1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 115 Father's Medal of Honor, Proposal

"Don't just talk the talk."

Wu Meng got carried away with the commotion: "Hurry up and kneel down to propose, everyone's waiting."

"Alright, stop making a fuss."

Li Liang grabbed her collar and pulled her back: "What's the point of proposing without a ring?"

"A ring, I really do have one."

Gu Bin magically produced a beautifully packaged small gift box from his pocket and opened it in front of everyone.

Sure enough, the box contained a delicate and small platinum diamond ring.

The ring has a simple design, with six tiny diamonds set in a narrow, rounded band.

The crystal-clear diamonds sparkle brilliantly under the sunlight, seemingly possessing a magical power that makes them impossible to look away from.

"A platinum diamond ring?!"

No woman dislikes a diamond ring. The ladies present stared in astonishment, leaning forward to get a better look.

“Let me see too.”

Wu Meng also wanted to see, so she forcefully broke free from Li Liang's hand.

"Don't join in the fun."

Li Liang, being tall and long-armed, grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him back before he could escape.

"Xi Yu, I bought this ring on short notice. Try it on first."

With deep affection, Gu Bin held the box in both hands and came to Lin Xiyu: "I'll buy you an even bigger one when we officially get married."

This person didn't even give any warning beforehand, and suddenly pulled this stunt.

Lin Xiyu ground her back teeth, feeling an urge to bite him.

"Xi Yu, put it on. Xiao Bin is truly sincere and has been preparing for this moment for a long time."

Director Du and others were clearly aware of the inside story, and the cameraman zoomed in.

Xu Yi stood next to his sister, smiling like a cat that had just stolen some cream, stealing the spotlight.

"You've all conspired together?"

Lin Xiyu was speechless: "You only kept it from me?"

“We told you long ago that we would make this a very memorable day for you.”

The assistant director smiled like a cunning fox.

"Put it on."

"Put it on."

"Put it on."

Led by Li Yan, the other staff members of the production team clapped their hands rhythmically to create a lively atmosphere.

Xu Yi also let out a loud wolf howl, jumping and leaping excitedly.

Lin Xiyu's heart raced, and she subconsciously looked at her grandmother, seeking her permission.

Grandma smiled broadly and nodded lovingly.

Lin Xiyu felt as if she had taken a reassuring pill; her anxious heart instantly calmed down.

Gu Bin noticed her subtle movement, a slight smile playing on his lips, and took the ring out of the box.

Lin Xiyu didn't hesitate any longer and let him put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

"Give me a kiss, give me a kiss."

The courtyard instantly erupted in noise, with the assistant director leading the commotion and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Lin Xiyu's cheeks were burning hot.

Gu Bin's eyes were gentle as he leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Yo"

The surrounding area was filled with noise, mixed with piercing whistles.

Lin Xiyu was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to look up and covered her face with her hands.

"I'll treat everyone to the wrap party at noon."

Gu Binzhi was smug and waved his hand generously: "Qingquanju* Old Jinan Lu Cuisine Restaurant, all the drinks are available, everyone drink to your heart's content, no one leaves until they're drunk!"

"it is good!"

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say."

"We have to drink to our hearts' content!"

"We can't save money for the top scholar."

"Hahaha."

With lively activities and plenty of drinks, everyone was in high spirits, and the entire production team was as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

"I'll go book a room first."

Wang Fan felt a pang of sadness; this scene was particularly jarring.

"I'll go with you."

Li Liang, being his childhood friend, noticed that something was wrong with him and put his arm around his shoulder like a brother.

"What are you going to do?"

Wang Fan disdainfully shook off his arm: "My motorcycle doesn't carry men."

"Depend on."

Li Liang laughed angrily: "You little rascal, you're so picky about who you bring along. If you want to pick up a beautiful woman, she has to pay attention to you first."

"I'll go with him."

Xu Jie had ulterior motives and set her sights on Wang Fan again.

Wang Fan, riding a motorcycle, clearly has money. Even though he didn't get to appear on TV, he managed to snag a rich second-generation heir, so his trip wasn't a complete waste.

"you?"

Wang Fan was in a bad mood, and her words were even more venomous than usual: "You call yourself a beauty? Pigs can fly."

"Cough cough."

Li Liang almost couldn't hold back his laughter and spat out a mouthful of saliva.

Who are you calling a sow?

Xu Jie considered herself a beauty with alluring fox-like eyes, and many boys at school pursued her. Unexpectedly, Wang Fan was blind and didn't even like her.

Spoiled by her relatives, she had been arrogant since childhood and could not swallow this insult.

