HUN Chapter 92: Integrating into the McKinley Family

Aliya's due date was at the end of February next year.

After dinner that evening, the two cuddled on the sofa watching a documentary about Montana's magnificent snow scenery on TV.

"Darling, let's go back to Montana for the delivery, okay?"

Aliya stroked her prominently rounded belly, feeling the strong fetal movements of the little lives inside, and said softly.

"Darling, you don't need to worry. Although we're a Mormon family, we're not the extreme kind of Mormons."

Lin Yu'an was momentarily stunned, but then said, "Of course we can!"

"I understand, Aliya, you don't need to worry about me. I can handle the pressure from your family well."

"We can return to the place where you grew up, where there's more open space, and most importantly, where your family is."

Aliya understood in her heart that Lin Yu'an making this decision also took tremendous courage.

This meant he would have to formally face her large and unique family for the first time.

A week later, Lin Yu'an drove his reliable Ford pickup, carrying Aliya on the journey back to Montana.

After days of long-distance travel, when the pickup left the highway and entered that vast, boundless hilly area covered in white snow, Aliya's face showed childlike excitement. She seemed to love snow particularly, becoming especially excited whenever she saw it.

Finally, the pickup stopped in front of a huge mansion filled with western log cabin style.

This was the McKinley family's frontier ranch, the core of the entire family.

As soon as the car stopped, Lin Yu'an saw a scene that quite shocked him.

Under the mansion's porch, it was already filled with people.

Leading them was a man as burly as a brown bear with a thick full beard, who was Aliya's father, Robert.

Behind him stood four elegant women of different temperaments, smiling with eyes full of loving kindness.

Even more eye-catching was that in the open space beside the main house, several heavy pickup trucks also covered in muddy snow were parked.

Sure enough, the moment Lin Yu'an helped Aliya out of the car, from both sides of the main house and from the direction of those pickups, a large group of people emerged!

Those were Aliya's four brothers: Wyatt, Garrett, Bo, and Clay.

Each of them, like their father Robert, was tall and robust.

They didn't come alone either. Behind each of them followed two to three wives, along with a large group of chattering children of various ages!

It turned out that hearing their most beloved little sister Aliya was finally coming home for delivery, these four brothers who had long established their own households and owned their respective businesses in the surrounding area had specially brought all their family members over today.

For a moment, the entire ranch front yard became extremely lively, with dozens of people forming a massive welcome formation.

"Oh! My little sweetheart!"

Robert opened his arms and gave Aliya an extremely careful hug, afraid of bumping her belly.

"Dad! Moms!"

Aliya also excitedly hugged her father and each of the four mothers.

Immediately after, the four brothers and their respective families also gathered around.

"Aliya, you look well!"

Eldest brother Wyatt said in a deep voice, while his two wives behind him also smiled and greeted Aliya.

"The journey must have been tiring, right?"

Second brother Garrett directly started unloading luggage from Lin Yu'an's pickup, while his three wives pulled Aliya's hands, asking about her well-being.

Third brother Bo and fourth brother Clay also brought their families, all talking at once to express their concern.

Lin Yu'an stood calmly to the side, watching this massive yet harmonious family scene. Although he had witnessed it in his previous life, he still felt a sense of strangeness in his heart at this moment.

This was the environment where Aliya grew up.

A closely-knit Mormon extended family composed of multiple small families, centered around strong patriarchal authority.

Here, there were numerous family members, but they were filled with genuine love and strong cohesion for each other.

When Aliya formally introduced Lin Yu'an to her family, dozens of gazes instantly focused on him.

The looks from Robert and the four brothers were full of scrutiny, curiosity, and even a hint of protective wariness for their sister.

The female family members, however, looked at him with more gentle and benevolent eyes.

At dinner time, the huge oak dining table that could accommodate over thirty people was completely filled.

Roasted beef, various vegetable salads, and freshly baked bread made the meal as abundant as a holiday feast.

The entire family of dozens gathered together, with children playing noisily at another small table while adults talked and laughed loudly, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

Lin Yu'an was seated next to Robert, while the four brothers sat across from him, forming an invisible "tribunal."

They took turns questioning Lin Yu'an, from his family background to his experiences in "Alone," and then to his future plans.

Lin Yu'an maintained a respectful but confident attitude throughout, calmly answering every question.

