The Mother-in-Law's Gift (Long Chapter)

Many women enjoy getting their hair done because afterward, they feel like a completely different person, experiencing a sense of rebirth and joy—a kind of happiness that men find hard to comprehend when switching between shaved heads, buzz cuts, and crew cuts.

The city before dawn is like a woman who has just had her hair done; she looks quite different from her usual self. Bathed in the quiet and elegant morning light, the hustle and bustle are nowhere to be seen, and all the unsettling impressions are still dormant.

Zhu Juntang also wanted to be different from her usual self, for example, to be a little taller, or to have a large bust that she had never had before.

Zhu Juntang really likes to touch Qin Yanan, ultimately because she herself doesn't have... The fact that there are things in this world that Miss Zhu can't even get is simply a fallacy in this world and should be corrected.

She didn't want to have surgery, fillers, or try all sorts of weird methods. She just wanted to suddenly have it one day, naturally as if it had always been there.

Just like the situation last night.

"I just feel... I'm not really dissatisfied with myself... getting my hair done, you know? It's just occasionally changing my appearance." Zhu Juntang felt that Liu Chang'an must have a solution, but how did she get around to asking?

Being too direct might seem a bit too blunt... This involves a fairy's dignity, which is quite different from immediately becoming obedient when playing around.

Making such a request implies dissatisfaction with oneself. Zhu Juntang has always claimed to be perfect, so making such a request now inevitably risks contradicting herself.

"I can braid your hair, like Xiao Fang's." Liu Chang'an recalled the thick braids, rosy cheeks, and plump thighs of the healthy and lively village girls at the entrance of the village during the labor reform period.

Perhaps Zhu Juntang would be a surprisingly suitable candidate.

"Annoying, I don't like braids." Zhu Juntang's favorite style is just pigtails, a simple and girlish look.

Only twin tails are the eternal symbol of youth.

"What I mean is... I want to make a change, not that I think I'm not perfect enough, but just a little change..." Zhu Juntang coughed lightly, "Can you turn my hallucination into reality?"

After speaking, Zhu Juntang lowered her arm, not even looking at Liu Chang'an, acting as if nothing had happened and that she was just saying it casually, and that she didn't care much about Liu Chang'an's rejection.

"This is quite difficult." Liu Chang'an frowned slightly. It's not like making steamed buns, where a little flour, water, and yeast can be steamed into plump, white buns.

"This is quite difficult for you? You even brought that dead vampire back to life, right?" Although Zhu Juntang didn't know what happened later, she guessed that's how it was. Liu Chang'an wouldn't make a move easily; when he did, it was usually because he was confident of success.

"Well, how should I put it? That vampire, she has the ability to absorb my life force and blood to revive. It's like a pen; you can write by filling it with ink. But you're a pencil. Even if I fill you with my ink, you still can't write. A pencil has to be a pencil; you need a sharpener, you know? You can only write when you're sharpened. Go get a sharpener." Liu Chang'an gave Zhu Juntang the most suitable advice, feeling that she and the 2B pencil, the hardness grade, were quite compatible. For example, the letter 'B' and her bra size, her personality, and even a simple analogy could connect them.

It's not that he's completely without options; for example, he's preparing for An Nuan's big day... but that involves touching An Nuan inappropriately, and An Nuan is his girlfriend, so it's only natural.

He had no intention of touching Zhu Juntang inappropriately. What sense did it make to lay a hand on a sheep? He wasn't Netherlands; he wasn't going to open a sheep brothel or anything.

"I don't want to!" Zhu Juntang had seen videos of breast augmentation surgeries, and they were disgusting. The knife was cutting all over her body, and she was being touched all over. Some of the surgeons were even male. Zhu Juntang would rather be a cute girl for the rest of her life and never have big breasts than have surgery.

"Look at yourself, you can change your appearance, can't you change mine a little? I only need a partial change." Zhu Juntang said stubbornly, she was sure that Liu Chang'an wouldn't have looked like this from ancient times to the present.

"This matter... you could actually ask Su Nanxiu." Liu Chang'an thought for a moment. Using a knife was indeed too low-level. How could it be worthy of Miss Zhu's status? Even if she was just an Immortal Sheep, she still had the title of "fairy".

