Chapter 1 July. As dusk approached, white...

July.

As dusk approached, the lights were lit in the white-walled, black-tiled Li family mansion, their yellow glow mingling with the gradually cooling sunset colors of the crape myrtle and nandina in the courtyard.

With the centennial ancestral worship ceremony approaching, the host family and guests are coming and going in large numbers. In addition, dishes, incense, candles and pastries are being delivered from outside, making the place bustling with activity.

The hostess in the side hall was refined and simple, while her cousin-in-law behind her chattered incessantly, gossiping about family matters and how difficult things were, trying to ask for favors for her son.

Wenxi was only listening halfway through, her attention was diverted.

The sound of a car drove into the courtyard and stopped under the orange trumpet vine with its branches reaching out from the window. The trumpet-shaped flowers swayed with the airflow and landed on the hood of the car with a "thud".

Wenxi turned her head at just the right moment and looked at the half-open passenger door of the car through the window frame shaded by the trees in the courtyard. A foot wearing a cream-colored strappy high heel lightly stepped onto the bluestone.

“Zhou Du is back,” she finally had a reason to interrupt him.

"Let's have dinner together first, then we can talk slowly."

My cousin's wife fell silent in embarrassment. Following her gaze, she saw a man and woman walking side by side on the veranda outside the window.

The tall man held the girl's wrist, pulled her close to his side, and spoke to her while looking down at her. He then glanced over and nodded in their direction.

My cousin's wife asked no question: "Did Zhou Du bring his girlfriend back?"

Wenxi glanced over indifferently: "That's the second son's daughter."

My cousin's wife immediately realized what was happening and blushed deeply: "Oh, oh, it's a kitten."

The Li family is a prominent family in Jixi. Their ancestors used to ferry passengers and deliver goods on the Yangtze River. In the 1980s and 1990s, under Li Pusheng's leadership, Wanjing Shipping and Logistics Company was established, officially transforming into a company specializing in domestic Yangtze River and coastal water freight. Later, they also started to engage in international container liner shipping.

He and his wife Wang Minjun have two sons. Their eldest son, Li Junchuan, inherited the family business at an early age, married Wenxi and had a son named Li Zhoudu, who is now the successor to the helm of Wanjing.

After graduating, the youngest son, Li Fujin, went abroad to expand international air routes. There, he met Ling Wei, a local Chinese girl, and fell in love with her at first sight.

When the family finally met the girl, she was already married and heavily pregnant, and they brought her home to prepare for childbirth.

His parents doted on their youngest son, and they never complained about his willful and reckless behavior. However, that pregnancy was difficult to maintain. At seven months, the hospital monitored the condition of the fetus and found it was not good, so they had to perform a cesarean section early, resulting in the birth of a daughter.

The little one, weighing just over four pounds, was put into an incubator and spent its first month in a ventilator before its family even saw it.

She was finally discharged from the hospital, but then she started crying in fear every night, had a fever and vomited, causing her elders to worry every day.

At that time, a familiar feng shui master came to our house to take a look and said that the child's birth chart was too weak and might not be able to hold onto his fate. He suggested that we give him a smaller name so that he could be raised to adulthood.

Upon hearing this, Li Pusheng said, "Then let's just consider it as having another cat or dog in the house."

The cat is also known as Li Nu. After removing the character "Nu" (奴), which was not suitable for use in the official name, the final registered name is Li Li.

In private, everyone calls her Little Cat.

Li Fujing and his wife were stationed abroad for many years, leaving Li Li to grow up with her grandparents.

Starting from the year she was born, Li Pusheng gradually retired from the front line to enjoy his grandchildren. With the idea of ​​returning wealth and blessings to his descendants, he returned to his hometown to donate funds to pave roads, build bridges, and establish schools.

When the kitten was five years old, he spent money to build a nursing home and a canteen for the elderly.

Li Li grew up in Jixi. As her name suggests, she was indeed as adorable as a kitten, with a small face, big eyes, and fair skin. The old couple cherished her like a precious jewel, granting her every wish.

This favoritism is even greater than that shown to her own grandson, Li Zhoudu.

Until a few years ago, when Li Pusheng passed away due to illness and Li Li went away to study, fewer and fewer people in Jixi recognized her.

Li Li did not show up at the front of the table for the evening dinner.

She stayed in the west wing, took a comfortable bath, got up, put on a bathrobe, wrung out her wet hair with a towel, and went to the window.

