Chapter 211: 90: Spring Water Family Chapter 211: Younger Brother Runs Away from Home, Guben Steps In to Mediate

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

Lin Xiyu took the opportunity to buy plenty of snacks to share with everyone; the children were innocent and guileless—a few milk candies, a few sugar-coated beans, and they were immensely satisfied.

The children were happy, and the parents watching were pleased too.

There were grannies and daughters-in-law staying home with the children; seeing Lin Xiyu spend freely, they harbored secret thoughts and came over to strike up a conversation with her.

Lin Xiyu deliberately sought to win people over, choosing pleasant words to say, and before long she had hit it off with them.

The children played their games, the adults chatted their talk; in just one afternoon, the aunt and niece became the most popular people in Pingquan Hutong.

Guben greatly praised his wife's children's diplomacy, enthusiastically complimenting her on having the potential of a diplomat, making Lin Xiyu feel delighted; she then used snacks to lead the children, gradually expanding the play area from Pingquan Hutong to Wangfu Pool West Street, then to Qu Shui Ting Street, leaving traces of the children's unrestrained play throughout the Old City District.

——

The children's diplomacy progressed smoothly, idle gossip diminished greatly, and the family felt increasingly at ease living in the Old House.

Grandma Gu loved little Ruirui, doted on her from the bottom of her heart, and little Ruirui felt her care, gradually growing close to her.

With her helping watch the child, Lin Xiyu had more free time to accompany her own relatives.

She found time to return to her maternal grandmother's home several times, visiting her grandmother and buying her plenty of currently popular nutritional supplements.

"Don't spend money anymore, keep it for yourself."

Grandmother ached over money and was reluctant to let her spend; every time she saw her, she would nag a few sentences.

"It's only two boxes of Brain White Gold, it doesn't cost much."

Lin Xiyu sat down beside her grandmother, hugging her arm and acting coquettish.

"You and Guben spend a lot in Shanghai..."

Grandmother smiled kindly and entered nagging mode again: "He's not practicing law anymore; starting his own business is even harder. You should spend money where it counts—spend when you should, and don't waste when you shouldn't."

"Buying things for you—how could that be called waste?"

Lin Xiyu affectionately rubbed against her grandmother's shoulder, deliberately coaxing her to be happy: "As long as you're healthy, that's better than anything. With you here, we have someone to think of when we're away. After a year of busy rushing about, we ask for nothing else—just to return home for the New Year and reunite with our relatives. If you were gone, this family would scatter, everyone busy with their own affairs, and it would be hard to gather together again."

"All right..."

Grandmother smiled and agreed: "That Brain White Gold stuff—Grandma will drink it just for that sentence, and maybe live a few more years."

"A few years isn't enough..."

Lin Xiyu laughed charmingly: "Grandma is only 82 this year, still far from 100. Female Cousin isn't married yet, and Xiaoyi hasn't grown up. You can't rest easy until you see us all married and with children, right?"

"Sigh..."

Hearing about Female Cousin, Grandmother's eyes dimmed and she sighed faintly: "Grandma wants to wait for your Female Cousin to marry, but I'm afraid that's difficult."

"What happened to Female Cousin?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "Wasn't she seeing Li Xiao? Their relationship was quite good..."

"They broke up."

Grandmother shook her head, very helpless.

"Broke up?!"

Lin Xiyu found it unbelievable: "When did this happen? Just a few days ago at dinner, they were still fine, weren't they?"

"Just these past couple of days..."

Grandmother smiled bitterly, helpless: "Li Xiao's family thinks he's old enough and is urging him to marry; your Female Cousin doesn't want to marry, they couldn't reach an agreement, quarreled, and broke up."

"Ah?!"

Lin Xiyu found it unbelievable: "Just because of that? Couldn't they discuss it properly? Was a quarrel necessary? They'd been together two years; breaking up now is such a pity."

"That's right."

Grandmother added: "Your Aunt Da is also furious, blaming your Female Cousin, saying she only thinks about making money all day, has almost gone mad, won't marry, won't have children, and will just live with money from now on."

"Female Cousin's company is supported by her alone; it's indeed not easy."

Lin Xiyu wanted to say a few words in Female Cousin's defense, but seeing Grandmother's grim expression, she smiled awkwardly and changed her tone: "Still, no matter how important making money is, it can't compare to marriage. Not to mention anything else, Li Xiao is genuinely a good person, of good character, and good to Female Cousin. Once missed, finding someone so suitable again would be difficult."

"I think so too..."

Grandmother worried: "Lalei Jie isn't young anymore; if she doesn't hurry and marry now, dragging it a few more years will make her an old maid."

"Or, let me go persuade Female Cousin..."

Lin Xiyu couldn't bear to see the Old Man worried and volunteered to take on the burden for her.

