1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 238 From ridicule to adoration, all within the rhythm of a clapper.

"Accept apprentices?"

When his uncle heard that he was to teach his apprentice, he was taken aback and mistakenly thought that his niece was joking with him.

Although he often boasts about performing on the same stage as Jiang Kun, in reality, his fame is nowhere near that of Jiang Kun.

I'd be happy to have him perform on stage, but I never really thought about taking on apprentices.

"Uncle, I'm not kidding you, I'm serious."

Lin Xiyu did not hide anything and explained the truth to Wang Bo in detail.

"That's right."

After hearing the whole story, my uncle readily agreed: "Alright, bring him over. I may not be good at much else, but I can teach a child."

"Okay, I'll take him there right away."

Lin Xiyu received a definite answer, breathed a sigh of relief, and happily hung up the phone.

-

"My uncle agreed, let's go now."

"Going right now?"

Gu Bin raised his wrist and glanced at the time: "It's almost 5 o'clock. If you go over at this time, you'll just disturb your aunt's family from having dinner."

"fine."

Lin Xiyu knew what to do: "I'll just take him to meet my uncle. It won't take long. Let them discuss the follow-up arrangements themselves."

"Then hurry back."

Gu Bin didn't stop her anymore, and said very virtuously, "I've prepared a meal for you, so you don't need to eat at your aunt's house anymore."

"it is good."

Lin Xiyu felt a warmth in her heart and smiled as she agreed.

-

When Wang Meng and his wife first heard that their son was going to learn Shandong fast-paced storytelling, they were a little confused, wondering what this seemingly experienced teacher Lin was up to.

Lin Xiyu had to repeat her teaching philosophy again before the two of them finally made up their minds to take a gamble for their son's future.

It turns out they were right.

Lin Xiyu's actions were not a desperate gamble, but rather a genuine indication of a bright future for their son.

The moment his uncle struck the bamboo clappers, Wang Bo's eyes lit up with an unprecedented brilliance.

To him, his uncle's authentic Shandong accent sounded like heavenly music.

The young boy never imagined that his Shandong dialect, which his classmates laughed at for being rustic, would sound so beautiful when he spoke it in a fast-paced storytelling style.

Every sound entered my ears, every whisper touched my heart!

-

"Wang Bo, do you want to learn?"

After my uncle finished speaking, he put away his bamboo clappers and looked at him with great interest.

"miss you!"

Wang Bo answered without thinking, with a hint of barely perceptible unease, fearing that his uncle might not agree.

"Hahaha."

Uncle was very happy and laughed loudly: "I never thought that I, Liu Baolin, would have a day when I would take on an apprentice."

"If you want to learn, then practice your speaking skills properly with your uncle."

Lin Xiyu was pleased: "Once you've practiced well, you can come back to learn English from the teacher."

"Uh-huh."

Wang Bo was very excited and nodded vigorously.

Lin Xiyu never expected that her unintentional act would lead to the transformation of the young boy.

Not long after, at the school's 30th anniversary celebration performance, Wang Bo impressed the entire audience with his talent for Shandong storytelling, winning unanimous praise from all the teachers and students.

The young boy's status in the class underwent a dramatic change, from being ridiculed to being admired, all thanks to the rhythm of the clapperboard.

-

Wang Bo's remarkable transformation not only delighted Wang Meng and his wife, but also reached the ears of many others. Even Wu Meng had the idea to use the reputation of a famous teacher as a gimmick to attract more people to attend the training course.

"You want me to tutor them one-on-one?"

Lin Xiyu shook her head repeatedly after hearing Wu Meng's suggestion: "No, no, I'm already too busy with Grandma Hu's affairs, and I also have to teach at the Children's Palace. I really don't have time to stay at the training center and teach students regularly."

"It would be a shame not to participate."

Wu Meng strongly encouraged them: "Many parents have already come to inquire, all because of you. They are offering high prices, 200 yuan per hour. If you teach for two hours every afternoon, you can earn 400 yuan."

"It's not about money, it's that I really don't have time."

Lin Xiyu rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache: "Grandma Hu wants to imitate the Qingming Scroll, integrating Jinan's three major scenic spots, seventy-two famous springs, and historical figures into a large scroll. It sounds easy, but it's difficult to do. Just designing the blueprints will take a lot of effort and can't be completed in a year or two. I really don't have the time to do anything else."

"Can you cut out a Qingming Scroll using paper cutting?"

Wu Meng was greatly surprised: "Isn't this thing too difficult? Why are you going to all this trouble? Couldn't you have cut something a little simpler?"

