Chapter 234: Nineties: Spring Water Family Chapter 234: One's Own Birth Mother, Just Have to Endure

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Tsk tsk......"

Wu Meng smacked her lips a few times, her teeth a bit on edge: "Just say your husband dotes on you, no need to go around the bend feeding us dog food."

"No such thing."

Lin Xiyu gave an awkward laugh: "That's not what I meant."

Wu Meng rolled her eyes hard at her.

A look that said you meant exactly that, and explaining further was useless.

"Did Li Liang write back to you?"

Lin Xiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she could only change the subject herself: "What did his family say? Did they agree to put up money for you guys to buy a house?"

"Agree my ass."

Wu Meng got fired up again at those words, venting a good long while: "His mom's that stingy, treats money like her life, you'd be a miracle to pry money from her hand. Liangzi already told me, both sides take a step back, the two of us move out from home, buy the house ourselves, neither side calculates anymore, holidays we go back home acting like this never happened, everyone polite on the surface, as long as face is saved it's fine."

"Count your blessings."

Lin Xiyu smiled and persuaded: "Li Liang's a huge filial son, him doing this much for you is enough."

"Sigh."

Wu Meng still couldn't swallow her anger: "If I'd known he was this blindly filial, I wouldn't have married him. What man marries a wife without preparing a house? His mom's clearly bullying me, thinks I delivered myself to her door, doesn't take me seriously at all."

"I've finally learned my lesson. If my daughter dares to chase a man on her own in the future, I'll break her legs. Men are all cheap, they won't cherish what they get easily — that saying is too damn true."

——

"Haven't you already pre-booked a son-in-law for your daughter?"

Lin Xiyu wanted to comfort her, joking with a smile: "Why would your daughter need to chase a man then? My little nephew's been smart since childhood, grown up he's no worse than his uncle. You want a son-in-law? Stop complaining here and hurry up and curry favor. Coax the future son-in-law happy, then you've got a shot at being his mother-in-law......"

"You're right....."

Wu Meng slapped her thigh, perking up: "I genuinely like Ruirui, must keep her for my daughter, can't let anyone else snatch her away."

"You go coax your son-in-law."

Lin Xiyu smiled, deliberately taking her leave: "I have to go cook for Grandma, and by the way ask my mom if she can help find some teaching teachers, ones around her age are mostly retired now, just right to hire them to teach at our training institution."

"How's your mom been lately?"

Wu Meng raised a brow: "Temper still that big?"

"She's menopausal......"

Lin Xiyu complained helplessly: "Unpredictable moods, can't say if it's good or bad. After Xiaoyi got into university things eased up a bit with us, but she still loses her temper occasionally, all over trivial little things."

"Your temper's really something."

Wu Meng admired from the bottom of her heart: "Your mom's disposition, put on anyone else, not many could take it."

"She's my own birth mom, what can I do? Just have to endure......"

Lin Xiyu shrugged helplessly, picked up her crossbody bag, and stood up from the chair.

"Say hi to your Grandma for me."

Wu Meng saw her out: "In a couple days when I'm free, I'll come with you to see her."

"Deal."

Lin Xiyu agreed with a smile, opened her sun umbrella, and walked out the Door.

Wu Meng watched her go far, until she turned into the Alley and completely disappeared from sight, only then withdrawing her gaze.

——

Qinglong Back Street.

Lin Xiyu cooking for Grandma, when she entered, her Female Cousin happened to be there too. The sisters chatted about extracurricular teaching, Female Cousin somewhat listless, clearly looking down on the meager earnings from tutoring kids.

"Running a training class definitely can't compare to you guys doing renovation, you're big projects, one building gross profit hundreds of thousands......"

Lin Xiyu tried to communicate with her: "Wu Meng and I didn't think that much, just want to earn some money by our own ability, achieve financial freedom without relying on others."

Female Cousin didn't buy it: "Guben's earnings, still not enough for you to spend? Hundreds of millions in family assets, put in an ordinary family, several generations couldn't finish spending it."

"Guben earns his......"

Lin Xiyu has her own persistence: "What I earn is mine, spending my own money feels solid, don't have to watch anyone's face, even if something changes in the future, there's a safeguard......"

"Xiyu ah......"

Female Cousin looked at her with some worry.

"What is it?"

Lin Xiyu saw her expression was off, wanting to speak but stopping, very surprised: "Whatever you want to say just say it directly, I don't like guessing riddles."

"Is it because you don't have children that you feel insecure inside?"

Female Cousin struggled half a day, still voiced the worry in her heart: "From your tone, you always give people a feeling of no confidence in the future, feel marriage has no guarantee, need money to fill the inner void."

