Chapter 129: The Female Driver

Su Qinghu looked at her mother-in-law, Mrs. Meng, and tentatively mentioned a street. To her surprise, her mother-in-law nodded.

She nodded?

Oh my god! She actually nodded!

Su Qinghu gasped, still in shock, her mind already bursting with the sound of drums and gongs, a high-pitched, festive female voice echoing in her ears—""Hey, the joyful drums beat out happiness year after year~~~""

Heavens, it felt like a dream!

The first time she visited her mother-in-law’s house, Mrs. Meng was wearing a pair of sandals that had been welded back together after splitting, and even her clothes were so well-worn and washed that the color had faded a bit...

Such a frugal and thrifty person actually owned a storefront, and in such a prime location!

Forget about the 21st century—even in a few years, when the 90s arrive—

Su Qinghu wanted to clutch her wildly beating heart.

Her mother-in-law is loaded!

She really wants to cling to her mother-in-law’s leg!

And now her mother-in-law is letting her do it!

She’s definitely going to!

“Then I’ll wait a few days!” Su Qinghu beamed like a flower, hugging her mother-in-law tightly and rubbing against her. “Thank you, Mom! Now I don’t have to run around in the summer heat looking for a storefront~~~”

Where’s that golden thigh her mother-in-law offered up~~~

Su Qinghu’s eyes practically sparkled like stars. With such a supportive mother-in-law, it was like a goddess of fortune had descended to earth. Rub, rub, rub~

Mrs. Meng melted from the hug, her smile growing even warmer. She patted Su Qinghu’s back, telling her not to get too excited. “There’s only one street-facing shop in the area you mentioned. I went to check it out—it’s completely empty, nothing inside, and the walls are a bit dirty. If you want to use it, we’ll at least need to repaint and fix it up, maybe add some racks and a counter…”

It hadn’t been easy to get this property back, and she’d already suspected it wouldn’t be in great shape even after reclaiming it.

But she hadn’t expected it to be in such bad condition!

Of course she was upset, but since they’d gotten it back, it was better not to make a fuss.

“A simple renovation should do. With the current weather, two weeks should be enough.” Renovating wasn’t a big deal—finding a place was the hard part. Su Qinghu’s smile was bright and lively. “Since we have our own shop, I can open for business on weekends.”

With their own storefront, there was no rent to worry about—they could do whatever they wanted.

Work six days a week, then leisurely run a business on the weekend. Sit if she wanted, stand if she wanted, pop next door for a snack whenever she felt like it…

Just thinking about it made Su Qinghu feel blissful!

“For a simple renovation, do you know any contractors?” Mrs. Meng asked with a smile. “If not, you can ask your dad later—he knows a lot of people.”

Her father-in-law’s contacts?

Was her mother-in-law subtly trying to help out some retired veterans?

“Then I’ll ask Dad, and I’ll handle the arrangements myself,” Su Qinghu replied, making it clear she wouldn’t expose the two of them and would take care of things herself.

Mrs. Meng understood and nodded with a smile, then changed the subject. “How are you planning to spend next weekend?”

Su Qinghu blinked. “We could go to the countryside together, and then go swimming afterward?”

Mrs. Meng immediately agreed, “Sounds good.”

After replying, she seemed a bit embarrassed by how quickly she’d answered, but then found it funny and said directly, “Ever since I learned to swim with you at the pool last time, I keep thinking about it.”

That’s how it is when you’ve just learned something new.

Su Qinghu smiled. “I was the same way when I first learned.”

“By the way, do you know where you want to go in the countryside?” Mrs. Meng, now at ease, was curious about Su Qinghu’s weekend plans. “Sounds like you already have an idea.”

“Not yet,” Su Qinghu shook her head. “I was thinking of picking some locust flowers, but I don’t know where there are a lot of locust trees.”

Locust trees bloom a bit late in the north, and since spring was slow to warm up this year, with a few late snowfalls, the flowers in the hills outside the city were probably in full bloom now.

“I know!” Erdan immediately raised his hand, slurping the last of his candy before saying, “I’ll take you! I’ve seen lots of grandpas and grandmas near my school carrying home branches full of locust blossoms!”

He’d even secretly picked a couple himself!

They were delicious and sweet!

Su Qinghu ruffled his hair with a smile, then said to Mrs. Meng, “Mom, I’ll look into the route and the area. On Sunday, I’ll come pick you… both of you up?”

She’d almost said just “you,” but quickly added “both” so as not to leave out her father-in-law.

Mrs. Meng said, “It’s too much trouble for your dad to go out. Don’t invite him!”

So bluntly tactful! Su Qinghu chuckled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll come pick you up on the weekend! To avoid mosquito bites, we should all wear long sleeves and pants.”

Just as she finished speaking, the courtyard gate swung open and her father-in-law, Chen Bai, walked in complaining, “Didn’t you say you’d only be out for a little while? That ‘little while’ turned into ages! I’ve been waiting—”

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Su Qinghu, looking awkward and at a loss.

Su Qinghu almost laughed at his embarrassed, flustered expression.

Was this what they called a “social death” moment?

“Dad!” Su Qinghu called out cheerfully. “Mom and I are going to the countryside to pick locust flowers this weekend. Want to come with us?”

She didn’t have any better way to break the awkwardness, so she just picked a random topic, haha.

Chen Bai cleared his throat and said, “I’ll pass. You and your mom go ahead. I’ll arrange a car for you.”

He’d pay for it—no freeloading off the state.

“Dad, you don’t need to arrange a car. I can just rent one. I know people in that business through work, so it’s easy for me to get a car,” Su Qinghu said proudly. “I got my driver’s license, you know.”

Erdan jumped up and hugged Su Qinghu, eyes shining with excitement. “Mom, you can drive now? When did you learn?”

Wow, he thought his mom was so cool! Even cooler than the fashionable women in the movies at the video hall!

Mrs. Meng and Chen Bai were both surprised—they hadn’t expected her to learn to drive in such a short time.

“I learned whenever I had time,” Su Qinghu said, almost dizzy from Erdan’s bouncing. She held his head to steady him before continuing, “From Monday to Saturday, whenever I didn’t have work at noon, I’d go practice. Plus, there are people at work who’ve learned before, so I could ask them if I had questions. It was easy to pick up.”

Erdan looked proud, Mrs. Meng smiled in approval, but only Chen Bai and Dadan looked worried.

Chen Bai glanced at Mrs. Meng, sighed inwardly but kept a gentle expression as he asked Su Qinghu, “So you’re going to drive them to the countryside this weekend?”

Dadan, emboldened by his father’s presence, finally spoke up, “You just learned—I don’t dare ride with you…”"