Chapter 150: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 150: The Relationship Between the Female Cousin and the Boss Is Not Ordinary, Relying

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Agreed."

Wang Fan having achieved his goal, naturally agreed readily.

"I plan to......"

Guben saw him agree readily, his brow relaxing: "On the 10th, go to Shanghai with Xiyu, go ahead, and take her around Shanghai's surroundings for a few days before school starts."

"The 10th?"

Wang Fan was stunned for only a second, then quickly added: "I'll go with you, so there's someone to look after things on the way."

"If you want to go, you can, book the sleeper tickets in advance."

Him going along was expected, Guben showed little surprise: "Also, buy Liu Lei and Li Liang, Wu Meng's tickets together."

"Liu Lei is going to Shanghai too?"

Li Liang and Wu Meng were one thing, but his female cousin going to Shanghai, Wang Fan was truly surprised: "What about the company if she leaves? Who will bring in clients and handle relationships?"

"Xiyu wants her female cousin to go to Shanghai and play for a few days together."

Guben gave him a cold sidelong glance and gave the reason for leaving early.

"Fine, then."

Hearing the three words Lin Xiyu, Wang Fan helplessly ground his back teeth.

Who made her someone with a fiancée!

Just engaged, it was the time of sweet affection, heaven and earth were big, but the fiancée was biggest.

No matter how unwilling, he could only accept it.

——

His female cousin returned from outside, seeing the stray dog had miraculously recovered its spirit, she was beyond delighted.

"Store Manager, my worship for you is like the endless flowing river, from now on you are my clothes parents, so that Cola can grow up healthy and happy, I've decided, let it recognize you as its godfather, your family has a Pekingese of the same breed, a male dog, let Cola be its wife, from now on we'll be Qinjiayi......."

"Stop!"

Li Xiao had a headache from his female cousin's endless nonsense, helplessly, he could only interrupt her: "Let a dog recognize me as its godfather, you can really come up with that?"

"Hehe."

His female cousin went all out for the stray dog, thick-skinned continuing: "As long as you allow Cola to come to the company every day, not calling you godfather is fine too."

Li Xiao was angry: "You just want to find a free nanny for Cola, and latch onto me, right?"

"I have no choice."

His female cousin smiled bitterly: "Before raising it, I didn't expect the stray dog to be so delicate and prone to illness."

"This is irresponsible."

Li Xiao scolded with a dark face: "If you can't afford to raise it, don't buy it back."

"I don't want to either, it was Wang Fan who insisted on buying it."

His female cousin sold out Wang Fan without the slightest hesitation.

"That's also because you didn't refuse."

Li Xiao had already suspected, and hearing this confirmed his guess.

His female cousin and Wang Fan's relationship was not ordinary, she was a woman who relied on a man to rise.

"Wang Fan is our Boss."

His female cousin didn't know what he was thinking, and went on about Wang Fan: "The Boss wants to buy, how could I not give him face? Even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare."

"In my opinion, you dare plenty......"

The more Li Xiao listened, the more he felt his guess was right, looking at his female cousin with great dissatisfaction.

"Ding ling ling......"

Just at this moment, the phone on the desk rang, interrupting his train of thought.

"Hello, Ding Sheng Decoration."

His female cousin heard the ring and quickly got into character, picking up the phone before him: "Wang Fan, what a coincidence, we were just talking about you, yes, Xiyu told me about this, I don't know the specific days, she didn't tell me either......"

Li Xiao rubbed his ears impatiently, the more he heard the familiar tone of his female cousin and Wang Fan talking, the tighter his brow furrowed.

"You're looking for the Store Manager? He's here, in the office, okay, I'll give him the phone......"

His female cousin finished her business with Wang Fan and handed him the phone.

Li Xiao didn't dare be negligent, casually took it, and politely greeted into the receiver.

Wang Fan told him on the phone that his female cousin was about to go to Shanghai, asking him to prepare in advance, arrange new manpower to replace her work.

"Okay, I understand, I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

After Wang Fan finished and he hung up, his expression had already become very ugly.

"What's wrong?"

His female cousin at this moment, even if she was blind, could tell something was off.

For her stray dog, even if the Store Manager's face was ugly again, she had to endure it.

Who made her not know how to raise it, she could only flatter him and have him help take care of Cola.

"What did Wang Fan say? To make your mood take a sudden turn for the worse, looking very serious?"

"What do you think it should be?"

Li Xiao didn't answer, instead asking back, looking at her coolly.

"Could it be because......"

The female cousin wasn't stupid; she guessed a rough idea from his tone: "The Boss said you have to go to Shanghai, making things difficult for you, right?"

Li Xiao scoffed: "Since you know, why bother asking?"

"Actually, it's not that I want to go......"

