Age of Legends

Chapter 291 New Year’s Eve
On New Year's Eve, it was still early when Huang Huifen put down the phone at home. "Your aunt has almost finished cooking the dishes and is asking when we're coming over?"

Zhang Chen laughed, "In the past, your eldest aunt would send you and your second aunt, and your third aunt would go to buy groceries and help out. It was like you were the ones buying the groceries and doing the work, but she was just hosting everyone at home. Wow, this time she actually cooked herself. We've really gained a lot of face."

Zhang Zhonghua is getting busier and busier, but he still has a few days of leisure at home during the Spring Festival. He makes himself some tea, picks up the teacup and takes a big gulp, and says, "She just wants to show off. Your mother is such a famous person now. With the joint venture factory thing, she probably thinks our family is qualified to be their honored guests."

This was typical of Liu Shuzhen—a snob who favored the wealthy and powerful. She was a miserly miser, never spending a penny, but the moment you became rich and powerful, her family would immediately lower themselves to curry favor. Zhang Chen vividly remembered one year when Li Wei, a wealthy and influential woman in her workplace, suddenly gained a godmother. Liu Shuzhen and Li Degui, who would never normally host a dinner party themselves, surrounded this voluptuous woman, showering her with banquets and hospitality. It turned out she was the owner of a long-established food company in Guangzhou, with business spanning the Pearl River Delta and even Hong Kong.

Liu Shuzhen was extremely close to the person, inviting them to her home. She even made Li Wei bow down and become their godmother. Now, this "godmother" makes Li Wei call and wish them a happy new year during holidays. After Li Wei was admitted to university, he even stayed at his godmother's mansion in Guangzhou for a while.

Her experiences with her "godmother" during the holidays have always been a source of Li Wei's arrogance. The summer after she became her godmother in her first year of high school, she went to Guangzhou for a week. Her godmother took her to various large shopping malls and showed her the sights of the world. Afterwards, she looked down on Zhang Chen and other younger students as if they were ants. She even placed a model airplane, a souvenir from her flight, on her table with the nose pointing south, claiming, "The south is a symbol of wealth; I want to fly south someday."

In the end, Li Wei did not fly to the "South" she longed for, but instead studied at Xihua University in Fuzhou, which was closer to her.

Now that Zhang Chen and Zhang Zhonghua have made sarcastic remarks one after another, Huang Huifen hasn't said anything. In the past, she would have definitely defended Liu Shuzhen. But now, hey, it seems that neither of them can yell at her anymore. Huang Huifen deeply feels the reversal of her status and situation.

She added, "His godfather, Xiao Wang is spending this year with Xu Ran. Xu Ran also said she would bring the two of them to her home, but neither of them plans to get married, they're just dating. His godfather felt it wouldn't be good to explain to Xu Ran's parents, so he didn't go. Actually, I wanted to invite them to join us for the New Year's Eve reunion at home."

Wang Bowen and his son Wang Shuowei are like two abandoned children; in the past, they would be alone at home during family reunions. Now, Wang Bowen is with Chen Xuran, and the three of them have formed a group.

Zhang Chen said, "Actually, there's no need to go to my aunt's place. Isn't it good enough for us to have a family reunion?"

There was a pause in the room after he finished speaking.

This year has changed many things; it seems that the entire family's circumstances have been altered. And with it, many more changes are likely to follow.

Huang Huifen hesitated and said, "We used to spend the New Year at my aunt's house every year. If we suddenly stop going now, won't that be awkward? Will people say, 'Oh, your family is doing well now, so you look down on your old relatives'?"

Zhang Chen sighed and said, "It is indeed very lively for the whole family during the Spring Festival, but how much of that liveliness is just a backdrop for them?"

Huang Huifen nodded: "Indeed, in previous years, they would always find ways to praise their Li Wei and how capable your uncle is. They would either brag at the dinner table or put down your dad, saying that he was no good at this or that... I really didn't want to hear it! But this time, they all agreed to go... Do we have to change our minds at the last minute?"

Zhang Chen was actually speaking up for Zhang Zhonghua. If there was any torment they endured each year, it was probably the Lunar New Year's Eve family reunion dinner. At the dinner table, Li Degui was pretentious and Liu Shuzhen was sarcastic towards their family. Zhang Chen had seen all the grievances Zhang Zhonghua had suffered over the years, so he wanted to make some changes.

Zhang Zhonghua glanced at Zhang Chen, pondered for a moment, and said, "This time... we'll still go. After all, we promised before the New Year, and changing our minds at the last minute would make us seem unruly. We should keep our promises. But starting next year, we'll invite Zhang Chen's godfather, Xiao Wang, and Xu Ran, and we'll have our own New Year's Eve dinner together."

He paused, then added, "I know your mother has suffered these past years. You know it too. I'm not unaware of what they say about your father and our family. In the end, it's just about not having money. We know how snobbish your aunt's family is. The situation is different now. This time, your aunt will probably ask your mother for favors and pull strings again. So, let's make a three-point agreement: don't take on certain things, and refuse when you should. In short, don't agree to anything."

Upon hearing this, Huang Huifen's eyes reddened slightly. She lowered her head, wiped the corner of her apron, and softly hummed in agreement.

As expected, Zhang Zhonghua's prediction came true at the New Year's Eve dinner. Zhang Chen's family did indeed become the center of attention. Even Li Degui had a big smile on his face. Although his previous arrogance and smugness could still be glimpsed from time to time, most of it had been well disguised and concealed.

