Going on the Offensive

Since the courtyard was at the back and the three-story house was at the front, there were two gates, one in front and one behind. Between them was the living area, while the rear courtyard contained the kitchen, main room, bathroom, and space for hanging clothes to dry.

Li Yang brought Chen Qian, who was clinging tightly to his arm, to the rear courtyard. There he found his younger uncle, aunt, two paternal aunts, older aunt, and older uncle all present, sitting or standing around the courtyard with his father. The moment they saw him and Chen Qian, whose face was beaming with radiance, they all rose from their chairs and greeted them warmly.

The courtyard and the area outside had been swept spotless. A large round table had been neatly set up in the main room, with the bowls and chopsticks already laid out. His aunt and Li Yang's mother were cooking in the kitchen, while his older aunt hurried over the moment she entered and called them out to meet Chen Qian.

"This is my girlfriend, Chen Qian. This is my dad, this is my mom, my older uncle, my older aunt, my older paternal aunt, my second paternal aunt, and this is my uncle..."

The relatives greeted Chen Qian with beaming smiles, each talking over the others. Li Yang waited until they had finished introducing themselves, then waited for his parents to step forward before pulling Chen Qian along and introducing them one by one. Chen Qian hurriedly let go of Li Yang's arm and followed behind him, politely offering her greetings.

"Since you were coming anyway, why did you bring gifts? Come, come, hurry inside and sit down. Go on in and sit down. The food's just about ready."

Li Yang's mother stuffed the gift hamper Chen Qian had handed over into his father's hands, then warmly pulled Chen Qian into the main room to sit down. At the same time, Li Yang's uncle took the last dish into the main room. The group then surrounded the two of them and led them inside to take their seats.

Chen Qian was made rather bashful by the relatives' enthusiasm. The plans she had carefully drafted were utterly useless now. Flustered, she simply followed Li Yang's mother and did whatever she was told. Once she sat down at the table, everyone warmly urged her to eat, talking over one another.

Li Yang had been seated between his younger uncle and his father. Not long after he sat down, his uncle gave him a half-smiling look, making Li Yang's expression turn slightly unnatural as well.

Fortunately, nothing awkward happened on the surface. After they finished lunch amid all the noise and excitement, Chen Qian was pulled into the tidied bedroom by his female aunts and his mother for a chat. Li Yang, meanwhile, was dragged into the main room, where the door was shut behind him and he was subjected to a stern interrogation.

"Li Yang, your older uncle and your uncle are both here today. Hurry up and tell me where that money came from. A month ago, your salary was only four or five thousand yuan, and this month you bought a villa and an Audi? And what's the deal with that girl?"

Li Yang's uncle locked the doors and windows first thing, then stood beside Li Yang's father and watched as the latter sternly questioned Li Yang.

"..."

Li Yang sat before the ancestral tablets in the main room. The table had been put away, and his older uncle, younger uncle, and father sat in a row before him. He pursed his lips.

So that's why I kept feeling something was off. They were waiting for me right here...

Chen Qian was pulled into the room and chatted with them for over an hour. She wanted to go to the bathroom, but seeing all the enthusiastic relatives around her, she was too embarrassed to say anything. She held it in from twelve-thirty at noon all the way until two in the afternoon.

At last, her savior, Li Yang, returned, bringing his uncles with him. She had just been about to get up and tell Li Yang she needed to use the bathroom when she saw the uncles sit back down and begin chatting again.

Chen Qian hesitated, then decided to wait a little longer. That one act of endurance continued, without her realizing it, until five in the afternoon...

At last, most of the people went to prepare dinner, leaving Li Yang and Chen Qian alone together. Chen Qian immediately dashed toward the bathroom, and Li Yang followed beside her with a laugh.

"Li Yang, I'm going to the bathroom."

"I know. Can't I come with you when you go to the bathroom?"

Li Yang looked at Chen Qian, who was staring at him wide-eyed, as though his words were perfectly reasonable. Then, amid her utter disbelief, he picked her up from behind and carried her to the squat toilet.

