My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 97: Renamed?

After taking a shower, Lin Ying prepared some food; she hadn't eaten dinner yet.

I cooked some noodles for my two younger sisters, making sure they were very soft so they could have some comfort food. After we finished eating and tidied up, I took them into my bedroom.

"You'll sleep with me tonight. Tomorrow I'll buy a bed, and from now on you'll sleep in the room you were in."

Looking at the spotless room, which was much better than their home, Pandi and Niandi were very excited at the thought of living here with their second sister.

"Second sister, where's brother-in-law?" At this moment, Pandi realized that she hadn't seen Zhou Jiye and couldn't help but ask.

"Your brother-in-law is not in Shanghai these days. He went out of town on business and won't be back for a few days." Lin Ying took a quilt out of the closet and spread it on the bed. The three of them needed to sleep with an extra quilt, otherwise they wouldn't have enough to cover themselves.

"Hehe, it's good that my brother-in-law isn't here. It's been so long since I slept with you, Second Sister." The carefree Niandi didn't care about Zhou Jiye at all. She hugged Lin Ying's arm, who had just finished making the bed, and said coquettishly.

"You little sycophant!" Lin Ying chuckled and scolded, slapping her on the bottom. "Alright, get in bed and go to sleep!"

With a cheerful reply, Pandi and Niandi got into bed, snuggled under the covers, and lay down on either side of Lin Ying.

The three sisters chatted for a while, saying one thing here and another there. Suddenly, Niandi asked Lin Ying, "Second sister, I just remembered something."

"What's the matter?"

"When we came in, what did that old lady upstairs call you, Xiaoying?"

Lin Ying smiled and explained, "I forgot to tell you, your second sister's name will be Lin Ying from now on. I've changed my name. I'm not called Lin Zhaodi anymore, I'm called Lin Ying. Remember that?"

“Yes, I remember…” Pandi nodded. In her opinion, no matter what her second sister was called, she was still her second sister. Since her second sister said so, then from now on, her second sister would not be Lin Zhaodi as before, but Lin Ying.

"Why change your name?" Niandi asked, puzzled. "Why would you change your name out of the blue?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Lin Ying was both amused and exasperated, but she still answered, "The name Zhao Di doesn't sound good, and I have no intention of going back to that home after I left. Changing my name is a way of cutting ties with the past and starting anew. From now on, I am Lin Ying, no longer Lin Zhao Di. Besides, don't you think the name Lin Ying sounds better than Lin Zhao Di?"

Lin Ying's words made Pandi thoughtful. She had admired her second sister since she was a child. In her heart, there was only this second sister. She thought that her second sister was the most capable person in the world and that nothing could stump her.

Back then, when her father decided to marry her off to Zheng the Cripple, she managed to break the deadlock herself. No one knows how she managed to get the Zhou family, who were the best-off families in the village, to come and propose marriage, and thus she married into the Zhou family.

Not only that, after becoming Old Zhou's wife, Lin Ying also arranged for her eldest sister to work as a points recorder, a coveted job that many people in the village would kill for. Now, her eldest sister is very popular in the village, and many young unmarried men want to marry her. If it weren't for her father's desire to keep her at home longer and his interest in her points recorder job, her eldest sister would definitely have had no problem marrying into a good family.

All of these were brought by Lin Ying. In addition, Lin Ying had raised her younger sisters since they were little. She not only taught them a lot of knowledge, but also taught them many principles of life.

Last year, Lin Ying and her brother-in-law left their hometown, saying they were going to try their luck in Shanghai. Her younger sisters couldn't help but cry. After their second sister left, they never heard from her again. Apart from her two older brothers, Ji Jun and Ji Min, who secretly told them that their second sister and brother-in-law were doing well in Shanghai, no one else in the village knew anything about their situation.

The reason why Pandi and Niandi were so bold in running away from their wedding was mainly due to the influence of their second sister. Otherwise, how could these two country girls have such thoughts?
Although they had suffered a lot along the way and almost fell into dire straits, they finally found their second sister. Now, looking at their second sister, she was completely like a city person, and her demeanor was truly enviable. Looking at the place where she and her brother-in-law lived, although they were just staying there temporarily, it was still a place that ordinary people could not afford. Pandi admired Lin Ying even more.

"I must become someone like my second sister!"

Pandi thought to herself, and then, recalling Lin Ying's words, she realized that Lin Ying was right. Since leaving that home meant cutting ties with the past, the future Lin Pandi would not be the same as the past Lin Pandi. Should she change her name and start over like her second sister?
While Pandi was pondering this, Niandi was also pondering it.

However, being a carefree person, she didn't think that far ahead. She just thought that Lin Ying said her current name sounded better than her old name, Lin Zhaodi, and she remembered that comment.

Indeed, there are so many names like Lai Di, Zhao Di, Pan Di, and Nian Di in my hometown. Almost every family in the surrounding area whose first child is a daughter gives them such names. If you shout out these names when you go to the market, many people might respond at the same time.

Nian Di hadn't thought about it this way before, but Lin Ying's words today made her suddenly feel that her name sounded a bit rustic. Now that they were in Shanghai, and her second sister had taken them in, she wanted to become a glamorous city dweller like her sister, so she had to change her name, Nian Di!
But what should she change it to? For a while, Niandi couldn't think of a good name. She racked her brains for a long time and came up with words like "spring," "flower," "red," and "rosy clouds," but none of them sounded as nice or grand as the name Lin Ying.

