1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 167 If you provoke someone, you have to put out the fire.
"You"

Lin Xiyu smiled and scolded, "You're so easily swayed; a plane ticket is all it takes to win you over."

"hey-hey."

Wu Meng smiled sheepishly, then had the urge to slip away again: "I have to go back now, or the soup will get cold."

"Leave your ID card."

Lin Xiyu reminded him with a smile.

"It's on the bedside table."

Wu Meng didn't stop, opened the door, and rushed out like a gust of wind.

Should we go to the hospital?

Lin Xiyu was worried and turned to look at Gu Bin.

"Need not."

Gu Bin didn't want to get involved in other people's relationships and decisively rejected the idea: "If Wang Fan can't even handle a woman, he doesn't need to be in the business world."

"I'm afraid Li Qing will go crazy again."

Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly.

She wouldn't dare.

Gu Bin was certain: "This is a hospital, not a bar. She wouldn't dare cause trouble."

"Sigh, if only we could turn back time."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly and helplessly: "I really want to go back to the day of the hometown gathering, separate the two of them, and not let them see each other."

"It's fate, there's nothing you can do about separating them."

Gu Bin smiled and comforted her, "As long as there is even the slightest possibility, the two of them will meet again. This is fate. Li Qing is Wang Fan's destined calamity, and he can't escape it even if he wants to."

"I think you've got it backwards."

Lin Xiyu was still upset: "Wang Fan should be Li Qing's calamity. If she hadn't met him, Li Qing might have already met a boyfriend with a good temper and who is sincere to her. She would definitely be better off now."

"Wang Fan was stabbed, wasn't he?"

Gu Bin had no good feelings towards Li Qing: "On the surface, it seems that he provoked Li Qing, but in reality, Li Qing is not innocent at all. If she didn't have that intention, how could she be so easily seduced? When Wang Fan kissed her on the playground, she should have slapped him on the spot and completely cut off her relationship with him."

"Sigh, let's not talk about her anymore."

Since things had come to this point and there was no going back, Lin Xiyu had no desire to continue the conversation: "The soup is getting cold, you should drink it quickly."

"You should have some too."

Gu Bin held the soup bowl close to her lips.

"I'm not drinking anymore."

Lin Xiyu smiled and stepped back, saying, "There's not much left, you can drink it yourself."

"Take a bite."

Gu Bin stretched his arm forward again.

Lin Xiyu smiled helplessly, lowered her head, and took a sip.

"Is it good?"

Gu Bin's gaze lingered on her lips.

"It has a sweet aroma that blends pork ribs and yam, which is quite nice."

Lin Xiyu licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, quite pleased with her own cooking skills.

"Why do I feel like the soup you're drinking tastes different from the soup I'm drinking?"

Gu Bin's eyes were deep, and he moved closer.

"What's the difference?"

Lin Xiyu looked up at him with a somewhat dazed expression.

"You'll know once you try it."

Gu Bin put down the bowl, pulled the person into his arms, and then his warm lips landed on hers.

"Aren't you going to buy plane tickets?"

Lin Xiyu struggled blankly for a few moments.

"Not urgent."

Gu Bin tightened his arms around her, saying, "I wanted to do that earlier, but it's all Wu Meng's fault for being so clueless and just standing there without moving."

"You're having such wild thoughts while just having some soup."

Lin Xiyu belatedly realized what he meant by "I won't be able to drink anymore if I keep leeching off him."

"You brought this on yourself."

Gu Bin smiled slyly: "If you provoke someone, you have to take responsibility for putting out the fire. No cheating allowed."

"Where can I have it?"

Lin Xiyu wanted to argue, but before she could speak, she was silenced.

The room temperature rose rapidly, and the air was filled with a sweet and enchanting aroma.

Gu Bin held the person close and kissed them passionately, reluctant to let go for a long time.

-

My cousin waited and waited, but her younger sister didn't come back. She was so anxious that she was like an ant on a hot pan, running around in circles.

News of Wang Fan's injury was kept secret. Even his family and friends in Jinan were unaware of the details. They only knew that a branch was opening in Shanghai, and he and Gu Bin were busy with the branch, so they hadn't returned.

My cousin thought that once my sister came back, someone would be there to watch the shop, so there was no need to waste money and she hadn't hired anyone.

Unfortunately, my sister didn't come back, and half a month passed.

As time went on, the fact that she had her subordinates help her manage the shop's business during work hours could no longer be kept secret and eventually reached the shop manager's ears.

Li Xiao was furious about this and gave her cousin a good scolding.

My cousin's impression of him had improved slightly because he helped take care of her dog, but this caused their relationship to deteriorate rapidly. They became irreconcilable enemies at work, constantly arguing whenever they met, creating a climate of fear and unease.