After a brief pause, Zhu Juntang remembered that Su Nanxiu was his cousin, the genius girl who entered Xiangtan University at the age of 14.

"What's the point of looking for her?" Zhu Juntang hadn't expected this topic and context to be related to Su Nanxiu.

In my memory, Su Nanxi was just a delicate and slender girl. Her figure probably fits the image of an anime girl: a slender waist, legs of similar thickness in the thighs and calves, and a light and graceful figure, like a willow branch dancing in the spring breeze.

Zhu Juntang also admitted that girls like her look good in their fairy dresses, JK uniforms, and even in revealing high-slit cheongsams worn by cosplaying anime characters. But when did Su Nanxiu become associated with the word "breasts"?

"Do you think I'd lie to you?" Liu Chang'an said.

Zhu Juntang looked at Liu Chang'an expressionlessly.

Liu Chang'an cleared his throat. "This time I'm absolutely not lying to you. First, she's a woman, which makes communication and handling this matter very convenient for you. Second, I can guarantee that as long as you convince her, she can grant your wish."

"Really?" Zhu Juntang still looked at Liu Chang'an with suspicion. This old geezer had just tried to fool her into believing that she was sleepwalking and being led around eating grass by the river.

"Really." This time, Liu Chang'an wasn't lying to the child.

Su Nanxiu not only possesses the technology to transplant vampire abilities, but she also controls numerous biological science research institutions, creating monsters such as Peel and Ki.

What is now certain is that much of what Mrs. Karnstein accumulated over the past few centuries has been taken away by Su Nanxiu, including mysterious institutions like the Tesla Biological Research Institute, which are likely under Su Nanxiu's control.

Mrs. Karnstein was under Su Nanxiu's control, which explains why Liu Chang'an's attempt to have Professor Crick a message to Mrs. Karnstein in the Bow Family Realm went unanswered.

If Su Nanxiu were willing, the advanced life science and biotechnology she possessed could probably make breast augmentation for Zhu Juntang much simpler than Liu Chang'an's massage techniques.

"Then I'll give it a try." Zhu Juntang was skeptical.

"Give it a try." Liu Chang'an nodded. He was puzzled as to why Su Nanxiu wasn't jealous of Zhu Juntang. Although he and Zhu Juntang didn't have any romantic relationship, they had quite a bit of contact. Given Su Nanxiu's personality, how could she not be jealous of Zhu Juntang?

Su Nanxiu even genuinely intended to groom Zhu Juntang as her successor. Was it because she had been nurturing him for so long, or had she developed feelings for him?

This is probably why many people have a deeper emotional bond with their pets; it's a similar reason, Liu Chang'an thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

A Maserati Quattroporte drove towards them, circled around a bend, and stopped beside Liu Chang'an and Zhu Juntang.

Zhong Qing got out of the carriage with a cloak and draped it over Zhu Juntang.

A slight chill was felt in the air from the river this morning.

"Why are you here with Miss San so early in the morning?" Zhong Qing wouldn't question Zhu Juntang, but he had some issues with Liu Chang'an. Zhu Juntang was still wearing a very thin white dress. It wasn't like July or August anymore; it was still a bit chilly in the morning.

Moreover, it was Liu Chang'an who called to wake her up. As a senior assistant, he was required to be on call 24/7 with a high salary and income. Since it involved Zhu Juntang, Zhong Qing had no reason not to come over.

"We came out by helicopter last night and haven't gone back." Liu Chang'an glanced at Zhong Qing, who was bare-faced early in the morning. He then realized that she was indeed Bai Hui's cousin. Not only did they look alike in figure, but their faces were also somewhat similar. Perhaps Bai Hui would have a similar temperament and appearance to Zhong Qing when she matured.

"I'm going back to sleep." Zhu Juntang remembered something terrifying. Although she had fainted in the middle of the night, fainting certainly didn't count as sleeping. She hadn't slept all night; what if she got pimples later?

Zhu Juntang wanted Liu Chang'an to sit in the back with her, but Liu Chang'an went to sit in the front passenger seat, because Liu Chang'an had ridden in Zhong Qing's car several times before and always sat in the front passenger seat.

