Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 671 Opening an Ancestral Hall
"Old classmate, what brings you here?"

"No, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"That's a bit strange. Aren't you working in Shenzhen? Why are you asking me about something? Are you planning to get married?"

"No, can you stop being so gossipy? If I were really getting married, I would have sent out invitations directly."

"That's true, but you'd better hurry up. Of our classmates from that year, you, Shunjing, Junjie, and Wenbin are the only ones who aren't married yet."

"Then why don't you mention how many people got married and then divorced?"

"Forehead"

"Alright, I have something important to tell you. I heard that Aunt Cuifen's family in our village is going to sell their old house. Did you know about this?"

"Huh? How did you know about this?"

"I'm home!"

"What? You're home? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I would have loved to welcome you home!"

"Get lost, let's get down to business."

"Okay, okay, you've come to the right person to ask me about this. I just heard about it from my dad yesterday!"
You must have heard from someone that Aunt Cuifen has cancer and wants to sell the old house to raise money for treatment, right?

Let me tell you, that's pure nonsense.

The truth is that Aunt Cuifen found an old man in the city and wanted to sell the old house so she could go to the city with him to enjoy a better life.

The new house will be left to her youngest daughter, oh, that's our old classmate Chunyan.

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang couldn't help but show a look of realization.

No wonder he always felt something was off!

After all, if the money needed for medical treatment was to be raised, the new house should have been sold, so why would they consider taking the old house?
It turns out that the money needed for medical treatment was a false rumor spread by others to cover up the fact that she was going to remarry in her sixties.

This is truly an old tree blossoming anew; they're quite capable!
"What? You're asking about this because you're interested in Chunyan, aren't you?"

"Go away, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. That's been a classmate for over twenty years, and he even has a daughter. If you're going to make a joke, at least make one that's believable, okay?"

"Look at what you're saying. There are so many guys in our class, how many of them didn't have a crush on her before! Putting everything else aside, just her amazing figure with her curves is something I've never seen that can compare to her."

"If you like it so much, why don't you go for it?"

"Pshaw, that's easy for you to say. Do you think she's her sister? Besides, they've been classmates for so many years. If we really talk about money, wouldn't that hurt our relationship?"

"Alright, enough of that. I have something else to ask you about."

"you say!"

"I'm planning to get a piece of land in the village to build a new house. Do you have any connections to help me with that?"

How big do you want it?

"Make it as big as you can."

"Okay, let me ask first. Are you home tonight? If you are, I'll come over and tell you."

"No rush, I'm visiting relatives with my parents today! Let's wait until tomorrow! I should be home tomorrow, then you can come over!"

"No, it's not a holiday, why are you visiting relatives with your parents?"

"It's been quite a while since I've been back!"

"That's true. I remember the last time I saw you was during the Chinese New Year."

"How dare you say that? You brought your child here on the first day of the Lunar New Year to ask for red envelopes, and I'm not even married yet!"

"What's wrong with asking for a red envelope? Who told you not to get married? Besides, my daughter is so cute, how can you bear not to give her a red envelope?"

"Okay, your daughter should be three years old this year! I'll wait another fifteen years."

"What are you waiting for! I'm warning you, if you dare to lay a finger on my daughter, I'll never forgive you!"

"Pshaw, you think I'd really like to be your son-in-law? Maybe your daughter looks like you."

"Go away, your daughter looks more like you!"

"Of course, who's like you? Even if you have a daughter, she won't look like you."

"Hey! Are you cursing me?"

"No, I'm just reminding you to eat more green vegetables; they're healthy and nutritious."

"Get lost! I think you're just jealous, jealous that I have such a beautiful wife and such a cute daughter."

"Alright, alright, I guess I'm just jealous. But your daughter doesn't look like you, so it's not easy to say anything about that!"

"No way, are you never going to stop?"

"Who told you to say I'm not getting married? You make it sound like I can just get married whenever I want!"

"Okay, I admit I was wrong, Brother Qiang, Master Qiang, please forgive me this time!"

