136 Reunion

Aunt Lin sighed regretfully and said, "Alas! Xiao Feng, Miss Li is such a wonderful person. It is truly a pity that you two parted ways."

Fatty chimed in, "Auntie, don't waste your worry on him. He's holding out for something even better. As the saying goes, human desires climb higher and higher. This guy is simply too greedy. He had such a fine wife yet didn't know how to cherish her, and still wanted to flirt with other beauties."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu came to my defense. "Big Fatty, you're always wronging Brother Feng! Brother Feng is not that kind of person at all! Brother Feng, I propose a toast to you, to thank you for all your help to our family." Nowadays, Lin Xiaoyu was much bolder around me and no longer blushed or grew shy at every turn.

I drained the glutinous rice wine in my cup in one go and said, "Thank you, Little Sister!"

Lin Xiaoyu's pretty eyes sized up my face for a moment, and unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Brother Feng, I really think Sister Li is wonderful—wealthy, beautiful, and very kind to others. How did you two end up parting ways so quickly? It's so unexpected."

I sighed and said, "Sister Li's adoptive mother fell ill and passed away. I failed to fulfill my filial duties and didn't attend the old lady's funeral. I let her down!"

Aunt Lin listened in astonishment and said, "Xiao Feng, that was wrong of you! You were Miss Li's husband. When your mother-in-law passed away, how could you not go? That shows a lack of proper sense!"

Looking dejected, I said, "I was arrested and spent the New Year inside a detention center. Sister Li couldn't get in touch with me at all, so... ugh!"

Tietou gasped, "Ah Feng, what trouble did you get into this time? No wonder Fatty and I couldn't reach you during those days! Fatty even joked that you had been captured by some beauty to be pampered in a golden house. Who would have thought such a thing had happened?"

With that, I recounted how I had beaten up Qian Duobao in order to rescue Jin Yulian.

Aunt Lin remarked, "Oh! Xiao Feng, your heart is in the right place, but you're much too impulsive. Besides, you had already called the police—couldn't you have held back for just a few more minutes?"

I smiled bitterly. "My blood was boiling at the time, and I simply couldn't endure it. I couldn't hold back for even half a second!"

Lin Xiaoyu looked at me in a daze and said, "Brother Feng, I understand you. Alas, it's such a pity for Sister Li. To let her misunderstand you and choose to break up with you—I'm sure she must be in excruciating pain and sorrow."

I couldn't help uttering a line I thought sounded quite literary: "A beautiful story does not necessarily have a beautiful ending!"

Aunt Lin said, "Xiao Feng, it seems you still haven't forgotten the young lady of the Jin family! And what is going on with that Ling Xue?"

I replied, "Ling Xue and I are simply impossible. Her background is so privileged! We are from completely different worlds, and our families are mismatched. How could it ever work?"

Fatty disagreed. "Not necessarily! I could tell she definitely has feelings for you! Otherwise, why would she blurt out that you should come marry her when it snows?"

I said, "She was just joking. I've served time in prison and I've been married before, while she is a wealthy young heiress. You expect her to marry me? Do you think that's possible?"

Hearing this, Aunt Lin nodded and said, "Hmm, indeed it's impossible. Even if Ling Xue herself liked you, her parents would never agree. Not to mention the pressure from social circumstances..."

I nodded in agreement. "Right, that's why I won't harbor unrealistic fantasies about her. Besides, Ling Xue is far too clever; you can never guess what she's truly thinking."

I originally wanted to say that Ling Xue was much too scheming, but considering there was no need to speak of the trap she had engineered, I changed my wording to say she was too clever.

Tietou chimed in, "Ah Feng, I think you'd better marry Jin Yulian! She let us live in this big house for free. If you don't marry her, we feel quite embarrassed living here."

Aunt Lin nodded in agreement. "Miss Jin is indeed wonderful, but it's a pity she's been plagued by that good-for-nothing younger brother of hers."

I sighed. "Yulian's good-for-nothing brother has brought a mountain of trouble upon her. If I cannot help her resolve these troubles, I haven't the face to marry her. Of course, she wouldn't choose to marry me either. Ah, if she were truly willing to marry me, we would have tied the knot long ago."

I recalled what Jin Yulian had once said to me: "Feng, you're a good person, but unfortunately I don't love you."

Fatty laughed heartily and said, "Judging by your tone, it sounds like there are other women in your life, am I right?"

Unable to help myself, I blushed and argued shamelessly, "You dead fatty, you just love talking nonsense."

Fatty chuckled and said, "Don't try to wriggle out of it. Did I hit the nail on the head? If you don't have another woman, then let's all get completely drunk tonight, and you can sleep right here. If you refuse to sleep here tonight, it proves there's another woman waiting for you."

Tietou and Aunt Lin also persuaded, "That's right, Ah Feng, don't go back tonight! This is your own home; if you don't stay the night, we'll feel quite awkward about it."

I chuckled and said, "Tietou has been sleeping on the sofa in the living room anyway, so I won't put you out." As it turned out, after Tietou was discharged from the hospital, he had been sleeping on the living room sofa for the sake of convenience.

Fatty laughed, "Ah Feng, you can sleep in my bed. How about that?" I smiled and said, "Your bed is as filthy as a dog kennel; I couldn't possibly sleep there."

Lin Xiaoyu cut in, "Brother Feng, you can sleep in my room, and I'll go share a bed with Mom. Besides, that room was yours to begin with."

I smiled and said, "Little Sister, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I really must go back tonight. There's no need to put you to any trouble."

Just as I was speaking, my cell phone suddenly rang. Glancing at it, I saw it was a call from Sister Yang. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I stood up and walked aside to answer it.

Sister Yang's sweet, alluring voice drifted through: "Feng, I miss you. Won't you come back early? If you don't come back, I'm scared, I can't sleep, and I'll properly... reward you."

In truth, I understood what she meant, and naturally, I couldn't resist that kind of temptation. So I said, "All right, I understand. I'll be right back."

Fatty laughed heartily and shouted, "Look, I called it! There's definitely a beauty somewhere else warming the bed for this guy, so let's not make things difficult for him."

I wanted to offer a clever rebuttal, but in the end, I chose to just smile it off.

I said, "Thank you all for your warm hospitality tonight—Auntie, brother Tietou, and Little Sister. I have some matters to attend to, so I must take my leave. We'll definitely meet again."

Aunt Lin said, "Xiao Feng, if you really must go back, we won't press you to stay. You are welcome to come back anytime you like, and Auntie will surely cook up something delicious for you."

Lin Xiaoyu interjected, "Mom, what are you saying! This house originally belongs to Brother Feng anyway, of course he can come back whenever he wants."

I smiled and said, "Thank you, Auntie, thank you, Little Sister! You've all worked hard tonight."

Aunt Lin smiled. "Xiao Feng, what's with all this polite talk between us? Not only did you let us live in your house, but you've also helped us with so much money. Auntie is just happy whenever you come to visit."

I picked up Gu Ying, and Fatty and Tietou walked me out to the residential complex's main gate. I urged them to go back inside, but they stayed to chat with me, insisting on waiting until I flagged down a taxi.

On the fourth night of the Lunar New Year, taxis were hard to come by, and I waited for a long time without seeing one. Fatty was about seven-tenths drunk, just like me, so naturally he couldn't drive me home either.