1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 163 Maintain an air of mystery to keep him motivated to pursue me

"Didn't you ask her?"

Lin Xiyu looked conflicted: "It's better if she tells you about her own situation."

"How could I not have asked?"

Li's mother rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on: "If only she would tell the truth. This child is so stubborn; she's caused us so much worry since she was little."

"Li Qing, she has a boyfriend."

Lin Xiyu couldn't bear to see Li's mother worry, so after hesitating for a long time, she finally told the truth.

I guess that's it.

Li's mother's eyes darkened, and her anger surged: "This child, instead of studying properly in college, he's putting all his energy into this!"

Fearing that Li's mother would press the matter further, Lin Xiyu silently took two steps back, looking for an opportunity to slip away.

What kind of boyfriend did she have?

Li's mother didn't notice her little actions and was about to ask her more questions.

"Auntie, my classmate is here, I need to go pick her up, let's chat another time."

Lin Xiyu spotted Wu Meng getting off the bus and was secretly delighted. She then made a quick remark and ran off like the wind.

"Xi Yu, I'm here! I'm so happy to see you. I've missed you so much!"

Wu Meng, unaware of the inside story, got off the bus and saw Lin Xiyu running towards her. She mistakenly thought that Lin Xiyu missed her too much, so she happily opened her arms and gave her a warm hug.

"Mengmeng, it's so good to see you here."

Lin Xiyu spoke with a double meaning, deliberately saying it to Wu's mother: "I've been waiting for you at the school gate for a long time, and I'm so glad you've finally come."

Seeing that there were other people present, Wu's mother didn't dare to press the matter further and could only awkwardly give up.

Lin Xiyu caught a glimpse of the jet-black Crown sedan driving away from the school gate out of the corner of her eye, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

-

"Xi Yu, how many more days are you going to stay in Shanghai?"

Wu Meng, who was in a playful mood, did not notice anything unusual about her: "Last time I came, it was too rushed, and I couldn't stay for more than a few days. This time, I want to have a good time and visit all the bustling areas of Shanghai."

"do not know."

Lin Xiyu was moved by her emotions and temporarily put her worries aside: "Wang Fan's branch has just started renovations, it will take at least ten days to half a month."

"Huh? That long?"

Wu Meng stopped laughing: "Then isn't it almost Chinese New Year? It's been dragging on for so long, are your family happy about it? Doesn't your grandma miss you? She raised you from a baby, she'll definitely miss you after all this time."

"I also want to go back as soon as possible."

Lin Xiyu thought of her family and smiled apologetically: "It's just that Gu Bin couldn't get away, and he was worried about me going back alone."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Wu Meng chuckled and affectionately took her arm: "Let's go back together. With me by your side, what else could he possibly worry about?"

Let's talk about it in a couple of days.

Lin Xiyu had her own plans: "My cousin also asked me to stock up on more goods. I'll discuss it with Gu Bin after I've finished dealing with her business."

"You're really doing business?"

Wu Meng looked surprised: "I thought you guys were joking."

"The Dongmen Small Commodities Market has opened."

Lin Xiyu said with a smile, "My cousin said that there are a lot of people who go there to buy things. There are crowds of people from morning to night, especially on weekends. It's so crowded that it's like a temple fair."

"Wow, so many people."

Wu Meng listened excitedly: "My mom will definitely love it; she loves buying cheap stuff."

If your mom hears you say that, she'll beat you up again.

"Hehe, she can't hear, can she?"

"Mengmeng, I'm so happy you're here."

Lin Xiyu sincerely exclaimed, "It's so relaxing talking to you. I can say whatever I want without so many reservations. I haven't laughed so freely in a long time."

"That is."

Wu Meng raised her eyebrows smugly: "Otherwise, we'd be best friends, we're a perfect match, no one can compare."

How are things going at Soochow University?

Lin Xiyu smiled contentedly: "Have you made any good friends with whom you get along?"

"There are maybe two or three."

"Male classmate?"

That's definitely not it.

Wu Meng denied it without even thinking: "My Liangzi is so tall and handsome, how could any other guy catch my eye?"

"I'll write this down and tell Li Liang another day. He'll be very happy to hear it."

"No, don't tell him."

"why?"

“If you tell him that, he’ll be all high and mighty.”

You're talking about yourself, aren't you?

Lin Xiyu almost burst out laughing.

"Anyway, you're not allowed to tell him."

Wu Meng was a little proud: "I want to maintain a sense of mystery in his heart, so that he can't figure out what I'm thinking. That way, he will always remember me and have the motivation to pursue me."

"Wow, when did you become a dating guru?"

Lin Xiyu chuckled and teased her, "Aren't you two already engaged? Why are you still keeping it a mystery?"

