Chapter 167: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 167: Once You've Teased Someone, You're Responsible for Putting Out the Fire

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"You......"

Lin Xiyu smiled and scolded her: "Your eyelids are so shallow, one plane ticket bought you off."

"Hehe."

Wu Meng laughed awkwardly, then thought of slipping away again: "I won't say more, I have to hurry back, otherwise the soup will get cold."

"Leave your ID card."

Lin Xiyu reminded her with a smile.

"It's on the bedside kitchen counter."

Wu Meng didn't stop her steps, opened the door, and rushed out like a gust of wind.

"Should we go to the hospital?"

Lin Xiyu was uneasy and looked back at Guben.

"No need."

Guben didn't want to meddle in others' emotions and decisively vetoed: "If Wang Fan can't even handle a woman, he has no business being in the business world."

"I'm just afraid Li Qing will go crazy again......"

Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly.

"She wouldn't dare......"

Guben said firmly: "This is a hospital, not a bar, she wouldn't dare cause trouble."

"Sigh, if only time could flow backward."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly and helplessly: "I really want to go back to that day of the hometown gathering, separate the two of them, and not let them meet."

"It is destiny, it's useless even if you want to separate them."

Guben smiled to comfort her: "As long as there's a sliver of possibility, they will meet again, this is fate, Li Qing is Wang Fan's destined calamity, he can't escape even if he wants to."

"I feel like you've got it backwards......"

Lin Xiyu still felt uncomfortable in her heart: "It should be Wang Fan who is Li Qing's calamity, if not for meeting him, Li Qing might have already met a boyfriend with a good temper who truly cared for her, it would definitely be better than now."

"Didn't Wang Fan get stabbed?"

Guben had no good feelings for Li Qing: "On the surface it seems he provoked Li Qing, actually Li Qing is not innocent at all, if she didn't have that thought, she couldn't be easily seduced, when Wang Fan kissed her on the playground, she should have given him a slap on the spot and completely cut off ties with him."

"Sigh, let's not talk about her."

Things had come to this, irreparable, Lin Xiyu no longer had the mood to keep chatting: "The soup is almost cold, you drink it quickly."

"You drink some too....."

Guben held the soup bowl and moved it to her mouth.

"I'm not drinking anymore."

Lin Xiyu smiled and stepped back: "There's not much left, you drink it yourself."

"Take a sip."

Guben extended his arm forward again.

Lin Xiyu smiled helplessly, could only lower her head, and took a sip.

"Does it taste good?"

Guben's gaze lingered on her lips.

"A sweet fragrance of spareribs and yam fused together, not bad."

Lin Xiyu licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, very satisfied with her cooking skills.

"How do I feel that the soup you drink tastes different from what I drink?"

Guben's eyes were deep, and he moved closer to her.

"What's different?"

Lin Xiyu raised her head, looking at him somewhat dumbly and cutely.

"You'll know after a taste."

Guben put down the bowl, pulled her into his arms, and his warm lips immediately fell down.

"Aren't you still going to buy a plane ticket?"

Lin Xiyu struggled blankly a few times.

"No hurry."

Guben used force with both arms, hugging her tighter: "I wanted to do this just now, it's all Wu Meng's fault for being so clueless, standing there without moving."

"Drinking soup and you're still thinking wildly."

Lin Xiyu finally understood afterward, finally realizing what he meant by "if you rub again you won't be able to drink it down."

"It's you who started the fire."

Guben smiled black-belliedly: "Once you've teased someone, you're responsible for putting out the fire, no shirking allowed."

"When did I......"

Lin Xiyu still wanted to argue, but couldn't get the words out before being blocked by him.

The temperature in the room rose rapidly, the air filled with a flirtatious sweet scent.

Guben held her and kissed her passionately, reluctant to let go for a long time.

——

The female cousin waited left and right, unable to wait for her younger sister any longer, anxious as ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.

The news of Wang Fan's injury did not spread, including to his family; relatives and friends far away in Jinan were all unaware of the situation, only knowing that a branch store was opening in Shanghai and that he and Guben were busy with the branch's affairs, so they had not returned.

The female cousin originally thought that once her younger sister returned, there would be someone to watch the shop, so there was no need to waste money hiring someone, and thus she had not hired anyone.

But her younger sister never returned, and the delay dragged on for half a month.

As time went on, having company subordinates manage the shop's business during work hours could no longer be concealed, and it reached the Store Manager's ears.

Li Xiao flew into a rage over this and gave the female cousin a good scolding.

The female cousin had originally improved her impression of him slightly because he helped care for her little dog, but now their relationship took a sharp turn for the worse; they were like fire and water at the company, exchanging barbs at every meeting, leaving everyone in a state of panic.

