Chapter 247 The Taste of Home

Li Kangjun smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

He shook his head gently.

"It's a blessing, an incredible blessing."

In the first half of his life, he spent his time holding books and teaching children to recite the Three Character Classic in the Li family ancestral hall.

At that time, he was concerned with the dignity of the Li family, and was aloof and arrogant, thinking that life should be so orderly.

His fate took a sudden turn in the latter half of his life. His family fell into poverty, and he hid in a remote village, enduring countless cold nights alone.

I never imagined that I would have such a warm and cozy scene in my old age.

At that moment, he felt as if he had lived two lives.

Even the entire Zhou family treated him like a treasure.

Lunar New Year's Eve has finally arrived.

That day, firecrackers started going off one after another from the early morning, and red lanterns were hung high.

This year, members of the Zhou family all had their own matters to attend to.

Zhou Yujie and his family run a shop in Ningcheng.

The year before the New Year is the busiest time, and if you can't find the time to visit in person, you can only make a phone call to wish someone a Happy New Year.

Zhou Yujie had just started his company and launched his project. Clients were pressing him hard, so he was constantly shuttling between the meeting room and the construction site.

He had planned to rush back for a family reunion dinner, but he received a large order at the last minute, so he had to rent an apartment in Hong Kong and spend the New Year there.

Zhou Shufen single-handedly prepared a table full of dishes.

I got up before dawn to prepare, and the kitchen light stayed on until the afternoon.

The chicken, duck, fish and meat were piled up to the brim.

Li Kangjun could not see it.

But the bowl was filled with steam.

Now, Zhou Shufen is in charge of this business.

She is the backbone of this family, and she makes all the decisions, big and small.

He was blind for more than ten years, but his hearing became increasingly sharp.

She doesn't say much, but every word she utters carries weight.

“This girl…”

Li Kangjun's lips moved slightly.

In my memory, Zhou Shufen was still that little princess who was pampered by the whole family.

She wears a floral dress, has pigtails, and her eyes crinkle into crescent moons when she smiles.

As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone in the room laughed.

Later, to avoid trouble, the Zhou family married her off to someone in the countryside.

That year, the situation was turbulent, and the family business was forced to be liquidated. In order to save their lives, they had no choice but to abandon their wealth and seek refuge.

The marriage was rushed, and the other party was an honest, simple farmer who was out of touch with the world and lacked common sense.

His family fortune was completely wiped out; his house, shops, and ancestral jade bracelet were all sold off at bargain prices.

But now, how come Guo Zhenyi is by her side?

That good-for-nothing boy whom the Zhou family once looked down upon has now become the person she trusts the most.

Guo Zhenyi used to be a slacker, a brawler, and had a terrible reputation. Even Zhou Shufen avoided him when she was a child.

Li Kangjun couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

How many more years can he live?

Why meddle in other people's business?

As long as she's doing well, what does it matter who's by her side?

Last night I listened to Li Huachen ramble on and on, talking all night long.

It is said that the Zhou family has expanded rapidly in recent years, with real estate, logistics and catering developing in tandem, and even opening branches outside the province.

She didn't say exactly how much she earned, but just smiled and patted the back of his hand.

"Dad, I can support you. You won't have to worry about food or clothing. Don't worry about money."

This food smells delicious!

Li Kangjun tore into the pork belly with big bites.

Zhou Shufen and Guo Zhenyi sat side by side on the low stool next to him, their eyes and brows full of smiles.

This year, at least it felt like home.

Staying up all night to welcome the New Year, every household is brightly lit.

This little hut was no exception; the firewood in the hearth was burning red-hot.

The children were just making a ruckus, running around the fire pit, chasing each other.

But soon they quieted down and sat down properly on their stools.

I'm so looking forward to wearing my new clothes.

Li Rongkai's eyes were already glued to that set of cotton-padded clothes.

What he cherished most were the sneakers he bought from Hong Kong.

