"Big sister, my family is building a house, and we're having a celebration in a few days. Come over for a drink!"
"Build a house? What kind of house?"
This question completely baffled Li Chunlai's aunt.
“Is Chunlai back from working outside? He made some money and was thinking of building a new house. I thought he's grown up now, so building one is fine too. He's even bought all the land for the house.”
“Construction will officially begin in a few days, and I was thinking of inviting you all over for a drink,” Li Chunlai’s father said, lighting a cigarette.
“Okay, I’ll definitely go. This is a good thing, don’t worry.” Aunt Li Chunlai nodded in agreement.
"Okay, okay, I'll definitely come, haha." Li Chunlai's father laughed, and the two exchanged a few more words before hanging up the phone.
"What is he doing?" Li Chunlai's uncle asked, frowning.
“He said Li Chunlai went out to work and made money, and he came back to build a house. He’s having a banquet in a few days and invited me to come and drink,” Li Chunlai’s aunt said.
"Building a house, hosting a banquet?"
"What nonsense! With Li Chunlai's character, how could he possibly make money? I bet he's just looking for an excuse to ask for more money," Li Chunlai's uncle sneered.
"Then what are you going to do? He said he's going, can you not go? If he wants it, just give him some money." Li Chunlai's aunt shook her head, also feeling a bit of a headache.
"Then at least give less as a gift. Who can afford to give so much every day? Building a house? That's just a damn excuse."
"Just give me a hundred when the time comes, it'll be just a token gesture."
“Our son hasn’t even paid for his car loan next month yet, and he doesn’t have enough money to start a relationship. We’ll have to help him out,” Li Chunlai’s uncle said calculatingly.
"Sigh, they insisted on buying a Mercedes. You know how expensive those things are, over 200,000 yuan. It puts so much pressure on them," Li Chunlai's aunt said with a hint of helplessness.
"What can you do if he likes you? Besides, even though it's expensive, the car is different too. It's a Mercedes A200. This is a good opportunity to show off back in the village."
“In your village, you probably haven’t even seen what a Mercedes looks like,” Li Chunlai’s uncle said with a smug smile.
"Of course, there aren't any nice cars in that village. Li Chunlai used to always talk about buying a Mercedes-Benz, and it had to have a hood ornament."
"I really don't know his place. He's so arrogant and self-important. If he keeps going like this, he won't even be able to afford a tractor, let alone a Mercedes." Li Chunlai's aunt clearly looked down on him.
“When the time comes, have our son take a leave of absence and go back together to see what kind of house his family built. I reckon he won’t be able to answer a few questions. This must all be Li Chunlai’s idea,” said Li Chunlai’s uncle, lighting a cigarette.
"Oh dear, don't go too far. Just let him know what happened. There are so many relatives here. It's not good to keep pressing him and making him lose face. Just mention it briefly," said Li Chunlai's aunt.
The next day, Li Chunlai went to find Chen Feng.
"Brother Feng, I've finished everything. The banquet is the day after tomorrow." Li Chunlai handed Chen Feng a cigarette.
"The plot of land behind your house, you mean?" Chen Feng asked, lighting a cigarette.
Li Chunlai told Chen Feng about building a house, and Chen Feng helped him look at the land for the house.
"Yeah, you absolutely have to come to the banquet. It would be best if you could drive your Porsche to the front and park it there to give me face." Li Chunlai grinned.
"Once Dafei brings the car back, he'd better drive it too and scare my relatives to death," Li Chunlai said viciously.
"Are you stupid? What use would it be for me to drive it? After all, it's mine."
"You need to park a nice car in front of your house to make yourself look the best and show off to your relatives. This kid can't even pretend to be cool." Chen Feng smiled helplessly and patted his head.
"That seems to be the case. Then I'll drive one of your cars, hehe." Li Chunlai thought about it and realized that was the idea, so he nodded repeatedly.
"What's the next step? Have you booked the restaurant? Do you need me to help you with the arrangements?" Chen Feng asked.
"No need, Brother Feng. I didn't book a restaurant. We'll just eat in the village. I called a caravan. It'll be a normal feast, but the food will definitely be top-notch. We can't skimp on the food this time, or people will laugh at us," Li Chunlai said.
“Yes, that works too. It’s troublesome to bring too many relatives to the county. It’s easier to keep it in the village. If there’s no place to set up the canteen, we can go to the mine.” Chen Feng thought it over.
"It's alright, Brother Feng. I've borrowed some space from the brigade. My home really doesn't have enough room," Li Chunlai replied.
"Okay, as long as you understand it, that's fine. Don't be shy about asking for help if you need anything," Chen Feng instructed.
“Okay, Brother Feng, I definitely won’t be polite,” Li Chunlai grinned.
And so it went, until the day of the banquet, more and more of Li Chunlai's relatives came to visit.
Most of them came by bus, while some lived in neighboring villages and walked here.
Only one family arrived in a sedan, a car worth tens of thousands of yuan, which was quite impressive.
Li Chunlai's aunt was the last to arrive.
When the white Mercedes-Benz A200 drove into the village and stopped in front of Li Chunlai's house, the relatives gathered at the door were all surprised and whispered among themselves.
"Wow, look at Li Dajia, she's driving a Mercedes now. She's really hit the jackpot."
"This little Mercedes is really nice to look at. This thing is really cool."
"Great, this looks impressive."
When Li Chunlai's aunt and her family got off the bus, they all stood tall and proud.
"Aunt, Uncle, and Brother are here!" Li Chunlai greeted them at the door with a smile.
"They're here," Li Chunlai's aunt said with a smile.
"Come on in, come on, have a cigarette." Li Chunlai took out cigarettes and handed them to his uncle and brother.
Li Chunlai's uncle glanced at the cigarette, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He thought it would be at most ten yuan worth of cigarettes, but he didn't expect it to be Yuxi cigarettes. The Li family really went all out.
Actually, Li Chunlai wanted to go straight for Zhonghua cigarettes, but Chen Feng persuaded him otherwise.
Chen Feng meant that Zhonghua was too pretentious and not as approachable and respectable as Yuxi, and it didn't look ostentatious at all.
In a village, if someone is willing to give out cigarettes worth fifteen yuan, that's considered a good family. Usually, less well-off families would give out cigarettes worth twelve or thirteen yuan.
Buying a pack of Yuxi cigarettes for 23 yuan is already a sign of status.
"Okay, okay, I can light it myself." Li Chunlai's brother took the cigarette, said politely, and indicated that he could do it himself.
After chatting for a few minutes, Li Chunlai's father came over, and Li Chunlai went to greet other relatives.
Li Chunlai's brother looked at the cigarette and noticed the smacking sound, so he always suspected it was fake.
With Li Chunlai's pathetic state, how could he possibly afford to send money to Yuxi to get things done?
Are you kidding me? How can you expect to get the money back? You'll lose money doing this.
They were hoping to make some money doing favors, but they're not making any money at all.
"Where is the house being built? Are they just going to tear it down on the spot?" my aunt asked casually.
"No, that's the family in the backyard. We'll start cooking and eating when everyone's here." Li Chunlai's father pointed.
"His house? Such a big plot of land, how much would that cost?" Li Chunlai's aunt was stunned and incredulous when she heard this.
In her opinion, it would be good if they could just demolish the old site and rebuild on it, as that would save the cost of a homestead.
To my utter surprise, they actually bought a new plot of land, and such a large one at that. Is this for real?
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