1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 139 I truly like you, at least that half-sentence is true.
"I hope you really listen to me."

Grandma smiled and scolded, "Don't put it so nicely. I know you well enough. Even if your grandpa and grandpa were two mountains combined, they couldn't keep you in check, you little rascal. Even if I wanted to discipline you, I wouldn't be able to."

"It is only natural for a maternal grandmother to take care of her grandson."

Gu Bin responded smoothly: "If you want to manage it, why can't you? I have to listen."

"Don't try to put it so nicely. Don't you know how naughty you were when you were little?"

Grandma was about to scold him when Gu Bin, not wanting her to expose his past, quickly stopped the conversation: "Grandma, please have some mercy. Give me some face in front of your future granddaughter-in-law, okay?"

"Now that you have a girlfriend, you know you need to care about your image?"

Grandma laughed in exasperation: "Just like your grandpa, so obsessed with saving face that he suffers for it."

Grandpa's lips twitched: "Why are you two dragging me into this again?"

"Eat, eat, keep eating."

Seeing the waiter bring in the dishes, Gu Bin took the opportunity to liven up the atmosphere: "The main dish is here, sweet and sour carp, Grandma's favorite."

"Eat fish."

Grandpa took the opportunity to pick up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it on Grandma's plate.

"Xiaolin will eat too."

With her favorite food, Grandma lost the mood to argue with her husband. She greeted Lin Xiyu with a smile, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat the fish.

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu had enjoyed a good show and was in a good mood; her smile became much more genuine.

How do you like the food here?

Gu Bin took the opportunity to lean in front of her and whisper something to her.

"good to eat."

Lin Xiyu smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Gu Bin asked in a low voice, "How about we hold the engagement banquet at this restaurant?"

"what?"

Lin Xiyu stopped laughing, her eyes widening in shock: "Holding a banquet here? That must be incredibly expensive!"

"Whether it's expensive or not is none of your concern."

Gu Bin raised an eyebrow slightly: "You just need to tell me whether you like this place or not."

"Of course I like it!"

Lin Xiyu was a little conflicted.

"As long as you like it."

Gu Bin immediately made the decision: "I'll tell their manager to book a private room in advance."

"You're ordering it now?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "Haven't the elders of both sides met yet?"

"It's already out in the open."

Gu Bin didn't take it seriously: "The meeting is just a formality."

Did your mom agree?

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Xiyu finally asked the question that worried her the most.

"My mother isn't in Jinan anymore; she was transferred to Weihai for work."

Gu Bin didn't explicitly state the reason why his mother left Jinan, but gave a casual, perfunctory answer.

"she is not here?"

Lin Xiyu wisely refrained from asking further questions and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that she's not here. She really doesn't want her family to see her having to compromise and be subservient when facing her mother.

"Ah."

Gu Bin nodded and said, "My dad might come back before the engagement to attend our engagement banquet."

"Does your dad know about us?"

Lin Xiyu's mind flashed back to the embarrassing incident of picking mulberry leaves when she was a child, and her ears burned.

"understood."

Gu Bin smiled helplessly: "My older brother told him. I didn't expect him to be so quick to speak. We had just left Grandpa's house when he told my dad."

"Was it the time Zheng took us on that plane trip?"

"Yes, that time."

Does your dad approve of us dating?

Lin Xiyu paused, feeling a little nervous.

"What's wrong with him?"

Gu Bin glanced at her, his eyes gleaming with amusement: "His daughter-in-law is smart, beautiful, and knows how to raise silkworms."

"You are bad!"

Lin Xiyu immediately understood what he meant, and punched him lightly, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.

"What did I say? You hit me."

Gu Bin rubbed his shoulder as if he was in a lot of pain, the mockery in his eyes was obvious.

"Don't you know what you're saying?"

Lin Xiyu became even angrier when she saw that he was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Actually, you don't need to care.

Gu Bin, with his mischievous side at play, continued to tease her: "So many years have passed, my dad has probably forgotten most of it. He's busy leading troops in training all day long, how could he have time to remember a little girl who fell from a tree?"

I knew you were talking about this.

Lin Xiyu blushed with embarrassment and punched him again.

The force wasn't strong, so Gu Bin wasn't hurt or itched. He suppressed a laugh and said, "That tree is still there. I'll take you back to that place sometime. After all, it's the place that witnessed our first meeting, and it has extraordinary commemorative significance."

"You go by yourself, I don't want to go."

