Chapter 99: 90: A Family by the Spring Chapter 99: Waited Three Years, Still Didn't Wait for Her Confession

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

Qianfo Mountain.

Lin Xiyu wore loose, comfortable sports-style casual wear, standing before the Reclining Buddha halfway up Qianfo Mountain, devoutly bowing three times.

"What did you pray for?"

Guben took advantage of a filming break to come to her side: "Let me guess—did you pray to the Bodhisattva to bless your marriage so you can marry me sooner?"

"Pfft, wishful thinking."

Lin Xiyu's ears turned red, both shy and annoyed, and she spat at him.

"What's wrong with your female cousin?"

Guben laughed, wiping nonexistent saliva from his face, then said with a smile: "When I saw her this morning her eyes were red, like she'd been crying. I really can't figure it out—with that fierce temper of hers, who could make her suffer?"

"How do you know?"

"On my way to pick you up, I happened to run into her."

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu didn't want to air family dirty laundry, said nothing, and sighed softly.

"What happened?"

Guben was meticulous; from subtle changes in her expression he could tell something was on her mind: "What happened? Is your maternal grandmother unwell?"

"No."

Lin Xiyu didn't want him to worry; after pondering a moment, she still told him what had happened early that morning.

"Aunt Da really was wronged. Uncle didn't say it outright, but from his words I could tell he found Da Yifu at that woman's doorway."

"If this happened to me, honestly, I couldn't stand it either. No woman can tolerate her husband spending the night at another woman's house. Even if nothing happened, there'd be a knot in her heart, making her very uncomfortable."

——

"Da Yifu was indeed inconsiderate."

Guben didn't want to meddle in others' family affairs, speaking vaguely.

"You men—don't you all like eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot?"

Lin Xiyu was very dissatisfied with his perfunctory attitude: "Just because a beauty shows interest, you get smug, flirt with one after another, with not a shred of responsibility?"

"Cough, cough."

Guben had a strong survival instinct and decisively distanced himself: "What you're saying—you can't tar everyone with the same brush. I'm not like that. Except for you, I have no interest in other women at all; looking at them is as bland as looking at a utility pole on the roadside."

"Oh, really?"

Lin Xiyu deliberately drew out her tone, eyeing him doubtfully: "Words from your mouth—why are they so hard to believe? I remember, someone was the School Grass, and since freshman year girls have been sending love letters one after another. Even the Count Mayor's daughter made a high-profile confession. You were surrounded by beauties, with so many peach blossoms—not a single one stirred your heart?"

"Peach blossoms there were, I admit......."

Guben loved seeing her jealous, sour little expression, and deliberately teased her: "But the one peach blossom I like has never bloomed. I've waited three years, and still haven't waited for her to confess."

"Tsk~~"

Lin Xiyu was sour: "You're pretty smug."

Guben laughed again: "Aren't you curious which peach blossom I like?"

"Who cares to ask you......"

Lin Xiyu felt sour inside: "I don't want to know about your romantic affairs."

"Really don't want to know?"

Guben pinched her puffed-up cheeks, secretly amused.

"Don't want to."

Lin Xiyu turned her head away, trying to shake off his hand.

"Tsk tsk."

Guben was addicted to teasing her and couldn't bear to let go: "So sour—you must really care about me. And you said just now you didn't pray to marry me sooner. All lies."

"Who wants to marry you?"

Lin Xiyu glared at him with her beautiful eyes and slapped his hand away unhappily.

"Hiss."

She used quite a bit of force; Guben's hand turned red and stung painfully.

"Xiyu, filming is starting."

The two were laughing and joking when the Program Group's staff were already ready, beginning the next round of filming.

"Coming."

Lin Xiyu took the chance to step back two paces, then turned and ran.

"Hmph."

Guben glanced at his reddened hand and shook his head helplessly.

Little fool, she doesn't even know she herself is that peach blossom.

No wonder he waited three years and still didn't wait for her confession.

Such a silly-cute girl—really, very interesting!

——

"Qianfo Mountain is 285 meters above sea level. The earliest record appears in the Northern Wei period, when it was historically called Lishan. Later, because the Sui Dynasty built Qianfo Temple, it was also called Qianfo Mountain."

The Yuan Dynasty temple fair at Qianfo Mountain rose to prominence; every year on the third day of the third lunar month and the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, crowds of common folk attending the fair came in an endless stream — a sea of people, extraordinarily lively.

In the fourth year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, the temples on Qianfo Mountain were renovated; among them, the most flourishing in incense and the most famous was Xingguo Chan Temple.