His heart pounded with every glance.

Zhou Liya and Yang Qingyan didn't take it too seriously.

When they lived in Hong Kong, what brand of new clothes and shoes hadn't they seen?

These things are nothing special to them nowadays.

The reason why Zhou Liya and Yang Qingyan were not excited was not because they disliked it, but because they had long been used to it.

They prefer this lively atmosphere.

Tonight's story is about Li Kangjun.

He had a few drinks and began to talk about the old days.

At that time, natural disasters were frequent, and poor families couldn't even afford a single grain of coarse food.

He told the story vividly, and the child listened with rapt attention.

Even Zhou Lijuan and Qi Changyu, the two most boisterous kids, stopped eating sunflower seeds.

Time ticked by, and the outside world gradually quieted down.

Finally, the old-fashioned wall clock struck twelve, and the second hand jumped precisely to zero.

Guo Zhenyi immediately stood up, picked up the long string of firecrackers he had prepared, and walked to the center of the courtyard outside.

"Crackling and popping!"

The firecrackers exploded instantly, the sound deafening.

Li Rongkai was so frightened that he immediately covered his ears and screamed.

Even after the firecrackers had finished, the echoes still reverberated in the alley.

Guo Zhenyi dusted off his hands, smiled, and walked into the house, pulling out a pile of red envelopes from the inside pocket of his cotton-padded coat.

"Lijuan, this is for you."

The red envelope was handed to Zhou Lijuan, and the little girl accepted it with both hands.

"Thank you, Uncle Guo!"

When it was Zhou Liya's turn, she did not immediately reach out.

"Thank you, Dad!"

Guo Zhenyi was stunned for half a second.

He knew that Zhou Liya's biological father was Zhou Dajun.

But the man disappeared when she was three years old, and she couldn't remember his face at all.

Since bringing her back from her relatives' house, he has been staying with her day and night, coaxing her to sleep, and buying her candy.

In Zhou Liya's heart, there was no longer any place for the three words "Uncle Guo".

All she knew was that the man who always smiled and patted her head was her only father.

"Good boy, take it."

Guo Zhenyi finally came to his senses.

He reached out and gently touched her head.

"Go ahead and pick what you want to buy. Don't be stingy, okay?"

Yang Qingyan tilted her head and blinked her big eyes.

All she knew was that Guo Zhenyi was her aunt's husband, so she had to call him uncle.

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Guo Zhenyi and Zhou Shufen exchanged a glance.

Where did this child learn such elegant words?

Which wealthy family raised it?

Could it be that you once attended a private school?

They exchanged a glance.

After all, during the holidays, it's best not to ask too many questions or investigate too much, lest it damage the harmony.

Besides, the Zhou family is doing well these days, so it's not appropriate for them to talk about other people's affairs.

Li Rongkai also received a red envelope, looking quite pleased with himself.

After Guo Zhenyi finished sending out his red envelope, Zhou Shufen slowly took out her own.

She took out a stack of hand-sewn red envelopes from her embroidered pouch; each one was exquisitely crafted.

The money inside is much more than Guo Zhenyi's.

Who told her to be rich?

She knew how to invest and manage money even before her rebirth, and in this life she has made plans ahead of time to seize opportunities.

Having been reborn, all she wants to do is make money, but she doesn't intend to hold onto it tightly.

She had suffered hardships and been looked down upon in the past, and knew all too well how unbearable poverty could be.

Now that she has more money, she no longer wants to be a miser, nor does she want to waste this hard-won opportunity.

If you earn it, spend it; the important thing is to enjoy it.

After the New Year, she thought about opening a girls' school in Yuxin, specifically for girls whose families wouldn't allow them to study.

She remembered her peers from her past life who were locked by the kitchen stove and forced to marry and have children at a young age.

Some people are exceptionally intelligent, yet they are confined to a small courtyard and never learn to write their own names.