1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 205 A surge of impulse welled up within me, a desire to see him immediately.

"It's cold outside."

Wu Meng's reasoning was quite valid: "Standing outside during the funeral procession is unbearable after a while."

"Ok."

Lin Xiyu smiled with relief, then wrapped the scarf around her neck twice more, covering her mouth and nose completely, making sure it was airtight.

"It'll be warm now."

Wu Meng was very satisfied with her suggestion.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm leaving."

Lin Xiyu finished dressing and, not wanting to delay any longer, lifted the curtain and went out.

Wu Meng escorted her to the entrance of the courtyard, watched her turn into the adjacent alley and disappear from sight, and then eagerly took out her phone to call Gu Bin.

She spoke a little loudly, and Lin Xiyu heard her through the wind. She smiled knowingly and continued walking towards the west alley of the county without pausing for a moment.

-

Lu Yun Tang* Old Jinan Lu Cuisine Restaurant.

When Lin Xiyu arrived, the private room was already full of people.

To her great surprise, apart from her maternal grandmother and her mother Chen Xiulan, all her other relatives came.

"Sister, sister!"

Chen Xiaoyi (Xu Yi changed his name to follow his mother's surname) and his five-year-old cousin Nana rushed over to her as she entered the room.

Chen Xiaoyi was already a thirteen-year-old boy, and could no longer freely hug and play with his older sister. His younger cousin took the best spot and rushed into his sister's arms.

Lin Xiyu bent down, picked up Nana, and kissed her on her rosy cheeks, making her little cousin giggle with delight.

"You little rascal, you really kept it a secret!"

My cousin pretended to be annoyed and complained, "Gu Bin came back from America without telling me. If Grandma hadn't told us that you and Auntie had another fight, we wouldn't have known about it."

"I was thinking of telling you all when I got back."

Lin Xiyu put on a pitiful face and said, "It's hard to explain over the phone. So much has happened that I'm numb. Sometimes it feels like a dream, and I can hardly tell the difference between dream and reality."

"What's wrong? You don't look too good."

My cousin softened and couldn't bear to complain about her anymore.

"There are too many worries to list them all in a short time."

Lin Xiyu was hesitant, not wanting her negative emotions to affect everyone's mood.

"I am your sister."

My cousin chuckled and playfully scolded, "We're sisters, Grandma specifically called me to ask me to comfort you. If no one else would tell you, why wouldn't she tell me?"

Lin Xiyu twitched the corner of her mouth but didn't say anything.

"Leilei, forget it."

Her uncle noticed her reluctance and didn't force her: "Xiyu, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Today is the Lantern Festival, so put aside what you're unhappy about for now. Let's eat first, and after we finish eating, you two sisters can find a place to talk it out properly."

"I'm just in a hurry."

Her cousin couldn't bear to see Lin Xiyu so down and couldn't wait a moment longer.

"Listen to your dad."

Her aunt glared at her with displeasure: "You're already in your mid-twenties, and you're still so impulsive. You can't keep your composure when something happens."

"Okay, okay, it's my fault, I won't ask anymore, alright?"

My cousin had no choice but to obey her mother's orders.

"Let the waiter bring the food."

My cousin's wife touched her stomach and smiled, trying to smooth things over: "I am indeed a little hungry."

My cousin and his wife got married two years ago. Now my cousin's wife is pregnant. She has a big belly and is well-fed and plump. She looks like she'll bring good fortune to her husband and is the kind of person who is very prosperous.

I'll go tell them.

Fearing his son would go hungry, the cousin quickly stood up from his chair and left the private room.

"How many months along is your wife? Is she about to give birth?"

Lin Xiyu found it amusing and took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Eight months."

My cousin's wife is a kind-hearted person. She has two small dimples on her face when she smiles, which makes her look very pleasing.

No wonder her belly is so big.

Lin Xiyu smiled knowingly: "They look like twins."

"It's a boy."

My uncle was overjoyed.

"My uncle is so happy now."

Lin Xiyu smiled and chimed in, "Eldest son and eldest grandson, your Liu family has an heir."

Actually, our family prefers daughters.

Uncle-in-law readily offered polite words: "It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl. Between Liu Jian and his sister, I just love Leilei more. I've never let my daughter suffer any losses."

"That's true"

My cousin quickly chimed in, "My dad is so good to me. He's really gone to great lengths for our company. When we were trying to collect debts before the New Year, thankfully my dad was there. If I were alone, I really wouldn't have stood a chance."