"Not really?"

Lin Xiyu denied.

"I feel, you do......"

Female Cousin looked at her with worry again.

"For a woman, isn't this kind of thinking very normal?"

Lin Xiyu thought very seriously, smiled and countered: "You yourself don't want to rely on a man, started a company to make money, why does it become not okay when it's me? Could it be because I'm married, I should give up my career and return wholeheartedly to the family?"

"Uh."

Female Cousin choked, and after a moment of stunned silence, she said again: "That's not what I meant. Of course it's better for a woman to have her own career. I just wanted to say......"

"Don't say anymore......"

Lin Xiyu smiled and interrupted her: "The vegetables are stir-fried. Hurry up and bring them out. Maternal Grandmother is still waiting to eat."

"You really want to open a training class?"

Female Cousin gave an awkward laugh and changed the subject herself: "Do you want me to help you find a storefront? I know the market conditions of nearby buildings better."

"Sure."

Lin Xiyu agreed readily: "I was just about to mention this. It would be best if you could help me find one. It needs to be in a densely populated residential area, preferably a street-front first floor. If a two-story one is hard to find, that works too. Around 400 square meters, able to be partitioned into at least three classrooms."

"A street-front first floor of 400 square meters in the Old City District is hard to find. I'll try my best......"

Female Cousin understood perfectly: "Partitioning classrooms is easy. Our company can do this job. Once you buy the shop, don't worry about the renovation. I'll handle it all. Guarantee your satisfaction."

"Thanks, Sister."

Lin Xiyu smiled until her eyes narrowed: "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"Stand on ceremony what......"

Female Cousin exuded a domineering air: "Your sister does renovations. If you don't come to me, that's looking down on me. I'd be unhappy."

"This is what connections are......"

Lin Xiyu smiled ingratiatingly: "I'm someone who has a sister backing me up too."

"Hahaha."

Female Cousin listened happily, laughing with full vigor, very bold and hearty.

——

After finishing lunch, while Maternal Grandmother hadn't slept yet, Lin Xiyu called Chen Xiulan right in front of her, saying there was something to discuss and asking her to come to Maternal Grandmother's house.

Chen Xiulan was a bit irritable at first, resenting that she wouldn't go home herself and made her mother run the errand. Hearing Maternal Grandmother cough twice nearby, she instantly went quiet.

"This mother of yours can't even order you around?"

By the time she arrived on her bicycle, Maternal Grandmother still glared at her dissatisfied.

"This girl didn't explain clearly......"

Chen Xiulan drooped her eyelids in defense: "How would I know she was at your place?"

"Xiyu came over at noon to cook for me. She's been doing it for several days now."

Maternal Grandmother put on a stern face and scolded: "You, as a mother, is it that you truly don't know, or are you pretending not to know? It's just retirement. What's there to not adapt to? Look at your sloppy appearance. Hair not combed, face not washed. Going out like this, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"I washed my face......"

Chen Xiulan defended herself unconvinced: "I combed my hair too. It got messed up from riding the bike. Where's the sloppiness you speak of?"

"Second Maternal Aunt wasn't like this before......"

Female Cousin interjected with a smile: "When she was Academic Affairs Director, she wore her clothes very properly. The crease on the front of her suit trousers was ironed ruler-straight. Her hair was also combed meticulously."

"You listen to this......."

Maternal Grandmother glared at her dissatisfied again: "Does Leilei say the same? And you still have the nerve to talk back?"

"Why did you call me over?"

Chen Xiulan, scolded by Maternal Grandmother in front of the younger generation, felt she lost face: "It wouldn't be just to pick a fight with me, making me come over to listen to you nag, would it?"

"Mom, it's like this....."

Lin Xiyu seized the timing and told her and Wu Meng's plan to open a training class.

"Rehire experienced retired teachers to teach at the training class?"

Chen Xiulan froze. It took a good long while for her to fully digest what she said.

"Including yourself....."

Lin Xiyu struck while the iron was hot: "I believe with Mom's teaching experience, you're fully qualified for extracurricular tutoring."

"How many teachers do you need?"

Hearing the flattery, Chen Xiulan instantly lost her temper and was very tempted.

"Chinese, Math, English."

Lin Xiyu had her own plan: "Each of the three main subjects needs two teachers. Chinese mainly tutors elementary students in composition. Math focuses on Olympiad Math. English grammar and oral are both important. Best to find teachers skilled in both."

"Chinese and Math are easy......"

