CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: CHANGING THE CHILDREN’S NAMES

Chen Wenjun agreed without even thinking, "It’s just as well that we also need to update our family registration, let’s change it together."

Previously, his household registration was still as a Dang person, but now that they have land, it can be changed to a rural household.

Lin Qin was overjoyed and quickly found Liu Yaya, "Yaya, what do you think about mom giving you a new name?"

Liu Yaya looked curiously with wide eyes, "What will it be?"

"Hmm... How about the name Chen Xinyue from now on?"

It was a name Lin Qin had thought about all the way home.

Liu Yaya immediately loved the name, bouncing around, "Yes, yes! I love this name! Grandpa, I’ll be called Chen Xinyue from now on, not Liu Yaya."

After showing off to Lin Yi, Liu Yaya ran to Chen Wenjun, her little face flushed with excitement.

Chen Wenjun dotingly patted her head and cheerfully announced, "Chen Xinyue, from now on, my girl will be called Chen Xinyue."

Liu Yaya’s eyes suddenly lit up brilliantly, and she mustered the courage to say loudly, "Thank you, Daddy!"

Chen Wenjun was momentarily stunned, his expression turning from shock to delight, and he quickly picked Liu Yaya up to head toward the open door, "Daddy will take you to change your name right now."

Lin Qin snapped back to reality, slapped her thigh, and shouted, "Hey! You didn’t bring any documents, where are you going!"

Lin Yi laughed so hard that tears came out, "Hurry up and go back to get the documents!"

Only then did Lin Qin turn and run into the house.

The house was currently empty, with valuables stored in a locked box in the room.

As Lin Qin found the documents, she noticed Chen Ping’an sitting obediently in the yard, watching the direction of the open door with envy, and she directly picked up Chen Ping’an, "Come on! Let’s go together."

Chen Ping’an wrapped his arms around Lin Qin’s neck, his little head buried against her neck, he too wanted to change his name like Yaya but didn’t have the courage.

Lin Qin wasn’t aware of the child’s thoughts and gently asked as they walked, "Ping’an, do you want to have a nice new name like Yaya?"

Chen Ping’an initially wanted to refuse but then thought again and bravely said, "Auntie can choose for me."

Lin Qin laughed, nodding in agreement, "Let me think! What should it be? How about... Chen Ruiyu, but your nickname will still be Ping’an, how about that?"

Chen Ping’an nodded vigorously, "Okay!"

The two of them boarded the fishing boat, and Lin Qin told Chen Wenjun about it.

Chen Wenjun grinned, "Then let’s change both names together, using the full name for school sounds nice too."

The family of four went to the household registration office at the police station and explained the situation. Changing names was simple, especially for children; just submit the materials, and come back in a few days to pick it up.

It wouldn’t delay the children’s enrollment.

In the following days, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin returned to their efforts to make money, paying off all debts the day before the new household registration book was issued. When they received the new booklet, Chen Wenjun even bought a two-pound piece of pork belly to celebrate.

The family didn’t carefully check the names on the household registration until enrollment day.

When the teacher flipped through the registration book and wrote "Chen Ruiyu" on the enrollment form, they realized the name was registered incorrectly. The two exchanged looks and bit their tongues in acknowledgment under the teacher’s suspicious gaze.

The teacher continued filling out the enrollment form, a bit perfunctorily, "You weren’t originally villagers of Anshan Community; the Education Bureau made an exception allowing your children to attend our village school. Given your family’s situation, there are some things we need to make clear to you in advance.

The school prohibits students from fighting, but little quarrels among kids are normal, and minor conflicts aren’t a big deal. I’ll try to keep an eye out, but you also need to remind your children not to cause trouble."

Lin Qin felt uncomfortable hearing the teacher’s words and was about to speak up, but Chen Wenjun stopped her, "We understand; our children are both well-behaved and obedient, so you can rest assured they won’t get into fights."

The teacher said no more, collected the two children’s enrollment forms, and instructed them to go clean the classrooms and collect new books.

The couple felt uneasy and could only wait at the school gate.

Lin Qin had to return to the construction site to cook, so she left Chen Wenjun to keep watch.

On her way back, she was always worried about her children’s situation, so much so that her cooking was half-hearted. It was only after everyone finished eating and she cleaned up that she hurriedly ran back.

Upon reaching the Nanxi River, their fishing boat was waiting there.

Lin Qin quickly boarded the boat, "How is it? Are the kids adapting? Were they bullied?"

Chen Wenjun smiled reassuringly, "Don’t worry, everything’s going well. The two kids came out before noon, saying they had worked. Ping’an isn’t as quick as others, but he helped carry water too, even though he could only manage half a bucket. Yaya stuck with him the whole time; they sat together and weren’t bullied, it’s just that their seats were towards the back."

Lin Qin felt much more at ease after hearing this, "It’s good they weren’t bullied, it doesn’t matter if their seats are at the back as long as they can see."

When they got home, Lin Qin eagerly asked the two kids about their school experience. Seeing them so happy made her feel at ease.

In An City, summers were long, and not until the lunar August did it start to cool down a bit.

During this time, there were several rainstorms in a row, especially between late summer and early autumn. The continuous rain for half a month caused the Nanxi River water levels to rise steadily, but fortunately, it didn’t flood the island.

Taking advantage of this half-month period, Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun set up nets at the upstream water inlet to catch eels, earning a large sum of money again.

With this money, they could start renovating the second floor.

To save money, Lin Qin and Lin Yi discussed getting Lin Qingxiang to help with the floor tiles, and they would paint the walls themselves to save as much as possible.

They bought the floor tiles through Huang Wenlong, with Lin Qin choosing a pale, patterned tile that looked elegant and beautiful; even in a few decades, they wouldn’t look outdated.

When the materials arrived, Lin Yi treated the tiles like precious antique vases, handling them with the utmost care.

Lin Qingxiang was made so nervous by his actions that he joked, "Do you have to be like this? I tell you, folks in the village didn’t even believe that your son-in-law built a nearly 200-square-meter two-story house; they said I was boasting. Especially your brother, he even came to my house to scold me, saying I was up to no good, flattering you everywhere because I wanted to steal your land. It’s crazy!

But speaking of which, your health should be almost recovered by now, right? When are you planning to go back? You can’t really expect me to keep farming those fields forever!"

Lin Yi shook his head, "Not until Ah Qin’s house is completely finished. Right now, the couple is focused on earning money. With the kids crossing the street for school, someone needs to be there to pick them up or I’ll worry. Once the house is done and they’re settled, I’ll go back."

Actually, he didn’t want to go back at all. Apart from anything else, in the village, the only person he could talk to was Lin Qingxiang, and Lin Qingxiang couldn’t talk to him every day. If Lin Qingxiang didn’t come to chat, he might stay silent for a whole day.

Life was boring and dull.

It’s not like staying here is relaxed and easygoing! Besides, Chen Wenjun has so much land here to cultivate, and he is the only one who can manage it. After school, he can chat with the kids, and the whole family being together is lively and feels completely different.