Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 642 You heartless bastard!

"Sister, what's wrong?" As soon as Luo Guofu saw Luo Huijuan, he couldn't help but run up to her and asked nervously.

The others, seeing this, also looked at Luo Huijuan with puzzled expressions.

However, Luo Huijuan clearly had no intention of explaining.

She patted Luo Guofu on the shoulder first, then said softly, "It's nothing. It's just that your brother-in-law is cooking today, which is rare for him, so he called you all back to have a meal with him and Mom and Dad."

Is it really that simple?
Upon hearing this, Luo Guofu was immediately stunned.

Based on his understanding of Li Guoqiang, he really found it hard to believe that he had called them back from so far away just for a simple family dinner.

Moreover, when Luo Huijuan called him before, she said that if he couldn't come back, she would no longer acknowledge him as her younger brother.

You should know that Luo Huijuan had never said such things to him.

Therefore, his intuition told him that something was definitely going on, and it was something very big.

However, no matter how he thought about it, he never expected that it was because Li Dawei's lifespan was approaching.

After all, no matter how busy he was, Li Guoqiang would always make time to come back and help Li Dawei, Yao Meilan, and others with their health.

Otherwise, Li Dawei and Yao Meilan, that elderly couple, wouldn't have been free from illness and pain for so many years.

"Alright, let me tell you the truth! The main reason I called you back today is because your brother-in-law is planning to retire and come back to live a good life with us." Seeing that Luo Guofu and the others didn't quite believe her, Luo Huijuan had no choice but to tell them about Li Guoqiang's plans to retire in order to avoid affecting Li Dawei's mood.

"Oh! I see!" Upon hearing this explanation, Luo Guofu suddenly realized what was going on and a smile appeared on his face.

If that's really the case, then it makes sense.

"Alright, stop standing there, let's go inside!" Luo Huijuan breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that things had finally been smoothed over, and then greeted them with a chuckle.

Soon, everyone entered the courtyard one after another and took their seats in the central courtyard.

After so many years of changes, Li Guoqiang has basically bought out this three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).

Except for Sha Zhu.

Now, Sha Zhu is over eighty years old, his face is full of wrinkles, and his hair is all white.

Right now, he was sitting to Li Dawei's left, happily drinking the five-hundred-year-old aged wine that Li Guoqiang had specially brought out.

Speaking of this wine, it was the first wine that Li Guoqiang brewed when he first obtained his personal miniature world.

Then, after more than fifty years of cultivation, it became a five-hundred-year-old vintage.

It was only because of Li Dawei's influence that, otherwise, let alone Sha Zhu, even Luo Guofu and others would not have had the opportunity to drink this unique aged wine.

In addition, all the elderly people in the courtyard are no longer here.

What's even more surprising is that Yi Zhonghai, who is younger than He Daqing, actually outlived him.

Therefore, he did not realize his idea of ​​having Sha Zhu break the fire pit for him and take care of him in his old age.

Do not!
To be more precise, it's only half accomplished.

Elderly care has been provided, but funeral arrangements have not been made.

I wonder if he'll regret having someone bring He Daqing back when he gets down there.

In comparison, that old bastard He Daqing is living a much better life than Yi Zhonghai.

Not only did he become involved with Jia Zhangshi, but he also used their in-law relationship to win over Lou Xiao'e's mother, Lou Tanshi.

Ultimately, if it weren't for the rivalry and secret competition between Jia Zhangshi and Lou Tanshi, which led them to hurt He Daqing too badly and cause him to suffer a stroke and become bedridden, it would have been a miracle.

It's possible that Sha Zhu might even get another young stepmother.

Furthermore, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui also met with bad ends. Both of them made their children give up treatment, then watched helplessly as they died in the hospital, and finally had their bodies burned to ashes.

"You...you're all back?!" Li Dawei was slightly taken aback when he saw Luo Guofu, Zhao Qiuyan, and the others walking in from the front yard one after another, then he smiled happily.

"Dad, Uncle He, you're having a drink!" Luo Guofu led Zhao Qiuyan and the children to the dining table, greeting them with a chuckle.