Lin Xiyu looked away, both angry and annoyed, not wanting to pay him any more attention.

What are you two talking about?

The close interaction between the two young children caught the grandmother's attention: "They're chatting so happily, tell us what they're saying, let us have a laugh too."

"We're talking about the mulberry tree in the military compound."

Gu Bin was about to speak when Lin Xiyu covered his mouth.

"Mulberry tree? What's going on?"

Grandma raised an eyebrow and looked them over with great interest.

"nothing."

Lin Xiyu released Gu Bin and warned him with her eyes not to talk nonsense.

"The mulberries on the mulberry tree are delicious."

Under her death stare, Gu Bin had to swallow back the words that were about to come out: "It's been a long time since I've had it. I really miss the taste."

"Oh, is it so?"

Grandma smiled wryly: "I remember you didn't like mulberries."

"Cough cough."

Gu Bin covered his mouth with his hand and coughed awkwardly twice.

"Xiaobin likes to eat lion's head meatballs, eat more."

Grandpa deliberately interrupted by picking up a braised lion's head meatball and putting it on his grandson's plate.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Gu Bin winked and exchanged a knowing glance with his grandfather.

"When did you two become so in sync?"

Grandma could easily see through Grandpa's little scheme, and gave the two of them a cool look.

“We’ve always been so in sync.” Grandpa and Gu Bin said in unison, “That’s why we’re called father and son.”

"Xiaolin, did you see that?"

Grandma used Lin Xiyu as an excuse to deliberately belittle the father and son: "These are the men of the Gu family, all two-faced types. You can't believe a word they say. If you can't see through the tricks of the trade, they'll bully you to death."

"Grandma, is there really no need to say that?"

Gu Bin chuckled awkwardly: "Your granddaughter-in-law hasn't even entered the house yet, and you're already insulting your own grandson like this? Aren't you afraid of scaring her away?"

"I first gave Xiaolin a heads-up, telling her not to be too honest."

Grandma rolled her eyes at him and teased him with a smile: "Especially you, you're full of tricks, you can't believe nine and a half out of ten of what you say."

"Xi Yu, I truly love you."

Gu Bin reacted quickly, and before Lin Xiyu could change her expression, he decisively declared, "Even if what Grandma said is true, at least this half of it is true."

Hey, you little rascal!

Grandma laughed in exasperation: "So all that talk was for nothing, I was just trying to carry your sedan chair."

"Hahaha."

Grandpa was amused and laughed heartily.

-

With Lin Xiyu drinking with them, and Gu Bin deliberately trying to liven up the atmosphere, the four of them, young and old, enjoyed their lunch very much.

Grandpa was unusually happy and drank a bit too much, so his precious grandson carried him home.

Lin Xiyu breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the two elders enter the room.

Gu Bin's maternal grandparents were easier to get along with than she had imagined, which finally put her mind at ease after a long period of worry.

"Grandpa is asleep, let me take you home."

Gu Bin watched his grandfather fall asleep, then quietly slipped out of the house.

"no need."

Lin Xiyu smiled and politely declined, "It's not far from Donghua Street, so don't bother going back and forth. I can go back by myself."

"I'll take you on my bicycle, it'll be quick and won't take much time."

As Gu Bin spoke, he pushed the mountain bike out of the yard.

"You were called to the TV station by Sister Yan early this morning, and you must be very tired. You really don't need to see me off."

Lin Xiyu felt a pang of heartache when she saw the bloodshot eyes at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm not sleepy; I'm used to staying up late."

Without saying a word, Gu Bin pulled the person into the back seat.

"Are my grandma and the others really not going to cause any more trouble?"

Lin Xiyu was still shaken, having been tormented by the unreasonable old woman to the point of developing psychological trauma.

"Not anymore."

Gu Bin was confident: "I bet their own family is making a fuss about it right now. There's only one spot for a permanent position, so they'll definitely fight tooth and nail for it."

-

As he had predicted, the family in the countryside was indeed engaged in a fierce fight.

Lin Xiyu's uncle and aunt each had their own agendas and wanted to insert their own children into the program.

Her second uncle was no pushover either. He was lame in one leg, but he used his crutches to beat his younger uncle until he screamed and howled, forcing his mother to give up and give the spot to her son.

Although Lin Xiyu's grandmother favored her youngest son, he was disabled and lived in poverty, so she couldn't be too ruthless and ignore his family.

The family argued for several days, but in the end, it was her second uncle who threatened to kill himself to secure a good future for his son.

