1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 118 Her younger brother was her only solace.
"We finished eating a long time ago."

Lin Xiyu was both amused and exasperated: "The men drink endlessly, I don't know what's so good about that wine, they won't stop until they're completely drunk."

"What a pity, I didn't get a chance to practice my drinking skills today."

My cousin said with some regret, "We work in sales, so we'll be in these kinds of situations a lot in the future. I wanted to test my alcohol tolerance and see how much I can drink."

"Are you still going to drink?"

Lin Xiyu was very worried: "Girls should be careful when they're out. It's dangerous to be drunk."

"fine."

My cousin said nonchalantly, "It's not like I'm alone. There's Liu Ye and the others too. He's the main force, and I'm just there to support him. I'll just help the boss drink a few glasses when it matters. That's enough."

"You should know your own limitations, don't be reckless."

Lin Xiyu was still worried: "Liu Ye doesn't seem very reliable. What if you get drunk before he does?"

"Don't talk about me, let me tell you something."

My cousin laughed awkwardly and affectionately took her arm.

"what's up?"

Lin Xiyu raised an eyebrow.

My cousin looked speechless: "Do you know what my aunt said when we left the house?"

"What did you say?"

Lin Xiyu asked in a very cooperative manner.

"She said she wanted to adopt a child."

My cousin couldn't understand: "What is she thinking? It's not like she can't have children, why would she raise someone else's child?"

Why would my aunt suddenly have this idea?

Lin Xiyu was startled.

"It was his mother who instigated her."

My cousin looked disgusted and said, "I really don't understand how a mother can be like this. A few years ago, she made a fuss about this, not only wanting my aunt to divorce her husband, but also wanting her to adopt a child."

"Perhaps she was also feeling sorry for her aunt."

Lin Xiyu thought to herself, "She feels that her aunt has suffered a lot of injustices over the years and doesn't want her daughter to be pointed at and ridiculed as a barren hen."

"That gossipy Zhang Dafeng has a really damn sharp tongue."

My cousin gritted her teeth and said, "This kind of person doesn't deserve to get married. I hope her boyfriend breaks up with her someday. Someone like her, wanting to live in the municipal government compound? Bah!"

"Her boyfriend hasn't come in a long time."

Lin Xiyu blinked, a little puzzled: "They didn't really break up, did they?"

"It's best to break it."

My cousin said excitedly, "If she really breaks up with me, I have to set off a few strings of firecrackers at the front door to celebrate."

"We're about to move, so let's not cause any trouble."

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed: "In the future, these old neighbors will be scattered to different neighborhoods, and it will be difficult to meet them again."

"Aren't we supposed to move back?"

My cousin complained bitterly: "When we were choosing a house for the relocation, we had to be far away from their house. I never want to live across the street from them again."

"Do you think that when my aunt's mother brings up the idea of ​​her adopting a child at this time, it's also a pretext for relocation?"

Lin Xiyu had a sudden inspiration: "After we move away, the neighbors won't know us, and they won't know if we're adopted or not. I can take this opportunity to bring the child over and say that we're biologically related, and no one will suspect anything."

"possible."

My cousin suddenly realized, "You're so smart! How come I didn't think of that?"

Lin Xiyu chuckled awkwardly, "I was just guessing, don't take it seriously."

My cousin then asked, "Do you think Grandma will agree?"

"They should agree, right?"

Lin Xiyu considered things from her maternal grandmother's perspective: "After all, the main reason why she can't have children is her uncle. Grandma also feels guilty towards her aunt. If her aunt wants to adopt a child, Grandma has no reason to object."

"So she won't have children herself?"

My cousin was speechless: "My uncle is my maternal grandmother's only son. She was counting on him to have a son to carry on the family line."

"What's the point of passing down the family line and continuing the family line?"

Lin Xiyu jokingly teased her, "I didn't expect you to be a sexist, and quite feudal at heart."

"I was only thinking of Grandma's best interests."

My cousin touched her nose sheepishly: "The older generation has old-fashioned ideas. They wanted a son, otherwise your mother wouldn't have remarried."

Lin Xiyu's eyes darkened.

"Oh, dear sister, I'm so sorry."

My cousin realized what had happened and was extremely annoyed. She slapped herself, saying, "I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You're right."

Lin Xiyu tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile: "I'm used to it. This is the truth. I don't want to deceive myself and fantasize that in my mother's heart, boys and girls are the same."

"Ugh."

My cousin sighed, "What a mess! People are getting divorced, parents are raising children, it's all happening at once. I feel so sorry for Grandma, managing such a large family. It's exhausting, and she won't have a moment of peace even in her old age."

