71: Blind date

When you're away from home, your identity is whatever you give yourself.

But as they say, that's when you're away. Now that he was back in the village, showing off blindly seemed pointless.

There was a time when the "uselessness of education" rhetoric was all the rage.

If one simply measured the value of going to college by how much money one earned, the conclusion would certainly be biased.

As someone who had lived it, how could Chen Su not know whether there were benefits to attending university?

If one had to use a single sentence to colloquially describe the difference between those who went to college and those who didn't...

It would probably be this—

People who went to college don't mock those who didn't.

But people who didn't go to college might mock those who did just because they earn less money... Zhang Kai continued to talk incessantly.

Feeling bored, Chen Su took out his phone and sent a message to Li Chuxia.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking of you!" Li Chuxia replied instantly from the other end.

"What did you have for dinner tonight?"

"Instant noodles.jpg"

"Why are you eating instant noodles?"

"I have no choice. You're not home, so there's no one to cook for me. (Pout)"

...The night gradually deepened, and the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Xiulin Village didn't have the colorful neon lights of Maple City; there were only a few scattered streetlights along the road.

The village streetlights were also divided into summer and winter schedules.

In summer, they stayed on from 7 PM to midnight.

In winter, they were on from 6 PM to 11 PM... By the time the group left Huang Da's house, it was already 10:30 PM.

Summer nights in Xiulin Village were cool. Chen Su walked slowly home under the dim yellow streetlights.

A cool breeze brushed past Chen Su's nose and ears, slowly drifting into the distance.

Chen Su looked intoxicated.

Yeah, the air back home was indeed better.

The mountains were beautiful, and the water was clear.

When he got home, Mother Chen reheated the leftover duck soup from lunch for him.

Chen Su drank a bowl, took a shower, and then lay in bed scrolling through his phone... Midnight quietly flipped the switch for the streetlights in Xiulin Village.

At that moment, the village's day came to a close.

With a thought, Chen Su summoned the Intelligence System.

[Today's intelligence has been refreshed]

[Today's Intelligence 1 (Rank C): Kaisheng E-commerce Co., Ltd., founded by the Host's classmate Zhang Kai, ostensibly deals in e-commerce and live-stream sales, but is actually laundering money for others.]

[Today's Intelligence 2 (Rank B): Li Chuxia's family has arranged a blind date for her at home tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM.]

Both pieces of intelligence today were very brief.

Looking at these two pieces of information, Chen Su's brow furrowed deeply.

He didn't care where Zhang Kai's money came from; if the man could buy luxury cars and live in a mansion by laundering money, that was his own business.

As for Li Chuxia going on a blind date, that left Chen Su feeling a bit troubled.

From the moment he found her Call Duck until now, they had known each other for a short while.

When he was still struggling at his lowest point, Li Chuxia was like a beam of light that shone into his life.

This seemingly insignificant light felt as if it had come specifically for him.

It had quietly taken root and sprouted in his world.

By the time Chen Su realized it, this light had already quietly illuminated every corner of his world.

Was the light that illuminated him about to leave?

...That night, Xiulin Village gained another insomniac... July 10th, sunny, auspicious for marriage.

Huang Da's wedding procession was scheduled to set off at 7:30 AM.

Chen Su got up at 6:30 AM.

To be precise, he hadn't slept at all until 6:30 AM.

He splashed his face with cold water, had a quick bowl of porridge, and went with Huang Da to pick up the bride... Huangxi Village, where Huang Da's wife lived, was less than ten kilometers from Xiulin Village.

They arrived in no time.

It wasn't until 11 AM that the wedding procedures were finally completed.

The wedding banquet in Xiulin Village followed the rural tradition of a flowing feast.

It started at 4:30 PM and lasted until the last wave of guests left... Chen Su grabbed a few bites at noon and went home for a nap.

He hadn't slept all last night and had been busy all morning.

Drowsiness finally arrived, albeit late, after he finished lunch... At the same time, in Villa No. 3, Rongqiao Villa Area in Maple City, a group of people was busy.

Today, Grandpa Li had hired a chef from outside to help prepare the banquet.

His son Li Ningqiang, daughter-in-law Fang Rong, and younger granddaughter Li Weixiao (24 years old) were coming back from Shanghai.

He heard they were also bringing an excellent young man to introduce to the eldest granddaughter, Li Chuxia.

On ordinary days, Grandpa Li would say he wasn't in a hurry and lectured Li Chuxia all day to be careful of the hoodlums outside.

But in his heart, he was more anxious than anyone. Half the year had already passed, and in another six months, Li Chuxia would be 28.

Rounding it up, that was thirty years old.

If she still didn't get married, she would become an old maid... At 4:30 PM, Li Ningqiang's family of three stepped through the door.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back!" Li Weixiao shouted toward the inside as soon as she entered.

"Little Smile, you're back." Grandpa Li and Grandma Li looked at her with kind faces.

Following closely behind the three was a young man.

He appeared to be about 1.85 meters tall, with a tall and straight posture, broad shoulders, and sharp lines. He exuded a strong fashion aura from the inside out, along with a faint, well-concealed arrogance typical of people from Shanghai.

As soon as he entered, he introduced himself to Grandpa Li and Grandma Li.

"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma. My name is An Sihua."

"Please, have a seat, have a seat," Grandpa Li hurriedly greeted him.

"Sit down, don't be formal. Just treat it like your own home," Li Ningqiang said calmly.

"Alright, thank you."

..."Mom, where's Chuxia?" Li Ningqiang asked after looking around and not seeing her.

"Chuxia? She'll be over a bit later."

"Later? Doesn't she live at home?" Li Ningqiang's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Young people have their own lives. We can't let Chuxia stay with us two old folks every day," Grandma Li explained with a smile.

"Xiao An, how old are you this year?" Grandpa Li asked as he brewed a cup of tea and handed it to An Sihua.

"Sihua-ge is 27 this year, the same age as Li Chuxia," Li Weixiao, who was sitting nearby, answered first.

"Little Smile, watch your manners. Chuxia is your older sister," Li Weixiao's mother, Fang Rong, corrected from the side.

"I don't even acknowledge her as my sister." Li Weixiao stuck out her tongue and made a face at Fang Rong... At 6 PM, Li Chuxia pushed the door open and entered.

She today was wearing a crisp and comfortable light gray tracksuit paired with clean sneakers. Her hair was neatly tied up, and she looked full of vitality.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm here."

"Xia Xia, your father, Auntie Fang, and Little Smile are all here."

"This is Xiao An. He came from Shanghai with your father. I heard him say he might even be your college classmate."

Grandpa Li said from the side.

"I see him," Li Chuxia said flatly.

"I'm going to my room to put my things away. When it's time to eat, just have the auntie call me." After saying that, she took her bag and walked straight to the second floor.

She didn't say another word throughout the whole process.

She didn't even spare a second glance at the people sitting on the sofa...