The little sales staff trembled with fear, dreading that the battle would spread to them, and upon seeing the two, they detoured far away like mice seeing a cat.

Even the puppy suffered along with them, being chased out of the office by Li Xiao; without its usual careful care, it ate things randomly, had diarrhea three times in one day, and once again became listless, drooping its head with no spirit.

The female cousin was furious, and since the pager could not be used across regions, she could not contact Lin Xiyu, so she could only make a long-distance phone call to the student dormitory at Huashi University.

Little New Year was a few days away, and the three Dormitory Aunties were about to return to their hometowns for the New Year.

The two Henan Dormitory Aunties were also anxiously hoping Lin Xiyu would contact them; fortunately, before returning home, they could buy some sweaters to take back for the New Year.

The female cousin's phone call came like timely rain, giving the two Dormitory Aunties an excuse to leave a message on her pager, asking Lin Xiyu to call back as soon as possible, while also mentioning that they hoped she could find time to return to school to discuss something.

——

"Didi."

The pager's ringtone startled the person lost in passion; Lin Xiyu subconsciously reached for her waist and took down the pager clipped to her belt.

"Who is it? Really knows how to pick a time..."

Guben, having his interest interrupted, snatched it over with some displeasure.

"Dormitory Auntie."

Lin Xiyu was quick-witted and immediately understood the two Dormitory Aunties' thoughts: "Originally we had agreed that after the holiday I would go with them to pick out clothes once, but with Wang Fan's incident, it's been delayed until now."

"Not just them, but also your female cousin..."

Guben glanced at the message; without guessing he could imagine what mood the female cousin was in now: "She probably can't wait and is urging you again."

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly helplessly: "This time I really dragged my female cousin into hardship; she was counting on me to go back and help her sell clothes. She brought in so much inventory; if it doesn't sell before the New Year, business will be cold after the New Year. The key is that so much money is tied up, and some of it was advanced by my mom..."

"That's nothing to worry about..."

Guben was confident: "Once we get back, I'll help you sell them; I guarantee they can all be sold off at once."

"You'll help me sell them?"

Lin Xiyu widened her eyes in surprise: "Why are you so confident that you can sell them all at once?"

"Want to know?"

Guben raised an eyebrow.

"Mm."

Lin Xiyu was very curious.

"Talk about it when we get back."

Guben smiled teasingly and deliberately kept her in suspense: "Right now the most important thing is to buy plane tickets; if we can't get tickets, we can't go back. No matter how smart I am, I'd be helpless."

"Tsk~~, I knew it..."

Lin Xiyu mistakenly thought he was lying and gave him a big white eye: "You're just making fun of me for being poor, playing with me."

"Whether I'm playing with you or not, you'll know when we get back."

Guben didn't explain further, picked up his coat for her to put on, and pulled her out the door.

——

Shanghai to Jinan, only one flight per day. Approaching the New Year, more and more people were returning home to visit relatives; economy class tickets from Shanghai to Jinan were sold out, with only a few First Class Cabin seats left.

"First Class Cabin is too expensive; forget it."

Lin Xiyu heard that First Class Cabin tickets cost over two thousand each, and her small heart trembled in shock.

"Wang Fan is paying; no need to save money for him."

Guben didn't care and continued asking the ticket agent about the dates and times of flights with available seats.

"Even if he's paying, it's too extravagant."

Lin Xiyu sighed sincerely: "Better to just give me the money; Wu Meng and I will take the train back."

"Sleeper tickets can't be bought now either..."

Guben decisively vetoed it: "Sitting in a hard seat for seventeen hours is no joke; you'd be tired enough to shed a layer of skin."

"Really?"

Lin Xiyu muttered softly: "A classmate of mine is from XJ; she said she has to take a train for three days and three nights to get home. Although you'd lose several pounds after one trip, shedding skin isn't that bad; just consider it dieting."

"The hard-seat carriage is very crowded..."

Guben heard it and smiled helplessly: "You haven't seen that scene. Before the New Year there are even more people; the aisles are packed. People with seats don't even dare go to the toilet, because the moment they leave, someone takes their seat. There have even been fights over seats..."

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu's small face fell, and she complained unhappily: "It's all Wang Fan's fault; otherwise we'd already be home by now. We wouldn't have dragged it until now at all."

"Blame him and still save money for him?"

Guben smiled teasingly: "In my opinion, you're not unwilling to sit in First Class Cabin; you just want to save the money and stuff it into your own pocket..."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking..."

Lin Xiyu giggled and admitted it without any psychological burden.