Zhong Qing glanced at Liu Chang'an and Zhu Juntang suspiciously. They hadn't gone home all night? In this desolate place... it was too suggestive. However, Zhong Qing no longer monitored Liu Chang'an and Zhu Juntang's interactions; she was only keeping an eye on them out of concern for her cousin.

Zhong Qing first took Zhu Juntang to Baolong Center. Zhu Juntang did not let Zhong Qing accompany her upstairs and took the elevator back by herself. Zhong Qing then took Liu Chang'an home.

Liu Chang'an got out of the car, Zhong Qing rolled down the window and said to him, "Want to grab a late-night snack sometime?"

"Okay." Liu Chang'an nodded. Although Zhong Qing always got drunk when they ate late-night snacks, they had already eaten together several times. Unlike many girls who wouldn't eat this or that, Zhong Qing was quick to order and never said "whatever," which was something Liu Chang'an appreciated.

Liu Chang'an watched Zhong Qing drive away. It was common for men to drive nice cars, but for women, a beautiful car was more like a delicate ornament, similar to a handbag.

Liu Chang'an didn't go upstairs; he just sat and rested under the sycamore tree.

Holidays should be spent doing nothing, without making any plans, staying wherever you want, and measuring the length of leisurely days by waiting for the three meals a day.

"Dan Dan?" Liu Chang'an called out towards the door of the storage room.

He just called out casually, but unexpectedly the door opened a crack again, and Shangguan Dandan's eyes peeked out from the crack.

Seeing that Liu Chang'an's expression suggested it was just a casual remark and nothing serious, Shangguan Dandan gently closed the door again.

"Would you like some meat buns?" Liu Chang'an asked.

The door opened a crack again, and Shangguan Dandan was still peeking out from behind it.

"If you want to eat the meat buns from last night, come out. We'll go upstairs to Zhou Dongdong's house to eat later." Liu Chang'an remembered that Zhou Shuling had made dozens of these meat buns... He couldn't understand why she made so many at once, but she did.

After receiving Liu Chang'an's approval, she will definitely make more of these meat buns. With Shangguan Dandan, who doesn't seem to have a big appetite, it will definitely be enough.

"Aren't you going to cook for me?" Shangguan Dandan looked at Liu Chang'an with a puzzled expression.

"It was invented by Zhou Shuling; she made many of them."

"Zhou Shuling..." Shangguan Dandan recalled for a moment, quite satisfied with Zhou Shuling's understanding of "the way of serving one's husband," "but she's not my daughter-in-law."

"Having breakfast has nothing to do with whether she's your daughter-in-law or not?" Liu Chang'an couldn't understand her thought process. "Wait... your only daughters-in-law are Xu Pingjun, Huo Chengjun, and Madam Wang, and they're all dead."

Shangguan Dandan muttered a couple of things under his breath, then opened the door a little wider.

"You'll need to come out from time to time, and more people will get to know you. I need to come up with an identity for you." Liu Chang'an considered for a moment. "You should understand now that for someone as grown up as me, for you to claim to be my mother, or even my stepmother, is utterly absurd. People will think my father is a pervert, and they might even call the police."

"Then... if you hadn't been adopted by me, what would our relationship be? Oh, you're Fifth Brother's son, so you should call me... um... call me Aunt. You can just tell everyone I'm your aunt."

"Is there a difference? Then my uncle is a pervert."

"Then... then... you can just tell everyone that I'm your aunt." Shangguan Dandan remembered a novel she had read and nodded to indicate that she agreed.

"Do you really have to be a generation above me?" Liu Chang'an couldn't help but laugh. This little girl was truly ignorant of her own limitations; she was the only one in all those years who insisted on being a generation above him.

"This is how I want it." Shangguan Dandan pushed open the door and walked out with her hands on her hips.

She looked up at the sky, where sunlight streamed obliquely through the scattered high-rise buildings. The cool morning air made her involuntarily sniff, then she squinted and lowered her gaze to look at Liu Chang'an sitting under the sycamore tree.

