A widower's entertainment

Chapter 303 [An Unexpected Answer] (Please Subscribe)
Because Lin Youcheng hadn't returned to Decheng for the Lunar New Year for several years, and his older brother Lin Youcai had been bringing it up repeatedly, and the children hadn't been back to Decheng for a long time, Lin Youcheng's family made a special trip back to Decheng for the Lunar New Year this time.

After wandering around in the sleeper carriages of the green train and then transferring to a bus, we finally arrived in Dezhou.

Without a doubt, the return of Lin Youcheng and his family to Chunfeng Lane in Decheng caused quite a stir, and the entire Chunfeng Lane was in an uproar.

It's worth noting that Lin Youcheng's family hadn't returned to Decheng since moving to the capital. Their return at this time naturally caused quite a stir. There was nothing they could do about it; Lin Youcheng was already a famous writer from Chunfeng Lane in the capital, and even though he hadn't been in Chunfeng Lane in Decheng for a long time, he was still the center of attention.

There's nothing that can be done about it, since Lin Youcheng keeps publishing new works. It can be said that because of Lin Youcheng, the literary atmosphere in Chunfeng Lane seems to have become more intense. The comrades in Chunfeng Lane also pay more attention to literature, and they often hear that Lin Youcheng's new works have appeared in literary magazines, so they naturally pay attention to them.

Because Lin Youcheng's family was going back to Decheng, and Zhao Gensheng's family was also going back to Yunnan Province to visit their parents, they gave up their room for Lin Youcheng. However, the children didn't particularly miss their old house; instead, they ran outside to play happily, wanting to see their playmates from Decheng.

As for the youngest brother, Lin Zhaole, who had no playmates, he went out to play with his eldest sister, Lin Zhaoxi.

Lin Youcheng brought some local specialties from Beijing with him on his trip to Decheng, which he specially gave to his neighbors, especially the Zhang Weimin family.

"Youcheng, I really didn't expect you to come back for Chinese New Year this year. Are you having New Year's Eve dinner at home?"

Zhang Weimin's wife, Xie Chunxia, ​​delivered a lot of food to Lin Youcheng's family with a smile on her face. The food included prepared wontons and steamed buns, which were also a way of thanking Lin Youcheng for sending them Beijing specialties.

Lin Youcheng smiled and accepted the food Xie Chunxia brought, then said, "I won't cook at home. We'll have New Year's Eve dinner at my eldest brother's house."

Hearing this, Zhang Weimin nodded and said with a smile, "That's right. Your eldest brother must have made all the arrangements for your family to return to Decheng. He's just waiting for you to come."

"Youcheng, you've been in the capital for so long, why haven't you thought about finding someone else?"

Since they were old neighbors and acquaintances, Zhang Weimin asked this question as well.

Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "You know that too? We have six children."

Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Xie Chunxia quickly said, "Youcheng, it is indeed not easy for you to take care of six children all by yourself. It is very hard work."

Xie Chunxia and the others witnessed it firsthand. Lin Youcheng, a grown man, was raising six children alone, especially one who had just been born. It was truly difficult at that time. They could see the light on in Lin Youcheng's room when they got up in the middle of the night. Lin Zhaohuan was making a fuss in the middle of the night and wouldn't sleep, which was tormenting Lin Youcheng.

At that time, people felt that Lin Youcheng was having a hard time, and some even suggested that he give one of the items away, but Lin Youcheng refused.

Clearly, those were truly difficult days, but things gradually improved after Lin Youcheng started writing.

Hearing his wife Xie Chunxia's words, Zhang Weimin nodded. He knew Lin Youcheng's hardships, but knowing this made him even more urge him, "You should find someone now, not only for yourself, but also for Zhaoxi and the others."

"And now that you're doing better and better in the capital, you really need to focus on your own life. After all, she's been gone for so many years. You still have a long life ahead of you. You have to look to the future. You can't stay single forever!"

Lin Youcheng listened to Zhang Weimin's advice, knowing that Zhang Weimin meant well, and nodded with a smile, without saying anything more.

Just as Zhang Weimin advised, the same thing happened at his elder brother Lin Youcai's house.

Although it was a lively and joyous occasion for Lin Youcheng's family to return to Decheng to celebrate the New Year with Lin Youcai's family, the New Year's Eve dinner was very lively, the children ate with great enjoyment, and the eldest brother Lin Youcai and sister-in-law Fang Mei were also very busy.

