Chapter 320

"..."

Li Ye chewed the peanut in his mouth unhurriedly and asked with some confusion, "Mr. Li? Grandfather, aren't you Mr. Li?"

Li Ye had no intention of exposing all his assets.

A man's private stash—you can leak a little bit because you have to spend money in daily life. If you sat on a pile of US dollars and pretended to be poor, wouldn't you really become a Puritan?

But private money is private money; you absolutely cannot leak it all. Otherwise, you're only in your early twenties, and if the adults in the family want to make decisions for you, how can you refuse?

What is the concept of hundreds of millions of US dollars at this time? How much is the national foreign exchange reserve?

But Li Zhongfa looked at the calm and composed Li Ye and said with a half-smile, "But I don't know the person! The person is a woman, saying her name is Fan something Ling."

"..."

Everyone in the main room of the Li family was stunned, and then they all looked at Li Ye with strange expressions.

At this moment, facing everyone's gaze, Li Ye felt as if he had awakened mind-reading powers; he could hear the gossip in their hearts.

Wu Juying: "A woman, another woman... My dear grandson, what are you trying to do?"

Li Juan, Li Ying: "Brother actually hooked up with a woman in Hong Kong..."

Han Chunmei: "This boy is good-looking, but that's not entirely a good thing!"

Li Yue: "Hahahaha~ I'm dying of laughter."

Li Ye stood up helplessly and took the phone.

"Hello, I am Li Ye. Who is this?"

The happy voice of Fan Xiuling immediately came from the other end of the line: "Gongxi Facai, Mr. Li, it's me, Fan Xiuling.

We are all having New Year's Eve dinner at Ah Cong's house today. Everyone said they wanted to wish you a Happy New Year at the stroke of midnight, but they couldn't get through after many attempts, yet I got through on the first try..."

Li Ye patiently listened to Fan Xiuling's New Year greetings before smiling and saying, "You actually got through on the first try? Then your luck this year must be the best!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for your auspicious words, Mr. Li. May everyone prosper together in the New Year."

Fan Xiuling on the other end of the phone was clearly excited; her tone was trembling with excitement, and it was unclear if it was due to the distortion of the long-distance call.

Fan Xiuling seemed to want to say a few more words, but the person on the other end changed to Luo Runbo, who also said a few blessings like "Gongxi Facai," and finally it was Pei Wencong.

"Mr. Li, everyone is rushing to wish you a Happy New Year. May your family be reunited and everything go as you wish."

"Okay, thank you, thank you. But Old Pei, the way we wish people a Happy New Year here is to wish the elders first..."

Pei Wencong was stunned for a moment, then immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes, yes. I respect Mr. Li very much. May I ask if he is there?"

"Wait a moment."

Li Ye covered the receiver with his hand and said to his grandfather Li Zhongfa, "Grandfather, Mr. Pei from Hong Kong wants to wish you a Happy New Year."

Li Zhongfa reached out to take the receiver while whispering to Li Ye, "Is it Pei Wencong?"

Li Ye nodded and said, "Yes. Hong Kong people are used to saying 'Gongxi Facai' or 'Business Prosperity.' Try not to say 'Happy New Year.'"

"Ah?"

Li Zhongfa was stunned for a moment, but there was no time to think too much, so he reached out and took the receiver.

Many old-school Hong Kong people never say "Happy New Year" when wishing people a Happy New Year, and they don't use "Wish you happiness" when writing letters.

Because "happiness" (kuai le) and "fast fall" (kuai luo) are easily confused in Cantonese, many superstitious Hong Kong people are quite wary of this term.

"Mr. Pei? Oh my, it's been a long time since we parted in the capital. I've been wanting to contact you, but I didn't expect you to call first. Hey, hey, hey, I should have wished you a Happy New Year first..."

"I can't say that," Pei Wencong immediately said sincerely. "Our Chinese nation respects elders. If you were to wish me a Happy New Year first, that would not be in line with tradition..."

"..."

Li Ye listened to his grandfather Li Zhongfa chatting happily with Pei Wencong on the phone, feeling as if the wrinkles on his face were slowly smoothing out.

