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

Chapter 275 There's still the Gao family as a backer.
Thinking about it, Lin Qin secretly tugged at Chen Wenjun and Lin Yi's sleeves, and the two immediately understood what Lin Qin meant.

At the dinner table, Chen Wenjun had to face the marriage proposal squarely and began to question Xiao Jinlin thoroughly.

"If you don't live with your parents, won't they say anything?"

Xiao Jinlin lowered his eyelids. "They never took care of me when I was little, so what right do they have to ask me for anything? If my grandmother hadn't let it slip, I wouldn't have known that I was born out of necessity. I wasn't a child they wanted to have, so it's better to keep our distance to avoid making things awkward for everyone."

Chen Wenjun looked surprised.

Xiao Sheng sighed sadly, drank a glass of wine, and pondered, "My elder brother and sister-in-law were on a post away from home when, due to some special reasons, my sister-in-law became pregnant unexpectedly. Logically speaking, since they already had a son, they shouldn't have any more children, but the situation was special at the time, and they couldn't abort the child."

When the pregnancy progressed further, we went to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor said it was too late, and a forced abortion would be dangerous for the mother. The only option was to give birth. My older brother and sister-in-law had no choice but to report it. Because it was due to special circumstances, the authorities didn't say anything. After Jinlin was born, the couple worried that the child would affect their careers, so they immediately sent the child back to the capital to be cared for by my parents.

They only come back once a year for Chinese New Year. When Jinlin was little, he looked forward to his parents coming home. But as he grew older and more sensible, he learned about the secrets of the past, and he became more and more distant from my older brother and sister-in-law.

By the time my older brother and sister-in-law came to their senses and wanted to repair their relationship with the child, it was too late.

The Chen family members were surprised to find that Xiao Jinlin, with his humble origins, had such a pitiful past, and they looked at him with more pity.

Xiao Jinlin smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "You don't need to look at me like that. Ever since I figured out my relationship with them, I'm fine."

Chen Wenjun was disappointed in Xiao Bai and his wife, and muttered a few words to express his dissatisfaction with them.

Once a person has a bias in their heart, they will have a flaw. With Xiao Sheng and He Xue working together, Lin Qin and the other two tacitly agreed to the marriage.

We ate a meal until dark.

The men were all a bit drunk, so He Xue called the nanny to help take them back to their rooms to rest, and immediately informed Old Madam Xiao of the good news.

"Mom, we met Xinyue's parents and grandfather today. They weren't really in favor of the marriage at first, because they thought it was too far and worried that their daughter would be left without support if she married far away. Luckily, Asheng and I worked together very well and managed to get the marriage done. You have no idea how happy Jinlin was tonight!"

In all the years I've been a member of this family, I've never seen him so beaming with joy.

Madam Xiao smiled broadly, "Good, good, good, I'll remember this great achievement. Keep up the good work! It would be best if you could invite them to the old house for dinner, so we can all sit down and chat, and settle the marriage arrangements as well."

He Xue was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat. "Mom, isn't this too fast?"

"How could that be! Jinlin and Xinyue have been dating for two years, that's about enough!" Old Madam Xiao said anxiously.

He Xue hung up the phone and was pondering how to bring this up with Lin Qin tomorrow.

The next morning, I saw Lin Qin and her husband, along with Lin Yi, drinking tea and talking in the courtyard.

The autumn morning was a bit chilly. Seeing the three of them standing in the courtyard enjoying the breeze, He Xue quickly went over to greet them, saying, "Why don't you come and have some tea with me?"

Lin Qin stroked the little white dog and laughed, "Why are you making such a racket so early in the morning? Besides, we're going out in a little while."

"Where to? I'll have the driver take you. Our driver is a walking encyclopedia of the capital; he can go anywhere." He Xue patted her chest to assure them.

Lin Qin didn't stand on ceremony with her and gave her the address of the compound.

He Xue nearly choked on her saliva. After recovering, she asked in shock, "Are you going to the Xiao family's old house?" Lin Qin asked in confusion, shaking her head and explaining, "We're going to the Gao family. Do you know Zhao Dongling?"

He Xue stared in astonishment, "Isn't that Old Madam Gao?"

“That’s right, that’s right. Her husband’s surname is Gao, and Xinyue is the goddaughter of Old Madam Gao. We only found out last night that this girl has been in the capital for so long without visiting. Luckily, her godfather has been busy lately and hasn’t had time to inquire about her. If her godfather had found out, he would probably have come over and scolded her. We thought that since we’re already here, we’d take Xinyue to visit the old lady today.”

Upon hearing Lin Qin's words, He Xue quickly contacted the driver.

She then hurriedly ran back to the bedroom and pulled Xiao Sheng, who was still hungover, up, saying, "Don't sleep, Sister Qin and her family are going to the compound soon."

Xiao Sheng nodded groggily, "Going to the old house, right? We'll go together later."

"Where are you going! They're going to the Gao family. Xinyue is Old Madam Gao's goddaughter!"

Xiao Sheng was jolted awake by those words, his eyes widening in shock, and he stammered, "W-wh-what's going on? Does Jinlin know?"

He Xue shook her head. "I guess they don't know, otherwise they wouldn't have kept it from us. Tell me, how come this girl is so low-key with such a background? If the Gao family finds out what Guo Lingyue did before, what do you think your older brother, sister-in-law, and your nephew will do?"

"My God!" Xiao Sheng, his face pale, staggered towards the bathroom, asking He Xue to let the old house know.

When Madam Xiao heard the news, she was shocked and quickly took Mr. Xiao to visit the Gao family.

Zhao Dongling was the only one in the Gao family; everyone else had gone to work. Although she was puzzled by the arrival of the Xiao family elders, she still greeted them politely.

While the two sides were having an awkward conversation, Lin Qin and her group arrived.

Hearing the noise, Zhao Dongling breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went out.

Upon seeing Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin, Zhao Dongling's well-cared-for face broke into a wide smile. "I've been waiting for you for so long! Yaya, oh my goodness, you've grown so much that even Grandma can hardly recognize you! Brother, you're still as healthy as ever!"

"Auntie, it's been so many years since we last met, you've become younger and more elegant with each passing year," Lin Qin praised sincerely.

Zhao Dongling was amused and took Chen Xinyue's arm as they walked into the house.

Upon seeing the Xiao family elders, Chen Xinyue quickly called out to them.

Zhao Dongling then realized that they knew each other.

After asking a few questions and learning that Chen Xinyue was dating Xiao Jinlin, Zhao Dongling's gaze towards the Xiao family elders instantly changed. She protectively pulled Chen Xinyue to her side, "Mr. Xiao, your second grandson is the businessman, right? How old is he? How many girlfriends has he dated before? What did his parents say?"

Zhao Dongling asked a barrage of questions in one breath, and Madam Xiao's heart tightened, so she quickly and carefully answered them.

The two went back and forth, and what was originally a matter between the Chen and Xiao families turned into a confrontation between the Gao and Xiao families. Lin Qin and the others didn't even have a chance to interject, and just sat there quietly as bystanders.

After some negotiation, Zhao Dongling was fairly satisfied with Xiao Jinlin.

The affairs of the eldest branch of the Xiao family were no secret in the compound, and Zhao Dongling inevitably brought it up.

Madam Xiao cursed the eldest couple in her heart, but on the surface she smiled and said, "After they get married, the young couple will live on their own and won't have to get involved with the elders. If there are any problems, let Jinlin solve them himself, and Xinyue won't have to get involved."