"Little money grubber."

Guben looked at her with indulgence, tweaking her nose.

Lin Xiyu lifted her eyelids and made a face.

"Hehe."

Guben found it amusing, letting out a pleasant laugh from his throat.

—

First class tickets were over two thousand each; Guben used his student ID in place of a unit introduction letter, persuaded the ticket seller to agree, and bought four plane tickets back to Jinan for Little New Year's Day.

Lin Xiyu looked at the Arabic numerals on the check, nearly ten thousand yuan, her eyelids twitching with pain; thinking of how she had worked herself to death selling sweaters all semester and still couldn't earn this much, a surge of indescribable bitterness welled up.

Why is the gap between people so huge?

When would she be able to spend lavishly without blinking an eye, squandering freely?

—

"I know I'm in the wrong; when he spoke to me I didn't make a sound, let him scold me thoroughly, never expecting this person to push his luck—not only deducting my bonus but also driving Coca-Cola out of the office; he can scold me, but bullying Coca-Cola is unacceptable, we are irreconcilable..."

Lin Xiyu returned to the hotel, first called her female cousin back, and listened to her long complaint.

"Deduct the bonus then..."

Lin Xiyu helplessly rubbed her forehead, only able to patiently persuade: "They're also following the rules; otherwise how would they manage the company? If they don't punish, they can't convince the crowd."

"The company's performance was all earned by me working myself to death; those little salesmen—how many of them are actually capable? Signing one or two orders a month is already good."

Her female cousin was still unhappy: "They're idle anyway; it would be better to help me watch the shop, make full use of things, then I could have no worries and put all my energy into the company's business."

"Right right right, Sister is right..."

Lin Xiyu soothed her female cousin with kind words: "Li Xiao is still too shallow; she hasn't understood Sister's painstaking efforts."

"Xiyu, when are you coming back?"

Her female cousin was moved by her thoughtfulness, her voice carrying a sob: "I still prefer us sisters doing business together, without so many idle trivial matters; everything goes smoothly."

"I'll be back soon."

Lin Xiyu bought the plane ticket and spoke with more confidence: "I've already bought the ticket; I'll definitely return to Jinan on Little New Year's Day. Guben said he'll help us sell sweaters, guaranteeing all the goods will be sold before New Year."

"Plane ticket?"

Her female cousin, hearing the words "plane ticket," asked again in disbelief: "Xiyu, you're not serious, are you? You're taking a plane back?"

"It's true."

Lin Xiyu casually dropped a bombshell: "Not only taking a plane, but first class; four people spent nearly ten thousand yuan."

"My Heaven..."

Her female cousin was stunned like a wooden chicken, so shocked she even forgot to cry.

"Now you see my sincerity, right?"

Lin Xiyu smiled hopefully, thinking she should have told her female cousin about taking the plane from the start, sparing her ears from torment.

"Our plane is at 10:30 AM on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, flight time about an hour and a half, arriving in Jinan at noon; then from the airport back to the city, probably around one..."

"Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?"

Her female cousin took a long while to come back to herself, expressing her concern.

"No need; you don't have a car, what would you pick me up with?"

Lin Xiyu smiled and declined: "With Wang Fan there, I don't need to pay; you can rest assured. Don't forget to tell my mother and Grandma that I want to eat chive and meat dumplings; returning home for Little New Year, don't eat noodles, eat dumplings."

"Fine."

Her female cousin perked up at these words: "Our family may lack other things, but there are plenty of dumplings."

"No more chatting; long-distance phone calls are so expensive."

Lin Xiyu saw her female cousin's mood had improved and seized the chance to end the call.

"Fine, we'll chat again when you're back."

Her female cousin couldn't stand the word "expensive"; unwilling but resigned, she simply hung up the phone.

—

After finishing the call with her female cousin, she had settled one worry and slept soundly that night. Early the next morning, Lin Xiyu took a bus to the wholesale market and met the two Dormitory Aunties at the agreed place.

The two Dormitory Aunties had bought quite a lot; each had a large woven bag, stuffed full.

Lin Xiyu wanted Wang Auntie's eldest son to help them ship the goods, but they felt it was a waste of money and insisted on carrying the bags themselves by train back to Lao Jia.

Lin Xiyu saw the two of them carrying the woven bags, panting with exhaustion, and thinking of her mother, felt a fresh wave of emotion.

Studying away from home, just one semester, and she felt she had grown a great deal unconsciously.

She had gained new insights and a profound understanding of her mother's hardships back then. Deep in her heart, the small resentment toward her mother's preference for sons over daughters also vanished like smoke and clouds.