Chapter 118: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 118: Younger Brother, Her Only Comfort

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"We finished eating ages ago."

Lin Xiyu laughed helplessly: "Those men drink, and they never stop drinking; I don't know what's so good about that liquor, they won't quit until they're dead drunk."

"Too bad, no chance to practice our drinking today."

Female cousin said regretfully: "We're in sales, we can't avoid these occasions in the future; I really wanted to test my drinking capacity, to see exactly how much I can drink."

"You still want to drink?"

Lin Xiyu was very worried: "Girls out here should still pay attention to safety; getting drunk is dangerous."

"It's fine."

Female cousin said carelessly: "It's not just me alone, isn't Liu Ye and the others there? He's the main force, I'm just accompanying, at key moments I just help the boss block a few drinks, just going through the motions."

"You know your own limits, definitely don't try to be strong."

Lin Xiyu still wasn't reassured: "That Liu Ye person doesn't look reliable; don't end up with him not drunk but you drunk first."

"Forget about me, let me tell you something."

Female cousin gave an awkward laugh and intimately hooked her arm.

"What is it?"

Lin Xiyu raised an eyebrow.

Female cousin looked speechless: "Do you know what your maternal aunt said when leaving the house?"

"What did she say?"

Lin Xiyu asked cooperatively.

"She said she wants to adopt a child."

Female cousin couldn't understand: "What do you think she's thinking? It's not like she can't give birth, why adopt someone else's child?"

"Why would your maternal aunt suddenly have this idea?"

Lin Xiyu was startled.

"It was her natal mother who instigated her..."

Female cousin looked full of disdain: "I really can't figure it out, how could there be such a mother? A few years ago she made a scene over this, wanting your maternal aunt to divorce wasn't enough, now she wants her to adopt a child."

"Maybe she also feels sorry for your maternal aunt."

Lin Xiyu thought faintly: "She feels your maternal aunt has suffered a lot of grievances these years, and doesn't want her own daughter to be pointed at and mocked as a hen that doesn't lay eggs."

"That shrew Zhang Dafen, her mouth is truly damn vicious."

Female cousin gritted her teeth: "People like her don't deserve to get married; it would be best if her partner dumped her someday, someone like her, wanting to live in the Municipal Committee Courtyard, I spit..."

"Her partner hasn't come for a long time."

Lin Xiyu blinked, a bit puzzled: "Could they really have broken up?"

"Best if they did."

Female cousin looked excited: "If she really breaks up, I must set off several strings of firecrackers at the doorway to celebrate."

"You're almost moving, don't cause trouble."

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed: "After this, these old neighbors will be scattered to different districts, and it'll be hard to meet again."

"Aren't you moving back?"

Female cousin looked full of disdain: "When moving back and choosing a house, it must be far from her family, I never want to live opposite them again."

"You say, your maternal aunt's natal mother, bringing this up at this time, asking her to adopt a child, is she also playing the relocation angle..."

Lin Xiyu had a flash of inspiration: "Thinking that after moving, the neighbors won't know anyone, so they won't know if the child is adopted; taking this opportunity to bring the child over and say it's her own, no one would suspect."

"Possible."

Female cousin suddenly understood: "You're smarter, why didn't I think of that?"

Lin Xiyu smiled awkwardly: "I'm just guessing wildly, don't take it seriously."

Female cousin asked again: "Do you think Grandma will agree?"

"Probably, she'll agree?"

Lin Xiyu considered from Grandma's perspective: "After all, the main reason she can't give birth is Uncle; Grandma feels guilty toward your maternal aunt, if your maternal aunt wants to adopt a child, Grandma has no reason to oppose."

"Then she won't give birth herself?"

Female cousin felt very speechless: "Uncle is Grandma's only son; Grandma still hopes he has a son to carry on the family line."

"Carry on what family line?"

Lin Xiyu smiled and teased her: "I didn't expect you to also favor sons over daughters; you're quite feudal in your bones."

"I'm not doing that for Grandma's sake."

Female cousin touched her nose embarrassedly: "Older generations have old-fashioned ideas, wanting a son; otherwise your mother wouldn't have remarried."

Lin Xiyu's eyes dimmed.

"Ai ai, good younger sister, sorry..."

Female cousin reacted, very annoyed, and slapped herself: "I didn't mean it, I didn't mean to touch your sore spot."

"What you said isn't wrong."

Lin Xiyu pulled at the corner of her mouth, forcing out a smile: "I've gotten used to it; this is the fact anyway, and I don't want to deceive myself, fantasizing that in my mother's heart, boys and girls are the same."

"Ai."

