"Oh, sisters-in-law, are you heading out?"

Cai Jing didn't say anything, but from the look she gave Yu Lian, she wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Yes, I'll go home for a bit."

"Okay, I'm going home to cook. Engineer He, you'd better hold on tight, don't drop your wife!"

Leaving a message behind, Cai Jing walked into the apartment building. Yu Lian patted He Lin on the back: "Quickly put me down, it'll be so embarrassing if someone sees us."

He Lin smiled knowingly and gently placed her on the open ground next to the bicycle. However, before Yu Lian could even stand up properly, He Lin swiftly lifted her onto the back seat of the bicycle.

"Hold on tight, we're going home."

It was a rare beautiful day. Sitting in the back seat with a cool breeze blowing, Yu Lian could feel the heat on her face slowly dissipating. They arrived home in no time. He Lin took out the packed lunch, which truly shocked everyone around him; even Li Ying didn't know her son could cook.

"Did you do this?"

Yu Lian was amused by her in-laws' and sister-in-law's reactions: "Yes, it's absolutely true that your son made it. Let's all try it once it's heated up."

Yu Lian had just eaten, but she still sat down with her family to enjoy He Lin's cooking. As they ate, Li Ying noticed something was off—she could taste the flavor of her own cooking. Finally, she concluded, "You didn't learn by watching me cook, did you?"

"Well, I guess so. This is my first time trying it, so I don't know how it tastes. Are the elders satisfied?"

He Lin breathed a sigh of relief after seeing everyone nod—thankfully, Yu Lian hadn't become a victim of his experiments. He only knew the procedure for cooking, but wasn't an expert; after all, he wasn't picky about the taste of the food, as long as it filled his stomach.

"Then Yu Lian will be in for a treat. I'm also relieved that you two are living away from home; at least you won't go hungry and have to eat dry rations."

Upon hearing his mother-in-law's words, He Lin immediately declared, "Mom, don't worry. From now on, I'll take care of all the housework and cooking. I won't let Yu Lian suffer any hardship or injustice."

As the mother-in-law, Li Ying was quite pleased to hear this—a miracle was happening, something even praying to the gods couldn't bring about. This meant she no longer had to worry about the young couple's future.

"Okay, you have to treat your wife well. That's what makes a good man, and that's how your family will get better and better in the future."

After the meal, the three members of the He family felt it wouldn't be appropriate for them to stay any longer, so they left after sitting for a while. After seeing He Lin's parents and sister off, Yu Lian watched her sister being led into the house by her mother to study, and suddenly a thought popped into her head: "He Lin, how's Lanlan's studying?"

"I'm fine, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's just that it's not a good idea for Lanlan to stay at home all the time—of course, that is, if she's willing. If she's willing, I'll find her a class where she can read and is a bit clever."

He Lin wasn't entirely sure about this: "Shall I ask later?"

"No rush. It's really hard for me to find a suitable one in a short time. I need to at least ask my sister what she wants."

"Okay, whatever you say."

During this period, Yu Lian heard these words every day: "You'll listen to me? You really will listen to me?"

He Lin was taken aback for a moment, then said very seriously, "Yes, whatever you say."

Yu Lian wasn't fooled by a few words: "How could I be so domineering? When we live together, we can let small things slide, but we can discuss big things together."

"Then, aside from things that need to be discussed together, I'll listen to you on everything else."

He Lin's speech has suddenly become much more natural, completely different from the wooden-headed person he used to be. The two are visibly close, often whispering to each other in front of their family. Their parents, however, seem quite pleased with this.

"Sister, brother-in-law! Come in and help me!"

Yu Xin encountered a problem that her mother wasn't good at, and after hesitating for a minute, she interrupted her sister and brother-in-law.

"I don't know how to do this page at all, it's so hard. Do I really have to take the exam?"

Knowing her younger sister well, Yu Lian could tell that this time things were truly difficult for her. From birth to her surgery, she had spent more than half her time in the hospital. Her condition improved somewhat as she grew older, but she was still not as healthy as other children. Not to mention going to school; she was inconsistent in her studies, already learning far less than others. Plus, she had absolutely no interest in learning, so forcing her to study was tantamount to sending her to her execution. Last-minute cramming wouldn't be very effective.

"Yu Xin, how about this? If you don't know something, let your brother-in-law explain it to you. If you don't know it, then don't. If you do know it, then pay more attention, so that you won't look too bad later." As the older sister, she didn't think her younger sister was stupid just because she couldn't keep up with her studies. On the contrary, Yu Lian sincerely felt that Yu Xin was the smartest and most motivated child of the same age in the neighborhood. She just hadn't found a suitable hobby yet.

"But there's a condition."

Yu Xin's light heart suddenly felt heavy: "Oh no, I've been tricked by you. Sis, could you please finish your sentences in one go next time, so I don't get all excited for nothing?"

Yu Lian shook her head, a confident air on her face: "Don't be sad yet. Let me finish explaining before you decide whether to cry or laugh. From now on, besides studying, think about what you enjoy doing most. If you could choose, what kind of job would you want? Don't worry about the probabilities of the answers; what you need to consider most is—if you really get what you want, how long will you stick with it?"

It seemed like an empty sentence, but Yu Lian had thought it through carefully before uttering it. Making this promise to go against her parents came under immense pressure.

"Sis, your question is strange. If I could choose, I'd definitely rather not do any work and just go out and play with Chunxiao, Erli, and Limin every day!"

Even though this answer wouldn't surprise Yu Lian, she still looked at He Lin beside her with a look of utter despair. He Lin, understanding her unspoken message, offered a deeper explanation: "Your answer contains the answer we're looking for. Think about what you like to do most when you're with your girlfriends. If you were to plan what to do today, how many places would you pass through on your way out of the house? Aren't there places that interest you?"

Seeing that her younger sister was really going to keep thinking about it and wouldn't be able to finish her homework, she interrupted, "Alright, I just wanted to mention it to you today. Focus on your studies. After all, Mom and Dad haven't agreed yet, so just think about it and move on."

Seeing the barely suppressed smile on her sister's lips, Yu Xin knew she'd been tricked. Yu Lian quickly reassured her, "When have I ever lost my word? Just focus on your studies now. We don't expect you to be amazing, just do your best. I'll take care of this after your exams."

"Alright, I'll believe you this time since you're my sister."

Although Yu Lian's words contained some deception, Yu Xin, as her own sister, believed her and behaved very well for a period of time before the exam. She studied from the moment she opened her eyes every day, spending all her time in the study except for eating, drinking, and using the restroom. Wang Meixia exclaimed in surprise that she must be possessed by something.

Until the day of the exam. This exam wasn't a regular entrance exam, nor did it serve any purpose of selecting university students; it was simply a graduation assessment within the school. Wang Meixia still brought her eldest daughter to visit her at school. The exam lasted quite a while, and besides waiting in the office, Yu Lian wandered aimlessly around the campus. Relying on her memory, Yu Lian wandered to the school's teachers' cafeteria. Just as she reached the corner, she stopped—she happened to see someone delivering vegetables to the school. But wasn't the person unloading the goods the middle-aged owner from that night?

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