Middle-aged tycoon: Twins come knocking on his door when he goes home for Chinese New Year

And so, in this strange and inexplicable atmosphere, the whole family got busy with their own tasks.

In winter, it gets dark early. By 5:30, the sun had already set behind the western mountains, leaving only a faint reddish afterglow.

Logically, it should be time to prepare dinner.

But this old house has been uninhabited for many years. The earthen stove in the kitchen has long since collapsed halfway, and the chimney is blocked, so it is completely unusable.

However, this did not stump the eldest brother, Zhang Jianguo.

He works in engineering and often eats at construction sites; he's very experienced.

He took out an outdoor gas stove, pots and pans, and even a large folding round table from the trunk of the Haval car.

"Jianjun, you're good with a knife, you chop the vegetables!"

"If so, stew that chicken; it's cold, so drink some soup to warm yourself up."

Zhang Jianguo was decisive and quickly arranged everything clearly for everyone.

Second Brother Zhang Jianjun responded and rolled up his sleeves to start chopping vegetables on the makeshift cutting board.

Zhang Ruoran wasn't idle either; she tied on an apron and squatted down next to the gas stove to work.

The two younger girls, Li Menghan and Li Mengli, assisted on the side, washing vegetables and handing out plates.

As for the eldest brother Zhang Jianguo and the younger brother Zhang Jianmin, they were diligently sweeping the fallen leaves and withered grass in the yard with large brooms.

Li Ze stood alone in the middle of the courtyard, looking somewhat superfluous.

He also wanted to help with the cooking.

But during his eighteen years abroad, he was waited on hand and foot, and even if he wanted a late-night snack, a Michelin-starred chef would come to serve him.

If you really let him hold a cleaver and cut potato shreds, he'd probably end up cutting his fingers instead of potato shreds.

Looking at the busy crowd, Li Ze scratched his head, feeling that he couldn't just stand there like a big shot.

This is a great opportunity to show off.

His gaze fell on the pile of New Year's goods he had just bought.

"Got it!"

Li Ze's eyes lit up.

I can't cook, and I don't have any tools to sweep the floor, but I know how to put up couplets and paper-cut window decorations!

This is a technical job; it requires a smooth and festive finish.

So Li Ze found some tape and glue, moved a small stool, and began to "dress up" the dilapidated old house.

He first pasted the bright red couplet on the main door of the hall, and then pasted the large "福" (good fortune) characters on the windows.

Although the house was dilapidated, once these red decorations were pasted on, the festive atmosphere of the New Year immediately came through.

While Li Ze was busy pasting paper-cut window decorations, at the other end of the courtyard, Zhang Jianguo and Zhang Jianmin were sweeping the floor and whispering to each other.

The younger brother, Zhang Jianmin, slammed the broom on the ground, glanced at Li Ze who was busy in the distance, and frowned as he asked his elder brother:

"Brother, I still don't understand."

Why did you just give in and let him stay?

"That kid hurt my sister so badly back then. You know how many pillows she cried on all those years."

"We're fine not to beat him up, but we're letting him get in our way. Don't I think he's hurt our sister badly enough?"

Zhang Jianguo stopped what he was doing, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, handed one to his younger brother, and lit one for himself.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, watched the figure struggling to properly paste the "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character, sighed, and shook his head.

"Third brother, you're still too young and hot-tempered."

"Didn't you hear what Mengli said just now? That Audi A6 was bought by him."

Zhang Jianmin snorted:

"What's so great about driving a beat-up car? Maybe it's just rented to show off."

"Whether it's bought or rented, it shows that he has some money on hand now."

Zhang Jianguo exhaled a smoke ring and said earnestly:

"I did all this for Ruoran and for those two children."

"Ruoran seems to be doing quite well these past few years, becoming a store manager. But don't we, as her older brothers, know how difficult things have been for her behind the scenes?"

"The mortgage in Han City is seven thousand yuan a month. It's a huge mountain weighing on her head."

"Plus, Mengli and Menghan are both in university, and they'll need to buy a house and get married later. All of that costs money!"

"If she were just a woman, how long could she hold out?"

At this point, Zhang Jianguo flicked his cigarette ash, his eyes becoming very realistic:

"If Li Ze really makes a fortune, and he genuinely wants to make amends."

"Wouldn't it be good to have him contribute some money to help ease Ruoran's burden?"

"It doesn't matter who spends this money on, it's only natural to spend it on your own children!"

After listening, Zhang Jianmin felt that his elder brother made sense, but he was still unhappy.

He curled his lip and said dismissively:

"Pshaw, I doubt it."

"That kid disappeared for eighteen years. Who knows what kind of shady business he's been up to."

"I think he came back on a whim this time, or maybe he couldn't make it outside and wanted to come back to find a place to stay."

"Who knows, after a few days, once the novelty wears off, he'll definitely disappear again."

"Our sister will be heartbroken again then."

Zhang Jianguo threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and sneered:

"It doesn't matter."

"If he can really change for the better, that would be a win-win situation."

"If he dares to disappear again, that's perfect!"

"This also lets Ruoran, the kids, and us brothers see this person for who he really is."

"At that time, we won't have any more hope for him. If we can give up completely, we can live our own lives properly from now on."

The two brothers were plotting something.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the makeshift "open-air kitchen" on the other side was not exactly peaceful either.

