Inside the box was a matte black metal camera with clean, straight lines and sharp edges.
In the center was a slightly larger lens mount, a silver metal ring, and above the mount was the brand logo “HAIOU.”
It was a camera. Even without knowing the exact price, just its appearance screamed expensive.
Not every family had a camera back then, let alone a Seagull brand—this was a luxury item.
Yin Li instinctively wanted to close the box and push the gift back.
But Zhao Xiujie seemed to know exactly what she was thinking: “This is your coming-of-age gift, so don’t even think about saying no.”
“Oh wow, you two siblings are so close. Sis, I’m really envious. Unlike our Xiaohe—if I ask her to wash her little brother’s clothes, her face drops. The older one should take care of the younger, right?” Li Tianbao saw this and smoothly chimed in with flattery.
But Li Wenyue wasn’t as happy as expected. She just glanced at her son a few extra times.
Yin Li wasn’t usually very sharp, but this time she could be sure: Aunt Li definitely had some thoughts about this extraordinarily expensive gift.
Zhao Xiujie had probably bought something so pricey and rare based on foreign customs and his own substantial income.
But she couldn’t just accept it with an easy conscience. What could she do now? Returning it publicly or pretending not to like it wouldn’t work either.
Even pretending not to like the gift would be a terrible move—Aunt Li would be even more displeased.
It would also hurt Zhao Xiujie’s good intentions. She needed to restrain her own inappropriate feelings, not turn them into animosity.
This man was handsome and generous. Yin Li internally wailed—how could anyone not be charmed by that?
Ugh… so difficult. Stupid brain, think of something fast.
Yin Li felt like tearing her hair out. She looked around and spotted the gift bag that Li Hanting had brought, set off to the side.
“Thank you, bro. I really love it. Let me see what everyone else gave me~” Yin Li had a quick flash of inspiration and brought over the gifts from him and Li Wenyue.
Everyone was almost done eating by now. Li Hanting was helping Yin Jianguo clean up.
Standing tall and imposing, he looked intimidating. Yin Jianguo instinctively tried to refuse, but Li Hanting insisted, so the two cleaned up together.
Li Wenyue, meanwhile, continued chatting with Li Tianbao and his wife, talking about arranging a job for Li Xiaohe.
The gift bag Li Hanting brought was the least refined—actually quite large, with several items inside.
Such a rough person!
Yin Li couldn’t help but think uncharitably, yet she still opened it with anticipation. The first thing that caught her eye was a copy of the English-Chinese Pocket Dictionary.
“Wow—I really need this right now.” Truth be told, she hadn’t expected Li Hanting to give her a book, since he didn’t seem like the reading type.
The rest were odds and ends: stamps, pictorials, cod liver oil—a hodgepodge, as if he’d brought back whatever he’d come across during his trip. A quick glance also revealed a badminton racket.
At the very bottom was a small box, modestly wrapped. Yin Li glanced at Li Hanting, who sat there perfectly at ease, and opened the box.
This time Li Xiaohe didn’t gasp, but the surprise in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Inside the box was an exquisite watch. The dial was silver-white, the hands willow-leaf-shaped and made of sapphire-blue enamel, standing out vividly against the dial.
A Shanghai brand watch—not cheap, but compared to the camera, the price was far more palatable.
Yin Li was used to receiving things from him. This was a bit more expensive, but still acceptable. She planned to save up and give Li Hanting a gift of equal value in return.
But for now, her smile was genuine. She had finally managed to steer the attention away from the extraordinarily expensive camera!
She could save up and pay back the watch, but the camera was so expensive—how long would it take her to save that much, ugh!
“It’s really beautiful,” Yin Li complimented, holding the watch in her hand.
Only then did Li Hanting walk over. “Try it on? If the band is too loose, I can adjust it.”
“Young man, quite the handyman,” Yin Jianguo chimed in quietly from the side.
He’d long known that his daughter was close with this young man. Li Li had always been like that—if she saw even a slightly skinny cat, she’d feel sorry for it.
Ever since she was little, she had a soft spot for those who were weaker or worse off.
That was how she treated Li Xiaohe, and that was how she treated Li Hanting. If anything, the latter, with his orphaned look, seemed even more pitiful.
But maybe it was a father’s intuition—he always felt Li Hanting wasn’t simple and definitely had ulterior motives toward his daughter!
Hearing this, Li Hanting gave a shy smile. “Been around so much, I’ve become a jack-of-all-trades.”
His shy expression startled Yin Li. Since when did he have this side of him!?
Li Xiaohe helped Yin Li put on the watch. Her wrist was slender but soft with flesh, and the silver-white band looked indescribably lovely against it.
It fit perfectly—neither too big nor too small.
“Just right. No need to adjust it,” Yin Li said with delight. Who didn’t like looking pretty? Today she had new shoes and now a new watch—everything about her looked wonderful.
Seeing that his daughter reacted best to Li Hanting’s gift and seemed to like it the most, Yin Jianguo felt a twinge of bitterness.
Li Li was graceful and grown up now. Could it be that she had… other feelings for Li Hanting?
Oh no, he’d been careless. With work so busy lately, he hadn’t noticed just how close his daughter and this young man had become.
A thousand thoughts ran through Yin Jianguo’s mind, but this wasn’t the time to bring them up.
The birthday party had been nerve-wracking, but seeing Aunt Li’s expression improve later, Yin Li felt relieved.
Once the meal was over, the birthday celebration was essentially done. Li Tianbao and his family naturally planned to squeeze in for the night. Li Wenyue busied herself getting toiletries ready and figuring out where to lay out bedding on the floor.
Yin Li told her father and went downstairs to see Li Hanting off.
Yin Jianguo felt even more uneasy. He stood on the balcony, watching the two walk to the bottom of the building.
Dusk was just falling, and many people were outside enjoying the cooler air.
“Don’t go out. Just stay here. By the way, happy birthday—may everything go your way, and may you be happy every day.” Li Hanting stopped her from leaving the courtyard. There weren’t even many streetlights outside. He stopped in his tracks.
People didn’t really celebrate birthdays much back then. Yin Li had always been relatively fortunate. Even without singing “Happy Birthday,” her family would cook a nice meal every year and give her gifts big and small.
But such straightforward well-wishes—this was the first time. And coming from Li Hanting’s mouth, no less.
Yin Li gave a sweet smile. “You learned that from somewhere else, didn’t you?”
Her voice was naturally sweet. Even when she wasn’t trying to be cute, it was like iced watermelon sprinkled with sugar.
“Yeah. I was just waiting for the day I could say it to you.” Li Hanting’s voice was slow as he gazed at her.
But Yin Li felt it was because he had always been alone—no one had ever celebrated his birthday, nor had he celebrated anyone else’s. He’d never even had the chance to offer such wishes.
She held up the bag she’d prepared earlier. “Smooth talker. Here—this is for you.”