Chapter 177 of "New Urban Farmers": The Li Family's Potential Predicament (First Update)
There were quite a few people in the family, including over twenty second-generation intellectuals. They were all gathered together. The old man, seated in a position that suggested he was surrounded by admirers, had a white beard, and exuded great authority. This was Li Yun's grandfather, Li Jianlong, one of the most outstanding figures of the older generation in China.
At this moment, he was scanning Zhang Guodong with a serious expression, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.
He was among those cold snorts. However, he was furious that his granddaughter dared to run away from home for months.
"Finally decided to come back?" Master Li Jianlong snorted and said to Li Yun.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guodong sensed the deep affection in Old Master Li's tone and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Li Yun would be mistreated at the Li family's home, given the grand gesture they had made. Now it seemed that wasn't the case!
Li Yun stuck out her tongue and called out crisply, "Grandpa, I'm back to see you!"
Then she pulled Zhang Guodong to Grandpa Li's side and introduced him, "Grandpa, I've brought your grandson-in-law back!"
"Greetings, sir! My name is Zhang Guodong!" Zhang Guodong said respectfully.
He thought to himself that this was Li Yun's elder, and proper etiquette was essential. At the same time, he came with patience.
"Hmph, so you're the one who abducted my granddaughter and ran away from home for several months? What do you do? What are your skills?" Old Master Li snorted, but his face was stern as he asked Zhang Guodong.
Zhang Guodong wasn't embarrassed and truthfully replied, "I'm just a vegetable seller, I don't know what skills I have that have allowed me to never have to worry about food and drink."
"Pfft!" Two young men and women in the crowd burst into laughter, but then, noticing the stares of those around them, they quickly shut their mouths, their cheeks bulging as they tried to suppress their laughter. Most of the gazes, however, were mocking, as if the vegetable vendor actually dared to try and get into the Li family's household.
Zhang Guodong glanced at the two young people who couldn't help but laugh. Both of them bore a resemblance to Li Yun, so they must be from the Li family? One of the girls, probably in her late teens, looked strikingly similar to Li Yun, beautiful but slightly immature. Her large eyes were curiously watching him, and when she saw him looking over, she blinked. Then she covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.
Zhang Guodong smiled at her, which meant that the Li family didn't seem to have any hostility towards him.
There was also a handsome young man with bright eyes and sharp eyebrows. He was about the same age as the girl, and their features suggested they were either siblings or very closely related by blood.
The young man grinned mischievously, gave him a thumbs-up, winked, and mouthed, "Go for it!"
interesting!
Aside from these two little ones who weren't hostile towards him, Zhang Guodong couldn't think of a third person. Oh, if you include Li Yun's mother, that kind and wealthy-looking virtuous woman standing next to Master Li, then there are three people.
Li's mother, Xu Xinya, was a gentle but intelligent woman. However, she had a strong opinion about her daughter running away from home and her relationship with Zhang Guodong. Upon hearing that Zhang Guodong was a vegetable seller, she frowned. How could her daughter have fallen for a vegetable seller?
Then Zhang Guodong noticed a very peculiar gaze. It was from a man around thirty years old, whose eyes held contempt, mockery, and hostility. Zhang Guodong realized this was the only person unrelated to the Li family. His appearance was quite different. Nevertheless, he was a handsome young man with an air of arrogance.
A love rival?
A word suddenly popped into Zhang Guodong's mind, and he quickly realized why Li Yun's expression hadn't been pleasant outside! He was also somewhat annoyed. His visit was clearly a setup by the Li family, but they'd brought another person along, obviously intending to compete with him and undermine him.
Since that's the case, he won't stand on ceremony.
Old Master Li was furious, but he also admired Zhang Guodong for remaining calm and composed since entering the house.
"So what are your plans for the future?" Old Master Li asked in a deep voice, emphasizing his words.
future?
Zhang Guodong hadn't really thought about it carefully. But... wouldn't creating a paradise count? Although that goal is far off now, wouldn't making his family and friends around him live happily count?
If he really had a firm goal, he wanted to explore every inch of Peach Blossom Spring and continue practicing the mutated Five Elements Fist to see just how powerful he could become.
Zhang Guodong thought for a moment and said, "Let my family be happy!"
"Don't talk big!" At this moment, the middle-aged man beside Old Master Li spoke up without any politeness. "How can a vegetable seller like you bring happiness to Li Yun and her family? Do you think you can make Li Yun happy with the little money you earn in a year?"
"It's my dad," Li Yun whispered. She was worried, so Zhang Guodong reached out and held her hand tightly, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
"Uncle, what do you think constitutes bringing happiness to one's family?" Zhang Guodong asked calmly, looking him straight in the eye.