Qianfo Mountain has a long history and profound cultural heritage; when we stand inside Xingguo Chan Temple, stepping on the same stone bricks that ancients walked on a thousand years ago, one cannot help but be struck by an illusion of traveling through ancient and modern times.

Lin Xiyu climbed up the blue-stone-paved mountain path, bringing the television audience before the camera to appreciate the unique charm of the thousand-year-old temple.

"OK."

After filming wrapped, Director Du waved his hand with satisfaction and called her over: "Xiyu, this afternoon we're going to Pearl Spring — it's not far from your maternal grandmother's place, and afterward we can swing by your home to film some domestic scenes. What do you think?"

"Sure."

Lin Xiyu readily agreed: "No problem from me, welcome anytime."

"Then it's settled."

Director Du smiled, his eyes crinkling: "Tell your grandmother first, so they can prepare in advance."

"Got it."

Lin Xiyu answered with a smile, then thought for a moment and asked: "Director Du, will you be having dinner at my place?"

"Do you have any signature dishes?"

A glint flashed in Director Du's eyes: "Something suitable for filming..."

"I can make vinegar potato shreds, tomato scrambled eggs, cold cucumber salad, spinach with vermicelli..."

Lin Xiyu listed a bunch of home-style dishes, making Director Du frown deeply as he listened.

"Anything else? Like sweet and sour carp, nine-turn intestines, stir-fried kidney flowers, garlic-exploded lamb, that sort of thing?"

"I can't."

Lin Xiyu blinked her innocent big eyes and poured a basin of cold water on him: "I haven't even eaten those dishes, let alone made them."

"Cough, cough..."

Director Du coughed awkwardly twice: "To promote our old Jinan specialties, we can't just make home-style dishes; we must stir tourists' appetites, so they'll want to taste the food and come here to travel."

"Why not hire a chef as a guest?"

The assistant director offered a suggestion: "Xiyu, does your family have a chef? Or relatives and friends would do too."

"My family doesn't have a chef."

Lin Xiyu suddenly had a flash of inspiration, delighted: "But I know my classmate Wu Meng's father is a chef — I just don't know if he's free."

"Where does her family live?"

The assistant director's mind spun quickly: "Does she live in a siheyuan in the Old City District like you?"

"It's a siheyuan."

Lin Xiyu didn't disappoint him: "Her home is closer to Guben's, also around Wangfu Pool; there's a well in the courtyard, said to be quite spiritual, never dried up — even in natural disasters and great drought, the people in their courtyard never lacked water."

"You mean Courtyard No. 1, Xi Gengdao Street, right?"

Guben suddenly spoke up, interjecting: "The well in that courtyard shouldn't be an ordinary well — it's a spring."

"A spring?"

Director Du's heartbeat accelerated, his eyes suddenly brightening: "There's a spring in Courtyard No. 1, Xi Gengdao Street?"

"I played in that courtyard when I was young and saw that well."

Guben analyzed rationally: "The well isn't very deep; if you look closely, you can see bubbles rising from the bottom. In old siheyuans, this phenomenon is common — step in some places and water bubbles up from under the blue stone slabs. So the common folk didn't think much of it, just treated it as a well for daily water."

"Makes sense."

Director Du nodded repeatedly, his eyes growing brighter the more he listened: "This courtyard is very distinctive, worth a visit."

Li Yan smiled and echoed: "Now that's a true spring-water household."

"Let's go right now."

The assistant director couldn't wait to see the spring water hidden among the common folk.

"No rush."

Director Du considered things thoroughly: "It's not good to disturb them rashly. Xiyu, contact your classmate first, settle the time, then we'll go for the interview."

"Fine."

Lin Xiyu gladly agreed: "Wu Meng will definitely agree — she's been hoping to be on the show for ages."

"She's not important..."

Guben said teasingly: "The important one is her father; she's just an accompaniment."

"Heh heh."

Lin Xiyu was amused by his joking tone.

"Stop laughing foolishly."

Guben patted her head affectionately: "Hurry up, make the call — Director Du is waiting."

"Got it."

Lin Xiyu answered with a laugh and ran toward the public telephone booth not far away.

"I wish the station could issue us a big brother."

The assistant director suddenly had an idea: "Having a mobile phone would make outdoor filming much more convenient — you could keep in touch anytime even where there are no public phones."

"What good thing are you thinking of?"

Cameraman, his head drenched in sweat from the heat, gave him a disdainful glance: "A big brother costs tens of thousands. If the station had that money, it'd be better to give everyone some practical heat-relief allowance — carrying cameras around in this scorching heat, we're almost getting heatstroke."

"A big brother without signal is useless."

Li Yan strongly agreed: "If you really go to some remote place, that thing is just a decoration — heavy to carry and completely useless."