"Hey! I guess I'm benefiting from your dad's fame!" Sha Zhu couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this.

"What do you mean?" Luo Guofu raised an eyebrow and asked with some doubt.

"Do you know what kind of wine this is?" Sha Zhu asked mysteriously, picking up his glass.

"What kind of wine?" Luo Guofu asked cooperatively.

"This is a wine that has been aged for five hundred years. To put it bluntly, there are probably only a handful of people in the world who can drink this kind of wine, you could count them on one hand." Sha Zhu raised his chin and said with a smug look on his face.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the one who brought out the wine!
"No, Uncle He, please don't just spout off like that, okay? Do you know what 500 years of aging means? If you go back that far, it's already the Ming Dynasty!" Luo Guofu rolled his eyes and then said somewhat irritably.

"Hey! Don't you believe me? Your brother said it himself, how could it be false?" Sha Zhu glared at him, then spoke with a face full of indignation.

"My brother said that?" Luo Guofu was slightly taken aback, then suddenly thought of something. He immediately pulled out a chair and sat down next to Sha Zhu, ready to savor this 500-year-old aged wine.

"Hey, pour less, your dad and I haven't had much to drink yet!" Sha Zhu felt a pang of heartache when he saw Luo Guofu take a bowl and pour the wine.

"It's alright, Uncle He. We're in a good mood today, so there'll be plenty of food and drinks."

At this moment, Li Guoqiang came over from the kitchen next door carrying two plates of dishes, and said with a chuckle.

"Okay, you said it!" Sha Zhu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked to confirm.

"Don't worry! You'll get your share, but you have to make sure you take good care of my dad first!" Li Guoqiang raised an eyebrow and said with a smile.

"No problem, I'll risk my life to make sure your dad is taken care of today!" Sha Zhu patted his chest and said with a heroic air.

However, his coolness only lasted three seconds.

He couldn't help but cough several times as soon as he finished speaking.

"Alright, you guys have your drinks first, I'll go make a few more dishes!" Li Guoqiang said with a chuckle, then turned and went back into the kitchen.

He barely looked at Li Dawei throughout the entire process, because he was afraid he would lose control of his emotions.

In this world, besides Luo Huijuan, the only person who could treat him wholeheartedly, the only person who could give him their heart and soul, was Li Dawei. Even now, he still remembers the scenes of Li Dawei riding his bicycle to take him to the countryside.

From that moment on, he truly accepted Li Dawei as his father.

Grandpa! We've come back to see you!

Soon, Li Jiayuan and his brothers and sisters walked up to Li Dawei and greeted him respectfully.

"Alright, alright! Find yourselves seats!" Li Dawei looked at his many descendants and couldn't help but feel excited.

Originally, he just wanted Li Guoqiang to accompany him for the rest of his time and didn't want to go through all that trouble.

Because he knew that his descendants would have their own blessings.

He has everything in his life, and has enjoyed everything, so he has no regrets.

However, he did not expect that Li Guoqiang would call everyone back.

This made him feel incredibly grateful, thinking that having Li Guoqiang as his son made his life truly worthwhile.

"Hmm!" Seeing that Li Dawei was in such good spirits, Li Jiayuan's worries lessened considerably. He quickly nodded in agreement and sat down at the table next to him with his brothers and sisters.

Among them, Li Qingyun and Li Huixue and their daughters wanted to go to the kitchen to help, but Luo Huijuan sent them all back.

Through the curtain, they could see that Li Guoqiang was the only one busy in the entire kitchen.

It's only because Li Guoqiang is in excellent physical condition; otherwise, at his age, he probably wouldn't be able to cook so many dishes by himself.

As for Shang Xiuzhen, Pan Qiaoyan, and the others, they were all at another table, eating and drinking with Yao Meilan.

Yao Meilan, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything different about this family dinner, and kept a smile on her face the whole time.

Before long, the meal was ready, and Li Guoqiang went to the old house to change into a simple, plain outfit and sat down next to Li Dawei.

"Come on, it's a rare occasion for our whole family to be here today. Let me raise a glass first and wish our Li family happiness, longevity, and prosperity for generations to come." Li Dawei saw Li Guoqiang sit down and immediately stood up with his wine glass in hand, his face beaming as he spoke.