"Psssh~"

"..."

"Did your uncles say anything when they took you away?"

After she came out of the bathroom, Chen Qian's face was red all the way to the roots of her ears. She followed Li Yang upstairs to his room and discovered that the entire second floor seemed to have been thoroughly cleaned. The bed was brand-new, and she could not resist sitting on it to test it out before asking him in confusion,

"Wasn't it the same old stuff?"

Li Yang smiled and shook his head, then indicated that she should come to the window and look down. Chen Qian followed him over curiously, only to see groups of people gathered at the entrances of the neighbors' homes to the left, right, and across the way, their gazes drifting toward his house from time to time.

"What is this...?"

Chen Qian opened her mouth in astonishment. Li Yang smiled and shook his head. "There are plenty of country folks with nothing to do. That bizarre family of Liu Lili and Liu Wu spread the story into something completely outrageous. But just wait. After dinner, this situation will turn around."

"Ah?"

Chen Qian froze, somewhat bewildered. That quickly?

The two of them stayed in his room for a while, mainly discussing what came next. As they talked, it reached six o'clock, and they were called downstairs for dinner. This time, however, Chen Qian clearly noticed something different.

The whole extended family that had eaten with her in high spirits at noon had all gone outside by dinnertime. Her older uncle, older aunt, two paternal aunts, uncle, aunt, and even Li Yang's father carried their meals outside. Only Li Yang's mother stayed home to keep her company.

After dinner, she and Li Yang returned upstairs. She looked outside curiously and saw his older paternal aunt and older aunt standing among the crowd out front. She had no idea where the other relatives had gone. As she watched, she suddenly saw Li Yang's mother walk outside as well, joining one of the groups gathered near the neighbors' homes.

She blinked, then found herself smiling.

Rumors could be terrifying, but sometimes public opinion could be turned around just as simply.

Li Yang watched the scene with a smile too. He knew that his relatives were speaking up for him.

"Zhang Danzi, that old bastard! Damn his mother! What kind of rotten wife did he try to foist on my nephew? I only found out after Li Yang came back. Never mind that the girl demanded a car, a house, and bride price for herself—she even wanted my nephew to get a house and a car for her younger brother and his wife. Altogether, she wanted eight hundred thousand yuan in bride price!"

Li Yang's uncle was young, and by then he had already gone to a village ten li away. Holding his bowl, he was cursing loudly and spreading the word: "She even wanted the house in Heyang City, and the car had to cost more than two hundred thousand yuan. How much money would that take? Was she inlaid with gold or made of silver?"

A crowd had gathered around Li Yang's uncle. They were all holding their bowls, so absorbed in his story that they had forgotten to eat their noodles. Every face was lit with amusement.

"No matter whether my nephew has that kind of money or not, he wouldn't marry her. She looks neither human nor ghostly, puts on heavy makeup every day, and goes on livestreams. What does she think she is?"

"Let me show you what she said to my nephew. Tell me, is that something a normal person could say?"

When he reached the end, Li Yang's uncle stuck his chopsticks into his bowl, pulled out his phone, and opened the pictures Li Yang had sent him. "These are the chat records between my nephew and her. Take a look at what she said."

"Let me see, let me see."

"Oh my goodness, it's true!"

"How could there be someone like that?"

"Is she some celestial fairy from heaven? The moment she opens her mouth, she asks for all that?"

"Who would put up with those demands? What a joke."

"And she still had the nerve to spread all those stories? She really doesn't feel ashamed."

"That whole family is made up of people like that. What a bunch of rotten eggs."

"..."

Seeing the reactions around him, Li Yang's younger uncle gave a faint smile. "Hmph, that's not all. That girl's younger brother isn't any good either. He set up a blind date for another girl and only paid three hundred yuan. He couldn't meet a single one of that girl's requirements. Fine, if you can't meet them, and you're not a good match, just find someone suitable instead. But no, he hid the truth and tried to catch someone empty-handed, looking to swindle my nephew..."

"With my nephew's conditions, and that girl being so pretty, why wouldn't he choose her?"