The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 374 Winning Over Father-In-Law

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"Did I embarrass you today? Do you think your future father-in-law has quite accepted me?" Liu Banxia asked on their way to the supermarket.

"Who said I’m going to marry you? Dream on, calling him your future father-in-law already," Qiaoqiao said, giving him a pinch.

"Let’s buy a few more pig’s feet. Are you planning on drinking tonight? If you’re worried about tomorrow, don’t force yourself. No one is going to pressure you to drink."

Liu Banxia pinched her nose. "Your father is here, so I have to drink a bit. No more than half a jin should be fine. Let him stay here for a few days to see how we live."

Qiaoqiao scrunched up her nose, feeling a bit troubled.

"In your father’s eyes, this tender little cabbage of yours has been rooted out by this pig. It’s a wonder he hasn’t tried to fight me already," Liu Banxia continued.

"Do me a favor and let me spend more time with your father. If he stays for half a month, I can at least spend two more days with him. I’ll try to take one day off each week, how about that?"

"Stop blabbering. New Year’s Day is almost here; what break are you talking about? Huh? Are these peanuts freshly fried? If they are, let’s get a jin. Let’s get some conches too, and that turbot, the biggest one," Qiaoqiao said, starting to pick out groceries.

Seeing her so enthusiastic, Liu Banxia let her do her thing.

It was evident that even though there was some unspoken friction between Qiao and Old Qiao, she was quite happy about his visit. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t bother with grocery shopping; that was always Liu Banxia’s job.

Today, Liu Banxia was a porter, carrying Doudou and the groceries, looking quite the part.

Even though his muscles were strained, it didn’t affect his ability to do this kind of work. This sort of rough work was no trouble, but he was unsure about performing delicate tasks like holding a scalpel or stitching with a needle tomorrow.

After walking around, Liu Banxia had quite a few bags in his hands. Even Qiaoqiao’s hands were full; she was really into it.

"Looking at the two of you holding Doudou, it’s as if you’re a family of three," Wang Jingxian teased when she took Doudou from them upon their return.

"Heh heh, we’ll work towards that," Liu Banxia said, chuckling.

Even though Qiaoqiao was usually strong-willed, she could only shoot Liu Banxia a glare this time.

Once they got back inside, Doudou wasn’t content just being held. She couldn’t stay still seeing the two dogs on the floor.

It must be said that the two dogs were quite patient, or perhaps they were just very tolerant towards this little human. Whether she was pulling on their ears or tails, they put up with it.

"Uncle, Qiaoqiao picked out all these groceries today; I just pushed the cart," Liu Banxia said as he brought in the groceries.

"Why are you talking so much? Hurry up and wash the vegetables, get to work," Qiaoqiao glared at him, unable to hold back this time.

Comrade Old Qiao was quite pleased looking at the groceries, and his approval of Liu Banxia increased even more. He understood Liu Banxia was pointing out that his daughter truly cared for him—otherwise, she wouldn’t have bought so much.

The three-delicacy dumplings they usually had would get an upgrade today. They would be four-delicacy: pork, egg, shrimp, and leek. This was Qiaoqiao’s decision.

Everyone was busy. Even though they were quite well-off, they were preparing a simple home-cooked meal. They were picking leeks while Liu Banxia was peeling shrimp and mincing meat.

"Brother Qiu, Ming Yuan can take a break on New Year’s Day, right?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Yes, he can take a break, but it’s just a couple of days. Barely enough to do anything. At most, he comes home to spend some time with Doudou, then he disappears again," Qiu Huaili replied.

"This kid is already thinking about going to Binhai University of Technology. I don’t know if he can make it. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to opt for self-funded majors. He even told me that once he’s in university, he’s an adult, and I shouldn’t control him."

"That’s great. Ming Yuan’s self-discipline is strong. I can’t even compare," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"In a few years, when Ming Yuan takes over, you and Sister-in-law can relax. You can spend time with Doudou; she’ll be grown-up by then."

"Haha, this is like passing the baton," Qiu Huaili said happily.

"Uncle, Qiaoqiao mentioned you’re usually very busy, so you should stay here longer this time. You can also thoroughly evaluate her management achievements. After all, Langtaosha and Jinbao are doing quite well now," Liu Banxia added.

"Yes, Old Qiao, stay a while longer. Later, I’ll organize a get-together and round up all the old buddies. We can all have a lively time," Qiu Huaili added.

"In the past, even though we had some friction, it was just how things were. Now that we’re older, there’s not much overlap in our businesses. Do you really plan on staying cooped up in the woods for the rest of your life?"

"Actually, the woods are quite nice. Next time, I’ll have someone from there send you some local mountain delicacies. They taste great when used to stew chicken," Qiao Xuezhi said, glancing carefully at Qiaoqiao, not directly agreeing to their suggestion.

"Uncle, once I finish my work as chief resident and have some vacation time, I’ll visit you up there. Although I live in the north, I’ve never been that far north," Liu Banxia chimed in good-naturedly.

