Zhou Yan took his two friends for a walk around the town. "That's all the scenery in the town. There used to be a piglet training show, but as you heard just now, the trainer is in poor health, so it's been cancelled. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Huai County. I've been away for ten years, and there are still many places in Huai County that I haven't been to!"
"Do you want to go to the scenic spot where there are horse rides?" Wu Minyi was quite interested in the fact that there were horses in the scenic spots in the small county town in the Central Plains.
"Yes," Zhou Yan nodded, but there was a hint of teasing in his eyes. "My two cousins ran away from home. What do you two think?"
"Let it be, we'll meet if we're destined to." Wu Minyi and Yi Xiangfan said in unison. They were mainly trying to avoid being pressured to get married by their families, and secondly, they were interested in the cousin that their friends often praised.
Back at the Zhou residence, Zhou Yan reintroduced Wu Minyi and Yi Xiangfan to his aunt. "Aunt, uncle-in-law, Wu Minyi and Yi Xiangfan were childhood friends. Their fathers both work in the public security department. Wu Minyi works in the procuratorate, and Yi Xiangfan works in the court."
"Good, good, these are all good units that uphold justice and fight against criminals. They are the great backers of the people!" Zhou Xiang praised them, but secretly thought in his heart that his nephew also had a great backer, with the public security, procuratorate and courts!
"Aunt, you're too kind. We've been naughty and playful since we were little, and we love to stand up for the weak. Most of our elders work in the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments, so we followed their advice and applied for these two units. To be honest, every time we go out to eat, Zhou Yan pays the bill! We really..."
Zhou Yan disagreed with Wu Minyi's words. "Don't cry poor! Do you think I don't know that you and your partner are doing business together and earning quite a bit of money? It's just that you're stingy by nature and insist on saving your money for your wives..."
"Stop, stop, stop," Yi Xiangfan clasped his hands together and said to Zhou Yan, "Master Zhou, please spare us. With our identities, it's not appropriate for us to expose our business dealings. We're thinking of transferring the shares to our wives after we get married. That would at least be safer. The more money we get now, the more scared we are."
Zhou Xiang smiled as he watched the three of them laughing and joking. His nephew was much more cheerful now that he had friends than when he was with his family. For a man, friends are indispensable.
Zhou Yan told his aunt how he became friends with the two men. "These two are hilarious. Someone at work was holding a grudge against them, so they took revenge on them when they were off work. They were chased for several blocks. I saw injustice and came to their rescue. They saw that I was a skilled martial artist, so they grabbed me and wouldn't let go. They insisted on being my friend, saying they might need me in the future. So, I was forced to join them."
Wu Minyi and Yi Xiangfan were a little embarrassed. Their friend had spilled all the beans about them. Did they still have a chance? Never mind. They'd agreed to just go with the flow.
Zhou Xiangxu nodded at his nephew, "You! Only Minyi and Xiangfan are generous, how could you be so revealing? Men should pay attention to their reputation, okay? You should pay attention to it too."
Zhou Yan chuckled, "The three of us are used to quarreling. They have good tempers. Otherwise, how could I, a martial arts expert, make friends with such weak people? I just feel that they are like brothers, just like my two healthy brothers. But these two brothers are unwilling to come to the capital to see me. I have invited them several times."
"Those two!" Zhou Xiang really didn't know how to praise his two nephews. "They planned their lives very early. They set up a company while still in school, started dating a year after graduation, got married two years after dating, had a sweet three-year period after marriage, and then had children. Their children are both three years old, just two months apart.
Look at their plans, and then look at the plans of the three people in my family. I was the one who brought them all up, right? Why are they different?"
"Auntie," Zhou Yan touched his head, "You are not alluding to me, are you?"
"Right," Zhou Xiang clapped his hands, "You're 23 years old now, it's time for you to go on blind dates and find a partner."
"Aunt, could you please stop pushing us? My brothers Jiankangkang and the others have planned their lives so early because they are afraid that our aunt will arrange marriages for us. My brothers and sisters and I know that you are an open-minded elder, right? So please give us a few more years of freedom, okay?" Zhou Yan clasped his fists and begged for mercy.
"I don't care," Zhou Xiang waved her hand nonchalantly. "You haven't met your partner yet. If you really do, you'll be more anxious than anyone else and can't wait to get married tomorrow. Haha, then your aunt will slowly take care of everything for you."
Zhou Yan didn't dare to answer. What if? What if he encountered the situation his aunt described? And his aunt had to take care of him for a year or two. How anxious he would be!
At this time, someone came in from outside and solved Zhou Yan's embarrassment. It was Zhou's father and mother who came back. When they saw their eldest grandson, the two old people couldn't stop crying and blamed their eldest grandson for being cruel. He had been away for ten years before coming back. If he had come any later, they didn't know whether he could still see his grandparents.
Zhou Yan finally comforted the man after a lot of consolation. His father, who had finally left the studio and had time to look at his phone, came running over. When he saw his son, he hugged him and said that he couldn't even hold his son anymore.
Zhou Yan hugged his father with heartache. His father was the best man in the world. He spent the rest of his lonely life accompanying his mother who could not go out to see people. He felt heartache for such a man.
Zhou Niao whispered in his son's ear, "No matter what the outcome of this exhibition is, I plan to go and accompany your mother. There's no need. I won't let your aunt get me out."
Zhou Yan gave his father another strong hug and said, "Okay, it's a pity that I didn't wait for a brother or sister."
"Your third uncle and I don't plan to have a second child because we're not good fathers."
"Nonsense," Zhou Yan denied what his father said, "My father is the best father."
"Okay, okay," Zhou Niao didn't argue with his son, "Are these two your friends?"
Wu Minyi and Yi Xiangfan had already stood up, watching Zhou Yan's joy and tears as he reunited with his family. At this moment, seeing his gaze turned to them, they quickly introduced themselves.
Zhou's father and mother said yes repeatedly, "Okay, okay, now that you're here, have a good time for a few days. Ask Yan'er to take you around. By the way, Yan'er, your grandmother wants to see you. She has been bedridden for a year and may not have much time left."
Zhou Yan looked back at his aunt and saw her nod. He knew that she must have done her best. "Okay, I'll go see her after dinner."
Zhou's father and mother went to the kitchen to help, and Zhou Niao invited Wu Minyi and Yi Xiangfan to sit down and talk.
The two of them sat down stiffly. Since arriving in the market town, they had not felt shy in front of Zhou Yan's most respected aunt. After meeting Zhou Yan, their elders had already thoroughly investigated Zhou Yan's family background. With a family background like theirs, it was not easy for them to open up to others. Having known Zhou Yan for five or six years, they increasingly treated Zhou Yan as a younger brother, a good friend, and even a relative.
At this moment, looking at this elegant and refined man, one could not tell that he was already in his fifties. They sincerely felt a sense of distance, that vague and intangible sense of distance, even more vague than that of Zhou Yan, a cultivator.
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