Chapter 330 - 327: Returning to the Hometown
After the lively Spring Festival, everyone who was supposed to return had come back. Everything seemed unchanged, but Li Xiu was often so busy he was nowhere to be seen. Zhou Lian could only see him at night when it was time for bed.
Zhou Lian understood. ’This must be the crucial time for Ping’an’s transfer.’ No wonder Li Xiu was too busy to come home. She sighed and instructed Sister Fang to stew some more brain-boosting tonics for Li Xiu.
Finally, as spring turned to summer, Li Xiu had some free time. When Zhou Lian walked out of her office after work, she saw him waiting at the door and breathed a sigh of relief. ’It seems things are settled.’
"How do you have time to pick me up? Are you done with everything?" Zhou Lian asked, getting into the car and looking at Li Xiu beside her.
Nodding lightly, Li Xiu pulled Zhou Lian onto his lap. "Yes, it’s all done," he said. "Everything has settled. Ping’an has been transferred over there to serve as Secretary. He’ll have to stay for two or three consecutive terms, though. We’ll see how he performs then!"
"Mm, it’s very chaotic over there. He probably won’t be able to show any real political achievements without serving two or three terms. Well, he’s not young anymore. It’ll be good for him to be put through the wringer!" Zhou Lian said thoughtfully. ’Ping’an is already in his thirties. If he wants to build up his credentials for the next step, he’ll have to put in effort in all areas!’
Li Xiu watched Zhou Lian as she spoke with such confidence and said dotingly, "Bao’er, you don’t need to worry about this. Just go and do what you love!"
Understanding what Li Xiu meant, Zhou Lian didn’t say anything more. She understood the risks and the scheming involved; Li Xiu didn’t want her to be exposed to such ugly infighting.
She wrapped her arms around Li Xiu’s neck and said softly, "Jin Chen, I’m a little tired. Hold me, I want to sleep."
Looking at Zhou Lian sleeping soundly in his arms, Li Xiu tapped the seat in front of him and said in a low voice, "Slow down. Drive more steadily."
Carefully carrying Zhou Lian, he got out of the car. Li Xiu strode to the bedroom, gently placed her on the bed, and tenderly took off her shoes. He walked to the door to say a word to Sister Fang in the courtyard, then returned to the bedside. Looking at Zhou Lian sleeping so peacefully, Li Xiu tried to resist, but couldn’t. He carefully lay down beside her and slowly pulled her into his arms. With one hand, he pulled the blanket over them, then leaned down and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes to rest for a while.
But his mind was wide awake. Li Xiu helplessly rubbed his temples. With his eyes closed, he mentally reviewed the tasks for the year. ’Ping’an’s situation is settled; he’s just waiting for the appointed date to take office. There isn’t much going on in the Capital City recently, and Ping Jing is keeping an eye on things, so that’s fine.’
’As for family matters, the two children don’t need me or Zhou Lian for anything right now. Mr. Zhou, Mrs. Zhou, and Professor Xiao are handling picking them up and tutoring them. Professor Fan is doing spectacularly at the company; everything is smooth sailing.’
’There’s no need to worry about Zhang Yizhen, either. He’s obedient and sensible, and doesn’t require any adult supervision. As for Zhou Huaitai and Li He, who are taking their college entrance exams this year, Zhou Lian thoughtfully sent a ton of review materials to Li He back in their hometown. Meanwhile, Zhou Huaitai, who’s right here, has Professor Xiao and a sometimes-available Professor Fan tutoring him.’
’Then there’s the company. With Wang Dongfang and Li Bao holding down the fort, I’m not worried at all. I rarely even go to the office. The only exception is the cultural media company that Zhou Lian likes; I’ll occasionally drop by to keep them on their toes. After all, it carries all of Zhou Lian’s dreams and responsibilities.’
’As for myself,’ Li Xiu thought, ’since there’s nothing major going on... I’ve been so busy lately my feet haven’t touched the ground. I haven’t even had any time for tender moments with Zhou Lian. For now, I should just stop thinking about anything and get some proper rest.’
