「Hotel lobby.」

There was a small fountain in the lobby, home to many goldfish. Lin Dashan and his wife pushed the strollers up to the fountain, amusing the babies. The babies were also very interested in the small animals. Seeing the goldfish inside, they clapped their hands excitedly, indicating they wanted to catch the fish.

"Tomorrow, I'll clean out the fish tank and put a few fish in there for our Sun Sun to watch," Lin Dashan said.

"Alright, let's get a few more then," his wife nodded.

Zhou Cuilan then asked, "Are we going to play cards with them tonight?"

Lin Dashan, who was busy playing with the babies, replied absent-mindedly, "Play cards? I'd rather help our son and daughter-in-law with the babies. Let the young people have their fun."

In Lin Feng's generation, it's still important to maintain the bonds between siblings.

Zhou Cuilan concurred, "In that case, I won't go either. I'll stay home with our Sun Sun!"

Over in the main hall, Lin Rui and Du Yan began the rounds of toasts.

"Eldest Aunt, wishing you a Happy New Year and good health!"

The Eldest Aunt lifted her glass, her expression kind. "Happy New Year to you two as well. May you have a loving marriage and earn a great fortune."

Nowadays, such blessings were just a formality, and even the toasts were merely going through the motions. After speaking, they went over to their Second Uncle's table. Next was the Third Uncle, followed by the relatives from Du Yan's side of the family.

With Lin Rui setting the example, it was soon Lin Jiajun's turn to make the rounds.

Lin Jiajun laughed, "Brother Zheng, you're the eldest among us! Let's go around together."

Yu Zheng shook his head. "You go first. My stomach's not feeling great. I'll go later."

As he lowered his head to eat, he muttered, "How can I compare to people who spend all their time in bars? I'll just eat, just eat."

His mother, the Eldest Aunt, felt sorry for him. "You can just use tea later."

Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi were slated to make the final round.

Lin Xiaolan and Feng Yong came over to their table. Lin Xiaolan took after her mother with her straightforward and casual personality. But in her stinginess and love for money, she was just like her father, Lin Dahu. She wasn't beautiful, but not ugly either, and her smile was quite endearing. Her husband, Feng Yong, was tall, thin, and very cultured. His personality was the perfect complement to hers.

Zhang Yuxi remarked to Lin Feng, "The relationships among all you siblings and your spouses seem so harmonious."

Yu Zheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard that.

Zhang Yuxi was puzzled. Did I say something wrong?

Sun Rou leaned in closer. "I heard Feng Yong and Xiaolan divorced a long time ago," she whispered. "They just haven't announced it, for their child's sake."

Zhang Yuxi was taken aback.

Sun Rou continued, "I also heard that Brother Rui has another woman on the side. The money he's made these past few years is all thanks to that woman's connections."

Zhang Yuxi was shocked. "Is that true?"

"It's a widely known rumor. I'd say it's nine-tenths true."

Zhang Yuxi glanced over at Du Yan, who was chatting happily with a smile on her face. "Does Sister Yan know?"

Sun Rou hesitated for a moment. "She probably does. Sometimes in a marriage, you have to learn to play deaf and dumb."

The comment made Zhang Yuxi look at Sun Rou in a new light.

I wonder if there's any gossip about Lin Jiajun and his wife. Sigh, I can't help it. Women are just too curious about gossip.

Sun Rou frowned. "I haven't heard anything about them. Maybe it's because they both like to have fun, so they have a common language."

Just then, Yu Zheng filled a cup with tea. "Let's go. It's our turn."

Sun Rou stood up and gave instructions to their son. "Chuan Chuan, you stay with your uncle and auntie, okay? Don't wander off. Daddy and Mommy will be right back."

Chuan Chuan, busy with a Transformer toy in his hands, nodded obediently.

The elders didn't mind Yu Zheng using tea instead of wine. Their peers, however, immediately protested, insisting it wouldn't do.

Yu Zheng put his wine glass down firmly. "No, it won't do for me to drink. Last month, I had a gastric bleed from drinking. I nearly perforated my stomach."

Sun Rou quickly added, "He's trying to quit drinking now."

"Let's compromise then," Lin Jiajun said as he poured a tiny splash of wine into Yu Zheng's cup. "This isn't too much, right? Just a small token."

Yu Zheng nodded. "Alright, let's go..."