"Then forget it... I'll just say you're my relative." Liu Chang'an thought for a moment, then decided not to bother with the matter anymore.

Shangguan Dandan was somewhat displeased. She straightened her long sleeves with both hands and didn't pursue the matter further. "What did you do last night?"

I found a vampire.

"Is she another one of my daughters-in-law?" Shangguan Dandan asked worriedly, stroking Liu Chang'an's hair. "You've brought back so many daughters-in-law, it's going to be a huge headache for me!"

"First, that's not your daughter-in-law. Second, who asked you to bother? Don't worry about things unnecessarily. Spend your time learning some modern common sense," Liu Chang'an said irritably.

"How could I not be bothered?" Shangguan Dandan put her hands on her hips, her expression brightening with excitement as she recalled the incident. "It was just like last time. Qin Yanan and Su Nanxiu were practically tearing each other apart, like they were fighting tooth and nail. Luckily, I was there."

"They're tearing each other apart?" Liu Chang'an doubted the accuracy of her description. He was certain that Su Nanxiu and Qin Yanan disliked each other, and if they could curse each other to disappear forever, they would probably do so. However, both of them came from prestigious families, and it was certain that they would be ruthless in their words. But to tear each other apart? To fight like shrewish women?

Shangguan Dandan nodded vigorously, "I was the one who broke up the fight. If they weren't afraid of me, their mother-in-law, they would have definitely fought like a catastrophe."

Liu Chang'an looked at Shangguan Dandan with suspicion.

Shangguan Dandan was somewhat angry. How could he not believe it? Did he really think the harem could be a harmonious place? Wasn't it common knowledge that people frequently died in the harem?

"Guan Guanju Zhou, on the river's islet. A fair maiden, a gentleman's ideal... A fair maiden, he befriends her with zither and lute. The watercress grows thick and thin, gathered to the left and right. A fair maiden, he delights her with bells and drums." Shangguan Dandan read aloud a poem, "Guanju," and said earnestly to Liu Chang'an, "Ordinary people think that love between men and women is nothing more than mutual pleasure, but do you not understand the true meaning of this poem, 'Guanju,' the true meaning that it deserves to be ranked first among the three hundred poems?"

Liu Chang'an understood that Shangguan Dandan's interpretation was different. She was reading the poem from the perspective of an empress dowager, turning it into a poem about the feelings, standards, and expectations of a harem leader when selecting suitable concubines for the emperor.

It also contains what she believes to be the essence of a harmonious and stable harem. Her interpretation is also pointing out to Liu Chang'an that these women lack "the harmony of zither and lute" and cannot achieve the harmonious state of "the joy of bells and drums".

"Empress Dowager, you're really meddling in other people's business. I don't have a harem. I only have one girlfriend, An Nuan. Naturally, I'll be with her in perfect harmony." Liu Chang'an waved his hand. "Fine, you can play the harem game with Qin Yanan and Su Nanxiu if you want, just don't drag my An Nuan into it, thank you."

"It's that one..." Shangguan Dandan tiptoed, trying to raise her hand to show An Nuan's height, "She seems to have a terrible relationship with Qin Yanan too, she's such a worry."

Seeing that Shangguan Dandan wasn't listening at all and was still worrying about how An Nuan and Qin Yanan were two disharmonious daughters-in-law, Liu Chang'an was too lazy to care. Let her worry if she wants; she has nothing better to do anyway, as long as she doesn't go around giving away white silk or poisoned wine.

Just then, Zhou Dongdong ran downstairs, stopped abruptly at Liu Chang'an's door, his toes bracing against the threshold, and turned to see Liu Chang'an sitting under the sycamore tree. He then skipped and hopped back downstairs.

"Sister Egg, come play with me!" Zhou Dongdong looked at Shangguan Dandan expectantly.

"I've come to eat your meat buns." Shangguan Dandan reached out and touched her lower abdomen.

"Okay!" Zhou Dongdong patted her tummy. "How about we have a contest to see who can eat the most?"

I definitely can't beat you.

Shangguan Dandan elegantly modest, and Zhou Dongdong nodded earnestly.