Pushing open the carved wooden window lets in the clear air of an early summer night. The dark pond in front of the door reflects the rows of antique-style lanterns on the veranda, and the faint sounds of eating and drinking can be heard from ahead.

On the small table beside me were several plates of light side dishes and a bowl of slightly sweet lotus root and gorgon fruit soup, which had been brought in at some point.

It was late at night when Li Zhoudu saw all the guests off and locked the house.

Walking along the corridor to the front of the main house, there is a short ceramic jar more than a meter wide in the courtyard, with two lotus flowers planted inside and red and white koi swimming in the water.

Slightly intoxicated, he reached out and stirred the water in the jar, attracting several fish to the surface, their mouths agape as they begged for food.

The room was brightly lit, and he heard Wang Minjun ask, "Why has Tongzhi been clinging to you and whispering to you all day?"

Wenxi slowly put down her teacup, not intending to hide anything: "Her son, Zhuokang, just arrived in the Mediterranean. He said he had some conflict with the second mate on the ship. Tongzhi said she wasn't feeling well and felt sorry for her child who had never been far from home, so she wanted to find someone to take his place and come back to stay for a while before making new arrangements."

Wang Minjun's expression was not good.

Wang Zhuokang was her grand-nephew. When he was looking for a job, he pounded his chest loudly, saying that he was hardworking and could endure hardship without complaint. That's why she rarely spoke up for her own family.

However, on his first trip aboard a ship, he became picky and wanted to give up halfway through.

Wenxi was used to handling these kinds of things and didn't shy away from talking to her mother-in-law: "Junchuan has been so busy lately that he doesn't have a moment to spare. I don't intend to make things difficult for him with this little thing. Either Zhuokang submits his resignation application according to the company's articles of association and procedures."

"Either he can endure it for a few months, and we'll call him home to see him in person when we return to shore. If it was Tongzhi who made the decision on his own, then so be it. But if Zhuokang himself is not determined and can't endure hardship, then we won't use him anymore."

The old lady sighed and nodded: "Very good. It's good that you understand."

After Li Zhoudu and the others finished their conversation inside, they slowly stepped onto the stairs, lifted the bamboo curtain, and went inside.

The first thing I saw upon entering was Li Li, wearing a nightgown, her long legs bent, nestled beside Wang Minjun, playing on her phone on a bamboo mat.

Her long hair, mostly dried, hung down her back, and a half-cup of tea lay beside her. She didn't pay any attention to what was happening in the room.

Li Zhoudu walked over and casually ruffled her hair from behind: "Being lazy again by not drying it?"

"Ouch!" Li Li instinctively shrank her neck to avoid him, glaring at him.

Wang Minjun asked him to sit down.

"Don't tease your sister."

Li Zhoudu smiled and raised an eyebrow at Li Li's sullen expression.

Watching the siblings' endless banter, Wenxi casually asked, "Little Cat, what are your plans now that you've graduated? Would you like your aunt to take you around for a while, so you can meet people?"

Wenxi never really took charge of Li Li's affairs, but she always went through the motions in front of her elders.

Li Li glanced at Li Zhoudu before slowly saying, "I found a job and I'm going to start working... My brother knows too."

Wang Minjun asked curiously, "What kind of job is it?"

Li Zhoudu firmly rejected the idea: "That's not good."

Li Zhoudu had his secretary check and found that Li Li had found a small outsourcing human resources company that had only been established in recent years, with only a few dozen employees enrolled.

Li Li wasn't exactly a top student, but her family sent her to Southeast Asia for four years to study art and design for her undergraduate degree. During that time, her personal works were exhibited and auctioned multiple times, making her resume quite impressive. How did she end up working for a company like that?

He felt it was a complete waste of time and a disgrace to his resume.

Li Li answered evasively, "It's just a regular job. I can't just graduate and live off my parents without any support."

Li Zhoudu: "That place is not worth going to. If you don't want to stay at home, then continue to take the postgraduate entrance exam and study for a few more years."

“I can go to graduate school anytime,” she said, cleverly turning to Wang Minjun and pleading when she couldn’t persuade Li Zhoudu. “Grandma, I used to study so far away that I couldn’t see you. Now my new job is in the IFC, just a 20-minute drive from home. Can I live at home from now on? That way I can be with you every day.”

To Wang Minjun, no matter how successful the kitten became, it was still better to keep him by her side. She was tempted by his words and relented first, but then said with a stern face, "It's not like home outside. No one will tolerate you causing trouble recklessly. Do you really have to go?"

