Chapter 12 In the dead of winter, in the porcelain jar in front of the main courtyard...
In the dead of winter, the lotus flowers in the porcelain jar in front of the main courtyard had already withered, and the koi carp swam slowly in the water, accompanied by the humming of the oxygen pump.
The courtyard was adorned with festive red lanterns, and rows of kumquat trees under the eaves were laden with fruit. Inside, the lights were bright, and the lively conversation of the people inside rose and fell in waves. Occasionally, bursts of hearty laughter would erupt from the room.
Wenxi lifted the bamboo curtain and saw a mother and daughter waiting outside the door. It was so cold that their breath was misty.
She stepped forward in surprise, grabbed the person, and asked, "Why are you here now?"
In a few days it will be New Year's Eve, and Mom and Li Zhizi deliberately avoided the peak period for guests and came to the Li residence to bid farewell to the New Year.
Li Fujin and his wife are stationed abroad year-round, so it's rare for them to be able to come back for the Spring Festival. The two brothers decided to go back to their hometown of Jixi together.
Li Zhizi's father's branch is a collateral branch of the Li family. The silk factory that Vice Secretary Liu proposed to open in Jixi in July is now ready and has been directly handed over to her father by Li Junchuan for management.
Li Zhizi's mother said happily that Secretary Liu had opened a green channel, and the procedures for the silk factory had been completed. With the equipment installed, it would officially start production after the New Year.
She delivered the first batch of sample silk quilts and pillows to my home before the holiday, and the auntie who had received them had already accepted them.
Wenxi said, "No need to be so polite."
She took Li Zhizi's hand, and seeing that she was quiet and sensible, invited her to come inside and sit down.
With the underfloor heating on in the room, it felt like stepping into spring.
Li Junchuan and Li Fujing were drinking tea in another room, while the others were chatting inside.
Wenxi was worried that Li Zhizi would be reserved, so she asked the aunt to pour her some water and told her to take the fruit and snacks on the table.
Just then, the brother and sister were bickering, talking about Li Li's embarrassing experiences during the New Year.
Li Zhoudu said that when the kitten was young, it was very shameless and loved to follow other people around asking for red envelopes during the Chinese New Year.
It'll be finished today, but it might be needed again tomorrow.
The housekeeper always keeps a certain amount on hand, whether it's tens or hundreds of dollars. When she gets it, she'll make empty promises, like a raise.
On one occasion, someone came to Li Junchuan's house to deliver a gift. They only knew that he had an only son, but did not know that his younger brother Li Fujing's daughter also lived with him.
He entered the Li family home and was dumbfounded to see Li Zhoudu drawing with his younger sister in the living room.
But after thinking it over, he still called Li Zhoudu over and gave him the red envelope in person.
Then the kitten saw it.
The kitten is sad.
She collapsed onto the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably. The house was in complete chaos, and her grandmother tried everything to comfort her, from taking her own money to holding her.
Only then did the other party realize that they had a little girl in their family who was even more precious than Li Zhoudu.
Finally, when all else failed, the auntie found a new red envelope for the guest, who stuffed all the remaining few hundred yuan into it in front of him, making sure he didn't leave a single penny, before she could appease the kitten.
Li Li retorted, "How could I be so domineering!"
Li Zhoudu laughed: "Of course! From childhood to adulthood, has anyone in your family ever dared to look down on you?"
Li Li refused to admit it: "That's not true, you must have made it up!"
Ling Wei smiled and hugged her daughter, saying, "Brother wasn't talking nonsense. I remember that person even called your father to apologize, saying he was really sorry for making his precious daughter cry."
Li Li's face turned bright red as her family teased her.
Li Zhizi looked at her while holding the tea in her hand and noticed that Li Li and Ling Wei had the same mouth and nose. However, her daughter had big eyes and looked clever and lively, while Ling Wei was more gentle and beautiful.
Li Li saw her at that moment, sat up straight, and said with a sigh, "I think I've seen you before."
Li Zhizi's mother then chimed in, trying to build rapport: "Little Cat used to play with Zhizi in Jixi when she was little."
When Li Zhizi was very young, she accompanied her mother to visit the most luxurious house in the neighborhood and saw her petite younger sister who was always followed by her aunt.
They were about the same age and were put together to play by the adults.
Unlike the control and restraint at home, the little sister's room has a TV that she can watch anytime, and no matter how much fruit and dessert she eats, they will be put back in their original state in a short while.
Li Li was already tired of those chocolates that were so high-class that she couldn't bear to chew them and could only suck on them.
Instead, they became enamored with the sour plums, the whistling candies, and the tiny sugar granules that danced on their tongues that she brought them every day.
The two little girls secretly exchanged their favorite items every day, and at the time they didn't feel that they were any different from each other.
One day, the two were playing around in the house when the little girl, chasing after her, tripped over the mahogany table leg and fell to the ground.
Li Li was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized it didn't hurt, and looked up at Li Zhizi with a grin.
The noise inside the house quickly attracted others. Without saying a word, her mother pulled her over and hit Zhizi hard on the back several times. The aunt who was standing nearby couldn't stop her in time.
She felt wronged at the time. It was clearly the little girl who tripped, but she didn't feel any pain or cry. Why was she the one who got hit?
Later, when the parents discussed at home preparing gifts to apologize, Li Pusheng said that there was no need to be so careful when children are just playing around, and politely declined their request.
