After returning home, Li Qian originally wanted to go charge his phone first, but as soon as he entered the house, he keenly sensed that the atmosphere in the room was a bit off - although everyone was chatting and doing their own thing, there was something strange about the atmosphere between them.

  The old mother's face was awkward, with a hint of displeasure. The old father was like an old tree, expressionless. The aunt's unhappiness on her face could be seen by anyone, and the other people in the house also felt more or less embarrassed.

  Blinking, Li Qian found his charger with a nonchalant expression, plugged in his phone, and then pretended he hadn't seen anything, saying to Grandma: "Grandma, I just went downstairs for a walk, and this county town has changed so much compared to our last visit! Look over there, several new buildings have been built!"

  Li Qian's grandma pulled his hand, letting him sit down beside her, smiling as she looked at him, reaching out to touch his face, and said with a smile: "You went out on your own? You can even come back on your own, but I'm not capable of that, having lived here for a lifetime, getting old and old, yet still don't recognize the road... I went out once, got tired and couldn't walk back, it was your older cousin who found me and brought me back... Your grandma and grandpa are old!"

  Li Qian just smiled and said, "Not old yet!"

  Grandma just smiled, but her smile was slightly unnatural.

  At this time, Auntie glanced over here a couple of times, suddenly put down the vegetables she was collecting in her hands and walked over.

  Noticing her movement, Li's father and mother were slightly surprised to turn their heads to look at her. Her grandfather, who was sitting in that direction, found out she was walking over, seemingly winking at her and staring at her, but she still walked over without caring.

  Li Qian turned his head and smiled faintly at her.

  "Aunt, what delicious dishes do you have for dinner? My mom always complains that every time she goes back, you make too many dishes and we can't finish them, it's such a waste. But I don't think so, I wish you would make more! The Northeastern cuisine is really appetizing!"

  As soon as he said this, Grandma couldn't help but laugh, and even Auntie's face unconsciously revealed a hint of a smile. She moved a chair over to sit down in front of Li Qian, smiling as she said: "You like eating? That's good! If you like eating, Auntie will make a few more dishes for you. Later on, you can keep your grandfather company and have a couple of drinks!"

  Li Qian smiled and nodded, saying: "Good."

  Then, he was about to turn his head and continue chatting with his grandma, but at this time, his aunt suddenly spoke up and asked: "Xiao Qian, you're not an outsider either, so Auntie can speak freely. What do you think, is your cousin pretty?"

  Li Qian slightly raised an eyebrow and silently sighed in his heart.

  As soon as he entered the house, he understood everything at a glance. It was clear that during his absence from the room, his aunt must have already mentioned this matter to his parents. Judging by the expressions of the people in the room, even if his mother hadn't directly refused, she should be adopting an evasive attitude. As far as Li Qian could think, his mother would probably say: "Children's affairs are still up to them to decide for themselves. What era is this? Still arranging marriages? If they hit it off, of course we won't stop them. After all, it's a good thing to be relatives by marriage. But if the children themselves don't have any intention, shouldn't we not force their hand?"

  However, her aunt surprisingly still looked dissatisfied and directly came to talk to her.

  With Li Qian's current mental agility and quick wit, even if there was a slight change in expression, it would be just the blink of an eye, before he smiled and said: "Of course Xiaoyuan is very beautiful!"

  Auntie heard this, and a delighted expression appeared on her face. She couldn't help but want to continue asking, but Li Qian hadn't waited for her to speak before smiling and continuing: "However, I think, Auntie, you shouldn't be asking me this question. We're family, so of course we look at each other in a favorable light - it doesn't count! You should save this question for when you meet Xiaoyuan's boyfriend in the future!"

  Auntie was taken aback for a moment, and for a while, she couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind Li Qian's words. She smiled slightly and continued, "If I were to say that I want you to be Xiao Yu's boyfriend, wouldn't your grandparents and I feel most at ease, without having to worry about her being taken advantage of by other boys in the future? Are you willing?"

  Li Qian burst out laughing and waved his hand, "I'm not going to make it! Auntie, grandma, I don't even need to wait for my mom to expose me, I'll admit it myself. My temper is too explosive, if a girl like Xiaoyuan who's so gentle were to be my girlfriend... no way, we're definitely not compatible! I'd definitely bully her! Don't believe me? Ask my mom, she wouldn't agree with me dating Xiaoyuan either! It's not that she looks down on Xiaoyuan, it's just that she doesn't think highly of me at all, and is afraid her niece would get bullied!"