In the days that followed, it was like Li Xiu had reverted to his old ways. He was stuck to Zhou Lian twenty-four hours a day, except for when she was at work teaching classes. This continued until Mrs. Zhou couldn’t stand it anymore and had a talk with Zhou Lian, after which Li Xiu finally toned down his crazy clinginess.
Soon, summer vacation arrived. This year was Grandma Li’s 90th birthday, so Li Xiu’s family and Li Bao’s family both had to go back. Mr. and Mrs. Zhou also wanted to visit their old hometown, so in the end, only Professor Xiao and Professor Fan were left to look after the house.
On the day they set off for their hometown, besides the one car for Li Bao’s family, Li Xiu’s contingent took four cars. One car carried Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, along with Zhou Huaitai and Zhang Yizhen. The other three cars held Li Xiu’s family of four, Sister Fang, Li Guo, and two bodyguards. Li Cui rode in Li Bao’s car.
As they neared their destination, the car with Mr. and Mrs. Zhou headed directly to Zhou Family Village. The remaining four cars rolled imposingly into Shanqian Village. They arrived just as the sun was about to set, so many of the villagers cooling off under the large tree at the village entrance saw the procession.
Grandma Li was sitting at the main gate watching the cars pull up. Her eyes lit up, and she stood up unsteadily. Seeing her grandsons, granddaughters, granddaughter-in-law, and great-grandchildren getting out of the cars, she broke into a smile so wide she couldn’t close her mouth.
The few other old women who had been sitting and chatting with Grandma Li watched with envy as the bodyguards carried load after load of things into the courtyard. They all started chattering at once about how the fourth branch of the Li family had really made something of themselves.
And it was true. Setting aside Li Xiu’s and Li Bao’s families, even Li Guo and Li Cui, who were now in university, had undergone a huge transformation in their appearance and demeanor. Li Guo was gentle and refined, while Li Cui was poised and elegant—a far cry from the other young men and women in the village.
Before long, Eldest Li’s family and Third Brother Li’s family heard the news and rushed over. Seeing that everyone from the Li family’s Capital City contingent—students and workers alike—had returned, they knew they were here to prepare for Grandma Li’s big birthday celebration.
When Li Xiu saw that Uncle Li, Aunt Li, his third uncle, and his third aunt had all arrived, he quickly invited them to sit down. Sister Fang bustled into the kitchen to make tea and serve the guests.
"Are you back to celebrate your grandmother’s birthday?" Uncle Li asked Li Xiu softly.
Li Xiu smiled. "Yes, Uncle Li. Grandma is turning ninety this year, so a few of us discussed it and decided we want to throw a big celebration for her. Uncle Li, Aunt Li, Third Uncle, Third Aunt... what do you all think?"
Looking over at Grandma Li, who was sitting to the side with a huge grin as she played with her two great-grandsons and two great-granddaughters, Aunt Li spoke up. "Let’s do it. Mother is turning ninety, all the children are back, and it’s rare for our fourth branch to be gathered so completely. We should definitely throw a big celebration for her!"
And so, the matter was settled. With two days left until Grandma Li’s birthday, the first and third branches of the Li family, along with Li Xiu, all got busy. Li Xiu made a special trip to the city to order a large, three-tiered cake, planning to drive back and pick it up on the day of the party.
Since Li Xiu’s courtyard was the largest, the party was to be held at his house. To prepare, Li Xiu even built three temporary stoves in the yard. The weather was too hot to buy the fish and meat in advance, so Li Xiu and Li Bao had to run around placing pre-orders with various vendors, planning to pick everything up on the morning of the birthday.
Zhou Lian did a quick headcount. With eight people per table, they would need five or six tables. ’Li Xiu’s three married sisters will definitely come with their entire families,’ she thought. ’Then there’s the second branch of the Li family... I’m not sure what to do about them. Should we invite them? If they come, it’ll be awkward for me and Li Xiu. But if we don’t... they’re still Grandma Li’s grandchildren!’