But in contrast, the two of them said, “Huihong’s son has been working outside for several years, but he hasn’t earned much money. He doesn’t have any work to do right now. Huifen, what kind of manpower does Xuhui need? Security guards or something? Why don’t we let him do it first? After all, we are relatives, so we should take care of him. If you put it that way, then it’s settled.”

A moment later, he brought up, "Zhonghua, your joint venture is one of the key construction projects in Rongcheng. If you need any help from your brother-in-law in the future, just let me know..." Li Degui had long held himself in high regard, so he naturally couldn't say anything about needing Zhang Zhonghua's help in the future, but he still tried his best to be friendly.

Li Wei watched the entire process as his parents' attitude towards Zhang Chen's family changed drastically, even making him peel fruit, wash grapes, and cut watermelon for Zhang Chen.

Li Wei was on the verge of a breakdown, feeling like a maid serving a young master. But this was just the family's class rules. In the past, when his family was stronger than Zhang Chen's family, they had always bullied and suppressed Zhang Chen in every way, criticizing everything from his grades and habits to his personal attire.

Now that Zhang Chen's family has risen to prominence, Li Wei has no choice but to become a maid under the death stare of her parents—that's the family rule.

Li Wei felt utterly wronged by the upside-down circumstances and the suffocating family environment! She could hardly breathe! She was on the verge of exploding.

After the family reunion dinner ended, the extended family dispersed to their own homes to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Liu Shuzhen wiped the table; the female relatives from several families had already cleared away the dishes for her before leaving. As Liu Shuzhen was washing the dishes, she turned her head and said, "Li Wei, bring the empty fruit plate from the living room!"

Li Wei slammed the fruit plate down in the kitchen, his face turning ashen. Liu Shuzhen looked at him in surprise, "What's wrong with you?"

"Mom, did you and Dad really have to act like that in front of Zhang Chen's family?" she said, her voice trembling with anger.

Liu Shuzhen looked at her and asked, "What about us?"

Li Wei said, "How you used to talk about those people who came to my father for favors, how you fawned over them, that's exactly how you are today!"

Liu Shuzhen slowly and methodically collected the bowls from the sink, and finally looked up. "That's how the world is. Whoever has the ability will be successful. How come after all these years of education and reading, you still haven't grasped this principle?"

Li Wei said anxiously, "That's my dad! Usually, it's people who ask him for help, but the way he treated Zhang Chen's dad today, that attitude of his...didn't he used to look down on his dad the most?"

Liu Shuzhen threw the handkerchief on the table, this time truly angry, and said, "Stop calling him Zhang Chen's dad! You should call him uncle! You need to be polite!"

"Me!" Li Wei was momentarily speechless. You two are always so impolite to others in your conversations, and now you want me to be polite?

Li Degui's voice came from the sofa, a cigarette dangling from his lips: "Li Wei, what do you know? What do you think your father said that for, what did he do all this for? In the end, isn't your mother and I doing it all for your own good? Isn't it better for your aunt and uncle to have more options than for you to just study all the time?"

Li Wei suddenly turned to look at them, her voice trembling: "So you want me to wash grapes and cut watermelons for Zhang Chen? I'm not their maid!"

Liu Shuzhen was annoyed: "If you were more ambitious, we don't even need you to go to Tsinghua or Peking University. If you had gotten into Fudan or Tongji University, no one would have had to bow down to you. But you just ended up in an ordinary first-tier university! We can't even talk about it with anyone!"

Li Wei's tears were welling up, but he held them back. "In the end, you all still think I did poorly on my college entrance exam. You always said I could get into a top university, but I only got into an ordinary one... If I ever make something of myself, I won't let you embarrass yourselves like this in public!"

After she finished speaking, she turned around and went back to her room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Liu Shuzhen muttered under her breath, "That brat is too stubborn. She can't seem to read the room."

Li Degui glared at her: "Isn't it all because you spoiled her!"

On New Year's Eve, Li Wei stayed in her room and found it extremely difficult to get through. She secretly made up her mind that even if she didn't go to a prestigious university, she would strive to get ahead and make a name for herself. She would then let her parents, who always tried to pull strings and pull strings for her, know that she could succeed without relying on them!
……

Zhang Chen and his family of three returned home. Huang Huifen brought out freshly fried crispy pork. Li Wei's family hadn't drunk much alcohol earlier, so Zhang Zhonghua opened two bottles of beer and watched the Spring Festival Gala on the 21-inch large-screen TV with Zhang Chen and his son.

Zhao Benshan had just been grinning and selling crutches on stage, eliciting laughter from the audience and causing a stir of laughter at home as well.

"Take two steps! Take two steps, hey—hahahaha!"

Zhang Zhonghua, drinking his wine, straightened up with a laugh: "That Zhao Benshan, he really comes up with something new every year."

"Look at your dad, laughing like a child," Huang Huifen said playfully, but she also laughed out loud. Her hair had been dyed black early that morning, with slightly curled roots. She sat neatly on the sofa, knitting a scarf. She liked to knit sweaters; she used to pass the time when she had free time. Now, she only had time during the Chinese New Year, so she would knit a towel.

Zhang Chen leaned against the corner of the sofa, watching Zhao Benshan's exaggerated performance on the screen, but his smile was somewhat distant.

At midnight, the sound of firecrackers rose and fell in the sky, and the sky outside the window was filled with the smoke of explosions and flashing flames.

That night, the television was still on. Huang Huifen fell asleep on the sofa, while Zhang Zhonghua, emboldened by the alcohol, was snoring. Zhang Chen picked up the remote control from the coffee table, turned down the volume, leaned back on the sofa, and replied to the New Year's Eve text messages sent by Shen Nuoyi and others.

This is how a peaceful life is made tangible.

(End of this chapter)