Chapter 267

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"You're very smart, you've already guessed it, haven't you?"

Female Cousin's mood was heavy, and she said again: "Yes, just as you thought, Maternal Aunt was once pregnant two years ago. At that time you still didn't know they weren't your biological parents, so she was very conflicted, not wanting to hurt you, yet unable to bear giving up her own child. She went alone to my mother's house, wanting to seek my mother's opinion."

"What could my mother say? She's a sister-in-law, she can't make decisions for that couple."

"Later it was still Maternal Uncle who said, they have you, one daughter, and that's enough. In their old age they'll rely on you, there's no need to have another child. Maternal Aunt, upon hearing this, needless to say was in great pain, but for your sake she still agreed to Maternal Uncle's decision, and quietly had the child aborted."

"Besides my mother, not even Maternal Grandmother knows about this matter. Now do you understand? How good they are to you. Having such adoptive parents who truly cherish you, you've truly fallen into a blessed nest."

——

"Dad, Mom......"

As Nana listened, tears suddenly streamed down, and crying she ran home, throwing herself into Maternal Aunt's arms.

"Nana, you've finally come back."

Maternal Aunt was also very moved, holding her daughter and shedding tears.

Maternal Grandmother and Maternal Uncle both gathered around, asking after her warmth and cold.

Female Cousin, not wanting to disturb the family reunion, closed the door and quietly left.

——

Wangfu Pool West Street, Old House.

Guben sent Female Cousin and Zhang Juan off once more, and by the time he drove back to his own home, it was already past one in the morning.

Lin Xiyu had to feed the child at night, so she slept restlessly. Hearing the slight rattling sound of the big iron gate, she alertly opened her eyes.

Guben didn't want to disturb their rest, so he entered on tiptoe, trying his best not to make any sound.

Even so, she still recognized the familiar footsteps, lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and walked out from the bedroom.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Guben saw she had only draped a thin coat over herself, fearing she'd catch cold, he hurriedly took off his own overcoat and wrapped it around her.

"Can't sleep."

Lin Xiyu gave a coquettish smile.

"Missing me?"

Guben was addicted to teasing his spoiled wife.

"What do you think?"

Lin Xiyu's brow tips raised slightly.

"Looks like I guessed right."

Guben smiled indulgently, took the opportunity to lower his head, and stole a kiss on her lips.

"Hiss, a bit cold."

A gust of cold wind blew over, Lin Xiyu shrank her neck further into the overcoat: "Now that you're back I'm at ease. You'd better hurry and go back to sleep. I'll go back to my room and rest too."

"You want to leave after just one kiss?"

Guben rarely held such a fragrant soft bundle in his arms, unwilling to let go.

"I'm not cold, you're cold."

Lin Xiyu saw he was wearing only a sweater, genuinely feeling cold for him.

"The babies are all asleep, right?"

Guben glanced toward the bedroom where the babies slept.

"Asleep."

Lin Xiyu knew in her heart.

Guben smiled and coaxed: "Come to my room, let's sleep together."

"No......"

Lin Xiyu had concerns: "Dabao is the most troublesome. He wakes up several times a night. Who knows, he might wake up again in a bit."

"Ignore him."

Guben, brooking no refusal, scooped her up with both hands and lifted her.

"Hey hey......"

Lin Xiyu wanted to protest, but feared making too much noise and waking the babies.

Guben's lip corners curved with a trace of successful scheming smile, carrying her back to the room.

——

"Female Cousin really said that?"

A short while later, the two lay in the warm quilt, yet Lin Xiyu couldn't stir the slightest amorous thought; her mind was entirely occupied by Female Cousin's shocking words.

"The distance was a bit far, I didn't hear very clearly......"

Guben was quite speechless at his beloved wife's lack of romance.

"Heavens, Maternal Aunt aborted the child for Nana's sake......"

Lin Xiyu's mood was hard to calm: "She hoped for so long, drank so many years of traditional Chinese medicine, started drinking right after marriage, drank for a full ten years ah, ten years. Finally got pregnant with such difficulty, yet she could bear to have a miscarriage?"

"Perhaps, there are other inside details."

Guben secretly speculated: "What your Female Cousin said isn't necessarily true either. Perhaps she just wanted to stimulate Nana a bit, make her understand gratitude."

"I think there's an eighty percent chance it's true......"

Lin Xiyu knew her female cousin well: "Sister Lalei is a straight shooter; she couldn't make up something like this."

"Then your uncle and aunt really dote on Nana."

Guben didn't want to argue with her in the middle of the night, so he nodded along with her train of thought.

"No matter how much they dote on her, there was no need to abort the child."

Lin Xiyu still felt deep regret: "How wonderful it would be to have one's own biological child; if Aunt hadn't miscarried back then and had given birth to her own child, the probability of getting cervical cancer would have been much lower, and she wouldn't be in her current state."