As she pondered these thoughts, an overwhelming weariness crept over her, and Niandi soon fell into a deep sleep...

She slept soundly through the night. This was the most restful night's sleep Niandi had ever had, and also the best night's sleep she had ever had since arriving in Shanghai.

When I opened my eyes, it was already bright outside the window, and the clear chirping of birds came from outside. I turned my head and saw that my second and third sisters were not there at all, and I was lying there all by myself.

She quickly got up and put on her clothes. Without Lin Ying and her third sister by her side, Niandi couldn't help but feel a little flustered in this unfamiliar place. She hurriedly left the room, just as she was looking for her second and third sisters, when she heard a noise coming from next door.

"Woke up?"

Lin Ying, who was tidying up the room with Pan Di, turned around and saw Nian Di, who had just gotten up and hadn't washed up yet, rushing over from next door. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw her.

"Go wash up first. I've prepared your toothbrush, towel, and everything else. They're on the shelf in the bathroom. The blue one is yours, so don't use the wrong one."

Niandi quickly responded and went to the bathroom, where she soon found her own towel, toothbrush, and teacup on the shelf.

Using the tap water, Niandi quickly tidied herself up. After finishing, she looked in the mirror and smiled at herself. But then she turned her head and looked at the toilet next to her, and her expression changed. After thinking for a moment, she ran back to the other room and asked Lin Ying where the outhouse was.

Suppressing a laugh, Lin Ying told Pandi to continue tidying up at home. She took Niandi out to use the public restroom first, and after Niandi finished, she took her back home.

Breakfast was already prepared, including porridge. Lin Ying had also gone out early to buy some steamed buns and fried dough sticks. She had already taken Pandi to Fang Manxia's place, since Niandi was sleeping soundly and she hadn't woken her up.

During dinner, Lin Ying carefully explained to her two younger sisters what they needed to pay attention to at home. She told them that she would be going out later, and they should help clean and tidy up at home first, and then talk to Fang Manxia. She reminded them that if they didn't understand anything, they should ask questions and seek advice, and not make assumptions or mess around on their own. She also told them to respect Fang Manxia.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Ying didn't tidy up; it was getting late and she needed to hurry to the West Palace. Besides, she had already explained everything to her two younger sisters in detail, so they would gradually become familiar with the household chores. This was a good opportunity for them to learn.

After saying goodbye to Fang Manxia upstairs, Lin Ying gave her two younger sisters some final instructions before leaving.

After Lin Ying left, Pandi and Niandi washed the dishes and chopsticks, then went back to their room to clean up. The two of them worked very efficiently, and besides, they had done these kinds of chores at home before, so they finished in no time.

"Third sister, second sister said we'll go upstairs to see the old lady after we finish our work. Do you think we should go up?" After finishing her work, Pandi hesitated for a moment before asking Niandi. After all, she was still a girl, and without Lin Ying by her side, she felt a little flustered.

“Go ahead, Second Sister already said so, and besides, Grandma is still waiting upstairs.” Niandi said casually, taking her third sister’s hand, and the two of them walked upstairs to the second floor. When they arrived at Fang Manxia’s door, they stood at the door and knocked.

"Come in!"

Fang Manxia's voice came from inside the house. Niandi pushed open the door and went in with Pandi.

“Madam…” Nian Di remembered Lin Ying’s instructions and instinctively bowed to Fang Manxia as she entered the door, saying this. Pan Di, who was standing to the side, did not react in time and followed Nian Di’s example, bowing to Fang Manxia as well.

Fang Manxia was taken aback by the word "Madam," then laughed: "Don't call me that. 'Madam' is what you call an elderly person in your hometown, right? But it's easy to misunderstand in Shanghai. You're Xiaoying's sisters, so just call me Grandma like Xiaoying does."

Niandi immediately realized what was happening, her face flushed slightly, and she quickly corrected herself. As for Pandi, although she seemed a little guilty downstairs, she calmed down after seeing Fang Manxia and didn't notice anything wrong with her address. However, she still called out "Grandma" along with Pandi.

"Ah, that's right." Fang Manxia nodded with a kind smile. The soft sunlight outside slanted in through the window, shining directly on Fang Manxia. Her gray hair was neatly combed, and she sat there with a dignified and elegant demeanor, exuding a remarkable charm.

The two girls were captivated by the presence of the elderly woman, who had never seen such a beautiful and charismatic woman before. Although they had met Fang Manxia yesterday, they hadn't seen her clearly because they were far away at night. Now, seeing her in person, they realized that Fang Manxia was indeed completely different from ordinary elderly women, just as her second sister, Lin Ying, had said.

"Child, come and sit down. Don't be shy here."

Seeing the two girls standing there blankly, Fang Manxia invited them into the house. As they walked over and sat down, their hands unconsciously clasped together in a restrained manner, Fang Manxia asked them their names and ages in a gentle voice, and then started chatting casually.

Unbeknownst to them, Pandi and Niandi were gradually influenced by Fang Manxia's tone and demeanor, and they were no longer as nervous as they had been at the beginning. As they relaxed, they spoke much more casually.

(End of this chapter)