Anyone could see that Li Hanting had been dragged into this situation.
But Yin Jianguo asked him anyway.
Say no! Deny it! Yin Li frantically signaled him with her eyes.
But Li Hanting, usually so perceptive, remained uncharacteristically silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly. “Uncle, I like Li Li too.”
Huh?
Yin Li was dumbfounded. Wait, what are you doing?
“Are you willing to be with my daughter?”
Yin Jianguo had clearly heard Yin Li say she wanted to marry Li Hanting. He wouldn’t allow his daughter to suffer in a one-sided love—that would only bring her pain later.
When two people love each other, it’s better for the girl if the man loves a little more.
If Li Hanting didn’t truly like her or wasn’t willing, then at least his daughter would see the truth now and avoid heartache down the road.
Of course, deep down, Yin Jianguo didn’t want his daughter to start thinking about marriage so early. But… if her mother were still here, it would be different. Now, though…
This time, Li Hanting didn’t hesitate. “I do.”
Yin Li was completely frozen. No, how did things turn out like this?
Once again, Li Wenyue was the first to laugh. “So the two kids have mutual feelings for each other! I knew it—that’s why Li Li is always hanging around this boy. When other boys tried to show interest in her before, she never gave them the time of day.”
Other boys Zhao Xiujie: …
“Let’s eat first. We can talk properly later.” This was the first time Yin Jianguo had taken the initiative to make such a decision since marrying Li Wenyue.
But Li Wenyue found him especially charming at that moment and hurriedly agreed. “Yes, yes, yes. No need to get worked up over this. Yumei, look at me being so careless—I haven’t even prepared the meal yet. You must be hungry, right? Just wait a little longer. We’ll eat soon!”
Since Yin Jianguo was injured, Li Wenyue naturally wouldn’t let him cook. She rolled up her sleeves, intending to do it herself.
Yin Jianguo knew all too well about her cooking skills. Bracing himself against the table, he stood up. “I’ll do it.”
“Wenyue, let me,” Qin Yumei said, standing up awkwardly. “I came empty-handed as a guest, after all.”
“Guests can’t be expected to cook,” Li Wenyue refused outright. She patted the dazed Zhao Xiujie on the shoulder. “Son, you come help me!”
But Li Hanting rolled up his sleeves instead. “Uncle Yin, Aunt Li, I’ll do it. I can cook a few simple dishes.”
You’re being modest, Yin Li silently added, already thinking about how she would explain things to him later. After all, it was perfectly normal for young people to date and then break up, right?
With that thought, she calmed down a little. As for Zhao Xiujie, she didn’t spare him another glance.
Still, she found it strange. Didn’t Aunt Li notice how oddly Zhao Xiujie was acting?
But watching how attentively Aunt Li looked at her father, Yin Li wasn’t so sure anymore. It seems good looks can really cloud a person’s judgment. Give Dad a little more time, and Aunt Li might actually become completely smitten with him… instead of them growing tired of each other.
The moment Li Hanting entered the kitchen, it was like a fish returning to water.
The kitchen was small, though, leaving him a bit cramped. Even so, he moved swiftly and efficiently.
Yin Li had never seen him cook before. She only noticed how nimble he was.
He glanced at the ingredients, quickly decided what dishes to make, and began selecting and washing the vegetables with practiced ease. The rhythmic thunk-thunk-thunk of his knife reached her ears, putting Yin Jianguo at ease.
The way he handled the knife—clearly, he was no amateur.
A slight movement beside her made Yin Li realize with a start that she had been watching Li Hanting cook for quite a while.
Yin Jianguo smirked teasingly and said quietly, “I knew it. You little foodie. If he didn’t have some real skills, would you have fallen for him so easily?”
“Dad~” Yin Li was embarrassed by his teasing. She hadn’t expected her father, who seemed the most likely to object, to be so understanding. It was baffling.
Li Wenyue, on the other hand, was more cautious. She first introduced Qin Yumei to everyone. “Just call her Aunt Qin. We’ve been old friends for years. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”
Yin Li obediently greeted her, but Qin Yumei still looked uncomfortable. She barely had any luggage, let alone a gift for her friend’s children.
Qin Yumei just hadn’t expected that Li Wenyue—who had once been so full of spirit—would bounce back so quickly after her husband’s death. Not only was she doing well at work and steadily advancing, but she had also remarried such a wonderful husband.
Compared to Li Wenyue’s late husband and Qin Yumei’s own husband, Yin Jianguo was far better.
Not only was he good-looking and carried himself well, but what was even rarer was his warmth toward others and his gentleness with his own children.
Li Wenyue wasn’t even as attractive as Qin Yumei. How was she so lucky?
Pushing down the sudden surge of resentment in her heart, Qin Yumei smiled and chatted with them, but she didn’t say much. Her friend’s children’s love lives were not her place to comment on.
After sending her son out to buy snacks, cold dishes, and fruit, Li Wenyue sat down seriously and said to Yin Li, “Listen to me, dear. You’re still young. Not every man is as good as your father. You need to think this through carefully.”
Yin Li knew this perfectly well. She had never intended to date, let alone get married.
But compared to the dire consequences she was trying to avoid, none of that mattered.
“Mom, I know,” Yin Li said, now addressing her more naturally. “This is just how I feel. I want to marry him. But I don’t even know what he’s thinking yet.”
“Hmph, what’s there to think about? Having you like him is his good fortune. Besides, he already said how he feels.” In Yin Jianguo’s eyes, his daughter was perfect. No matter who she married, he’d feel the other party wasn’t good enough for her.
But his daughter was grown now and had her own feelings. Blocking them outright was worse than guiding them.
And even in the worst-case scenario, marrying Li Hanting wasn’t a bad option. The boy had no one to rely on—he’d have to depend on his in-laws. And since he’d be living nearby, she could come home anytime.
Just like Yin Jianguo himself. Having no family of his own to speak of, he could devote himself entirely to his wife.
The reason Yin Jianguo hadn’t objected earlier and had instead asked Li Hanting directly was precisely because of all these considerations.
Li Wenyue, however, was more cautious. She lowered her voice. “That boy… his family situation isn’t great, is it? Would he have to marry into the family?”
It wasn’t that Li Wenyue was being cold and practical. If she herself didn’t have enough financial independence, she wouldn’t have dared to pursue Yin Jianguo.
When a man or a woman has money, it provides better economic conditions for marriage.
If she didn’t have some savings, why would Yin Jianguo have chosen her?
Yin Li was still young and didn’t understand these things, but Li Wenyue would remind her.
At that, Yin Jianguo gave a mysterious smile. “That’s actually the least of our worries.”
“What do you mean?”
Yin Jianguo shook his head and didn’t answer. “I’ll tell you later. Right now, Dad wants to know, Li Li—what are you really thinking?”
Only once he understood his daughter’s true feelings could he start making plans.
Yin Li breathed a sigh of relief, surprised at how easily things had gone. “Of course I want to be with him. But I’d still like to talk to him alone first and hear what he has to say.”