Chen Xiulan mentioned teaching, her spine straightened, and she regained the shrewdness of her Academic Affairs Director days: "There are plenty of good teachers. Many were the backbone of their schools before retirement. Elementary Senior Rank. Very experienced."

"As for English....."

Her speech paused, a bit troubled: "No retired ones. Can only hire current ones. Our country only started popularizing elementary English in 2001. English teachers are all very young. Most are in their twenties or thirties. None have reached retirement age."

Lin Xiyu asked tentatively: "Can current teachers teach outside?"

"Regulations don't allow it."

Chen Xiulan frowned in thought, then gave her a helpless look.

"That's a bit troublesome then."

Lin Xiyu withdrew her gaze somewhat disappointedly.

"What's troublesome about it?"

Female Cousin interjected with a laugh again: "Aren't you an English teacher? If you can't hire anyone, just teach it yourself."

"Substituting for a few classes is fine, but relying on me for the training class long-term won't work......"

Lin Xiyu was a bit conflicted: "Hu Nainai is old. Her eyes are dim too. She can't handle designing blueprints alone anymore. She needs assistance. Besides, I still have to go to the Youth Palace on weekends to teach kids paper-cutting and receive foreign guests. My schedule is packed full. I can't manage the training class too."

"How about this......

Female Cousin continued to offer ideas: "Recruit English Department students from Shandong Normal University to teach. As long as they have a Teacher Qualification Certificate, it's fine."

"That's a way to do it."

Chen Xiulan nodded, affirming it.

"The student's words......"

Lin Xiyu had concerns: "Without actual teaching experience, the teaching quality can't be guaranteed, right?"

"What's so hard about elementary school English?"

Female Cousin didn't take it seriously: "It's just that bit of simple grammar; grab any random one from Shandong Normal University and they can teach it."

"Elementary school is precisely the time to build foundations; we can't just muddle through......"

Lin Xiyu had her own persistence: "Parents spend money to send kids to training classes, they definitely have expectations for grades; teaching poorly would ruin the reputation, the influence would be bad."

"I don't think those who run training classes are all as serious as you......"

Female Cousin curled her lip: "Their purpose in running extracurricular teaching is purely to make money; as for whether grades can improve, they don't care at all; if parents are dissatisfied, they fob them off with a sentence about the children's learning levels being uneven."

"This won't do; it goes against my original intention of opening extracurricular teaching......"

Lin Xiyu didn't hesitate, giving an unexpected answer: "Although I don't deny that the purpose of opening a training class is to make money, the reason I first had this thought was because of our little female cousin."

"Nana is already in third grade; Maternal Aunt feels the pinch of money and didn't let her attend a training class; relying only on the bit of English knowledge learned at school, her test scores aren't good, and she struggles with learning."

"Maternal Grandmother told me to tutor her English, and I thought, it would be great if Nana could attend a training class; as long as she can learn useful knowledge and it helps improve grades, spending a bit more money is worth it......"

"I have this kind of thought; putting myself in their shoes, other parents are the same; teaching the children poorly would betray their painstaking efforts, and I myself would feel uneasy in my heart."

——

"If we teach, we must teach well."

Chen Xiulan agreed very much with these words, rarely looking at her squarely, and being of one mind with her: "Second Maternal Aunt has been a teacher all her life, never slacking in teaching; no matter which subject she taught, the classes she brought out, in annual assessments, the grades were always among the top in the district."

"I believe it."

Female Cousin's lip service was slick, picking up the conversation very smoothly: "Second Maternal Aunt's title of Academic Affairs Director isn't blown; it must be fought out with real grades; otherwise why would Xu Weiguo have rushed to curry favor back then? Wasn't it because you teach well, wanting you to tutor his daughter in homework......"

"Cough cough."

Chen Xiulan's face darkened, and there was no follow-up.

"You child, picking at a sore spot......"

Maternal Grandmother laughed and scolded: "Xu Weiguo father and daughter have been dead for many years; why bring up that old matter."

"Aiya aiya."

Female Cousin gave an awkward laugh: "I was just saying it offhandedly, no other meaning."

You sure know how to ruin the atmosphere!

Lin Xiyu rolled a white eye, her gaze toward her very helpless.

"Let's just settle it like this then."

Maternal Grandmother, with the posture of the Head of the Family, made the final decision: "Past matters, Xiulan you also don't overthink; helping the daughter find a teacher is the serious business; Leilei you too, don't just flap your lips at home; hurry up, help your younger sister find a shop; Xiyu wanting to open a training class is a good thing; we're family, help support a bit more; put effort in the same direction, earn money and everyone's happy."