CHAPTER 139: CHAPTER 139: HE’S ACTUALLY QUITE CONSCIENTIOUS

"Sister Niu, my mom said the bean sprouts are for you. You don’t need to return the soybeans, or else my mom will scold me if she finds out."

Lin Xiang stuffed a handful of fruit candies into Dong Sheng’s jacket pocket, along with a few Big White Rabbit milk candies. "If she scolds you, just say I told you so. Hurry back, don’t delay on the road, get home early and rest."

"Thank you, Sister Niu!"

Dong Sheng returned home with the soybeans and repeated what Lin Xiang had said to Fifth Aunt.

He thought he would be scolded harshly, but Fifth Aunt just gave a helpless smile, "This kid really doesn’t take advantage at all."

Lin Xiang washed up and went to bed.

Just as she lay down, Mrs. Lin, who had been lying with her back to her, suddenly jumped up into a sitting position.

"Mom, what’s up with you?"

Mrs. Lin sat cross-legged and asked Lin Xiang, "Tell me honestly, are you interested in Lin Yun?"

"Hmm?" A series of question marks flashed through Lin Xiang’s mind.

Was her mom speaking the language of Hua Country? She could understand every word, but she couldn’t comprehend their meaning when strung together.

"Can’t you understand? I’m asking if you like Lin Yun?"

"Mom!" Lin Xiang was frustrated, "What are you talking about? He’s my brother, how could I be interested in him!"

"You two aren’t blood-related."

"Even without a blood relation, he’s still my brother on the household register. How could I be interested in him!"

Even if there was interest, it was only in hoping to earn enough goodwill to return to her own world.

The male lead belongs to the female lead.

She had never hoped for it.

Rather than hoping to meet someone in sync with her in the ’70s for a passionate romance, she’d rather look forward to earning enough money to buy a courtyard house and experience the life of old Beijing residents.

It’s just a pity she couldn’t bring the courtyard house she bought in this book world back to her original world, otherwise she wouldn’t need to work hard anymore! Just one courtyard house would be enough for her to lie down and chill!

If she earned enough, she could buy a few more courtyard houses at a low price, and even get a small Western-style house in Shanghai. Not only her, but her descendants could all relax too.

Isn’t making money great?

Why get into conflict with the female lead over the male lead?

She only had sibling feelings for the male lead, dating?

That would be incest!

Seeing Lin Xiang looking indignant yet very averse, Mrs. Lin asked, "You really don’t have feelings for him?"

"Mom, why do you think I should have feelings for him?"

Mrs. Lin muttered, "Don’t you think you’re a bit too concerned about Lin Yun?"

He’s her brother!

He’s a key figure in her return to her original world!

Isn’t it natural for her to care about him?

But she couldn’t straightforwardly tell Mrs. Lin this.

"Mom, I need to tell you something, you should be mentally prepared beforehand."

Seeing Lin Xiang’s serious demeanor, Mrs. Lin felt a little anxious, "What’s up?"

"Lin Yun, your legally adopted son, was noticed by the chief, and maybe after he’s discharged, he’ll have to..."

"He’ll become the son-in-law of a good family? He’s really found a good match!"

Lin Xiang: ...

"Mom! The chief said that Lin Yun accomplished a great feat this time. As long as he’s willing to enlist, his future path will be smooth. Congratulations, you’re going to have a soldier as a son."

Mrs. Lin frowned: "If he enlists and leaves, who will do the heavy work at home?"

Lin Xiang: ...

"I raised him all these years, and now he’s going to leave just like that? Not going to support me in my old age?"

Lin Xiang continued speechless.

Mrs. Lin indeed had a change in attitude towards Lin Yun, but there was no expectation she would treat him as her own son!

"I’m tired, let’s sleep."

Seeing Lin Xiang about to fall asleep, Mrs. Lin tugged at her, "Is your brother really planning to enlist?"

Lin Xiang had to sit up again, "The chief hopes he can enlist and even approached me to persuade him. Lin Yun himself is also tempted, but he’s hesitating because if he leaves, it’ll just be you and me left, and he’s worried that no one will do the work at home."

Mrs. Lin muttered, "Didn’t expect him to actually have some conscience."

"Mom, my point is that I hope Lin Yun can enlist. I’ll be going to school next spring, I definitely can’t continue running the spicy hotpot business, and it’s not feasible for you to do it alone. The school expenses are quite high, we can’t just live off our savings, right? If Lin Yun enlists, there’ll be a monthly allowance, and we won’t have to worry about not having money for expenses anymore."

"Besides, Lin Yun will be going to a unit in Beijing. My first choice for university is also in Beijing. Once I get into university, no matter where I go, I will definitely take you with me. During this year or so, Lin Yun can help us build connections in Beijing."

"Our family has no money, no resources. Even if we forcibly keep Lin Yun, he can only do some manual labor. But if we let him enlist, it’s an honor for the family, then who in the village would dare to bully us?"

Lin Xiang was worried Mrs. Lin would stop Lin Yun from enlisting, so she analyzed from all angles.

Mrs. Lin listened and was quite moved.

"I can agree to him enlisting, but on the condition that two-thirds of his monthly allowance must be sent back home!"

Lin Xiang felt somewhat relieved.

After being influenced over this time, Mrs. Lin finally grew a bit, at least realizing to leave Lin Yun a third of the allowance for himself instead of taking it all.

Lin Xiang didn’t know, but Mrs. Lin mainly feared that if Lin Yun acquired power after becoming a soldier, he might resent her for taking all the allowance, so she left a third for him.

"Alright, let’s sleep."

As long as Lin Xiang wasn’t interested in Lin Yun like that, Mrs. Lin was completely at ease.

In the following days, Lin Xiang still woke up early every day to go to the market.

Not sure if it was because she snatched business too aggressively that day, but she hadn’t seen that family selling spicy hotpot in the past few days.

After changing locations, Lin Xiang’s activities were slightly adjusted too, changing the promotion from buy four get one free to buy five get one free, and raising the price from eight cents to ten cents a bowl.

However, the potato noodles and sweet potato noodles no longer contained just noodles, but also added seaweed and bean sprouts.

Bean sprouts weren’t cheap, and seaweed was even more of a rarity. With these added, the customers felt like they were getting a bargain, and business actually got better.

After closing up shop every day, Lin Xiang would return to the team office, borrow a bike, visit Lin Yun at the hospital to maintain her presence, then quickly head home for dinner, wash up, and sleep.

This routine lasted for three days, and finally, Lin Yun was discharged.

Given that he was injured and hadn’t been out of bed for several days, Lin Yun looked a bit skinnier, his face losing some weight.

"He looks like he suffered a lot," Mrs. Lin said to Lin Xiang, "Make some meat later to nourish him."