"what?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "Your uncle went to collect the debt too?"

"My brother-in-law is a real talent."

My uncle laughed and chimed in: "With gongs banging and people chanting slogans, when the reporters came, they had a whole repertoire of stories. They turned the story of defaulting on debts into jokes and rhymes, leaving the reporters stunned. They were originally dissatisfied with us and complained that we were blocking the door and taking up the road, but they ended up supporting us."

"That's a brilliant move!"

Lin Xiyu clapped her hands in admiration: "What did my uncle say? Give me a verse of that too!"

"That's easy, just open your mouth and say it."

My uncle rolled up his sleeves and got all excited, just about to give a performance, when my aunt ruthlessly interrupted him.

"It's the Lunar New Year, why talk about buying on credit? It's bad luck. We finally got the money back, let's not talk about those troublesome things."

Uncle's smile froze, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

"hey-hey."

Chen Xiaoyi found it hilarious and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"It's obvious that the mother-in-law is the head of the household in our family."

My cousin's wife joked with a smile, "Absolute right to speak, no one dares to object."

"Cough cough."

My uncle coughed awkwardly twice, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"No one is forcing him to listen if he doesn't want to."

My aunt has a grudge. She gets angry whenever she thinks about her uncle's female colleague. She didn't divorce him for the sake of her children, but she still feels bad.

"Listen, you absolutely have to listen!"

Uncle laughed awkwardly: "Listen to your wife, she'll be loved and won't suffer any loss, don't you think, Old Chen?"

"Why are you being so sarcastic in front of your daughter-in-law?"

His aunt glared at him with displeasure.

"My parents have a really good relationship."

My cousin's wife was the only one present who didn't know about my aunt's unresolved issues; to her, it just seemed like playful banter. "What's wrong with my brother?"

Seeing that her aunt's face had darkened even more, her cousin quickly changed the subject: "It takes so long to get a dish from the waiter."

"I'm coming."

My cousin happened to push the door open and come in at that moment, accompanied by several hotel staff members carrying trays.

"The food is served! The food is served!"

Chen Xiaoyi clapped his hands to create a lively atmosphere.

His little cousin joined him, howling in her childish voice.

With delicious food, the private room instantly became lively. Everyone put their worries behind them, raised their glasses, and enjoyed the meal.

-

"Sister Lei, what's going on between you and Brother Xiao? You two have been dating for two years now, right? Still no plans to get married?"

With her family by her side, Lin Xiyu was in a good mood, chatting and laughing. The two sisters left the private room and found a quiet corner in the hotel to whisper to each other.

"I do not want to get married."

My cousin was adamant: "There's a ton of stuff going on at the renovation company, and I'm the only one running it. I can't be away from it for a second. Forget about getting married, even just inviting you out for a meal requires me to squeeze out some time."

"I originally planned to go to Weifang today. There's a project there that needs to be put out to tender, and the itinerary was all arranged. But Grandma called and said that you and your mom had another fight and you were in a bad mood, so I arranged for Xiao Zhou to take the rest of the group ahead of us."

"Can he handle it?"

Lin Xiyu felt deeply guilty: "If we can't win the bid, won't that delay your ability to make money?"

"fine."

My cousin was nonchalant: "Even if I went, I might not win. It's just a matter of luck. In our line of work, it's normal not to win bids. I'm on the road all day long, I've been all over the province, and I never stay in one place for more than 24 hours. I always go and come back on the same day. If there's a new project, I immediately rush to the next city. I spend at least half of the month on the road, and the other half at dinner parties. If I want to do business, there's no time when I can't socialize."

Lin Xiyu looked worried: "Can your body take this?"

"You have to put up with it, even if you can't. Making money isn't that easy."

My cousin stretched out her leg and lifted her trouser leg to show her: "Look at my calves, they leave a dent when you press them. Relatives and friends all say I've gained weight, but it's just from being tired and puffy."

"Even in this state, you still won't let yourself rest."

Lin Xiyu was heartbroken: "Making money is not as important as life. If this continues, your health will collapse, and no amount of money can bring it back."

"We have no choice but to give it our all."

My cousin smiled helplessly: "That's why they say that before forty, you trade your life for money, and after forty, you trade money for your life. I'm experiencing that now firsthand."

"Can't you force yourself to rest?"

"I still owe the bank over ten million yuan in loans. If I don't take on any more projects, I'll be ruined. The interest alone will kill me."