"This is life."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly: "A person's life is all arranged by God long ago. When you are to die is written clearly in the Book of Life and Death."

"Good sister, we can't be so pessimistic."

My cousin was stunned and a little creeped out: "It's all my fault. Why did I bring this up? My aunt wants to adopt a child, so let her raise it. I'm just her niece, why should I care so much? I'm just meddling in other people's business and asking for trouble."

"Sister, are you finished talking?"

Xu Yi listened intently to the two sisters' conversation. Seeing that her older sister's expression was off, she deliberately changed the subject: "I need to pee."

"Little slippery man."

My cousin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then used the opportunity to lighten the mood: "Why did you have to pee at this time of year? I think you did it on purpose."

"Do you have to pick a time to pee?"

Xu Yi, still half-asleep, made a face at her and said, "Just pee if you need to. I drank a bit too much of that beverage earlier, and I really can't hold it in anymore."

There are public restrooms near the market.

My cousin waved her hand to shoo her away: "Hurry up, run a few steps yourself, go pee somewhere."

"I don't know the place, sister, come with me."

Xu Yi held onto Lin Xiyu tightly, refusing to let go.

"Row."

Lin Xiyu could easily see through his little scheme, and a warm feeling washed over her.

Although Xu Jie is despicable, her half-brother is still quite likable and is the only comfort her mother brings after remarrying.

-

"Sister, it's too hot. I want to go swimming. Can you take me to the Prince's Pool for a swim?"

Xu Yi fully embodied the essence of being a clingy friend, sticking to his sister and not giving her a chance to overthink things.

"Row."

Lin Xiyu's eyes were full of affection.

Let's go now.

Xu Yi's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Didn't you need to pee?"

His cousin teased him with a laugh. "I suddenly don't feel like peeing anymore."

Xu Yi chuckled: "Besides, you can pee in the Prince's Palace pond too."

"you dare!"

My cousin laughed in anger and reached out to hit him: "You dare to pee in the pool, I'll beat you up."

"Hehe, you can't hit me, you can't hit me!"

Xu Yi wasn't about to wait to be beaten; he took off running.

"You brat, stop right there."

My cousin wouldn't let him go, so she lifted her skirt and chased after him.

"Your brother is quite interesting."

Wu Meng went swimming at the Prince's Mansion Pool with them. When she saw the siblings running far away, she came over with a smile.

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu sighed and rubbed her forehead: "They're just too mischievous, they're a real headache."

"What seven or eight-year-old boy isn't mischievous?"

Wu Meng was genuinely happy for her: "You should be content to have such a lively person around. At least he can make you happy, unlike my cousin, who is such a stubborn mule with a terrible temper. Every time we go back to our hometown, he argues with me, which makes me so angry that I want to beat him with a stick."

"Your cousin should be starting high school this year, right?"

Lin Xiyu smiled knowingly: "High school students are at a rebellious age. Even his parents can't control him, let alone his cousin."

"It would be good if he could do better in his studies."

Wu Meng looked disgusted: "Uncle doesn't need to worry so much."

"If you're not good at studying, you can join the army."

Lin Xiyu casually remarked, "If you spend a few years in the military, even the most unruly person can be molded into a respectable person."

"My uncle doesn't want him to join the army."

Wu Meng sighed: "If he studies well, he can get into a military academy. There's no future in being a conscript. He might as well go to a technical school and learn a trade."

"makes sense."

Lin Xiyu smiled and chimed in, "Like my cousin, he got into a vocational school specializing in electrical engineering and was assigned to the power system. That's considered working for a state-owned enterprise, and he'll be set for life."

Wu Meng curled her lips: "These days, only top students can get into vocational high schools. My cousin only got into an ordinary high school. Forget about vocational high school. If he can squeeze into a third-rate university, the Zhao family will be very lucky."

What's your cousin's name?

Lin Xiyu found it amusing.

"Zhao Yuncheng".

Wu Meng smiled helplessly: "My uncle spent a lot of time thinking when he named him. He even consulted a fortune teller to calculate his birth chart. Yuncheng means a bright future. Who would have thought he would grow up to be such a loser? He can't learn anything, except for his looks. He looks like a pretty boy and is always loafing around. All he does is flirt with the girls in the village."

"Is this how a cousin should act?"

Lin Xiyu couldn't help but laugh: "To make someone sound so worthless, being good-looking is an advantage. Who knows, maybe they'll become a movie star someday because of their looks."

"He's a celebrity?!"