Second Uncle's son is named Lin Kuan, who is one year younger than Lin Xiyu. He started school a year earlier and graduated from high school this year.

He wasn't a good student and didn't get into university. He originally wanted to take the exam again next year, but he had this opportunity, so he gave up the chance to repeat the year and came to the city from the countryside.

Gu Bin kept his word and indeed had Wang Fan use his father's position as a building materials merchant to get him a job at Jinan Iron and Steel Group.

Jinan Iron and Steel Group is a state-owned enterprise with stable employment and good benefits. Working in such a large state-owned factory is a blessing that many people can only dream of.

Lin Kuan, being a young man, has not yet been corrupted by the selfish and self-serving older generation, and is considered one of the few children in the Lin family who knows how to be grateful.

Gu Bin arranged for him to work in the city, and he was grateful and willingly became his informant, truthfully reporting the Lin family's every move.

With this informant, Gu Bin could easily keep track of the Lin family's movements. As long as the old lady had any ulterior motives and wanted to come and beg for money from her granddaughter, he could stop her in time and dispel her idea.

-

Lin Xiyu was unaware of the commotion caused by the Lin family. At this moment, she was truly relieved to hear Gu Bin say that he would not come again.

It only takes a few minutes to cycle from Wangfuchizi West Street to Donghua Street.

When the two entered the gate, Grandma and Aunt had already returned, and Grandpa Wang's family was also busy preparing to move.

"Alas, this day has finally come."

Grandma looked at the clutter piled up in the yard, a hint of loneliness flashing in her eyes.

"We've been neighbors for a long time, and it's really hard to see us move away."

When Aunt Wang saw Grandma, she put down what she was holding and came over to say goodbye.

Where are you moving to?

My aunt seized the opportunity to chime in.

"Qilipu".

Aunt Wang seemed to be in a good mood: "A large vegetable wholesale market has been built there. My husband finally managed to rent a suitable shop inside the wholesale market, next to the meat, egg and aquatic product stores. The customer traffic must be huge."

"That's daring."

Grandma was genuinely happy for her: "Now you can finally relax, you don't have to worry about renting a shop anymore."

Where do you live?

My aunt doesn't care about the business, she only cares about the house.

"It's near the wholesale market, inside Nanquanfuzhuang."

Aunt Wang smiled and said, "It was quite a coincidence. A teacher from Nan Quanfu Elementary School had parents who had retired and wanted to go back to their hometown. They had vacated a room in their house to rent out. When my husband found out, he paid the deposit that very day and rented the room."

"Your family of five is sharing a room?"

My aunt looked surprised: "Is there enough room? It's too crowded."

"It's a bit crowded, but there's no other way."

Aunt Wang gave an awkward laugh: "With the demolition of the old town, it's too difficult to rent a place. Anyway, it's only for two years. My son and husband will just make do sleeping in the wholesale market and get through it."

"Two years."

The aunt sighed as she listened, "It wasn't just a day or two; it must have been incredibly difficult."

"Businessmen don't care about appearances."

Grandma Wang explained, "Besides, that house is right next to Nan Quanfu Elementary School, so it's convenient for my grandson to go to school."

"That's true"

Grandma nodded: "It's important for children to go to school. If it's close by, adults don't need to pick them up or drop them off, which saves them a lot of trouble."

"I think so too"

Grandma Wang beamed: "The primary school is right next door. It's just a few minutes' walk without crossing the road. The children can come home for lunch, and after school, the teachers can help tutor them."

"Oh dear, you old man, your abacus beads are practically jumping into my face."

My aunt laughed and joked, "No wonder you took a liking to that house; it turns out you were after the teacher who offered free tutoring."

"hey-hey."

Aunt Wang blushed and touched her nose a little embarrassedly: "It's a favor that they are willing to help. We are not stingy people. We should still show our appreciation during the New Year and other holidays. We will definitely give them gifts."

"That's the truth."

Grandma, whose daughter is a teacher, wholeheartedly agreed with her words: "Even though she is a teacher, tutoring children after class is extra work. One cannot be too selfish and only think about immediate benefits. If you want your child to do well in school, you still have to flatter her a bit and let her see your sincerity so that she can wholeheartedly tutor your child."

"Older sister is right."

Aunt Wang smiled and chimed in, "Doing business is all about give and take; we understand that principle."

Do you have a lot of stuff at home? Do you want me to help you tidy up?

Once the aunt heard what she wanted to hear, she lost interest in asking any more gossip.