Chapter 249: Chapter 249

Li Xianglu came out of the kitchen and saw Qin Zhen pushing a bicycle, with Lu Anna in a faded coat and wrapped with a scarf, her face bearing an unusual flush.

Li Xianglu greeted them as usual and headed to the kitchen first, setting the mushroom chicken to stew in a clay pot and hurriedly steaming the rice before washing her hands and going out.

In the living room, Mr. Li was the first to speak, asking about Mr. Lu and Lu’s mother’s health, and about the little friend Lu Ping’an’s situation, after which the room quieted down.

When Li Xianglu entered, the atmosphere was still quiet. Seeing that tea was already served next to the chair where Lu Anna was sitting, she refrained from saying much and sat down beside Qin Xi.

The living room at home, on the west side was the dining table, a rectangular rosewood table that could seat ten people, and on the east side facing the door was a long narrow table with chairs on both sides, that was the honorary seating, each side paired with a machine and two chairs. On the east window was a half-round couch with fabric cushions and a throw pillow, and a small heated table in the middle, where Mr. Li often played chess with his old buddies during the cold days.

At this moment, Mr. Li was sitting in the highest place, Qin Xi and Li Xianglu sat on the right, Qin Zhen and Lu Anna on the left, and Li Jianqing after greeting went out to deal with some unfinished wood, those were the rotten wood pieces they collected during the summer which couldn’t be reused.

Li Xianglu saw that no one was talking, and noticing Qin Zhen’s anxious demeanor, coughed and then extended her hand to pull Qin Xi.

Qin Xi looked up at the little trickster winking on one side, then at his expectant brother, and then asked, "Anna, are you officially dating Qin Zhen?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhen immediately nodded and said, "Yes, brother, haven’t I mentioned it?"

Qin Xi frowned and said, "Did I ask you to speak?"

Qin Zhen instantly became downcast, and Lu Anna, with a serious expression, answered, "Yes, I am officially dating Qin Zhen."

Qin Xi glanced at Lu Anna and said indifferently, "Does the Lu family know about your relationship?"

The room went silently still, nobody spoke, and the door was opened. Li Jianqing, wearing gloves and holding a basket of smokeless coal, lifted the lid of the small stove in the living room center, added a few pieces of coal, and then glanced at everyone before going out.

The home stove wasn’t very warm, and in the living room, hot water was often required; thus, this winter Qin Xi brought in a small cast-iron stove, just right for boiling water, and to keep the room clean, they burnt smokeless coal.

Once Li Jianqing left, Lu Anna said, "They don’t know yet."

Li Xianglu looked at Qin Xi, understanding him quite well; a person especially protective of his family, he might seem harsh to his naughty brother, but he actually cherished him the most. Every time Qin Zhen encountered trouble, Qin Xi was the most worried, so the relationship between the brothers was not as it seemed on the surface; it bore more of a father-son affection.

At this moment, Qin Xi’s expression was not very pleasant, becoming cold and detached. An anxious Qin Zhen began to speak, "Brother, I’ll go to the Lu family tomorrow. It’s not that Nana doesn’t want to speak; it takes time to convince the family."

Qin Xi coolly said, "Since it takes convincing, you must have anticipated that the family would object, so why continue from the beginning?"

Lu Anna’s face turned crimson; could she be blamed? Affairs of the heart are never so clear-cut.

Li Xianglu quickly interjected, "Alright, Qin Xi, since they plan to be together, don’t rush to get angry. There’s still room to discuss this matter."

Qin Zhen quickly responded, "Yes, Brother, Nana and I are truly in love."

Li Xianglu couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that; Qin Zhen just can’t help being funny.

Mr. Li also spoke up appropriately, "Alright, Qin Xi, you need to give your brother a chance. After all, he’s grown up now. You should give them time to resolve things on their own. If it really doesn’t work out, you and I can step in."

Hearing this, Qin Zhen’s eyes lit up. Yes, Grandpa Li is very capable. If he steps in, perhaps the Lu Family might agree.

Mr. Li pointed at Qin Zhen and said, "It all depends on you. If you become someone commendable, you won’t have to worry about the Lu Family opposing."

Qin Zhen nodded firmly, "I’ll definitely work hard!"

Seeing that everyone’s mood had eased, Li Xianglu quickly turned to Lu Anna, "Anna, let’s go. Help me cook in the kitchen; Sister Xing hasn’t started work yet today."

As soon as Lu Anna heard this, she put down her bag and followed her out immediately, feeling utterly embarrassed.

Once they reached the kitchen and closed the door, Li Xianglu hummed twice before she spoke to Lu Anna sitting on a small stool, "Tell me, how did you and Qin Zhen start dating?"

Lu Anna rolled her eyes annoyingly, "Don’t you all know already?"

Li Xianglu took out some meatballs from the refrigerator and placed them aside, "We only recently found out that you and Qin Zhen are dating, but Qin Zhen didn’t mention when exactly it started."

Lu Anna stood up, tied an apron around her waist, and slowly said, "It’s been about half a year, I guess."

Half a year? Li Xianglu paused with the garlic knife in hand; that was rather long. They really hid it well.

Lu Anna knew they had hidden their relationship for quite a while and explained, "Initially, I didn’t agree, but he was very genuine. After spending quite some time together, I felt he wasn’t bad and decided to give it a try. It turned out quite well."

Li Xianglu couldn’t imagine how they were compatible, but as Qin Xi said, it’s hard to make clear judgments about these things. Once the feelings are in place, the next concern is the Lu Family’s attitude.

Lu Anna was also worried, but recalling that her parents had arranged for her to meet with Iro’s younger brother, she felt that her parents weren’t too demanding about her future spouse and didn’t intend for her to marry high up, so she still felt quite confident.

Of course, she didn’t share these thoughts with Li Xianglu; after all, if she spoke too soon and her family opposed, that wouldn’t be good.

After eating, Qin Zhen and Lu Anna went out for a walk, while Li Xianglu washed up and lazily lay on the bed. Qin Xi was reading a book beside her.

Li Xianglu stared at the ceiling and suddenly said, "Qin Xi, shouldn’t we hurry up and buy a house for Qin Zhen?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Xi put down her book, turned around and said, "We still don’t know the Lu Family’s attitude yet."

Li Xianglu shook her head and said, "Regardless of the Lu Family’s attitude, we need to hurry up and buy a house for Qin Zhen. I heard Grandpa Xun mentioning the other day, a friend of his bought a triple-entry quadrangle yard for over eighty thousand. With the national economic development, it’s inevitable that housing prices will rise."