"Alright! Remember not to say it again, or I'll really have to wait to marry your daughter."

"Alright, alright, I give up."

"Hmph! You little brat!"

After saying that, Li Guoqiang hung up the phone and turned around to go back to the living room from the balcony.

For him, the last thing he wants to hear right now is being pressured to get married.

He had no choice but to listen obediently to what his parents said.

What others said was something he genuinely couldn't stand at all.

After all, those who urge others to get married only talk the talk, without caring whether the other person can find a suitable partner.

If we can really find it, why would we need to rush us?

There are reasons why they haven't gotten married!

But then again.

With his current physical condition and mental strength, perhaps in ten or twenty years, when he is in his forties or fifties, he can still look like he is around thirty years old.

In that case, he really does have the means to pursue his old classmate's daughter!
Just like Aaron Kwok, who married a woman who was several generations younger than him, and whose age was even older than his father-in-law.

However, Li Guoqiang had no interest in such matters.

If he doesn't manage to get married in the next few years, he probably won't marry anyone in the future. At most, he'll find a woman, have a few children, and give his parents an explanation.

"Guoqiang, now that you've made money and are planning to build a new house, you'd better hurry up with your marriage!" Aunt Sun Cailan urged Li Guoqiang earnestly as soon as he returned from his phone call.

"Uh..." Li Guoqiang was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and agreed, "Okay, Auntie, I'll definitely hurry."

“Hey! You’re not getting any younger now. Your brother Guang’s eldest child is already in middle school. You mustn’t get married later than your nephew, or you’ll really make a fool of yourself!” Sun Cailan said earnestly, holding Li Guoqiang’s hand.

"Yes, I know!" Li Guoqiang nodded somewhat awkwardly upon hearing this.

To be honest, this whole thing isn't exactly a pleasant thing to think about.

Although his views on marriage have become much more indifferent, and he even plans to never get married in his life.

However, given the prevailing societal view, if he really doesn't get married, he'll likely make quite a few embarrassing mistakes in the future.

It might even lead people to speculate unfoundedly that there's something wrong with him that's why he hasn't gotten married.

Thinking about these questions, he turned to look at Li Weihua and Liu Yuzhen, whose faces showed a hint of expectation, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Often, we are truly not in control of our own lives!

Even if he can make his own decisions, being too willful will also hurt some of the people who love and care about him the most.

Let it be!

If he meets someone suitable in the future, it's not impossible for him to get married.

But if I don't find the right one, then I'll just forget about it!

"Come here, Guoqiang, I just talked to your parents about the renovation of our ancestral home. Come over and listen to their opinions."

At this moment, Li Weiguo probably realized that Li Guoqiang didn't like listening to Sun Cailan, so he quickly made an excuse, waved to Li Guoqiang, and said.

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang immediately walked over and listened to Li Weiguo explain the renovation plan for the ancestral home.

The renovation mainly involves maintaining the original appearance, making some reinforcements and repairs, as well as waterproofing and corrosion prevention.

The renovation costs were mainly split between the two families. They also told their married-out aunts and nephews that they could donate money if they wanted to.

In addition, and most importantly, this renovation will also include opening their family's ancestral hall.

The first generation of ancestors started from the grandparents of Li Weiguo and Li Weihua, namely Li Guoqiang's great-grandfather and great-grandmother.

To be honest, their family has always been small in number. In their great-grandparents' generation, there was only one male descendant, and then only the two brothers, Li Weiguo and Li Weihua, were born.

It's just that Li Weiguo was quite successful and got a government job, and Li Guoqiang is also doing well now.

Otherwise, it would be quite unrealistic to open this family ancestral hall.

Of course, since their family is not very large, the small ancestral hall is mainly for the convenience of worshipping ancestors during festivals. Every year during Qingming Festival, they still have to go to sweep the tombs. It doesn't mean that all the graves are moved to the ancestral hall.

This is a custom unique to the people here.

