Chapter 236

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

Ruirui started school in early September, transferring to Daming Lake Primary School.

Grandma Gu was idle at home with nothing to do, and like the other old ladies, she liked to go to the school gate to pick up her grandson after school.

At 4 p. m., right when primary school let out, one old and one small walked back from school chatting and laughing; when they reached the alley entrance, they spotted a pair of figures peeking and craning their necks.

"Who are you looking for?"

Grandma Gu glared at the two with clear displeasure, her disdainful expression plain to see.

"Ah?!"

The awkward duo were startled again, both trembling in unison.

"What are you eavesdropping on?"

Ruirui was a sharp little cookie; from the two's flustered expressions she sensed something was off, and curiously followed their gaze to peek inside her own courtyard wall.

"No, nothing?"

The couple forced a laugh, denying it in unison.

"As if there's nothing......"

Ruirui didn't believe it; shouldering her schoolbag, she broke into a quick trot into her own small courtyard.

——

At the small courtyard entrance sat a gray-black suitcase, a checked-baggage tag stuck on it, the latest date written as today, the route Shanghai to Jinan.

"Uncle's back?!"

Ruirui's eyes lit up; shouldering her schoolbag, she rushed toward the living room.

"Huh, where did Little Bin go?"

Grandma Gu entered the courtyard behind her, a look of surprise in her eyes: "The suitcase is at the door, but where's the person?"

"Should be inside the room......"

A woman's light laugh came from behind, startling the old lady so her heart gave another jump.

"Aiyo, why did you two follow along too?"

Grandma Gu turned back, seeing clearly it was the couple lingering at the doorway, and her mood soured further.

【28】 "Hey hey......"

"Hey, hey..."

The couple forced a laugh; just as they wanted to explain their purpose, they heard the west room's door creak open, and Lin Xiyu walked out with red cheeks.

"Xiyu, you're home?"

Grandma Gu lost the mood to quarrel with the couple, looking her over with interest: "I thought no one was home, the front door wide open like that — be careful not to let some ill-intentioned people in."

"Cough cough."

"We have no ill intentions, we really came to find someone......"

The couple felt insinuated, and coughed embarrassedly a good few times.

"You two still haven't left?"

Before Lin Xiyu could speak, Guben came out behind her; seeing the couple, his sword brows knitted tight, looking quite impatient.

"We're looking for Teacher Lin......"

The couple didn't dare take up his challenge, their timid little eyes stealing glances at Lin Xiyu nonstop.

"You're looking for me?"

Lin Xiyu raised an eyebrow in some surprise.

"Are they people you know?"

Guben couldn't stand the two sneaking peeks at his beloved wife, their shifty-eyed look, and his expression grew even more displeased.

"Don't know them?"

Lin Xiyu heard his tone was a bit aggressive, and flatly denied it.

"Since you don't know them......"

Guben darkened his face and chased them off: "Please leave on your own; our home isn't open to the public, we don't welcome outsiders disturbing us."

"We're not tourists......"

The couple, fearing he'd misunderstand, hurriedly explained: "We came to ask Teacher Lin to give our child lessons."

"Why run to someone's home to ask for lessons?"

Grandma Gu was also very displeased at the couple's presumptuous visit.

"Teacher Lin doesn't teach at a training class......"

The wife forced a laugh: "We went several times and didn't see her, so we had no choice but to come to her home to ask."

"Who ever heard of wanting a teacher to teach and running to their house for it?"

Grandma Gu grew even more displeased: "If everyone were like you two, would our family have any peaceful days left? This isn't a vegetable market where just anyone can walk in."

"You'd better leave quickly."

Lin Xiyu, following Grandma Gu's wishes, chased them off: "Don't upset our old lady again; if you ruin her health, you can't afford the consequences."

"Teacher Lin......"

The wife grew anxious, shouting at the top of her voice: "We sincerely came to invite you to teach our child; we brought the money — this is 5000 yuan; as long as you can raise the child's English grades, there'll be a heavy thank-you after the exam."

"Go go go, hurry up and go......"

Grandma Gu was very displeased with the two of them pestering: "Do you think our family is short of that 5000 yuan? No matter how much money you give, we won't teach; going to such trouble for that bit of money, and if the results aren't good you still have to take the blame — my granddaughter-in-law's time is precious, she has no time to listen to you ramble."

"If the money is too little we can give more......"

The wife was unwilling to give up and still wanted to speak, but Grandma Gu had already impatiently shut the door.

"Bang."

The big iron gate shook a few times, shutting out the shameless people.

"What's going on here?"

