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

The next day was February 16th, the 2th day of the twelfth lunar month, which is Lunar New Year's Eve.

The sound of firecrackers outside woke Li Ze up early in the morning, around six o'clock.

Although the winter mornings in the countryside are so cold that one doesn't want to get out of bed, Li Ze still got up quickly.

The old man is very reliable. He drove to town before dawn and has already brought back a hot breakfast.

Several bowls of hot dry noodles and a few golden and crispy fried dough sticks were placed on the table, along with a cup of thick sweet soy milk.

Li Ze picked up the paper bowl and slurped up a big mouthful of hot dry noodles.

The aroma of sesame paste combined with the crunch of diced radish explodes in your mouth.

"Comfortable!"

Li Ze couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

One bite brings back memories and a sense of satisfaction.

Although this dish only costs a few dollars a bowl, Li Ze thinks it's much more satisfying than the elaborate French meals he's had abroad.

This is what it means to live, this is what it means to live.

After breakfast, Li Ze stood at the door of the old house, looking in the direction of the village entrance.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Starting from eight or nine in the morning, cars with license plates from other places began to drive into the village one after another.

However, compared to the scene in my memory, it still seemed much more deserted.

In Li Ze's memory, eighteen years ago, once it entered the 27th or 28th of the twelfth lunar month...

The village was packed with people, all migrant workers who had come back for the Chinese New Year.

But now, it's already the morning of New Year's Eve, and at most only seven or eight households have returned.

There's no way around it; young people these days are all too busy with work, and some companies even have to stay until the very last minute.

Many people can only get back on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, or even when they are having their New Year's Eve dinner.

Some are even worse off, not getting home until the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Thinking of this, Li Ze couldn't help but feel a little fortunate.

Fortunately, Ruoran's restaurant was a high-end establishment that valued style.

We'll close the store for the next few days around the Spring Festival to avoid making that hard-earned money.

Otherwise, if it were like when Ruoran was working in a factory, she would probably still be working overtime on the assembly line right now.

There's no chance to bring the children back early for the Lunar New Year.

"Tonight is New Year's Eve dinner."

Li Ze twirled the beads in his hand, pondering to himself.

Although his elder brother Zhang Jianguo said yesterday that he didn't need to worry about it, as his son-in-law, he couldn't just go around eating for free.

Moreover, I only bought some fireworks and firecrackers yesterday; I didn't buy much food or drinks.

Li Ze decided to go to town himself to buy some hearty dishes, as well as some good wine and cigarettes.

Before leaving home, he called his daughter, Li Mengli.

"Hey, honey, are you awake?"

"Dad? He's been awake for ages!" Li Mengli's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone, with background noise of conversation and children playing.

"It looks quite lively over there?" Li Ze asked with a smile.

"Yes, all of my uncles' families are here; there's barely enough room for everyone in the yard."

"That's good. I have a question for you. I'm wondering if we need to buy any more groceries? I need to show off my cooking skills for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner, or maybe add a few more dishes."

"I bought a lot of vegetables, but Dad, if you want to buy something, buy some seafood or fruit instead. We don't have much here."

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Li Ze didn't call a driver.

He drove his black Audi A6 slowly out of the village, heading towards Zhangjiazhai.

……

At this moment, in the courtyard of Zhangjiazhai's old house.

Just as Li Mengli said, it was truly bustling and extraordinary.

Yesterday, only the four Zhang siblings and two children were present.

The moment those aunts and their children returned today, the place became incredibly lively.

The entrance to the courtyard was packed with cars, almost blocking the road.

Zhang Zixuan, the daughter of Zhang Jianguo, is twenty years old this year.

The girl was quite pretty, but her complexion was a bit pale.

Because she suffers from depression, she doesn't talk to anyone much.

As soon as he got off the car, he lowered his head and locked himself in a small cubicle in the west wing, refusing to come out and join the fun.

Her aunt called her twice, but there was no response, so she could only sigh and let her be.

Zhang Jianjun's son is named Zhang Ziwang, and he is twenty-five years old this year.

