Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

Yang Fan was amused by her exaggerated reaction, and the corners of his mouth curved into a wider smile. He quickly glanced at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and a serious smile, and repeated:

"I said, 'Yes. Did you understand?'"

After receiving this unequivocal affirmation, Xiaoya was stunned for two seconds, and then, immense joy exploded in her heart like fireworks!

"Yay! That's great!"

"Brother! You've finally figured it out!"

She was so excited she almost jumped up from her seat, but thankfully her seatbelt held her fastened.

"I knew it! Xiaoyu is such a wonderful girl, only a blind person could see how good she is!"

"Brother, you have excellent taste! The two of you standing together are a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"

Listening to his sister's incoherent cheers, Yang Fan maintained a degree of composure and shared his thoughts:

"Xiaoya."

"This matter cannot be rushed; we must proceed slowly."

"I understand what you've said. Xiaoyu is indeed a rare and wonderful girl."

"However," he changed his tone, becoming more cautious:

"Relationships are a matter between two people, and they should develop naturally."

"Moreover, I don't think now is the best time to talk about this. She's still in school, and the last six months of her senior year are a crucial period for completing her studies, doing internships, and planning her future. She should be focusing on that."

"If I rashly express anything at this time, it might disturb her, distract her, or even put pressure on her."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "My thought is to let things take their course. Being friends like this, understanding and caring for each other, is good enough."

"Once she graduates smoothly and her mindset is adjusted, if fate still allows, we can see if we can take a step forward. That's the responsible attitude we should have towards her life."

"Oh, brother! You're overthinking it! Such old-fashioned thinking!" Xiaoya pouted and retorted.

"It's perfectly normal for college students to date these days! They're 23, not little kids!"

"How can dating affect your studies? Maybe you can even encourage each other! Look at all the couples on campus, aren't there?"

Seeing that Yang Fan's expression remained unchanged, she knew that once her brother made a serious decision, it was difficult to persuade him easily, so she had no choice but to back down, but she didn't forget to emphasize:

"Okay, okay, I understand what you mean! You really care about Xiaoyu and don't want to affect her, that shows you have a conscience!"

"Then I promise, I will absolutely not give any false hints or try to set things up with Xiaoyu, okay?"

"But you have to promise me that you really have this idea in your heart, and you have to be proactive. Don't wait until the girl has arranged everything and you're still just 'letting things take their course'!"

"You have to grasp the opportunities in life, you know?"

"I understand." Yang Fan answered more readily this time, with a faint smile on his face. "Little housekeeper."

The brother and sister didn't discuss the topic further, but the atmosphere in the car was more relaxed and pleasant than when they arrived.

The car sped smoothly through the night, quickly returning to the village entrance and turning onto a familiar path.

They parked the car in their yard and went inside.

As soon as I entered, I was greeted not by the usual warm sounds of television or casual conversation after dinner, but by a heavy, almost stagnant atmosphere.

The TV was off, and the mahjong table that was usually set up after meals was now quietly tucked away in a corner.

Only a few cigarettes were burning silently, sending up wisps of smoke.

I saw my parents sitting on the sofa in the main seat, their faces serious and their brows furrowed.

Next to them sat Uncle Yang Jianmin, Aunt Li Cuihua, their son, and cousin Yang Hao.

Uncle San kept his head down, puffing on his cigarette one puff after another, his face full of worry.

Third Aunt Li Cuihua's eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying, and she would occasionally sob.

Meanwhile, his cousin Yang Hao sat stiffly on the small stool like a wooden figure, without saying a word.

This scene caused Yang Fan and Yang Ya, who were initially in a lighthearted mood, to simultaneously feel a jolt of unease.

"Dad, Mom, Third Uncle, Third Aunt," Xiaoya began cautiously, her voice lower than usual.

"What...what happened? What's going on?"

