met free Chapter 1881 When Husband and Wife are of One Mind, Their Strength Can Break Gold
Chapter 1881 When Husband and Wife are of One Mind, Their Strength Can Break Gold
After seeing Shangguan Wuji off, Li Xiangnan did not linger in the courtyard. The composure he had shown towards Shangguan Wuji quickly faded, replaced by a calm sharpness.
He turned and went back into the house, first taking a look inside.
Qin Ruobai had just finished feeding Xitang when her grandmother, Tang Qingshuang, took the baby from her.
"Someone just came by? Shangguan Wuji?" Qin Ruobai straightened her clothes, got up, and came out.
Li Xiangnan hummed in agreement, then closed the door behind him. As he went to pour hot water for his wife, he chuckled and said, "Grandma coughed inside just now. Did you tell her to?"
Qin Ruobai gave him a coquettish look, covered her mouth, and said knowingly, "What do you think? When they came, Grandma wanted to go out and say hello, but I wrote a few words in her palm, and Grandma smiled... I know what these people want without you having to tell me... When they were about to leave, I had Grandma cough on purpose..."
"Haha!" Li Xiangnan gave a thumbs up, praising his wife's quick wit. "My wife is so smart, absolutely brilliant, a stroke of genius!"
Qin Ruobai smiled and hugged her husband's arm, saying shyly, "Don't praise me. You're the smarter one. You knew we were doing it on purpose, and you even pretended that my grandmother was inside. Although it was true, Shangguan Wuji thought you were covering it up, and you didn't mean to introduce her to him at all... So, if it's not our Huanying's grandmother in the house, then it is!"
Li Xiangnan playfully pinched his wife's nose and laughed heartily, "What do you call this? This is what you call 'when husband and wife are of one mind, their strength can move mountains'! We're so in sync! Haha!"
Seeing her husband in such a good mood, Qin Ruobai became quite understanding and pushed him towards the phone, saying, "Alright, alright, you probably still have a lot to do, so I won't bother you anymore. Go ahead and do your work! I'm going to go to bed with Xitang!"
"Ok!"
Li Xiangnan did indeed need today's information, but even more so, he needed to make meticulous preparations for the upcoming open banquet and covert scheme.
The arrival of Shangguan Wuji, the chain reaction triggered by Grandma's fake cough, and Grandpa Li Dequan's timely appearance and intimidation all convinced Li Xiangnan that this play had to be performed well, and it had to be performed big enough that all the hidden fish couldn't help but surface.
After a few phone calls, Wang Defa and Song Ziming arrived quickly, and the three of them gathered together in the grandfather's small house across the street.
“Defa, Zimo,” Li Xiangnan opened the simple courtyard layout he had hand-drawn in his notebook, his expression solemn. “The full moon celebration is on the sixth day of next month, and there are less than twenty days left. The situation is more complicated than we expected.”
He immediately recounted in detail Shangguan Wuji's probing attempt, leaving the two of them utterly shocked.
"Damn, that old bastard actually dared to come to our door! Little Li, we need to think carefully about how to use the full moon celebration to lure him in!"
"Yes, I really didn't expect that as soon as we announced our full moon celebration, the first competitor to come knocking would be Shangguan Wuji. This fish is quite big!"
Facing the two of them, Li Xiangnan also expressed his concerns without reservation.
"With Xitang's birth, many people will assume that my grandmother, Mu Huanying, has returned to the capital! They will definitely keep testing the Li family to find evidence that my grandmother is here. Shangguan Wuji is a typical example! I thought before that instead of passively dealing with these things, it would be better to use the full moon celebration to deter those rats in the dark! However, basic security must still be guaranteed. There will be so many guests, so safety must be guaranteed at least!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Defa patted his chest and said, "Xiang Nan, you can rest assured about that. Didn't you say before that Brother Yuejin and Squad Leader Hao both agreed to contact a few reliable comrades to come over? Yang Weidong and I have also called over a few comrades we can contact. They will be there to help out, and they will also blend into the crowd. We'll have people in the front, middle, and back courtyards to ensure that we can defend all three courtyards to the maximum extent. With Brother Yuejin and Squad Leader Hao guarding the two passes at the front and back, there shouldn't be any problem with safety!"
