the balcony while holding a little tabby cat.

Lin Xiao's eyes suddenly softened. He put down the work at hand and watched with interest.

In the picture, Lin Keke was obviously more familiar than when she first arrived. There was no more panic and fear in her eyes, and her hair was more lustrous than before, emitting a faint golden light under the sunlight.

It seems that the little guy has been well taken care of by his mother-in-law these days.

He tapped the screen and replied: "When did you come back? Why didn't you ask me to pick you up?"

Xixi quickly replied: "I just got home, the time is not suitable, I won't disturb you at work~"

The two chatted for a while.

Xixi turned down two activities before going home just to prepare for the meeting this Saturday - as a new daughter-in-law, she was quite nervous.

Lin Xiao understood very well.

Not to mention her, even he himself was a little nervous.

Although he and Xixi have already obtained their marriage certificate, both sets of parents are very supportive of their union.

But after all, marriage is the connection between two families, and the two families are too different, which makes him worry about some unexpected communication accidents and unnecessary complications.

However, there is no point in worrying, and we have to overcome the difficulties.

Xixi gave everything to him without reservation. As a man, let alone the possible criticism and quarrels ahead, he had to move forward even if it meant going through mountains of swords and seas of fire for his wife!
He comforted Xixi with a few words and agreed to go to Jili Garden for dinner tonight.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"Please come in!" Lin Xiao put down his phone and said.

A middle-aged man with a greasy face pushed the door open, with a briefcase tucked under his armpit and a belt buckle from a conspicuous international luxury brand.

Before he opened his mouth to speak, a familiar and ingratiating smile appeared on his face.

Lin Xiao only took a glance and had a basic understanding of this man's behavior, but his expression did not show it at all.

"Hello, Mayor Lin. I am Ding Honghui, the general manager of Honghui Construction. Sorry to bother you!"

Ding Honghui came in and introduced himself, then turned around and closed the door.

When Lin Xiao heard the name of Honghui Construction, he immediately understood how he could find his office.

Honghui Construction has a lot of cooperation with the town.

The renovation of two villages and several projects in the town were contracted by this company.

Ding Honghui's network of contacts in this compound is probably wider than his own, so it would be easy for him to go straight into this office.

As a result, Lin Xiao fell into a passive position.

At the moment, he was able to remain calm and asked, "Boss Ding, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"It's no big deal, it's no big deal!"

Ding Honghui smiled stickyly and sighed, "I knew that a young and promising deputy mayor had come to Chaobai Town, and I wanted to visit him a long time ago, but you are busy, and I came several times but you were not there. Today I happened to run into you in the office, so I have to come and pay you a visit. I hope Mayor Lin will not mind my sudden arrival!"

Lin Xiao smiled just for the sake of appearance.

This is just for show. With Ding Honghui's connections in the town, he can be found anytime he wants. There is no chance of being disappointed.

Mr. Ding clearly knew that his previous responsibilities had nothing to do with him, so he was too lazy to deal with it.

Now things have changed.

The rural tourism development work presided over by Lin Xiao involves a large number of infrastructure renovation projects, which require the participation of third parties in society.

This is a big cake, who wouldn’t be tempted when they smell it.

It was completely understandable that Ding Honghui flapped his wings and rushed over immediately.

After learning the purpose of this person's visit, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "It's not that it's abrupt, it's just that Mr. Ding came a little late, it's almost time to get off work. If you came earlier, we could sit down and have a good chat and get to know each other better."

What I mean is, since you come here without saying hello, I won't keep you here, you'd better leave now.

The smile was polite, but the words were quite impolite.

Ding Honghui's smile paused. He was obviously a little surprised that he didn't expect the young deputy mayor to be so ruthless.

But he quickly came to his senses and continued with a sticky smile, "It's my fault. I was planning to come here as soon as I got to work. I was already at the gate of our compound when County Magistrate Ma called me over. There was a project in the county that required me to report on the progress. I had to go over. I was so happy to serve County Magistrate Ma that I hurried over again. No matter how important the work is, I can't delay visiting Mayor Lin, right!"

The words were still said warmly, but there was already a hint of intimidation in the tone.

Ding Honghui's subtext has two meanings.

The first level is to explain your sincerity. You should have come earlier, but something got in the way. There is no need to delay until this point.

The second meaning is to show off your power - I have someone in the county, and you, a deputy mayor, should not be so arrogant, or I will sue you and make you pay for it!
Lin Xiao understood immediately.

If it were an ordinary cadre, he might have been intimidated.

Lin Xiao just smiled for a moment.

To Ding Honghui, this reaction was exactly as he expected - this guy was caught.

With a look of pride, he skillfully took out a box of tea from his bag and stuffed it towards Lin Xiao: "It's our first meeting, so I brought you some tea. It's not a good thing, Mayor Lin, please don't despise it!"

Lin Xiao took a quick look and saw that the packaging was exquisite and the brand was famous.

Of course, a box of tea can’t be that expensive, but it is certainly acceptable for face.

If it were someone else, after hearing him reveal that he had a close relationship with the deputy county magistrate and thinking that the box of tea was not expensive, they would most likely think that there was no need to reject him and would accept it.

But once this precedent was set, it would be natural for Ding Honghui to give cigarettes, alcohol, cards, treat people to meals and more.

After Lin Xiao took office as the deputy mayor, he had encountered such situations before, and he always fought back gracefully.

But none of the ones I met before were as powerful and influential as the one in front of me.

Lin Xiao was not afraid.

He smiled, pushed the tea leaves back along the desk, picked up the Coodie coffee cup on his desk and shook it.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ding, I'm not old enough to like drinking tea. I usually just like instant coffee. I'm sorry to have let you down!"

His tone was calm and his smile was gentle, without any trace of coldness.

But these words were like a solid slap in the face of Ding Honghui, and the sticky smile that had been on his face since he entered the door could no longer be maintained at this moment.

"Oh, that's it. I won't bother you anymore. Go ahead and do your work..."

Ding Honghui smiled politely and walked out.

Lin Xiao didn't say anything else. He returned his gaze to the computer and continued to work.

As for what Ding Honghui would think or how he felt, he was too lazy to care - they were just bystanders, not worth bothering with!

(End of this chapter)