When the ancestral hall is opened, their family genealogy will be available.

If any descendants are successful in the future, they will have the honor of having their own page in the family genealogy.

If you include Li Guoqiang's eldest nephew's generation, their small branch consists of exactly five generations, which is enough for the five degrees of mourning.

In other words, Li Guoqiang's eldest nephew and the brothers and sisters of Li Guoqiang's great-grandfather are no longer related.

Of course, this saying comes from ancient times. According to modern law, the maximum relationship is three generations. Beyond three generations, they are no longer considered relatives and can get married.

Thinking of this, Li Guoqiang couldn't help but picture a graceful and fiery figure.

If he remembered correctly, his old classmate Li Chunyan, although they shared the same great-great-grandfather and were still within the fifth degree of kinship, was still legally allowed to marry according to modern law.

Once upon a time, because the other party developed early, had delicate skin, and was very attractive, he still had a little bit of adolescent fantasy about Li Chunyan.

At that time, his thinking was still very immature and he couldn't match the other person's aesthetic at all, so no story happened at all.

Later, when he learned that the other woman had been deceived by an older man and had even conceived a child with him, he felt somewhat depressed and melancholy, as if his own cabbage had been eaten by a wild boar.

I never imagined that even after more than a decade, I would still feel a little uneasy thinking about it!

Perhaps this is the destructive power of the "white moonlight" (idealized love).
"Guoqiang, what do you think?" After Li Weiguo finished speaking, he paused slightly, giving Li Guoqiang enough time to think, before asking softly.

“I think it’s a good idea. In addition, I can personally donate 200,000 yuan as a token of my filial piety.” Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang immediately nodded and expressed his opinion.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Li Weiguo immediately turned his gaze to Li Weihua and Liu Yuzhen.

At the same time, he became even more certain of his guess that Li Guoqiang had earned more than two or three million this time.

“Brother, you don’t need to look at me like that. Guoqiang is making his own decisions now.” Li Weihua immediately spoke up.

“That’s right! Big brother, Guoqiang has grown up now, and what he says represents our views!” Liu Yuzhen quickly chimed in upon hearing this.

"Okay, I'll remember that. I'll write a report about Guoqiang's donation of 200,000 yuan. Also, since Guoqiang is such a filial son, I should also show my appreciation. But I don't have much money, so I'll just donate 100,000 yuan!" Li Weiguo nodded and chuckled as he spoke.

After saying that, he glanced at Li Guoqiang and thought to himself that with such a promising young man as Li Guoqiang, their small family had finally made it through.

Not to mention compared to those wealthy and powerful families, even within their own village, they will be considered prominent in the future.

As he thought about it, he couldn't help but think of his two sons, and he sighed softly.

It's not that his two sons are bad, but rather that they are too conventional.

The eldest son is now just an ordinary civil servant, and he married a teacher. He's doing alright, though not the best off.

The younger son has only been working for less than two years. Although he is a good kid in terms of character and conduct, he doesn't earn enough money for himself each month.

Given this situation, it's going to be a long wait before you can get rich.

Not to mention someone like Li Guoqiang, who earns tens of millions or even hundreds of millions at once.

"Alright, all of you, stop sitting there and go wash your hands and get ready to eat!"

A short while later, Sun Cailan came out of the kitchen and greeted us with a chuckle.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuzhen immediately got up and went over to help serve the dishes and get the bowls and chopsticks.

Li Weiguo, Li Weihua, and Li Guoqiang, the three grown men, got up and went to the bathroom to wash their hands. Then, like big shots, they sat down at the dining table.

"Hey, Cailan, Guoqiang brought me some wine! Hurry up and get a bottle out and open it. I'm in a good mood today, I have to have a few drinks with them." Li Weiguo shouted to the kitchen as soon as he sat down.

"Brother, how about we forget about it? Guoqiang still needs to drive later!" Upon hearing this, Li Weihua immediately perked up and hurriedly pretended to be somewhat reluctant to decline.

(End of this chapter)