All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

The commodity exchange meeting in Guangdong Province ended successfully.

Lin Ruan didn't even go to the venue in person. She directly let the puppet robot use her identity and appearance to perfectly complete the procurement task.

The robot worked tirelessly and efficiently, signing several purchasing contracts for electronic watches, folding umbrellas and new clothing at the best prices, once again adding a brilliant touch to the department store and her personal performance.

Lin Ruan himself spent most of his time in his own personal space during those days.

These days, she just wants to live a lazy life.

A few days later, feeling that he had rested enough, Lin Ruan returned to the capital with a refreshed spirit, carrying the contracts and samples purchased by the puppet robot.

Director Zhao gave her a vacation. After returning to her own courtyard to tidy up a bit, she went to Xiaobailou to visit her family as usual and talked about her experiences during her business trip.

As soon as I walked in, I felt that the atmosphere was a little off. Instead of the usual relaxed and lively atmosphere, there was a sense of oppression and awkwardness.

I saw my second uncle Lin Jianshe and my second aunt Liu Zhaodi sitting awkwardly on stools in the corner of the living room, with their heads down, like eggplants hit by frost.

Liu Zhaodi's eyes were red and swollen, obviously she had just cried. She was holding a dirty handkerchief in her hand and sobbing from time to time.

Lin Jianshe had a dejected look on his face and sighed. His former simplicity and even ignorance had disappeared, leaving only dejection.

On the table in front of them were two bags of cheap-looking snacks and a net bag of fruit, which were obviously gifts.

Wang Juan sat in the main seat, with a barely perceptible impatience and perfunctory look on her face, drinking water intermittently.

Lin Jianguo hasn't finished get off work yet.

Seeing Lin Ruan come in, Wang Juan was like seeing a savior, and hurriedly greeted him: "Xiaobao is back? Is it warm in Guangdong Province? Did the exchange go well?"

Lin Ruan nodded, glanced at her uncle and aunt, raised her eyebrows and asked, "Mom, what's going on?"

Wang Juan curled her lips and lowered her voice, speaking with a tone of gloating yet also feeling unlucky: "What else can I do? Your second uncle and second aunt have been struggling for half their lives, haven't they always wanted a son? Some time ago, I don't know what happened, but they saved up some money and secretly went to a big hospital for a checkup. The result was that the examination showed that there was something wrong with both of them, and they couldn't hope to have children in this lifetime. Look, they came here to complain, and brought these little things. I guess they think that they will have to rely on your eldest brother and second brother to take care of them in their old age."

When Lin Ruan heard this, she immediately felt extremely bored.

She thought it was a big deal, but it turned out to be just another trivial matter from the second house.

The dream of having a child is shattered?

Isn't this something that should have been expected?

After so many years of struggling, the medicine residue I drank could have piled up into a mountain, and now I just gave up. How stupid and pathetic.

Besides, even if she can't have children, why would she come to the eldest wife's house and cry?

Is it a bad sale?

Do they still think someone can help them give birth to a son?

She didn't even have the interest to be perfunctory. She said "Oh" lightly, not even bothering to say a word of comfort. She turned around and said to Wang Juan: "Mom, I'm going out for a while to see grandma."

Wang Juan was eager for her to leave quickly, lest she be tainted by the bad luck of the second wife, and said quickly, "Go, go, and bring good luck to your grandmother for me."

Lin Ruan didn't even glance at the dejected couple and walked out the door.

She really didn't want to stay there and watch that suffocating and miserable drama.

She could easily guess what the second wife was thinking: she was desperate because she couldn't give birth to a son, and she could only cling even tighter to the first wife, especially Lin Shen and Lin Lu, who had the most promising future and might provide for their retirement.

It's really pitiful, sad, and even annoying.

She rode her bike and soon arrived at where her grandmother Li Feng lived.

When I pushed open the gate, I saw my grandma sitting on a small bench in the yard, basking in the sun. She was holding a palm-leaf fan in her hand and waving it slowly, looking very comfortable.

"Grandma, I'm here to see you." Lin Ruan walked over with a smile.

"Oh, my little treasure is here!" Li Feng beamed upon seeing her precious granddaughter. She took her hand and asked her to sit next to her. "I heard you went to Guangdong Province? Was it fun there? Did you bring anything good for your grandma?"

Lin Ruan smiled and took out the dried goods, cakes and nutritional supplements she brought back from Guangdong Province, as well as a set of ready-made clothes.