"We are engaged, that's for sure."

Wu Meng had her own reasons: "But as you know, he was forced into it at the time. If I hadn't kissed him, he wouldn't have agreed so readily. So, we were engaged before we started dating, and we had to go through the dating process all over again to understand each other better and avoid any regrets."

"Mengmeng, you've really surprised me these days!"

Lin Xiyu gave a thumbs up to express her admiration: "Indeed, a life without love is incomplete. Only a woman who has experienced the trials of love is a true woman."

"What you're saying doesn't seem quite right."

Wu Meng retorted very seriously: "What I've heard people say is that a life without having children is incomplete, and only women who have given birth are real women."

"Let's take it one step at a time."

Looking at her adorable and innocent appearance, Lin Xiyu's mischievous side kicked in, and she wanted to tease her again: "Could it be that you can't wait any longer and want to have a child now?"

"Nah"

Wu Meng was embarrassed and blushed deeply: "I didn't mean that!"

"You're blushing."

Lin Xiyu continued slyly, "I think that's exactly what you're thinking. No wonder you're always thinking about having Li Liang pursue you. It turns out you're just impatient."

"Fine, you're laughing at me."

Even though Wu Meng was slow to react, she finally realized what was happening and started waving her small fists at her.

Lin Xiyu wasn't about to wait to be beaten; she smiled and dodged.

Wu Meng refused to give up, and the two chased and laughed as they ran into the campus.

-

There are explicit rules in the female dormitories of East China Normal University that prohibit outsiders from staying there.

Lin Xiyu was on good terms with the dormitory supervisor, and since it was a holiday, some students had already left school, leaving empty beds in the dormitory.

The dormitory supervisor turned a blind eye and tacitly approved of Wu Meng's existence.

Li Qing had already left, so Lin Xiyu let Wu Meng sleep in her upper bunk while she slept in the lower bunk. The two best friends, separated for several months, were reunited and naturally had endless things to talk about.

The two got so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't sleep until 1 a.m., which drew protests from their roommate.

Wu Meng made a face at Lin Xiyu, then obediently climbed into bed and went to sleep. Lin Xiyu smiled sheepishly, apologized, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

-

All grades are on holiday, and students are leaving the campus one after another.

The once noisy dormitory became quiet. Apart from the students staying on campus, almost everyone left the next day, leaving only the two of them on one floor.

Lin Xiyu spent the day with Wu Meng at Yu Garden and the Bund. When they returned in the evening, they still stayed in the dormitory.

"Xi Yu, I want to sleep next to you."

During the day, the two strolled around Nanjing Road and watched a movie, a horror film.

Wu Meng was so frightened that she couldn't sleep. She climbed down from the top bunk and crawled into Lin Xiyu's bed.

"I told you not to watch horror movies, but you insisted on watching them."

Lin Xiyu was both amused and exasperated: "I heard about The Silence of the Lambs last year, it's pretty scary, and I never dared to watch it. I never expected that you would drag me into it after I came to Shanghai."

"I thought Oscar-winning films would be pretty good."

Wu Meng laughed bitterly: "I didn't expect it to be so creepy. That old man was too perverted. I'll never dare to watch foreign movies again. I'm traumatized."

"Think of something positive, something less creepy, something pleasing to the eye."

Lin Xiyu smiled and comforted her: "For example, your favorite Little Tigers, or The Legend of the Condor Heroes, or Dream of the Red Chamber, or Journey to the West."

"I think all the monsters in Journey to the West are cuter than that old man."

Wu Meng wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and complained irritably.

"Hahaha."

Lin Xiyu chuckled and teased her, "Now that you're saying this, have you forgotten how you were scared by the White Bone Demon when you were little and had nightmares every night?"

"Hey, hey."

Wu Meng laughed awkwardly: "The White Bone Demon is really terrifying. I hate skulls the most."

"Let's not talk about Journey to the West anymore."

Lin Xiyu smiled helplessly: "Let's talk about Dream of the Red Chamber. Among the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, which one is your favorite?"

"Of course it's Lin Daiyu."

Wu Meng is a big fan of Dream of the Red Chamber, and she became very enthusiastic when the topic of the novel came up.

"I also liked Lin Daiyu when I was a child."

Lin Xiyu had a different perspective: "But as I grew up and learned more about human relationships, I didn't like her as much anymore."

"what?"

Wu Meng asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"I think she's too delicate."

Lin Xiyu gave her reasoning: "Like a delicate flower that cannot withstand wind and frost, it will break when the wind blows and the rain falls. Such a person can only live in a sketchbook. In real life, he cannot survive."

"Novels are fiction, after all."

