Chapter 23: CH 12.1

When Fang Xiyan finally returned from carrying the flower pots, Li Qingzhou realized that Liu Bohuai had also appeared at the flower and bird market.

Turning his wheelchair, he turned to say hello.

“Mr Liu is here to buy flowers too?”

Before Liu Bohuai could say anything, the child whose jeans he was carrying by the strap crossed his arms and pouted, “Chit, he’s not buying them, I am.”

[Wow, where did this little cutie come from?]

The little guy in the bubble held up the garland and cocked his little head, full of curiosity.

Li Qingzhou: “You are….?”

Xia Yijun raised his head, his little face showing pride and arrogance and copying the example of a scholar, said slowly, “We have just met by chance so why should I give you my name? You and I are not destined to meet each other.”

“Give up, I can’t let a stranger know my name!”

[What talent!]

The little guy in the bubble clapped in sync, giving high praise.

Liu Bohuai: “…….”

He looked at Li Qingzhou, whose expression remained stoic and unchanged in the slightest, and asked, “Mr. Li likes flowers?”

Li Qingzhou replied, “I’m not much of a fan. I just came here to pick out a suitable gift for my elders.”

[I like them a lot. They are beautiful, fragrant and pretty].

The little guy in the bubble yanked a large bouquet of colorful flowers from nowhere; filling his arms, it was almost too big for him to hold.

Wobbling, the little guy eventually fell on his butt against the bubble wall.

Some of the petals wrapped in the bouquet were shaken off and scattered around, but he smiled so brightly that even his eyes curved into the shape of a nice crescent moon.

“Really?” Liu Bohuai raised his eyebrows, his tone full of meaning.

Xia Yijun became impatient and turned to hug his uncle’s long legs and said in a stretched out tone, “Uncle~~ do you still want me to pay you back for the orchids? Let’s go, let’s go.”

Pressing one hand on his little nephew’s head, Liu Bohuai’s eyes looked down and he glanced at him lightly.

Xia Yijun’s voice died down instantly.

Liu Bohuai opened his mouth, “Mr. Li, I am still waiting for you to prove to me the possibility of cooperation between the Li family and the Liu family.”

“I don’t know how ready you are.”

Li Qingzhou: “Please rest assured, Mr. Liu, that day is not far away.”

“It seems that I can look forward to my next conversation with Mr. Li then.”

Handing out his cell phone, Liu Bohuai said, “I didn’t exchange contact details with Mr Li when we parted at Lan Yuan Clubhouse. It’s not too late now, is it?”

Li Qingzhou: “Of course it’s not too late.”

[Mr. Liu’s personal phone number. I earned it, yeah~]

Liu Bohuai’s lips rose up gently in a curve, and then went down again.

Only after the exchange of phone numbers and a few more words of conversation between the two did Li Qingzhou and Fang Xiyan leave the flower and bird market.

Liu Bohuai stayed where he was.

His broad-shouldered, long-legged figure was half obscured by the surrounding flowers and plants, and his expression was almost hidden under his rimless glasses, making it difficult to see the emotions on his face.

Looking up from his position down below, Xia Yijun felt that his uncle was in a good mood, so he dared to tug at Liu Bohuai’s fingers that were covering his little head.

In passing, he asked, “Uncle, what are you thinking about?”

Liu Bohuai’s voice was low: “I’m thinking of someone whose…. outside expression is different.”

Xia Yijun tilted his head as he hugged his uncle’s hand– what was there to think about?!

At the top of both their heads, the big scarlet breasted parrot shouted again and again “Big beauty, big beauty.”

Taking a look at the parrot, Xia Yijun said with a grimace, “So unreserved.”

Liu Bohuai’s hand once again pressed his little head as he said in a light tone: “Come on, let’s go so you can buy me some flowers.”

Xia Yijun: “…… woo.”

He and his uncle’s sorrows and joys weren’t in sync.

…………

The day before Zhang Weihua’s birthday.

The two siblings Li Hanyu and Li Xusheng were received by their uncle Zhang Wenwei in Yanjing and stayed at the Zhuang family home.

And on the day of the birthday, Zhang Wenwei went to pick Li Qingzhou up from his residence.

Zhang Wenwei’s family and the old couple resided in one of Yanjing University’s courtyard– the courtyard was bright and spacious, with a grape arbor on the left and stump-style seats underneath.

To the right of the courtyard a small vegetable patch had been ploughed.

When Zhang Wenwei pushed Li Qingzhou into the courtyard, his eldest son Zhuang Danming was sitting on a tree stump talking to Li Hanyu, and it sounded as if they were discussing a university entrance exam question.

And his youngest daughter, Zhuang Youhe, who had just started kindergarten, was crouched in a small vegetable patch with Li Xusheng, wielding a small hoe as she filled the hole with soil.

When Li Xusheng heard the sound of the wheelchair he lifted his little head immediately to look in the direction of the door then, with a look of delight on his face, dropped his little spade and run over.

He stood shyly and coyly as he run up to Li Qingzhou, calling out big brother in a small voice.

Zhuang Youhe, who had two little pigtails on her head run towards them with a wobble.

When she saw her younger cousin suddenly leave, she had subconsciously gotten up and ran after him, but she had no idea that her older cousin would just suddenly appear in front of her.

The little girl was instantly startled, but she looked up and said in her little milky voice, “Hello, big cousin.”

Little kids who smelled like milk were just so good for healing.

Resisting the urge to rub his younger cousin’s little head, Li Qingzhou nodded with a calm expression, “Hello.”

Zhuang Danming and Li Hanyu also came over to greet him at this time.

…………

Grandpa and Grandma Zhuang were both in good health.

The gathering of the younger generation was probably the happiest thing for them.

As Grandpa Zhuang accepted the gift from Li Qingzhou happily, Li Chengkang was reviewing the findings of the investigation sent by Jiang Daikun.

Jiang Biling asked in an aside, “What did Daikun discover?”

A cold smile appeared on Li Chengkang’s face after he finished reading it, “Li Qingzhou has now completely halted the bidding for the land in the northern suburbs.”

“It’s just that now it’s hidden from the old man and not out in the open.”

“It’s probably because he’s afraid that the old man will object.”

Jiang Biling couldn’t understand: “Why did he stop?”

“The old man takes this bid for the land in the northern suburbs very seriously, not to mention, it’s a chance for the Li family to station itself in Yanjing!”

“Didn’t Li Qingzhou care about it before? Why is he now…”

Li Chengkang said in response, “I’m afraid he wants to climb the Liu family’s tree, but…..”