Chapter 274 - 272: A New Beginning

Chapter 274: Chapter 272: A New Beginning

After the boisterous fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the residence gradually quieted down. Nuonuo and Yanyan also resumed their studies.

That morning, after breakfast, Li Xiu watched Sister Fang lead the two children to their study room. He then turned to Professor Xiao and Professor Fan, saying, "Teacher Xiao, Professor Fan, the social obligations are mostly behind us now. The plum blossoms in the garden have bloomed, and we’ve just had a heavy snow. If you’d like, why don’t you send out some invitations for close friends to come appreciate the blossoms in the snow?"

Professor Xiao and Professor Fan exchanged a glance, both clearly tempted. Seeing their expressions, Zhou Lian was delighted and chimed in, "Teacher, Professor Fan, please do invite people over! The garden is fully equipped, and searching for plum blossoms in the snow is such an elegant affair!"

Unable to resist the temptation, Professor Fan said cheerfully, "Alright then! The plum grove in the garden is truly magnificent. Let’s indulge in a bit of elegance for once!"

Seeing her husband so happy, Professor Xiao didn’t say anything to dampen his spirits. And so, the matter was settled. Professor Fan and Li Xiu went to his study, while Professor Xiao went with Zhou Lian to her study. It was time to write the invitations!

The gathering was scheduled for the seventh day of the new year. Li Xiu deliberately stayed away, as the guests were all titans of the cultural world and giants of academia. That day, with Professor Xiao and Professor Fan intentionally paving the way for her, Zhou Lian successfully impressed these senior figures, making them see her in a completely new light. It was clear that before long, Zhou Lian’s reputation would soar.

Every guest who received an invitation that day brought along a younger family member or a prized student. Poetry and painting duels had always been a staple of such cultural gatherings. After all, with two lifetimes of study under her belt, Zhou Lian was nothing short of brilliant when it came to composing and reciting poems. Even her paintings were imbued with a spiritual quality that drew endless praise from the assembled masters. Her only slight weakness was in music—not that she was unskilled, but her abilities simply didn’t measure up to her prowess in poetry and painting.

When the party ended, Professor Xiao and Professor Fan were bursting with excitement. ’Our student is truly outstanding,’ the two couldn’t help but think. ’We didn’t invite many people today. Let’s host a poetry salon in a few days and invite more people. We’ll show off our brilliant student to all of them! That’ll keep them from mocking us for being "all alone" like they do every year!’

Seeing how unusually excited her teacher and Professor Fan were, Li Xiu offered his enthusiastic support after hearing their plan. He said they could host an event whenever they liked, and even multiple events were no problem. Zhou Lian could only agree with a helpless sigh. ’No wonder people say the elderly become like children,’ she thought. ’Oh well. It’s rare for my teacher and her husband to be this happy. I can’t spoil their fun.’

After the Lantern Festival, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Bao’s family of four, who had returned to their hometown for the holiday, came back. Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, Zhou Huaitai, and Zhang Yizhen returned with them. Since they couldn’t all fit in Li Bao’s car, Li Xiu had specially sent Wang Dongfang to drive out and pick them up.

After two days of rest, life returned to its normal rhythm as students went back to school and workers returned to their jobs. The residence settled back into its usual quiet. Professor Xiao and Professor Fan also returned home before the university term began. Li Xiu and Zhou Lian didn’t press them to stay longer; given the professors’ personalities, their extended visit had already exceeded all expectations. After all, they had plenty of time in the future, and it wouldn’t do to make their mentors feel ill at ease.

That year, when the college entrance exams concluded, Li Guo and Li Cui of the Li family lived up to everyone’s hopes and were accepted into universities in the Capital City. Li Guo was admitted to Beijing University, while Li Cui, with slightly lower scores, got into Beijing Normal University—also a prestigious institution. This brought immense joy to the Li family. For years, they had endured village gossip because their unmarried daughters were pursuing education. Now, with Li Cui’s acceptance into a top university in the Capital City, they finally felt a sense of vindication.

A celebratory banquet was held in their hometown, and Li Xiu and Zhou Lian made a special trip back for it. Their purpose was twofold: to celebrate for Li Guo and Li Cui, and to pay respects at their master’s grave. Afterward, they planned to bring Li Guo and Li Cui back with them to the Capital City.

The Li family was overjoyed to see Li Xiu and Zhou Lian, who had made a special trip just for this. The younger children were particularly thrilled, thinking that when they got into university, their big brother and sister-in-law would surely return to celebrate for them, too. This proved to be a powerful motivation. The very next year, Li He was accepted into Beijing University. In the years that followed, Li Yuan was also admitted to Beijing University, Li Bo got into Shuimu University, and Li Miao was accepted into Beijing University. All the younger members of the Li family became academic superstars, causing a sensation not just in their county, but across the entire city.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou looked at the Li family’s two youngest members—one accepted into Beijing University, the other into the Normal University—and felt a pang of envy. Thinking about the younger generation of their own Zhou family, the elderly couple couldn’t help but sigh. However, after some comforting words from Zhou Lian, they managed to look on the bright side. After all, they still had Zhou Huaitai, who was definitely university material, and their grandson Zhang Yizhen was another promising candidate.

That evening, Zhou Lian couldn’t help but vent to Li Xiu, "Jin Chen, why do my parents insist on making comparisons? Li Guo and Li Cui aren’t even in the same generation as my nieces and nephews. How can they even be compared!"

"Silly Bao’er," Li Xiu said gently. "It’s not that they want to make comparisons. They’re old and shrewd. In your three brothers’ families, apart from Huaitai, the other nieces and nephews have been spoiled rotten. You know it as well as I do—especially the nephews. Besides Huaitai, none of the others are showing much promise. How could your parents not be anxious?"

Hearing Li Xiu’s words, Zhou Lian rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Stop trying to phrase it so nicely. It’s not about being spoiled—their intelligence is just plain worrying, okay? When I think about our past life, my heart just sinks. My three older brothers are all smart men, and not one of my three sisters-in-law is a fool. So how did all their kids turn out so... dim-witted?"

"It’s not that they’re not smart," Li Xiu said diplomatically. "It’s more that they’re all very conventional and lack ambition." ’Thinking back on our past life,’ he mused, ’among your three brothers’ families, there were nine children besides Huaitai, and not a single one managed to distinguish themselves. Even Zhou Huaitai didn’t fare too well.’

"Forget it. It’s not like I can do anything about it," Zhou Lian said helplessly. "Even my parents can’t get a word in edgewise when it comes to their own grandchildren. Oh well, everyone has their own path. I’m not going to stress over it." ’Sometimes,’ she reflected, ’even though Li Xiu and I have lived an entire extra lifetime, so many things are still beyond our control.’

"Bao’er, I..."

"Li Jincheng, what are you planning?" Zhou Lian cut him off, exasperated. "You’ve already done more than enough for me and my family. You can’t get involved with them anymore. Don’t you understand? It makes my heart ache for you!" ’She knew Li Xiu would do anything for her, but she would never let him meddle in this. It was a thankless task, one that would only lead to resentment regardless of the outcome. Didn’t he realize that? She couldn’t bear it. A woman had to protect her own husband. He had already done far too much for her side of the family!’