"Why did you borrow so much money?"

Lin Xiyu found it hard to believe.

"I bought an office floor near the Yanshan Interchange on the East Outer Ring Road and moved the company address there."

My cousin spoke confidently about the company's future: "Although the area isn't very big, its location is excellent. Some people have already heard that a road is going to be built to the east, extending eastward from the Yanshan Interchange. Once Jing Shi East Road is completed, property prices will immediately rise. Now is the perfect time to buy."

"I truly admire you."

Lin Xiyu sighed with deep emotion: "She's incredibly bold. First, she borrowed money from Liu Ye to buy shops, made money to start a company, and now she's borrowed money from the bank."

"What's the big deal? It's just a small stunt."

My cousin didn't take it seriously: "Wang Fan and his friends in construction are the real deal. They trick banks into giving them loans to acquire land, then get homebuyers to finance their down payments. They don't have to spend a single penny of their own money to make huge profits."

"If they keep doing this, something bad will happen sooner or later."

Lin Xiyu frowned, not wanting to hear anything related to Wang Fan.

The real estate market is currently booming.

My cousin didn't think much of it and continued, "With smooth financing and booming sales, as long as they have no problem with cash flow, they can continue to make huge profits."

"This guy is never serious."

Lin Xiyu was slightly annoyed: "They don't do business properly, they just think about speculation and making money without working."

"what?"

Even my slow-witted cousin could tell something was off: "You two had a pretty good relationship, didn't you? He's been really attentive to you these past two years, I even thought you two might get married."

"Impossible"

Lin Xiyu's pretty face darkened, her eyes revealing displeasure.

"What happened? Did they break up?"

My cousin's heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling welled up inside her.

She was hoping to collaborate with Wang Fan and get projects from him, but judging from her cousin's reaction, it's probably going to fall through.

“He has an illegitimate child who is four years old.”

Lin Xiyu didn't want her cousin to make wild guesses, so she didn't hide the truth.

"Depend on"

My cousin couldn't help but swear: "That guy, he's really something else, he even has an illegitimate child. I was blind to believe he was sincere with you, and I was even thinking of saying good things about him and trying to bring you two together."

"Just give up on that idea."

Lin Xiyu gave her a half-smile: "He resents me now, so don't rush to get closer to him, lest you also become resentful."

"It's not that bad."

My cousin laughed awkwardly: "Business matters should be handled separately. As long as our company offers a reasonable price, he will definitely give it priority."

"He's a scoundrel, you'd better not get involved with him."

Lin Xiyu tentatively advised, "To avoid causing trouble for yourself if something goes wrong."

"It's just a loan, nothing serious."

My cousin didn't take it seriously: "These days, how many people in the real estate business didn't make their fortunes through loans? As long as sales are booming and they can make money, the banks are happy. They're just hoping to make money by issuing loans and earning interest."

"Ugh."

Seeing that her cousin clearly hadn't taken her words to heart, Lin Xiyu sighed helplessly.

"Let's not talk about him, let's talk about you and Gu Bin."

My cousin seized the opportunity and steered the conversation back to Gu Bin: "What exactly is going on between you two? When did he come back? Stop beating around the bush and tell me everything clearly."

"Our situation can't be explained in just a few words."

Lin Xiyu sighed softly, and under her cousin's deathly gaze, she smiled helplessly and could only tell her about everything that had happened recently, down to the smallest detail.

-

"What? You miscarried?"

When her cousin learned the truth, she opened her arms and hugged her tightly, saying, "My dear sister, why didn't you tell the family sooner? No matter how busy I was, I would have gone to Shanghai to see you. You've suffered so much, and I, as your older sister, haven't been able to help you at all. I feel so guilty."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

Lin Xiyu leaned on her cousin's shoulder, embracing her warmth. The bitterness and depression she felt from not being understood by her mother were miraculously healed at this moment.

"You girl."

My cousin felt terrible: "You're just too kind-hearted, always thinking of others. You should think about yourself a little more. It breaks my heart to see you like this. I'm so upset I don't know what to say."

"Sis, it's alright now, it's all over."

Lin Xiyu smiled slightly and comforted her, "I know you care about me, and those words are enough."

Is Gu Bin good to you?

My cousin couldn't let it go and asked again, still worried.

"it is good."

Upon hearing the name Gu Bin, Lin Xiyu was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming urge to see him immediately and return to his side.