"I've already talked to them," Li Li coaxed the old woman sweetly. "I'll buy you a gift as soon as I get my salary, okay?"

Wang Minjun smiled and tapped Gangan's nose with her hand: "I don't want your little things. Don't come back crying if you're wronged."

Seeing that the matter had been settled in a few words, Wenxi joked, "Little Cat has a lot of things to add since she just started working. Let her brother open a card for her when we get back."

Li Zhoudu: "...We already had that."

Li Li smiled and said, "Auntie means well, of course the more the better!"

On the morning of the memorial day, Li Junchuan hurriedly arrived at the ancestral hall from out of town by car. Without stopping, he faced the hundreds of memorial tablets and led the reading of the prayer.

Firecrackers boomed, bands played their instruments, and the surroundings were filled with smoke.

Wearing sun protection clothing, Li Li stood side by side with Li Zhoudu in the second row. They avoided looking at the somewhat terrifying sheep and pigs on the offering table, lit three incense sticks, bowed, put them into the incense burner, and then stepped aside.

After the main ceremony concludes, a formal banquet will be held to serve the leftovers.

Sitting next to Li Junchuan was the local deputy secretary, surnamed Liu. Logically, since Li was the surname, there was no reason for him to be there. However, he was also from Jixi, and they had developed a relationship over time. According to seniority, he could even call Li Junchuan "elder brother."

Li Li held her chopsticks, a piece of the tenderest fish that Li Zhoudu had divided out with the serving chopsticks dangling from her mouth, watching her uncle and the other man familiarly address each other as brothers and exchange compliments.

After a few drinks and some toasts, the other party subtly revealed their intentions during the conversation.

Firstly, for many years, the nursing home and canteen in Jixi have only been open to elderly people with the surname Li free of charge, which inevitably caused dissatisfaction and resentment among other surnames in the area. There have been many conflicts and clashes between different surnames, which is really not conducive to the unity of the community.

I also asked if my late father had wanted to build a silk factory to retain the young people who had left the area, but the project was not implemented. I asked if there were any procedural difficulties that required our support and if so, please let me know.

The leader's words were eloquent, but even Li Li, who didn't usually pay much attention to such things, understood the underlying meaning.

Since Li Pusheng passed away, the Li family's investments in Jixi have stagnated. Apart from the nursing home and canteen receiving regular direct funding from Wan Jing Finance, there have been few other expenditures.

If Jixi wants to develop, besides waiting for higher-level planning and resource allocation, it can only exert its efforts in other areas.

At this moment, Li Li's pocket made a few noises. She put it down, took out her phone, glanced at the screen, frowned, got up, and secretly slipped out.

She hid behind the artificial hill in the ancestral hall, where a pool of emerald green water lay before her, with weeping willows reflected in its surface.

Li Li wasn't wearing sunglasses; she shielded her eyes from the scorching summer sun with her hand. Her agitated state was reflected in her unpleasant tone: "I've already spoken to HR; something at home has come up, so I'll be starting work a week later."

The young woman on the other end of the phone said awkwardly, "I'm sorry. I know it's not good to bother you right now. But interns are evaluated weekly. If you haven't done any work, it's difficult for us to give you a score."

"I won't take leave if I have time to do something."

Li Li suddenly caught sight of the person behind her out of the corner of her eye, said "Just give me whatever amount is due," and hung up the phone.

Li Zhoudu stopped behind her, his expression inscrutable, and it was unclear how much he had overheard.

"What happened?" he asked.

Li Li shrugged, feigning ignorance as she headed back: "Strangers, always nagging."

Li Zhoudu grabbed her wrist and forcibly brought her to a stop. Li Li looked up into his eyes.

“I know the company you went to is a subsidiary of Yanqi,” he said.

“The Tan family has been acting very strangely these past few years,” Li Zhoudu said, his gaze carrying a warning. “If you’re just looking for something new, you can go in and have some fun for a few days. If you can’t handle it, then go home and don’t get involved in the Tan family’s mess.”

Li Li hadn't intended to hide it from him, but she was still very unhappy to be so directly exposed.

The wind rustled the leaves, and the willow branches stirred the surface of the pond, creating ripples. Seeing her sullen expression, Li Zhoudu softened his tone: "When we get back, I'll buy you a car."

A note from the author:

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Let's start writing!

The starting point is between the second and third parts of the copy.