Chapter 610: Chapter 601: Lantern Festival—Some Rejoice, Some Grieve

"Come on, big brother, let’s have a drink!"

"Alright, I’m going to drink you under the table today, my dear third brother. By the way, where’s our second brother? Let’s all drink together!"

"Yeah, where’s second brother?"

"If you get drunk, just go home. Don’t embarrass yourself here!" shouted Zhou Hui.

At the dining table, the two old men were having a blast. His mom, Zhou Hui, and Li Zijun’s mom, one of them was rolling her eyes continuously, while the other was covering her forehead, unable to bear watching any longer.

Su He was off to the side, maliciously enjoying the chaos. He occasionally took out his phone and secretly recorded something with the camera, up to no good.

Li Zijun, on the other hand, was eagerly watching someone on the couch, her face showing a "wise of you to behave" expression.

Meanwhile, Su Qing sat shivering in the corner of the couch. With all the talk of second and third brothers, his heart was filled with fear every time something was said.

Initially, the two families seemed pretty normal, chatting about the events in their own families during the recent New Year period, occasionally steering the conversation towards his career.

After all, with a billionaire suddenly around, it’s not about currying favor, but at least both families celebrating and being happy for him seemed quite natural.

That was until Uncle Li took out a bottle of treasured wine, gifted by a friend, which had been buried underground for over ten years.

Suddenly, the two boozehounds’ appetites were whetted. Oddly enough, whether it was his dad or Uncle Li, both loved their drinks, yet their capacity was, well, something not easily described.

Su Qing always felt his poor drinking was inherited from Old Su. Of course, his so-called "poor drinking" was relative; at least he was stronger than them, plus they were drinking white liquor.

The main issue is that these two love fun and games despite not being good at them, whether it’s fishing or drinking. They aren’t great but keep wanting to try, never learning from past mistakes.

"Sister Zijun, you don’t have to look at me like that. It’s scary!" Su Qing chuckled awkwardly.

In response, Li Zijun rolled her eyes: "You say that now. I should’ve stopped you from joining if I knew."

"What does it have to do with me? How about next year’s gathering, we tell Aunt Liu not to bring my dad or Uncle Li? I think that’s the solution," Su Qing suggested.

There was no other way. Heeding Li Zijun’s prior warning, he hadn’t drunk a drop today and was very clear-headed.

But it was precisely because he was clear-headed that he felt embarrassed. At times like these, being drunk would have been better; at least he wouldn’t feel the social awkwardness.

"That makes sense. I’ll discuss it with my mom," Li Zijun nodded.

Just as they were talking, Aunt Liu’s voice came over, saying to them: "Little Zijun, you and Little Qing should go out for a walk. Don’t linger in front of them. Isn’t it lively outside today? Go have some fun!"

Even Zhou Hui chimed in: "No need, you’re grown-ups; you don’t need company. Son, you should head home first."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing suddenly felt like he’d been granted a pardon, quickly getting up: "Alright, I’ll be going then!"

"Hurry up! Otherwise, they’ll drag you for drinks again!" Zhou Hui spat.

Li Zijun stood up: "No problem, I’ll go with him. There’s a lantern fair over in South City; wanna take a look?"

"I’m easy," Su Qing was indifferent. Visiting was fine, but if not, he’d just go home and rest.

"I wanna go, too! I wanna go!" Su He quickly raised her hand!

"No way!" Zhou Hui rejected.

"Why, mom~"

"You need to help me take your dad back later. I’m afraid I can’t handle him alone!"

Su He: ...

In response, Su Qing smiled and ruffled Su He’s little head, laughing: "Oh, what a shame. Well, your big brother’s leaving first then!"

Just as he finished speaking, his mom Zhou Hui raised her hand as if to hit: "Are you leaving or not? Hurry up!"

"Go, go, go!" Su Qing fled in panic, glancing back at Uncle Li, who was competing with his dad in drinking, and couldn’t help but say: "Uncle... I’ve got something, so I’m heading out!"

"Second brother, why are you leaving? Come and drink!"

Su Qing: ...

"No, no, I’ve got something to do!"

"Dad, I’ll see him off!"

Li Maoquan: "Alright then, let... let your niece see you off. Come by more often, we’re... we’re like this, my daughter, she’s... she’s your daughter too!"

Everyone: ...

Old Su: "Big brother’s right!"

"Uncle..."

Just as Su Qing was about to explain, he suddenly felt a kick on his backside.

"What are you explaining for? Hurry and leave!" Li Zijun threatened with a raised fist.

Seeing her face dark as water, Su Qing shivered in fear, and the two hurriedly changed shoes and donned their coats, making a swift exit.

That realization hit him suddenly; right, why bother explaining to two drunken people? Any extra word would be inviting trouble.

"Whew~~"

A breath of mist was exhaled, the outside temperature instantly making them both a lot soberer.

"So, are we really going to South City?" Su Qing turned his head and asked.

In response, Li Zijun rolled her eyes at him, "Why would I be out here if we weren’t going? You didn’t seriously think I just came out to see you off, did you?

Hurry up and drive, I’ve been drinking!"

"Alright, give me a moment!"

