Chapter 291: Chapter 291

Li Jianqing saw that his sister had returned and, without any delay, he finished his noodles, wiped his mouth, and sat down in the living room. Iro, feeling somewhat embarrassed, lingered at the table, slowly eating.

Li Xianglu saw this but didn’t rush her, sighing and pointing to the items she had brought: "These are some gifts. Go with Iro later, and it’s better to go early and clear things up."

Hearing this, Iro put down her bowl and sat down in the living room with a worried expression: "Xiao Xiang, you’ve met my mom too. She’s a snob, calculating everything in terms of benefits. Could you and Qin Xi go with me later?"

Li Xianglu sighed. Actually, she was planning to go with them, considering it concerned her third brother, and their presence might help sway things, especially with Iro’s mother’s personality. Li Xianglu had offended her last time, but this time she was willing to humble herself if needed.

Mr. Li spoke up: "How about I go as well?"

But Li Jianqing shook his head: "Grandfather, you needn’t join. We’ll manage. If you go, even if they agree, they won’t be happy about it."

Mr. Li nodded. After all, he was also Jianqing’s granduncle and a senior figure, so there was no reason he couldn’t go. However, Mrs. Ai from the Ais was difficult to deal with, and his presence might even make things worse.

Li Jianqing didn’t change clothes but went in his school military uniform, and Qin Xi drove them all over.

Iro had called her family that morning to let them know, so almost the entire Ai family had gathered.

The eldest brother of the Ais, Mr. Ai, Mrs. Ai, and Iro’s younger brother were all at home. Iro’s mother was berating her youngest son in the living room: "Ai Xin, how could you not inform us about such a big matter, letting your sister go meet a stranger? Aren’t you afraid something might happen to her?"

Ai Xin, feeling irritated, responded: "What stranger? He is Li Jianqing, who saved my sister before. What could possibly happen? Why are you relentless? Why can’t you agree to let my sister be with him? Does selling off the whole family make you happy?"

Sha Xinyu trembled with anger at her son’s rebellious words: "What did you say, selling off the whole family? Have you ever considered that I’m doing this for whom? Isn’t it for you and your sister? Don’t you know our family’s situation?"

Ai Xin snorted: "What situation? Mom, are we lacking food and clothing at home? Do you think dad’s position will get higher just because you’re willing to sell your children?"

Mr. Ai, who was sixty years old this year, had no chance of further promotion. Sha Xinyu, infuriated, slapped the table and turned to Mr. Ai: "Old Ai, who am I doing this for? Iro is my own daughter; don’t I want her to have a good life? What’s wrong with the Wang Family? Although the Wang son is a bit older, he’s an adviser now, isn’t he? What about Li Jianqing, that poor kid? A rural boy, with a mother who acts like a hooligan—how well brought up can he be? After he graduates, how high can he possibly rise? Can he become an adviser? Let him keep dreaming!"

Mr. Ai frowned and remained silent for quite a while. His wife’s words made sense—how could a simple soldier compare to an adviser? That alone would take a decade at the very least.

But marrying off a daughter isn’t about choosing someone with a high official rank, is it? That son from the Wang Family is already thirty-three this year, and it’s his second marriage, a whole ten years older than our daughter. He was not too keen on it at first, but later he heard that the Wang Family could help his eldest son move to a higher position, even if it’s just a half-rank promotion, it’s still quite rare.

He was very ambivalent, torn between his daughter’s happiness and his son’s career. Actually, his wife didn’t even know about this yet. The eldest son isn’t her biological child, and what she cares about is the Wang Family’s status.

It was when the family was at a standstill that the doorbell rang. Anna was outside pressing the doorbell, leading Li Xianglu and the others inside. As soon as Sha Xinyu saw her daughter, she rushed up in anger and dragged her daughter into the bedroom.

The other guests sat down in order following Mr. Ai’s invitation. Lu Anna left early after greeting everyone under Li Xianglu’s gesture.

Qin Xi, with a smile, handed a cigarette to Mr. Ai and said, "Uncle Ai, do you remember me? I am Qin Shen’s grandson, Qin Xi. My father Qin Shouren is now the deputy director at the Fourth Hospital."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ai immediately remembered. Qin Shouren was already a deputy director, wasn’t he? A while ago, his wife told him that Shouren married a gynecologist from the hospital, and their family had a gathering.

The eldest of the Qin Family didn’t seem to have made much progress, still working in HR at a machinery factory. Although Qin Shen had retired, as a missile expert, he would still occasionally visit the research institute to give guidance, which was quite good.

Seeing Mr. Ai’s kindly smile, Li Xianglu knew he must have thought of the Qin Family’s connections and couldn’t help but wryly smile to herself. Anna was indeed wrong; Mr. Ai was not a simple, honest man – he managed to align with the Lu Family and smoothly navigate the past decade. He was no ordinary commander.

She responded with a smile, "Uncle Ai, you must have attended my wedding with Qin Xi, right?"

Mr. Ai had already noticed the young girl sitting next to Qin Xi, presumably Li Xianglu, the granddaughter of Li Huai Ren, and nodded with a smile, "Indeed, I went there with Ai Xin. The wedding was lively, and the food was delicious, Shandong cuisine."

Li Xianglu, pointing towards Li Jianqing, said with a smile: "This is my third brother from my clan. Uncle Ai should know that I was adopted out, so Li Jianqing is my biological older brother. I will always look after his affairs as if they were my own."

Seeing Mr. Ai smiling and greeting Li Jianqing, Li Xianglu continued, "Uncle Ai doesn’t need to worry about my third brother’s future. With my grandfather around, who can tell what the future holds?"

Mr. Ai couldn’t help but see this girl in a new light, knowing what to say based on what people cared about. However, it was indeed true – with Li Huai Ren’s influence, getting Li Jianqing a better position was no empty talk; that old man had an extensive network.

Just as Mr. Ai was about to nod and speak about this matter, a sharp scream suddenly came from the bedroom, followed by the sound of the door being slammed open. Sha Xinyu, with a ferocious look on her face, rushed to the kitchen and then held a knife to her own neck, screaming: "I disagree, Iro, if you insist on this today, then I will die right before your eyes!"

The situation turned upside down in an instant, leaving everyone stunned. Mr. Ai, in a fit of anger, shouted at Sha Xinyu: "Put it down immediately, what nonsense! Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughing stock?"

Sha Xinyu, with a resolute look on her face and hearing her husband speak like that, didn’t get angry but instead laughed and said, "Indeed, a laughing stock, that’s all you know. If my daughter marries this poor boy, that would be the real laughing stock. I’ve been the butt of the joke my whole life; my daughter absolutely cannot walk down my path again!"