  Li Qian's smile was so convincing that it seemed real, but the problem was that from the moment he entered the house to now, everyone in the room had been staring at him. He hadn't said a word to Li Dad and Li Mom, so naturally no one believed that he already knew what had happened in this room just now - Auntie was a bit stunned at the time, and when she thought about it carefully, even she couldn't help but feel that maybe she had misunderstood? The younger sister kept pushing this and that, refusing to nod her head, really considering her own daughter's well-being?

  But she was a clever person, and after thinking back, she felt that something was slightly off.

  But looking at Li Qian, she felt that a 17 or 18-year-old kid like him couldn't possibly be so perceptive and sensitive to the subtleties of human expression - yet somehow it didn't feel right.

  At this time, Li's mother didn't know if it was because she had been asked too embarrassingly by her aunt just now, but suddenly Li Qian found a better excuse in a few words and quickly took advantage of the situation to get out of it, saying repeatedly: "That's what I mean, Little Qian is actually very mischievous and troublesome! Sister-in-law, I really didn't mean anything else, don't misunderstand me, I just can't bear to push Xiao Huan into the fire pit!"

  Others were fine, but Li's father frowned slightly after hearing this, and Li Qian subconsciously twitched the corner of his mouth.

  This is absolutely... an own goal!

  Li Qian was originally smiling and joking, half true and half false, first to fool his aunt and her family's enthusiasm, after the New Year's Eve is over, they will not be able to run to Jinan Prefecture to propose marriage again. At this time, if Li's mother reacts quickly enough, she can insert a sentence, "This child, you said you followed me back to celebrate the New Year, and I wanted to praise you a few words to save face, but you're actually not ashamed of yourself!", which would naturally divert the topic.

  But Li's mother said so solemnly, it suddenly showed her guilty conscience.

  What's going on here? You two are singing and harmonizing together. What does it mean? Is our daughter not welcome in your eyes?

  As expected, at this time, Grandma couldn't help but say: "I don't believe that my little Qian is a naughty and mischievous child!"

  Aunt's face suddenly turned red, her eyes rolled a few times, and she stood up with an unpleasant expression. She couldn't help but turn her head to look at Li Mama, "I'm saying, I don't believe Xiao Qian is that mischievous kid either. These past two days have been proof enough, Xiao Qian is so sensible! I think he's quite a good match for Xiao Huan, what do you think, Second Sister?"

  As she spoke, her eyes stared mercilessly at Li Ma.

  Ms. Li was suddenly made a bit embarrassed by her questioning.

  When it comes to dealing with this kind of thing, Li's mother is really not very good at it. So after working in the unit for 20 years, she is still just an ordinary small accountant. In this matter, on the contrary, Li's father, although he is a cultured person, is quite familiar with human relationships and can handle things on the spot, even if he doesn't do a great job, at least he won't lose too much face.

  To be honest, for this straightforward and outspoken sister-in-law, she was indeed a bit intimidated from the bottom of her heart.

  At this time, Li's mother was really embarrassed and couldn't come down from the stage. Just as Li's father cleared his throat to speak, Li Qian's eyebrows had already been furrowed.

  Everyone has their own ideas, my aunt and her family like themselves, they want to marry my little cousin to one of their own, this idea in itself is not a bad thing, it's just a bit one-sided. But since our whole family has repeatedly expressed that the two are not suitable for each other, my aunt still won't let go, it's getting annoying. And now, she even puts on such an overbearing attitude......Hey, the person you're pressuring is my mom!

  Before Li's father could speak, Li Qian smiled and said: "Aunt... I think this is something you shouldn't ask..." Upon hearing this, Aunt suddenly turned around, glared at Li Qian with anger in her eyes, and coldly laughed, saying: "What's wrong, you also look down on our family's Xiaoyuan?"

  But Li Qian's expression didn't change, and he completely ignored her words, continuing to speak fluently, "You see, we were originally a family, so when you ask me this, am I embarrassed or not? Is my little sister embarrassed or not? Even if we can't be boyfriend and girlfriend, we're still siblings, right? This is a very close relationship! I'm just an uncle, and my uncle has two kids. You say, aren't the three of us very close? But with your question, in the future when I meet Little Sister... how embarrassing will it be?"

  Li Qian's aunt was taken aback by his words.