Soon, Su Qing picked up Li Zijun by car. The two of them shivered in the car, finding it even colder than outside.

As the car started moving, things got slightly better after a few minutes.

It was the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth of the first lunar month, and various TV stations were hosting their so-called galas, but hardly anyone watched them these days.

Outside, it was not only brightly lit but even livelier than New Year’s Eve. Although the snow hadn’t melted, the roads were plowed. As long as he drove carefully, there shouldn’t be any problems. He trusted his driving skills.

"I never thought you’d become a celebrity now, with secret marriages, children, and rumors with actresses. Indeed, having money is great. No wonder you don’t like coming to the police station anymore," Li Zijun, sitting in the passenger seat, joked.

Upon hearing this, Su Qing shook his head, "Sister Jun, stop teasing me. Now I finally understand what it means to be swept along with the tide."

"Come on, you seem to be enjoying life now. By the way, how’s it been during the New Year? We didn’t get to chat properly yesterday."

"This period? Ha, it’s been incredibly exciting, even more thrilling than any case we handled at the police station."

This piqued Li Zijun’s interest, "Really? Tell me all about it!"

Then he recounted all the troubles he’d faced recently, from Ding Qiang’s father having an accident, the construction company trying to swallow the death compensation, to the hassle with Zhang Chao’s family, and this latest rumor incident. He didn’t hold back anything.

Honestly, possibly due to a habit formed from childhood, he wasn’t guarded against Li Zijun. Good or bad, he was open with her.

In just half a month, he had gone through so much. Li Zijun was left speechless, and this didn’t even take into account the explosive popularity of "Wandering Earth" that thrust him into the spotlight.

The main thing was that he didn’t have to exert much effort for this matter.

When Li Zijun heard that he used his connections to help a friend reclaim compensation and targeted Zhang Chao’s family’s business, although she said nothing, her expression revealed her inner shock.

In just half a year, her younger brother transformed from an unemployed youth who lived in a rented apartment and needed her to worry about his job, into this wealthy and powerful figure who could shut down businesses with a wave of his hand.

Honestly, it somewhat left her dazed.

The time was short, but the key point was that Su Qing’s transformation took place right under her nose, which was incredibly astounding.

Moreover, she clearly noticed the enormous changes in her younger brother. This was evident from the way he handled major cases within the police station, which was drastically different from before.

Compared to the naïve boy he was before, the difference was like night and day. As the old saying goes, it’s as if he’s suddenly woken up to the world.

But this wasn’t just waking up; it was as if his entire world opened up.

While they chatted, they quickly arrived at the South City Ancient Town, where it was already a sea of people.

"Isn’t this the place where you took those photos with your wife and daughter from your secret marriage?"

Su Qing: ...

Meanwhile, in Xining City, Ding Qiang and his mother were having their reunion dinner at home. Even though just one person was absent, it felt much quieter.

"Son, have you taken care of everything?"

"Yeah, I’ve canceled my dad’s ID, residency, and here are the photos for you to keep as a memento. It’s true that after so many years, our family doesn’t have a single family portrait. We always thought there was time and no rush. Now it’s just the two of us, and there’s no chance even if we wanted to take one." Ding Qiang handed over the residency book, canceled ID, and death certificate to his mother.

Looking at the person in the photo, who was clearly here just half a month ago, and perfectly fine a few months back, and now there’s not a trace of him, grief surged in Ding’s mother, causing her eyes to well up.

But quickly, she took a deep breath, hastily wiping her eyes with a smile, "Let’s not dwell on these things. Come on, son, let’s eat.

Thanks to little Su, we’ve paid off all our debts and still have some money left. Mom doesn’t want it; I’m planning to buy you a new house in Xining City this year and find a match for you.

Once you get married and have kids, our home will be lively again."

In response, Ding Qiang smiled without objecting, simply saying, "Let’s see how things go. I want to take a couple of days to think about what I want to do. I won’t leave anymore; I need to find a job and get started."

The Lantern Festival is a time when some families celebrate, some find joy in hardship, yet some remain on the brink of conflict.

At Ning Tong’s parents’ home, both families, including Zhang Chao’s family, were gathered together. After searching for two days, Zhang Yongcai finally found his wayward son and brought him back.

Initially, Zhang Chao naturally didn’t agree, but he couldn’t resist because old Zhang was holding the family’s financial reins.

If you don’t listen, fine, just cut off Zhang Chao’s secondary credit card immediately, and also told him that if he wasn’t coming back, they would take back the house, tow the car, leaving him to fend for himself outside.

Seeing his father was serious, Zhang Chao finally knew fear, reluctantly returning to apologize.

"Tong... Tongtong, I’m sorry, I was too impulsive the last time. I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you. My dad explained to me what you were doing that day.

And Mom and Dad, this matter is my fault, and you can punish me any way you like. I’m sorry, please forgive me."

At this point, Zhang Chao was humbly apologizing to his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

"Hmph, why didn’t you think of that before? No need to say more. Tomorrow, I’ll have Tong get an abortion, and you two will divorce!"

Zhang Chao’s family: "Please, don’t do this, in-laws!"

"Mom, I was wrong!"

...

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