Upon further reflection, Li Xiangnan realized that the basics had indeed been achieved.
Song Ziming added, "Our Song family will handle the patrols of the outer streets and any emergencies! They can patrol the perimeter without entering the courtyard, and if they find any suspicious persons or vehicles, they will report it to me through special channels immediately! During this period, the Song family has already eliminated quite a few hidden agents. Although we don't know who is watching the Li family, clearing them out repeatedly will ensure our safety!"
Li Xiangnan patted him on the shoulder and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your hard work!"
"In addition, my sister asked me to tell you that the ingredients and drinks you need will be procured and distributed through trusted channels of the Song family to ensure clean sources and prevent anyone from tampering with them!"
As expected of his right-hand men, Li Xiangnan was very satisfied with this arrangement. There were some things he didn't need to say; they would take care of everything for him.
"I'll double-check the guest list. We also need to secretly observe the recipients' reactions to the invitations we send out!" Li Xiangnan pointed to the notebook. "Defa, you'll be in charge of overall coordination on-site. Zimo, you'll be responsible for external information communication. I'd also like to request a few plainclothes officers to provide support further out on Captain Guo's side. But we should try to handle the internal matters ourselves!"
"Understood!" the two replied in unison.
After arranging the security framework, Li Xiangnan turned his attention to the banquet itself.
In the 1980s, when resources were scarce, it was no easy task to hold a large-scale full moon celebration.
This is not only a test of financial resources, but also a great test of interpersonal skills and organizational abilities.
Putting everything else aside, the source of the food for this banquet is a huge problem.
Without the Song family's help, Li Xiangnan would have had to trace the source of everything and find a way to get money from the black market to exchange for tickets.
"Mom, Grandma, have you decided on the menu for the full moon celebration?" Li Xiangnan quickly found his mother, Zhu Qiuju, and Ruobai's grandmother, Jiang Guiying.
Zhu Qiuju took out a notebook filled with dense pencil writing. "It's almost done. Your Grandma Jiang and I have studied it carefully. We'll follow the rules of old Beijing and our hometown in Nanwan. Take a look at the menu!"
Li Xiangnan looked at it carefully.
Four Happiness Meatballs, Braised Fish, and Stewed Pork Knuckle are all hearty dishes chosen for their auspicious meaning.
There are plenty of ingredients, such as cucumber salad, eggplant with minced garlic, and stir-fried mixed vegetables, which are simple and affordable. The staple foods are rice and steamed buns.
"The menu is good, but the portions need to be generous. We're all friends and family coming, so we can't let them think we're stingy! Buy the meat, eggs, and vegetables we need. I'll withdraw the money tomorrow. You can coordinate with Song Yi and the others. Zi Mo said the Song family is coming to buy these things, and they're reliable and trustworthy. They can pay a deposit first to have them prepared. You'll be in charge of coordinating that. As for the miscellaneous tasks like washing vegetables, cutting, and serving dishes, De Fa will find help from the courtyard and the neighbors!"
Jiang Guiying couldn't stop smiling. "Xiang Nan is so thoughtful! Don't worry, leave the kitchen to us, and we guarantee everyone who comes will rave about it!"
With the food issue resolved, the remaining tasks of furnishing tables, chairs, pots, and pans still needed to be taken care of. Li Xiangnan lit a cigarette at the doorway and then prepared to have a meeting with his father and neighbors Xu Damao, He Dashuang, and Yuan Zhencheng.
As soon as they reached the door, they heard a series of orderly footsteps clattering in the front yard.
An anxious voice rang out: "Doctor Li... Is Doctor Li here? Which one of you is Doctor Li?"
"..."
Li Xiangnan frowned as he looked at it, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
A dozen or so men in long gowns were carrying a huge bed into the courtyard when they were blocked by the hanging flower gate of the rear building, and they were about to dismantle the gate.
Seeing this, Li Xiangnan's heart skipped a beat.
What's going on? Such a big fuss!