Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

Night shift

For safety, Xu Lin climbed out of the window of the rear house. He had already scouted the area that afternoon and knew he could climb in from the back of the courtyard. Normally, it wouldn't be possible; there was just a wall. He could either climb over the roof, but obviously, Xu Lin couldn't do that. But now it was different.

Because the Tan family's house, like the Xu family's, had an attic, it couldn't be built as a two-story house, but it could be raised a bit. So, on the east side of the house, where there was originally one wall, an extra window was added.

Xu Lin glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then took a short running start, jumped high, and grabbed the window frame with both hands.

After gently pushing open the window with his blind hands, he used both arms to pull himself up onto the windowsill, squeezing half his body inside. He then landed quietly and closed the window behind him. The door to Tan's bedroom was right next to the window.

Xu Lin tiptoed through the door that Madam Tan had left for him, and slipped inside. He felt he had acted flawlessly, but little did he know that a pair of eyes at the top of the stairs had witnessed everything…

"Xiao Lin?" Tan asked tentatively from inside the bedroom.

"Good sister, I'm here..." Xu Lin hurriedly took off his clothes and snuggled into Tan's fragrant arms.

Mrs. Tan was quite surprised. "How did you get in? I didn't hear anything at the door!"

Xu Lin, meanwhile, was smugly playing with the toy in his hand, saying with no small amount of pride, "It came in through the window by your bedroom door. Remember to close the windows properly when you're home from now on."

"Huh? The window by my bedroom door? You managed to climb up there?!" Mrs. Tan exclaimed in surprise, her mouth agape.

Seeing Tan's surprised expression, Xu Lin immediately grinned mischievously and gestured, "Don't say anything..."

After a period of time

"Xiaolin, you really weren't lying to me. My skin does seem to have gotten a bit better lately. At this time of year before, my skin would be a bit dry and itchy, but now I don't feel that at all."

Even better than before, Director Wang joked with me, saying that I looked radiant and much younger after leaving the capitalists...

Xu Lin, unusually, blushed slightly. He gave an awkward chuckle and brushed off the topic. Xu Lin knew that as a beneficiary, remaining silent at this moment would make him appear even more enigmatic...

"Xiao Lin, did you like Qin Huairu today? Did you bring her back because you're planning to marry her?" Madam Tan, with one hand propping up her head, looked down at Xu Lin lying on his back, while her other hand continued to draw circles. She asked Xu Lin with a playful expression.

At this moment, Xu Lin displayed astonishing talent as a sea king, and did not immediately answer Tan's question.

Instead, he forcefully pulled Tan back into his arms, like holding a docile kitten, tilting his head up to gaze deeply into her eyes before uttering a sentence.

"What do you want me to do? I'll do whatever you say..."

Tan's composure crumbled in an instant...

After some time, Tan lay exhausted on the bed, her eyes half-closed as she looked at Xu Lin with a smile on her lips.

……

After resting for a while, Madam Tan suddenly said to Xu Lin

"Xiao Lin, let me observe Qin Huairu for the next couple of days. If she's a good person, why don't you marry her? She's also a woman with a tragic fate. We have similar destinies, but she's luckier than me; she met you earlier..."

"Fool, why don't you just marry me? Why do you make me marry her...?"

Madam Tan rolled her eyes at him, clearly annoyed.

"I'm so much older than you, and my daughter is only 7 years younger than you. If you were just an ordinary person living a normal life, that would be fine."

But your future is limitless, while my background is not good—that's a reality. I don't want to become a burden or a liability to you, or give others an opportunity to attack you.

I don't want to fall into this situation again in the future, to be abandoned like I am now...

Xu Lin sensed Tan's change in emotion and hugged her tighter: "Then I'll never marry anyone else in this life. I'll just stay with you. I can't let you suffer any injustice because of me..."

Moved to tears, Ms. Tan smiled and patted Xu Lin on the shoulder.

"Whoever dares to wrong me, even if you marry someone else, I will still be the first wife. If I don't agree, let's see who can get in the door!"

In short, I'll oversee Qin Huairu's matter for you. You don't need to worry about it!

Xu Lin was a little speechless. Something about that sounded odd. Why was it that when I got married, it was none of my business…?

"No, are you saying this on purpose because you're not strong enough and are planning to call for reinforcements..."

"You're talking nonsense!"

"Oh? Getting angry?"

"no!"

After some time, the Tan family had to face reality.

"I was wrong, dear brother, I was wrong, please forgive me, I'll never do it again..."

If I keep going like this, I'll die sooner or later. It seems I really need to talk to Qin Huairu right away...

Xu Lin then released Tan Shi, but they did not separate. The two fell asleep in each other's arms...

However, their whispered conversation was overheard by the person who had seen Xu Lin climb in through the window earlier, who was hiding at the doorway. He heard every single word clearly.

The man was initially just curious about Xu Lin's appearance, but later became curious about what was happening inside the house. Upon hearing the rhythmic sounds from inside and Tan's high-pitched singing, he blushed with embarrassment.

She wanted to leave, but couldn't move her feet. The bedroom door was so close, yet she couldn't bring herself to step inside. Finally, when she heard her own name mentioned in their conversation, she was shocked.

The person eavesdropping was none other than Qin Huairu, whose mind was in complete chaos at that moment.

At this moment, Qin Huairu felt both relieved and helpless. She was relieved that she had the habit of getting up in the middle of the night, otherwise she would have missed the news.

The helplessness lay in figuring out how to gain the trust and acceptance of the Tan family. After a day of interaction, Qin Huairu had already fallen for Xu Lin.

Especially during dinner, her calf, which Xu Lin accidentally rubbed against during the meal, was still itchy. Qin Huairu hadn't slept earlier, constantly thinking about how wonderful it would be to marry Xu Lin. He was handsome, well-off, had a respectable job, and such a beautiful house.

She had never imagined that the person she would marry in the future would have such qualities. Qin Huairu herself didn't realize that her requirements for a partner had been unconsciously raised a lot because of her brief contact with Xu Lin.

She had fantasized about marrying Xu Lin, but because of Tan Shi's existence, Qin Huairu felt that apart from being younger, she had no advantage over Tan Shi in any way.

Even Madam Tan couldn't marry Xu Lin, so what chance did she have? She had long seen through Madam Tan's feelings for Xu Lin. Putting herself in Madam Tan's shoes, she certainly wouldn't let herself marry Xu Lin.

Now that she knew Tan's attitude, Qin Huairu was even more excited, caught in a deep dilemma and hesitation. She didn't mind sharing Xu Lin with Tan, because in their village, his grandfather had had several wives.

She had encountered similar situations when she was young and hadn't thought much of it, even finding it quite normal. Her only concern now that she knew was how to handle the situation. After a day of interaction, she was very satisfied with Xu Lin in every way.

She even felt inferior because of her own inferiority complex, feeling that she was not good enough for Xu Lin. But now she knew Xu Lin and Madam Tan's attitude and requirements towards her.

She agreed instantly without a second thought, and didn't feel wronged at all. She just didn't know what to do now that she knew all this.

I can't just rush in and say I can do it... that would be too embarrassing. But what if I do something wrong later and the Tan family is dissatisfied or disagrees?

Qin Huairu, who had been eavesdropping anxiously, finally hesitated at the door for a long time, fearing that someone might come out, before tiptoeing back to her bedroom next door.

Insomnia is a certainty...