Seeing his unfriendly tone, the female cousin felt it necessary to defend herself: "It's my female cousin who wants me to go; she's going to Shanghai to study, it's her first time traveling far from home, so she's bound to feel homesick. Other students have their parents see them off, but my Maternal Aunt is busy with work and can't get away, and my Younger Brother is too young and useless, so I, as the female cousin, have to put in the effort and make the trip instead of my Maternal Aunt."

"That's a decent excuse."

Li Xiao didn't believe it from the bottom of his heart, but since she had a close relationship with the Boss, he had to endure it even if he didn't believe it, and couldn't show it.

The two were clearly not on the same wavelength, mutually suspicious and guessing, yet for their own purposes, they had to endure and restrain themselves with resentment.

"Woof woof woof."

The Stray Dog saw the female cousin, barked happily twice, and trotted in on its short legs, waddling along.

"Thanks for today, I'll bring it back tomorrow."

The female cousin seized the opportunity to pick up the Stray Dog, threw down her parting words, and ran off in a flash.

"Tsk."

Li Xiao clicked his tongue once, watched her departing back, and rubbed his brow with a headache.

—

The wall of the Small Courtyard on the first floor of Qinglong Back Street was knocked through, a Backdoor was opened, and a small room of only 3 square meters was added to the Yard.

Uncle used connections to handle the paperwork, and also pulled a telephone line to his home, reinstalling a public phone.

The public phone was installed in the small room, serving as a simple Telephone Booth.

Maternal Aunt, having experience with the Telephone Booth, also ordered newspapers and magazines, as well as cigarette sales.

Uncle finished the chores at home and, as wished, started driving a Taxi; he and Maternal Aunt's Second Brother worked around the clock in shifts, day and night.

In the first month, Maternal Aunt's Second Brother drove during the day, and Uncle drove at night.

Driving late at night consumed energy; after the shift change the next morning, when he returned home, he was so tired he could barely open his eyes, lying on the bed and falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Maternal Aunt felt sorry for Uncle, and no longer let him worry about other household matters; she took care of the children alone, managed the Telephone Booth, and supplemented the family income.

The Decoration Company hired new employees and no longer needed idlers to do odd jobs, so Lin Xiyu gave up the idea of working part-time; taking advantage of the days before school started, she stayed at home with peace of mind, accompanying her Maternal Grandmother, helping Maternal Aunt with the children, and looking after the young female cousin.

Life after the move gradually became regular, and the days passed one by one in plainness.

As the day of starting school drew nearer, those who were about to leave home for a distant journey couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow at parting.

The day before the engagement, Chen Xiulan spent a lot of money, spending 200 yuan to buy a vermilion, wheeled large suitcase from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to give her daughter some face, letting her use the suitcase to pack clothes and take to Shanghai.

"200, so expensive? You're actually willing to......"

Hearing the price of the suitcase, Maternal Grandmother's eyes twitched uncontrollably.

"A suitcase like this is worth at least one-third of Second Sister's monthly salary, right?"

Uncle, having his sleep disturbed, looked listless. He scratched his messy hair and also clicked his tongue repeatedly, finding it hard to believe that Second Sister, who was usually stingy and reluctant to spend a single penny, had changed her nature and was willing to spend such a huge sum to buy a suitcase that looked good but was useless.

"How many clothes can a suitcase hold? Might as well use a Woven Bag......"

Maternal Grandmother and Uncle were of the same mind, both feeling the money was a bit wasted.

"Xiyu is going to Shanghai for university."

Chen Xiulan had her own reasons: "Shanghai isn't like other places; it's a prosperous big city with many rich people. I just thought to buy my daughter something presentable, so that when she gets to school, no one will look down on her."

Maternal Grandmother scolded discontentedly: "She's going to study, not to socialize; there's no need to compare and compete."

"Even if Shanghai is prosperous, the students are still quite simple and honest."

Uncle nodded in agreement: "Children who can get into good universities—there are few from rich families; rather, the poorer the place, the more children with good grades there are."

"That's reasonable."

Maternal Grandmother gave Uncle an appreciative look, and her gaze toward the second daughter became increasingly displeased: "Even your Younger Brother understands this principle, but you, a teacher, are instead muddled. I think you've been living too comfortably lately and have gotten a bit full of yourself."

"I haven't gotten full of myself......"

Chen Xiulan, scolded by her own mother until her face was red, explained with an embarrassed smile: "The divorce lawsuit isn't even over yet; how could I be living comfortably? I'm just thinking that since Xiyu and Little Bin are engaged, I should at least get her some higher-grade luggage. Our family doesn't care, but we still have to save face for the Qinjiayi."

"You plan to......"

Maternal Grandmother knit her brows: "How much living expenses do you give her a month?"

