1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 227 Returning to my hometown, doing what I love and what is meaningful

"If you don't want to work here, just quit. I'll support you."

Gu Bin felt sorry for his wife and didn't want her to continue suffering.

"I've studied hard for so many years, and this is the result I got. I'm not satisfied."

Lin Xiyu was not willing to accept this; her heart ached with bitterness.

"It's okay if you don't want to resign."

Gu Bin genuinely wanted what was best for her: "Why don't you take a leave of absence without pay, leave your job for a while, and let yourself calm down and do something meaningful that you truly enjoy?"

"I don't know what I truly like."

Lin Xiyu looked somewhat bewildered: "All the efforts I made before were to earn money so that I could survive in this bustling metropolis."

"Now that we have money, there's no need for us to compromise ourselves for money anymore."

Gu Bin truly deserves to be called the perfect husband, always her greatest support: "You can do whatever you want, just like my uncle, volunteering in Africa to protect endangered wildlife, or traveling around the world to any country you want to go to."

“None of those things are very appealing to me.”

Lin Xiyu smiled wryly: "Everyone has different hobbies. Your uncle likes challenges and adventures, and he's passionate about exciting sports. I'm different. I prefer a peaceful life and like to sit alone in the yard, staring blankly at the grapevines and pomegranate trees."

"Let's go back to our hometown."

Gu Bin's mind stirred when he heard about the pomegranate tree: "I know what's meaningful to you now."

"go back home?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "What kind of things are suitable for me in my hometown?"

Paper cutting.

Gu Bin smiled meaningfully and gave an unexpected answer.

"Paper cutting?!"

Lin Xiyu was clearly taken aback when he brought up the topic of paper-cutting.

"Don't forget, you are Grandma Hu's personally taught disciple."

Gu Bin said earnestly, "Grandma Hu has always hoped that you could make time to learn paper cutting from her and truly pass on her skills."

“Now is a great opportunity. Since we’re not happy with our jobs, let’s quit and go back to our hometown, back to our old courtyard house. There are grapevines and pomegranate trees there that you love. That courtyard, which holds the most beautiful memories of our youth, is our real home.”

-

"Of course it would be great to go back."

Lin Xiyu's eyes lit up with joy: "Actually, I've never felt a sense of belonging to Shanghai. Even though I've worked hard in this city for more than ten years and learned to speak Shanghainese, I still feel like an outsider in the eyes of Shanghainese people."

"It was my mother's idea to let me stay in Shanghai. She said that people should strive for better things, and water should flow downhill. If I went to Shanghai, the neighbors would look at me with more respect, and she could hold her head high in front of the teachers at school and boast about her daughter."

“I listened to her and worked hard to put down roots in Shanghai and live the life she wanted me to live. But this city didn’t give me only good memories; instead, it gave me more pain.”

-

"Let's go back together. I'll go back with you."

Gu Bin was heartbroken and hugged the person tightly.

"Are you going back to your hometown too?"

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat.

"Wherever you are, I will be there."

Without any hesitation, Gu Bin said what she most wanted to hear at that moment.

"You're abandoning the company?"

Although Lin Xiyu was very tempted, she still had to think about him.

"The company's operating mechanism is already very mature. With Li Hao and the others here, there won't be any problems."

Gu Bin smiled nonchalantly: "As for me, I'm already a bit tired of games. From now on, you'll be the center of my life. Whatever you want to do, I'll be there for you and serve you in every way."

"I can't afford a personal assistant as expensive as you."

Lin Xiyu felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this and jokingly smiled.

"It's free, we'll pay you."

Gu Bin spoke in the most serious tone, yet uttered the most ambiguous love words.

"Pfft."

Lin Xiyu couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.

-

The resignation process went much more smoothly than expected; the paperwork was completed quickly and approved with almost no obstacles. The company allowed me to take unpaid leave for a period of two years, during which I would have to pay for my own pension and medical insurance.

Gu Bin was incredibly efficient; he bought plane tickets on the same day he completed the formalities and took his entire family back to their long-awaited hometown.

The old house remains unchanged; upon opening the gate, one can immediately see the lush pomegranate tree.

In the height of summer, the grapevines are lush and green, with bunches of green, red, and purple grapes hanging from the branches, a truly delightful sight.

"Home is still the best!"

Grandma Gu strolled around the yard, looking at the fruit trees laden with pomegranates, her heart and eyes filled with joy.