"I'm hungry, have you had any steamed buns yet?" Liu Chang'an looked up and shouted upstairs.

"Got it! Come and eat!" Zhou Shuling's voice floated over, apparently from the kitchen.

Liu Chang'an took the two little girls upstairs.

Zhou Shuling filled a bowl the size of a washbasin with her mother's homemade meat buns. There were only three sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, along with a large bowl of light winter melon and snail soup, a large pot of milk, and a bowl of fresh, green grapes.

"Add another set of bowls and chopsticks," Liu Chang'an said.

"Okay." Zhou Shuling immediately went to get a set of bowls and chopsticks, and said to Liu Chang'an with a reproachful tone, "You should have told us earlier if we had guests. It's so impolite."

When it comes to meals, it's always the most hospitable and thoughtful thing to prepare bowls and chopsticks for the guests beforehand. Adding bowls and chopsticks later is always a bit awkward, so Zhou Shuling's complaint is justified.

"Sister Egg, let me pour you some milk!" Zhou Dongdong said enthusiastically, reaching out to grab the large jug filled with milk.

"I'll do it, I'll do it, you go eat yours." Zhou Shuling hurriedly shooed Zhou Dongdong away, knowing that if she came to pour the milk, either the kettle would fall on the ground or the milk would spill on someone else.

Zhou Dongdong, having found nothing to do, grabbed a meat bun and stuffed it into Liu Chang'an's mouth.

"Thank you." Shangguan Dandan expressed her appreciation to Zhou Shuling in a gentle tone.

"She's my relative, and she's currently living in the storage room I used to live in," Liu Chang'an said to Zhou Shuling.

"Don't you have any rooms downstairs?" Zhou Shuling asked, puzzled.

"This is my arrangement."

Why did you arrange it this way?

"Let's go get something to eat." Liu Chang'an pointed to the opposite side, gesturing for Zhou Shuling to sit down.

Zhou Shuling muttered a couple of times, and although she didn't quite understand, she didn't say anything more. This man sometimes didn't like to explain things after he assigned them, acting as if you wouldn't understand even if I told you, which was really annoying.

Zhou Dongdong has started eating meat buns because this is the only delicious food her mother has made recently. So Zhou Dongdong is giving it her all in the competition with Shangguan Dandan.

"Do you want some soup?" Shangguan Dandan asked Liu Chang'an.

Zhou Shuling felt something was off. When Shangguan Dandan asked that question, she seemed to have glanced at her, so she quickly served Liu Chang'an and Shangguan Dandan a bowl of soup. "Have some soup. Eating only steamed buns is too dry."

"Have some too, thank you for your hard work." Shangguan Dandan was quite satisfied with Zhou Shuling, and took out a piece of jade, placing it in front of Zhou Shuling. "I'll be bothering you again in the future. I don't have any money, can this be used as payment for my meal?"

Zhou Shuling was taken aback. This didn't sound like polite talk. They'd already brought out the gifts, but how could she accept them? She quickly shook her head. "Look at what you're saying! Chang'an and I are never polite. Since you're his relative and living here, we're all family now. What's with all this talk of bothering you? I can't accept this."

"How could I possibly accept that?" Shangguan Dandan felt she needed to be careful about the boundaries, after all, Zhou Shuling wasn't exactly a daughter-in-law yet, and she couldn't just freeload as a mother-in-law. "How about I have Chang'an give you some money?"

"That would be too formal." Zhou Shuling shook her head repeatedly; this was even more unacceptable.

"Take it. It's just a broken stone with some carvings. You can string it on a rope and wear it for fun. Look at your long neck, all bare, like the goose I brought back last time. It's perfect for hanging something on it," Liu Chang'an said with a smile.

"My neck... my neck..." Zhou Shuling was too embarrassed to argue in front of Shangguan Dandan that her neck was quite pretty. Did she think that a thick and short neck was more attractive?

"Just accept it, the jade color suits your skin tone well," Liu Chang'an advised again.

Seeing Liu Chang'an's slightly furrowed brow and serious expression, Zhou Shuling had no choice but to accept it reluctantly. She wanted to be polite for a while, but Liu Chang'an might scold her for being long-winded.