Cousin sighed: "What is all this? Some divorcing, some raising children, all gathered together—I'm exhausted just thinking about Grandmother managing this whole family, working so hard, and she won't have peace even in her old age."

"That's fate."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly: "A person's whole life is arranged by Heaven long ago—when you die is written plain as day in the Book of Life and Death."

"Good younger sister, we can't be so pessimistic."

Cousin was stunned, feeling nervous: "It's all my fault, why bring this up? If Aunt wants to adopt a child, let her adopt—what's it to me, a niece, to meddle so much? Borrowing trouble for nothing, asking for it."

"Sister, are you done talking?"

Xu Yi pricked up his little ears listening to the two sisters, saw his sister's expression was off, and deliberately interrupted: "I need to pee, I want to urinate."

"Little slippery one."

Cousin quietly sighed in relief, using the chance to liven the mood: "Not peeing early, not peeing late, but peeing at this exact moment—I think you're doing it on purpose."

"Peeing has to pick a time?"

Xu Yi pulled at his eyelids and made a face at her: "If I want to pee, I'll pee—I drank too much just now, I really can't hold it."

"There's a public toilet near the Vegetable Market."

Cousin waved her hand to shoo him: "Hurry up, run yourself, go pee wherever."

"I don't know the place, Sister, come with me."

Xu Yi grabbed Lin Xiyu and wouldn't let go.

"Fine."

How could Lin Xiyu not see his little scheme? A warm current passed through her heart.

Though Xu Jie was hateful, this half-blooded younger brother was still very likable, and counted as the only comfort her mother's remarriage brought her.

—

"Sister, it's too hot, I want to swim, will you take me to Wangfu Pool to swim?"

Xu Yi fully displayed the essence of sticky candy, clinging to his sister, not giving her a chance to overthink.

"Fine."

Lin Xiyu's eyes and brows were full of pampering.

"Let's go now."

Xu Yi's excited little gaze sparkled.

"Aren't you going to pee?"

Cousin laughed and tickled him.

"I suddenly don't want to pee anymore."

Xu Yi chuckled: "Besides, peeing in Wangfu Pool is fine too."

"You dare!"

Cousin laughed in anger, reached out to hit him: "Dare to pee in the pool, see if I don't hit you."

"Hehe, can't hit, can't hit..."

How could Xu Yi wait to be hit? He ran forward with all his might.

"Stinky brat, stop right there for me."

Cousin wouldn't let him go, lifted her skirt and chased after him.

"Your little brother is quite interesting."

Going to Wangfu Pool to swim, Wu Meng and they were on the same road; seeing the siblings run far away, she also came over laughing.

"Not bad."

Lin Xiyu helplessly rubbed her forehead: "Just too mischievous, chaotic, gives me a headache."

"A boy of seven or eight, who isn't mischievous?"

Wu Meng was happy for her from the bottom of her heart: "With such a living treasure around, you should be content—at least he can make you happy, unlike my cousin, that stubborn donkey, with a terrible temper; every time he returns to Lao Jia he argues with me, making me so angry I want to beat him with a stick."

"Your cousin should be starting high school this year, right?"

Lin Xiyu smiled understandingly: "High schoolers are just at the rebellious age; his parents can't manage him, let alone a cousin."

"It would be fine if he could study a bit better."

Wu Meng made a face of dislike: "Uncle wouldn't need to worry so much then."

"If he doesn't study well, he can be a Soldier..."

Lin Xiyu said casually: "Stay in the Buban for a few years; even if he's still unmanageable, he can be shaped into proper form."

"Uncle doesn't want him to be a Soldier."

Wu Meng sighed: "If he studied well and got into the Military Academy, that would be okay; conscript Soldiers have no future—better to get into a technical school and learn a Craft."

"That's true."

Lin Xiyu smiled and agreed: "Like my Cousin, who got into Power Secondary Specialized School and was assigned to the power system—counts as entering a state-owned enterprise, with Clothing and food without worry for life."

Wu Meng pouted: "These days, those who can get into Secondary Vocational School are all top students; my cousin just muddled through an Ordinary high school, forget about Secondary Vocational School—if he can squeeze into a third-rate university, the old Zhao family has burned enough incense."

"What's your cousin's name?"

Lin Xiyu found it funny.

"Zhao Yuncheng."

Wu Meng smiled helplessly: "When my Uncle named him, he really racked his brains and asked an expert to calculate his eight characters—Yun Cheng, meaning a journey of ten thousand li; who would have thought he'd grow up to be this Bear-like, good at nothing, with only his looks passable, looking like a little pretty boy, fooling around all day, just messing with the village girls."

"Is that how you act as a cousin?"

