Chapter 243 - 240: November 26

Chapter 243: Chapter 240: November 26

Seeing Li Xiu look embarrassed in front of her for once, Zhou Lian had wanted to tease him. But after hearing his words, she found herself at a loss. In their past lives, neither of them had had it easy, but she never imagined Li Xiu and Ping’an shared such a profound connection.

"Bao’er, don’t dwell on it. We have it good now. As for Ping’an... in our last life, he told me his biggest regret was not listening to his parents when he was young and failing to prop up the Ping Family. When I met him at the Ping residence in this life, I didn’t think much of it. But then Mrs. Ping entrusted him to me, and it made me think. In our last life, even when he was down on his luck, he still tried to counsel a complete stranger. He has a good character. Add to that Elder Ping’s patronage and the Ping Family’s connection to my master, and I decided to try and change his course, just to see how far he could go. I just never imagined we’d end up here!" Li Xiu said with a hint of resignation.

She gently patted the arm wrapped around her. "Jin Chen, don’t overthink it. We’re luckier than most people. It’s like this life is a stolen gift. So just do what you want to do. What is there to fear? I’m always here for you!"

He kissed her tenderly. He didn’t say thank you; the two of them were one now, and he had no desire for sappy words. They were beyond that. Softly, he said, "Bao’er, I’ve already had those girls discreetly vetted—their temperaments, character, and family ties. You don’t need to worry so much. We’ll just let that little rascal Ping’an choose for himself. Whoever he fancies, she’s the one. Besides, Mrs. Ping will be there to give her final approval. Nothing will go wrong!"

"Okay, let’s get some sleep," Zhou Lian said softly, stifling a yawn. She was tired. It was the end of the year, and everywhere was busy—the school was no exception.

「Time passed quickly.」 On the day of Nuonuo’s birthday, a Saturday, everyone who worked or went to school was home. The courtyard was already bustling with activity first thing in the morning. Although a ball was planned for the evening, Li Xiu and Zhou Lian figured it would mostly be a social event for the adults. They wanted to have a proper celebration for Nuonuo at noon—a birthday with just the family.

Right after breakfast, Li Bao showed up with his wife and kids. Not long after, Wang Dongfang, Wei Guo, and Liu Qiang—the three older, single guys—arrived as well, each carrying a gift for Nuonuo. Zhang Hongying came through the door right on their heels, clutching a pile of things. The moment she saw Zhou Lian, she said, "Now don’t you start nagging me. I didn’t get these. Wang Song had someone send them back for Nuonuo’s birthday! He’s too busy and couldn’t make it, so these are from him."

"Zhang Hongying, seriously? Selling out your husband like that. You’re some wife to Wang Song, all right!" Wang Xiaojuan shot back irritably, curling her lip. ’This woman always throws her husband under the bus whenever she does something she’s afraid will make Zhou Lian mad.’

Zhang Hongying shot Wang Xiaojuan a look and retorted without missing a beat, "You’re welcome to try selling out your husband too, Wang Xiaojuan. Except with that brain of yours, you’re so thoroughly under your Li Bao’s thumb that you’ll probably never get the upper hand in this lifetime. You might as well just accept your fate!"

Watching the two women, both nearly thirty, start squabbling like children the moment they met, Zhou Lian couldn’t be bothered to intervene. ’Ever since Li Bao’s wife arrived in the Capital City, she and Zhang Hongying have been seeing each other a lot at the house. I just can’t figure those two out. You can’t say they’re not close—if something happens to one of them, the other gets worried sick. But you can’t say they *are* close, either, because they just trade barbs like this every time they meet. The children are more mature than the two of them.’

Just as Mrs. Ping and Ping’an came through the gate, they were greeted by the boisterous scene in the courtyard. Mrs. Ping smiled and said, "In the dead of winter, too. Aren’t you all cold? Why not stay inside?"

Seeing her, the group hurried forward with greetings. Zhou Lian went to Mrs. Ping’s side and took her by the arm. "Aunt Zhou, quickly, come inside and sit down. Don’t pay them any mind, they just have too much time on their hands. I’ll find something for them to do in a minute!"

Sister Fang watched as Zhou Lian led Mrs. Ping to the sitting room. Zhang Hongying and Wang Xiaojuan followed them in, arm-in-arm with Mrs. Zhou. Sister Fang quietly brewed some tea and served it to them. After a moment, she also washed some fruit, arranged a few plates of snacks, and carried it all in on a large tray.

Li Xiu watched Zhou Lian lead everyone inside, then turned to Mr. Zhou. "Father-in-law, there’s no wind today and it isn’t too cold. Would you like to take the children for a walk in the garden?"

Mr. Zhou looked up at the warm sun and nodded happily. It had been cold and windy for the past few days, and his family had been keeping him from strolling in the garden. ’But since my son-in-law says it’s okay, then it must be fine!’

Everyone watched as Mr. Zhou led Zhou Huaitai, Zhang Yizhen, Nuonuo, Yanyan, and Li Bao’s two children off toward the garden, sighing to themselves about how the old man really couldn’t sit still.

"Hey, is it really okay for Uncle Zhou to be in the garden? I thought Zhou Lian banned him from going out there," Li Bao asked, a little worried.

Li Xiu smiled. "It’s fine. We’ve kept him cooped up for more than ten days, it’s about time to let him stretch his legs. We can’t keep him on such a tight leash all the time. Today’s not too cold and the sun is out. He’ll be fine!"

The men stood around chatting in the courtyard. Li Xiu glanced at the time, then said with a wicked grin, "Today’s my little girl’s birthday. As her uncles, aren’t you going to, you know... contribute something?"

Wang Dongfang, Wei Guo, and Liu Qiang shot Li Xiu a collective death glare. Wang Dongfang snapped, "Li Xiu, could you be any more shameless? You’re years younger than us! It was bad enough you tricked us into calling you ’Big Bro,’ but now you have the nerve to make your daughter call us ’Uncle’?"

"Why would I be? You’re the ones who insisted on calling me ’Big Bro.’ So it’s perfectly logical for my daughter to call you ’Uncle’!" Li Xiu retorted coolly. ’You can’t blame others for taking advantage of you if you’re not smart enough to see it coming, right?’

Li Bao looked at the trio and couldn’t hold back his laughter. "You three should just give up. Trying to win an argument with my big brother? You’re dreaming. And you haven’t even woken up yet!" ’These three are usually one shrewder than the next, so why are they so hung up on this one thing? They’ve been complaining about it for years, but nothing’s ever changed. Nuonuo and Yanyan have always called them Uncle!’

"Am I unreasonable, Li Bao?"

Seeing Li Xiu’s deadpan expression, Li Bao mentally slapped himself. ’You and your big mouth!’ Forcing a smile, he said in a hushed voice, "Not at all! Big Bro, you’re the most reasonable person I know. The absolute best. I just misspoke! Bro, it’s my dear niece’s birthday today, and look, Sister Fang is swamped in the kitchen all by herself. I’m going to go help her!"

Li Bao’s hasty retreat sent the onlookers into fits of laughter. Li Xiu shot them a look and said quietly, "It’s true, she could use the help. What are all of you standing around for? Go on, go help."

With that, he headed for the kitchen. The rest of them just looked at one another in dismay. ’Help in the kitchen? We don’t know how to do anything. What kind of help could we be?’ Ping’an said with a sly grin, "It’s fine if you don’t know how. Just have Jin Chen teach you! His cooking rivals that of a professional chef. You three should learn a few things. It’ll come in handy for winning over a wife someday, right?"

Liu Qiang glared at him. "And how much have you learned, Young Master? Enough to find a wife of your own?"