Wu Meng was attracted by his unique insights and completely forgot about the horror movie: "Besides, the Dream of the Red Chamber makes it clear at the beginning that Lin Daiyu is not an ordinary person, but a fairy pearl in the Land of Illusion. She descended to the mortal world to repay Jia Baoyu's kindness by watering her with a lifetime of tears."

Is this part there?

Lin Xiyu looked slightly surprised.

"Yes, I have."

Wu Meng stated with certainty: "The TV series didn't show it in such detail, but it is in the book. The 'love between wood and stone' refers to Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu. I remember it very clearly."

"You truly are a fan of Dream of the Red Chamber."

Lin Xiyu didn't hold back her praise: "You've practically worn out that original copy of yours, haven't you? You probably know it by heart by now, right?"

No, not at all.

Wu Meng sighed with feigned sorrow: "Who told me I don't have Huang Rong's mother's abilities, like being able to read ten lines at a glance and remember everything I see?"

"You've brought up The Legend of the Condor Heroes again."

Lin Xiyu yawned sleepily: "Stop sighing, go to sleep. We still need to buy more goods tomorrow, or my cousin will start nagging me again."

"Didn't you say you ordered 400 wool sweaters for her last time?"

Wu Meng was slightly surprised: "Sold out again so quickly? 400 pieces a month, how much money must you have made?"

"Not all of them were sold out."

Lin Xiyu told the truth: "The first 100 items I received were with the help of relatives and friends. My aunt's supply and marketing cooperative alone bought dozens of items under the guise of distributing welfare during the Chinese New Year."

"My mom's teachers also helped promote it because they thought it was cheap, which is why it sold out faster."

“This time is different. My cousin said it was to boost her sales performance, but she can’t actually give away many gifts. She can sign 100 deals a month, at most that, so she can only give away 100 gifts.”

"We are stocking up now because the small commodities market is open, and many people are buying New Year's goods and new clothes for the New Year. We can boost sales."

-

"You sell at the small commodities market?"

Wu Meng was very tempted: "We're not going to the night market?"

"not going."

Lin Xiyu didn't hide anything and explained the reason: "My cousin kept the contact information of the old customers who used to buy clothes at the night market. When there are new items, she calls them and they come to the shop to choose clothes themselves."

"Your cousin is really good at business."

Wu Meng clicked her tongue in amazement.

"I feel so too."

Lin Xiyu wholeheartedly agreed: "She's got business acumen. As long as it's related to making money, her mind is incredibly sharp. No one can compare to her."

"Do you need help selling clothes in the old East Gate area?"

"Yes, I want to. My cousin has to go to work, and I definitely won't be able to manage the shop by myself."

Do you think I'm suitable?

Wu Meng's eyes lit up, and she volunteered.

"It absolutely has to work."

Lin Xiyu agreed without hesitation: "With your help, I can finally catch my breath. Otherwise, with so many people around, I won't be able to keep an eye on all the goods. I'm afraid someone with ill intentions might just steal them."

"Calling it 'touching' is a euphemism; it's actually stealing."

Wu Meng was overjoyed when Lin Xiyu agreed: "Don't worry, with me here, I'll make sure the goods are well protected, and no one will dare to steal them."

"Uh-huh."

Lin Xiyu enthusiastically supported him, saying, "I believe in you."

"Go to sleep."

Wu Meng was full of enthusiasm: "I'll get up early tomorrow and go with you to buy goods. Let's buy a lot, a thousand or eight hundred pieces."

"I can't buy that many."

Lin Xiyu smiled helplessly: "Last time we bought goods, my cousin and I invested almost all our money. We haven't sold all of those goods yet, which tied up a lot of capital. This time, my mother took out her 5000 yuan from her savings to support us. 5000 yuan can't buy much. We bought everything in the 10% off section, which is only about two or three hundred pieces. The price might go up before the New Year, by more than ten yuan per piece, which will increase the cost a lot."

"Ugh."

Wu Meng's eyes darkened, and she sighed with some frustration: "It's a pity that my mom gives me too little allowance. It's not even enough for my own expenses, so I can't help you."

"It's okay, buy more and sell more, buy less and sell less."

Lin Xiyu didn't care: "It's just a matter of earning more or less. I'm studying in Shanghai, and I'll stay here for four years. I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future. I don't need your one or two pieces."

"Maybe it won't be four years."

Wu Meng looked on with anticipation: "I wish I could get into graduate school, find a job in Shanghai after graduation, get a Shanghai hukou (household registration), settle down in Shanghai, and then I would be a real Shanghainese."

"Okay, go to sleep now."

Lin Xiyu laughed and joked, "Speaking rhymes so late at night, I'm almost dizzy from all that string of Shanghai names."

"hey-hey."

Wu Meng herself found it amusing, chuckled, and laughed heartily.