The day after Zongjia and the others returned, Dafu came over and invited them to his house for a meal.

Zhong Yuan was a little surprised, "Why did Uncle think of inviting us to dinner together?"

Dafu touched his nose and patted him on the back. "Just go when I tell you to. Why all the nonsense?"

Jiang Xiaoli felt that Dafu was acting a little strange, but she didn't say anything.

When they arrived at Dafu's house, they were greeted by the enthusiastic father, "Oh my, it's been so long since I've seen you two rascals! This must be Xiaoli, the girl Dafu's always talking about, right? She looks like she's destined for good fortune!"

Mr. Fu had booked a table at the restaurant in advance, and they started eating as soon as they arrived.

The more Fu's father looked at them, the happier he became. After only a couple of drinks, he said cheerfully, "My Yunliang knows a lot of you guys. His life is much better than his dad's!"

Dafu tried to stop his father, but was slapped aside. "Get out of the way, I want to thank them properly for you!"

Zong Jiayu spoke up, "Uncle, we're all friends, there's nothing to thank me for."

Mr. Fu disagreed, "How can you say that? Do you think I don't know what my son Yunliang is capable of? I'm not trying to belittle my son, but if it weren't for you, he'd probably be working as a bricklayer on some construction site right now!"

Jiang Xiaoli was amused by his words, "Uncle, actually Brother Dafu is very capable!"

Mr. Fu looked at his son with relief, "I know my son Yunliang is an honest boy, which is why I want to thank you. You have shown him the right path."

"They used to dabble in small businesses, and I thought it would be good enough if they could do something legitimate and make some money. I never imagined that after all that dabbling, they'd become even more successful than their father, becoming vice presidents of a big company!"

"Hahaha!"

Zongjia and the others laughed. Fu's father was really different from Dafu; he was very interesting to talk to.

After taking a couple of bites of food, Mr. Fu continued, "You don't know, my Yunliang is very filial! He was worried that I would be tired from work, so he bought me several houses to collect rent from at home."

Now, hordes of people are coming to introduce potential partners to my son and me. Everywhere I go, people are crowding around and handing me photos!

Dafu couldn't hold back any longer, "Dad, can we talk about something else?"

Fu's father glared at him. "You think you're so great now, you even want to tell your old man what to say?"

Dafu immediately fell silent, gesturing to give his father some room to maneuver.

Mr. Fu smiled broadly, “Actually, I’ve gotten used to being alone for so many years, but I’m really worried about Yunliang’s partner!”

Hahaha! I never thought this kid would find a college student girlfriend while hanging out with you guys! Peking University! My goodness, there aren't many kids in Xi'an who can get into Peking University, are there?

Zhong Yuan immediately replied, "Uncle Fu, you're absolutely right! It would be amazing to have ten or even dozens of them a year!"

Mr. Fu picked up his small wine glass and took a sip. "Absolutely! I'm so happy! Our Fu family is destined to produce a literary genius in the next generation!"

Dafu rolled his eyes speechlessly, "You're really thinking way ahead!"

Mr. Fu said cheerfully, "I don't care, you're out of luck. You'd better raise your son and daughter properly from now on, you hear me?"

Dafu looked utterly dejected, while Jiang Xiaoli and the others watched and laughed heartily.

After chatting for a while, seeing that Mr. Fu was slightly tipsy, he brought the topic back to the present.

"So, as a father, I want to thank you all on behalf of my child. Thank you so much!"

They all waved their hands in unison, "Uncle Fu, you're too kind!"

Looking at them, Mr. Fu said, "You guys don't know what's going on in Xi'an, but Pumpkin is having a really tough time! He got divorced, only took the child and left with nothing. I saw him setting up a stall at the night market with the kid the other day!"

They all fell silent at the same time.

Mr. Fu sighed, "I don't know what's going on between you kids, but if you stop playing with Pumpkin, it must be because he did something wrong. I called you all here for dinner to say that if my brat ever goes astray, just tell me and I'll break his legs!"

Dafu hadn't expected his father to be interested in this. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Dad, I won't!"

Fu's father looked at him and said, "Who can predict what will happen in the future? Your life has only just begun. I can't watch you start strong but end weak and live the rest of your life in frustration!"

Dafu's eyes welled up with tears after hearing his father's words. "Why are you suddenly getting so sentimental..."

Seeing the genuine emotions between the father and son, Jiang Xiaoli said, "Uncle Fu, don't worry, we will take care of Brother Dafu for you. You just need to wait for Brother Dafu to be filial to you in the future!"

Mr. Fu nodded happily, "Good, good, good! I'm so happy to see you doing so well!"

The family dinner at the Fu family's house was very warm. When Dafu saw the group off, he said, "I used to think that my dad was omnipotent. Although he couldn't take care of me, he could find rare things from all over the world for me. But recently I feel like he's getting old."

Zong Jia patted him on the shoulder and said, "Uncle isn't old, it's you who's grown up."

Dafu nodded. "Haha, that's true."

On the way home, Jiang Xiaoli asked Zhong Yuan, "Brother Yuan, aren't you planning to go home and visit?"

Zhong Yuan hesitated for a few seconds and then shook his head. "No, my family is different from Dafu and his son. It's warmer for the three of them if I don't go back."

Jiang Xiaoli nodded, "It's okay, let's celebrate the New Year together. Family members like ours, whom we chose ourselves, are more reliable!"

Zhong Yuan smiled, "Yes, you and Brother Zong are my family."

Back in the neighborhood, Zhong Yuan went home, and Zong Jia hugged Jiang Xiaoli tightly, refusing to let go.

Why are you suddenly being so clingy?

He took a necklace out of his pocket and put it on her. "Little Pear, Happy Valentine's Day."

Jiang Xiaoli chuckled. There wasn't much publicity for Valentine's Day in the West these days, and she had forgotten that today was February 14th.

She held the heart-shaped diamond on the pendant and looked at it, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you, Ayu. With you by my side, every day is Valentine's Day."

Zong Jia was overjoyed to receive a response and hugged her even tighter, saying, "I really want to hold Little Pear and never be apart from her."

She buried her head in his chest, "I won't leave you, I'm sticking with you!"

It was very cold outside, and Zong Jia couldn't bear to see her out in the cold wind, so he hugged her for a while and then took her home.

After taking a shower that evening, she held the Valentine's Day gift she had just received in her hand and examined it closely, discovering that there was an inscription on the back of the platinum diamond setting of the pendant.

【J, YOU ARE THE ONE. - Z】

Jiang Xiaoli couldn't resist kissing the small print.

Some people just have a way of making you love them a little more at different times.

She put the necklace back on, held the pendant, and fell into a deep sleep.