bookbashuk Chapter 234 A Poetic and Picturesque Courtyard
Chapter 234 A Poetic and Picturesque Courtyard
Xu Zifeng drove an SUV, and the family of six squeezed inside. While it wasn't too cramped, it wasn't exactly spacious either. They had originally considered driving another car, but in the end, they decided to make do for the sake of convenience.
As the car drove through the gate, a spacious open area came into view, large enough to park about ten cars. The servants at the gate quickly directed the cars to be parked and then led the Xu family members into the inner courtyard.
Grandpa Xu walked around, looking around in disbelief—this courtyard was far too big! It was practically a small manor.
Xu's mother tugged at Xu Xiyuan beside her and whispered, "How did they manage to buy such a huge yard?"
Xu Xiyuan remained calm and analyzed softly, "Shen Li is very quick-witted. Her beauty salon is incredibly successful; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's making a fortune every day. This property was most likely bought by her, since my aunt's family used to live in the countryside and probably didn't have that kind of financial strength."
Looking at the neatly arranged flowers, trees, and pavilions in the yard, Xu's mother felt extremely regretful and couldn't help but roll her eyes at her son, Xu Zifeng.
Xu Changfeng naturally noticed his mother's piercing gaze and inwardly complained: How can you force feelings? Besides, his cousin Lu Cheng is indeed more handsome than him. Girls like handsome guys, what can he do?
Shen Li was already waiting in the courtyard. When she saw the Xu family arrive, she quickly instructed Xiao Nan beside her, "Xiao Nan, go and call Mother out."
"Okay!" Xiao Nan replied crisply, then turned and ran to the backyard.
Shen Li quickly stepped forward and warmly greeted them, "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, please come and sit down. You must be tired from your journey!"
She and Lu Cheng are already engaged, so it's quite reasonable for her to address him this way now.
Looking at the ornately decorated pavilions and towers around them, Xu's mother felt a pang of sadness—she feared she would never have the fortune to live in such a magnificent courtyard in her lifetime. It wasn't that the family was poor, but buying such a large courtyard was simply beyond their means. Even if they had the money, they couldn't afford it. After all, Xu Changfeng's father was a politician, and everything he did had to adhere to discipline; how could they be so ostentatious?
This is one of the reasons why Shen Li was willing to register her marriage with Lu Cheng. If she were to marry someone like her older brother, who works within the system, she would inevitably have many concerns. Lu Cheng, on the other hand, is a businessman, much more free to act as he pleases, and can live however he wants. To expect her, reborn, to live a miserable life crammed into a tiny apartment? That's absolutely impossible.
Xu Xiyuan, her eyes filled with envy, grabbed Shen Li's hand and exclaimed, "Xiao Li, your yard is decorated so luxuriously!"
Shen Li smiled faintly: "It's alright. The main thing is that with more people in the family in the future, it will be more convenient for each person to have their own small courtyard so that they won't disturb each other."
Xu Xiyuan nodded, following her words and thinking further, "That's right! When my eldest cousin and third cousin are all married and have children, the whole family can live together, it'll be so lively and fun, and we won't have to be separated. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"
Just then, Mrs. Lu came out from the inner courtyard with a smile on her face and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Xu and Mr. and Mrs. Xu Shengming, saying, "Mom and Dad, brother and sister-in-law, you've arrived. Please sit down and have some tea."
"Okay, sure." Everyone responded and sat down.
Shen Li looked at Lu's mother: "Mother, why don't you take Grandpa and Grandma for a walk in the yard and let them get to know each other?"
Mrs. Lu turned to look at Old Madam Xu: "Mom, would you like to take a walk around and look at the sights?"
Madam Xu smiled and nodded, "Alright, it's good to take a look." She was also a young lady from a wealthy family when she was young, and she had lived in such a large courtyard when she was a child, but those days are long gone. Now that her daughter has moved to a new house, she naturally wants to take a good look at it.
Lu's mother led everyone around the public areas and her own and Xiao Nan's courtyards, but deliberately avoided Shen Li and Lu Cheng's courtyard—that was the young couple's private space, and it was not appropriate to disturb them casually.
After they had walked away, a servant at the door quickly approached and respectfully said to Shen Li, "Young Madam, there are some guests at the door who say they are your classmates."
"Okay, I'll be right there," Shen Li replied.
At the main gate, Xia Jiang looked at the imposing gate in front of him and said somewhat uncertainly, "Have we come to the wrong place? This courtyard is too grand."
Yao Fen also grabbed Lan Wei's arm, her eyes full of surprise: "You're right! Just looking at this gate, you can tell it must be huge inside!"
Lan Wei said confidently, "It should be right. This is the place Li Li told me about. The courtyard is called Li Cheng Villa."
Ming Xiangyang looked up at the four large characters on the lintel and read them aloud softly: "Licheng Villa".
Yan Xiangcheng had met Lu Cheng before, and following Lan Wei's words, he added, "This should be it. 'Li' is the 'Li' in Shen Li, and 'Cheng' is the 'Cheng' in Lu Cheng. This name combines the two of their names."
Lan Wei quickly corrected her: "Lili has changed her surname to Shen now, not Song."
"Alright, alright, it's Shen Li." Yan Xiangcheng replied with a smile.
Zhao Wei couldn't help but exclaim, "Is Shen Li so rich now? He can afford to live in such a nice house."
Lan smiled and explained, "Lu Cheng is in real estate. Think about it, how many houses does a residential complex need? In the past two years, he has also developed a farmers' market and a housing development. Buying a yard like this is not a problem for him at all."
Xie Mei looked surprised: "Shen Li is already married?"
Lan Wei paused for a moment, then said, "Not yet, we're already engaged, and we'll get married after graduation."
Yao Fen and Xie Mei exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with envy—their boyfriends were so rich, they wondered what they looked like. Xie Mei secretly glanced at Ming Xiangyang beside her, wondering to herself: Didn't he and Shen Li have a falling out and stop talking? Why did he come along this time? It's really puzzling.
Just as the group was discussing amongst themselves, Shen Li walked out with a smile: "Why did you all come together?"
Lan smiled and said, "I invited everyone to come together, so it's easier to find each other and you won't have to run around picking up one person after another."
Shen Li smiled, her eyes filled with warmth: "Weiwei, you're so thoughtful."
The group, each carrying something, said in unison, "Lili, happy housewarming!"
Shen Li accepted the gifts one by one, then handed them to Chen Haisheng beside her, adding a special reminder: "Haisheng, remember to make sure you know who sent them."
Chen Haisheng nodded obediently, "Yes, young mistress." Then he carried the things and walked towards Shen Li's courtyard.
The students entered the courtyard and were amazed by the scenery before them, spreading out to admire it. Shen Li and Ming Xiangyang lagged behind.
Shen Li hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to ask, "Are you still blaming me for letting your brother go to jail, which is why you haven't been talking to me?"