"Wife, stop thinking about it."

Guben tried to persuade her: "It's a thing of the past; nothing we say now is of any use. You must remember, when you see your uncle and aunt, absolutely do not bring this up......"

"Do you think I'm stupid? Why would I say that?"

Lin Xiyu said coquettishly: "I would never do something like reopen old wounds; I'm still afraid Grandma would hit me if she found out."

"Your grandma probably truly doesn't know about this."

Guben analyzed rationally: "That's also why I find it a bit suspicious; your uncle is a filial son, he knows Grandma has always longed for a grandchild of their own. If she really were pregnant, how could he bear to let the old lady down?"

"You're right; maybe Uncle did it precisely for Grandma's sake."

Lin Xiyu had a different take: "It's precisely because he's considerate of Grandma's advanced age and doesn't want to trouble her with looking after another child that he made this decision."

"That's possible too......"

Guben nodded in agreement: "After all, your grandma is already 86; at that age, being able to care for herself and not burden her children is already very good."

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu sighed deeply again: "I really can't keep thinking about this; the more I think, the more regretful I feel. If I keep worrying like this, I'll have a nervous breakdown."

"Stop thinking, go to sleep."

After his wife tossed and turned like this, Guben had no other thoughts either; he turned off the light and prepared to sleep.

"You say, female cousin......"

Lin Xiyu overthought things and still couldn't let it go; she nudged him again with her hand.

Faint snoring sounded by her ear; Guben had stayed up most of the night, was exhausted to the extreme, and the moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

"Uh."

Lin Xiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

With no one to talk to, she stopped overthinking, burrowed into the covers, nestled against Guben, and closed her eyes.

Guben slept in a daze, smelled a familiar fragrance, stretched out his arm, and pulled her into his embrace.

The babies unusually didn't fuss at night, and slept straight through to dawn.

The couple also benefited, sleeping in each other's arms and waking naturally, feeling wonderful.

——

Female cousin had stayed up most of the night and was also tired; she went home and fell asleep head-on-pillow, and when she opened her eyes, the clock already pointed to twelve noon.

She lived in an upscale residential complex with heating; after sleeping she woke up with a dry mouth and tongue.

The water dispenser was in the living room; she rubbed her messy curly hair, squinted her eyes, walked over, poured a cup of water, and gulped it down in one go.

After drinking, holding the empty cup she spaced out for a bit, always feeling something was off.

She scanned the surroundings, and her eyes suddenly widened.

She looked back at the water dispenser, then at the empty cup, spaced out for a good long while, before realizing she wasn't dreaming.

Is this my home?

When did it get this clean?

Not a single dirty piece of clothing on the sofa, the tea table wiped spotless, and even the wooden floor under her feet — not a single shoe print, so clean she almost didn't dare step on it.

"Sister Lalei, you're awake."

While she was spacing out here, a petite figure walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray.

"Hiss."

Female cousin realized there was a stranger in her home; she was so startled her scalp went numb, and she stared blankly for a full ten seconds before reacting — this person she knew, she was the one who brought her home.

"You tidied all this up?"

Seeing Zhang Juan's embarrassed expression, she also gave an awkward smile and touched her nose, trying to recover.

"Yes."

Zhang Juan nodded somewhat restrainedly.

"You fried the eggs too?"

Female cousin glanced at the irregularly shaped, slightly burnt fried eggs on the tray, curled her lip, trying to look as gentle as possible.

"Yes."

Zhang Juan said guiltily: "I'm not too good with the gas stove; accidentally burnt them a bit."

"Better than what I fry."

Female cousin knew how to compliment; one sentence made the young girl break into a smile.

"Sister Leilei, are you hungry? I saw instant noodles in the fridge; I can cook some more instant noodles."

"How can we eat instant noodles......"

Female cousin was very generous: "You wait, I'll wash my face, and take you to the small restaurant downstairs for a good meal."

"No need."

Zhang Juan was afraid of spending money; just as she wanted to refuse, Female cousin had already rushed into the bathroom like a gust of wind.

——

Downstairs in the residential complex, a street-side small restaurant.

"My dad hates that I'm bad at studying, that I'm ugly, says when I grow up I won't find a good family to marry into, that I'm a money-losing piece of goods......"

Facing her female cousin's pressing questions, Zhang Juan choked out the reason she was beaten.

"He'd have to be blind to think you're ugly."

The female cousin hated Zhang Ershan from the bottom of her heart; just thinking of him annoyed her.

"My eyes are small."

Zhang Juan felt deeply inferior.

"Look at me — are my eyes big?"

The female cousin deliberately widened her own eyes.

"Uh."

Zhang Juan lifted her eyelids and glanced over, not daring to make a sound.