This young man has been working for a year or two, and he probably feels there is a generation gap between him and these younger brothers and sisters who are still in school.

He moved a small stool to sit under the eaves, crossed his legs, and frantically typed on his phone.

The most active ones were the twins, Zhang Dan and Zhang Yuan, from Zhang Jianmin's younger brother's family.

These two children are about the same age as Mengli and Menghan, and they've been playing together since they were little.

Although they hadn't seen each other for a year, there was no awkwardness between them. They were chatting and eating melon seeds in the yard with Mengli and Menghan.

As for Zhang Ruoran, he was being talked to by his three sisters-in-law and younger siblings at the entrance of the main room.

My sister-in-law, Jiang Qiuyan, is fifty-one years old this year.

She was a typical warm-hearted older sister, wearing a bright red cotton-padded jacket and with a loud voice.

As she picked the vegetables, she looked at Zhang Ruoran and asked:

"If that's true, I heard from Jian Guo that... Li Ze, came back yesterday?"

Zhang Ruoran was helping to wash the scallions when she heard this name. She paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, it's my sister-in-law. She came back yesterday."

Second sister-in-law Tang Dan, 49 years old, dressed quite fashionably and had a perm.

She leaned closer and asked with a gossipy look:

"So what are you thinking? I saw him go to the grave with you yesterday?"

"You're not having a change of heart and are planning to get back together with him, are you?"

Zhang Ruoran put the washed scallions into the basket, shook the water off her hands, shook her head, and said in a very indifferent tone:

"No, sister-in-law, you're overthinking it."

"I have no such intention, and it's impossible for me to get back together with him."

"It's been so many years, he hurt me so deeply, I can't get over that in my heart."

At this moment, Geng Qi, the third sister-in-law, interjected.

Geng Qi is thirty-nine years old this year, the same age as her uncle Zhang Jianmin.

She was wearing a short leopard-print down jacket and black fleece-lined stockings.

She wore high heels and looked quite stylish, but her words were a bit sharp and sarcastic.

While cracking sunflower seeds, she said with a pursed mouth:

"If that's true!"

"You absolutely cannot trust a man like that."

"As the saying goes, a leopard can't change its spots. Once it does, it'll do it again."

"Back then, he could abandon you for eighteen years just to enjoy himself outside."

"Now that he's back, who knows if he's accumulated a mountain of debt outside and is just thinking of coming back to find a kept woman."

"If that's the case, you'd better keep your eyes open and not be fooled by his sweet talk."

"If you ask me, you should kick him out, don't even let him in the door!"

Just as Geng Qi finished speaking, Li Mengli, who was passing by, overheard her.

Li Mengli stopped abruptly.

She originally came over to get some drinks.

Hearing his third aunt talk about his father like that, he immediately felt a surge of anger.

Although she knew her father had indeed been wrong in the past, he had changed now and was so good to the family.

How can anyone say that?

Li Mengli walked over, put the beverage bottle she was holding on the table, and said with a stern face:

"Third Aunt, I don't like hearing you say that."

"That's my dad, my biological dad."

"He made mistakes before, but he's genuinely come back to make amends now."

"Besides, this is a family matter. My mom hasn't even said anything yet. Can you please stop talking badly about people behind their backs?"

Geng Qi never expected that Meng Li, who was always well-behaved, would talk back.

Her face flushed, she spat out the melon seed shell, and her eyes widened:

"Oh dear, Mengli, how can you talk like that?"

"I'm doing this for your mother's own good, aren't I? I'm afraid she'll suffer again!"

"Children shouldn't interrupt adults! Look at you, you've gone to university and you don't even know the difference between elders and juniors anymore."

Li Mengli was so angry she wanted to roll her eyes, and was about to retort again.

Zhang Dan, Geng Qi's daughter, tugged at Li Mengli's sleeve and whispered:

"Sister Mengli, don't mind my mom. That's just how she is; she always likes to meddle in other people's business."

Geng Qi's son, Zhang Yuan, echoed this sentiment:

"That's right, Mom, please say less, it's the New Year."