"Despite the cold weather there, it’s quite nourishing. A bit of winter chill strengthens a person. Also, your hospital is quite far from here. Later, have Old Qiu get you an A6L to use for commuting," Qiao Xuezhi suddenly proposed.

Liu Banxia nodded with a wry smile. "Alright, I’ll accept your arrangement."

There was no way to refuse. This was his future father-in-law, whom he had just met. Now that Old Qiao approved of him, this small request was impossible to deny.

Qiaoqiao shot Comrade Old Qiao an approving look. When her father made the request, Liu Banxia wouldn’t dare to argue. If she were the one to buy the car, it really would have been a hassle.

Qiao Xuezhi felt quite helpless himself. But everything was for his daughter’s sake.

Buying a car didn’t cost much, but it would make his daughter happy. Even if they were just boyfriend and girlfriend for now, his daughter’s heart was clearly set on this young man. What could he do?

Even though it was just a car, it carried a lot of weight.

When Liu Banxia agreed, Qiaoqiao was thrilled. When Qiaoqiao was happy, so was Old Qiao. The atmosphere improved substantially as a result.

At the very least, after Qiaoqiao became happy, she would actively converse with Comrade Old Qiao. Even a simple chat would make him extremely joyous.

He had completely surrendered. He had no control anymore; might as well go along with his daughter’s wishes. Besides, Qiu Huaili had praised Liu Banxia extensively. After this shift in perspective, Old Qiao found Liu Banxia much more agreeable to look at.

The dumplings were ready, and the other dishes were almost done. Without checking the time, they decided it was time to eat.

"Banxia, how much can you drink tonight?" Qiu Huaili asked.

"Within half a jin, I think. It’s still early, so there’s plenty of time to sober up overnight," Liu Banxia answered.

"Alright, pace yourself. I don’t dare to drink too much either, and Old Qiao, feel free to drink as you wish," Qiu Huaili continued.

Alcohol at the dinner table can sometimes make or break the mood. Qiu Huaili was worried that Comrade Old Qiao was still uneasy, so he set the tone early.

"Doudou, eat this big piece of fish," Liu Banxia said, serving a large piece of turbot to the little one.

The little one fearlessly grabbed it with her tiny hand and stuffed it into her mouth, enjoying it immensely.

"Is your work usually this busy?" Qiao Xuezhi asked.

"It’s mainly this year, while I’m chief resident, that I’ve been particularly busy. Eventually, I’ll have more free time in the evenings," Liu Banxia quickly replied.

"But being a doctor is a unique profession. We can’t expect to clock out on time; working an extra half hour or an hour is all too common."

"While you’re young, you can work hard. But in the future, you have to give it some thought. You also have to take care of home," Qiao Xuezhi stated.

"Don’t worry, I don’t have any grand aspirations. Being able to do my job at the hospital well and save a few more people is very fulfilling for me," Liu Banxia said.

"Then I’ll try to stay longer. See when your parents have some free time, and have them come over. We can all sit down and chat," Qiao Xuezhi suggested.

"Dad... what are you planning?" Qiaoqiao asked, sounding frustrated.

"What am I planning? I want to finalize things for you two. Hurry up and have a child; it’ll be a nice diversion for you," Qiao Xuezhi stated.

Qiaoqiao was distraught. How had things progressed so quickly?

"I agree completely. You and Banxia aren’t getting any younger. You should be getting married in the next year or two; it can’t be delayed any longer," Qiu Huaili said.

"Okay, I’ll contact my parents when the time comes and have them arrange things at home to come over," Liu Banxia said, surprisingly having no objections.

Seeing Liu Banxia agree so readily, Qiaoqiao pinched him. It’s as if I have no say in the matter! You could have at least pretended to ask me!

And so, the matter was settled. Liu Banxia and Qiaoqiao’s wedding plans were on the fast track.

Neither of them had really given the matter much thought. But now that Qiao Xuezhi, as a parent, had made the suggestion, it had become a matter for both sets of parents to discuss.

It was quite interesting, really. Sometimes, changing one’s perspective could significantly alter one’s opinion.

At first, Comrade Old Qiao was very against Liu Banxia. Now, he found him acceptable. During dinner, seeing Liu Banxia constantly serving fish to Doudou and vegetables to Qiaoqiao, he was even more pleased.

Initially, Old Qiao had suspected Liu Banxia was after his wealth. But after Liu Banxia happily accepted the small matter of the car, he was genuinely pleased.

Basically, his thinking was: I can give it to you, but you can’t be aiming for it.

During dinner, Liu Banxia told everyone some intriguing cases from the hospital, which they found incredibly fascinating.

They had no idea how a hospital operates since there’s an enormous difference between their fields.

Overall, everyone was satisfied with the meal, including Liu Banxia. He could sense a significant improvement in his future father-in-law’s attitude towards him, which felt like a greater success than anything else.