111: Family banquet

Early the next morning,

the winter morning light spilled into the bedroom through the gaps in the curtains.

Lin Xia had already been busy in front of the walk-in closet for quite some time.

Her fingers brushed past a row of hangers before she finally pulled out a dark gray cashmere coat.

"Wear this today."

She turned around and held the coat up against Li Zhan's chest,

her fingertips gently smoothing the wrinkles at the collar. "Pair it with that navy blue turtleneck sweater."

Li Zhan looked down at her.

It was a rare occasion where Lin Xia had put on exquisite makeup,

her long hair styled into an elegant bun, and her pearl earrings shimmering with a soft luster in the morning light.

Beneath her camel wool coat, the hem of a light apricot knitted dress peeked out,

making her entire being exude a dignified and ladylike aura.

"So formal?"

Li Zhan smiled as he went to fasten his belt, only to have his hand swatted away by her.

"You need to tie a Windsor knot."

Lin Xia stood on her tiptoes to straighten his coat, her breath brushing against his chin.

"Grandfather values these details the most."

A pile of carefully prepared gifts sat at the entrance,

calligraphy and paintings for her grandfather, Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao tea for her uncle...

Lin Xia checked the items over and over again,

when Li Zhan suddenly hugged her from behind.

"That's enough. If we take any more, it won't fit in the trunk."

He kissed her hair and conveniently took the heaviest gift box from her.

On the highway,

Lin Xia looked at the scenery flying past the window and suddenly turned her head. "Are you nervous?"

Li Zhan kept one hand on the steering wheel,

while using the other to hold her warm hand.

"A little."

He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "After all, it's the first time I'm meeting your family."

"Don't worry..."

Lin Xia winked playfully. "Even though Grandfather looks fierce, he actually dotes on me the most."

She suddenly lowered her voice,

"But if Uncle asks about your business..."

"I know how to handle it." Li Zhan squeezed her hand.

Two hours later,

as the black mercedes-benz slowly drove into the military compound,

Li Zhan subconsciously straightened his back.

The sound of training slogans coming from the distance made his fingertips tremble slightly—

it was a soldier's instinct carved into his bones.

"Nervous?"

Lin Xia squeezed his hand.

Li Zhan chuckled. "It's a sense of familiarity..."

He parked the car skillfully, his shoulders held perfectly straight.

Just as they got out of the car, they heard a clear greeting, "Xia Xia..."

A young man in a navy blue suit was standing on the steps.

He was clearly stunned for a moment when he saw Li Zhan beside Lin Xia,

but then his eyes lit up.

"Yo, this is the first time our Xia Xia has brought a boyfriend to see Grandpa."

He walked down quickly and extended his hand toward Li Zhan.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Brother!"

Lin Xia stomped her foot coquettishly, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

"This is Li Zhan. He's in the real estate business in Chang'an."

She quietly winked at Li Zhan. "This is my cousin, Zhou Mingyuan, he works at the Municipal Land Bureau."

Zhou Mingyuan shook Li Zhan's hand, a scrutinizing smile in his eyes.

"Not bad, being able to win over our little princess."

He looked at Lin Xia teasingly.

"You have no idea.

So many young masters tried to pursue her before, but this girl wouldn't even give them the time of day."

Li Zhan smiled. "I just got a bit lucky."

"Brother!"

Lin Xia tugged on Zhou Mingyuan's sleeve and lowered her voice.

"He has a plot of land that's recently been blocked by your Land Bureau. It's that bastard from the Liu Family behind it..."

Zhou Mingyuan's gaze sharpened for a moment before his smile returned.

"We'll talk about this in detail later."

He stepped aside to let them through.

"You two should head inside first to wish Grandpa a happy birthday. The old man has been talking about it since this morning."

Inside the Zhou Family courtyard, several winter sweets were in full bloom.

Li Zhan followed Lin Xia through the corridor,

and from a distance, he could see many figures in the hall.

Inside the hall,

a white-haired elderly man sat upright in a grand armchair.

General stars were pinned to the collar of his military shirt, giving him an air of natural authority.

Standing beside him was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, dressed in a formal suit.

He was speaking in low tones to a middle-aged woman with a gentle temperament.

Several young people were gathered around a tea table to the side; seeing them enter, they all looked up curiously.

"Mom! Uncle! Grandfather!"

Lin Xia ran over happily and gave the middle-aged woman a hug first.

"So you finally remembered to come back?"

The middle-aged woman—

Zhou Ya lightly patted her daughter's back, but her gaze fell upon Li Zhan,

a flicker of complex emotion passing through her eyes.

Lin Xia held out a brocade box like a treasure.

"Grandfather,

this is an early sketch by Zhang Daqian that Li Zhan specially found for you.