Upon hearing the word "sow," her expression changed drastically. She grabbed Wang Fan's clothes and blocked his way.

"Get out of the way, a good dog doesn't block the way."

Wang Fan ignored her and used some brute force to push her away.

Xu Jie stumbled and fell to the ground, cursing loudly.

What's wrong?

Hearing the noise, my cousin rubbed her ears impatiently.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Xiyu also came out of the main room.

"Crazy woman."

Wang Fan glanced at the ring on Lin Xiyu's hand, and felt even more irritated.

"Xu Jie, what are you doing now?"

Lin Xiyu walked up to the two of them, her pretty face darkening: "This is my home, you can't throw a tantrum here."

"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to talk to me like that?"

Xu Jie, feeling neglected all morning, was filled with jealousy and resentment. She got up from the ground and sneered at Lin Xiyu: "Just because you're the child of a martyr? If it weren't for the 20 extra points, could you have gotten into East China Normal University? You grew up stepping on your father's corpse and eating human blood buns. What right do you have to swagger around in front of me?"

"Shut up!" Lin Xiyu clenched her right fist so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Am I wrong?"

Xu Jie mocked her relentlessly, a sinister smile playing on her lips. She leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "You're still as impulsive as when you were a kid. You can't handle a few teasing words. Do you want to know where your dad's military medals are? Let me tell you, I threw them down the drain a long time ago. You'll never find them in your lifetime."

"I kill you!"

Lin Xiyu's emotions collapsed instantly, and she reached out and grabbed her neck.

This scene was exactly the same as it was ten years ago. Back then, Xu Jie deliberately lost her military medal to provoke Lin Xiyu, causing her to lose control of her emotions and beat her in front of her stepfather, Xu Weiguo. She scratched Lin Xiyu's face and was whipped with a rattan cane until her skin was torn and bleeding. Xu Weiguo then kicked her out of the house on the grounds of disobedience.

"Xi Yu".

"stop!"

Chen Xiulan turned pale with fright, while Xu Weiguo roared and rushed over, raising his arm to hit her.

"Do you dare to touch her?"

Gu Bin arrived just in time, grabbed his wrist with his back to the ground, and threw him away with a back throw.

Xu Weiguo slammed hard onto the ground, landing on his shoulder. His face contorted in pain, and he remained silent for a long time.

"Old Xu!"

Chen Xiulan was terrified. Forgetting about her adopted daughter, she walked over shakily, trying to help him up.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take care of your daughter."

Xu Weiguo was seething with anger and snapped at her, "If she doesn't let go, we're getting a divorce."

"Xi Yu, let go!"

"Mom told you to let go, did you hear me?"

"If you keep pinching her, you'll kill her."

"A military medal is gone, so what? How long are you going to make a scene?"

“Your father is heartless. He abandoned us, a widow and her child, and just left like that. I finally managed to forget him, and now you’re making a scene again. Are you trying to drive your mother to her death?”

Chen Xiulan's eyes instantly reddened, and she cried out in heart-wrenching sobs.

Lin Xiyu paused, her bloodshot eyes gradually regaining focus.

"Xi Yu, it's not worth getting angry over a scumbag. If you encounter something like this again, don't do it yourself. Let me handle it. I'll help you and take care of everything, including the person who bullied you."

Gu Bin felt extremely sorry for her. He hugged her from behind, pressed close to her, and offered her support and warmth in his own way.

Lin Xiyu leaned against the broad chest, gradually regaining her senses, and slowly released her grip.

"Cough cough."

Xu Jie had a clear red mark on her neck. She took a few painful breaths and then turned her attention to the crew, starting to instigate them: "Did you see that? This is her true face. You've all been fooled by her. She's not a good person at all. She's loved fighting since she was a child. When she goes crazy, no one can control her. How can a madwoman like her be the spokesperson for Jinan? It's ridiculous."

"Snapped!"

My cousin couldn't take it anymore and slapped her: "You know perfectly well that the medal is Xi Yu's unresolved issue, the only memento her father left her, yet you deliberately lost it to provoke her. You have such a vicious heart, you're the most wicked one. Get out, get out now, this house doesn't welcome you."

"Get out of here, or don't blame me for hitting women."

Wang Fan was extremely disgusted and shoved her forcefully. Xu Jie, wearing high heels, stumbled and fell to the ground again.

This time, she twisted her ankle and screamed in pain.

"You've gone too far."

Xu Weiguo scrambled to his feet, pointing at his cousin and Wang Fan and cursing.

"You get out too."

My cousin slapped his hand away without any politeness: "You're not welcome in this house either. You'd better tell your daughter never to show her face in front of us again, or I'll beat her every time I see her. If I beat her to death or cripple her, it's her own fault."