Lin Dahu laughed. "Listen to that bravado! You're acting as if that cup is full of wine."

Yu Zheng chuckled. "You have to project the right attitude, don't you?"

Zhang Yuxi started to worry about whether Lin Feng could drink.

"Don't worry, honey. Your husband here can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

Zhang Yuxi was stunned. "Really? Is that true?"

Lin Feng grinned, amused by her expression. "Of course, it's true. Why would I joke about something like that?"

I've never seen him smoke or drink. I thought he didn't touch that stuff. I can't believe he can drink so well!

Lin Feng glanced at Yu Zheng's progress with the toasts. "Alright, honey, let's go. You can drink tea; I'll drink wine."

The Eldest Aunt was at their table. She smiled and said, "You can skip me. I understand the sentiment. I hope you two have a loving relationship and make a lot of money to live a good life." Although she wasn't highly educated, she had a good personality and a resilient spirit.

Lin Feng, however, insisted, "Eldest Aunt, you can excuse yourself, but we can't. We wish you good health and a long life!" With that, he drained his glass. Zhang Yuxi finished her tea as well.

They moved on to Third Uncle Lin Daan's table.

Lin Jiajun shouted, "Well, well, look who it is! Our man of the hour has arrived!"

As everyone cheered, Lin Feng smiled and filled the glasses of his third uncle and aunt. "Zhang Yuxi is still breastfeeding, so she'll be using tea instead of wine!"

His Third Uncle laughed. "For the two of you, I can only say I wish for a harmonious marriage and a united family."

His Third Aunt also stood up. "Happy New Year! Take care of yourselves when you're away, and keep in touch with family. And when you've made your fortune, remember that we're still your Third Uncle and Aunt, right?"

Lin Feng smiled. "Of course!"

Wang Lu's parents, whom Lin Feng had met a few times, were also at this table. "Uncle, Auntie, Happy New Year!"

Zhang Yuxi followed behind him. All she had to do was follow his lead and echo the pleasantries. Wang Lu's parents had a rather dignified air about them. How else could they have raised such a beauty like Wang Lu?

Next was Second Uncle's table. He immediately took the bottle from Lin Feng's hand.

"Here, let me fill that up for you!" he boomed. "A young man shouldn't be so stingy with his drinks! We all know how much you can handle, don't we? This year you got married, became a father, and made a fortune. You're still planning to hold back?"

Second Uncle had a fiery temper, and Lin Feng didn't want to spoil his mood.

Second Aunt saw the worry on Zhang Yuxi's face and reassured her. "Lin Feng can really drink. He's just one of those people who doesn't show off. There was one year he drank your Second Uncle under the table."

Lin Rui chimed in to stir the pot. "After that night, Lin Feng made a name for himself! He was legendary!"

After downing three shots of clear liquor at his Second Uncle's table, Zhang Yuxi saw that Lin Feng's face wasn't flushed and he wasn't out of breath. She finally relaxed.

The elders had all gone easy on them. But when it came to their peers, no such courtesy was extended.

Lin Jiajun and Lin Rui challenged Lin Feng to a finger-guessing game. Lin Feng took off his coat and rolled up his sweater sleeves, looking ready to take on all comers.

In the end, Lin Feng returned to the table victorious.

"If you don't put those two in their place," he said, "they'll just start acting up again."

Sure enough, the pair, who were now questioning their very existence after losing so badly, couldn't drink another drop and finally settled down.

Lin Dashan and Zhou Cuilan returned, pushing the babies in their strollers.

Lin Jiajun and Lin Xiaolan immediately started teasing them.

"Well, look at that! It's all over, and now our youngest uncle is back."

"What's this all about? Did you time that perfectly, or what?"

"No way, this isn't acceptable! You have to drink a few glasses!"

"Come on, everyone! Let's take turns toasting our youngest uncle!"

Lin Dashan, completely unbothered, poured himself a glass. "If you don't want to go out with Lin Feng tonight, then by all means, try your best to get me drunk."

Zhou Cuilan smiled. "Your youngest uncle and I are watching the kids tonight. If he gets drunk, I won't be able to manage on my own!"

Lin Rui was the first to respond. "In that case, let's make it two glasses. One glass isn't sincere enough."

Lin Dashan laughed. "Alright then, two glasses it is."

Why do I feel like I've been set up?

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