As for Xu Yun, his dad and I were concerned about our relationship with our relatives, so we always told him to put up with it. He suffered quite a bit because of that.

After they got a little older, Xu Yun gradually stopped hanging out with him.

To be honest, his dad and I didn’t want Xu Yun hanging out with Zhang Lei either. We were afraid he’d pick up bad habits, stop caring about his studies, and do nothing but play video games all day.

So their relationship is terrible. Even though they’re cousins, they’re like strangers to each other.

Other than seeing each other at family dinners during the New Year, the two of them have absolutely no contact."

"I know. Xu Yun told me about it today."

Outside the kitchen, Xu Yun, with nothing else to do, was on his phone chatting with Yu Xuan. He was mostly getting an update on the preparations for the molten iron firework show that evening.

Suddenly, he received a WeChat message.

He tapped it open.

[Zheng Yi: Xu Yun, are you back in town?]

This Zheng Yi was a high school classmate of his. They had even been deskmates for a year.

But after they graduated from high school, they hadn’t really kept in touch.

It’s like that for a lot of people, really. Once you’re not in the same place anymore, you slowly drift apart.

[Xu Yun: Yeah, how did you know?]

[Zheng Yi: I think I saw you at the supermarket today, but there was a girl with you, so I wasn’t sure it was you and didn’t come over.]

[Xu Yun: That was definitely me. I was buying some groceries.]

[Zheng Yi: What, are you planning to move back and work here?]

[Xu Yun: Nah, just back for a bit to take care of some things. How have you been?]

[Zheng Yi: I’m alright. I came back after graduating from university, passed the civil service exam, and now I’m just coasting along in a Qingshui Government Office.]

[Xu Yun: I’m jealous! A stable government gig is the dream!]

[Zheng Yi: Hahaha, since you’re finally back, why don’t we get together sometime? I can call a few other high school classmates who are still in town. You disappeared on everyone right after graduation.]

[Xu Yun: Sure. It’d have to be in the next few days, though. I’ll be leaving again soon.]

[Zheng Yi: Then how about tomorrow night or the night after? I’ve actually got something at work tonight, so I can’t get away.]

[Xu Yun: Sounds good. Just message me on WeChat when you’ve got it figured out.]

After he finished texting, Xu Yun heard his mom calling him from the kitchen, so he hurried in to help.

It was the large crabs. The two women were a little intimidated and couldn’t handle them.

A little after 12 PM, a table full of dishes and seafood was finally ready.

Seeing that her two older brothers and their wives hadn’t arrived yet, Zhang Sujuan said to Xu Yun, "Give your two uncles a call and ask them where they are."

"Okay."

Just as Xu Yun was about to call, there was a knock at the door.

"KNOCK KNOCK."

Without a doubt, even before opening the door, Xu Yun knew it was his two uncles and aunts.

’They really timed this perfectly, arriving right when it’s time to eat. They clearly didn’t want to come any earlier and risk having to help with the cooking.’

’He knew that whenever his aunts hosted dinner at their places, they always made his mom come two hours early to help them cook.’

’But when it was their turn to be guests, they always showed up right on the dot.’

Xu Yun walked over and opened the door. Seeing his two uncles and aunts, he smiled, offered a polite greeting, and welcomed them inside.

’He might not like them, but he still had to have basic manners.’

’Relatives who didn’t actively cause trouble, mess with you, and might even help out a little sometimes were already pretty good, all things considered.’

’Their only flaw was that they were a bit snobbish and loved to show off their sense of superiority.’

"First Uncle, Second Uncle, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt."

Zhang Sujuan came forward and said warmly, "Don’t worry about your shoes, the floor isn’t that clean anyway."

"Alright, then."

The aunts smiled and walked right in with their shoes on, not caring whether the floor was clean or not.

"Oh, my! The food is all ready? And it’s such a feast!"

As soon as she entered, the younger aunt looked at the big table of delicious food and said with feigned regret, "I was just saying we should have come earlier to help you. But our son and daughter-in-law weren’t free to drive us today, so we had to walk. Got some exercise in, at least."

"No need. I had a little helper today, so it wasn’t tiring at all," Zhang Sujuan said with a smile, looking at Chen Xin.

"This pretty young lady?"

The older aunt looked at Chen Xin and asked tentatively, "Don’t tell me this is the girlfriend Xu Yun brought back with him this time?"

"Oh no."

Chen Xin took the initiative and replied with a smile, "I’m the neighbor who lives across from Aunt Zhang."

"Oh, so you’re a neighbor."

Hearing this, the younger aunt feigned disappointment. "And here I was thinking that rascal Xu Yun had managed to find himself such a beautiful girlfriend."

"Where would I find a girlfriend as pretty as her?"

Xu Yun said teasingly from the side, "Auntie, why don’t you introduce me to someone?"

"Sure. I’ll ask my daughter-in-law later and see if there are any suitable teachers at her school to introduce to you."

After saying that, the younger aunt paused, then added, "But the teachers at her school have pretty high standards, so don’t get your hopes up too much."

"Actually, Xu Yun is a great catch."

Chen Xin suddenly blushed and said in a low voice, "I’d love to be his girlfriend, but he won’t have me."

"..." Xu Yun.

"..." Everyone.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.

Seeing this, Zhang Sujuan quickly broke the silence. "Alright, let’s not talk about this. Everyone, let’s get to the table and eat."

"Yes, yes, of course." Everyone agreed awkwardly and started to take their seats at the table, skipping over the previous topic.

Xu Yun looked at Chen Xin and whispered, "Why did you say that just now? My mom is going to get the wrong idea."

"I just couldn’t stand the way they were looking down on you."

Chen Xin said, standing up for Xu Yun, "You’re so capable. And what’s this about teachers having high standards? They probably don’t even make as much money as I do. What gives them the right to look down on you?"