The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Upon hearing this, Zhang's mother's face darkened. Just as she was about to get up and lash out, her husband grabbed her hand.

Mr. Zhang shook his head slightly at his wife, then turned to the old woman with a forced smile: "Mother, Xiaohua went to tutor her classmates, so it's normal for her to come back late."

"Tutoring?" The old woman looked suspicious. "Is the other person a man or a woman? Don't let them get tricked by those shady characters outside."

"Yes, brother, Mother is right!" The middle-aged man beside him chimed in with a grin.

"Xiaohua, you're a young lady, studying is so useless. You'd be better off getting married early. I have a good match for you. The man works at the supply and marketing cooperative, and earns a good salary each month..."

"That's enough!"

Zhang's mother could no longer contain her anger, slammed her hand on the table, and stood up:

"Zhang Hao, don't think I don't know what you're up to! You just took a bribe, and now you're trying to harm your own niece?"

Zhang Hao's true intentions were exposed, and the fake smile on his face immediately crumbled.

"Sister-in-law, that's a really harsh thing to say! I was just trying to find a good match for my niece, how did that make me a troublemaker?"

"Kindness?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang's mother became even angrier: "I haven't forgotten what you did last time. If you were really as good as you say, you wouldn't be worthy of being called a good-for-nothing."

Come to think of it, how could a normal person possibly ask a bachelor in his thirties who hasn't gotten married to act as a matchmaker?

"This, this..." Zhang Hao was speechless for a moment after being confronted.

The supply and marketing cooperative he introduced did indeed have some problems, otherwise he wouldn't have introduced it to Zhang Xiaohua.

Seeing that her son had been wronged, the old woman glared with her triangular eyes:

"Chen Yufen, shut up! Who gave you, an outsider, the right to yell and scream in this house? I'm Xiaohua's grandmother; her marriage is my decision!"

"You old hag, you've finally shown your true colors!" Chen Yufen sneered, deciding to throw caution to the wind.

"You weren't satisfied with the fifty catties of grain my family gave you last time, and now you're eyeing my daughter. You really are like a leopard that can't stop eating shit!"

Fortunately, she reacted quickly today and sent her daughter out early in the morning; otherwise, that beastly brother-in-law might have really brought that person here.

"You, you..."

The old woman pointed at her eldest daughter-in-law, trembling with anger, and turned to Zhang's father, shrieking, "Zhang Daqiang! Aren't you going to do anything about your wife? Does she even respect me as her mother anymore?!"

Zhang Daqiang's smile also vanished, replaced by a calm expression.

"Mother, I think Yufen is right."

"Consider the fifty catties of grain I gave you before as a way of settling our decades-long friendship. I will definitely treat you well when you come in the future, but let's not talk about anything else."

The old woman couldn't believe her ears; her eyes widened as if she were seeing her adopted eldest son for the first time.

Zhang Hao, sitting next to him, also looked completely bewildered.

He chuckled dryly twice, quickly trying to smooth things over: "Brother, you're wrong about that. Mother is only doing it for Xiaohua's own good."

"Whether it's good or not, I know it in my heart, so I don't need you to say it here," Zhang Daqiang replied, without even glancing at him.

After she finished speaking, the old woman finally came to her senses, and her voice became even more shrill:

"Zhang Daqiang, you...you're being unfilial! Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the neighborhood committee?"

"Go ahead and sue," Zhang Daqiang said slowly, standing up and pushing the stool aside.

"I, Zhang Daqiang, have already helped you enough over the years. Let's invite the neighborhood committee over and settle our differences."

After saying that, he walked towards the door without looking back.

The old woman's face was already very pale, but she dared not say anything more.

If she really breaks off her relationship with her family, she'll lose her long-term meal ticket.

Outside the door, Zhang Daqiang had just lowered his head to light a cigarette, but hadn't even had a chance to take a puff yet.

A familiar voice rang out: "Uncle Zhang, why are you standing outside all by yourself?"

Zhang Daqiang looked up and saw Li Kaixin leading Li Xiaoxiao, Li Kai, and his own daughter toward him.

He quickly stubbed out his cigarette, a smile spreading across his face.

"Comrade Li, it's nothing, it's just that it's stuffy inside, so I came out for some fresh air."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on her eldest daughter and Li Kai behind her, and she frowned: "Xiao Hua, what are you and Xiao Kai doing?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua realized that she was still holding Li Kai's arm, blushed, and immediately let go.

Li Kai, however, was thick-skinned. He chuckled and said, "Uncle Zhang, I accidentally tripped and fell just now. Xiao Hua took pity on me and helped me up."

"Xiao Kai, did it feel good to be supported by my daughter?"

"Awesome! How could it not be awesome, Xiaohua..." Li Kai replied subconsciously, but he suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.

Looking up, he saw that Zhang Daqiang's face had darkened, and hurriedly explained:

"Um, Uncle Zhang, that's not what I meant!"

"Alright, alright!"

Zhang Daqiang's anger subsided, and the corners of his mouth even began to turn up slightly: "You little rascal, you'd better watch where you're going in the future, don't be so reckless."

He's come to terms with it. Although Li Kai has a lot of flaws, he's genuinely good to his eldest daughter.

Every time my eldest daughter comes home from school, her schoolbag always has extra snacks, boiled eggs, and the like.

It's obvious who gave it to me without even asking.

Anyway, in a few days, he will go to Li Mingde to have a good talk about the two children, and it would be best to get them engaged first.

Seeing that Uncle Zhang's expression had softened, Li Kai, who was standing opposite, breathed a sigh of relief and secretly winked at Zhang Xiaohua.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua was furious and secretly pinched his waist hard.

Li Kai immediately winced in pain, but dared not cry out because Zhang's father was in front of him.

Zhang Daqiang ignored their little antics and looked at Li Kaixin apologetically: "Comrade Li, I... I want to discuss something with you."

"Uncle Zhang, just say it."

"I..." Zhang Daqiang said, glancing at Li Xiaoxiao beside him, "I have some trouble to deal with here tonight, and I'd like Xiaohua to stay with Xiaoxiao for the night. Is that alright?"

"Sure, why not?" Li Kaixin smiled. "It'll be good for the two girls to keep each other company, and they can talk to each other in the evening."

After overhearing their conversation, Li Kai asked with a look of surprise, "Really, Uncle Zhang?"

"Li Kai, this is none of your business."

Zhang Daqiang glared at him, then, as if remembering something, warned, "Also, you and Xiaohua better watch yourselves from now on. If you dare to cross that line in the next few years, see how I deal with you."

"Understood, understood!" Li Kai nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Xiaohua, who was standing next to him, blushed and lowered her head.

Zhang Daqiang's words just now made it very clear that he agreed to Li Kai and Zhang Xiaohua's relationship.

Li Kaixin naturally understood the implication, but he didn't point it out. He simply smiled and handed over the lunchbox he had brought.

"Uncle Zhang, these are the dishes we brought for you and your wife. Please don't find them too greasy."

Zhang Daqiang simply reached out and took it.

Anyway, his daughter will be part of this family from now on, so what's wrong with him eating some of the good things they give him?

Seeing that he accepted it, Li Kaixin didn't linger any longer. She called to her younger brother and two younger sisters and headed towards the courtyard gate.