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

Chapter 95 The Unexpected Guest

Zhu Fugen quickly put down the things he had brought and pulled Li Lan forward. "Uncle, this is my wife, Li Lan. She has never left the village before. This is the first time I've taken her on a long trip. She's a little timid."

Li Lan had her hair neatly braided, and was wearing a large cotton-padded coat and cropped cotton-padded trousers with two large patches of similar pattern, so it was clear that her clothes were not new. Her cotton-padded shoes were also half-new, and looked like they had been worn for many years.

He stood there very reserved, his eyes were somewhat evasive, and he spoke very softly when calling out to people.

Lin Yi felt a little strange, but didn't think much of it and nodded with a smile.

Seeing that the gate was locked, Zhu Fugen asked somewhat nervously, "Uncle, are you going out?"

Lin Yi smiled wryly, "No, I don't live here now. The house is rented out. I came here to wait for my eldest daughter and son-in-law."

Zhu Fugen was greatly surprised, "Your uncle moved?"

Lin Yi explained, "I moved to Aqin's place. The couple is usually busy and can't take care of their two children. I went there to help take care of the children. It's more lively than staying in the village."

"I see!" Zhu Fugen pursed his lips, his disappointment clearly visible.

Lin Yi looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Just tell me what's wrong! Uncle, I'll help as much as I can."

When his wife was still alive, although the Zhu family was poor, they would always warmly welcome him when he and his wife returned to her parents' home every year, and they never neglected him in terms of etiquette.

Zhu Fugen and Li Lan exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed. After thinking for a moment, Zhu Fugen said, "Now that we don't have to work together anymore, I wanted to bring Alan to the city to do odd jobs. I originally planned to stay at my uncle's place for a few days until I found a place to work, but I didn't expect that my uncle had already rented out the house."

Lin Yi glanced at the silent Li Lan and felt that Zhu Fugen was not telling the truth, but he did not press the matter. He just pondered and said, "If you are only staying for a few days, you can go to Aqin's place. The couple just built a house and have extra rooms for people to stay in."

Zhu Fugen was overjoyed, and his mood brightened considerably. "I heard that my little cousin married a top student. He's really amazing; he built his own house at such a young age!"

Lin Yi's smile froze, and he said, "Aqin is divorced. She didn't stay with her ex-husband. This is her second marriage. She brought her daughter with her, and my son-in-law brought his son."

Zhu Fugen and Li Lan were both somewhat taken aback.

Embarrassed, his face turned bright red.

At this moment, Lin Ying, Xu Dahai, and their two sons arrived, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Lin Yi saw his two grandsons and, without caring about anything else, went up and hugged one of them with both arms.

Zhu Fugen and Alan watched with envy.

Lin Ying put down her things, panting heavily, "Dad, why are you keeping the gate closed? Aren't you welcoming us? Isn't this my cousin? Your wife?"

Zhu Fugen quickly greeted Lin Ying and her husband, saying, "I brought my wife out to find work."

Lin Ying frowned, "Looking for work on the second day of the Lunar New Year? Don't you need to go back to your parents' home?"

Zhu Fugen explained vaguely, "Her family home is quite far away, and she has nowhere to stay. It would take two or three days to travel back and forth, so she simply came out."

Lin Ying didn't ask any more questions and stepped forward to open the door.

Lin Yi quickly stopped him, "Stop making a fuss. This house is now rented to Jianqiang. I'm living with Aqin and Wenjun. I came here specifically to wait for you."

Lin Ying's heart sank, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Dad! Why didn't you tell me you weren't doing well in the village! If it's really that bad, I can take you to live with me! Aqin married a Tanka man, and there are so many people on that boat, can they all fit?"

Lin Yi snorted unhappily, "Wenjun is capable. He bought land and built a house last year. We stopped living on the boat a long time ago. Enough nonsense, hurry up. Jian and Kang, get in the car. Grandpa will take you there on his bicycle."

Xu Dahai asked curiously, "Dad, where did this bicycle come from?"

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, everyone is busy visiting relatives. Does anyone have a spare bicycle to lend?
Lin Yi boasted, "Wenjun bought it! It's specifically for me to pick up and drop off the kids at school, and I can ride it really well now!"

Xu Dahai was initially worried, but the two mischievous boys weren't afraid. They quickly climbed onto the bicycle and urged Lin Yi to leave.

The four adults watched from behind, and seeing that Lin Yi was indeed riding quite steadily, they immediately fell silent.

The bicycle slowly made its way to Nanxi.

The few people who had never been here before stared curiously at the river. The two children had already rushed to the water's edge, ready to play in the water.

Lin Ying shouted, "If you dare get my clothes and shoes wet, I'll spank you until your butts are raw! Don't believe me? Try me!"

The two children stuck out their tongues and immediately backed away.

Just then, Chen Wenjun arrived in his tin boat.

Lin Yi quickly ushered them onto the boat.

Xu Dahai and the others were all riding on this kind of boat for the first time, and found it very novel.

Li Lan's face changed as soon as she boarded the ship, and she even started gagging before they reached Nanyu.

The people on the boat were terrified.

Chen Wenjun quickly reassured him, "He's probably seasick. Just grit your teeth and hang in there, we'll be there soon."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's nothing." Zhu Fugen smiled apologetically and patted Li Lan's back.

The tin boat soon arrived at Nanyu Island, and Zhu Fugen quickly helped Li Lan ashore.

Lin Ying also led her two children up.

Lin Yi called out twice from the doorway.

A short while later, the gate opened.

When Lin Qin saw Lin Ying's family, she smiled brightly, "Big sister, brother-in-law, A-Jian, A-Kang! We've been waiting for you!"

Xu Jian and Xu Kang greeted people obediently.

Lin Qin smiled even more indulgently.

Then he looked at Zhu Fugen and exchanged a few pleasantries with them.

The group entered through the gate.

Lin Ying and her husband, as well as Zhu Fugen and his wife, were all stunned by the large house in front of them.

"Was this built by Wen Jun?" Lin Ying's voice trembled with excitement.

Lin Qin nodded with a smile, "It took more than half a year to build. How is it? Is it alright?"

Lin Ying jokingly exaggeratedly, "What do you mean 'okay'! It's amazing! We've never seen such a big and bright house where we live!"

The group entered the hall and, looking at the exquisite tiles on the floor, didn't know where to put their feet.

Compared to the constraints imposed on adults, children are much more carefree and joyful.

Lin Qin called out from the stairwell, and Ya Ya and Ping An came down hand in hand.

The two children were wearing new clothes. Ya Ya's hairstyle was a bun styled by the hairdresser, which Lin Qin had taken her to. It was cute and delicate.

Lin Ying almost didn't recognize her at first glance. "This is Ya Ya? My goodness! She's become so beautiful in just over half a year, even her aunt wouldn't recognize her!"

Ya Ya, pulling Ping An along, ran up to Lin Ying with a big smile and proudly declared, "Auntie, I've changed my name to Chen Xinyue. This is my brother, Chen Ruiyu, whose nickname is Ping An."

Lin Ying was even more surprised. She glanced at Lin Qin subconsciously, but didn't say anything. She just praised the two children highly and gave them red envelopes.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Fugen quickly gave the four children the red envelopes he had brought.

Lin Qin exchanged a few polite words, then went back to her room and packed two packages for Xu Jian and Xu Kang.

(End of this chapter)