"Chen Xiulan, did you hear me?"

Xu Weiguo dared not hit anyone again, and vented all his anger on Lin Xiyu's mother: "Is this how your family treats me? There's nothing more to say between us. I want a divorce. I want a divorce from you."

"Let's get a divorce, it's not a big deal."

My cousin was furious: "A man like you only knows how to take his anger out on his wife. Who wants to live with you? It's better to get a divorce."

"Hmph, let's go."

Xu Weiguo's face turned ashen. He angrily flung his hand away, helped Xu Jie up, and the father and daughter supported each other as they limped away.

As Lin Xiyu watched the two figures disappear into the distance, she thought of her biological father, her nose tingled, and large tears streamed down her face.

"elder sister."

Xu Yi was also terrified and had been hiding behind her grandmother until now, when she finally dared to show her face and ran over to hug her sister.

"Sister, don't cry."

He tilted his head back, his little face full of seriousness: "If Xu Jie bullies you again in the future, when I grow up, I will help you beat her up."

"Hey, you little rascal."

My cousin couldn't stand the Xu guy at all right now, and she teased him with a smile: "Where were you hiding just now? You only came out after everyone else had left. Xu Jie is also your sister. What grudge do you have against her? Why are you pretending to be a good person here?"

"Xu Jie is so naughty."

Xu Yi, speaking without restraint, said: "She often bullies me, calling me Xu Xiaoduo, saying that I was born as an extra. She also said that my mother is a mistress who is trying to fight for the family property. Her father only loves her mother, and the money in the family was left to her by her mother. My mother and I can't get a penny."

"My second aunt is not a mistress."

My cousin felt it necessary to explain clearly in front of outsiders: "My second aunt's mother died long before she married her father. Even if the children of a dead mother are pitiful, she can't just make up stories and vent her resentment on you two siblings."

"Sister Lei, find a suitable house as soon as possible and get everything ready before moving."

Gu Binjian frowned: "Xi Yu cannot go back to that home. Move her household registration out and completely sever ties with that father and daughter."

"Okay, leave this to me."

His cousin shared the same idea: "That's what I was thinking too. Let's look for a place on Qinglong Back Street. There are many houses there, and it's close to the Dongmen Small Commodities Wholesale Market. We can rent a slightly larger one, and Grandma's whole family can move there so they won't have to squeeze in with my parents. My brother is getting married soon, and our place is really too small for him."

"Didn't Brother Jian come?"

Xu Yi's eyes lit up when he heard his cousin's name.

With my cousin around, who would dare to bully them?

“Sigh, my brother is patrolling the power lines in the mountains, so he can’t ask for leave and can’t come back.”

My cousin was still furious: "If my brother were here, those two wouldn't be so arrogant. One punch would have put them in their place."

"Renting one place isn't enough."

After thinking for a moment, Gu Bin said, "Rent two houses, preferably close to each other, so we can take care of each other."

"Two sets?"

My cousin was taken aback: "Why two apartments? We can rent a small three-bedroom apartment, and Xiyu and I can share one."

Two sets.

Gu Bin rubbed Xu Yi's head, his expression cold.

"If you say two sets, then two sets are fine."

My cousin reacted quickly, following his gaze to look at Chen Xiulan and her son, and instantly understood.

"Director Du, I'm so sorry for making such a scene. You've all had to laugh at us."

Grandma couldn't bear to see her second daughter so distraught, so she had no choice but to step in and smooth things over.

"Grandma, it's alright."

Director Du waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care: "Everyone has their troubles."

"Neither of my two daughters is easy to deal with."

Grandma smiled wryly, "She's so old and still can't let go of things. She's not as sensible as her granddaughter."

Life is full of ups and downs, and life is full of ups and downs.

Director Du, adopting a serious director's demeanor, earnestly rambled on: "That's why they say life isn't complete without its ups and downs. No one can guarantee a smooth life forever. Learn from your mistakes, and there's no need to overthink things. When you encounter a hurdle, just come to terms with it and get over it."

"My daughter is all grown up now, and I don't want to worry about her anymore."

Grandma smiled lovingly, her eyes full of heartache as she looked at Lin Xiyu: "Xiyu really suffered a great injustice. She was only 8 years old when her father sacrificed his life. Such a young child, and that beast Xu Weiguo could do such a thing to her. He whipped her with a rattan cane until she was covered in bruises, not a single good spot. I wanted to strangle the father and daughter when I saw it. If it weren't for the fact that Xiulan was already pregnant, I would have made her get a divorce no matter what."