Wu Meng scoffed: "Don't say I look down on him. With his incredibly unsophisticated appearance, he's not even worthy of carrying Gu Bin's shoes. Forget about being a star, even if he went to a nightclub to work as a hostess, he might not be noticed by anyone."

"I see."

Lin Xiyu covered her mouth and laughed: "You really dislike him."

“If he weren’t my cousin, I wouldn’t bother to complain.”

Wu Meng looked distressed: "I'm just worried that my mom dotes on her younger brother too much. Not only does she give all her earnings to his family, but she also has to worry about everything in my uncle's family, big or small. Zhao Yuncheng is not good enough and won't get into university. He won't have a job in the future, and my uncle can only farm and can't help. So my mom has to work hard to take care of him."

"Ugh."

Lin Xiyu listened, feeling exhausted: "My family has a lot of troubles, and your family isn't having an easy time either. We're really a pair of sisters in misfortune."

"That's right, it's not easy for anyone."

Wu Mengxin echoed this sentiment: "Every family has its own problems. When we were young, we were ignorant and just ate, drank, played, and laughed all day long. But when we grow up, all sorts of troubles come our way. Sometimes I really wish I could stay at home forever, relying on my parents' love, and be a lazy bum who just eats and waits to die."

"If you don't want to grow up, someone might get worried."

Lin Xiyu teased her with a smile, "They've already given the betrothal gifts, but you've lost your wife. Don't you think that's unfair?"

"We were having a perfectly good conversation, why bring him up?"

Wu Meng's ears turned red, and she glared at her fiercely.

Is Li Liang good to you?

Lin Xiyu used the pretense of caring about her friend to inquire about gossip.

"Okay."

Wu Meng raised the corners of her lips, unable to contain her smugness.

"Not bad is already very good."

Lin Xiyu was genuinely happy for her friend: "You've really struck gold this time! I heard from Gu Bin that Li Liang is a very honest person, without many ulterior motives. If he likes someone, he'll treat her sincerely."

"After he joined the army, all his colleagues were grown men."

Wu Meng couldn't help but laugh: "We don't even have a single flower, so we can't even bloom flowers if we want to."

"I've heard my dad say that too."

Lin Xiyu laughed and chimed in, "After being in the army for so long, even sows look incredibly fresh and beautiful to me."

"puff."

Wu Meng spat out a mouthful of saliva: "Your dad is really something, he actually told you this?"

“He told my mom.”

Lin Xiyu laughed awkwardly: "I heard it myself."

"I can't tell."

Wu Meng smiled meaningfully, her voice high-pitched: "You have a habit of eavesdropping?"

"I didn't eavesdrop on purpose."

Lin Xiyu, her ears red, retorted, "They think I'm a child, so they don't keep their mouths shut about me."

"Your parents have a good relationship, right?"

Wu Meng sighed, "I can tell from the way you talk that you were spoiled by your parents when you were little and had a really happy childhood."

"Yes, they have a very good relationship."

Lin Xiyu's eyes darkened, and she forced a bitter smile: "So when my dad first sacrificed his life, my mom was heartbroken and cried every day. She almost collapsed. I watched her get through it day by day. So when my grandma took away my dad's pension and forced her to remarry, I didn't resent her. I genuinely wanted what was best for her and wanted her to get out of her pain."

How did your mother and Xu Weiguo meet?

Wu Meng glanced at her tremblingly and asked cautiously.

“My mom is Xu Jie’s homeroom teacher.”

Lin Xiyu was determined to refute the rumors and explained very clearly: "After Xu Jie's mother died, it was his father who took a liking to my mother first, took the initiative to show his affection to my mother, and asked a matchmaker to propose marriage."

“Xu Jie was young at that time and his studies were not very good. What he valued was that my mother could tutor Xu Jie and also raise his child for free.”

-

"Tsk."

Wu Meng clicked her tongue and curled her lip in disdain: "This kind of person is too calculating. What was your mother thinking? How could she have fallen for him?"

"He's just like your cousin, not very capable, his only advantage is that he's good-looking."

Lin Xiyu scoffed: "My mom didn't have any particular ideas, but she broke my grandma's heart. She really wanted a son. He was a technician at the waterworks, tall, and wore glasses. At first glance, he looked quite presentable. My mom was too anxious and didn't find out more about him before marrying him off without thinking it through."

"Xu Jie is quite arrogant, saying that all of her family's property was left to her by her mother."

Wu Meng listened with a sigh, and couldn't help but ask again, "Is what she said true? Could it be that all the money in her family was earned by her mother?"