Chapter 289: Relatives Visiting

This year's New Year is the same as always; Shen Liangping and Shen Liangcheng will bring their families over to accompany Shen Nainai for New Year's Eve, and in return, the brothers have taken full responsibility for the reunion dinner.

There is absolutely no need for Shen Yan to lift a finger.

In his spare time, Shen Yan accompanies Wu Yueer for a stroll through the streets and alleys, soaking in the New Year atmosphere of this small county town, Cangnan.

Looking around, the streets and lanes are decorated with bright red lanterns, looking exceptionally festive. These lanterns, like strings of brilliant pearls, all carry people's beautiful hopes and blessings for the New Year.

Not only that, but every household has also put up spring couplets that signify good fortune and happiness; these couplets, whether written in bold, sweeping calligraphy or elegant, refined strokes, all showcase the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

Shen Yan bought a pair of couplets for his own home, along with a large "Fortune" character, and firecrackers are equally indispensable.

At two in the afternoon, the sky is overcast, as if shrouded by a gray curtain; when Shen Yan returns to Zhongxinyuan, he discovers several unfamiliar cars parked in the open space in front of the building.

Without a doubt, they are all here to visit relatives.

One of them is Shen Jiaqing's ride, a Honda XX, with a purchase price of 150,000; it was specifically provided by Shen Liangping and his wife right after Shen Jiaqing graduated from university.

No one knows a son better than his mother; Huang Meili (Shen Jiaqing's mother) knows deep down that with her son's dull personality, his path to wooing women will inevitably be fraught with thorns, and only by supplementing his external conditions can he gain an advantage.

At the entrance of the convenience store, Li Juan is sitting listlessly on a recliner, her head hanging low, seemingly troubled by something; upon seeing the black BMW appear, Li Juan rises in a hurry to greet him, as if she has seen a lifeline.

"Xiao Yan, you have many acquaintances in Hangzhou; could you find someone to help me ask around? My Xiao Jin still hasn't returned."

Shen Yan is slightly stunned, "Why don't you call and ask?"

"I don't know what's going on, the phone suddenly won't go through. He clearly said he should have been home this morning. Oh my, I'm so worried; if something happens to him, what will I do?" The more Li Juan speaks, the more anxious she becomes, and tears well up in her eyes.

Shen Yan comforts her: "Don't worry yet. He's a grown man, what could happen to him? He's probably just delayed on the road. You should wait a bit longer; he might arrive any moment."

"Xiao Jin must have run into trouble. My right eyelid has been twitching, and his phone has been unreachable since early this morning. He probably didn't even get on the car. Xiao Yan, could you find someone to help me check Xiao Jin's place?"

Li Juan also knows that it's not very polite to trouble someone during the New Year, so she quickly takes two hundred yuan out of her pocket, begging Shen Yan for help. After all, they are neighbors, and Shen Yan cannot just sit by and do nothing.

So, he tentatively dials Han Yi's number.

"Hey! It's me, Shen Yan. Are you free right now... Not convenient? That's fine, I'll find someone else."

"Fang Tian, it's me, Shen Yan. Are you free right now... Sorry to trouble you... Alright, I'll send the address to your phone; call me back if you have any news."

After hanging up, Shen Yan sends the address over.

Seeing this, Li Juan finally relaxes a little, thanks Shen Yan profusely, and runs back to the store to get two bottles of coconut juice, asking Shen Yan to notify her the moment he has news.

Shen Yan nods in agreement.

Returning home, the place is incredibly lively; Shen Liangping and his wife are busy in the kitchen, while Shen Liangcheng and his wife are sitting on the sofa watching TV with great interest, acting like masters of the house.

Sitting next to them are their son and daughter, Shen Jiakang and Shen Jiaxin, as well as Shen Jiaqing, who has the word "depressed" written all over his face.

"Yo! Xiao Yan is back!"

Seeing him arrive, Shen Liangcheng and his wife greet him with uncharacteristic enthusiasm, their faces wreathed in pleasant smiles; anyone who didn't know better would think the two sides were on the best of terms.

As the saying goes, one does not strike a person who is smiling, so Shen Yan gives a polite reply.

He also greets Shen Liangping and Huang Meili in the kitchen, asking if they need help. Birds of a feather flock together; Huang Meili's personality is exactly like Shen Liangping's—purely an honest person, gentle and virtuous—and she says: "No need, Xiao Yan, you just go sit and watch TV; your uncle and I can handle it."

Sun Huifang on the sofa immediately chimes in: "Come, come, Xiao Yan, come sit down and let's have a chat; Big Brother and Sister-in-law can handle it."

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon; although he doesn't understand what the couple is up to, Shen Yan doesn't care and says calmly: "I'll go put up the couplets first, you guys keep chatting."

Shen Jiaqing's eyes light up, and he quickly indicates that he can help; once he says this, he stands up rapidly and escapes from Sun Huifang's clutches like a horse that has slipped its bridle.

This is only because this Third Aunt is too good at chatting; every sentence is like a sharp blade, piercing straight into one's heart, leaving one unable to parry.

She truly embodies the image of a meddlesome relative to the extreme.

"Xiao Qing, what's your salary now?"

"Any hope for a promotion?"

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"The neighbor's Wei XX is the same age as you, and their child is already old enough to run errands."

After a series of combo punches, Shen Jiaqing is left seeing stars, at a loss, and wishing he could leave this place of trouble immediately.

Seeing this, Shen Liangcheng mutters in a low voice: "This child is flighty and not steady at all."

"Exactly!" Sun Huifang nods in deep agreement.

Taking transparent tape from the room, Shen Yan stands at the doorway cutting the tape and rolling it into a triangle shape, so that both sides are sticky.

Shen Jiaqing, standing nearby, is responsible for holding the couplets.

At this moment, Shen Jiaqing sneaks a glance into the room and asks the question he has been suppressing for a long time.

"Little brother, what exactly is your relationship with that long-legged girl?"

Shen Yan had expected this question and says bluntly: "Didn't you already guess?"

"Guess my foot, tell me clearly." Shen Jiaqing dislikes this kind of ambiguous answer and stares straight at him.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend, obviously!"

"What? Isn't your girlfriend..."

Shen Jiaqing suddenly widens his eyes and can't help but exclaim.

Hearing the commotion, Shen Liangcheng in the room asks: "Xiao Qing, what are you saying about a girlfriend?"

"Nothing, I'm just chatting with Shen Yan."

Meeting the obvious eye-roll from his side, Shen Jiaqing scratches his head in embarrassment and asks in a low voice again: "What's the situation? You said last time that your girlfriend was someone else?"

Shen Yan takes a deep breath: "The law doesn't explicitly state that one can only have one girlfriend; it's just that she isn't known to others."