Urban All-Round Master

Chapter 259: Chapter 262 Where Are Aunt and Uncle?

Chapter 262: Where Are the Aunt and Uncle?

”Can you please stop bringing this up? What we should be concerned about now is our beloved daughter.”

Li Tian took a deep drag of his cigarette and sighed helplessly.

”What’s wrong with my daughter?” Mother Li became somewhat bewildered.

”Haven’t you noticed? Our daughter seems to have taken a liking to that young man.”

”How could that be? You’re overthinking it,” Mother Li said in surprise, then furrowed her brows and continued, ”You have too much free time on your hands, meddling in this unnecessarily. It’s not our place to decide our daughter’s matters anymore, right? Zifeng hasn’t come back for so many years. So what if their feelings are strong?

How could you think like that? Besides, even if our daughter has feelings for Zifeng, so what? Is Zifeng that bad? The kid has suffered so much over the years, and now isn’t he doing well? Though he’s just a security guard, that’s already quite commendable. Do you know what kids his age are doing now?

This shows that Zifeng is ambitious, knowing to steadily climb up step by step. That kind of man is the most reliable. Back in the day, I was at a disadvantage because of you,

Look at you now, idling at home all day, just selling vegetables at the market. What else can you do? If you had worked harder back then, been more grounded, would you be in this situation?”

Usually gentle, Mother Li was inexplicably emotional today when it came to discussing Lin Zifeng.

Especially towards the end, she made Li Tian, who was always rather reserved, utterly speechless.

He just stared blankly at Mother Li, who looked righteous and indignant.

In the end, out of desperation, he still obediently went to the market to buy groceries, but along the way, he couldn’t understand why, having just returned for a few days, his typically modest daughter was suddenly treating him so well?

In the past, many suitors had visited their home, with some boys from families far superior to Lin Zifeng’s, introduced by relatives and friends; like the son of the Head from her school, quite promising and talented for his age, not only good-looking but also from a well-off family, a standout among his peers.

Yet, his headache-inducing daughter bluntly rejected them.

Could it be that the two of them had always shared an unusual relationship...?

The more Li Tian thought about it, the more frightened he became; he couldn’t bear to imagine it.

...

Linlin had stayed in her room all afternoon. Just as Lin Zifeng was about to leave, Linlin grabbed his arm and coquettishly said, ”Big brother Lin, I don’t care, you have to stay and have dinner with me tonight, or I’ll never speak to you again.”

Having the chance to spend even a little time with Lin Zifeng, how could she let go so easily? Plus, who knew when Lin Zifeng would come back once he left.

Unable to persuade her otherwise, Lin Zifeng reluctantly nodded in agreement, but when Li Tian returned and saw the two of them still chatting in the room, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

About every half-hour, he would intentionally or unintentionally pass by Linlin’s room door, deliberately coughing loudly.

Lin Zifeng hoped his intimidating presence would teach Zifeng to be more cautious about the rules.

However, tragically, his own daughter kept defying his wishes.

Li Tian wished he could just stick his head through the crack in the door to see for himself if anything like what he had imagined was happening inside.

Before dinner, while Li Lin and her mother were busy in the kitchen, Lin Zifeng was sitting on the couch watching TV, with Li Tian glaring at him intently, watching every move he made.

They watched for a long time without speaking.

Lin Zifeng didn’t bother making things awkward; instead, he was glued to the Kung Fu drama on TV, occasionally laughing at the funny scenes, his expression not appearing frivolous.

Eventually Li Tian couldn’t take it anymore and, smiling, handed an apple to Lin Zifeng, ”Zifeng, are you getting used to being back?”

”It’s okay, thank you, Uncle.”

Seeing Li Tian’s forced smile, Lin Zifeng didn’t say much; just took the apple from him with a thank you, then went back to watching the TV.

”So you’re still single, right?”

Li Tian smiled cunningly, his sharp face even looking a bit scary.

Lin Zifeng was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

”Er, not to hide from Uncle Li, I just returned recently and, indeed, am still single.” Lin Zifeng hinted but didn’t spell everything out, not understanding the meaning behind Li Tian’s words.

”What do you think of our Linlin?” Li Tian suddenly changed the subject by 180 degrees, leaning in close to Lin Zifeng with a sly smile.

Lin Zifeng was completely baffled.

Hearing him say this, something felt oddly off, and Lin Zifeng was even more confused.

”Oh, Zifeng, here’s the thing, I just wanted to ask you, what’s your take on our Linlin? How do you generally feel about her? In your eyes, what kind of girl satisfies you?”

Li Tian asked the question cautiously and carefully.

But Lin Zifeng wasn’t a fool.

He immediately understood what Li Tian meant, but he didn’t rush to explain. Instead, he simply smiled, put down his apple, and glanced over at Li Lin, who was busy in the kitchen.