The two chatted for a full two minutes before Li Zhongfa's expression changed again. He covered the receiver tightly with his hand and looked at Li Ye in confusion.

"Xiao Ye, Mr. Pei's sister wants to talk to you."

"Talk if she wants to talk!"

Li Ye was too lazy to argue with them, so he reached out and grabbed the phone, saying, "Liu Xiaohui! Do you have to be so formal with me?"

"Mr. Li, I'm not trying to be formal with you. I just wanted to get some good luck from you at the first moment of the New Year, hehehe..."

"Good luck, huh? Okay, okay. What do you want to hear? 'Gongxi Facai and family reunion'? Or 'Wish you and Da Yong a lifetime of happiness and a perfect union'?"

"Heeheeheehee, thank you, Mr. Li. If it's convenient, please convey my New Year's blessings to Da Yong and your family on my behalf..."

Because of Li Dayong, the relationship between Pei Wenhui and Li Ye was actually more casual than with Pei Wencong, and they could occasionally make a few harmless jokes.

But Li Ye's "Liu Xiaohui" and "perfect union" once again made the men and women of the Li family prick up their ears like German Shepherds.

【Is there no end to this? A five-minute phone call, and two women looking for Xiao Ye? Is this a case of being cursed with peach blossom luck?】

Seeing Li Zhongfa's confused look, his sister Li Yue couldn't help it anymore. She covered her mouth and rocked back and forth on her stool, stifling her laughter.

Li Zhongfa gave Li Yue a sharp look, and the latter then honestly whispered, "Grandfather, that's Pei Wenhui, she's a couple with Li Dayong.

Don't let your imagination run wild. Just look at how our Xiao Ye dotes on the Wen family girl... other girls have no chance at all."

"..."

Grandmother Wu Juying snatched the question: "A couple with Li Dayong? Who? The sister of the Hong Kong Mr. Pei?"

Li Yue nodded and said, "Yes! I often see her in the capital, we are very familiar."

His father Li Kaijian, a grown man, couldn't help but ask, "Li Dayong is dating the sister of a billionaire?"

"Yeah~, what's so strange about that?"

"..."

This year's New Year's Eve was destined to be a night of gossip. None of the Li family members were interested in the Spring Festival Gala programs after midnight; they were all discussing Li Dayong's thousand-mile marriage connection.

And when everyone was tired and went back to their rooms to nap, Li Zhongfa called Li Kaijian over.

"Starting tomorrow, do not agree to any favors involving inserting nephews or nieces into the instant noodle factory.

For the various requests already promised, find a way to distance yourself. Absolutely do not insert incompetent people into the instant noodle factory."

"Hiss~"

Li Kaijian took a breath and asked in shock, "Father, what happened? I heard you talking on the phone with Hong Kong just now, didn't it go quite well? Why did things change over there?"

"Hmph~, it's precisely because it went quite well that I..."

Li Zhongfa suddenly glared at Li Kaijian and said, "Why do you ask so much? Just do as you're told. If there are requests you can't refuse, just push them to me."

Li Kaijian was suddenly rebuked by his father and didn't dare to refute, so he had to agree, "I understand, Father. I'll decline the favors from those families in the next few days."

"It's not about declining everyone. Those who are capable must be recruited, but those who are useless must be firmly rejected. Do you understand?"

"..."

Li Kaijian left full of conflict. He had promised some favors these past few days, and refusing them now would be very damaging to relationships. After all, the wages at the joint venture factory were really not low, and the temptation was too great!

After everyone had left, Li Zhongfa looked at Li Ye's window and sneered, "You little brat, still playing dumb with me? Your stake in this isn't small, is it!"

At this moment, Grandmother Wu Juying walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Who provoked you?"

"Nothing."

Li Zhongfa flatly refused, "I was just saying, this grandson of ours is really not bad!"

The sound of firecrackers on the first day of the Lunar New Year only gradually subsided at three in the morning, but they started ringing again one after another at five in the morning.

"Brother, brother, get up and go kowtow with Father~"

"What time is it? It's still early, right?"

