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

Qu Zhiyang jumped up excitedly, "That's great! We'll be alumni then!"

Xue Lingxue couldn't help but pour cold water on his enthusiasm, "You talk as if you can just take the exam whenever you want. We might not even be able to get in if we want to!"

Chen Xinyue quickly turned to comfort her, saying, "It's hard to say about others, but you're an art student with such good academic performance, you'll definitely get in."

“My academic performance is nowhere near as good as yours, brother and sister.” Xue Lingxue glanced at Chen Ruiyu subtly, then took a bite of her hamburger as if nothing had happened.

Qu Zhiyang wholeheartedly agreed, pointing indignantly at Chen Ruiyu, "What kind of monster are you! You're always first in the grade in every exam, I've never seen you fall behind! Xinyue is the same, how does she do it? She's always in the top ten of the grade."

My mom even said she wants to visit your house and learn from your parents' experience!

Upon hearing that they were going to Chen Ruiyu's house, Xue Lingxue immediately grabbed Chen Xinyue and said with a wronged expression, "Xinyue, we've been deskmates for two years, and it will be three years soon. I still haven't been to your house!"

Chen Xinyue rolled her eyes. "I've never been to your house either."

Xue Lingxue paused, her little mouth pouting.

It wasn't that she wouldn't let Chen Xinyue come to her house, but rather that her family situation was special. The place where she lived had strict security, and her parents were worried about her safety, so they never allowed her to reveal any details about her family background to outsiders. Therefore, she simply couldn't invite her classmate to her house.

Chen Xinyue's heart softened when she saw her pitiful appearance. "Okay, okay! Just kidding. It's just that we're all in the same boat. We have to go to class from Monday to Friday, and you have to take art classes on weekends. My brother has to go to the rehabilitation center for training, and I have to go to class too. We also have to do homework the rest of the time. How can we have time? How about we make an appointment during the winter break?"

Last year, a new rehabilitation hospital was established in Anshi. I heard it was opened by returned overseas Chinese, and all the rehabilitation facilities inside are imported.

Upon receiving the news, Lin Qin immediately enrolled Chen Ruiyu. From then on, Chen Ruiyu had to go to the rehabilitation center every weekend.

I have to exercise every day since I got back.

At first, everyone was skeptical, but after a year, they found that Chen Ruiyu's physique had indeed improved a lot, and the whole family watched him go to class without fail, rain or shine.

Xue Lingxue immediately nodded happily.

Upon seeing this, Qu Zhiyang also clamored to go over together.

Chen Ruiyu rolled her eyes, but didn't refuse.

The four played in the park until it was almost dark before parting ways.

Chen Ruiyu and Chen Xinyue walked together, while Qu Zhiyang and Xue Lingxue went the same way.

The dim streetlights cast long shadows of the two people.

Qu Zhiyang, who had just been joking around, spoke with unusual seriousness, "Xue Lingxue, the way you looked at Ruiyu just now was strange. Tell me honestly, do you like him?"

Xue Lingxue blushed, feeling embarrassed as if her secret had been exposed. She glared at him angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about! I just admire him."

Qu Zhiyang withdrew his gaze and continued looking at the road ahead. "That would be best. You know your family situation well. Although I don't know what kind of family background my brother has, you two are definitely not on the same path. You shouldn't covet my brother. Focus on your studies and go abroad for further education. That's the path you should take."

It wasn't that he liked to meddle, but his family was related to the Xue family, and the two families were old friends. He didn't want Xue Lingxue to have unrealistic dreams, and he also didn't want Chen Ruiyu to be affected.

Xue Lingxue felt a chill run through her, her eyes slowly reddening, but she stubbornly held back her tears and ignored Qu Zhiyang.

When we got home...

Originally, Xue's mother wanted to scold her daughter for coming home late, but when she saw that it was Qu Zhiyang who brought her home, her expression immediately softened. "Where did you go?"

Xue Lingxue replied sullenly, "I saved up ten yuan and bought a hamburger and a Coke, then went to the park with my classmates."

Xue's mother raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you have fun?" Xue Lingxue shook her head, "No, the pressure of studying in the third year of junior high is high, and there's a lot of homework. I'm going back to my room first."

Xue's mother still found it strange. Since she couldn't figure it out, she paid special attention for two more days and found that her daughter was still the same as before, doing whatever she wanted, without any abnormalities.

She breathed a sigh of relief and took some time to discuss going abroad with Xue Lingxue. "Your father and I think we won't take the national college entrance examination. We'll go directly to university abroad and come back after graduation."

The couple had already paved the way for their daughter's future. As long as she followed their plan, their daughter would definitely have a smooth and successful life.

In the past, Xue Lingxue would have nodded without hesitation, but this time, after hearing it, a trace of resentment and grievance suddenly rose in her heart, "Can't I make my own decision?"

Mrs. Xue was taken aback for a moment, then her face darkened. "Lingxue, your father and I have carefully considered all these decisions. Be good, listen to me, and don't be willful."

Suddenly, Xue Lingxue's tears fell in a steady stream, startling her mother. She quickly softened her tone and gently comforted her for a long time.

After comforting her daughter, she immediately contacted Qu Zhiyang to inquire about what had happened on Friday.

Qu Zhiyang couldn't very well reveal his guesses and claim that he didn't know.

After hanging up the phone, Qu's mother, Yang Caifeng, gave him a severe beating: "What exactly happened?"

Qu Zhiyang covered his head in grievance, "Mom! Nothing happened! I really don't know!"

"Still trying to argue! If there wasn't a problem, would your Aunt Zhou call you specifically to ask? I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!" Yang Caifeng pretended to hit her again.

Qu Zhiyang quickly slipped away.

Seeing her son's agile movements, Yang Caifeng knew she couldn't catch up. She angrily cursed and turned to go to work.

When I arrived at the office, I saw Lin Qin eating snacks while giving a report.

Yang Caifeng leaned closer, sniffed, and exclaimed with delight, "You brought more delicious food!"

Lin Qin looked up, took a piece and handed it over, "It's a honey cake made by the chef at my family's dessert shop, and it tastes pretty good."

Yang Caifeng looked on with envy, "That's great! I just don't understand where you get so much energy to do so many things! I'm exhausted just from going to work and taking care of the kids at home."

Lin Qin rarely talks about her family with her colleagues, and she rarely inquires about other people's private affairs. When she heard this, she just nodded in agreement, "Taking care of children is indeed very energy-consuming, but fortunately the children are all grown up now, so it doesn't take much effort."

"Who said that! My son is already in the third year of junior high school and still doesn't know what 46 means. He's tall and big, half a head taller than me. I can't catch up with him, and I can't win an argument with him. He's always sulking there, and it's so annoying to look at him."

Yang Caifeng got worked up again when she thought of that rascal Qu Zhiyang.

Lin Qin quickly made her a cup of tea. "Calm down. Don't take things too seriously in this hot weather. The director just said there's a meeting in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Yang Caifeng quickly returned to her workstation to prepare.

Lin Qin was busy at work until six o'clock before she could leave.

When I got home, Chen Wenjun had also returned.

At the dinner table, Chen Wenjun talked about business matters, "The hill we contracted is no longer enough. Today I went to the village chief of that village and contracted another hill next to it as well. The price remains the same. We need to hire people to go up the mountain to clean it up in the next few days, and we also need to buy chicks."

In other words, things have gotten complicated again! (End of Chapter)