Chapter 902: Returning to the Capital for the New Year

I'm used to what Zhou Ruohan says: "He's had to get used to this taste since he was little; I won't indulge his bad habits."

After saying that, both of them burst out laughing.

Zhou Tong, who was driving in the front seat, curled his lip and said, "Can you two consider my feelings? You don't spread dog food like that. After you go back, finish your meal, then you two go to your rooms and do whatever you want."

Su Yang said: "Ah, I just thought of it—given your age, you shouldn't be rushing to find another match? In two years you'll be twenty-five or twenty-six, and you won't be able to find a wife; who would marry a man your age?"

When this topic came up, Zhou Ruohan's interest intensified: "Who hasn't set him up? I've found him several prospects, but he's dissatisfied—either they're too fat, or too thin, just skin and bones, or they say the person has freckles; hearing that makes me almost crazy. If I were that girl, I'd have cursed him to death already."

Moreover, he doesn't even cherish it—just last week, the niece of the Shan Cheng Secretary saw him at a private gathering and has been asking him out to eat every day. That girl isn't bad-looking at all; she could be called a standard beauty with an oval face and big, expressive eyes. Besides, her uncle is a top official in Shan Cheng, and her background is laid out plainly—our grandparents would be overjoyed to hear about it.

But guess what he said? He actually claimed that such a girl is too forward, offering flattery for no reason—either she's after something shady or just plain greedy for his muscular build. Our grandparents were about to faint from anger; if I hadn't spoken a few good words for him, he would surely have been beaten black and blue this time.

Upon hearing that, Su Yang snapped: "You really have the nerve to reject face! With those girls' qualifications, anyone would be fighting to get in—you must have eaten too much bran."

Zhou Ruohan said: "I haven't finished yet—just the other day, after Dad came back from a meeting, the Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance told me he has a niece about Zhou Tong's age, who earned a law doctorate abroad and is really pretty; I've even met that girl."

We arranged for him to meet her, but he replied, "I don't like girls who've studied abroad; they definitely have had messy love lives during school." That nearly drove her family to come to our house demanding an explanation.

Su Yang laughed: "I tell you, you've got a whole set of excuses—this won't work, that won't work—so what exactly do you want?"

Saying that, Su Yang suddenly thought of something: "Could it be that you really like the sister of that comrade you mentioned earlier? Oh, I remember now—it's actually Song Zhong's sister, right?"

When Su Yang mentioned "Song Zhong's sister," Zhou Tong, who had just been holding his neck stiff, instantly turned shy and said: "Between us, no need for hidden words—I do like her. But Grandpa and Grandma insist on disagreeing, saying this and that, claiming it's unsuitable in every way; I'm about to explode with anger, yet I dare not argue with them."

Zhou Ruohan said: "I've seen that girl's photo—she's only passable-looking, and she's currently working a job in their hometown. Normally, Grandpa and Grandma are fairly open-minded; if it weren't for our situation working out, letting me marry into another big clan, he would have had a chance—but now he definitely doesn't."

Other clans marry equals—indeed, I heard Zhang Jiangbo is dating the daughter of a certain vice minister in the Ministry of Commerce.

Su Yang said: "Well, I think clan marriages aren't inherently wrong, but how many people do you think are truly happy because of them? A clan's rise and fall can't be sustained by marriage alliances."

Perhaps someone would say, "The previous generation did alright, but you have to know their information was underdeveloped, their social circles limited—so-called they didn't have many contacts, maybe in a lifetime they only truly met a few opposite-sex individuals; compared to that, children of big clans are definitely not mistaken."

But nowadays everyone's horizons are broader, each person has their own preferred partner, and being bound by the clan to one person doesn't necessarily bring real happiness. Moreover, in my view, a clan's true strength still depends on its own members' achievements; marriage alliances can only prolong a brief prosperity, not guarantee lasting success.

Zhou Tong, don't panic—I'll bring this up with Grandpa and Grandma at dinner tonight and see what they say. Besides, I think Mom and Dad would agree with this view; otherwise we wouldn't have ended up together.

Zhou Tong looked as if he'd seen hope, turning his head to stare fixedly at Su Yang and said: "Brother-in-law, you can't lie to me this time—you said the same last time but never brought it up, leaving me waiting in vain. This time there are plenty of people at home; you're just the one to speak up. If we get past this hurdle, life will be much easier for me afterward; if we don't, I'll return to the unit and never come back."

Su Yang said: "What are you doing? Drive your car properly—are you disregarding our lives or threatening us? We're a family of three now, kid, watch yourself."

Zhou Tong grunted, then sped up and returned to Zhou Laozi's courtyard.

Today the courtyard was bustling with voices and bright lights, red lanterns already hung up, giving it a strong New Year atmosphere.

Su Yang and Zhou Ruohan entered the house—goodness, two full tables were set up, and most of the people were strangers to Su Yang.

For a moment, the scene really left him stunned.

But it was just a brief blank stare; then he greeted the old man with a warm smile: "Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma, and to all the elders—I'm here to wish you an early happy new year, hoping you stay healthy and your work goes smoothly."

Originally everyone was sitting neat and tidy, the atmosphere a bit solemn; of course, some wanted to give Su Yang a tough welcome, since they hadn't seen him before and wanted to see how he'd react on the spot.

But looking at him, he showed no stage fright at all.

Seeing Su Yang, the old man also smiled: "You've finally come—we figured you must be starving."

Then he pointed to the empty chair beside him and said: "Come sit here."

Su Yang's heart jolted—in a big clan there are rules, especially for a clan like theirs; at this time, a new son-in-law like Su Yang being allowed to sit at the table, even at the lowest seat, is already good enough, but to sit right beside the old man? That's truly a great favor.

He had previously seen an empty seat beside the old man and assumed more elders from the family would arrive.

Hearing the old man say that, he hurriedly replied: "Grandpa, how dare I sit beside you? With all these uncles and aunts present, it's not my turn to sit there."

The old man's face turned solemn as he said: "If I tell you to sit, you sit—I also have something important to say."