Chapter 7: Zhang Xian

"Shulan, wait a moment."

Seeing Zhang Dongshan and Zhang Xian enter the house, Liu Fusheng hurried after Wang Shulan.

"Big Brother Liu, what's up?"

Wang Shulan looked at Liu Fusheng with confusion.

"There's something I need to say."

"This is your niece Jiajia, right?"

Liu Fusheng eyed Wang Jiajia up and down as he spoke.

"Yes."

Wang Shulan nodded: "Jiajia, this is Uncle Liu."

"Hello, Uncle Liu."

Wang Jiajia immediately greeted him politely.

"Hello."

Liu Fusheng smiled warmly and nodded: "This girl is truly beautiful."

"So, I heard you didn't take to Old Zhang's sixth son?"

Wang Jiajia didn't immediately grasp who he meant: "Old Zhang's sixth son?"

"That's Zhang Xian—he has five older sisters, doesn't he?"

Wang Shulan explained beside him.

"Oh, our values just don't align."

Since she wasn't close to Liu Fusheng, Wang Jiajia replied diplomatically.

"Clearly, you're being polite!"

"It's perfectly normal you wouldn't want Zhang Xian—that kid does nothing all day, has no proper job, any girl who marries him will suffer!"

"Ever since he lost his job, he won't even look for work—he just goes out fishing with a rod every day, that boy is ruined!"

"Jiajia, avoiding him was a stroke of luck!"

Liu Fusheng first slandered Zhang Xian, then sighed.

"Big Brother Liu, you said you had something to say—what is it?"

Wang Shulan quickly changed the subject; after all, Zhang Xian was the one she'd planned to introduce to her niece, and now things had backfired—she felt embarrassed.

"Our Dong Xu has returned from the United States."

"He still doesn't have a partner. Since Jiajia is looking, why not get to know Dong Xu?"

Liu Fusheng began pushing himself forward: "Shulan, our Dong Xu is a top graduate who studied abroad in the United States—he can get any job in China, earns hundreds of thousands a year like it's nothing!"

"Besides, you know our family situation—it's no worse than Old Zhang's!"

"What do you think? Consider it?"

Hearing this, Wang Shulan instinctively glanced at her niece Wang Jiajia and asked: "Jiajia, what do you think?"

"Sure!"

Wang Jiajia immediately nodded—she'd already been thinking about finding a replacement when she left the Zhang household, and now the solution had walked right up to her, and he was a returned overseas student.

This was truly "after darkness, a new village appears!"

"Big Brother Liu, where's Dong Xu? Is he home?"

Wang Shulan asked.

"Not home—he's out for an interview. He applied overseas, said it's a huge company."

"But judging by the time, he should be back soon—why not wait at our place?"

Liu Fusheng smoothly invited the two.

The aunt and niece exchanged a glance, then both nodded.

At the Zhang family gate.

Zhang Xian lay lazily on a rattan chair; Zhang Zhaodi held a sausage and squatted nearby, feeding their dog, Weier.

The dog's name was given by Zhang Xian's fifth sister, Zhang Pandi, who said it sounded Western.

But the dog was a native Chinese earth dog, also known as a Chinese rural dog.

The pup was a stray Zhang Zhaodi picked up; it's now two years old, lively and energetic, very cute.

Zhang Xian scrolled through short videos with one hand, occasionally patting the dog's head, utterly at ease.

"Xiaoxian, they're back."

Zhang Zhaodi whispered to him as she spotted Wang Shulan and Wang Jiajia returning.

"Who's 'they'?"

Zhang Xian instinctively turned his head and saw Wang Shulan and Wang Jiajia beside Liu Fusheng—he instantly realized the old man was trying to intercept.

But strictly speaking, it wasn't interception—after all, Wang Jiajia hadn't wanted him either.

Zhang Xian turned back and pretended not to see the three, continuing to scroll on his phone.

"See? Zhang Xian does this every day—just fishing, scrolling on his phone, playing games."

As they entered their courtyard, Liu Fusheng whispered.

"Ah, Xiao Xian used to be such a sensible boy—how did he end up like this?"

Wang Shulan sighed quietly.

"As the saying goes: it's hard to learn good, easy to fall into bad habits!"