"Applying for intangible cultural heritage status isn't that simple!"

Lin Xiyu laughed and retorted, "Do you think intangible cultural heritage is like cabbage, something any Tom, Dick, or Harry can apply for? Paper-cutting isn't just something we have in Jinan; other cities have it too. We want to apply not only for municipal-level intangible cultural heritage status, but also for provincial-level, and even national-level status. Without representativeness, without original designs, without local characteristics, and without highlighting Jinan's unique history and culture, what do we have to compare with others?"

"Hey, I understand everything you're saying."

Wu Meng laughed awkwardly: "It's just a bit of a pity for you. You've put all your energy into doing free volunteer work. Luckily, you married a good husband and don't have to worry about making ends meet. Otherwise, if you were doing charity work all day without earning money, other people would be starving."

"I am truly grateful to Gu Bin for this."

Lin Xiyu sincerely remarked, "Just like you said, without his support, I would never have made applying for intangible cultural heritage status my goal. Paper cutting would just be a hobby for me; I'd occasionally think of cutting a few pieces to make Grandma Hu happy and to keep myself from getting too bored."

"Fine, do whatever you want."

Wu Meng smiled helplessly and gave up on trying to persuade him further: "It's good to have your own goal. In this life, you have to do something meaningful. Maybe when I make a lot of money, I'll do charity work too."

"Build dozens or even hundreds of Hope Primary Schools in impoverished mountainous areas. When I get old, I can boast to my children and grandchildren about how glorious their grandmother was in her life and how much she contributed to society. I can have her great achievements engraved on her tombstone so that future generations will remember her."

-

"hehe."

Lin Xiyu chuckled and teased, "You've really thought ahead, even coming up with the inscription. But I just want to ask, Grandma Wu, are you having a girl? Where did you get the title 'Grandma' from?"

"Hey, hey."

Wu Meng was embarrassed and gave an awkward laugh, feigning reproach: "I was just saying it casually, but you listened very carefully. You won't teach, but you're quite enthusiastic about finding fault with me."

"I'm really no good at teaching, please spare me."

Lin Xiyu explained, "My mind is completely occupied with paper cutting right now. I only tutor Wang Bo occasionally when I have time; I've never taken any money from him." "You didn't take any money from him?"

Wu Meng was stunned again, clicked her tongue twice, and sighed with emotion: "This kid is really lucky. He met such a sucker like you, and now he's benefiting from it and doing charity work."

"This child has a good heart and knows how to be grateful."

Lin Xiyu felt it necessary to defend him: "His parents are also quite diligent, sending things home every day, meat, eggs, vegetables, they buy everything. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and they sent a lot of mooncakes a couple of days ago. If you hadn't come to me, I was just about to tell you, don't buy mooncakes for the festival, take some from me instead, otherwise, with just a few people in our family, we can't eat them all and they'll go bad."

"to make."

Wu Meng didn't put on airs, and smiled with her eyes crinkling: "I crave sweets when I'm pregnant. Let me pick a few to try first."

Do you plan to go back to your in-laws' house for the holidays?

Amidst laughter and conversation, Lin Xiyu brought out a few mooncake gift boxes from the inner room and placed them on the coffee table.

"Go back, why don't you go back?"

Wu Meng said matter-of-factly, "I am the rightful daughter-in-law of the Li family. Before the divorce, this position belongs to me. If I don't go back, am I supposed to make room for another woman?"

Why are you bringing up divorce again?

Lin Xiyu paused as she opened the box: "Who provoked you again?"

Who else could it be?

Wu Meng curled her lip in disgust: "My mother-in-law, who's a sexist."

"She's still not quiet?"

Lin Xiyu raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

"She doesn't like the sight of my daughter and me, so it's no wonder she's not going to stop."

Wu Meng snorted indignantly from the tip of her nose: "But my mindset is different now than before. As long as Liangzi's heart is on my side, I don't care about her sarcastic remarks. As long as I can make money and stand tall, I'll just ignore her and let it go."

"hehe."

Lin Xiyu smiled and agreed, "Although the words are a bit rough, the metaphor is quite apt."

"I'm just hoping the house will be finished soon so I won't have to feel so stifled at my parents' house anymore."

Wu Meng chuckled, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Once the renovation is finished, Liangzi can move out of the house and no longer be affected by his mother."

"Given your situation, you shouldn't have bought an off-plan property. It would have been much better to just buy a used one."

Following her taste, Lin Xiyu picked out a mooncake with red bean paste and jujube filling and handed it to her.

