Chapter 274

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Alright."

Teacher Jia no longer hesitated and spoke frankly: "From a teacher's perspective on this matter, I feel you shouldn't give up your job. After all, you've put in so much effort from childhood to now, struggled for so many years. I've watched with my own eyes how you studied hard. Giving up so easily would truly be too much of a pity."

"Perhaps everyone would think this way. It's just me being too affected."

Lin Xiyu didn't want to contradict the teacher to her face, so she nodded along with her wishes: "Clearly knowing what the best choice is, yet still agonizing over it, making myself worried."

"Of course."

Teacher Jia heard a different meaning in her words, thought for a moment, then said: "Having your own ideals and pursuits is definitely a good thing. It's just that ordinary people can't reach that realm."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Lin Xiyu felt there was no need to continue chatting. She stood up to take her leave: "It's gotten dark. You should hurry home too. I won't disturb you any longer."

"Xiyu."

Teacher Jia smiled somewhat apologetically: "Don't blame the teacher. The teacher is ultimately also a mundane person, worrying over a peck of rice and a measure of grain."

"I wouldn't."

Lin Xiyu hurriedly waved her hands: "Teacher, don't think like that. How could I blame you? You specially made time to counsel me. I'm already very grateful."

"Actually, these words... I shouldn't have said them."

As Teacher Jia saw her out of the office, she couldn't help speaking again: "Everyone knows Intangible Cultural Heritage inheritance is important. As a native-born Jinan person, I also hope this craft can be passed down. If you weren't my student, I would also righteously let you go do public welfare work."

"But I can't do that. After all, a person's life is very long. No one knows what will happen in the future. A job with stable income is too important for a family. Not just for your own sake, but for your children's sake too, you must consider more."

——

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher."

Lin Xiyu smiled gratefully, not delaying any further. She went straight down the stairs and walked out of the teaching building.

"Hey hey, Si Haoming, isn't that the beautiful Senior Sister who was staring at you just now? Why not go say hi?"

A group of basketball team members who had just finished a match, carrying backpacks, came from the direction of the basketball court. They happened to run into her at the school gate. One with sharp eyes recognized her and teasingly poked his companion's armpit.

"Scram."

Si Haoming roared in embarrassed anger, drawing uproarious laughter from his teammates.

Lin Xiyu smiled indifferently. Just as she was about to walk out the school gate, a figure suddenly rushed over and pulled her into an embrace.

"Xiyu, I was really afraid I'd never find you again."

Guben's true feelings showed. He held her tightly, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of a sob.

The noisy campus instantly fell silent. Everyone was stunned by this scene. All kinds of eyes burning with gossip flames focused unabashedly on the two of them.

Lin Xiyu's spine stiffened. Somewhat unaccustomed to such intimacy in public, she tried pushing with her hands, wanting to push him away.

Guben not only didn't let go, but held her even tighter.

"Uh..."

Lin Xiyu gave an awkward smile: "I was just a bit bored and stifled, wanted to come out for a walk. If you were looking for me, you could've called me."

Guben held her without making a sound.

Lin Xiyu had a sudden realization and checked her phone. Sure enough, it was powered off.

This was a bit embarrassing.

When she left, she actually forgot to check if the battery still had charge.

"As long as you're fine."

Guben gently rubbed her forehead with his chin, with no complaint whatsoever, and no intention of asking for an explanation.

Although he was truly frantic when searching for her, breaking out in a cold sweat, even now his heartbeat remained abnormally disordered.

"It's my fault."

Lin Xiyu felt uneasy with guilt: "Made you worry."

"Not just me."

Guben deliberately played the family card: "There's also the babies. They're all waiting for Mommy to come home."

"Then don't stand around here. Hurry up and let's go."

Thinking of the soft, adorable little babies, Lin Xiyu's heart instantly became incomparably soft.

"I was very anxious just now, but now I don't want to rush back."

Guben glanced toward the direction where the basketball team members were standing, and remained rooted in place without moving.

"What do you want to do?"

Lin Xiyu, relying on a woman's sixth sense, keenly sensed his expression was a bit off.

Sure enough, the next second, a certain someone said coolly: "Haven't exercised my muscles and bones in a long time. Want to play basketball."

"Play what basketball? Let's go home."

Lin Xiyu couldn't fail to see through his little scheme, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Why not let me play?"

Guben clung on, refusing to budge: "Could it be you feel my charm has declined, that I'm not as attractive as seventeen or eighteen-year-olds?"

"Who said that?"

Lin Xiyu said coquettishly: "In my heart, the kids' dad is still the most charming. No one can compare to you."