He looked as if he had suddenly become several years younger.

When Li Guoqiang saw this, his nose tingled, and he almost couldn't hold back his tears.

Fortunately, he lowered his head in time and took a deep breath, which prevented him from losing his composure on the spot.

Immediately afterwards, he and the others all stood up and drank the wine in their glasses with Li Dawei.

"Come on, this second glass is for my wife. Our family is where it is today because of her marrying me back then." Li Dawei picked up his glass again, turned around and looked at Yao Meilan at the next table, his face full of gratitude.

"Old man, I'll drink this glass of wine." Yao Meilan stood up, gave Li Dawei a deep look, then tilted her head back and drank the wine very decisively.

However, after drinking it, an unusual flush appeared on her face.

"Great!" Li Dawei immediately cheered when he saw Yao Meilan drink the wine, and then drank the wine with her.

Then, he picked up his third glass of wine and looked at Luo Huijuan, who was sitting next to Li Guoqiang.

Seeing this, Luo Huijuan stood up quickly without waiting for Li Dawei to say anything.

"Juanzi, you've worked so hard all these years! I'm so lucky to have a daughter like you and a daughter-in-law like you. It's the result of eighteen lifetimes of good fortune." Li Dawei looked at Luo Huijuan, who was dignified, elegant, virtuous and kind, with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

"Dad, you're too kind. This is what I should do!" Luo Huijuan shook her head and then said earnestly.

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Li Dawei simply said "good" and then tilted his head back to drink the wine.

Luo Huijuan saw this but didn't say anything, she just silently drank a glass of wine with him.

"Well, I've finished speaking. Everyone, please feel free to do as you please!" Li Dawei put down his wine glass, exhaled a breath of alcohol, and then waved his hand gently as he greeted everyone.

Hearing this, no one thought much of it and picked up their chopsticks to start eating.

After all, Li Guoqiang's culinary skills had long since reached their pinnacle, and any dish he made was a top-notch delicacy.

What's more, today's family dinner is the most serious he has ever prepared in his life.

The aroma alone is enough to whet people's appetites, making it impossible to stop eating once you start.

As they ate and drank, everyone became somewhat carried away with the meal.

Even the young children used smart projectors to create a live karaoke session, singing and dancing.

Just as the scene turned into a sea of ​​joy, just as Sha Zhu, who had boasted so much, was drunk by Luo Guofu, and just as Li Guoqiang was urged by Li Dawei to go to the kitchen to bring back a jar of aged wine...
Looking at the scene of his many children and grandchildren before him, Li Dawei smiled contentedly, then slowly leaned back in his chair, lowered his head, and closed his eyes.

“Dad.” When Li Guoqiang returned and saw Li Dawei like this, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Li Dawei’s wrist.

The next moment, he froze, his body trembling slightly.

When Luo Huijuan turned around, she saw that Li Guoqiang had somehow placed a chair next to Li Dawei and was sitting down, holding Li Dawei in his arms.

At first glance, it looks as if Li Dawei has fallen asleep in Li Guoqiang's arms.

"Qiangzi, Dad... Dad." Luo Huijuan's eyes reddened, and she asked with a choked voice.

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang simply nodded slightly without speaking, as if afraid of waking Li Dawei.

"Woo~"

Upon seeing this, Luo Huijuan immediately covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.

In fact, until a second ago, she still couldn't believe that Li Dawei would leave her so soon.

Even though she had seen Li Guoqiang call Li Jiayuan and the others back, even though she had seen Li Guoqiang busy in the kitchen alone, even though she had noticed that Li Dawei's condition was a bit off.
But she just refused to believe it.

At first, her crying only startled Luo Guofu, Zhao Qiuyan and others, but soon everyone present looked at her.

Immediately afterward, before Luo Guofu could ask anything, Yao Meilan suddenly stood up and walked step by step toward the front yard.

Not long after, she returned carrying a blue burial garment. She walked up to Li Dawei, tears welling in her eyes, yet smiled and gently scolded him:

"You heartless bastard, you still abandoned me to go find my sister!"

(End of this chapter)