A flash of anger crossed Li Chengguo's face, and he frowned. Zhang Guodong's question was clearly disrespectful, further worsening many people's impression of him, and many others were watching with amusement, thinking, "He's just a vegetable seller! He can't even speak properly!" They were mocking him.
Before he could answer, Zhang Guodong continued, "Although I sell vegetables, I'm not short of money. I may be a small person, but I can provide my family with a simple and content life, so I don't think what I earn is a small amount, nor do I believe that more money can buy happiness."
These words sound very idealistic. They come from someone fresh out of university, but Zhang Guodong speaks with great sincerity, drawing on his own experience.
"I've come to visit Grandpa and Uncle and Aunt; this is a gift!" Zhang Guodong said, presenting the small jar of wine. "Also, I've come to propose to Li Yun and would like to get Grandpa and Uncle and Aunt's support!"
The stone stirred up a thousand waves!
"Zhang Guodong, right? As Li Yun's father, I can now tell you that Li Yun will not marry someone who has no goals in life and only talks about the future, so you can leave!" Li Chengguo laughed angrily.
"Dad!" Li Yun cried out anxiously.
"Am I wrong? To give happiness to loved ones. How do you give it? How can you give happiness to others if you don't even have a goal in your own life? You're getting more and more outrageous!" Li Chengguo shouted at Li Yun. "Why aren't you coming to your mother's place?!"
"No!" Li Yun's face turned pale. But she bit her lip and gripped Zhang Guodong's hand even tighter. "You can't do this. Guodong isn't just an ordinary vegetable seller; he's rich, and we're in love!"
“Yunyun, how can you not go home for the past few months since you came to stay with Mom?” Xu Xinya said at this moment.
But Li Yun's eyes were red, and Zhang Guodong looked at her with some anger.
"What Uncle Yunyun said about having plans and goals in life is true. Without goals and plans, without ideals, no matter how much money you have, you're nothing. Zhang Guodong? I want to ask you, how much money do you have?" At this moment, a young man with a sarcastic smile said with a hint of disdain.
He turned his attention to Zhang Guodong.
This young man bears some resemblance to Li Yun's uncle. Is he called Li Chengguo's second uncle? He must be a younger member of Li Chengguo's brother's family, a "younger" Li Yun.
Indeed, his name is Li Lifeng, and he is an outstanding representative of the third generation of the Li family in business. Currently, he runs a Li family business, and his net worth has increased from 100 million to 1.1 billion, making him a leading figure in the third generation of the Li family.
He controls a group with assets of 20 to 30 billion yuan, but compared to Zhang Guodong's money, it's nothing.
Therefore, this questioning has a condescending tone, showing a clear disdain for making Zhang Guodong back down.
Old Master Li, however, remained silent, observing Zhang Guodong. The fact that he wasn't angered by the younger generation's words clearly indicated that everything had been foreshadowed.
His thoughts raced, and his gaze swept over Lin Yue, a young man in his thirties, in the crowd. Lin Yue was handsome and stood at 1.8 meters tall. Moreover, he was outstanding in every aspect and was one of the leading figures among the third generation of the Lin family.
The Xiao, Lin, Zheng, Li, and Xu families are currently the five most powerful political families in China, with their patriarchs still alive. The presence of these elders is like a nuclear bomb, wielding immense power and protecting their descendants' careers, resulting in a continuous stream of talented individuals. However, compared to the Lin family, the Li family's patriarch's health is far inferior to Lin Chaoyuan's. If he is unable to take over the Li family after his death, one of these families will have to be eliminated.
Therefore, although Grandpa Li doted on his granddaughter Li Yun, he also had to consider the future of the Li family. Sometimes, it was necessary to sacrifice the happiness of some people through marriage, which was the best way to protect the family from excessive decline.
Moreover, Lin Yue was an outstanding individual in all aspects. At the age of thirty, he became the Standing Committee Member and Deputy Mayor of Haidong City, a prefecture-level city in Southeast Province, and maintained a clean and upright character. Unlike many spoiled brats who lack ambition, he was not one to strive for advancement.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Zhang Guodong was just a lowly vegetable vendor. How could the Li family's children be allowed to marry into such a family? They were at a huge disadvantage compared to Zhang Guodong!
Zhang Guodong did feel the pressure, but facing Li Lifeng's responsible and mocking expression, he said, "I don't have as much money as you, so I won't say anything. But brother, are we comparing who has more money now?"
