Chapter 322

He had originally wanted to keep writing, but suddenly the sound of firecrackers rang out from the first floor, followed by several exclamations. One of the voices was very familiar—it was his grandmother's.

Li Heng stopped his pen to listen for a while. Could it be that the branch of the family from his Great-Granduncle's side had returned? Otherwise, his grandmother wouldn't be so excited.

Phew! My wrist is damn sore.

Li Heng put down his pen, rubbed his wrist, and just as he stood up to go downstairs, Tian Run'e came up. "Manzai, your Great-Granduncle's family is back; go down and meet them."

"Eh, okay."

Li Heng tidied up his manuscript a little and followed her downstairs.

Just as in his memories, six people had returned this time.

His Great-Granduncle and Li Heng's grandfather were brothers, but their fates were completely different.

His Great-Granduncle had fled the mainland with his family, while Li Heng's grandfather had died heroically in the War of Liberation. Although they were brothers, at that time they belonged to opposing sides—they were enemies.

Now, thanks to the open-door policy, his Great-Granduncle finally had the chance to bring his children and grandchildren back to their hometown to take a look.

After many years of separation, the old couple and his grandmother choked up and hugged each other the moment they met, recounting things from their youth. They cried and laughed by turns, the three of them lost in memories, completely ignoring that everyone else was watching them.

His Great-Granduncle's son was named Li Dequan; he was four years older than Li Jianguo. He was dressed simply and had been smoking and chatting with Li Jianguo on the side.

Li Dequan's wife and two daughters were dressed very fashionably. It was their first time in the mainland and their first time at their ancestral home; everything they saw was a novelty.

Under Tian Run'e's introduction, Li Heng greeted them one by one. Li Dequan's eldest daughter was named Li Xi.

In his memories, she was an incredibly capable person; she was already a big lawyer in Xiangjiang at a young age. In his past life, the two had interacted, and their relationship was considered quite good.

Of course, besides her formidable ability, Li Xi's 180cm height and that pair of "Audi headlights" were the most eye-catching features. So much so that the villagers watching from outside kept staring at her.

Many women were secretly jealous, thinking, "As expected of someone returning from abroad, she's well-nourished; she certainly has plenty of milk."

The younger daughter, Li Wang, was about the same age as Li Ping. After seeing Li Heng, she stared at him without blinking, and it took a long time before she sighed to her sister:

"Sister, all the essence of our Li family is concentrated in him alone. He's even more charming than the male stars in Xiangjiang and Taiwan."

Hearing this, Li Xi's gaze fell on Li Heng again, scanning him back and forth like an infrared beam no less than three times before finally saying, "Give up early; he's your cousin."

"I don't need you to remind me. If he weren't my cousin, I'd definitely seduce him. This kind of country boy should be easy to trick; I should be able to get him in two days." Li Wang was quite confident as she said this.

Li Xi said, "You're wrong. Boys like this aren't short of girls around them; put away your clumsy tricks."

Li Wang rubbed her face. "I'm just a bit puzzled; how can such a gentle and jade-like man be raised in this kind of mountain ditch in the mainland?"

Li Xi said, "It is indeed puzzling."

The two sisters weren't speaking loudly, and they were using Cantonese, so no one else in the room could understand them.

But Li Heng had spent so many years in his past life starting businesses in Yangcheng with Yang Yingwen and Yang Yang Yang Xueqin; how could he not understand?

Li Heng immediately said to them in Cantonese, "It's a bit cold at the door; come inside and warm yourselves by the fire."

Hearing his Cantonese, the two sisters looked at each other. The next second, Li Wang's face turned crimson, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Li Xi, on the contrary, smiled generously at Li Heng and then followed him to the charcoal fire.

Next came the standard plot: his grandmother and the Great-Granduncle's couple each introduced the development of their children.

Li Dequan was a financial analyst working at the HSBC Bank in Xiangjiang, and his wife was a full-time housewife.

Li Xi graduated from Cambridge University and was now a big lawyer. Because several of her cases were quite influential, she had a high reputation in Xiangjiang.

Li Wang was still a student, pursuing a doctorate at the National University of Singapore.

When his Great-Granduncle introduced them, the whole family was very confident and had plenty of face.

When it was his grandmother's turn, whoa! She wasn't weak either. As soon as Li Heng's identity as a great writer and musician came out, the six members of the Great-Granduncle's family all looked over at once.

Li Wang asked with bright eyes, "Are you the 'December' who is called a legendary writer by the media?"

Li Heng smiled and nodded. "Oh, you've heard of me?"

"Cousin Heng, your reputation in Xiangjiang is not small at all. There are reports about you in the newspapers from time to time. Mr. Jin Yong, Li Ao, Cai Lan, and others have mentioned you in interviews and praised you highly. Especially Mr. Jin Yong, who holds you in high regard. Many media outlets say that if you lived in Xiangjiang, you would definitely be ranked among the Four Great Talents of Xiangjiang." Li Wang was usually a person who held her chin high, but handsome guys were the exception.