Grandma Gu turned back to look at Lin Xiyu, a face full of surprise: "How come someone ran to our house to ask you to tutor?"

"Don't know....."

Lin Xiyu herself didn't know the inside story, smiling embarrassedly and shaking her head: "I've never seen these two people at all, don't know why they would know our family lives here......"

"Don't pay them any mind if you see them in the future......"

Grandma Gu harbored wariness: "Who knows what they do? Wearing a fur coat and thinking they're big shots, coming with 5000 yuan to make things difficult for people."

"Looking at the two of them, they really do look a bit like nouveau riche......"

Lin Xiyu held back a laugh, smoothing things over for Grandma Gu: "A fur coat also depends on who wears it; Grandma wearing it is exceptionally noble and elegant, that temperament, others can't imitate even if they want to."

"I love hearing these words......"

Grandma Gu listened with pleasure, her mood instantly becoming incomparably joyful.

"In my view, our family should buy another apartment."

Guben still frowned tightly: "Too many people know about the Old House; a little inquiry and they can find it. If someone really sets their sights on it, I'm afraid wanting to live a quiet life will be difficult."

"Buying an apartment is fine......"

Lin Xiyu smiled understandingly, then switched to smoothing things over for him: "Wu Meng also wants to buy one anyway; she said long ago she wants to live across from us. Why not take this opportunity and buy together with their couple?"

"She thinks quite beautifully......"

Guben rarely didn't go along with her thoughts: "Who wants to live across from them? Their family has so much trouble; every time they fight with the mother-in-law they run to our house, life would be even less peaceful."

"You and Li Liang aren't on very good terms?"

Lin Xiyu smiled and reproached: "Why be so disdainful of them? If they see it, won't they complain? No brotherhood at all."

"I get along well with Liangzi, but that doesn't mean we have to live across from each other!"

Guben had his own reasons: "If we want to chat, where can't we chat? Meeting outside for a beer is so comfortable, isn't it better than being cooped up at home?"

"You just don't want to stay at home."

Lin Xiyu gave him a sidelong glance with a half-smile: "How is home more carefree than outside? The flowers aren't as fragrant as outside either......"

"Cough cough."

Guben was embarrassed, coughing awkwardly twice.

"Hit the mark, didn't I?"

Lin Xiyu continued needling him: "Staying alone in Shanghai for over two months, lived too freely, right? Come back and find fault with this and that — are you aesthetically fatigued looking at our old faces, want a change of taste, some stimulation?"

"No."

Seeing her gaze cold and piercing, Guben decisively denied: "Wife, don't think like that; I've never had that kind of thought."

Lin Xiyu didn't believe: "You didn't attend any banquets in these two-plus months? Have any contact with other women?"

"Banquets yes, women no......"

Guben, fearing she would misunderstand, hurriedly explained: "The ones I attended were all official business negotiation meetings, discussing business dealings; there was no opportunity to contact women."

Lin Xiyu raised an eyebrow: "No women at negotiation meetings?"

"There are strong women......"

Guben said with a straight face: "Gender pending verification; whether they count as women is another matter."

"Pfft."

Grandma Gu was amused by her grandson's rare humor, couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Hah, so that's how you men view women?"

Lin Xiyu didn't laugh, bristled: "Having career ambition and you mock them? They're just capable, stronger than many men, so what? Not allowed? Does it hurt your self-esteem, so jealous of them?"

"No, I didn't belittle women."

Guben didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It was you who insisted on saying I had contact with women at banquets, so I had no choice but to say it like that......."

"Hmph!"

Lin Xiyu wouldn't listen to his sophistry, hmphed from her nose tip, expressing dissatisfaction.

"Little Bin, this is where you're wrong."

Grandma Gu spoke up for her granddaughter-in-law: "Went to Shanghai and your brain dulled? Can't even speak properly; come back and immediately make your wife angry."

"Grandma, how can you say that about me too?"

Guben was very speechless: "I just told a joke, wanted to make you happy; just now you were still laughing......"

"I didn't laugh......"

Grandma Gu refused to admit: "You saw wrong."

"I, saw wrong?"

Guben was very speechless, just wanted to retort, but was glared back by a look from Grandma Gu.

Fine!

You're older, you're right.

Guben decisively shut his mouth, no longer making a sound.

A listed company boss who commands wind and rain outside, facing the two women at home, two to one, complete defeat.

——

The couple who came to the house asking Lin Xiyu to tutor their child truly lived up to Grandma Gu's teasing — they were nouveau riche.

The couple ran a fireworks and firecrackers business; starting from a tiny workshop with only a handful of people, they stubbornly earned in a few years what ordinary people couldn't earn in a lifetime.