The junior salesmen were trembling with fear, afraid that the battle would spread to them. They avoided the two men like mice seeing a cat.

Even the puppy suffered as a result, being kicked out of Li Xiao's office. Without the usual careful care, it started eating random things, had diarrhea three times a day, and became listless, drooping its head and losing all energy.

My cousin was furious. Pagers can't be used across regions, so she couldn't contact Lin Xiyu and had to make a long-distance call to the student dormitory at East China Normal University.

The Lunar New Year is just a few days away, and the three dormitory supervisors will soon be returning to their hometowns for the holiday.

The two dormitory supervisors from Henan were also anxiously waiting for Lin Xiyu to contact them so they could buy some more wool sweaters to take home for the Chinese New Year before returning home.

My cousin's call was like a timely rain, giving the two dormitory supervisors an excuse to leave a message on her pager, asking Lin Xiyu to call back as soon as possible, and also mentioning that they hoped she could come back to school when she had time, so they could discuss something.

-

"Drip."

The pager's ringing startled the infatuated couple. Lin Xiyu instinctively reached for her waist and took the pager off her belt.

"Who is it? They really know how to pick their timing."

Gu Bin, feeling annoyed that his mood had been interrupted, snatched it away.

"Dorm manager."

Lin Xiyu was quick-witted and immediately understood what the two dormitory supervisors were thinking: "We had originally agreed that I would accompany them to pick out clothes again after the holiday, but Wang Fan's incident has delayed it until now."

"Not just them, but your cousin too."

Gu Bin glanced at the message and could guess what his cousin was feeling: "She probably can't wait and is urging you again."

"Ugh."

Lin Xiyu smiled wryly, "This time, my cousin has really suffered. She was counting on me to help her sell clothes when she got back. She bought so much stock, and if she can't sell it all before the New Year, business will be terrible after the New Year. The worst part is that so much money is tied up in it, including some that my mom paid for."

"No need to worry about that."

Gu Bin was confident: "I'll help you sell them when we get back. I guarantee we can sell them all at once."

"You'll help me sell them?" Lin Xiyu's eyes widened in surprise. "Why are you so confident that you can sell them all at once?"

"Want to know?"

Gu Bin raised an eyebrow.

"Ah."

Lin Xiyu was very curious.

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

Gu Bin smiled jokingly, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense: "The most important thing now is to buy a plane ticket. If we can't buy a ticket and can't go back, even if I'm smart, there's nothing I can do."

"Tch~~, I knew it."

Lin Xiyu mistakenly thought he was lying and gave him a big eye roll: "You're just making fun of me, playing around with me."

"Whether I'm playing you or not, you'll find out when we get back."

Gu Bin didn't explain further, picked up his coat and put it on her, then pulled her out the door.

-

There is only one flight a day from Shanghai to Jinan. As the end of the year approaches, more and more people are returning to their hometowns to visit relatives. Economy class tickets from Shanghai to Jinan have been sold out, with only a few first-class tickets remaining.

"First class is too expensive, forget it."

When Lin Xiyu heard that a first-class ticket cost more than two thousand yuan, her heart pounded with shock.

“Wang Fan is paying, there’s no need to save him money.”

Gu Bin didn't take it seriously and continued to ask the ticket seller about the dates and times of flights with available seats.

"Even if he pays for it, it's still too extravagant."

Lin Xiyu sighed sincerely, "It would have been better to just give me the money directly so that Wu Meng and I could take the train back."

"Now even sleeper berths are sold out."

Gu Bin decisively rejected the idea: "Sitting in a hard seat for 17 hours is no joke; you'll be exhausted."

"No way."

Lin Xiyu muttered to herself, "One of my classmates is from XJ. She said she has to take a train for three days and three nights to get home. Although she will lose several pounds after the trip, she won't peel her skin. She can just consider it a way to lose weight."

"The hard-seat carriages were very crowded."

Gu Bin heard this and smiled helplessly: "You haven't seen that scene. There are even more people before the New Year. The aisles are packed with people. People with seats don't even dare to go to the toilet. As soon as you leave, someone else takes your seat. There are even fights over seats."

"Ugh."

Lin Xiyu's face fell, and she complained irritably, "It's all Wang Fan's fault. Otherwise, we would have gone home long ago, and we wouldn't have been delayed until now."

"You're blaming him for saving him money?"

Gu Bin chuckled mockingly, "In my opinion, you're not unwilling to fly first class; you just want to save the money and put it in your own pocket."

That's exactly what I think.

Lin Xiyu chuckled and admitted it without any guilt.

"Little money lover."

