Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

On the dining table, the warm yellow light was like a layer of soft gauze, slowly falling down and gently illuminating the table full of steaming, delicious food.

Everyone had a smile on their face, and that smile spread from the corners of their eyes and eyebrows to the bottom of their hearts. The chopsticks in their hands were like nimble fish, shuttling lightly between the plates of delicacies from time to time, chatting casually, and the rich and mellow aroma of the food entwined and blended, diffusing into every corner of the house.

While he was eating the hot food, Liu Haizhong put down his bowl and chopsticks, which touched the table lightly, making a slight "tapping" sound.

He raised his hand and casually wiped the oil stains from the corners of his mouth, his movements showing a bit of laziness and comfort after a meal.

With a smile on his face and a look of genuine concern in his eyes, he slowly turned his gaze to Qi Sihui who was sitting opposite him, as if a gentle breeze was blowing gently through his mind.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered something.

So, he asked softly, "Xiaohui, I was only concerned about your parents' affairs before, but accidentally neglected other aspects of your family. I wonder how your other relatives are doing besides your parents? Is everything okay?"

The tone of his voice was as natural, friendly and easy-going as that of neighbors chatting about family matters. There was no trace of strangeness or politeness at all, and it seemed that he really just cared about Qi Sihui's family.

At this time, Qi Sihui was savoring the tender and juicy fish on the plate with relish. The fish was soft and delicate, and melted in the mouth instantly with a light bite, leaving a mouthful of delicious taste that was endlessly memorable.

After she swallowed the last bite of fish, she carefully put down her chopsticks and then crossed her slender, white hands in front of her.

She sat upright and elegantly, and her every move revealed the dignified manners of a lady from a noble family, as well as the shyness that is unique to a young girl.

She raised her head slightly, and her clear and pleasant voice sounded like a yellow oriole singing in a valley: "Uncle, besides my parents, there are also my grandparents in my family. In addition, I have two uncles, but they don't live in our Forty-Nine City."

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, a strand of hair playfully fell from her forehead, and there was a hint of melancholy in her eyes. The melancholy was like a wisp of smoke, rising up in curls, as if her longing was drifting to distant relatives along with her words, and her eyes revealed her concern and attachment to distant elders.

When Liu Haizhong heard this, he couldn't help but raise his thick eyebrows slightly, full of surprise.

His originally calm face was instantly filled with curiosity, and this curiosity became more and more obvious as time went on.

He unconsciously leaned forward a little, and asked impatiently: "Oh! Why is this? Why are your grandparents not in our Forbidden City?"

As he spoke, the pair of eyes behind his bangs widened and stared at Qi Sihui in front of him without blinking. That gaze seemed to be able to penetrate deep into a person's soul, as if he was afraid that he would accidentally miss even the slightest important detail.

At this time, Qi Sihui first pursed her pink lips gently, as if she was organizing the next words in her mind.

After a short pause, she slowly spoke in a soft but very clear voice: "Uncle, this is what happened. My father came here from the far northeast to participate in the construction work. After the project was successfully completed, considering various work arrangements and other factors, my father finally decided to stay here to continue his development. My mother and I followed my father here to start a new life.

"As for my grandparents, they naturally stayed in their hometown in Northeast China."

When recounting this past event, Qi Sihui's tone seemed very gentle, but she always maintained a clear structure and logic.

With just a few words, she explained the whole story clearly and plainly.

Moreover, between the lines of her writing, one can vaguely see her deep respect and understanding for her father's assistance during those years.

After hearing this, Liu Haizhong slapped his thigh hard, and a crisp "pop" sound was heard.

His face, which was originally a little confused, suddenly became enlightened.

He kept nodding his head, muttering to himself, "Oh my, so that's how it is! No wonder, when I heard your accent before, I always felt that it didn't sound like the local accent of our city. I didn't expect there was such a connection between them!"

After saying these words, Liu Haizhong seemed to remember something interesting and laughed heartily again.

Then, Liu Haizhong changed the topic and continued, "But, speaking of which, the Northeast is really a good place! It's vast and rich, and the locals are mostly generous, enthusiastic, and informal. I think your father should be such an open-minded person, right? It is said that the land and water nurture the people, and the beautiful mountains and rivers can naturally raise a girl as well-behaved and sensible as you, Xiaohui."

Qi Sihui, who had been standing quietly listening, lowered her head in embarrassment after hearing this.

Her fair cheeks were slightly flushed at this moment, just like a gorgeous cloud quietly rising in the sky at dusk.