  Li Qian smiled and looked at her, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her, just like she had stared at Li's mother earlier. At the same time, his tone also became sharp, "Even if you want to ask, why don't you quietly ask my mom? Whether it's possible or not, that's all there is to say. We two younger ones don't know yet, and the matter would be over. How great would that be? You're asking so openly, what else can I say except that we two aren't suitable? Should I say that I look down on my little sister? Or should I explain it to you all according to scientific analysis, that close relatives getting married is not good for the health of their offspring? What's the point of doing this, besides making everyone feel awkward and uncomfortable around each other in the future?"

  Li Qian's aunt Zhang was tongue-tied, and her sharp mouth couldn't say a word at this time.

  Originally, two years ago, the saying that let the younger generation get closer was only mentioned by Li Qian's grandmother. The aunt wasn't too fond of Li Qian when he came over last time, but considering her own daughter was already 16 years old, as a mother she had to start thinking about these things. This time when Li Qian and his family came over, she paid extra attention.

  This wasn't a big deal, but she discovered that after not seeing him for two years, Li Qian had grown up a lot, and his appearance was more handsome than before. He didn't have to be compared to anyone else, at least he was a very good-looking young man, and he spoke and acted very calmly, which made people feel comfortable around him. Considering that both of Li's parents had stable incomes and their family conditions were also very good, with his mother there, she could guarantee that her daughter would not be bullied if she married into their family... Suddenly, her heart began to beat rapidly.

  When people get excited, it's easy for their words and actions to get out of control.

  She had brought it up several times before, but was always brushed off by Li's mother on some pretext or other, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable. When Li Jian returned, the two of them continued to make excuses and push the issue aside, which suddenly made her feel indignant. She was originally someone who didn't mince words or actions, so this time she couldn't hold back and burst out in anger.

  But as a result, Li Qian knocked out a few words, although he didn't leave any emotional face, but also instantly woke her up.

  Yes, once the words have gone this far, aren't we going to have a falling out?

  But she is not one who will easily admit defeat!

  After a moment, her face turned red and green, although she knew Li Qian was right, this matter was done too hastily. However, being lectured by Li Qian, that foolish kid, made her unconsciously reveal a cold smile. "Yes, how can you say you look down on our Xiaoyuan? Your family is mixed up in the big city and bought a car. When you marry, of course, you'll choose someone suitable! If you don't like us, just don't like us, but Little Qian, you didn't have to speak so harshly with your aunt! It's not me bragging as her mother, our Xiaoyuan is good-looking and smart, she won't lose face wherever she marries!"

  This sentence has a bit of an angry tone.

  Li Qian wanted to speak up for his mother, but he didn't want to make things awkward between the two families. At this time, he just smiled and said with a humble tone, "Auntie, look at what you're saying, where did I mean that? Xiaoyuan is great, wasn't I just saying that I'm not good enough for her? Of course, I'm young and don't understand things, if I said something to offend you, I apologize, please don't be angry!"

  As he spoke, he really stood up and bowed to his aunt.

  He did this and instantly stunned his aunt on the spot, unable to say a word.

  With just these few words, although they are clichés and it's obvious that "he doesn't deserve my daughter" is a euphemistic excuse, he took the initiative to lower his head, and in an instant, he gave face to both himself and others.

  At this time, even a straightforward person like Li Jian's aunt felt that she couldn't say anything more.

  She stared blankly for a moment, then couldn't help but take a deep look at Li Qian, thinking: He's only eighteen? Those few words just now, could they have been said by an eighteen-year-old kid?

  But just then, before anyone else could intervene to give her a chance to save face, the doorbell suddenly rang out, shattering the brief but awkward silence in the room.

  Li Qian's uncle, who had been standing in the background from head to toe, suddenly stood up and ran over to open the door.

  As soon as the door opened, he was stunned for a moment, and then his straight waist instantly bent into a considerable arc. His mouth still said, "Oh, Director Liao, how did you come? You see... Ah, it's my turn to give you New Year's greetings, why are you still carrying things..."

  In an instant, everyone in the room turned their heads towards the door.

  Only Li Qian couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his forehead.

  The door opened and three people entered the house one after another.

  When they saw clearly that it was a girl walking at the back, both Li's father and mother exclaimed "Ah" in unison and quickly stood up.

  Liao Liao?

  ***

  Chapter 1, over 4,000 words! (.)