Not long after, they moved away from Jixi.
Only a few months later, the neighbors were saying that Li Pusheng's granddaughter seemed to be having trouble adjusting to S City and they wanted to find someone from Jixi to send her there to keep her company.
Li Zhizi overheard her mother and father discussing privately: "Maybe I should go and ask Wenxi to put in a good word. It would be great if Zhizi could go..."
However, Li Zhizi did not want to go at the time; she was filled with resistance.
She didn't want to leave home. Although she didn't dislike her little sister, she didn't want to be the one who had to bear the consequences when others were naughty.
Of course, the thing she hated never happened and was left unresolved.
Li Zhizi only found out much, much later.
The roads I walk on every day and the schools I attend are all donated by my little sister's family to accumulate good fortune so that she can grow up well.
The scholarships she received every year while studying at school, and the special subsidies she received after being admitted to university, all of which were backed by her family.
And now, this factory that fell from the sky has brought joy to my parents.
Li Zhizi turned her gaze back, sipping her tea and lost in thought. She realized that her life trajectory had always been subtly influenced by someone, but she herself had never known it.
The mother, standing beside him, continued to thank Li Junchuan for giving her such a great opportunity.
Wenxi, finding her too formal, changed the subject and asked, "Is Zhizi still in school?"
Li Zhizi, snapping out of her daze, replied, "I'm currently studying. I'm a graduate student at S City Normal University."
Wenxi laughed and said, "That's great. Come over to my house more often and have some fun."
———
It was quite late when the guests left. These past few days, Li Li had been pushing Li Fujing away and lingering to sleep with Ling Wei.
She leaned against her mother's shoulder and subtly brought up Tan Yi to her every day.
She said she wanted to eat eight-treasure spicy sauce noodles tomorrow.
She also mentioned that when she was in high school, she would skip evening self-study sessions and take a taxi to an old alley more than 20 kilometers away to buy it for her.
Then, hiding it under the school uniform, it was secretly passed in through the window, still warm.
Li Li said that Tan Yi is very successful now. He is studying at the University of Hong Kong, has excellent grades, and has many good friends.
In her words, he was practically a well-rounded individual with excellent moral character, intellectual ability, physical fitness, aesthetic appreciation, and practical skills.
In fact, Ling Wei has always liked Tan Yi. She thinks that he and Xiao Mao'er grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and that he knows them well and is innocent and cute.
However, before Li Pusheng passed away, he briefly left a message, meaning that he should no longer consider the Tan family's involvement in the matter of the kitten.
She didn't understand why, and Wenxi hesitated before saying, "From what Junchuan said, this matter is indeed not quite appropriate. The kitten is still young, I'll keep an eye on him for you."
The eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother.
Li Junchuan and Wenxi have always taken good care of their family, fulfilling their roles as patriarchs admirably. Ling Wei doesn't know much about the Li family's affairs, so Wenxi has been teaching her everything she needs to know, from what to do to what to say.
Ling Wei couldn't ignore her brother and sister-in-law's opinions.
But seeing the kitten's pleading and longing eyes, her heart softened, and she asked softly, "How did Tan Yi spend the New Year this year? Was he alone?"
Li Li nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes."
He lives all by himself; he's really pitiful.
Ling Wei sighed and gently touched her hair with her warm hand.
In G City, the New Year's Eve dinner table was laden with a variety of dishes, which Tan Su had specially hired a chef to come and prepare.
Tan Huiming looked much older than he had a few years ago. He was in a wheelchair, his cheeks were so thin they were practically skin and bones. He only ate a few bites of his New Year's Eve dinner before putting down his chopsticks.
When Tan Su talked to him about company matters, Tan Huiming, who was exhausted, waved his hand, meaning that he should leave everything to Tan Su and not mention it to him.
In recent years, the grandfather and grandson have rarely chatted when they meet.
Around 7 p.m., Tan Su stood alone on the balcony, looking at the dark sky and the meager moonlight behind the thick clouds, and suddenly thought that Tan Yi was probably not the only one who was being disliked.
He scrolled through Li Zhoudu's WeChat Moments and saw a GIF of Li Li wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon, being protected by a well-matched middle-aged couple, covering her ears and shouting for her brother to set off fireworks.
That girl seemed to be able to be happy no matter what happened.
Those audacious acts didn't just stem from their family background, but also from the favoritism of everyone around them—this wasn't just ordinary good luck.
He thought silently that those two children had indeed brought so much joy and pleasure to Tan Huiming's life over the past decades.
This is not a role I am capable of taking on.
Even after the holiday, Ling Wei did not make any promises regarding Tan Yi before leaving.
Despite her disappointment, Li Li remained full of fighting spirit.
She thought it was because Tan Yi hadn't shown up.
When the two sides meet again, let Tan Yi prepare a gift and make a good impression. His parents will definitely like him.
Like him as much as you like yourself.
Before the holiday ended, Li Li obediently returned to N City.
Due to the low temperatures, the northern cities were covered in a blanket of white snow that did not melt for dozens of days.
She got out of the taxi, her feet crunching on the snow.
Li Li dragged her heavy luggage to the hotel entrance when she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone jumping down the steps and opening their arms to her.
Tan Yi hugged her tightly.
A note from the author:
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Sorry I'm an hour late [laughing and crying emoji]
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