Chapter 111: Elders

Si Huan picked up his teacup and took a sip of the green tea. It was fragrant and mellow. It was the best Yuqian Longjing Tea[1].

However, when Si Huan tasted the tea, he felt that it was a pity that this pot of good tea was wasted with two sanctimonious and hypocritical people.

Ever since his grandfather passed away, Si Huan had been carrying the burden of being the head of the Si Family at a young age. He had interacted a lot with Mr. and Mrs. Huo, who wanted to suppress him with their age and seniority.

Si Huan hated these people to the core, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Hence, he could only smile coldly and distantly, pretending to listen to the other party’s teachings seriously. However, his thoughts had already flown elsewhere.

Mr. and Mrs. Huo did not notice Si Huan’s patronizing attitude at all. They saw that Si Huan had been listening to their conversation respectfully and felt secretly pleased. They felt that Si Huan was still young and easy to manipulate.

Mr. Huo said sincerely, “Si Huan, you’re the head of a family. Huo Tian is only the daughter of a small tailor shop’s owner. There’s such a huge difference in your statuses, so even if you force yourself to be together, you won’t be happy…”

Si Huan didn’t seem to want to continue discussing this topic, so he replied briefly, “Uncle Huo, Huo Tian and I are still young. We won’t consider things that are far ahead for the time being, so we haven’t encountered the difficulties that you mentioned.”

Mrs. Huo and Mr. Huo were well-coordinated. When they heard Si Huan say this, they immediately revealed an unforgiving expression and criticized him as if they were his elders. “Si Huan, what do you mean? You only intend to play with our Tiantian and aren’t planning to take responsibility, right? Let me tell you, although Tiantian isn’t our child anymore, I still treat her as my own daughter in my heart. I won’t let the brat who bullied my daughter off!”

Si Huan quickly put on a guilty expression as if he had been criticized where it hurt, his face seemed to be a little red from embarrassment. He quickly explained, “Auntie Huo, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t mean that. I just feel that we’re still young and haven’t graduated from high school. It’s not too late for us to discuss marriage after we’ve finished attending university.”

Mrs. Huo shook her head and looked at Si Huan in disagreement, her tone sounding a little reproachful. “You’re really insensible. A family like ours is different from those of ordinary families. Marriage is a good thing for both sexes. When two people get together, from being in love to getting engaged and then getting married, how would it be possible to feel assured without at least seven to eight years? You’re in Year Three of high school now, so it’s already a little late for you to be considering marriage matters.”

Mrs. Huo acted like an elder who was concerned about Si Huan’s marriage, but she wasn’t related to Si Huan at all. The two families had only had a cooperative relationship in the past, so it was obvious that she was going overboard in saying these things to Si Huan.

Mr. Huo tugged on Mrs. Huo’s arm at the right time and looked at her reproachfully, scolding her softly, “Seriously, what are you worrying about? Si Huan is not an ordinary child. He must have plans for his life.”

Mr. Huo apologized to Si Huan hypocritically again and said, “Si Huan, your Auntie Huo is just too enthusiastic. She’s also concerned about your relationship with Tiantian. Don’t take her words to heart.”

Si Huan put on a distressed look at a suitable timing. He took the initiative to fill Mr. and Mrs. Huo’s cups with tea, then sighed and said, “To be honest, Uncle and Auntie Huo, I’ve also considered this problem. My parents and my grandfather are no longer around, and there aren’t any immediate elders who can worry about these things for me. Therefore, I’ve always been unclear about the marriage procedures.”

Upon hearing Si Huan’s words, Mr. and Mrs. Huo looked at each other and saw the joy in each other’s eyes.

Mr. Huo said, “Your Auntie Huo and I are your elders too. If you don’t mind, we can give you some suggestions regarding this.”

Si Huan took a sip of tea and nodded with a smile. “What suggestions does Uncle Huo have for me?”

Mr. Huo coughed lightly and said, “I see that your relationship with Tiantian is in the honeymoon phase. Putting aside your family background, the two of you are very compatible. But if you really want to get engaged, I’m afraid Tiantian’s family background and identity won’t be accepted by the older generation of the Si Family.”

Si Huan frowned and looked a little worried. He sighed and said worriedly, “This is also what I’m most worried about. The elders in our family are all old fogies and they value family background very much. They don’t know about me and Tiantian yet. If they do, they’ll probably look for me and kick up a fuss.”

Mr. Huo put on the appearance of an elder who was extremely worried for Si Huan. “It can’t be helped. That’s how the older generation thinks. However, it’s not impossible for them to accept Tiantian. After all, Tiantian grew up in the Huo Family and had been educated in a wealthy family for more than ten years. Other than her family background, Tiantian’s personal qualities can definitely meet the Si Family’s elders’ standards.”

[1] Referring to tea leaves harvested before the grain rain.