Gu Bin looked at her with doting eyes and gently pinched her nose.

Lin Xiyu pulled down her eyelids and made a face.

"hehe."

Gu Bin found it amusing and let out a pleasant laugh.

-

A first-class ticket costs over two thousand yuan. Gu Bin used his student ID instead of a letter of introduction from his employer, and with the ticket seller's consent, bought four tickets to return to Jinan on the day before the Lunar New Year.

Lin Xiyu looked at the nearly ten thousand yuan Arabic numerals on the check, her eyelids twitched with pain, and she thought about how she had worked herself to the bone for a whole semester selling sweaters and still couldn't earn that much money, and a few inexplicable feelings of sadness welled up in her heart.

Why is there such a big difference between people?

She can spend lavishly without batting an eye, indulging in a moment of unbridled extravagance.

-

"I know I'm in the wrong. I didn't say a word when he was scolding me, and I just let him yell at me. I didn't expect him to go too far. Not only did he want to deduct my bonus, but he also kicked Cola out of the office. He can yell at me, but he can't bully Cola. I'm going to fight him to the death."

Lin Xiyu returned to the hotel and first called her cousin, who then launched into a long tirade of complaints.

"Let them deduct the bonus then."

Lin Xiyu sighed and could only patiently persuade him, "They're just following the rules. Otherwise, how can they manage the company? It's hard to convince people if they're not punished."

"The company's performance is all thanks to my hard work. How many of those junior salespeople are capable? They're lucky if they can close one or two deals a month."

My cousin was still angry: "They're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, so they might as well help me look after the shop. That way, they can make the best use of the resources, and I can focus all my energy on the company's business without any worries."

"Yes, yes, yes, my sister is right."

Lin Xiyu gently soothed her cousin, saying, "Li Xiao is still too superficial; she hasn't grasped your good intentions."

"Xi Yu, when are you coming back?"

My cousin was touched by her understanding and her voice even sounded a little tearful: "I still prefer the two of us sisters doing business together. There aren't so many troubles, and everything goes smoothly."

"We'll be back soon."

Lin Xiyu had bought the plane tickets and spoke with more confidence: "I've already bought the tickets. I'll definitely go back to Jinan on the day before the Lunar New Year. Gu Bin said he'll help us sell the sweaters and guarantee that all the goods will be sold before the New Year."

"Airline ticket?"

Upon hearing the word "tickets," my cousin asked again in disbelief, "Xiyu, are you serious? You're going to fly back?"

"it is true."

Lin Xiyu casually dropped a bombshell: "Not only did we fly, but we flew first class. It cost nearly ten thousand yuan for the four of us."

"My God."

My cousin was stunned, so shocked that she forgot to cry.

"Now you see my sincerity, right?"

Lin Xiyu smiled with relief, thinking to herself that she should have told her cousin she was going by plane from the beginning, so that her ears wouldn't have to suffer.

"Our flight is at 10:30 AM on the 23rd of the lunar year. The flight time is about one and a half hours. We'll arrive in Jinan at 12 PM, and then it'll be a little after 1 PM from the airport back to the city."

"Do you want me to pick you up from the airport?"

My cousin took a while to come to her senses before expressing her concern.

"No need, you don't have a car, why would you pick me up?"

Lin Xiyu smiled and politely declined: "With Wang Fan here, I don't need to pay, so don't worry. Don't forget to tell my mom and grandma that I want to eat chive and pork dumplings. When we go home for the Lunar New Year, we don't want noodles, we want dumplings."

"Row."

My cousin perked up when she heard this: "We may not have anything else, but we have plenty of dumplings."

"I'm not talking anymore, long-distance calls are too expensive."

Seeing that her cousin's mood had improved, Lin Xiyu took the opportunity to end the call.

"Okay, we'll talk when you get back."

My cousin couldn't stand the word "expensive," and reluctantly, she simply hung up the phone.

-

After talking to her cousin, Lin Xiyu felt relieved and slept soundly that night. Early the next morning, she took a bus to the wholesale market to meet the two dormitory supervisors at the agreed-upon location.

The two dormitory supervisors bought a lot, each carrying a large woven bag, stuffed full of it.

Lin Xiyu wanted Aunt Wang's eldest son to help them ship the goods, but they were reluctant to part with the money and insisted on carrying them themselves back to their hometown by train.

Seeing the two of them carrying woven bags, panting heavily, Lin Xiyu thought of her mother and was filled with emotion.

She felt that she had grown a lot without even realizing it, after only one semester studying in another city.

I gained new insights and a deeper understanding of the hardships my mother endured back then. Deep down, my slight resentment towards her for favoring sons over daughters also vanished.