Uncle Yang Jianmin looked up when he heard the sound, and seeing Yang Fan return, he said anxiously:

"Xiao Fan! You're finally back! Come quick, come and talk to your little brother!"

"That brat is going to drive your third aunt and me crazy!"

He pointed at Yang Hao, his finger trembling slightly:

"It seems that everything has been settled with the Liu family's daughter, including the amount of the bride price and the wedding date."

"But today, he suddenly told us he wasn't going to get married!"

"Tell me, isn't this...isn't this ridiculous?"

Although Yang Fan's parents were not as emotional as his third uncle and aunt, they sat there with their brows furrowed.

Yang Fan, however, felt a deep sense of doubt.

His cousin, Yang Hao, was known since childhood as an honest and simple man with a quiet temper, but he was exceptionally filial and obedient. He was definitely not the kind of person who would act recklessly or willfully in matters of life.

There must be something hidden here, and it might be a significant one.

Unlike other elders, he didn't start by questioning or lecturing with anger.

He walked over to Yang Hao and placed his hand on Yang Hao's tense shoulder, feeling the stiffness of the muscles beneath his hand.

He crouched down, bringing his gaze level with Yang Hao's, who had been keeping his head down, and softened his voice:

"Haozi, keep an eye on your brother."

"What exactly happened?"

"Tell me, is something wrong?"

"Or... is there something you've wronged?"

"Don't keep it to yourself, tell me, and I'll help you think of a solution."

Yang Hao's body trembled almost imperceptibly. He raised his head and gave Yang Fan a complicated look, but finally spoke firmly:

"Brother...it's alright."

"It's just... I feel like she and I... might really not be a good match. There's no point in getting married."

"Anyway... anyway, Brother Fan, the money you borrowed for the betrothal gifts hasn't been sent over yet, so it's perfect... perfect, let my parents pay you back the money."

"I'll think about getting married when I'm more successful and can earn money. Anyway, I'm still young."

If Yang Fan had only suspected something before, now he was almost 100% certain that Yang Hao was carrying a huge burden on his mind.

Just as he was about to speak, trying to calm Yang Hao down and get him to tell the truth, his third uncle and aunt, who were burning with anxiety and anger, couldn't hold back any longer.

Yang Jianmin slammed his fist on the table in anger:

"What kind of talk is that?! What do you mean by 'inappropriate'?"

"Why didn't you do this sooner?"

"Now the whole village knows you're going to marry the Liu family's daughter, and you're just going to say it's not a good match and call it a day?"

Yang Jianguo, who had been silent all along, finally spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying both the authority of an elder and his bewilderment:

"Haohao, you've always been a sensible child. What happened this time?"

Is marriage a trivial matter?

"You just say you don't want to get married, but have you considered your parents' feelings? Have you considered the woman's feelings?"

"If you're worried about money, your brother Fan already said there's no rush, it's for your wedding first! Can this be more important than your life's most important event?"

Faced with a barrage of questions from his parents and uncle, Yang Hao remained surprisingly calm:

"Uncle! Dad! Mom! Please stop trying to persuade me—!"

"I've made up my mind! I'm not going to get married."

After saying that, Yang Hao stood up, opened the door, and left.

"You! You bastard! You've gone too far! Stop right there!" Yang Jianmin was so angry that he was trembling all over. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and was about to chase after him.

"Third Uncle! No!"

Yang Fan reacted quickly, stepping forward and tightly grabbing his enraged third uncle.

"Third Uncle! Please calm down, don't act impulsively!"

He pressed down hard on his third uncle's arm, then turned to look at his father, whose face was ashen:

"Dad, please sit down first, don't rush."

He pressed his third uncle, who was panting with anger, back into his chair, and stood in the center of the room, his gaze sweeping over the several elders who were anxious, angry, and bewildered:

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, Dad, Mom."

"You guys need to calm down first."

"You know Haozi better than I do. He's definitely not the kind of person who's immature and would joke about his life's most important event."

"There's probably more to this than meets the eye!"