"Who says it's useless?"

Director Du, rarely humorous for a moment, mimicked holding up a phone and made a striking motion: "You'll know if it's useful when you run into a bad guy — pull it out and whack them on the head; it can serve as a brick..."

"Hahaha."

Everyone present laughed.

The assistant director was the most exaggerated, slapping his thigh and laughing until he bent forward and backward, nearly twisting his mouth from laughter.

—

"Director Du, I asked Wu Meng..."

Lin Xiyu finished her phone call and ran back happily: "She said her father only rests one day a week, and he happens to be home today; he'll be busy for the next two days."

"Then let's go today."

Director Du hesitated not, deciding immediately: "First go to Pearl Spring, then to Xi Gengdao Street; we won't go to Xiyu's home today, we'll go tomorrow."

"Okay."

Li Yan and the others had no objections; everyone divided tasks, packed their personal belongings, and went down the mountain together.

—

Courtyard, Yuanqian Street.

Lin Xiyu looked at the solemn and majestic gate adorned with the National Emblem, feeling a bit intimidated in her heart.

"To be honest, I've lived eighteen years and have never seen Pearl Spring; every time I pass this gate, I feel a reverence from the bottom of my heart, not daring to speak loudly."

"Hehe."

Guben couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at?"

Lin Xiyu glared at him discontentedly.

"I just couldn't tell..."

Guben laughed and teased her: "So you have times when you're this timid; where did the courage to jump into the river to save someone go?"

"I thought this was an important government area."

Lin Xiyu felt a bit annoyed: "There are guards at the doorway; who dares to just go in?"

"This isn't the Provincial Government."

Guben held back his laugh, pointing at the doorplate: "It's the office of the Provincial High Officials' Office, and those on duty at the doorway aren't soldiers; look closely, they're Security Guards."

"Whatever it is."

Lin Xiyu's ears turned hot: "Anyway, at a glance it's clearly a government department, not a place us commoners can just go into."

"You're really wrong about that."

Guben gave a teasing smile and took her hand: "Come, go in with me, and see if they let us in."

"Hey hey hey, wait a moment, Sister Yan and the others haven't arrived yet."

Lin Xiyu's expression changed slightly, standing rooted to the ground, unwilling to move.

"No need to wait for them; I'll take you in."

Guben exerted force with his hand, pulling her forward.

"It would be better to wait a moment."

Lin Xiyu's legs went weak, and the closer she got to the gate, the more nervous she became.

"They're carrying equipment and walking slowly..."

Guben wouldn't let her escape, pulling her to the doorway.

Lin Xiyu's trembling little gaze glanced casually at the Security Guard; seeing that he indeed didn't stop her, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The two entered through the side door, and as soon as they looked up, they saw the grand and majestic People's Congress Hall.

"Wow."

Lin Xiyu's gaze froze, and she let out a shocked exclamation from her mouth.

"Hey hey, come back to your senses..."

Guben waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Is this where the National People's Congress is held?"

Lin Xiyu looked at the grand and huge building, sighing faintly: "It would be worth it to get in once in a lifetime."

"This is the Provincial People's Congress..."

Guben's eyes showed longing: "If you're capable, go to Beijing to attend the National People's Congress; that's something worthy of pride."

"I can't do it; you work hard."

Lin Xiyu heard BJ and her heart skipped a beat; she secretly glanced at Guben.

He gave up going to Beijing to develop in order to break free from constraints.

Do his relatives in Beijing agree?

Will someone suddenly appear one day and forcibly separate them?

"What are you thinking about again?"

Guben saw her staring blankly, smiled helplessly, and waved his hand in front of her eyes again.

"Nothing."

Lin Xiyu shook her head and threw off her chaotic thoughts.

"With me, this handsome guy, around, you actually still space out..."

Guben didn't believe it, looking at her doubtfully: "If you're like this, I'll feel like I've lost my charm and can't attract you anymore."

Lin Xiyu didn't want him to see through her worries, and gave an awkward laugh: "Compared to the People's Congress Hall, it's lacking just a little bit..."

"You're something; I'm convinced."

Guben laughed in anger and gave her a knuckle rap on the head.

"What is that red building?"

Lin Xiyu saw that he did not pursue the question further, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was the old government office."

Guben looked in the direction of her finger and smiled with sudden understanding: "It's where the ancient Shandong Provincial Governor held court to try cases."

"Wow."

Lin Xiyu opened her little mouth wide and let out another exclamation of wonder.

"See that railing?"

Guben pointed to the rear left of the government office: "In front of the railing is the public open area, and behind it, that large building, is the office building of the Provincial People's Congress."