The jade was warm and smooth to the touch. Zhou Shuling didn't know much about jade, but she felt that the color and texture were extremely exquisite and beautiful. It was definitely not some cheap stone with a simple carving that Liu Chang'an had described. This must be worth a thousand yuan.

Zhou Shuling thought to herself, "I need to cook more delicious food for this little girl."

Liu Chang'an and Zhou Shuling finished eating first, and then they found that Zhou Dongdong had also finished eating. Only Shangguan Dandan was still slowly stuffing small bites into her little mouth at the table.

"She looks so beautiful eating, she seems to enjoy her food so much, and she's so refined and gentle." Zhou Shuling whispered enviously in Liu Chang'an's ear, "She's such a pretty girl, beautiful no matter what. I wish Zhou Dongdong were like that... But she's just like you, a grown man, eating like a pig digging for food."

"Who are you calling a pig scrambling for food? You can scold Zhou Dongdong all you want, but you're dragging me into this." Liu Chang'an got up and found some red braiding rope under the TV cabinet.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Shuling asked.

Liu Chang'an twisted out a hanging rope, and Zhou Shuling, seeing the exquisite and neat weaving pattern on it, understood what he was going to do, and couldn't help but feel happy.

As soon as Liu Chang'an reached out, Zhou Shuling immediately took out the jade. Liu Chang'an strung it on, made a slipknot, and handed it to Zhou Shuling.

Zhou Shuling put the jade around her neck, glanced softly at Liu Chang'an, feeling as if it were a gift from him, then swayed her hips wildly before happily running to look in the mirror.

"It looks so good." After looking in the mirror, Zhou Shuling squatted down in front of Liu Chang'an like she was showing off a treasure. "Look, it looks especially good."

Zhou Dongdong walked over and glanced at it, then walked away without any interest. Her mother was really strange; she had never been this happy when eating something delicious. What was so great about having a stone hanging around her neck? She used to scold Zhou Dongdong when he collected many stones from the river sand and filled his schoolbag.

After finishing her meal, Shangguan Dandan wiped her lips and said to Zhou Shuling, "I'm done eating. Please clean up."

Zhou Shuling hurriedly went to clear the table; having just received such an expensive gift, she was very proactive in doing things.

"How can you eat so much?" Liu Chang'an was a little surprised. Even Zhou Dongdong couldn't eat as much... Luckily, he and Zhou Shuling opened a restaurant together, and the income is not bad now.

"If you haven't eaten for two thousand years, isn't it normal to eat more?" Shangguan Dandan said dismissively. Eating isn't about eating less to be elegant and graceful; the key is how you eat.

That makes a lot of sense, Liu Chang'an nodded, no longer worrying about whether she would have stomach problems or anything like that.

"Sister Egg, you're amazing!" Zhou Dongdong was shocked and sincerely admired a girl who could eat even more than her for the first time. This admiration had only ever been felt when she saw Chang'a Zhou Dongdong perform magic tricks.

"Thank you." Shangguan Dandan said reservedly, then glanced at the box of building blocks next to Zhou Dongdong's bottom. "Dongdong, let's play with this!"

"Okay!" Zhou Dongdong was very happy because apart from occasionally having Brother Chang'an play with building blocks with her, there was no one else to play with.

Liu Chang'an sat to the side, watching Shangguan Dandan and Zhou Dongdong play with building blocks together, and then went into the kitchen to watch Zhou Shuling busy around.

"What?" Zhou Shuling turned around and smiled.

"I may be quite casual in my speech, but you truly are a good woman." Liu Chang'an smiled back. "I'm always troubling you."

Liu Chang'an usually doesn't care what he does for others, but since he keeps troubling them, he feels he must formally express his gratitude. He can let it go on his own, but now there's also Shangguan Dandan on his meals.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so serious? I'm scared." Zhou Shuling looked at Liu Chang'an with some concern.

"It's nothing, you silly woman." Liu Chang'an patted Zhou Shuling on the head and walked out.

He started swearing again... Zhou Shuling felt a bit more normal. She just thought, "It would be better if he kept bothering me. What would I do if he stopped bothering me one day?"