"Ah?"

Chen Xiulan didn't expect her old mother's mind to turn so quickly, immediately bringing up living expenses; she hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally saying one hundred.

"Only one hundred yuan living expenses a month, but the suitcase costs two hundred?"

Maternal Grandmother laughed in anger: "You, as a mother, really know how to calculate accounts......"

"It's not that I don't want to give more."

Chen Xiulan herself felt it was too little, a bit embarrassed: "It's that Xiyu doesn't want it; she says she's earned quite a bit from part-time work, enough for her own spending. It was only after I persuaded her a lot that she agreed to let me give her one hundred yuan a month, just as a mother's heartfelt gesture, so that when she's out there, she won't wrong herself......"

"Xiyu is a good child."

Maternal Grandmother's anger eased a bit: "Having such a thoughtful and filial daughter is your blessing."

"Xiyu does have some money......"

Hearing this, Uncle also spoke up for his second sister: "I heard Leilei say she took promotional photos for the Decoration Company and earned quite a bit—maybe over a thousand. Plus her part-time commissions, paying for her own university should be no problem."

"What Xiyu earns is her own."

Maternal Grandmother doted on her maternal granddaughter and couldn't bear to hear a word against her: "I'll decide this matter. At least three hundred yuan living expenses a month. If she doesn't want it, I'll tell her that she and Xiao Yi are both your own children; you must treat them equally."

"Fine, I'll listen to Mom; I have no objections."

Chen Xiulan also felt guilty toward her daughter; hearing her mother's words, she had no dissatisfaction at all, but instead breathed a sigh of relief.

"Second Sister, this suitcase......"

Uncle glanced at Grandma's expression, then smiled and advised her: "I think you should just return it. Two hundred yuan for something like this really isn't worth it. After this, you'll only have three hundred yuan left for the month, which is tight. You'd be better off returning it and keeping more money for yourself, so if something comes up and you need money, you won't be so desperate......."

"I'm not returning it."

Chen Xiulan got stubborn, looking reluctant: "I rarely buy something nice for my daughter, and you insist on finding fault. From now on, Xiao Yi and I won't need you to worry about us. If we really need money, we won't borrow from you, so you won't be put in a difficult position......"

"Ai ai."

Uncle's old face turned red, and he smiled awkwardly to explain: "Second Sister, don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant."

"Fine, don't return it then."

Grandma knew exactly what was going on: the betrothal gifts hadn't all been spent, and there were still 5,000 left.

This money was said to be kept as a dowry for the daughter, and could be taken out for emergencies at critical moments.

Besides, Guben had hired someone to help her with the divorce lawsuit, and she could get a share of the family assets no matter how much.

Calculating it this way, she still had some savings in her hands, so there was no need to worry too much.

"Little Brother, this box is too heavy, help me carry it up."

Chen Xiulan heard that the suitcase didn't need to be returned, and the previous unhappiness vanished instantly.

"Okay."

Uncle didn't say anything more, took her house key, hoisted the suitcase onto his shoulder, and went upstairs himself.

——

"Mom, why are you back at noon?"

Lin Xiyu didn't know that in the time it took her to go out and buy a steamed bun, her relatives almost fell out over buying her a suitcase.

Returning from the street, she carried the steamed bun inside, intending to make lunch, and was surprised to see Chen Xiulan at home instead of teaching at school.

"It's Friday today, fewer classes......"

Chen Xiulan wanted to give her daughter a surprise and didn't mention the suitcase.

"She went out for something urgent."

Grandma saw through her daughter's thoughts and also intended to help her hide it: "She has to go back this afternoon to pick up Xiao Yi."

"So fast, tomorrow is Saturday already."

Lin Xiyu thought about the engagement tomorrow, couldn't hide her joy, and her steps became much lighter.

She didn't think much of it, went to the kitchen, boiled water and cut vegetables, and made tomato egg soup.

"Xiyu has left, and now she has to cook and help watch the child; our mom is going to be busy."

Chen Xiulan looked at her well-behaved and sensible daughter and felt a pang of reluctance.

"That's right."

Uncle also sighed.

"Children grow up and will eventually leave."

Grandma saw clearly: "Now she's not in school, and later she'll have to marry. She should just open her heart, take care of herself, and not cause trouble for her children—that's better than anything."

"I truly admire our mom."

Aunt happened to have some free time now, smiling and flattering: "She can see things through anything, always happy and cheerful. I've never seen our mom with a worried frown."

"That was after Third Brother got married, and Mom had one less worry."

Chen Xiulan knew the ins and outs: "Plus, the standard of living is better than before, and life is more comfortable, so the pressure isn't as great as before. You don't know how Mom got through those days when Dad was sick when Third Brother was young; just watching it made my heart ache."