"Go ahead."

Hearing this, Grandmother indeed showed a relieved smile: "You and your Female Cousin are closest; others' words she won't listen to, but what you say, she might consider more."

"Hope so."

Lin Xiyu dared not promise she could definitely persuade Female Cousin: "Where is Lalei Jie right now? At the company? Has she gone on a business trip out of town?"

"Don't know."

Grandmother was displeased: "This girl's heart is too wild; after something this big, she doesn't take it to heart. If it weren't for your Uncle happening to see it and telling your Aunt Da, we'd still be in the dark, thinking that after the New Year we'd hear good news from them."

"I'll call her."

Lin Xiyu stroked Grandmother's back to help her calm down: "Don't rush first; I'll ask clearly and then tell you."

"Okay."

Grandmother smiled with relief, looking at her with great kindness.

——

Female Cousin didn't not care about feelings; she just chose the latter between feelings and making money.

After breaking up with Li Xiao, her way of venting her emotions was to work even harder to make money.

Lin Xiyu couldn't reach her female cousin, so she called her driver and learned that she had gone out of town again, catching up on sleep on the road, with her mobile phone turned off.

Her female cousin's matter had to be put aside for now; she hung up the phone somewhat depressed, pondering how to soothe her maternal grandmother's emotions, when her phone suddenly rang again.

The caller ID showed her biological mother, Chen Xiulan.

"Is Xiaoyi with you?"

The phone connected, and Chen Xiulan couldn't wait for her to call out "Mom," immediately asking reproachfully in a bad temper.

"None."

Hearing it concerned her younger brother, Lin Xiyu didn't quibble with her birth mother's rudeness.

"This bear-market child......."

Chen Xiulan was anxious and angry: "Don't know where he ran off to again, all he knows is playing games, not studying properly."

"Could he have gone to an Internet Cafe?"

Lin Xiyu asked tentatively.

"I've searched every Internet Cafe nearby, didn't see him."

Chen Xiulan's emotions were very irritable.

"How long has he left home?"

Lin Xiyu's heart thumped, a bad premonition surging up.

"Didn't come back all night last night."

Chen Xiulan gritted her teeth in anger, the sound of grinding teeth audible even over the phone.

"Don't be anxious first......"

One trouble hadn't passed before another arose, Lin Xiyu was very tired: "Let me look first, if it really doesn't work, we'll call the police."

"Won't your younger brother have an accident, right?"

Chen Xiulan panicked upon hearing about calling the police.

"Hard to say now......"

Lin Xiyu rubbed her brow with a headache: "I'll have Guben think of a way; he has many ideas, maybe he can guess Xiaoyi's whereabouts."

"......."

Chen Xiulan obviously still had prejudices against Guben; upon hearing his name, there was no response for quite a while.

"Let's hang up first."

Lin Xiyu was somewhat stifled, not waiting for her response, she hung up the phone herself.

—

"Did Xiaoyi have a conflict with your mom?"

After a moment, Guben got the news and rushed over from home; the two met at the doorway of the Internet Cafe at No. 1 High School to discuss countermeasures.

"Probably......"

Lin Xiyu helplessly rubbed her forehead: "From my mom's tone, the two of them definitely had a fight; maybe my mom hit him and drove him away."

"When did Xiaoyi start playing games?"

Guben's sword brows were tightly furrowed: "How deep is the addiction? Has he ever stayed out overnight before?"

"Don't know......"

Lin Xiyu felt somewhat self-reproachful: "I'm too far away in Shanghai; occasionally I call and chat a couple of sentences with Xiaoyi, but he didn't tell me about playing games."

"Does he have a mobile phone?"

"None; my mom didn't buy him one; when I look for him, I call the landline at my maternal grandmother's home."

"It's time to buy him a mobile phone."

"It's my negligence as this older sister."

"Ask your mom......"

Guben considered countermeasures: "Is Xiaoyi close with any classmates at school? Then ask his Class Teacher for the contact information of classmates' parents; if we can't find him, we'll have to call them one by one, asking friends and relatives first."

"I'll ask now......"

Lin Xiyu had no hesitation; she immediately took out her mobile phone and called Chen Xiulan again.

—

Chen Xiulan replied quickly; indeed, she wanted the contact information of Xiaoyi's classmates in the same class.

Guben and Lin Xiyu were in the Internet Cafe, calling his classmates one by one.

The two were fairly lucky, obtaining useful information from one classmate.

Chen Xiaoyi was in a bad mood last night; he had once come to his house to look for him, wanting to call him to go play games together.

His father happened to return from outside, so he couldn't sneak out and had to give up.

Chen Xiaoyi saw he couldn't come out, was very disappointed, and left alone, dejected; afterward, he never contacted him again.