While washing the vegetables, Li Menghan would occasionally glare at Li Ze, who was pasting couplets not far away, her face full of displeasure.

"Mom, I just don't understand."

Li Menghan muttered:

"Why did you stop your uncle and the others just now? And my sister too, she kept siding with him."

"Didn't you always tell me how bad he was back then, how heartless he was?"

"Why are you all so soft-hearted now that we've met?"

Zhang Ruoran was pouring oil into the pan when she heard her son's words, and her hand trembled slightly.

She turned her head, looked at her son's indignant face, sighed, and said in a complicated tone:

"Menghan, you child, how can you be so insensible?"

"I hate him, I wish I could bite him twice."

"However, blood ties cannot be severed."

"No matter what, he's the one who gave you half of your life. No matter how much of a jerk he is, he's still your father."

"That's a fact, and you can't change it."

Li Menghan stiffened her neck and stubbornly shouted:

"He's not my dad!"

"I don't have a father like that!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianjun, the second uncle who was chopping vegetables, stopped what he was doing.

He walked over, patted Li Menghan on the shoulder with his large hands covered in vegetable leaves, and said:

"Menghan, you have backbone, that's right, just like someone from our Zhang family."

"But your mother is right."

"No matter what, you have to remember, he's your biological father."

"You can ignore him, you can stop calling him, but you can't deny this fact."

"We should be reasonable people. We can't disown our ancestors just because we hate him."

Although Li Menghan was still very dissatisfied and felt wronged.

However, under the combined influence of his mother and second uncle, he could only suppress his anger.

He nodded reluctantly, stopped talking, and vented his anger on the vegetable leaves.

At this moment, Li Mengli, who had been listening from the side, couldn't help but interject.

As she arranged the washed dishes, she whispered:

"Oh, actually I don't think it's that serious."

"I talked a lot with my dad on the way back."

"I think Dad is... actually quite nice to get along with, very easy-going, and not at all pretentious."

"And he seems genuinely interested in making it up to us."

"Xiaohan, don't get so angry with Dad, and Mom too, don't keep that bossy face."

The voice just fell.

Zhang Ruoran, Zhang Jianjun, and Li Menghan turned around almost simultaneously and said to Li Mengli in unison:

"Mengli, don't talk nonsense!"

"Kids shouldn't meddle in adult matters!"

"Sis, you're just too easily fooled!"

Suddenly confronted by three people, Li Mengli shrank back, stuck out her tongue, and obediently shut her mouth.

However, she wasn't angry; instead, she was secretly pleased with herself.

Hmph, you're just being stubborn now.

If I let you know just how rich our dad really is.

If you knew that Apple and Porsche are both owned by our family.

You'll be so shocked your jaws will drop!

Let's see if you'll still say the same thing then!

Li Mengli looked at the tall figure not far away, her heart filled with anticipation.

That feeling of being the only one sober while everyone else is drunk is really quite exhilarating.

……

Soon, it became completely dark.

A simple LED light was strung up in the yard, its white light illuminating the entire yard.

The aroma of food wafted through the cold air.

Stewed chicken soup, braised pork belly, stir-fried cured meat, and a large plate of bright green vegetables.

Although the conditions were simple, the dishes on the table looked incredibly appetizing.

The family sat down around the folding round table.

Although Zhang Ruoran didn't give Li Ze a pleasant look, she didn't go too far either.

She still took a clean set of bowls and chopsticks and placed them at the end of the table, right next to Li Mengli.

Li Ze didn't stand on ceremony, sat down with a grin, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and said to Zhang Ruoran:

"Thank you, honey. You've worked so hard."

Zhang Ruoran rolled her eyes at him and ignored him.

Li Ze looked at the dishes on the table and then at the people around him.

Although it was in a dilapidated courtyard, and although everyone's gaze towards him was somewhat complicated.

But a long-lost warmth welled up in his heart.

This scene reminded him of the day he married Ruoran nineteen years ago.

It's the same kind of rural banquet, and the same people.

Everyone was drinking and eating meat; it was one of the happiest moments of his life.

"Come on, let's eat!"

As the head of the family, the eldest brother, Zhang Jianguo, spoke up.

Only then did everyone begin to eat.

After eating for a while, the atmosphere eased up a bit.

Zhang Jianguo picked up his wine glass and first said some polite words:

"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and it's not easy for our whole family to get together and stay safe and sound."

"Come on, let's start with one."

The men took a sip of wine, and the women took a sip of beverages.

After putting down his wine glass, Zhang Jianguo wiped his mouth, then turned his gaze to Li Ze.

Everyone at the table slowed down; they all knew that the main topic was about to be discussed.

Zhang Jianguo looked at Li Ze, his tone becoming serious:

"Li Ze, we have a rare guest at our table today, that is, you."

"There are some things we need to talk about openly."

"Just now at the door, you kept saying that you made money outside and that you wanted to come back to be good to Ruoran, Menghan, and Mengli, and to make it up to them."

"Then tell me, what's your plan?"

Zhang Jianguo stared into Li Ze's eyes, pressing him closer step by step:

"And then there are these eighteen years."

"Where did you go? What were you doing?"

"What exactly is your situation right now?"

"Although you drove back in an Audi, which looked quite impressive."

"But we're all family, let's not get into all that nonsense."

"Can you give us the real story?"