Chapter 32: A Family by the Spring, Chapter 32: A Match in Social Standing

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Besides, Zhang Dafen being bad doesn't mean others are bad either. When your grandmother was cooking last year, she accidentally set the kitchen firewood on fire, and it was her eldest brother who came over with a bucket of water to put it out..."

"I know, I'm going to help Brother watch the telephone booth and take over so he can come back for dinner."

The female cousin didn't want to listen to Aunt Da nagging, lifted the curtain, and ran off like a gust of wind.

"This child..."

Aunt Da didn't want outsiders to hear; failing to catch her, she could only glare at the door curtain.

"Forget it, don't mind her."

Lin Xiyu's mother found it amusing and deliberately changed the subject: "Everyone's here today, the whole family gathered. Let's discuss something serious. The Neighborhood Committee has issued a formal notice: we must move out within two months. Huang Daye's son absolutely refuses to renew the lease, and even Zhang Director stepping in to coordinate is useless. What should we do about this? You're the eldest sister, so you have to make the decision."

"Sigh."

Aunt Da felt stifled thinking about the house and no longer had the mind to be angry with her daughter; she sighed deeply.

—

Guben didn't get to taste Lin Xiyu's cooking; he was called home by Grandfather's relentless questioning to play chess with the old man.

The old man returned from his morning exercise and happened to buy a braised chicken on the way. At noon, he drank two cups with chicken legs and was in exceptionally high spirits, humming a little tune contentedly while playing chess.

"Grandpa, before the college entrance exam results come out, I want to go to Taishan with my classmates..."

Guben did two things at once, taking advantage of Grandfather's good mood to test his attitude: "We've been classmates for three years, and after that we'll go our separate ways. Going out to play for two days and taking some photos can be considered a keepsake..."

"Who are you going with?"

Grandfather was old and cunning; he lifted his eyelids and glanced at him suspiciously.

"Just a few guys I usually play ball with and get along well with."

Guben casually made excuses: "Qu Peng, Wang Fan, Li Liang, and them..."

"No female classmates?"

Grandfather smiled ambiguously and sprayed him with a faceful of alcohol breath.

The little rascal wasn't telling the truth; don't think he didn't know how the bicycle was lost last time.

"The girls... depends on the situation..."

Guben said seemingly carelessly: "If anyone is willing to go, that's fine too."

"Xiao Bin."

Grandfather could certainly see through his little schemes and deliberately warned him: "Be careful when making friends. Grandfather isn't an old fogey stopping you from associating with girls, but some things require a match in social standing. When two people have different statuses and different family conditions, it's hard to get along..."

"Hiss..."

Guben heard the four words "match in social standing," sucked in a breath of cold air, and felt as if he had been enlightened, his mind suddenly opened.

No wonder Lin Xiyu suddenly changed her attitude toward him and deliberately avoided him; it turned out the crux of the matter lay here.

This little girl has quite a lot on her mind!

She's already thinking about matching social standing, even further ahead than he thought.

Quite interesting...

"You brat, did you hear what Grandfather said?"

Seeing him obviously spacing out, Grandfather was displeased and flicked his forehead with his fingers.

"Grandpa, thank you."

Guben chuckled and flattered him with a smile: "Indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. From now on, I still need to learn more from you."

"You brat..."

Grandfather was amused and angry, and still wanted to hit him: "Stop pretending to be confused with me. Honestly tell me, what kind of ghostly ideas are you thinking up again?"

"I'm going to call Qu Peng and them to discuss the matter of climbing Taishan."

Guben leaned back, sprang up from the horse stool, and quickly dodged.

"Who let you call? Grandfather hasn't agreed yet..."

Grandfather was a bit frustrated for not hitting anyone, and casually took off a shoe and threw it at him.