Liu Fusheng shook his head and ushered them inside, then shouted toward the bedroom: "Old lady, we have guests!"

Hearing the call, Liu Fusheng's wife Sun Fengyan emerged from the bedroom holding her phone—she'd recently become addicted to live streams and carried her phone everywhere.

But she doesn't use TikTok—she's a loyal user of "SlowHand," following streamers like "billionaire CEOs," "Princess of Dubai," and "Arabian Prince."

Of course, these are all fabricated personas; to young people, they're obviously fake, even laughable.

Fuck, the Princess of Dubai and the Arabian Prince are both from Huaguo!

And these foreign princesses and princes travel thousands of miles to Huaguo just to give "family members" benefits—just think how absurd that is.

But elderly people like Sun Fengyan genuinely believe them!

It can only be said that Huaguo has too many people; these unscrupulous streamers only need to pick out the "leeks" who believe them, and they'll feast till their mouths drip oil.

"Honey, this is Shulan's niece Jiajia. She came to Beijing for work and doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Our Dong Xu just came back from the United States—I thought it'd be good for them to get to know each other."

Liu Fusheng explained the purpose of Wang Shulan and Wang Jiajia's visit.

Sun Fengyan, retired at home, naturally cared deeply about her son's marriage. She sized up Wang Jiajia, then broke into a bright smile: "Sit down, sit down—Dong Xu will be back any moment."

"Girl, what would you like to drink? We've got everything."

It has to be said that Wang Jiajia's appearance is very deceptive; the first impression she gives is always gentle and virtuous, the very image of a daughter-in-law that the older generation would love.

"Auntie, I'll just have mineral water."

Wang Jiajia replied obediently.

"Alright then."

Sun Fengyan nodded with a smile and hurried off to get water.

At the door.

Liu Dongxu returned from his interview.

He was in a bad mood—the interview hadn't gone well; the interviewer had actually asked why he had tattoos.

Liu Dongxu shot back, saying he'd studied in the United States and that tattoos were part of American culture.

The interviewer then told him outright: the company didn't need American culture—he wasn't a fit!

Normally, if you don't pass an interview, you won't get a formal notice—you just don't hear back within two days.

But Liu Dongxu knew the result on the spot—he'd received "special treatment."

"Xian Ge, long time no see!"

Liu Dongxu saw Zhang Xian lying in the wicker chair and walked over with a broad smile.

"It's Dong Xu!"

"I heard from Dad you're back—I was wondering where you'd disappeared to!"

Zhang Xian stood up from the wicker chair and gave this "childhood friend" a half-hearted hug.

They were the same age, but Liu Dongxu was four months younger, so since childhood he'd always called him "Xian Ge." Their relationship had been decent, until one thing happened in high school that nearly turned them into enemies.

The reason was clichéd: both liked the same girl, who liked Zhang Xian and started dating him. Liu Dongxu, filled with resentment, reported their early romance to the school counselor—resulting in both Zhang Xian and his girlfriend being punished.

After that, their relationship grew distant; when Liu Dongxu went abroad to study, contact vanished entirely.

"I sent my resume to domestic companies while overseas—so as soon as I got back, I went straight to interviews."

"How'd the interviews go?"

Zhang Xian asked casually.

"Fine, I guess. Domestic interview processes are more tedious—probably two more rounds."

"But whether they hire me or not doesn't matter—I've got so many companies waiting to give me offers!"

Liu Dongxu shrugged smugly: "By the way, Xian Ge, what do you do for work?"

He was asking knowingly—his father Liu Fusheng had already told him Zhang Xian was still job-hunting.

"Me?"

"I'm lying flat!"

Zhang Xian stretched, then lay back down on the wicker chair.

"Whoa, so chill."

"Too bad I don't have the luxury to lie flat—I still have to work like a beast of burden!"

Liu Dongxu feigned a gloomy sigh, then added: "But Xian Ge, you're only twenty-two. Lying flat forever isn't a solution—you can't leech off your parents your whole life."

Zhang Xian nodded in agreement: "You're right. Dad's over fifty—he can support me for maybe another twenty years. So my plan is: find a wife fast, have a son, then leech off my wife—and while I'm at it, leech off my sisters too. When Dad passes, and my son grows up and starts earning, I'll leech off my son!"

"Perfect~!"