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

Chapter 211 Being disrespectful to the elderly

"It's up to you. You can manage your own money, we don't care. But we hope you can manage your finances wisely and learn how to integrate into society during your four years of university. Remember those two girls you met yesterday, you can't judge a book by its cover, understand?" Lin Qin earnestly instructed, full of worry.

No matter what she said, Chen Xinyue obediently nodded in agreement.

After finishing their meal, the family immediately headed to Xu Kang's school.

Fortunately, they are all located in the university town and are not far apart; it only takes forty minutes by car.

Having learned from previous experience, everyone bought daily necessities outside the school before registering, which saved a lot of time.

It was only a little past four in the afternoon when Xu Kang finished making his bed, so he could still make it to Chen Ruiyu's school.

After completing the enrollment procedures for the three children and recognizing each other, Chen Wenjun decisively left Chen Ruiyu behind and took Lin Qin, Chen Xinyue, and Xu Kang with him.

The four of them took one car, and after dropping Xu Kang off at his dorm, Chen Xinyue was the last to arrive.

The couple had been traveling all day and arrived at the guesthouse at 10 p.m.

There was little movement outside the school at this time; the surroundings were quiet.

Lin Qin wasn't sleepy, and lying in bed, she said to Chen Wenjun, "What are our plans for tomorrow?"

Without hesitation, Chen Wenjun said, "Let's go see Yaya first, have breakfast with her in the cafeteria, and see if she wants to go shopping with us. Anyway, you're on ten days off, and I've already taken care of things on my end with Weimin and Shaojun. Plus, Dad's keeping an eye on things, so nothing will go wrong. We can relax and have a good time in the capital, and maybe even look at some houses."

Having lived through his previous life, he knew just how outrageous the housing prices in the capital city would rise.

What's even more outrageous is the household registration issue. The three children were admitted to universities in the capital, and their household registrations were transferred here as well. Since they're here, they shouldn't leave.

If he doesn't leave, he'll have to consider housing. With housing prices low now, he'll definitely have to make careful plans for his children.

Lin Qin nodded, feeling reassured, and fell asleep peacefully.

The next morning, the couple went to find Chen Xinyue and had breakfast with her at the school cafeteria. Afterward, they took a taxi to pick up Chen Ruiyu and Xu Kang, and the five of them visited several attractions, wandered around the streets and alleys within the Third Ring Road, and chatted with the locals.

After playing for three days, the children's roommates arrived one after another.

In order to help the children and their roommates develop a relationship, Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun stopped taking them out to play and instead set their sights on buying three houses in one day.

Houses aren't expensive right now; three houses together would cost around a million yuan, all within the Third Ring Road.

While Chen Wenjun was handling the paperwork, Lin Qin called Lin Ying and asked her if she wanted to buy Xu Kang a house in the capital.

Lin Ying refused without hesitation, saying, "I'm hoping my child can come back to work here after graduating from university! If he stays in the capital, where am I supposed to find him? No way!"

Since Lin Ying was unwilling, Lin Qin did not continue to persuade her.

Anyway, she had already informed them in advance.

After completing the transfer procedures, the couple went to see their two children, explained the situation to them, and then set off back to Anshi.

Without the laughter and chatter of the three children, Nanyu suddenly felt much quieter. Fortunately, Chen Ruiming and Xu Xinyi were still around, so Lin Yi didn't feel too lonely, though he would occasionally drift off when he thought of the other children.

Lin Qin saw this and thought to herself, "Dad, why don't I take you to the capital?"

Lin Yi snapped out of his daze and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Come on! Going out doesn't cost money! You have to be able to save money too! You can't just squander your family's savings."

After being lectured, Lin Qin decided to shut up. Lin Yi then started nagging again, "Why didn't you persuade them to stay in our province for university? Our province has good universities, why did they apply to universities so far away!"

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it, and the joy he felt when his granddaughter was admitted to university was completely gone.

In situations like this, it's best for the couple to remain silent.

Because she was worried about the children, and also to reassure Lin Yi, Lin Qin started writing a letter to the children every month, mainly asking them how they were doing at school and whether they had enough money.

The children are also sensible; they always reply to letters as soon as they receive them, which puts the adults in the family at ease.

Half a semester has passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Yi had just put aside the children's affairs when Lin Zhi started causing trouble again.

The father and daughter rushed back to the village and went to Lin Qingxiang's house as soon as possible.

When Huang Yuzhen saw Lin Qin, she grabbed her and began to recount the messy affairs of Lin Zhi's family. "You know, he's so old and still has no shame. He actually got involved with a widow in the village and even had a child with her. His grandson is already so big. Doesn't he care about being laughed at?"

Lin Qin glanced at Lin Yi, whose face was half dark, and turned back to ask, "Auntie, what did my cheap second aunt say?"

Huang Yuzhen's lips twitched, somewhat speechless. "What else can she say? She'll file for divorce! She even used you as an example, saying that you were able to turn your life around even with a child, and that she can find a better old man after the divorce, which infuriates Lin Zhi."

Lin Zhi was a scoundrel. He said that after the divorce, he could marry the widow and register the illegitimate child. They made quite a fuss about it. Jianqiang was not happy about it. The kid told Lin Zhi directly that if he dared to marry the widow and register the illegitimate child, he would disown him as his father, sever ties, and take a share of the family property.

"Think about it, Lin Zhi is fifty years old, and he's not usually a hard worker. Is it realistic to expect him to work alone to support a widow and a child? If he doesn't divorce her and doesn't acknowledge the child, he doesn't have to do anything now; he can just rely on Jianqiang for retirement. What do you think he'll choose?"

Lin Qin plopped down on the stool. "So he broke up with the widow?"

Huang Yuzhen shook her head frantically, "Everyone thinks so, but this person is no ordinary person. He doesn't want it! He insists on registering the illegitimate child, saying that this is God's compensation for him losing a son. This infuriated Li Lian and Jianqiang."

The couple is now extremely estranged, like enemies. They fight whenever they see each other. The widow has been beaten by Li Lian several times, and now she's taken her child and gone back to her parents' home, waiting for Lin Zhi to come and marry her!

Lin Yi laughed, "If he's so capable, why would he need me?"

Lin Qingxiang rubbed his nose, somewhat annoyed. "They said they wanted you, as the eldest brother, to help with the wedding arrangements."

"Pfft!" Lin Qin spat out the tea in her mouth. "What a joke! So many years without contact, oh, now that he needs my dad, he knows to contact us? He's dreaming! Is he still hoping my dad will prepare a dowry for him?"

Lin Qingxiang remained silent, which clearly meant he acquiesced.

Lin Qin almost choked on her breath and pulled Lin Yi, saying, "Dad, this kind of mess has nothing to do with us. Let's go back."

Lin Yi nodded, his brows furrowed. "Don't bother me with his family's troubles anymore. I don't want to get involved in anything except funerals."