However, after the family reunion dinner, while the children watched the Spring Festival Gala, Lin Youcai would naturally talk to Lin Youcheng about personal matters.

"Youcheng, you really can't stay single forever."

As Lin Youcheng's older brother, Lin Youcai has always been particularly concerned about his younger brother. He worried about him when his brother was not doing well, and now that his brother has become successful, he still worries about him. After all, only a biological older brother would not want to watch his younger brother remain single from his thirties onwards.

With so much time to go, Lin Youcai naturally kept Lin Youcheng's matter in mind.

Although Lin Youcheng had been married and had six children, Lin Youcai felt that his younger brother should not remain single forever. He was quite good-looking, otherwise he would have been chosen so quickly in Yunnan Province, married and had children so early. Now that he was so talented, he should not remain single forever and grow old alone.

Sister-in-law Fang Mei poured Lin Youcheng a cup of hot tea and sat down beside him, advising, "Yes, Youcheng, Xi'er's mother has been gone for so many years. You've done enough for her all these years. It's time to find someone else."

Clearly, in Fang Mei's eyes, Lin Youcheng's inability to find a partner over the past few years is because he has never let go of his child's mother. This is similar to the discussions and speculations in many literary circles, which suggest that Lin Youcheng's exceptional talent for writing love stories stems from his infatuation with women.

Sometimes, people like this are just good at imagining and analyzing.

Lin Youcheng knew that his older brother and sister-in-law were speaking from the heart when they said these things to him. After all, they had said similar things on the phone before, and they all sincerely hoped that Lin Youcheng could find someone else and not continue to be single.

"Brother, sister-in-law, I know what you're saying, I understand."

Lin Youcai's square face scrunched up, making him look even more serious and aged. He said, "If you're aware of this, you should hurry up. I heard from Song Ma that the director of the street office in Beijing wanted to introduce you to someone, but you turned him down."

Lin Youcheng hadn't expected that Lin Youcai had been in contact with Song Ma and knew about the introduction by Zhao Dama, the director of the neighborhood office. He couldn't help but find it a bit funny; his older brother was really concerned. He said, "It's not suitable."

"What do you mean it's not suitable? You just don't want to at all!"

Lin Youcai didn't think it was inappropriate, but he felt that Lin Youcheng had no intention of doing so at all. Just like Fang Mei, he was still thinking about Xi'er's mother. But since she had been gone for so many years, it was time to let go and start over. How could he keep thinking about the past instead of looking forward?

Lin Youcheng is not even forty yet this year, so why can't he find someone else!
Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, his sister-in-law Fang Mei couldn't help but ask, "Youcheng, if you have any thoughts, tell your sister-in-law. Your sister-in-law will keep an eye out for you. Actually, quite a few people here have asked about your current situation."

"Sister-in-law, no need, really no need."

Fang Mei turned her head and looked at the children who were watching the Spring Festival Gala with great interest and eating snacks and candies. Suddenly, she remembered that Lin Youcheng sometimes worried about the children, so she asked, "Youcheng, are you also worried that Xi'er and the others won't be able to accept it?"

Lin Youcai frowned slightly upon hearing this. He felt that Fang Mei's words made sense and couldn't help but say, "The children are still young, and they need their mother's care. You, as their father, can't possibly take care of them all." "I'm taking good care of them. Zhaole is already in school now, and besides me, there's also Song Ma."

Lin Youcai was immediately dissatisfied upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, which were just making excuses for himself. He said, "They are still young and will accept it. Besides, you really need to think about your own situation. If you keep dragging this on, you'll be over forty soon."

Lin Youcheng's heart skipped a beat when he heard Lin Youcai's words. This world really is a soft knife that kills without blinking an eye.

It's like a soft knife grinding away at you, silently and without warning.

Lin Youcheng looked at his children, his gaze shifting as if he had thought of something, and said, "Big brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Regardless of whether Lin Youcheng was aware of the situation or not, Lin Youcai, as the older brother, could only offer his earnest advice. He felt helpless that he, as the older brother, had to worry about Lin Youcheng's personal life. However, as the older brother, he still hoped that Lin Youcheng could find someone else as soon as possible and stop being single.