"I brought them. These snacks are local specialties, and they're sweet enough that you can chew them. These dried goods can be used to make soup or porridge. I'll have my second aunt soak them and make them for you later. Try on this dress..."

Li Feng was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling and kept praising Xiaobao for being filial.

After chatting for a while, Lin Ruan casually mentioned, "Just before I came here, I went to their house and saw my second uncle and second aunt were there. Their eyes were swollen from crying. They looked really pitiful."

Li Feng's smile faded upon hearing this. He snorted coldly and stopped fanning himself with his palm-leaf fan. "Pathetic? What's so pitiful about that? You're incompetent, yet you're still thinking about devious ways all day long! What's wrong with not being able to give birth to a son? You think you can't live without a son? I think you're just acting like that!"

The old lady's tone lacked any sympathy, but instead was filled with contempt. "I've seen through him for a long time. Jianshe is just an indecisive loser, and that Liu Zhaodi is even worse! They only want a son, but they raise their only daughter worse than a dog. Such black-hearted parents deserve to be wiped out!"

Lin Ruan was somewhat surprised by her grandmother's intense reaction. Although she knew that her grandmother was partial, she didn't expect that she would dislike the second house, especially her second uncle and second aunt, to such an extent.

Li Feng seemed to have opened up her mouth, and continued angrily, "Hmph, don't think I don't know their little tricks! Now that they know they can't have children, they're thinking of your elder and second brothers? Thinking of currying favor with the eldest wife and having your elder and second brothers take care of them in their old age? You're dreaming! I'm telling you, Xiaobao, your parents are soft-hearted, so don't be foolish! Stay away from them and avoid getting involved in their bad luck!"

She paused, her tone even colder. "As for Pan'er...she's unlucky to have such a pair of parents. She herself can't stand on her own feet, unlike my Xiaobao, who is promising and filial. Her parents don't even treat her as a human being. As her grandmother, should I rush to love her? It doesn't make sense!"

Lin Ruan listened to her grandmother's undisguised bias and cold words without much ripple in her heart. Instead, she felt that this was normal.

Yes, why should a child who is not loved by his own parents be asked to be liked by his grandmother?

This world is so realistic and cruel.

Grandma hated her uncle and aunt's preference for boys over girls and their stupidity, and she couldn't even like their only child. All of this was natural in her logic.

And she, Lin Ruan, is the biggest beneficiary of her grandmother's favoritism. She only needs to enjoy this favoritism.

She chatted with her grandmother for a while, ate some snacks, enjoyed the warmth between the grandmother and granddaughter, and then stood up to say goodbye.

On the way back, she thought about the desperate faces of her uncle and aunt, and what her grandmother had said, and felt that life was so boring and ridiculous.

Time flies, and it's the end of the year again. The winter in Beijing is dry and cold, but the air is filled with festive joy and busyness.

The Little White Building was bustling with activity. Lin Shen already had a child, Lin Lu was married, and Lin Run's career was going well. The Lin family was prosperous and filled with joy.

Because there were more people, they simply brought Grandma Lin to Xiaobailou to celebrate the New Year this year, and Liu Zhaodi was still the only one busy in the kitchen.

Amidst the bustle, a slightly embarrassed figure appeared downstairs of the Little White Building.

It’s Lin Paner.

She did not come back alone. She was accompanied by a dark-skinned man who looked honest. In the man's arms was a tightly wrapped child who was about one year old.

The man was wearing a half-new cotton jacket. Although it was washed clean, the cuffs were a little frayed, revealing the hardships of life.

This was Lin Pan'er's husband, Wang Weidong. They were also carrying some local specialties from the countryside, such as dried mushrooms and vermicelli noodles, which looked quite heavy.

Lin Pan'er herself was wearing a red plaid cotton jacket that was probably newly made. The color was bright, but the stitching was a bit rough, and it was obvious that it was homemade.

Her complexion looked better than the last time Lin Ruan saw her in Liao Province, but long-term labor and the hardships of the countryside still left deep marks on her face, and her hands were still rough.

But there was a bit more calmness in her eyes, that of a wife and mother, and even a little cautious expectation.

The appearance of their family of three formed a sharp contrast with the glamorous Lin family members in the small white building.

Wang Juan was stunned for a long time when she saw them, and then she reacted and forced a polite smile on her face: "Pan'er is back, who is this? Come in, come in, it's cold outside."

The attitude is not very enthusiastic, but basic courtesy is still there.