With the bonus of his identity as a writer, Li Heng's status in the sisters' hearts rose like a rocket. Even the relatively colder Li Xi took the initiative to join the conversation.

In half an hour, the three of them became familiar, and Li Heng successfully obtained the sisters' business cards, mailing addresses, and zip codes.

Li Heng took Li Xi's business card with both hands, looked at it, and tucked it into his pocket. A moment later, his mind stirred, and he asked, "Cousin Xi, do you have any acquaintances at publishing houses in Xiangjiang?"

Li Xi's reaction was not slow. "Are you thinking of submitting manuscripts to Xiangjiang?"

Li Heng nodded and then shook his head. "I haven't decided yet, but I want to try other types of novels, and I feel the market there is more suitable."

Li Xi looked at him for a while and pondered. "I have friends in publishing houses. If you really have an idea, I can help you get in touch."

To be honest, it was because of his recognition of her character in his past life that Li Heng had made that probe just now.

His goal was also to aim for best-selling books that could earn money abroad.

It was just that he hadn't made up his mind yet; he always felt that with the connections of Professor Yu's family, they might have broader channels abroad.

He decided that after finishing "Bai Bai Bai Luyuan," he had to find a chance to have a good talk with Professor Yu.

However, he knew that the ability of the big lawyer in front of him was shockingly strong, so building a relationship in advance was also a good "idle move."

He liked to keep a low profile in his work, and whenever he met someone who might be helpful to him, he would treat them with care; maybe one day they would come in handy.

At dinner time, Chen Chen Chen Zijin came over, and Li Heng introduced her to the sisters, Li Xi and Li Wang.

Li Wang used a critical eye to find fault with Chen Chen Chen Zijin for a long time, but returned disappointed.

In terms of looks, Chen Chen Chen Zijin was definitely at the "Little Queen" level even at Fudan University.

Don't look at the fact that the Little Queen wasn't the ceiling at Fudan, but try putting her at the surrounding Tongji University or Shanghai Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao Tong University? Hey, I'm not bragging! She would absolutely be a "Queen-level" existence!

Don't you see, when Yangcheng and Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhiyong saw Wei Wei Wei Xiaozhu, they were so envious they wanted to gouge their own eyes out, because their universities couldn't find anyone as beautiful as her...

Even Liu Zhang Zhang Haiyan said that Shanghai Medical College was on a different level; apart from Xiao Han, no other girl could compare to Wei Wei Wei Xiaozhu.

To put it another way, if Fudan University's Little Queen were placed in the outside world, calling her "one in ten thousand" would be an understatement.

Otherwise, Liu Quan wouldn't have pestered Wei Wei Wei Xiaozhu for so many years, and the handsome guy Hu Ping wouldn't have been so obsessed with her, because Wei Wei Wei Xiaozhu was the No. 1 at Lianyungang Xinhai High School, and her beauty was widely known.

If it weren't for the fact that Fudan University had someone of Zhou Zhou Zhou Shihe's heaven-defying level to suppress the scene, it would definitely be a case of the three Little Queens dancing wildly.

In short, it's not that the three Little Queens weren't strong enough, but that the Big Queen was too much of a bug!

Therefore, in terms of looks and family background alone, Chen Chen Chen Zijin was crushing the two sisters.

Only Li Xi's tall stature and pair of "Audi lights" could compete for the spotlight.

Actually, Li Xi was still very pleasant to look at. If he had to compare her to an acquaintance, Li Heng thought of Dai Qing immediately; she was in the category of a "small beauty."

With distinguished guests visiting, the old Li family's dinner was quite sumptuous. Li Jianguo not only called the Second Granduncle but also called Chen Gaoyuan over to liven things up, aiming to increase the affection between the Chen and Li families.

After Chen Gaoyuan understood Li Jianguo's intentions, he accepted the invitation very happily.

After three rounds of drinks, Li Wang couldn't help but ask Li Heng, "Is that your father-in-law?"

The father-in-law she referred to was Chen Gaoyuan.

Li Heng nodded. "Yes."

Li Wang pouted and turned to whisper to Li Xi, "Sister, you really weren't wrong; a man like this has long been pollinated by bees."

Li Xi smiled and raised her glass to toast Li Heng and Chen Chen Chen Zijin. "Come, let's have a drink. I wish you two a lifetime of love and eternal sweetness."

Chen Chen Chen Zijin smiled and clinked glasses. "Thank you, Cousin Xi."

Li Xi was a lawyer with rich work experience and strong social skills.

And Chen Chen Zijin wasn't bad either. Influenced by her family since childhood, she was a master at observing people and speaking well; otherwise, how could she have coaxed Li Jianguo and his wife into being so fond of her?

Once the two women started talking, they were truly firing on all cylinders, and their relationship grew visibly faster.

After dinner, the two families went to the Second Granduncle's house and stayed until very late before going home to rest.

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Posted first, edited later.

10,400 words posted today, continuing tomorrow.

(End of chapter)