Dawn of Life

The call was from her father, Lin Haifeng. Lin Yue answered the car's Bluetooth phone, and Lin Haifeng said in a rising tone, "Xiaoyue, your mother has agreed to come to Hangzhou to help take care of Xiaoyu."

Liu Cuiying wasn't unconcerned about her grandson; she was just holding a grudge, resenting Lin Yue for not consulting her about such a big thing as the divorce, and blaming Lin Yue for being so headstrong back then, which led to the current state of their lives.

But as Lin Haifeng said, things have come to this point, and she can't really ignore it completely. If something really happens to Xiaoyu, they will only be able to spend their later years in self-blame and regret.

After finishing the call, Lin Yue felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. This was the happiest news she had heard in a long time. She regained her confidence in the future, and everything was moving in a positive direction.

The appointment letter for the HR Director came through quickly. The content was drafted by SSC, approved by the General Manager's Office, and stamped with the official seal before being issued. Although it was a probationary appointment, all procedures were followed as if it were a formal appointment. Shengxing even sent a screenshot of the email to the management group.

Immediately, the group chat was flooded with well wishes, including emojis and text, but most of them were direct copies of other people's content. This is a common tactic in the workplace, making people feel involved without being too conspicuous, so as not to offend either side.

Several people then messaged Lin Yue privately, some offering to treat her to dinner, others asking her to treat them. Lin Yue wasn't sure how many of these people were genuinely happy for her, and how many were just looking to gather information. Whether she had taken the initiative or was forced by circumstances, she had already chosen her side in this workplace drama.

However, with her parents arriving in Hangzhou today, things are more stable back home. Lin Haifeng was worried that she would be too busy with work, so he insisted that she not take time off to pick her up from the airport. They arrived home by subway around 8 p.m.

Lin Yue planned to leave work early today to pick up Xiao Yu and cook a few dishes at home for dinner. She originally wanted to go to a restaurant for the family, but considering that the director position was currently just a nominal one and that the family's living expenses would increase in the future, she quickly gave up the idea.

Of course, Liu Cuiying prefers to cook at home because she has always been a thrifty person, and eating out makes her feel that Lin Yue has not inherited her fine traditions.

Her consistent view is that the most important thing for a woman is to take good care of her husband, educate her children well, cook well, and manage the housework in an orderly manner.

For so many years, Lin Yue had indeed done just that. No matter how hard she worked, she would try her best to play the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother when she got home, so she always felt that she had done right by her family. But in the end, she just couldn't understand why she couldn't protect her family despite all her efforts.

That evening, the doorbell rang at just the right time. Lin Yue opened the door and saw Lin Haifeng and Liu Cuiying standing there with large bags of luggage. She quickly went over to take their things and warmly invited them in. Hearing the noise, Xiao Yu ran out of his room and happily hugged his grandparents.

Liu Cuiying pulled Xiaoyu along and laughed heartily, "Our Xiaoyu has grown so tall! Why do you look so thin? Grandma will cook delicious food for you every day from now on and fatten you up a bit."

As she spoke, she pulled out all the local specialties she had brought from her hometown and the snacks she had taken off the plane, and laid them out on the table in abundance.

"My dear grandson, you're really too thin." Lin Haifeng walked over, pinched Xiaoyu's face and said. Xiaoyu shook his head, took a bag, opened it, sat on the sofa and ate heartily.

Soon, Lin Yue brought out four dishes and a soup to the table, and the family happily gathered around the table, chatting and eating.

At the dinner table, Liu Cuiying complained to Lin Yue with a look of disgust, "You have no idea how slow your dad is. It took him almost an hour to pack some dried vegetables."

Lin Haifeng listened to Liu Cuiying's rambling with a faint smile, occasionally replying, "Your mother is just too impatient. She kept urging the taxi driver, causing him to run several traffic lights, and as a result, they arrived at the airport more than two hours early!"

Lin Yue looked at them, a smile playing on her lips. This kind of warm, homey atmosphere hadn't been felt in her house for a long time.

Thinking that in the future, Xiaoyu will be able to have his family waiting for him at the school gate after school, just like other classmates, and he can have a hot meal when he gets home.

A family doesn't necessarily have to be a combination of father, mother, and child; it can also be a combination of mother, maternal grandparents, and child. As long as there is love and care, the child can grow up healthy and happy.

The meal was very relaxed, and everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the divorce. After the meal, Lin Yue pulled Liu Cuiying out of the kitchen and asked her to go and keep Xiaoyu company while she went to wash the dishes. Lin Haifeng then tidied up the luggage in the living room.

After tidying up, Lin Yue said softly, "Dad, Mom, you must be tired from traveling all day. Wash up and go to bed early."

"Don't rush to sleep, Xiaoyu is already asleep. Come to our room and say a few words," Liu Cuiying said, as if she had been expecting this.

Liu Cuiying still doesn't understand why they divorced. According to Lin Yue, they haven't found any fundamental problems with Gao Ming.

This puzzled her greatly, and she even wondered if her daughter had met someone she liked more, since she had brought Gao Ming home not long after breaking up with her first love. So she always wanted to get something out of Lin Yue.

Lin Yue thought her mother's idea was absurd. She was busy with work, taking care of the children, and managing household affairs all day long. How could she have the mind and energy to think about other things?

Lin Yue didn't want to dwell on the topic of divorce anymore. Things had already come to this, and everyone had to move on. So she turned to Liu Cuiying and said, "Mom, I got a promotion at the company, and I'll be even busier from now on. I'll be leaving Xiaoyu in your care from now on. Please take good care of things at home, and if the whole family works together, things will definitely get better and better."

Cuiying sighed and said earnestly, "You're only in your early thirties, you have a long life ahead of you. You can't live like this forever. The children will grow up, and we'll get older too. You'll definitely need to find someone else eventually."

"Mom, this isn't something I can just do whatever I want. Right now, I just want to take good care of the kids and do my job well." Lin Yue finished speaking and looked up to meet Liu Cuiying's glare, which was about to explode. She quickly added, half-jokingly, "But I'm open-minded, it's just that I haven't met the right person in life. Auntie, do you have any suitable people to introduce me to? I want someone handsome."

Lin Yue thought of a joke she saw online: parents pressuring their children to get married should ask them to introduce someone to someone, thus successfully shifting the pressure.

Liu Cuiying's face darkened, and she scolded, "You're divorced and have a son. Do you think any handsome guy would even look at you? You're still dreaming. Your father and I have already discussed this. We still prefer life in our hometown. We'll only stay here for a year at most. Once you've settled things here, come back to our hometown with us. Sell this house, keep some money on hand, and since the cost of living is lower back home, find an easy job. That way, you and your son will have a better life for the rest of your days."

Lin Haifeng remained silent, only occasionally letting out a sigh.

Lin Yue's hometown is a small county under Mianyang, Sichuan. Lin Haifeng and Liu Cuiying are genuine farmers. When Lin Yue was in high school, Liu Cuiying went out to work.

Since 2016, housing prices across the country have been rising. Lin Yue was worried that her parents would not feel secure since she was marrying far away, so she discussed it with Liu Cuiying. In 2018, they used all their savings to buy a three-bedroom apartment in Mianyang for 120 million yuan.

After renovating the house the following year, they rented it out at the market price of 3500. After paying off the mortgage in the last two years, Liu Cuiying and Lin Haifeng started growing their own vegetables and food in the countryside. With the rent from the rent, they lived a comfortable life.

Lin Yue sighed deeply in her heart. So this was what was waiting for her. However, Liu Cuiying and Gao Ming were surprisingly in agreement on this point: they both wanted to sell their houses and could only live here for a year.