Lin Xiyu couldn't help but laugh: "You say he's good for nothing, but being good-looking is also a strength—who knows, he might rely on his looks to become a movie star in the future."

"Him, a movie star?!"

Wu Meng scoffed: "Don't say I look down on him—with his country-bumpkin look, he's not even fit to carry Guben's shoes; forget being a movie star, even working as a hostess in a nightclub, he might not find anyone who likes him."

"I see it clearly now."

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed: "You really do dislike him."

"If he weren't my cousin, I wouldn't even bother to retort."

Wu Meng looked aggrieved: "I'm just worried that my mom dotes too much on that younger brother of hers. Not only does she subsidize their family with all the money she earns, but she also worries about everything, big or small, at Uncle's house. Zhao Yuncheng is useless—he can't get into college, won't have a job in the future, and Uncle only knows how to farm, so he can't help, and my mom has to work herself to death managing things for him."

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu felt tired hearing it: "My family has plenty of troubles, and yours isn't easy either. We really are a pair of sisters-in-arms."

"Indeed, neither of us has it easy."

Wu Meng felt the same: "Every family has its own hardships. When we were young and didn't understand things, we spent all day eating, drinking, playing, and having fun foolishly. Once we grew up, all sorts of troubles came. Sometimes I really wish I'd never grown up, just stayed cooped up at home, relying on my parents' love, and lived as a good-for-nothing parasite."

"You may not want to grow up, but someone is anxious about it."

Lin Xiyu laughed and teased her: "The bride price has already been paid, and the bride is gone. Isn't that unfair?"

"We were talking fine, why bring him up?"

Wu Meng's ears turned red, and she glared at her as if fiercely.

"Is Li Liang good to you?"

Lin Xiyu used the pretext of caring for a friend to fish for gossip.

"It's all right."

Wu Meng curled the corner of her mouth, unable to hide her pride.

"All right means very good."

Lin Xiyu was genuinely happy for her friend: "You've really found a treasure this time. I heard from Guben that Li Liang is a very down-to-earth person, without so many tricks. When he likes someone, he'll truly treat her well."

"Once he joins the military, all his colleagues will be a bunch of rough men."

Wu Meng couldn't help but laugh: "Not a single flower around, so even if you wanted to spend money on flowers, you couldn't."

"I also heard my dad say..."

Lin Xiyu laughed and echoed: "After staying in the military for a long time, even a sow looks spirited and especially handsome."

"Pfft."

Wu Meng spat out a mouthful of spit: "Your dad is really interesting. He actually told you that?"

"He told my mom."

Lin Xiyu gave an awkward laugh: "I overheard it myself."

"I wouldn't have guessed."

Wu Meng pinched her voice and smiled meaningfully: "Do you also have a habit of eavesdropping by the wall?"

"I didn't intentionally eavesdrop."

Lin Xiyu explained with red ears: "They thought I was a child, so they didn't avoid speaking in front of me."

"Are your parents very affectionate?"

Wu Meng sighed languidly: "I can tell from how you speak that you were spoiled by your parents as a child and truly lived happily."

"Yes, they have a very good relationship."

Lin Xiyu's eyes dimmed, and she bitteredly pulled at the corner of her mouth: "So when my dad had just sacrificed, my mom was heartbroken, crying every day, almost collapsing. I watched her get through it day by day. So when my grandmother snatched my dad's pension and forced her to remarry, I didn't blame her. At that time, I truly meant well for her, wanting to help her break free from the pain."

"How did your mom meet Xu Weiguo?"

Wu Meng looked at her tremblingly and asked cautiously.

"My mom was Xu Jie's class teacher."

Lin Xiyu intended to dispel the rumor and explained clearly: "After Xu Jie's mom died, it was her dad who first took a liking to my mom. He actively courted my mom and sent a matchmaker to propose."

"Back then Xu Jie was young and didn't study well. What he liked was nothing more than my mom being able to tutor Xu Jie with homework and, by the way, raise his child for him, acting as a free nanny."

—

"Tsk."

Wu Meng clicked her tongue and disdainfully curled her lip: "That kind of person is too calculating. What was your mom thinking? How could she take a liking to him?"

"He's like your cousin, incapable of anything. His only advantage is that he's handsome."

Lin Xiyu scoffed: "My mom didn't have any ideas. It just broke my grandmother's heart. She just wanted a son. He's a technician at the water plant, tall, wearing glasses. At a glance, he looks respectable. My mom was just too anxious, didn't investigate clearly, and muddleheadedly married herself off to him."

"Xu Jie is quite arrogant, saying all the property in her family was left to her by her mother."

Wu Meng sighed hearing it and couldn't help but ask again: "Is what she said true? Could it be that all the money in her family was earned by her mother?"