Upon hearing this, Geng Qi became even angrier and pointed at her two children, yelling:

"Hey! You two brats, whose side are you on? Taking sides with outsiders? You want a beating?!"

Seeing that an argument was about to break out, Zhang Ruoran quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

She took Geng Qi's hand and said with a smile:

"Alright, alright, Qiqi, don't hold it against the child."

"Mengli is just protecting her father, so don't take it to heart."

"Let's go inside and talk. It's cold outside. Let the children play outside by themselves."

As she spoke, Zhang Ruoran pulled her three sisters-in-law and younger siblings into the inner room.

By drawing the curtain, the view from the outside was blocked.

Li Mengli stood there, puffing out her cheeks in anger.

She looked at the swaying curtain in the inner room and felt incredibly frustrated.

These aunts-in-law, we only see each other a few times a year, but when we do meet, they like to point fingers and gesticulate wildly.

Especially that third aunt, she's so snobbish.

They used to look down on their family for being poor, and now they're trying to sow discord between them.

If they let them whisper in their mother's ear all day, wouldn't that make it even harder for the father to get back together with his wife?

No, we can't let them succeed!

Li Mengli's eyes lit up, and she had an idea.

She greeted Zhang Dan and Zhang Yuan:

"You guys keep playing, I'm going to the bathroom."

After saying that, she slipped out of the yard and ran to a secluded corner.

He took out his phone and skillfully dialed Li Ze's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Hey, Dad!"

"What's wrong, honey? Do you want some snacks? Dad will buy them for you."

Li Ze's gentle voice came over.

Li Mengli lowered her voice, speaking in a tone as if she were giving a heads-up:

"Dad, forget about food, something terrible has happened!"

"I have something to tell you, but you'd better be prepared."

"What's wrong? Why are you so serious?" Li Ze chuckled on the other end, seemingly not nervous at all.

"Your aunts just got back today. Just now in the yard, your third aunt led the way and belittled you to nothing."

"They kept nagging my mom, saying that you came back to live off a woman, that if you did it once, you would do it again, and that my mom should never be with you."

"I snapped at them a couple of times because I was angry, but my mom pulled me away."

"Now they've dragged my mom inside, who knows what kind of nonsense they'll spout about you!"

Li Ze on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle:

"Oh? Is that so?"

"It seems these sisters-in-law and brothers still hold a deep-seated prejudice against me."

"That's normal. After all, we've been separated for so long. They're just doing it for your mom's own good."

Li Mengli panicked:

"Dad! Why are you still taking their side?"

"Aren't you afraid they'll sway my mom?"

"What if my mom listens to them and is determined to ignore you?"

Li Ze comforted her, saying:

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm right here."

"Since they have a problem with me, let's figure out a way to resolve it."

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to be grateful."

Li Mengli's eyes lit up:

"Dad, you mean...?"

"Yes," Li Ze said with a smile, "I was planning to go buy New Year's goods anyway."

"Since our aunts are all here, we can't go empty-handed."

"No matter what they say about me, we must be polite, and it has to be a grand ceremony."

"If I make them happy, even if they still don't like me, they'll at least say something nice for the sake of the gift, right?"

"This is called the sugar-coated bullet tactic."

Li Mengli nodded repeatedly, completely admiring her father's methods.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Dad, you always have a way!"

"What should we buy? My third aunt is very picky; she won't even look at cheap stuff."

Li Ze said nonchalantly:

"Don't worry, your dad has nothing but money right now."

"Too picky? Then buy the expensive ones, until she can't find any fault with them."

"Okay, Mengli, wait for me at the intersection."

"I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. I'll pick you up, and we can go to town together, or directly to the shopping mall in Han City."

"Besides gifts for your aunts, we also need to pick out a big New Year's gift for your mom!"

"My daughter and I are teaming up; we must shut this place up today!"

Li Mengli clenched her fist excitedly:

"Okay, Dad!"

"I'll be waiting for you under the big locust tree at the village entrance!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Mengli looked at her phone with a smug smile on her lips.

Hmph, Third Aunt, just you wait.

When you see my dad's gift later, I'll see if you still have the nerve to say he came back to live off his wife.