"It's not early anymore. We've already finished paying respects to Grandmother and the Old Huaiye and came back. Mother made you dumplings; if you don't get up now, they'll get mushy."

Li Ye had no choice but to get up in a daze, put on his clothes, and prepare to follow his father to visit relatives and wish them a Happy New Year.

The tradition here in Dongshan is to kowtow to elders on the morning of the first day. Even for relatives so distant you can't even reach them with a pole, you still have to pay your respects today.

Therefore, the saying "there is gold under a man's knees" doesn't hold water in this era. If you don't kowtow dozens of times in the morning, it just shows that your family line isn't flourishing.

Only those who have reached the seniority and status of Li Zhongfa and Wu Juying can sit at home as steady as Mount Tai, accepting the kowtows of the younger generation with peace of mind,

and then chat with the younger generation with an air of authority, such as "Are you living well? Is everything okay this year?" to show the elders' concern for the younger generation.

And in these past two years, the topic everyone discussed was basically inseparable from Li Ye, including but not limited to his studies, income, and that legendary partner.

But this year, the wind direction suddenly changed.

"Hey, didn't we say that about Xiao Ye long ago? That was all groundless. They were just classmates, and besides, she's already back in the capital. Children's matters can't be taken seriously. But Li Dayong is really something else..."

"What's wrong with Da Yong?"

"Da Yong is dating a wealthy daughter, the sister of a billionaire..."

"Holy crap!!!!!!!!!!"

In '84, a billionaire from overseas was much more impressive than any Teacher Ke or Wen Qingsheng. If you don't believe me, look at "The Herdsman"; Zhu Shimao's biological father was a billionaire.

In an era when the national foreign exchange reserve was only two or three billion, the sister of a billionaire isn't just a "white, rich, and beautiful" girl; she's a princess, a noblewoman!

Li Dayong, an ordinary guy, actually gained the favor of a princess/noblewoman. Isn't this just the plot of a web novel from the future? This is the level of some sites decades later.

So when Li Ye finished kowtowing all morning and returned to the Li family courtyard, a group of old women had surrounded Li Dayong, chattering away as if they were going to eat that bear.

"Da Yong! How did you hook up with that young lady from Hong Kong? Tell your auntie quickly, so I can go teach your brother who doesn't know how to open his mind."

"I didn't, it's all just rumors..."

"Hey, you're still not being honest. Your mother said the watch she's wearing is an imported one. Tell the truth, was it a gift from the billionaire?"

"I..."

Pei Wenhui really did send a ladies' watch to Li Dayong, asking him to take it home to show filial piety to Li Dayong's mother.

"Look, look, he's shy again. Why are you acting shy when you're such a big guy?"

One sentence reminded Li Dayong.

His bear-like body hunched slightly, his big head hung down shyly, and he smiled foolishly without saying a word—let it be whatever it will be!

I'm shy, can you bite me?

After the group of old women left, feeling bored, Li Dayong came over with a bitter face and said, "Brother, why did you put me on the fire to roast? I haven't even told my mother yet."

Li Ye glanced at Li Dayong and said indifferently, "First of all, I didn't spread this rumor. Besides, how long did you think you could hide it? Do you think our classmates don't know, or that Jin Peng doesn't know?"

Li Dayong was just about to argue, but Li Ye added, "Let me tell you, Liu Xiaohui is coming to Dongshan with her brother in a few days. If you have the ability, pretend you don't know her."

"..."

Watching Li Dayong and Li Ye whispering over there, Li Kaijian asked Li Zhongfa in a low voice, "Father, will doing this be bad for Da Yong? Maybe they haven't reached that stage yet!"

"What? Da Yong being able to hook up with a Hong Kong noblewoman, isn't that thanks to Xiao Ye? You can't just enjoy the good things without taking the responsibility, right?"

Li Zhongfa said unhappily, "A tall tree catches the wind. You can't always let Xiao Ye be the only one standing out. This is called diverting the disaster... No, this is called shifting the fire."

Li Kaijian: "..."

Father, I've also been to school and served in the army. Don't these two terms mean the same thing?

(End of chapter)