After the Lunar New Year's Eve reunion, Lin Youcheng's family did not stay in Decheng for long, as the children still had to go back to school.

After the New Year, Lin Youcheng naturally took Lin Zhaoxi and the others back to the courtyard house in Xinghua Hutong in Beijing.

Song Ma arrived at the courtyard house early from her own home to help tidy up. The entire courtyard house was still warm and full of the atmosphere of the Spring Festival.

However, Lin Youcheng did not expect Xie Shuhua to come at this time.

Xie Shuhua looked at Lin Youcheng with a determined gaze. She had already told her parents in Tianjin that she liked Lin Youcheng, so now she naturally wanted to tell him her feelings, just like Lin Yu in "Atonement".

And we shouldn't be like Yang Shu in "Love Letter," who kept his feelings of love unspoken...

"I've come here today because I have something I want to tell you."

Lin Youcheng nodded, waiting for Xie Shuhua to speak.

"Comrade Lin Youcheng, I like you, and I want to be with you."

"I love you!"

Xie Shuhua didn't address Lin Youcheng as "Teacher," but instead called him "Comrade Lin Youcheng," which was quite straightforward and surprised Lin Youcheng.

It could even be described as shocking.

Although he was aware of Xie Shuhua's feelings for him—after all, he wasn't a 23-year-old young man—he had never directly broken through that barrier. Now that it had, Lin Youcheng felt a mix of conflicting emotions.

The elder brother and sister-in-law in Decheng asked if it was suitable, so who would be suitable?
He felt that if he were to remarry, he wouldn't want a widow who had been married before; he hoped to find someone young and beautiful.

Xie Shuhua was undoubtedly young and beautiful, and more importantly, her overall temperament touched Lin Youcheng's heart. Perhaps it was during a literature lecture at Yenching University that Lin Youcheng remembered this female student who raised her hand to ask a question. It was about the discussion of love and literature, and he remembered her as well. Otherwise, how could he have remembered her later at Yenching University, and also at the creative writing graduate program at the Lu Xun Academy of Literature?

But at this moment, he still had very complicated feelings.

This complex psychology is hard to describe. Perhaps such things will become common in the future, and some people may not even think that he is getting an advantage, since he seems to be more successful. But Lin Youcheng feels that he is somewhat concerned about his teacher-student relationship with Xie Shuhua. Even though his teacher has only been invited to teach a few classes in the creative graduate program, and Xie Shuhua has long been working in the editorial department of "Fiction Monthly", he still has a certain sense of order in his heart.

This complex feeling is like knowing that in another time and space, the 57-year-old veteran actress, Ms. Jin, is teaching at a school and falls in love with her 22-year-old student, whom she mentors. They then get married and Ms. Jin later gives birth to twins.

Even though Ms. Jin is over sixty years old, she still has to earn money to buy milk powder for her child.

When Lin Youcheng learned about this, he would jokingly say he admired him, but he was just saying it for show.

Lin Youcheng looked at the young and beautiful Xie Shuhua in front of him, and for a moment he didn't know how to deal with her. However, he also knew very well that it must have taken a lot of courage for a woman like Xie Shuhua to say these words directly, so what reason did he have to resist the impulse in his heart?

He is a widower with six children, but he is also Lin Youcheng in his twenties.

Lin Youcheng looked at Xie Shuhua, thought for a moment, and said, "Have you written your graduation thesis yet?"

"what?"

Xie Shuhua never expected that Lin Youcheng would suddenly ask this question after she confessed her feelings; it was an answer she had never anticipated.

Maybe they'll refuse, maybe they'll get angry, maybe it'll end, maybe...

But perhaps it's still possible to accept her love?
These complex possibilities flashed through Xie Shuhua's mind, leaving her unsure of what answer awaited her. Deep down, she was filled with anticipation, affection, and longing, awaiting the final verdict on whether her silent drama would end in tragedy. But she truly hadn't expected that after Lin Youcheng's straightforward confession, her response would be—

Have you written your graduation thesis yet?

This left Xie Shuhua momentarily stunned.

Xie Shuhua stared at Lin Youcheng for a few seconds before saying, "Not yet, it's being written."

"Then you'd better hurry up and write it, because you'll need to submit a thesis to graduate school later."

Xie Shuhua nodded blankly, unsure of what Lin Youcheng's answer meant.

(End of this chapter)