“Aren’t you…?”
Shi Xuebin stopped walking and looked intently at Tang Hao.
Next to him, his wife, Wang Guifen also stopped walking and stared at Tang Hao. She also felt that the person looked incredibly familiar.
Shi Xuebin’s body was well-built. He wore a trim business suit which looked expensive. Wang Guifen was dressed rather trendily. Her bright red high heels and the fur trimmings on her clothes were extremely eye-catching.
Her lipsticks matched her high heels and she looked very fashionable.
These two people were from a different world than his first uncle and aunt.
Second Uncle and Second Aunt dressed to show off, while First Uncle and First Aunt were simple and down-to-earth.
Tang Hao could not find their village roots on Second Uncle and Second Aunt anymore.
‘They’re city folk now!’ Tang Hao mocked them in his heart.
“Ah!” Shi Xuebin exclaimed abruptly when he figured out who that person was. “You’re… Tang Hao?”
Then, his expression became incredulous.
The boy had changed a lot since he last saw him a few years ago.
He was more curious about why that boy was in Provincial City, not to mention that they met in the police station.
“Tang Hao?” Wang Guifen was taken aback.
“Oh!” She exclaimed and put on a condescending look on her face.
She remembered that Tang Hao was Shi Caifeng’s son, a poor kid from the mountains.
They were relatives, but the couple would rather not be related to him. They looked down upon their poor relations.
In her eyes, poor relatives were a hassle. What would they do other than ask them for money and favors?
Tang Hao noticed the condescension in her eyes.
He chuckled up his sleeve again.
‘Second Aunt is just the same as before! She’s materialistic and petty. She was born in a mountain village, yet she looks down upon people who shared her origins. She even finds it shameful.’
“You’re really Tang Hao?” Second Uncle asked as though he could not believe it.
Tang Hao furrowed his brows, then greeted them, “Second Uncle! Second Aunt!”
“Oh, it’s really him!” Second Aunt said condescendingly while blowing air from her nose.
Second Uncle was surprised. “It’s really you! No wonder I thought that you looked familiar. Right, why are you in Provincial City? Are you attending college here?”
Second Aunt laughed. “What are you saying, Xuebin? How can he afford to study in college? College fees are so expensive now. How can their family afford it?” She said mockingly.
As she spoke, her expression became condescending.
She knew that Tang Hao was poorer than most villagers. Caifeng had passed away when the boy was very young, and his father had also passed away a few years ago. His household should be very poor, so how could he afford the college fees?
‘He must be in Provincial City for work! He should be working as a lowly laborer somewhere!’
In her eyes, poor people like Tang Hao were the same as trash. If she could, she would rather cut all ties with her poor relatives.
Tang Hao’s brows furrowed when he heard that. Even Second Uncle looked uneasy.
He did not mind if his wife said that in private, but Tang Hao was nonetheless his younger sister’s son. It was not very appropriate to say that in front of his face.
“Guifen!” He said softly.
“Why? Did I say something wrong?” Second Aunt said angrily. “He doesn’t look like a college student! He’s destined to work menial jobs for the rest of his life. I say, Xuebin, let’s not waste any more time here.
“We meet him at the police station. I wonder if he committed a crime or got himself into some trouble!”
As Second Aunt spoke, she tried pulling Second Uncle away from the scene.
Second Uncle hesitated and was pulled for some distance.
He indeed looked down upon Tang Hao, but Tang Hao was nonetheless his relative.
He stopped walking after a while. “Guifen, we don’t get to meet him often. Let’s invite him too!”
Second Aunt nearly exploded in anger when she heard that.
“What? Invite him? You must be joking. You’re only losing face if you invite him! You should know who will be in attendance, right?
“You’ve already invited several poor relatives. Isn’t that enough? Must you invite another one? What happens if we lose face because of them?” Second Aunt shrieked.
Tang Hao’s face darkened instantly.
Second Aunt’s words were tactless, as though she was somehow superior just because she moved to the city!
“Guifen, we’ve already invited several relatives, so what’s wrong with inviting one more? Furthermore, it’s a tradition to invite our relatives to a wedding,” Second Uncle said with some difficulty.
“Hmph!” Second Aunt glared at him. “Whatever. We’ve invited several anyway, and I don’t really care if there’s one more!”
Second Uncle breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Tang Hao.
“Lil Hao, your cousin brother’s wedding banquet is in three days. You should come!”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows and prepared to decline the invitation.
Second Aunt did not want him to come anyway, so he was not going to humiliate himself!
“Dazhu will be coming too!” Second Uncle added.
Tang Hao was surprised, and he hesitated upon his original decision.
He thought about it for a bit, then nodded and replied, “Alright!”
“Ha! You sound like you don’t want to come! You don’t need to come then, Everyone will be happier that way!” Second Aunt said mockingly.
“That’s enough, Guifen!” Second Uncle said.
Second Aunt grunted. “I say, Tang Hao, if you’re coming, then you’d better behave. Many of the guests are either rich people or figures of authority.
“Provincial City is very different from the mountain village you’re from. Don’t do anything shameful.”
“Remember, Lil Hao, the wedding banquet is in three days. It’ll start at noon at Grand Paragon Restaurant. You’ll find the banquet hall once you arrive there,” Second Uncle said.
Tang Hao nodded and said, “Got it!”
“Alright, see you then!”
Then, the couple turned around and left immediately.
Tang Hao stood there. He was not very happy. He would rather not attend the banquet if not that Brother Dazhu would be attending.
“Well, whatever! I’ll just treat it as having lunch and take the opportunity to meet up with Bro Dazhu!” Tang Hao muttered.
Brother Dazhu had been living in town ever since he married. He was usually busy at work. It was a good opportunity to catch up with each other.
“In three days?”
Tang Hao had planned to attend a week of classes, then return to Westridge District. With the wedding banquet, he had to stay in Provincial City for a few more days.
“I gotta tell Sis Xiangyi!” He immediately took his phone and dialed Qin Xiangyi’s number.
They chatted intimately for a while, then Tang Hao ended the call, went to claim his car, and returned to his apartment.
No more police officers came looking for trouble in the next few days.
The matter of Gao Wenqiang’s disappearance was discussed in college for the next few days and was eventually forgotten.
Teacher Jiang had been worried, but she soon felt relieved.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. It was the day of the banquet.