"It's not that I'm trying to talk you down — my eyes really aren't big, ever since childhood they've been little slits, everyone who saw them laughed and said my eyes are small."

The female cousin smiled with self-satisfaction: "So what? A girl changes eighteen times before she's grown; when I grew up I was still a beauty, small eyes, small nose, small mouth, all tucked together and perfectly pleasing to the eye."

"We're not comparing ourselves to those great beauties; we win on temperament. Look — hair pinned up like this, a wool coat thrown on, paired with leather boots, a scarf draped just so, spine straightened — doesn't the feel of a strong woman come right out?"

"That's why I'm saying, there's no need to feel inferior. Everyone has their own shining point. As long as you have confidence, hold your head high and embrace the sunshine, you'll discover a different world — the originally gloomy sky can turn deep blue, the air you breathe becomes fragrant......"

"......."

Zhang Juan used the corner of her eye to glance at the sky outside.

Outside the window it was a dull gray, feeling like it was about to snow again.

"You don't believe what Sister said, do you?"

Seeing her little movement, the female cousin smiled meaningfully.

"No, not that, I believe."

Zhang Juan's heart gave a start of alarm, afraid she'd grow tired of her, and hurriedly denied it.

"Come, let me show you a photograph."

The female cousin gave a teasing smile, pulled a photograph out of her wallet like magic, and held it out in front of her.

In the photograph was a little girl who looked only two or three years old, wearing a topknot, staring at the lens with a stupid happy grin.

Zhang Juan was a bit bewildered, not understanding the female cousin's intention.

"This little girl — pretty or not?"

Seeing her stunned, the female cousin asked straight out.

"Uh."

Zhang Juan felt awkward, too embarrassed to speak.

Pretty or not aside, the small eyes were real.

Tiny slit eyes made concrete — single eyelids, the kind where even with eyes open you can't see the eyeballs.......

"This is a photograph of me when I was little."

The female cousin casually dropped a bomb.

"Ah?"

Zhang Juan looked at the photograph, then looked at her now, and her mouth fell open in surprise.

The gap was this huge, practically like a completely different person.

"This photograph already counts as the prettiest one taken of me when I was little. Maternal Grandmother found it when she was flipping through the album not long ago, gave it to me, told me to keep it as a memento."

The female cousin got to see her dumbstruck expression just as she wanted, laughing very contentedly: "Believe it now? Sister didn't deceive you, did she?"

"Believed."

Zhang Juan nodded very sincerely.

"Do you want to know why I changed this much?"

The female cousin smiled teasingly and dangled the bait: "Do you want to become like me?"

"Want to."

Zhang Juan's eyes showed hope.

"Actually I never deliberately dolled myself up......"

The female cousin gave a teasing smile and gave an unexpected answer: "The person is still the same person; only age changed, nothing else changed."

"......."

Zhang Juan couldn't understand, clearly bewildered once again.

"Put it this way."

The female cousin patiently explained to her: "My appearance didn't change; what changed was mindset, temperament, how I dress. Isn't there a saying — there are no ugly women, only lazy women. As long as you dress appropriately, take proper care of yourself, everyone can be a beauty."

"Mm-hmm."

Zhang Juan took that line — there are no ugly women, only lazy women — to heart, and her eyes lit up.

——

"Food's here."

The two sisters were just talking when the small restaurant's proprietress walked over carrying a tray.

Thinking Zhang Juan was malnourished, the female cousin specially ordered a clear-stewed chicken soup to nourish her body.

The chicken soup was very fragrant, a taste she hadn't had in a long time.

Zhang Juan drank it sip by small sip, and tears gradually welled in her eyes.

"Their chicken soup is stewed well; if you like it, we'll come again in a few days."

The female cousin felt a pang in her heart watching, and ladled another spoonful of chicken soup into her bowl.

"No need."

Zhang Juan didn't want to cause her trouble and subconsciously wanted to refuse.

"Sister has money."

The female cousin's domineering aura leaked out: "No need to be polite with Sister."

"Thank you, Sister."

At this moment, the female cousin was a ray of light in Zhang Juan's eyes, and she couldn't help but feel a few points of admiration.

After the female cousin waited for all the dishes to be served, taking advantage of the heat of the conversation, she tentatively asked her: "What did you just say, what's the matter with not being good at studying?"

Zhang Juan's eating motion paused, and she lowered her head again in shame.

"I wasn't good at studying when I was young either."

The female cousin laughed heartily, not having the slightest awareness that a poor student should have, instead looking rather smug: "So what, Sister is still making plenty of money now, with huge stacks of banknotes to squander, not that Sister is boasting, but in our JN City, the vast majority of people aren't doing as well as me, the money I make in a year is more than what they make in a lifetime."

Zhang Juan raised her head, and light shone in her eyes again.