One mention of "kids' dad" hit a certain someone right in the heart.

Guben felt at ease, the corner of his mouth involuntarily curving up slightly.

"Can we go now? The kid's dad?"

Lin Xiyu found it funny, and deliberately emphasized the three words "the kid's dad" in her tone.

"Go home."

Guben smiled with relief, tightened his grip on his wife's hand, and walked out of the campus together.

The crowd of onlookers at the school gate: "..."

Turns out showing off affection knows no age!

They were still too green.

They didn't get to watch the fun, but were suddenly stuffed with a mouthful of dog food.

This feeling, it's so damn bittersweet.

High schoolers aren't allowed to date early; who can understand this miserable, stifled mood?!

——

Wangfu Pool, Old House.

Lin Xiyu accidentally went missing once, alarming not only Grandma's family, but also Sixth Grandpa.

Sixth Grandpa cares about Lele even more than the couple does now.

Hearing that the granddaughter-in-law wasn't home, Lele missed her mom and cried until her little voice went hoarse; the old man couldn't sit still for a moment, and rushed over from the new home on Ban Shan Street in a frantic hurry.

When Guben and his wife returned, Lele had already been coaxed well by Great-Grandpa, sitting on Great-Grandpa's neck riding horsey, giggling with joy.

"Oh my, my little ancestor."

Seeing this scene, Lin Xiyu's heartbeat went disordered with fright; she hurried forward and took her daughter down.

"Sixth Grandpa, you're spoiling her too much."

Guben was also rendered rather speechless by the old and the young: "Let her cry a couple of times if she must, but now you let her ride on your neck — won't she turn the world upside down in the future?"

"You make it sound easy?"

The old man glared at him displeased: "Can Lele's body withstand such tossing about? You too — what's the big deal, so unable to keep calm, insisting on leaving the child to go find someone; could the wife have run away?"

"Cough cough."

Guben had no reply, coughing twice in embarrassment.

"Sixth Brother is still young, he can take it."

Grandma Gu saw the atmosphere wasn't right, deliberately changed the topic, smiling to smooth things over: "When he's ninety, even if you want him to carry the load, he won't be able to."

"By then, Lele will have grown up too."

Sixth Grandpa couldn't brush off Grandma Gu's face, smiled and agreed: "Then I won't need to worry this much idle worry anymore."

"Sixth Grandpa, it's my fault......"

Lin Xiyu's eyes showed guilt: "I've troubled you."

"Let's eat first."

Grandma Gu continued smoothing things over: "It's already done, just waiting for you to come back."

"Eat, eat......"

Guben quickly fell in step: "I wandered around outside for a big circle, I'm hungry too."

"Eat first, then talk......"

Sixth Grandpa wouldn't be so easily brushed off; he dropped the talk, hands clasped behind his back, and walked into the living room first.

"Ai."

Lin Xiyu knew she couldn't avoid it, bitterly smiling as she pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"Don't be afraid."

Guben leaned to her ear root, giving her an idea: "If Sixth Grandpa scolds you, just stuff Lele into his arms — guaranteed he'll lose his temper instantly."

Lin Xiyu laughed in exasperation: "You only come up with rotten ideas."

"Listen to me, no mistake."

Guben waggled his eyebrows, deliberately teasing her to make her happy.

"Let's eat......"

Lin Xiyu pretended to disdainfully push his face away.

"Come, Lele, Daddy hug."

Guben smiled unconcernedly, reaching out his hands to Lele.

Lele glanced at Mom, then at Dad, and chose to throw herself into Daddy's embrace.

"Hahaha, good girl."

Guben was delighted, lifted his daughter and tossed her twice, making Lele giggle nonstop.

"Yiya ya."

Pingping and Xixi also wanted to be tossed high, stretching out their hands to Daddy, vying for attention.

Guben watched with amusement, and took the two treasures from the nanny's arms, lifting each a few times.

Anan's reaction was completely opposite to the other siblings; she took the chance to pounce into Mom's embrace, clinging more dependently than usual, rubbing her face affectionately against Mom's.

Lin Xiyu's heart felt warm, hugging her son's milky-scented little body tight; all worries, in this moment, completely vanished like smoke and clouds.

——

Living room.

"Xiyu, if you listen to Sixth Grandpa, you stay in Jinan, do what you truly want to do."

After dinner, Sixth Grandpa heard the whole story clearly, and without any hesitation gave his advice.

"Sixth Grandpa."

Lin Xiyu's spirits lifted: "Thank you for supporting me so much."

"No wonder Sixth Grandpa is an old revolutionary......"