The two bought a house, bought a car, and the whole family, young and old, moved from the countryside to live in the city.

The husband's surname was Wang, named Wang Meng; their son was called Wang Bo, nickname Guo Guo, currently in the second year of junior high.

Wang Bo studied quite hard; back in the countryside his grades ranked among the top in his class.

However, rural schools had a drawback: the English teachers' standards were uneven.

The child's English foundation was weak; after transferring to the city, the gap between him and his classmates immediately showed.

Wang Bo had strong self-esteem; unwilling to let classmates look down on him, he pressed his parents to enroll him in several cram schools, but the results were poor.

With the third year of junior high approaching and the high school entrance exam looming, he himself was very anxious, often staring blankly at English test papers and inexplicably losing his temper.

Wang Meng and his wife were also frantic; they had toiled half their lives for this only son — who doesn't hope their child becomes a dragon? They didn't want their son's future ruined by this one subject, English.

As luck would have it, Nana's classmate's parent knew the couple; during holidays they often stocked up wholesale firecrackers from them, and through repeated dealings became acquainted.

That person was a loudmouth and told them about this matter too.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listeners took it to heart; the couple, desperate for a cure, inquired about Lin Xiyu's address the very next day and showed up unannounced.

——

Lin Xiyu hadn't expected the couple to be so persistent; they truly emulated Liu Bei's three visits to the thatched cottage, lingering at her doorstep day after day without fail.

As time dragged on, she herself felt embarrassed and had no choice but to invite them inside.

Hearing her tone soften, the couple were so moved they nearly knelt down and kowtowed loudly right there.

Lin Xiyu couldn't bear their grand gesture; face darkening, she wanted to shoo them out again.

"I dare not guarantee I can teach your child well; whether grades improve still depends on his own comprehension ability."

"We understand; as long as Teacher Lin is willing to teach him, we'll be deeply grateful."

"Bring him over first; I need to test him, see if he has the aptitude, then I'll decide whether to teach him."

"Sure thing, thank you Teacher Lin; we'll go fetch the child right now."

The couple got their wish and left with profuse thanks.

——

"You really want to teach him?"

Grandma Gu was fed up with the couple's pestering.

"Let them bring him over first to have a look."

Lin Xiyu also had a headache: "Otherwise they'll keep loitering at the alley entrance all day; the neighbors will see and start gossiping."

"What could they gossip about?"

Grandma Gu dismissed it: "We don't even know them; teaching or not teaching is both justified, no one dares say a word of idle talk."

"They might not dare openly, but who knows what they'll say behind our backs."

Lin Xiyu knew the gaggle of gossipy women well: "Ruirui still goes to Daming Lake Primary School; I don't want him hearing idle talk. This child is quite sensitive, overthinks things; these years I've carefully protected him, and he's only just become a bit more cheerful — I don't want more gossip to affect his psychology again."

"Sigh."

Grandma Gu cared most about her great-grandson now; hearing it might badly influence Ruirui, she swallowed her bellyful of resentment.

——

Wang Meng and his wife's business went smoothly; they were broad-minded and plump, and their son resembled them — a round, chubby little fatty.

When the family of three entered together, the half-open door was knocked with a clatter.

Grandma Gu looked toward the sound and saw the father nearly stuck, unable to squeeze in; she let out an "aiyo" and laughed until her mouth wouldn't close.

"Our door has been around for many years......"

Lin Xiyu also laughed, set down the paper-cutting in her hand, and teased: "If it lasts till now it's an antique; if you break it you'll have to pay!"

"Teacher Lin, name your price, we'll pay right now......"

Wang Meng, rich and bold, immediately pulled out his wallet, wanting to pay.

"Just a joke, you actually took it seriously."

Grandma Gu gave him a disdainful sidelong glance.

The implication: who cares about your money?!

In this old woman's eyes, your little net worth isn't even worth a glance.

"Hurry up and put it away, don't embarrass yourself."

Wang Meng's wife instantly understood her meaning, awkwardly patted her husband's hand, signaling him to put the wallet away.

"Hmph."

Grandma Gu hmphed tsundere-style, fairly satisfied with her tact.

"From now on, don't always hang money on your lips....."

Lin Xiyu found it amusing and voiced the old lady's inner thoughts: "Even if I agreed to tutor your child, it wouldn't be for money; money certainly moves hearts, but it isn't omnipotent either."

"If your child has decent aptitude and his grades improve under my tutoring, we'll count it as a good karmic connection; if not, with half a semester as the limit, if the final exam scores still don't rise, we'll drop the matter — you find another famous teacher, so as not to delay the child's future."