"Uncle, we'll stay here from now on and not leave, right?"

Rui Rui also loves the old house and enjoys playing freely with her friends in the alley.

For him, Shanghai is a metropolis made of reinforced concrete, which, while bustling, lacks human warmth.

"At least two years."

Gu Bin did not disappoint him, and nodded with a smile.

"Oh, that's great."

Rui Rui was overjoyed and ran outside excitedly: "I can go play with Niu Niu and the others now! I want to go to the Daming Lake slide!"

"Hey, slow down!"

Grandma Gu was worried and hurried after him for a few steps but couldn't catch up. She watched helplessly as he disappeared from sight.

"I'll go."

Lin Xiyu put down her luggage and was about to step out the door when Gu Bin grabbed her arm.

"Just ignore him."

One uncle said matter-of-factly, "Let him go play by himself. When we were his age, we were already running around the streets. When have we ever had adults watching over us?"

"Now everyone is an only child, unlike when we were young, they are very precious."

Lin Xiyu smiled and playfully scolded him, trying to shake him off.

Gu Bin held her tightly, saying, "You can't follow him around all the time. He's a nine-year-old boy. It's time to let go. We can't keep spoiling him. If we really ruin him, his older brother will blame me."

“Rui Rui is not even 9 years old yet.”

Lin Xiyu deliberately teased him: "Your birthday is in November, there's still half a year to go."

"Is that intentional?"

Gu Bin could easily see through her little scheme, and teased her with a smile: "I can see it now. You've been showing off ever since we got back to your hometown. With your family backing you up, you don't even respect your husband."

"So what if I'm showing off?"

Lin Xiyu put her hands on her slender waist and gave him a playful smile.

Before he could even utter the next sentence, "What can you do to me?", he was cut off.

Gu Bin broke off the engagement immediately, and while his grandmother wasn't looking, he stole a kiss, successfully suppressing the woman's arrogant arrogance.

Lin Xiyu blushed, glared at him with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, picked up her luggage, and ran back to her room.

"hehe."

Seeing her slip away faster than a rabbit, Gu Bin let out a mocking laugh.

"Xiyu, it's so good to see you back. Now we sisters can see each other more often."

My cousin heard that the family had returned from Shanghai, so she came to visit the old house as soon as possible.

"How did you get here so fast?"

Lin Xiyu had just finished cleaning the house and hadn't even had a chance to rest when her cousin came in carrying a fruit basket.

"I happened to be at my grandma's house when I answered the phone."

My cousin explained with a smile, "It's so close by, so I just stopped by to take a look."

How is Grandma?

Lin Xiyu took the fruit basket and invited her cousin into the house.

"I'm in good health."

My cousin thought for a moment and said, "It's just that I'm getting old, almost 86. I can clearly see that my energy isn't as good as it used to be, and my eyesight is a bit blurry."

Why is it blurry?

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat: "Have you seen a doctor? What did the doctor say?"

The doctor said it was cataracts.

My cousin smiled helplessly: "It's not to the point of needing surgery yet. They just prescribed some eye drops, to be used when you can't see clearly."

Is Grandma home alone?

Lin Xiyu's eyes showed worry: "Isn't anyone here with her? Who will cook lunch for her?"

"That's why my mom and I take turns going to my maternal grandma's house at noon."

My cousin said with some difficulty, "My aunt is busy with the shop and can't leave at noon. My uncle can't cook, and it wouldn't be helpful if he came home."

I'll go next time.

Lin Xiyu has a very sincere affection for her grandmother: "I happened to have nothing to do at noon, so I went over to cook for my grandmother."

"Don't you need to do anything for your family?"

My cousin glanced into Grandma Gu's bedroom.

"Gu Bin is at home."

Lin Xiyu said with a smile, "He can cook, so I don't have to worry about it."

Where is Gu Bin?

My cousin looked around but didn't see Gu Bin anywhere, which puzzled her.

"He went to the market to buy groceries."

Lin Xiyu didn't hide anything: "We just got back, and the refrigerator is empty. We need to buy a lot of things, but he didn't want me to work hard, so he rode his bike out by himself."

My cousin looked surprised: "He's the CEO of a listed company, and you're still ordering him around?"

"So what?"

Lin Xiyu said matter-of-factly, "Doesn't the president need to eat? Take off that halo, and he's just an ordinary person."