Guben flattered shamelessly: "That's having awareness, different from ordinary people."

"You brat, cut out this routine......"

Sixth Grandpa laughed and scolded: "Your wife's mood is bad, what did you do? You only know how to flap your lips."

"Wronged......"

Guben cried injustice with a bitter face: "I was the first to express my stance, firmly supporting her. Don't believe me? Ask her. Didn't I say to let her make her own decision? As long as it's what Xiyu wants, I support her unconditionally."

"Since Little Bin also supports you, what else is there to be concerned about?"

Sixth Grandpa exuded domineering aura: "In this life, one must have some pursuit, just like us when we were young, devoting our hot blood to serving the country, where were so many concerns? Death is just death, at most a scar on the head, eighteen years later, still a good man."

"This......"

Lin Xiyu lowered her eyelids somewhat embarrassedly.

"Whatever you want to say, just say it......"

Guben kept signaling her with his eyes, and silently mouthed a sentence: "What are you afraid of? Don't forget, there's still Lele."

"Perhaps, it's that I care too much about others' opinions."

Lin Xiyu found it funny, and under his encouragement, faced her heart calmly and spoke her true thoughts: "My resolve isn't firm enough. I'm afraid one wrong step leads to mistake after mistake, ending up achieving nothing, becoming a laughingstock."

"Have you thought it over yourself?"

Sixth Grandpa's sword eyebrows furrowed slightly: "What's the probability of successfully applying for Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor?"

"I can't guarantee certain success."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly: "I can only say I'll do my best, exert my maximum effort to strive for it, not disappoint Grandma Hu's expectations, and fulfill her dying wish."

"Xiyu ah, Grandpa asks you one more thing."

Sixth Grandpa hit the nail on the head: "You want to apply for Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor — is it based on your own interest, or purely to fulfill your master's dying will?"

"I......"

Lin Xiyu said without a moment's hesitation: "I myself also like paper-cutting."

"Then that settles it."

Sixth Grandpa's eyes revealed approval: "You have your own ideas, hope to achieve your own goals. From this it's clear you've already made your choice, no need for outsiders to interfere."

Lin Xiyu's eyes revealed expectation: "I still hope more people will support me."

"There are."

Guben lifted up the four babies' little chubby hands one by one: "Our family has four right here. The babies will all support you."

"Hee hee."

The babies mistakenly thought Daddy was teasing them to play, sitting side by side on the sofa, laughing very happily.

"Hahaha."

Sixth Grandpa watched happily and made the final decision: "No more hesitating. It's decided just like that."

"See? It's that simple."

Guben continued flattering: "Sixth Grandpa solved it for you with one sentence. Remember from now on, when something comes up, ask Sixth Grandpa first. Sixth Grandpa is our family's anchor. With him guiding our direction, it's guaranteed not to go wrong."

"The way you flatter, I'm embarrassed for you."

Lin Xiyu no longer tangled, and also had the good mood to tease him.

"This isn't flattery, it's speaking the truth."

Guben kept a straight face and continued flattering: "This is what they call 'a family with an elder is like having a treasure.' Some things, we don't see as far as the older generation. The little setbacks we encounter, in their eyes aren't even a thing — at most they count as adolescent moaning without illness."

"Compared to Sixth Grandpa, we really are too young."

Lin Xiyu harbored gratitude and was also willing to joke along with him, flattering the old master.

"Sixth Grandpa, tell us about when you were young, your glorious history of fighting devils."

Guben seized the chance to coax: "Let the babies listen too, hear how their great-grandpa was so brave and fearless back then."

"How old are they anyway."

Sixth Grandpa glanced at him with disdain: "What can they understand?"

"Your granddaughter-in-law wants to listen."

Guben invoked his wife's name again to make his case.

"Mm hm."

Lin Xiyu cooperated with perfect tacit understanding, nodding very supportively.

"Really want to listen?"

Sixth Grandpa hesitated a bit.

"Yes."

Lin Xiyu answered very straightforwardly.

"Come, babies, story time."

Guben didn't give Sixth Grandpa a chance to refuse, called out in a shout, attracting everyone.

Grandma Gu and the nannies also gathered around happily, joining in the fun.

Guben handed Pingping to Grandma Gu, Anan to her mother, and held Xixi and Lele himself. The family formed a circle, waiting to hear the story.

"You brat......"

Sixth Grandpa was riding a tiger and couldn't get off, rendered quite speechless by the junior he valued most.

"Speak then, Sixth Grandpa, we want to listen."

A flash of cunning crossed Lin Xiyu's eyes as she smiled ingratiatingly.