Then, she shook her head gently, with a shy smile on her lips, which made her look even more delicate and lovely.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, who were standing nearby, were drinking soup and picking up dishes. When they heard this conversation, they looked up as if attracted by a magnet, with a look of curiosity and inquiry in their eyes.

Liu Guangtian swallowed the food in his mouth, and the food slid down his throat. He said loudly: "In the Northeast, I heard that the snow is very thick in winter, up to the knees. Large flakes of snow fell down. Overnight, the whole world was covered in silver. It was white everywhere. It was spectacular, wasn't it, Sister Xiaohui?"

His eyes were sparkling and full of longing, and the world of ice and snow seemed to have been outlined in his mind.

Liu Guangfu also agreed, nodding his head like pounding garlic: "Yes, yes, I also heard that the big Yangko in the Northeast is very lively, with red silk fluttering, gongs and drums roaring, and the dance is very lively, and the faces are full of joy. It's really exciting. Sister Xiaohui, have you seen it?"

The two brothers chatted with each other, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became more and more lively. They asked about things in the Northeast and forgot about their previous resentment about the braised carp being turned into fish soup.

As for the second aunt standing next to Pang, when she heard what Qi Sihui said just now, the extremely sensitive string in her heart suddenly "clicked" and stretched tightly, as if a string that was stretched to the extreme was being plucked violently.

This feeling was so strong that she suddenly felt something was wrong with her whole body.

At this time, I saw that the second aunt was holding a steamed bun that had just come out of the pot and was still emitting wisps of hot steam.

The steamed bun should have been put into her mouth naturally, but at this moment, it was as if it was cast under a spell of immobilization and stopped abruptly in mid-air.

At the same time, the second aunt's brows knitted slightly uncontrollably, and the space between her brows quickly twisted into a small knot. And in her eyes, a trace of deep worry flashed across her eyes, which was difficult to conceal.

It turned out that the second aunt had been thinking about this: Qi Sihui's hometown is far away in the Northeast!

Although this man is already in the local area, if one day her father suddenly feels homesick and insists on returning to the Northeast to settle down permanently, then there is no doubt that Qi Sihui, as a daughter, will follow him without hesitation!

In this case, this matter will become extremely difficult!

After all, in Second Aunt’s opinion, the old saying is true – “Neighbors close by are worse than those far away”!

Neighbors are often only separated by a few walls, so it would be very convenient if they could help and take care of each other.

If Liu Guangqi really married a wife from far away, she would face many problems every time she returned to her parents' home in the future.

The first is that the journey is long and it takes a long journey to reach the destination.

Not only is the journey tiring and exhausting, but the expense is also considerable.

The round-trip transportation costs alone are already stressful enough.

In addition, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the trip, the couple must carefully plan the route in advance.

These seemingly trivial matters actually require a lot of energy and time to negotiate and handle.

As a husband, Liu Guangqi naturally has to accompany his wife on all the trips.

In this way, the originally lively and warm family will become cold and deserted.

Without the support of a pillar in the home, all matters, big and small, may be affected.

It might even trigger a series of unexpected twists and turns, as if the originally calm life was suddenly caught in a vortex of chaos.

More importantly, Qi Sihui is the only daughter in her family.

The second aunt is very clear about this and knows that the responsibility of taking care of her in her old age and seeing her to the end of her life will inevitably be borne by this young couple.

However, for the Liu family, they have always placed their hopes on their eldest son Liu Guangqi, hoping that he would do his best to take care of their daily life in their old age.

If Liu Guangqi becomes a relative of the Qi family, does that mean that in the future he will need to divide his attention and even some of his money to take care of Qi Sihui's parents?

In this case, wouldn’t the Liu family’s own expectations for retirement be greatly reduced?

Thinking of this, Second Aunt couldn't help but feel worried and fell into deep thought.

Second Aunt sat there with her brows tightly furrowed, thinking over and over what had just happened in her mind, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

It felt like someone had forced a tangled mess into her heart, and she couldn't sort it out no matter how hard she tried, which made her feel upset.

Especially when she thought that this marriage might come true, she felt a strong resistance from the bottom of her heart.

In the eyes of the second aunt, Liu Guangqi was simply old enough to start a family and wanted to find a wife and build a small family of his own.

However, as parents, they have too many issues to consider, and they have to think about every aspect carefully and comprehensively!

We must never make hasty decisions about our children's lifelong affairs just because of a little enthusiasm and impulse at the moment.

After all, there is still a long way to go, and we need to make adequate plans and preparations for future life.

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