When asked how he would support Aliya and the two children about to be born, he calmly described his current savings and future plans to establish a new home in Alaska.

This confidence and financial capability gradually won the recognition of Robert and the brothers.

Although they were traditional, they most respected true strong men and those with responsibility.

That night, in the guest room prepared for them, Aliya nestled in Lin Yu'an's arms and asked softly, "Darling, were you... okay today? Did my family scare you?"

Lin Yu'An’answered honestly, "Your family... is very powerful."

Aliya giggled, "They're just worried about me. But I can tell they really appreciate you, especially when you talked about future plans."

She paused, then suddenly lifted her head, looking seriously at Lin Yu'an with her light green eyes, and said something completely unexpected.

She said softly, "Darling, we're a Mormon family. You see my father and my brothers, they all have the ability to love and support large families."

"In our faith, the stronger a man's ability, the greater responsibility he bears, and the larger the family he can protect."

"I grew up in such a family environment and clearly understand the pros and cons of this kind of family, so..."

Lin Yu'an was stunned, not understanding why she suddenly brought this up.

Aliya's cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes were unusually honest, "So, darling, I hope our children can also grow up in such a family atmosphere."

"I hope our two children about to be born, and possibly more children in the future, can also receive more care and love!"

"So, I want to tell you, I... I wouldn't mind if you seek other wives in the future to jointly build our family."

"I would even... look forward to other women joining us, understanding our philosophy and respecting our faith."

"As long as you always have a place in your heart for me and the children, that's enough."

Lin Yu'an was completely shocked by Aliya's words.

He had never imagined that Aliya would voluntarily say such things to him.

This was a family marriage concept that transcended worldly notions, stemming from her unique upbringing environment.

"Aliya, I respect your faith. If... I mean if that day really comes, no one could ever replace your position in my heart."

During the week since arriving at the ranch, eldest brother Wyatt had already returned to his farm with his family.

The other three brothers-in-law were still helping Robert with farm work along with their families.

Lin Yu'an didn't consider himself a guest who needed care.

He got up early every day, and while Aliya was still sleeping, he was already helping his father-in-law Robert with various farm tasks.

The industrious and hardworking nature characteristic of Chinese people quickly won initial recognition from this traditional family's in-laws.

He would go to the woodshed, using an axe to chop and stack enough firewood for a day's burning.

"Dad, is this oak more durable for burning than pine?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, he continued splitting along the wood grain. Whether in China or America, when performing well at your father-in-law's house, you must show others what you've done, not just work silently in the background where no one might know you did it.

Lin Yu'an's little strategy was perfectly executed. Did he not know oak burned longer than pine?

Robert saw this and secretly nodded approvingly at this humble, eager-to-learn, and hardworking prospective son-in-law.

Soon after, another opportunity for Lin Yu'an to shine arose.

A small diesel generator on the ranch malfunctioned, frequently stalling with intermittent sound.

The mothers-in-law gathered together, and the brothers-in-law checked for half a day without finding the problem, preparing to call a repairman from town.

Lin Yu'an listened for a while from the side, then stepped forward.

He didn't immediately start working, but first listened carefully to the irregular rumbling sound when the generator was running, mixed with a faint "breathless" feeling.

"From this sound, it seems like unstable fuel supply. The diesel filter might be clogged."

Lin Yu'an made an initial diagnosis based on his mechanical engineering expertise.

With Robert's permission, he found a toolbox and skillfully shut off the fuel line, then disassembled the fuel supply pipeline.

Since there was no replacement filter element, he could only carefully remove it and use kerosene commonly used on the ranch for cleaning mechanical parts to repeatedly flush the inside of the filter element.

He cleaned out as much of the accumulated black oil sludge and debris as possible.

Then he used an air pump to blow-dry the filter element, ensuring no kerosene residue remained before reinstalling it.

When the generator was restarted, the old diesel generator produced a completely different powerful roar from its previous weak sounds.

This professional repair skill made the several mothers-in-law even more satisfied with this "mechanical engineer" son-in-law.

Aliya stayed with her several "mothers."

In the warm living room, they knitted sweaters for the babies about to be born while discussing childcare experiences, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

The four mothers had long been like mothers-in-law looking at their son-in-law, becoming more satisfied the more they looked at this Chinese husband their daughter had chosen.

However, this peaceful pastoral life was completely shattered by an urgent phone call on the evening of the seventh day.

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