Chapter 379: Extra (3)

Li Xianglin’s coming-of-age ceremony was a slightly modified version of the traditional hairpin ceremony for girls. After the opening dance, Li Xiangrui took his sister’s hand, led her before their parents to greet them, and then escorted her back to a private room to change out of her formal attire, remove her jewelry and crown, and slip into something more casual.

The guest of honor was Secretary Sun’s wife. Among the ladies of the Imperial Palace circle, she was a rare example of a “woman of complete fortune”—blessed with both a son and a daughter, a harmonious marriage, and living parents on both sides. As she placed the hairpin in Li Xianglin’s hair, Li Xiu personally bestowed upon his daughter the style name “Fangrui,” taken from Lu Ji’s *Wen Fu*: “Spreading the rich fragrance of beautiful blossoms, sending forth the lushness of green boughs.”

After the three ceremonial bows, Li Xianglin rose to stand before her parents. She then turned to the guests, giving a slight curtsy to thank them for their presence. In that moment, she inspired a mix of envy and admiration in every woman there. Her wonderful family background, her parents’ adoration, her brother’s protection, her brilliant mind, her extensive knowledge, her excellent upbringing, her beautiful appearance, and that aloof, pure temperament that seemed to defy the winter frost—she was truly a favored daughter of heaven.

Having inherited her parents’ stunning looks, Li Xianglin was the very picture of a budding beauty. Standing tall and graceful at almost five-foot-seven, she was enough to make many guests her age burn with jealousy. Most of them had only heard her name but had never seen her in person. Li Xianglin had skipped grades often throughout her schooling; now, at just eighteen, she had already finished her undergraduate degree and was a graduate student.

Seeing that her daughter was the center of attention, Zhou Lian shot a meaningful look at her son. Li Xiangrui took the hint, linked his arm with his sister’s, and followed their parents to toast the more important guests. Of course, the two siblings were drinking juice.

Once the banquet was over and all the guests had been seen off, only the family remained, gathered together. Grandma Li, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, Professor Xiao, Professor Fan, Sister Fang, Li Bao and his family of four, Li Cui and her family of three, Li Guo and his family of three, Li He and his wife, Li Miao, Li Yuan, Li Bo, Zhou Huaitai and his wife, and Zhang Yizhen… all the members of the Li and Zhou families currently in the Capital City were present.

Looking at Li Xianglin, who had since changed out of her splendid gown, everyone couldn’t help but marvel. Even dressed in simple, casual clothes, she was a dazzling presence. After looking her over again and again, Li Bo couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Li Xiu.

“What is it?”

Hearing his older brother’s calm voice, Li Bo felt his eyelid twitch. With a hint of dismay, he recited, “Big Bro, our little girl has come of age, so charming and lovely she could topple cities. I just hope her tender years remain fragrant and free from worry!”

“What are you trying to say?” Zhou Lian asked through gritted teeth, glaring at her wily brother-in-law. ‘That expression, and the meaning of that poem…’

Li Bo glanced at Zhou Lian and frowned. “Sister-in-law, whose families do those punks from today belong to? They all looked so punchable!”

“Xiao Bo! Watch your mouth!” Li Cui shot a glance at her sister-in-law before turning to her own younger brother with a helpless expression. ‘Even if I also can’t stand those little creeps who were gawking at our niece, you can’t just say it so bluntly!’

With a helpless sigh, Zhou Lian scanned the room before looking to the elders. “Grandma, Professor Xiao, Professor Fan,” she asked softly, “what do you all think?”

“I’m old and my eyes are failing. You all can just discuss it amongst yourselves,” Grandma Li said. ‘I only have a vague understanding of the situation in the Capital City, so how could I possibly get involved? If my good intentions ended up causing trouble, my own family would be the ones to suffer.’

Professor Xiao glanced at Li Xianglin, who was sitting beside him, and said gently, “It’s too soon. Our Nuonuo is still so young!”

“Another eight or ten years wouldn’t be too late!” Professor Fan added with a frown.

Zhou Lian sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead in exasperation as she glanced at Li Xiu beside her. ‘Is that what I was even asking? As if I need to be reminded my daughter just turned eighteen. What is going through their heads! Putting aside the fact that none of those boys today are worthy of my daughter, I wouldn’t agree even if they were! I’m not letting her get married until I’ve investigated the groom’s family back for eighteen generations!’

“What Bao’er means,” Li Xiu said, feeling a pang in his chest, “is that after today, we can expect a lot of people to start testing the waters. We should all get on the same page with our response. Nuonuo is still young. Just as Foster Father said, another eight or ten years wouldn’t be too late!”

‘I’d like to see which family’s pig dares to try and steal away the precious daughter I’ve worked so hard to raise,’ Li Xiu thought darkly. ‘He’ll be lucky if I don’t destroy him!’

Professor Fan shot Li Xiu an appreciative glance and said breezily, “Just be direct. Tell them she’s young and her studies are her priority. She isn’t considering marriage right now. Revisit it in a few years.” ‘His granddaughter is as beautiful as a blossoming flower,’ he thought. ‘Whoever dares to snatch her away will be lucky to escape with their life.’ Sure enough, though not related by blood, the father-son bond between Professor Fan and Li Xiu was exceptionally deep; they even had the same thoughts.

“Nuonuo, why don’t you tell us what you think?” Clearing her throat, Zhou Lian gave up asking anyone else for their opinion. ‘They’re all cut from the same cloth,’ she thought. ‘My daughter is the first child of her generation in the Li family, and she truly has everyone’s love showered upon her. It’s not just her aunts and uncles; even their spouses dote on her endlessly. And that’s not even counting the elders.’

Li Xianglin glanced around the room and said placidly, “Mother, I don’t have a strong opinion. But if I get married, the man doesn’t have to be as wealthy or capable as Father. As long as he treats me as well as Father treats you, I’ll marry him.”

Everyone in the room, with the exception of Li Xiu’s own family of four, was stunned. At first glance, the condition didn’t seem too demanding. But where on earth could they find another man like Li Xiu? A man whose wife was his life, who did whatever she said without question, and who would move heaven and earth to give her the absolute best. The world had produced one such hopelessly devoted man; where were they supposed to find another for their great-granddaughter, their granddaughter, their niece, their sister?

“Nuonuo, your mother just got incredibly lucky,” Mrs. Zhou said, looking at her granddaughter with a helpless expression. “Can we maybe adjust that condition a bit? Otherwise, your grandma here is genuinely worried you’ll never get married!” ‘In all her years,’ she thought, ‘whether back in their old hometown or here in the Capital City, she had never seen another man like Li Xiu—someone who considered his wife more important than his own life. If her granddaughter searched using that as her standard, would she ever find a husband?’

Zhou Lian cast a helpless glance at her mother, unsure whether to laugh or cry. “Mom, since when are Jin Chen and I a blind cat and a dead mouse? Is that any way to talk about your own daughter and son-in-law?”

“Then you tell me, can you find a man like her father for our Nuonuo?” Mrs. Zhou retorted irritably. ‘After all these years, even she was sick of watching them. She’d long since figured it out: her daughter was her son-in-law’s entire life. That man truly doted on her daughter, treating her as if she were a precious jewel that might melt in his mouth or shatter in his palm.’

Zhou Lian was left speechless. ‘That *would* be hard to find,’ she thought. ‘Leaving aside the fact that her and Li Xiu’s marriage was a bond forged across two lifetimes, everyone who had lived with them these past few years knew exactly how he treated her in this one. He pampered and spoiled her endlessly, never once uttering a single “no” to her.’