“There are no discounts for buying second-hand houses. We were thinking that with Wang Fan’s connections, we could buy them cheaper and save more money.”

Wu Meng chuckled awkwardly and reached out to take the mooncake, while cautiously peeking at her.

What discount did he give you?

Lin Xiyu pretended not to see her little trick and picked out another mooncake that she liked.

"The cash discount was 150,000, and a basement was given as a bonus."

Wu Meng didn't hide anything: "It's a 123-square-meter house with a total price of 350,000 yuan, which is equivalent to a 50% discount."

"sure."

Lin Xiyu stabbed a mooncake with a fork and said with a half-smile, "This kid disregarded friendship and bleeds money from Xingyao, but he's quite honest with you two. He's pretty good at treating you differently."

"Hey, Xiyu!"

Wu Meng quickly distanced herself from the situation: "He and Li Liang are close, and the discount was because of him, it has nothing to do with me."

"I know it's none of your business."

Lin Xiyu shoveled the mooncake a few more times, still fuming: "I'm just angry. This kid is getting more and more arrogant. He actually dares to openly threaten us, saying he'll sell his stocks if we don't agree."

"Hey, hey."

Wu Meng's eyes trembled, and she dared not reply.

"Hmph, that guy probably took several hundred million from Xingyao because of a cash crunch, and he used it to fill the hole. If this continues, he'll be in trouble sooner or later."

Lin Xiyu ignored her and sulked to herself.

At this moment, she could hardly have imagined that someone's retribution would come so quickly. Less than three months after withdrawing funds from Xingyao, Dingsheng Industry experienced a credit crisis, its capital chain broke, and construction projects in various places were successively suspended.

On the eve of New Year's Day, it was another sunny and breezy winter afternoon. The two best friends were chatting and laughing in the same living room when a phone rang urgently. Bad news from Shanghai shattered their peaceful life and caused quite a stir in the days that followed.

-

"Brother Bin, something bad has happened. Dingsheng has gone bankrupt and its cash flow has dried up. Construction on our new office building, Xingyao Building, has also stopped. You need to think of a solution quickly. If it becomes a failed project, the 3 million yuan we spent will be wasted."

Gu Bin chatted with his two best friends. When he saw that the call was coming from Xingyao's Shanghai headquarters, he didn't try to avoid Lin Xiyu. He put the phone on speakerphone, so that both of his best friends could clearly hear Li Hao's anxious voice.

"Boom."

Wu Meng was so startled that she dropped the teacup in her hand.

"Mengmeng, are you okay?"

Seeing her flustered expression and the fact that she was oblivious to the scalding hot tea splashing on her feet, Lin Xiyu couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Dingsheng Group collapses, Xingyao Building construction halted"

Wu Meng looked distressed and anxious: "Won't the off-plan apartment that Liangzi and I bought also become a abandoned project?"

"Wait a minute."

Lin Xiyu tried to comfort her, but before she could say anything, her round belly twitched violently due to her intense emotions.

"Ouch, ouch, I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts so much, I think I'm going into labor!"

Chaos erupted in the living room. Lin Xiyu and Gu Bin, without having time to inquire about the details, hurriedly took the person to the hospital.

-

On December 30, 2004, as the new year was about to begin, Wu Meng gave birth to a daughter amidst the eager anticipation of her relatives and friends.

The maternity ward was filled with joy as a family surrounded their newborn baby, beaming with happiness.

The only drawback is that Li Liang's mother is not included in the family.

Her mother-in-law came to the hospital before the delivery. When she saw that the nurse brought out a girl, her expression changed immediately. She didn't even bother to say a few polite words and left without looking back.

Wu's mother was so angry that she gritted her teeth. If it weren't for the presence of outsiders, she would have rushed over and started a full-blown fight.

"That person is Wu Meng's mother-in-law."

Lin Xiyu was also meeting Li Liang's mother for the first time. She found it hard to believe that Li Liang's mother was indeed as patriarchal as rumored: "No matter what, she is still his granddaughter. She doesn't even bother with pretense and openly despises her. No wonder Aunt Wu is angry and wants to tear her apart."

"Li Liang looks just like his mother."

Gu Bin analyzed from another perspective: "A hooked nose and thin lips, this facial feature is particularly resolute on a man's face, but it seems a bit harsh on a woman."

"She's exceptionally harsh."

Lin Xiyu felt sorry for Wu Meng and was very dissatisfied with her mother-in-law: "She is too harsh. With a mother-in-law like that, Mengmeng is really suffering."