Hearing a useful clue, Guben's spirits lifted; he asked clearly about an Internet Cafe address they had previously visited that was relatively hidden, and he and Lin Xiyu took a taxi directly there.

—

Chen Xiaoyi was indeed in the Internet Cafe; having played all night, he was so tired he lay on the table and fell asleep at once, not knowing anyone had come.

Seeing her younger brother like this, Lin Xiyu felt both heartache and anger; just as she was about to wake him, Guben stopped her.

"Leave the rest to me; I'll talk to him."

"This child, so infuriating."

Lin Xiyu was still not appeased.

"It's precisely because you two have such big tempers that things easily become stiff."

Guben had his own view: "Now isn't the time to be angry; we need to find a way to untie Xiaoyi's knot in his heart, otherwise he won't willingly come back with us."

"Fine."

Lin Xiyu was used to trusting him, and after not dwelling on it for long, she agreed.

——

A moment later, Chen Xiaoyi was woken from his doze by someone; seeing the person standing before him, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, and blankly rubbed his eyelids.

"Hungry? Eat something."

Guben bought a cup of soy milk and a meat-filled bun and handed them to him.

"Brother Bin, is it really you?"

Chen Xiaoyi was truly hungry; he gulped down the meat-filled bun in a few mouthfuls, felt the scalding warmth of the soy milk, then came back to himself from his bewilderment, showing an expression of extreme surprise and joy.

"Haven't seen you in five years, you've grown into a big lad......"

Guben patted his head affectionately: "At first glance, I didn't even dare recognize you."

"You haven't changed, still the same as before."

Chen Xiaoyi widened his eyes, carefully sizing him up.

"The appearance hasn't changed, but the mindset has."

Guben sighed faintly: "No longer that unruly, headstrong youth from five years ago who put no one in his eyes; when encountering setbacks, he forces himself to grow up, unable to change the environment, only able to change himself."

"Brother Bin......"

Chen Xiaoyi had mixed feelings: "Those words really don't sound like they came from your mouth; the you in my memory was smart, carefree, domineering, formidable, nothing could stump you, and even now you're still a legend at No. 1 High School, a role model for the juniors; even when my former brother-in-law hears the seniors praising you, I still feel very proud."

"Got into No. 1 High School?"

Guben heard "former brother-in-law" and laughed helplessly: "You went to high school at only thirteen, your grades are pretty good, quite bringing honor to your mother; she should be very happy."

"She was happy......"

Chen Xiaoyi's handsome face darkened, showing some displeasure: "Always forcing me to study, skipped two grades and still not satisfied, still making me study study study nonstop, I'm almost being driven crazy by her."

"Skipped two grades?"

Guben put it nicely: "It shows you're really smart, with great potential; maybe the next Provincial Top Scholar will be you."

"Impossible, I don't have your talent."

Chen Xiaoyi denied himself, endlessly pouring out his bitterness: "After entering high school, I clearly felt studying was very difficult; high school courses are more than one grade harder than junior high; the rote memorization method my mother taught me before was like pulling up seedlings to help them grow, squeezing my potential to the extreme."

"In high school, rote memorization doesn't work anymore; my grades were left far behind by other classmates; now my total score is at the bottom of the whole grade; even the teachers think I'm too young and can't adapt to the high school study intensity, wanting to make me repeat a year."

——

"Do you want to repeat a year?"

Guben was good at guiding, trying to communicate with him.

"Of course I don't want to......"

Chen Xiaoyi was very troubled: "Repeating a year is too embarrassing, but my grades are plummeting; I can't catch up no matter what, and I'm very annoyed myself; my mother keeps nagging, saying I don't work hard and haven't studied well."

"Have you tried communicating with her?"

Guben patted his shoulder soothingly.

"Of course I've said it."

Chen Xiaoyi complained helplessly: "But my mother just won't listen; she always thinks she's a teacher and understands students; in her eyes, there are only two kinds of students: those who study well and those who don't, those who work hard and those who don't; as long as you don't study well, it's because you don't work hard; I'm exactly that now; she's forcibly stuck the label of 'not working hard' on me; no matter how I explain, it's useless."

"Which subject do you like?"

Guben tried to guide him, soothing his emotions.

"Of course math, physics, and chemistry......"

Chen Xiaoyi answered without thinking: "I hate history and geography the most; in junior high, rote memorization almost made me vomit from reciting; now just looking at them gives me a headache; I wish I could throw the books away."

"Then study science well."

Guben gave understanding and support: "Not many boys are willing to study liberal arts; bear with it, get through freshman year, and after sophomore year when you split into tracks, it'll be easier."

"I want to do that too......"

Chen Xiaoyi smiled bitterly: "But now my grades are already at the bottom of the class; the teachers want me to repeat a year, and I myself don't have much confidence in catching up."