HLnovel Chapter 285 Cousin's Family
Chapter 285 Cousin's Family
In mid-January, as the cold wind blew, the neighborhood gradually became lively, with the crackling sound of firecrackers echoing at various times and in every corner of the neighborhood.
The main reason for this phenomenon is that students are on winter vacation.
For them, the nearly month-long winter vacation was undoubtedly the most important and happiest time of their lives.
The most fun of all is undoubtedly the symbol of the Chinese New Year: firecrackers and fireworks!
The town where Ye Lan lives doesn't have strict controls on fireworks and firecrackers, so during the Spring Festival, children from every household would take the pocket money given to them by their parents and go to the convenience store to buy firecrackers.
Of course, there are many different ways to set off firecrackers.
Kids who have someone in the family steal lighters and use them to light cigarettes; kids who are heavy smokers use cigarette butts to light cigarettes; and of course, there are kids who use bamboo sticks to hold incense sticks.
In short, the story of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique abilities, is vividly demonstrated at this moment.
Ye Lan still remembers playing with firecrackers when she was a child. She took a half-smoked cigarette from her father and he told her to suck on it twice when the cigarette was about to go out.
As a result, Ye Lan gradually lost interest in firecrackers and instead became addicted to cigarettes.
Bang! Smash!
Outside the window, the children's laughter and chatter freely seeped into every corner of the room. Ye Lan, who was fast asleep, was agitated. She threw off the covers and grabbed her hair in frustration.
He was furious when his dream was disturbed, and he wanted nothing more than to rush down and give each of the children a winter break workbook.
Ye Lan subconsciously turned her head to look at the bed beside her, but Lin Xueyao was not there.
Not only was she gone, but her clothes had also disappeared, so she must have gotten up and left early.
Rubbing her eyes, Ye Lan felt a little more awake and started getting dressed, preparing to go out and wash up.
He's been incredibly busy these past few days. Ever since his assets were revealed, his parents have left the task of buying New Year's goods entirely to Ye Lan.
To be honest, Ye Lan didn't mind spending money. After all, how much could she spend on New Year's goods?
The main problem is the hassle; you have to drive around to visit relatives and friends.
After all, everyone is very busy these days. Apart from the Lunar New Year and banquets, people rarely have time to get together, even among immediate family members.
There's nothing we can do about it, because everyone is busy making a living, and unless someone in their family is particularly powerful or influential, they generally don't have much contact with each other.
Ye Lan finished dressing and opened the door. The noisy laughter from the living room immediately reached her ears, causing her to frown.
Looking around, there were four more people in the living room. The elderly couple looked familiar. Ye Lan racked her brain and realized they were her uncle and aunt.
As for the middle-aged couple, they looked rather unfamiliar.
The woman didn't look much older than Ye Lan. She had heavy makeup on and could be rated as slightly above average. However, because it was winter, she was dressed in thick clothes, so her figure was not visible.
As for the man, he must be her cousin.
Ye Lan had heard her parents mention her cousin before. Apparently, he taught history at a private high school. When she took the college entrance exam, her parents had considered paying him to tutor them.
However, because Ye Lan studied science and had no background in history, the matter was eventually dropped.
Ye Hao turned his head and saw Ye Lan standing there, and scolded, "What's wrong with you, kid? Don't you know how to greet people?"
"Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, good afternoon!" Ye Lan nodded in greeting, her voice soft and graceful.
"Oh, this is Ye Lan. She's grown so much."
"Wow, this young man is really handsome. You must have had a lot of girls like you in high school, right? Have you ever had a girlfriend or anything?"
Listening to her aunt and uncle's unchanging polite words, Ye Lan awkwardly forced a smile. "Aunt, I graduated last year, and we even had a graduation banquet during the summer vacation. Have you forgotten?"
My aunt was a seasoned pro; even when exposed, she remained calm and composed, continuing to speak with an air of nonchalance:
"Of course Auntie remembers, I just misspoke. I meant university. There are more girls in university. My son Akun and Xiaolin met in university, and they've already registered their marriage. They're planning to get married after the New Year."
As she spoke, my aunt took out a red invitation from her pocket, "You all must come to the wedding!"
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. What kind of relationship do our families have? We'll definitely come to your son's wedding." Ye Hao smiled as he accepted the invitation.
Just then, Ye Lan keenly noticed that her cousin's girlfriend, Xiao Lin, gave her father a very disdainful look.
The look in her eyes carried a hint of disdain and contempt, causing Ye Lan to frown and scrutinize her from head to toe.
He actually found some clues. Her black down jacket had a brand logo on the chest, which was quite niche. Ye Lan had seen it on Lin Xueyao's clothes before, which is why she realized it was quite valuable.
Lin Xueyao's clothes cost tens of thousands of yuan at a time, so anyone who can wear the same brand as her must come from a very wealthy family.
That's not quite right.
How could a woman like that possibly be interested in her cousin, an ordinary high school teacher?
Moreover, my cousin's physical attributes are also quite poor. He is less than 1.7 meters tall, has a face full of acne in various colors, which is very scary. From a distance, he looks almost like a toad.
If not for money, not for looks, then what is it for?
Ye Lan was completely baffled.
The cousin noticed that Ye Lan was staring at his girlfriend, and a pang of jealousy shot through his throat.
"Cousin, you don't need to be too envious. You need to put in more effort to win a girl's heart. You should say good morning and good night to keep her warm and cozy. Prepare some small gifts and surprises during holidays. That will guarantee you win her heart."
"As long as you can learn these skills, and combine them with your good looks, I guarantee you'll be irresistible to everyone on campus!"
Listening to her cousin's advice on dating, Ye Lan was speechless. So it turns out you're a simp!
Moreover, judging from the description, he was a very humble sycophant.
"No need, cousin, these techniques aren't really suitable for me," Ye Lan said with a smile, waving her hand in refusal.
"Cousin, if you don't take action, how will others notice your feelings? You have to prove it with actions when you're pursuing a girl," the older cousin earnestly advised.
Ye Lan shook her head, feeling that this guy was terminally ill, with symptoms even more severe than Xu Zhiqiang's, and was completely beyond saving.
"Oh right, Dad, where's Mom?" Ye Lan then noticed that Ms. Zhang Fengxia, Ms. Lin Xueyao, and Ms. Ye Wanying, who had returned from vacation, were nowhere to be seen.
I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"Your mom, your girlfriend, and your sister went out to buy New Year's goods this morning. They should be back by now," Ye Hao said, glancing at the clock.
"Ye Lan brought his girlfriend back too, I have to take a look." The uncle picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.
"So you have a girlfriend? That's great! How is she? Is she pretty?" My cousin was excited, with a gossipy expression on his face.
"She's alright, just an ordinary girl. She's still a bit inferior to my sister-in-law," Ye Lan said modestly.
Ye Hao, standing to the side, widened his eyes, thinking to himself, "As expected of my son, he's so humble. Even if Lin Xueyao is disfigured, she's still prettier than this woman with makeup, right?"
To my surprise, my cousin's wife believed her and stroked her dry, yellow hair with obvious satisfaction. "You actually compared me to your girlfriend? Aren't you afraid she'll feel inferior?"
What's even more outrageous is that my cousin was nodding and agreeing with me the whole time.
"That's right, my Xiaolin is the prettiest!"
"The most beautiful sight in the world."