He said with a bitter laugh, ”Uncle, as you know, our two families have always been good neighbors for dozens of years, living together. I understand what kind of girl Linlin is. Our relationship has always been good. I am a few years older than her; we played together since we were kids. In my eyes, I’ve always seen her as my sister. Plus, Uncle Li and Aunt Li have taken such good care of me. Just being able to come back here to eat and have a place to stay is already the greatest blessing Heaven could bestow upon me.”

Lin Zifeng smiled bitterly; he understood Li Tian’s intention and appreciated the heartfelt concern of a parent.

”Zifeng, don’t be too upset, the past is in the past. If you don’t mind, anytime you return, you can always stop by Uncle Li’s house, just like it’s your own home. If you encounter something upsetting or if you have any troubles outside, you can always talk to your Uncle and Aunt Li about it.”

Having heard Lin Zifeng’s heartfelt words, Li Tian finally felt relieved. However, these kinds of formalities still needed to be observed, especially given Lin Zifeng’s tragic family background.

An unfortunate event had struck what was once a warm family, which could have driven any ordinary young person to consider ending their life. How could they remain as composed as Lin Zifeng?

”Big Brother Lin, what are all of you chatting about? You seem to be having a good time,” she said.

At that moment, Li Lin, who had been busy in the kitchen, saw the somewhat melancholic expression on Lin Zifeng’s face as he spoke with his father, which immediately caught her attention.

She knew her father was very reluctant to have her get too close to Lin Zifeng, but the simple-natured Li Lin did not care about such social standings.

No matter how good others are, they are never as good as the one you like.

A thousand pursuits are not as good as the tenderness from one.

If you like someone, you should bravely pursue them, even if it means facing failures and setbacks, you have to learn to accept them with grace.

”Hehe, I was just chatting with Uncle Li about everyday life,” Lin Zifeng laughed.

”Really?”

Li Lin tilted her head slightly and shifted her gaze to Li Tian’s face.

”Yes, your Big Brother Lin has just come back. Shouldn’t you prepare a bit more and show off your cooking skills?” Li Tian said, his eyes gleaming with more cunning than anyone else.

”Alright, Big Brother Lin, you continue chatting with my father for a while. I’ll call you when dinner is ready,” she said.

Li Lin smiled sweetly, her hand gripping a spatula, her apron tied around her waist, as she joyfully turned and walked away.

She had the air of a demure housewife.

”Come on, Zifeng, you’ve finally come back. Let’s play a few rounds of chess. Recently, an old friend went to Dragon City, and I’ve been itching to play again. Join me for a game.”

Having said all that needed to be said, Li Tian finally felt relieved.

With his worries swept away, Li Tian pulled Lin Zifeng toward his room, their relationship warm and close, like friends who regret not meeting sooner.

”Uncle Li, please go easy on me. I’m a complete novice at Chinese chess. If I make any mistakes, I hope you can offer me some advice,” Lin Zifeng humbly requested.

Lin Zifeng used his most effective flattery, which immediately made the old man laugh more joyously than anyone else.

Their once stiff relationship visibly softened in an instant.

Li Tian, with a big smile, began boasting in front of Lin Zifeng, calling himself a novice.

Just as he had pulled Lin Zifeng into the room, the doorbell rang. It seemed a guest had arrived.

”You sit here for now; let me see who it is. There’s tea inside, just make some for yourself and feel at home,” Li Tian said, now in a particularly good mood.

With Lin Zifeng’s occasional flattering phrases, he was feeling extremely comfortable.

”It’s fine, it’s fine, Uncle Li, you’re too polite,” Lin Zifeng responded modestly, although secretly he was thinking that had he not clarified their relationship today, who knows what kind of face Li Tian would be showing him now.

Fortunately, he was smart; otherwise, who knew if he might have been kept out.

Li Tian rushed excitedly to the main door, thinking a friend had come, and hurried to open it.

However, he was greeted by a huge bunch of roses, bigger than a wash basin, shoved directly into his arms.

The old man was almost scared to stumble; anyone who opened the door to see such a large bunch of roses would be shocked.

Then, he leaned back onto a small stool behind the door, and the unknown person outside kept charging in. Hindered by the flowers, he failed to notice Li Lin’s father behind the door.

The visitor pushed the door open with such force that it smashed into Li Tian, bruising his nose and face!

”Ouch!”

Li Tian behind the door cried out in pain as the door forcefully struck his face, a pain only he could understand.

When you’re down on your luck, everything seems to go wrong, much less his current predicament.

A loud cry and the booming sound of the door made Lin Zifeng and Li Lin run out.

Upon seeing who the visitor was, everyone suddenly fell silent, and Lin Zifeng wished he could cover his eyes to avoid the sight.

”Hello Auntie,” he greeted.

The visitor was none other than Li Lin’s school principal’s son, Qian Nan.

After greeting her, he looked at Li Lin, who appeared in shock, thinking she was moved by him. He was unaware that the old man behind the door was now seeing stars from the blow.

”Auntie, where is Uncle Li?” Qian Nan asked softly.