Li Lifeng's face stiffened. Zhang Guodong remained nonchalant, showing no sign of shame or anger, which surprised him. He could only attribute it to Zhang Guodong's thick skin, further confirming his belief that he absolutely could not let his cousin marry such a person, otherwise it would be a disgrace to the Li family.
"You have no money? Fine, then let me ask you, what prospects do you have in your career?" Li Lifeng mocked. "Nothing, right? You have no money and no power. Don't you find it laughable that you're just making empty promises of happiness to Yunyun?"
No money and no power!
Zhang Guodong was also annoyed. However, what the other party said was true. Lacking money and power, they were indeed worlds apart from a prestigious family like the Li family. But he felt more that the other party was humiliating him.
Seemingly feeling he had achieved his goal, Li Lifeng immediately pulled Lin Yue aside and said to Zhang Guodong, "This is Lin Yue, the Standing Committee Member and Vice Mayor of Haidong City in Southeast Province, and also Li Yun's soon-to-be fiancé!"
He thought this would be an even bigger blow to Zhang Guodong.
You're just a vegetable vendor, but your family is a deputy director-level official and vice mayor. What are you comparing yourselves to?
Unfortunately, Zhang Guodong didn't show any surprise; he merely glanced at it indifferently, his eyes filled with disdain. Disdain! This made many people feel humiliated.
Indeed, at only thirty years old, he has reached a powerful position at the deputy director-general level; this person is truly outstanding.
But Zhang Guodong had seen people in even higher positions. A deputy director-level official wasn't much of a figure in his eyes, let alone Lin Yue, the Standing Committee member and deputy mayor. While Lin Yue's power was immense, Zhang Guodong firmly believed that he held their fate in his hands, controlling it step by step.
Having obtained the Peach Blossom Spring, he mastered the mutated Five Elements Fist, which allowed him to experience the unparalleled power of extraordinary strength!
Therefore, my mindset has been greatly improved.
But these are things that no one knows. And no one can understand.
Zhang Guodong then laughed; "Everyone's fate and path are different. My cousin doesn't need to use his power to pressure me. This Deputy Mayor Lin is doing a good job, but he may not be able to farm. So, different professions, there's no comparison!"
This made everyone feel like they had punched empty air. Zhang Guodong, surprisingly, showed no shame or anger, rendering their efforts completely ineffective.
"Heh heh!" Li Lifeng was furious. The person in front of him was a complete scoundrel.
"Brother Li, there's no need to be angry. What this person said is right. I have a profession in politics, and farming is also a profession. Everyone's path is different!" Lin Yue was not angry at all, but instead comforted Li Lifeng.
However, Zhang Guodong sensed that he was looking at him as if he were laughing at him.
"Then you go farm your land. My daughter isn't good enough for someone like you!" Sure enough, Li Chengguo gave a heavy snort and decided not to continue the conversation.
Zhang Guodong realized he had been tricked by Lin Yue and his cousin. However, he didn't regret it.
“I respect you as Li Yun’s father, so I let you scold me, but that doesn’t mean you can treat Li Yun’s life as a commodity to be sold off. Li Yun is my lover, and no one can use her happiness to achieve their own goals!” Zhang Guodong said firmly.
Lin Yue was surprised, but more than surprised, he laughed. How could Zhang Guodong compete with someone like that for Li Yun?
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Guodong simply threw the pot in the air and smashed it to pieces. He turned to look at him with disdain and said:
"And you, you think you're so smug, huh? But I don't think you're qualified to be my opponent!"
Lin Yue had been an official for a long time and was very deep in thought. He controlled his expression very well, but Zhang Guodong could clearly see that he was not as upright as he appeared.
So Zhang Guodong didn't hold back in his criticism.
This immediately made Lin Yue's face turn ugly. He'd actually been taught a lesson by a vegetable vendor!
"Wait!" Old Master Li spoke up at this critical moment.
Looking at Zhang Guodong, he felt conflicted. Zhang Guodong's demeanor wasn't timid, restrained, or nervous at all; yet now he seemed to be showing disdain for Lin Yue?
His identity was that of a vegetable vendor, yet he openly looked down on Lin Yue? This greatly intrigued the old man. Of course, it was just interest. However, this showed that the old generation's integrity was such that he could remain calm and composed despite Zhang Guodong's headstrong and unruly behavior.
Of course, if Zhang Guodong doesn't give him a satisfactory answer, then Zhang Guodong's behavior will definitely annoy him and the consequences will be serious.
"You can marry my granddaughter, but you must pass a test! Do you dare?" Old Master Li said at this moment.
"Dad?" Li Chengguo was taken aback, then his expression changed. Why had the old man changed his mind?
Notice: First update. 4,000 words. Second update in two minutes.
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