"Happy New Year, Auntie. This is my husband, Wang Weidong. The children are a little older now, so I brought them back to meet my parents."

Lin Jianguo nodded when he heard this and asked them to sit down.

As cousin, Lin Shen and Su Wanqing behaved well. They smiled, teased the child, and asked about the situation on the road.

Lin Lu and Qin Xue also looked curiously at their cousin's family, about whom they had almost no impression.

Liu Zhaodi heard the noise and came out of the kitchen. Seeing her daughter and her family, there was no joy on her face. Instead, she looked them up and down, her eyes lingering on the new cotton-padded jacket and local specialties for a while. She curled her lips and said in a less-than-friendly tone, "Are you back?"

She still looked cold and emotionless, as if her daughter was not a guest returning from afar, but a few more troubles that needed her attention.

Lin Pan'er seemed to have long been accustomed to her mother's attitude and only called out "Mom" in a low voice.

However, when Lin Jianshe saw his daughter and grandson, his expression became much more complicated.

He silently took the heavy souvenirs from Wang Weidong's hand, put them in the corner, and then his eyes fell on Lin Paner's obviously bulging belly - she was pregnant again.

Lin Jianshe was stunned for a moment, opened his mouth, and seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just asked dryly: "You've been married for two years, and you're pregnant again? How many months?"

"It's almost five months." Lin Pan'er answered softly, her hands subconsciously protecting her belly.

Lin Jianshe looked at his daughter's tired face that was radiant with maternal love, then at his little grandson who was looking at him timidly, and his daughter's bulging belly. An extremely complicated emotion slowly grew in his heart, which had been filled with the obsession with his "son" for many years.

He was destined not to have a son in this life. And yet, this daughter, whom he had never paid much attention to, was now giving birth to another family and continuing the bloodline...

A belated, twisted, and somewhat compensatory kind of "kindness" or "resignation" actually emerged in a rare way.

During the New Year's Eve dinner, he rarely focused on eating and drinking, but instead silently pushed the meat and vegetables towards Lin Pan'er.

Although he didn't say anything, this action already made Lin Pan'er flattered.

After dinner, everyone sat in the living room watching TV and chatting. Lin Jianshe lingered for a while, then secretly called Lin Paner aside. He fished out a small bag wrapped in a handkerchief from his bosom, unwrapping it layer by layer to reveal a few banknotes and coins. He counted out three yuan and stuffed it into Lin Paner's hand, his voice low and somewhat unclear: "Here, buy some food to nourish yourself. Don't let the baby in your belly suffer..."

Three dollars, not much.

But for Lin Paner, this was almost the first time ever!

Lin Jianshe had never given her pocket money, let alone something like this that showed a hint of care.

She held the three yuan bill that carried her father's body temperature, her eyes instantly reddened, her lips trembled, and she almost cried, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Dad... Thank you, Dad..."

This scene happened to be seen by Lin Ruan who was watching coldly from the side.

The corners of her mouth curled up in an extremely subtle, sarcastic arc.

She knew very well in her heart that Lin Jianshe had suddenly come to his senses and understood what fatherly love was like a mountain.

He was simply old and desperate, knowing that he would never have a son with the surname Lin in this lifetime.

That pitiful, belated "good" was not for his daughter Lin Pan'er, but an explanation to his illusory obsession with continuing the family line, and a pitiful consolation for his own failed life.

It was even a gesture for the first wife, especially Lin Shen and Lin Lu, who might take care of him in his old age - see, I still care about family ties.

How ridiculous and how sad.

Lin Pan'er, however, felt as if she had received great warmth and redemption because of these mere three dollars and a little bit of insignificant attention. Her expression became a little brighter, and she was even more cautious and grateful to her father.

Lin Ruan looked at her cousin's easily satisfied appearance and her second uncle's awkward kindness, and felt that the scene was hypocritical and boring.

She stood up, put on her coat and went out, saying that the room was too stuffy.

The cold air outside made her mind clearer.

She had no sympathy for Lin Pan'er or Lin Jianshe.

One of them is willing to fight, the other is willing to be beaten, one can be satisfied with a little scraps, the other numbs himself with a little charity. They are both pitiful creatures trapped in the cage of their own fate.

But Lin Ruan would never let herself fall into such a tragic situation. She would always control her own destiny, standing high above, looking down indifferently on all the tragedies and comedies of the world.

Lin Lu came back to celebrate the New Year this time not just to visit relatives, but because he decided to change his career.