He knew you love collecting works from this period the most."

The white-haired elderly man—

Patriarch Zhou Zhenguo took the box,

his fingers stroking the surface of the box before he finally looked up at Li Zhan.

"So you're Little Li?"

"Greetings, Chief."

Li Zhan stood at attention and saluted, his posture so standard that a sharp glint flashed in the old man's eyes.

He patted Li Zhan's shoulder.

“Not bad. This young lad has a lot of spirit.”

"This is my mom..."

Lin Xia introduced her while linking arms with Zhou Ya.

Li Zhan bowed slightly. "Hello, Auntie."

Zhou Ya nodded, her gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses gentle yet scrutinizing.

"Xia Xia often mentions you on the phone."

"And this is my uncle." Lin Xia turned toward the middle-aged man.

Zhou Wentao pushed up his glasses and took the initiative to extend his hand.

"I heard Mingyuan had a good chat with you?"

A soft chuckle suddenly came from the tea table.

"Sister Xia Xia, this brother-in-law is so handsome!"

A young girl with a ponytail winked mischievously.

"Zhou Xiaoyu!"

Lin Xia scolded with a red face. "My cousin, she's a student at Sun Yat-sen University."

She explained quietly to Li Zhan.

Another young man in a casual suit stood up.

"I'm Zhou Mingxuan, Mingyuan's younger brother."

He smiled teasingly. "My brother just sent a message saying we should 'interrogate' you properly."

A wave of good-natured laughter immediately filled the hall.

Li Zhan calmly took the tea handed to him by a servant.

Under everyone's gaze, he took a small sip.

"Excellent tea. It tastes like Zhengyan Rougui from Wuyi Mountain."

Hearing this, Patriarch Zhou Zhenguo's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Dinner is served!"

The head chef's call came from the kitchen, breaking the brief silence.

Everyone moved to the dining room,

where a round mahogany table was already laden with exquisite Cantonese dishes.

Patriarch Zhou Zhenguo took his seat at the head of the table.

Li Zhan noticed that the old man's wine glass was a size larger than everyone else's.

Lin Xia quietly tugged on his sleeve, gesturing for him to sit beside her.

"Grandpa,

I wish you happiness as vast as the Eastern Sea and a life as long as the pines of the Southern Mountains!"

Zhou Xiaoyu was the first to stand up and offer a toast, winking playfully.

"I spent the whole night memorizing these lines."

Amidst the laughter, Zhou Mingyuan suddenly raised his glass.

"Grandpa, I toast to you.

I wish you..."

He intentionally dragged out his words, "to be able to hold a great-grandson this year."

Lin Xia almost choked on her tea and glared at her cousin with a flushed face.

Li Zhan rose calmly, holding his glass with both hands.

"I wish the Chief eternal youth like the pine and crane, and a life that never fades."

Patriarch Zhou Zhenguo stared at him for two seconds before suddenly tossing back his drink. "Good!"

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Zhou Xiaoyu bit her chopsticks and suddenly asked curiously,

"Cousin-in-law, what kind of work do you do?"

The dining table fell silent instantly.

Li Zhan put down his chopsticks and smiled slightly. "I do some small business in Chang'an."

Zhou Wentao and Zhou Ya exchanged a glance,

and then expressionlessly lowered their heads to take a sip of wine.

At this moment, Zhou Mingyuan interjected at the right time.

"A-Zhan is in real estate..."

He deliberately raised his voice, "I heard from Xia Xia that he has a plot of land with some friction with the Liu Family..."

Under the table, Lin Xia secretly gave her cousin a thumbs-up.

"Hmph, the Liu Family again..."

Zhou Wentao pushed up his glasses, the gaze behind the lenses suddenly becoming sharp.

"Mingyuan, go tomorrow and..."

"Wentao..."

Patriarch Zhou Zhenguo suddenly interrupted, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Little Li, hearing you call me Chief, have you served in the military?"

Li Zhan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface.

"Yes, I served in the Shenyang Military Region."

The old man nodded meaningfully and suddenly turned to his son.

"Old Chen from the Land Bureau, isn't it about time for him to retire?"

Zhou Wentao was startled for a moment but then understood. "He'll reach the age in June next year."

He looked at Li Zhan, his tone suddenly becoming much more friendly.

"Regarding that plot of land, have Mingyuan take you to see Director Chen."

Zhou Mingyuan raised his glass with a smile.

"Perfect, our bureau has been investigating illegal land approvals recently."

He added pointedly,

"especially those who act recklessly by relying on their family connections..."

The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly became heated.

Several young people started talking all at once about the Liu Family's misdeeds in recent years.

While Li Zhan was eating,

he found that Lin Xia was tightly holding his hand under the table...