At the banquet, whoever mixed the best and spoke the loudest was the most dazzling star. My uncle Li Xinglong was obviously the most dazzling star. He drank some white wine and talked a lot.
He was dressed in a suit and tie, with a white lining and a slightly bulging beer belly. He wore a gold watch and leather shoes, looking like a coal boss. My dad told me that my uncle had benefited from the good policies in the past few years, and he made millions every year by selling sand to the government, making him one of the richest men in the village.
When people have money, they like to show off the most. This banquet was paid for by this uncle.
"Li Li, I heard that you are studying abroad. What is your major?"
"finance."
My uncle's daughter, Li Lili, is tall, has long hair, delicate makeup, and the way she dresses doesn't look like a country girl at all.
But she was not originally from the countryside, she had lived in the city since she was a child. Li Yi had some impression of this little girl, he used to help her with her tutoring to earn extra money, she was a little gangster girl at that time, she often went out to have fun relying on her family's wealth.
In order to pay his uncle's high tuition fees, Li Yi worked as both a teacher and a nanny, and often went to places like bars and Internet cafes to arrest people.
I didn’t expect that the crazy girl back then has grown into a beautiful young lady. Ten years for mortals is really long.
"Lily, you've become a great beauty after not seeing you for a few years. Do you have a boyfriend?" a woman asked.
The topic among the elders is always about this. When they are in school, they are afraid of premature love, and after graduation, they want people to get married immediately.
Li Li smiled slightly: "I just went on a blind date a while ago, with the Zhou family in Yuzhong."
"The Zhou family of the Five Surnames and Seven Families?!"
“I guess so.”
"This is a rich husband. Lily, you have to work harder to get him. Don't miss it."
There were continuous exclamations from all around, and Li Yi yawned again at an inappropriate time. He was not looking for trouble, but he was too sleepy after consuming too much last night and getting up early today. However, there were many people around him, so he covered his mouth carefully, but he still couldn't escape Li Lili's eyes.
From the moment she entered the door, Li Lili had been secretly paying attention to Li Yi.
Li Yi is a very special existence for the children of the Li family. Their parents teach them to move out of Li Yi, and Li Li is no exception. In a sense, they have been indoctrinated to become people like Li Yi since childhood.
Li Lili and Li Yi had a bad relationship because of tutoring, but it is undeniable that she really admired this cousin and even had some unnecessary feelings for him.
But that was when they were young. Now she is better than Li Yi and has a better life and future. But he is just a poor man who has slept for 10 years.
Li Lili admitted that she was looking forward to Li Yi's envious expression in a mean way. After all, as a shadow of her childhood, any reaction from the other party always made her have inexplicable expectations.
But Li Yi never looked at him straight in the eye, not even for a moment. He was as nonchalant as ever, and the laziness between his eyebrows was the same as it was 10 years ago.
This made Li Lili very dissatisfied.
"Cousin, what are your plans for the future? Do you want to repeat your studies? You probably only have a junior high school education now, so it will be hard to find a job if you go out."
Li Yi didn't expect Li Li to suddenly ask him. He originally wanted to just stay a nobody and get through the day, but now, everyone's attention is focused on him.
"Let's take it one step at a time. It's already like this anyway." Li Yi shrugged, still looking excited, which seemed a bit self-destructive to outsiders.
Li Lili felt like she was punching cotton.
"Cousin, are you really not considering repeating your studies? You were expected to be admitted to the Imperial Capital. Although the textbooks are no longer the same as they were ten years ago, you should be able to get into a good school with your talent. The vice-principal of Yucheng No. 1 Middle School is my high school classmate. I can ask for you."
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding atmosphere group exclaimed.
"Lily is amazing. She actually knows the leader of No. 1 Middle School."
"Lily, my son will be going to high school next year. Can you help my second aunt with some connections?"
Next to him, a man wearing glasses and looking gentle also said: "I work in the Education Bureau, and I can also help find out about the repeater quota."
"Li Ning is promising. He even got a job in the Education Bureau."
"My eldest brother has done a good job in training me. My younger brother can only become a real estate manager and can never join the government."
"Hello, manager. Houses are like a treasure chest these days. The price changes every day. My child is really not good enough. He didn't finish college and went to Qi State to do business. He rarely comes back throughout the year."
Unknowingly, the relatives entered a new round of competition, and Li Yi could clearly feel that his uncle still had the upper hand.
Li Lili and Li Ning are indeed very promising. One works in a large enterprise and studies finance, which sounds very high-end. The other works in the Education Bureau, which is a high-ranking official in the eyes of rural people and is someone they should curry favor with.
The uncle, feeling greatly proud, was also smiling happily, and responded to the compliments from people around him with a modesty that was very inconsistent with his attire.
Li Yi poured a drink from a disposable plastic cup and watched calmly as his relatives showed off their skills to him.
Even though they look extremely enthusiastic now, they may not answer the phone calls later.
However, his parents obviously did not think so. Seeing their hopeful expressions, Li Yi could only eat a few more bites of food and consider it as if they really helped him.
At this time, the uncle suddenly spoke up to bring the topic back on track: "Li Yi, I heard that fourth brother said he wanted to repeat his studies?"
Before he could answer, Li Xingguo beside him immediately said, "Brother, my Yi'er is very talented. He ranked first in the city every year. He would be ranked high in the prefecture. It's not easy for our Li family to have someone who is good at studying. If he can pass the imperial examination, he might be very successful."
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