Chapter 649: Rural Absurd Tales Chapter 649: Jianjia, It's So Good to Have You

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Around noon, they returned to the County Town.

They came to Li Jianjia's home.

Li Zhongxian personally cooked a table full of rice and dishes, warmly welcoming Xiao Hua's arrival.

Zhao Xintong couldn't help but remark:

"The sun is rising from the west! You actually cooked yourself? I thought I'd still have to cook when you got back!"

Li Zhongxian doesn't usually cook much, and whether it tastes good is another matter, but the very act of him personally cooking a table full of rice and dishes already showed his attitude toward Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua saw it in his eyes and kept it in his heart, unable to help feeling moved.

So when Li Zhongxian asked Xiao Hua to drink with him, he agreed without a second word.

He even poured Li Zhongxian a drink himself.

"Uncle, thank you for thinking so highly of me. I toast to you!"

Xiao Hua expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

"What courtesy between us? I think highly of you not because of me, but because you've made something of yourself. Our County Town's first Tsinghua University student—who dares look down on you?"

Li Zhongxian said this.

Li Jianjia chimed in: "Right, right, Xiao Hua, you're excellent. Don't sell yourself short!"

Xiao Hua smiled shyly and nodded.

Li Zhongxian added:

"If you have better opportunities in the future, go out and make your mark. If not, come back and develop in our hometown County Town. As long as I, Li Zhongxian, am here, this small county town will definitely be your and Jianjia's final harbor."

To be honest, Li Zhongxian even hoped Xiao Hua wouldn't be too outstanding. If he were too outstanding, forget about returning to the county town to develop—whether he could even stay in the country would be debatable.

You know, the percentage of Tsinghua and Peking University students going abroad for further studies is frighteningly high.

And many university students who go abroad end up staying there, rarely returning, especially those who study in the United States.

As Li Jianjia's father, Li Zhongxian didn't demand how successful his future son-in-law would be; he only wanted his daughter and son-in-law to live closer to his home, able to visit him often.

Now that he said this, he actually hoped Xiao Hua would consider the possibility of returning to his hometown to develop after graduation.

Of course, if Xiao Hua didn't want to return to his hometown to develop, he wouldn't mind.

Because he knew that outstanding people cannot be confined by cages.

"Uncle, I toast to you again. Your words are kept in my heart, Junior. No matter what happens in the future, I thank you for your kindness now."

Xiao Hua didn't clearly state where he would develop in the future, because he didn't know what the future held.

After all, he was only a freshman. To be honest, the future was still a long way off.

During this lunch, Xiao Hua and Li Zhongxian drank a lot and talked a lot.

Li Zhongxian sometimes lamented being trapped in a small county town for a lifetime, feeling depressed and unfulfilled, but sometimes he was glad to have spent his life in this small county town. Though not rich and powerful, his work was stable, his family happy, and his life pressure-free—a life countless people dreamed of but couldn't attain.

Xiao Hua knew Li Zhongxian's expectations of him were just as contradictory and complex: he hoped this future son-in-law would be very successful, yet also hoped he could stay nearby to help when needed.

He saw it all clearly in his heart and couldn't help sympathizing with Li Zhongxian, but on the surface he said nothing. He just drank when Li Zhongxian wanted to drink, and listened attentively when Li Zhongxian wanted to talk.

It wasn't until past three in the afternoon that the drinking finally ended.

Xiao Hua was a bit drunk, feeling dazed, but Li Zhongxian hadn't even flushed.

After all, he was a small leader in the county town's system, and his drinking capacity, honed over decades at the table, couldn't be compared to a rookie like Xiao Hua.

Li Zhongxian had Li Jianjia help Xiao Hua back to a room to rest.

Li Jianjia asked: "Which room to rest in?"

His home wasn't small—over a hundred square meters, three bedrooms and a living room.

But now one room had been converted into Zhao Xintong's walk-in closet, containing only clothes and shoes, with no bed.

So the only rooms left for Xiao Hua to rest in were either Li Zhongxian and Zhao Xintong's master bedroom, or Li Jianjia's bedroom.

Zhao Xintong interjected:

"No need to ask. The man you brought back should obviously be taken to your room to rest. Or should he stay in my and your father's room?"

"Oh, okay, okay."

Actually, she also wanted to take Xiao Hua to her room to rest, but she was afraid taking him directly would seem too casual, so it was better to ask her parents' opinion first.

After getting her parents' agreement, she helped Xiao Hua back to her own bedroom.

Xiao Hua reeked of alcohol, and she couldn't help feeling pained:

"If you can't drink, don't drink so much."

Though Xiao Hua was dazed, he still had consciousness:

"I had to. After all, it's my first time at your house. I can't not give your father face."

Li Jianjia said:

"Later I'll tell my dad. From now on, when you come to my house, we'll drink soda, Coca-Cola, or orange juice—no more alcohol."

Xiao Hua looked at Li Jianjia in a daze, smiled, and said nothing.

Li Jianjia took a tissue and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

In his drunken haze, he suddenly seemed to understand what happiness was.

He truly felt happiness and longed to hold onto this happiness forever.

"Jianjia, it's so good to have you..."

Wang Xiaohua murmured in a low voice.

He reached out to grab Li Jianjia's hand.

Li Jianjia said nothing, just held his hand.

Wang Xiaohua gradually fell asleep in his drunken state.

Li Jianjia then let go of his hand and left the Living Room.

At this time Li Zhongxian was still eating peanuts in the Living Room, took out another bottle of wine, and drank by himself.

Zhao Xintong, meanwhile, had finished clearing the Dining Table and was washing dishes in the Kitchen.

"Dad, don't let Xiao Hua drink anymore in the future; he can't hold his liquor, and you shouldn't drink too much either—drinking harms the body."

Li Jianjia came out and urged her father.

Li Zhongxian said:

"Xiao Hua's liquor tolerance is so small now, so he should drink even more to build up his tolerance; otherwise, once he enters Society, especially if he gets into the System/Establishment, his tolerance will cause him to suffer losses."

Li Jianjia said:

"What kind of twisted logic is that? If Xiao Hua has the ability, why does he need to prove himself by his liquor tolerance?"

Li Zhongxian chuckled and said:

"You're still too young; you're lacking a bit in Human Relations."

Li Jianjia said nothing more.

Li Zhongxian then asked:

"By the way, do you know Xiao Hua's future plans? Does he plan to develop abroad, or stay in Beijing, or go to big cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou to develop?"

Li Jianjia shook her head:

"I don't know; I didn't ask him."

Li Zhongxian said:

"You should find an opportunity to ask him. This isn't just about caring for him; it's also planning for your own future. If you want to be with Wang Xiaohua, either you work hard to keep up with his pace, or let him accommodate your pace. Do you understand what I mean?"