Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 111 The Xu Brothers Have Arrived
Lin Qin agreed wholeheartedly and decided to reply to Huang Wenlong the next day.

When Huang Yuezhen returned home from get off work, she was not surprised at all by the decision of Lin Qin and the other two. "I'll go talk to Boss Huang tomorrow. Qin, don't bother. It's so hot, it's too tiring."

The following afternoon, Huang Wenlong arrived at Nanyu with a group of workers.

They first conducted an on-site investigation of the situation in Nanyu, quickly formulated a plan, and delivered the materials in just two days.

Lin Qin was completely unable to get involved in the construction process and could only watch helplessly as the stadium changed day by day.

About ten days later, the basic structure of the stadium began to take shape.

The entire stadium covers an area of ​​600 square meters and is 10 meters high, which is roughly the height of a three-story building.

The roof uses a welded steel frame and special plastic roofing panels.

At Lin Qin's request, an additional layer of heat insulation was added.

The exterior was painted with cement and paint, and Huang Wenlong also had people paint on it, which looked very pleasing to the eye.

The interior is designed like a standard basketball court, with extra space used to place several ping-pong tables and two restrooms, one for men and one for women.

The entire stadium took more than 20 days to complete, including the cement road leading from the entrance to the building, with a total cost of 25,000 yuan.

Lin Qin was questioning her life when she paid the bill. Looking back at the brand-new stadium, she kept trying to convince herself otherwise.

She spent this money all for the children; she didn't feel bad at all.
The stadium will be left to stand for a while after it's built, until the formaldehyde inside dissipates before it's used.

Lin Yi would go over and take a look every day, surveying the stadium which cost over 20,000 yuan. He said quite frankly, "If we don't need it in the future, we can ask Qingxiang to come and make some partitions. We can make two or three houses out of it. It wouldn't be a loss."

Lin Qin knew his plan and laughed until tears streamed down her face.

Just as the whole family was gathered around the stadium, marveling at its beauty...

Lin Ying brought her two sons over.

Lin Qin personally went to the other side of the river to pick up the person.

As soon as Lin Ying saw her, she poured out her grievances, "Those two brats have been remembering what you said before. As soon as summer vacation started, they kept urging me to bring them over. I made a deal with them and insisted that they finish all their homework before I let them come over."

This is the first time I've seen them so enthusiastic since they started school. I figured I couldn't let the children down, so I brought them along.

Is it convenient for you here? If not, let them stay for two days and then go back.

Lin Qin rolled her eyes reproachfully, "How could it be inconvenient! I already told them to come to Nanyu for the summer vacation, and I mean it. They can stay as long as they want. We just built a gymnasium at home, and it will be ready to use in a few days. The kids can play ball or whatever they want in there."

Lin Ying didn't know what a stadium was. When she arrived on the island and saw the so-called stadium, she was instantly stunned.

Good heavens! Do you two have too much money to burn? You built such a big house just so your child can play ball?

Lin Ying expressed her incomprehension.

Lin Qin explained Ping An's situation in detail, "Having a place where one can exercise anytime and anywhere will greatly help Ping An's physical recovery. Wen Jun would spend the money just for this reason."

I was just worried about who would play ping-pong with Ping An, and now A-Jian and A-Kang are here—perfect! It's definitely better for boys to play together than for Ya-Ya to keep her company.” Lin Ying gave Lin Qin a deep look and couldn't help but sigh, “You're truly a model stepmother!”

Lin Qin smiled and said, "Ping An is a good boy. He truly treats me like his own mother, so naturally I treat him like my own child. But let's not talk about that. Sister, why don't you stay here with me for a few days? There's a refrigerator at home, so it's convenient to have whatever you want to eat."

Lin Ying refused without hesitation, saying, "The house at home isn't finished yet, I can't stay here for too long. I'll visit Dad when he gets back and then I'll leave."

Lin Qin knew Lin Ying's temperament well, so she didn't force her. She simply led Lin Ying home to cool off, gave each of them a fruit popsicle, then took a piece of pork and a salted fish from the refrigerator, and picked some vegetables from the field to make them lunch.

She had just finished preparing the meal when Lin Yi returned with his two children.

The four children, reunited after a long separation, showed no signs of awkwardness; on the contrary, their bond deepened, and they went upstairs hand in hand to whisper secrets.

Lin Yi looked at his eldest daughter with surprise, "I was thinking you should have brought the child over earlier, why are you so late?"

Lin Ying had no choice but to repeat her previous statement.

Lin Yi was speechless.

Lin Ying said in a serious tone, "Dad, I didn't bring them here to enjoy themselves. If there's any work you can assign them, feel free to do it. Also, don't feed them too well, or I won't be able to support them when they go back!"

She had just seen the lunch Lin Qin had prepared and advised Lin Qin not to waste food, but Lin Qin told her that these were just ordinary home-cooked dishes.

Who eats meat and fish at every meal? They certainly can't afford that.

Lin Yi's face darkened immediately, and he glared at Lin Ying angrily, "What kind of mother are you? You don't even feed the children well! Are you a stepmother? The children rarely come to stay with us for a while, and I not only have to feed them well, but I also have to think about how to make them healthy!"

"If you want to live a hard life, you should do it yourself. Don't make the children suffer!"

Then Lin Yi asked, "Is life really that hard for the Xu family? Or are they deliberately abusing you and your child?"

Ever since he heard Lin Ying complain about the Xu family during the Chinese New Year, Lin Yi has always felt that Lin Ying and her two grandsons were being treated very unfairly by the Xu family.

Lin Ying shook her head repeatedly, lowered her eyes and muttered, "Now that we're building a house, and Dad gave my mother-in-law three hundred yuan before, they all know that I have a husband's family backing me up. My mother-in-law has also toned down her behavior a lot, at least she's not as blatantly biased as before."

I listened to Ah Qin's advice and secretly borrowed some more money from Da Hai to build a two-story house so that there would be more rooms. It's expensive though, and the house is only a rough outline now and can't be lived in yet.

My sister-in-law made sarcastic remarks, implying that we were overestimating ourselves. They say we should fight for pride, not just for the money. So, Dahai has been working day and night to earn money, hoping to finish the unfinished house by the end of the year so we can move in. Then we'll see how she laughs at us!

Lin Ying was unhappy when she thought about these trivial matters, and her face fell.

Lin Yi poked Lin Ying's forehead in exasperation, "Are you an idiot? Why didn't you tell me you didn't have enough money to build the house? Dad will make up the difference!"

Lin Yi's extravagant and wealthy demeanor truly impressed Lin Ying, but she didn't take his words to heart at all. "Dad, I know you're worried about me, but building a house is no small matter. You can't just give me money like that!"

Lin Yi didn't argue with her, and went back into the house to get three thousand for her.

Lin Ying was so shocked by the amount of money that she remained speechless for a long time.

(End of this chapter)