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

After saying this, Fang Meixiang turned to leave triumphantly, but stopped at the courtyard gate. She turned to look at Liu Yongming, whose face was full of gloom, and said indifferently, "The child support for our daughter for the next three years is one thousand yuan. Hand it over, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Fang Meixiang, are you crazy for money?! A thousand yuan! Why don't you just rob someone!" Ma Cuihua was furious, but dared not fight Fang Meixiang.

Fang Meixiang wasn't going to waste words with her and immediately ordered her underlings to ransack the house and search for money.

Liu Yongming was so angry he was about to vomit blood. He was worried that these thugs would really tear down his house, causing him even greater losses, so he had no choice but to obediently hand over a thousand yuan.

Fang Meixiang got the money and this time she really left.

As soon as he left, Ma Cuihua chased after Liu Yongming, asking him about Liu Li's whereabouts.

Grandma Liu looked speechlessly at Lin Qin and Liu Ling, who were perched on the wall, picked up a broom and lightly tapped their bottoms. "Still looking! Everyone's gone, why aren't you coming down!"

The two exchanged a glance, stuck out their tongues, obediently got off the stools, and followed Granny Liu to the main room.

"Grandma, is it always this lively over there?" Lin Qin's legs were numb from standing, so she plopped down and looked at Grandma Liu with longing eyes. If there were a plate of melon seeds on the table right now, she could have eaten a couple more.

Before Granny Liu could say anything, Liu Ling spoke up first, "No, it's not like that! It's normal for their family to make a fuss! Whenever Ma Cuihua is in a bad mood, she'll yell at anyone who passes by her house, just like a lunatic. We're all used to it."

Fang Meixiang only arrived today. That's why I say your appearance was perfectly timed; I thought you'd been watching Liu Yongming closely, coming here specifically to see him make a fool of himself!

Lin Qin's eyes widened immediately. Seeing that Granny Liu was also looking at her suspiciously, she quickly shook her head and swore to the heavens, "Really not! I came here mainly to find you!"

"What do you want from me?" Liu Ling asked, puzzled.

Lin Qin chuckled and said, "You're taking the college entrance exam this year, right?"

Liu Ling nodded.

"Arts or Sciences?"

"liberal arts."

"What a coincidence! I'm also a humanities student!"

Now it was Grandma Liu and Liu Ling's turn to be shocked.

Grandma Liu excitedly tugged at Lin Qin, "Wait a minute, Qin, are you saying you're going to take the college entrance exam too?"

Lin Qin nodded emphatically and said apologetically, "Actually, I took the exam last year, but I didn't pass. This year I gave it my all, and after the exam I became nervous. I was thinking that Liu Ling also took the college entrance exam, and she might have more information at school. I wondered if I could ask her for the standard answers so I could estimate my score myself."

It took the grandfather and grandson quite a while to process this, completely forgetting about Liu Yongming's messy affairs.

"Sis, I don't really have a standard answer, but I do have a reference answer, though I don't have it. How about this, I'll contact our homeroom teacher and ask her for it, or you can come with me."

Without saying a word, Lin Qin stood up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go now! Should we buy something when we go to their house?"

Seeing that the two were talking nonsense, Granny Liu quickly pulled them back, saying, "Wait a minute, it's so sunny now, people are probably resting. What kind of business is it for you to come over? Besides, things haven't completely calmed down next door yet! What if you go out now and run into them? Will you cause another scene?"

Lin Qin and Liu Ling had no choice but to obediently sit back down.

By the way, I'd like to complain about how many troubles the Liu family has.

Grandma Liu wholeheartedly agreed. Looking at Lin Qin, who was getting better and better, she couldn't help but sigh, "Back then, you insisted on getting a divorce, took the child with you, and had such a messy falling out with Liu Yongming. I was worried that you were too stubborn and that you wouldn't have a good life in the future. I didn't expect you to be so determined. Not only is your life getting better and better, but you're also becoming successful. On the other hand, the Liu family... well, never mind."

Liu Ling looked puzzled. "Grandma, what's wrong with Liu Yongming? Wasn't he doing quite well? He got his job transferred back to the city, and a young woman is willing to follow him without any status or recognition, and have his child. I just don't know if this baby will be a son. If it's a daughter, that would be interesting!"

Grandma Liu was speechless when she thought about that outcome.

Lin Qin was overjoyed, saying, "If that's really the case, then it's God's will that he will be childless."

Grandma Liu looked at the two of them with a headache and quickly changed the subject, "Qin, how old is your little one? How is Yaya doing now? And how is your stepson treating you?"

When talking about her children, Lin Qin's expression softened considerably. "The youngest is a year and a half old. He went to daycare before he was even a year old, so he was given an early start in education. Now he can walk and talk, and he's very robust. My dad loves playing with him. He's just been raised too well, and now he weighs almost 30 pounds. Anyway, I can't carry him anymore."

So, Wenjun asked someone to find a child seat in Guangdong Province, planning to install one in the front of his bicycle. If they couldn't find one, he would make one himself and have a mechanic modify it. Because of the child seat, he even bought an electric tricycle, installed fixed seats all over it, and even put up a canopy to keep it waterproof in the rain.

It will be more convenient to pick up and drop off the children at school in the future.

Ya Ya has now taken after Wen Junxin. Wen Junxin said that he only has one daughter and he has to spoil her. In addition to going to school, he also lets her learn dance, piano, calligraphy and English. The child has grown taller and has a different temperament now.

Ping An treats me with the same filial piety and respect as his own mother, and I also cherish him as my own son. We even built a gymnasium specifically for him to exercise.

All three children are precious to Wenjun and me; they are all wonderful.

Liu Ling gave a thumbs up, "Sister Lin Qin is the most insightful. If you raise a child well, even if it's not your own, it's no different from having one yourself."

Grandma Liu glanced at Liu Ling with a playful look and nodded in agreement. "I'm relieved to know that Ya Ya is doing well. That child was so pitiful back then."

Grandma Liu started reminiscing about the past again, so the two of them quickly ran to check on the situation next door. Seeing that things had calmed down at the Liu family's place, they quickly packed up their things and went out.

With Liu Ling's help, Lin Qin successfully saw the answer key and sat with Liu Ling's homeroom teacher for a while, gaining a better understanding of her grades and the schools she was applying to.

Next, we just have to wait for the results.

Lin Qin was also busy during this time, either supervising the construction or helping Chen Wenjun with his business, while also keeping an eye on the children's homework.

Before long, the college entrance examination results came out. This time, Lin Qin's scores were much better than last year. She should be able to get into a junior college, but university would be a bit of a stretch.

Fortunately, she was self-aware and had no intention of taking the exam again, so she decisively filled out her college application.

When the admission notice was delivered to Wenjun Seafood Wholesale Store, Lin Yi and Lin Shaojun were so busy they were dizzy.

The postman carried Comrade Lin Qin's mail.

Lin Yi finally managed to go out and learned that it was a college admission notice. The surrounding neighbors were all in an uproar, surrounding Lin Yi and bombarding him with questions.

Lin Yi grinned from ear to ear as if he were dreaming, and quickly rode his bicycle back to deliver the items.

Whenever he encountered someone he knew along the way, he would inform them of the good news, even sharing it with the boatman when crossing the river.

Within half a day, everyone in the Tanka people near Nanyu knew that Lin Qin had been admitted to a junior college. (End of Chapter)