"Gu Bin is such a devoted and loving husband."

My cousin clicked her tongue twice and exclaimed, "A man who cares so much about his family would have been normal in the past, but in today's society, he's really hard to find."

"Are you envious?"

Lin Xiyu deliberately teased her: "Envy means it's time to find a partner. Staying single all the time isn't a good thing. You're almost thirty, no wonder your aunts are worried."

"I wouldn't say I'm envious."

Her cousin ignored her: "If I really wanted to find someone, it wouldn't be difficult. There are plenty of young and energetic guys in the company."

"Being young doesn't necessarily mean it's the right time."

Lin Xiyu deliberately reminded her: "It's better to have someone mature, steady, good-tempered, compatible with your personality, and tolerant of you."

You're talking about my dad, right?

My cousin jokingly said, "He's probably the only man in the world who perfectly meets all the conditions you mentioned."

"Hey, you!"

Lin Xiyu suppressed a laugh, feigning displeasure and scolding, "Every time this comes up, you deliberately make things up. What's wrong with men with good tempers? Is it so hard to get along with you? As long as you don't deliberately pick a fight, it's fine. In the end, it's not that you can't find a suitable one, it's that you're too picky."

"I admit, I'm quite picky."

My cousin stopped laughing, a hint of melancholy in her eyes: "Perhaps that's why I've missed so many opportunities and so many people?"

"Regret it?"

Lin Xiyu, being a true sister, knew immediately that she was thinking of Li Xiao again: "Back then, you refused to get married. People waited for you for so many years, but you remained unmoved. Now it's too late for regrets. If it weren't for the one-child policy, the couple would probably have had several children by now."

"Oh right, speaking of children, I almost forgot about that."

My cousin slapped her forehead, only then remembering the purpose of her visit: "I went to another city a few days ago and met a really amazing old Chinese medicine doctor who specializes in treating difficult and complicated diseases. I heard that taking one pill can make a person pregnant, and the baby will be twins."

“Is it so magical?”

Lin Xiyu looked doubtful: "Gu Bin has accompanied me all over the country in the past few years, and I have met quite a few miracle doctors, but none of them are as mysterious as you say."

“I’m not bragging, it’s true.”

My cousin leaned forward, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "I specifically asked around, and many women who took the pills gave birth to twins, some even triplets."

"Is this really true?"

Lin Xiyu didn't believe it.

"Really, absolutely true."

My cousin nodded very seriously: "I also found out that someone gave that pill a name, called 'Multi-Baby Pill,' which is quite vulgar, but very descriptive. Anyway, it means that it can produce a lot of babies."

Lin Xiyu expressed her doubts: "How can that stuff be good for your health?"

"It should be nothing serious."

My cousin chuckled and encouraged me, "Why don't you give it a try? Maybe you'll get pregnant and have twins!"

"Probably not."

Lin Xiyu bluntly poured cold water on her cousin's enthusiasm: "This thing definitely wasn't invented by that old Chinese medicine doctor. We might not know about it, but surely the doctor does. If taking a pill could make you pregnant, why would it have taken so long? It would have been cured long ago."

"Why are you so stubborn and won't listen to advice?"

My cousin said somewhat angrily, "I traveled all the way to another city to find out about this for you, but you don't seem to care at all."

"Okay, okay, I'll listen, I'll listen, alright?"

Seeing that she was really angry, Lin Xiyu smiled and eased the atmosphere: "Thank you, sister. I'll remember this. When Gu Bin comes back, I'll discuss it with him. If we really want to go, I'll definitely tell you in advance."

"to make."

My cousin was relieved and smiled again: "I feel relieved to hear you say that. It was worth the trip."

"Your company isn't busy lately? Why haven't you gone out of town?"

Lin Xiyu smiled and asked, "Aren't you always traveling back and forth within the province? How come you have so much free time to cook for Grandma?"

"It's much better now than before."

My cousin perked up instantly when she talked about her business, her eyes sparkling: "Over the years, I've trained quite a few people, and a few of them are capable enough that I no longer need to do everything myself."

That's good.

Lin Xiyu was genuinely happy for her cousin: "You've finally made it through. While someone's helping you with the work, take a good rest and recuperate properly."

"Hey."

My cousin gave a wry smile: "We two sisters are really in the same boat. We're not even thirty yet, and we're already taking medicine like dogs."