She had grown up now. Every time she called home, she could hear the concern and cautious probing hidden in her mother’s voice.
Han Mei had tried, but she never knew how to respond.
This medal was her greatest answer.
Lin Zhilan solemnly tucked the medal into her pocket and patted Han Mei’s hand. “All right, Auntie will definitely bring it to her. Your mother will be over the moon when she sees it. She might even set up a couple of banquets for the whole residential compound.”
Han Mei burst out laughing.
Linlin pulled a notebook from her schoolbag. She opened it to the title page, took out a fountain pen, and held it out to Han Mei.
“Meimei, could you give me your autograph?”
Han Mei froze for a moment, then quickly waved her hands. “No, no, no. What’s so special about my signature?”
When she had called home before, her mother had already told her that Linlin was this year’s provincial top scorer. She was incredibly impressive and had even appeared in the newspapers.
Han Mei’s academic performance had been average, but she admired people who were good at studying.
How could she have the nerve to sign an autograph for Linlin?
Linlin didn’t seem to mind at all. Her tone was utterly sincere. “Meimei, you’re the national champion! And you’re the only champion I know. Just sign one for me, please.”
Han Mei couldn’t resist the little girl’s pleading, so she signed her name on the title page.
Linlin’s face lit up with delight. “Thank you, Meimei! When I get back to school, I’m going to show off to all my classmates.”
Han Mei was delighted.
The little girl, just like her aunt, knew exactly how to flatter people and could make anyone feel light-headed with happiness.
Su Li came over. “I want one too.”
Han Mei smiled. “Where’s your notebook?”
Su Li looked at his sister. “I didn’t bring one.”
Linlin hugged the notebook to her chest. “I only brought this one. That’s what you get for not bringing your own.”
“You stingy sister!” Su Li pulled a face at Linlin.
Jiang Chengzhou pinched his lips together. “How dare you bully my sister?”
“Mmph, mmph…”
“What are you saying?” Jiang Chengzhou released him.
Su Li gave a cheeky grin. “I won’t do it again.”
Lin Zhilan ignored the brothers and invited Han Mei to go eat with them.
But Han Mei was still a student and couldn’t easily leave her team, so she could only turn them down.
Lin Zhilan was a little disappointed, but she didn’t press the matter. She merely reminded Han Mei to “eat properly and get plenty of rest.”
Han Mei’s coach was waving to her from not far away, urging her back. She waved to the group, then turned and ran back to her team.
After leaving the park stadium, Lin Zhilan and Su Lang took the children to New Bridge Restaurant for Western food.
Western cuisine at the time was mostly Russian-style.
The children were all trying it for the first time, but they weren’t particularly interested in most of the dishes. The only popular ones were borscht and cream of mushroom soup.
After today, Lin Zhilan and Su Lang would truly be returning to the island.
Before leaving, they naturally had to remind Linlin of a few more things.
Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “Auntie, don’t worry. I’m here in the capital. Whenever I have time off, I’ll go check on Linlin. And Yan Yuan is here too. He’s graduated now, so he doesn’t have many classes anymore.”
“Right, Yan Yuan?” Jiang Chengzhou turned to look at him, only to find him staring blankly at the tablecloth. “Yan Yuan, what are you thinking about?”
Yan Yuan came back to himself. “Hmm? Oh, nothing.”
Jiang Chengzhou frowned. Yan Yuan seemed a little off today.
But his uncle, aunt, and sister were the priority right now, so he didn’t ask any further.
Yan Yuan knew that Jiang Chengzhou had noticed something, but he didn’t explain.
Was he supposed to tell him that he had fallen for Linlin?
It would be a miracle if Jiang Chengzhou didn’t beat him up.
Yan Yuan sighed and cursed himself for being a bastard. He decided that from now on, he should keep a little distance from Linlin.
Linlin had only just started university. The best years of her life were just beginning.
It seemed he was already old.
Why entangle her with him? It would be better to remain siblings for the rest of their lives.
Having made up his mind, Yan Yuan stopped dwelling on it and focused on his meal.
Unfortunately, once he had acknowledged his feelings to himself, he could no longer stop his attention from drifting toward the girl.
Linlin had probably found the Russian bread too hard. After taking only two bites, she devoted herself to drinking the soup instead.
Whenever she tasted something delicious, her eyes would suddenly light up, and her eyebrows would rise along with them…
Jiang Chengzhou waved a hand in front of Yan Yuan’s eyes. “Yan Yuan, are you all right today? If something’s wrong, tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself.”
Yan Yuan rubbed his temples. “I’m fine. Maybe I just stayed up too late last night.”
“Preparing your lessons again?”
“Yeah.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhilan looked over with concern. “Xiao Yuan, you need to take care of yourself too. Young people shouldn’t push themselves so hard.”
Yan Yuan nodded obediently. “I understand, Auntie.”
The more Lin Zhilan and Jiang Chengzhou showed their concern for him, the more Yan Yuan felt like a complete scoundrel. He grew increasingly silent.
After the meal, Lin Zhilan took Linlin to the restroom. Su Lang paid the bill, then looked at Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan.
“Linlin is still young. You two need to look after her.”
Jiang Chengzhou draped an arm over his uncle’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Uncle. Don’t you trust us?”
Su Lang glanced toward the restroom and lowered his voice. “I’m talking about her love life. Your sister is still young. Don’t let some man take advantage of her.”
Su Li was leaning against the counter, his ears perked up.
Like Su Lang, Jiang Chengzhou was rather old-fashioned when it came to Linlin’s romantic relationships. He immediately grew serious. “All right. I’ll definitely keep an eye on things. But what am I supposed to do if Linlin likes someone?”
Jiang Chengzhou had no intention of becoming the villain who tore lovers apart. What if his sister ended up hating him too?
“Linlin responds to softness, not force,” Su Lang whispered. “You can’t confront her head-on. First, find out everything you can about that boy. Then deal with him accordingly.”
“What do you mean, ‘deal with him accordingly’?”
Su Lang glared at his eldest nephew. “How can you be so clueless? Think about what your sister dislikes, then look for those qualities in the boy. For example, maybe he’s unhygienic or impolite. And so on and so forth. I refuse to believe he doesn’t have a single flaw.”
Yan Yuan broke out in a cold sweat.
Jiang Chengzhou, however, looked thoughtful and began enthusiastically discussing the matter with his uncle.
When Zhilan and Linlin returned from washing their hands, Su Li immediately ran over.
“Mom, Dad told Big Brother to drug Sister!”
Everyone: !!!
Su Lang hurriedly explained, “I said deal with her situation accordingly! What nonsense are you talking about?”
Jiang Chengzhou quickly dragged Su Li away and covered his mouth. “You little brat, why is your mouth so loose?”
Su Li still wanted to reveal more, but Jiang Chengzhou clamped a hand over his mouth.
Linlin looked utterly bewildered. “Why do I need to be dealt with accordingly? What’s wrong with me?”
Su Lang suddenly had no idea how to explain himself.
His wife would scold him again if he told her the truth.
“Old” and “old-fashioned” had become forbidden words in Su Lang’s mind.
Besides, he had always maintained the image of an upright, admirable father in front of Linlin. How could he do something so underhanded behind her back? How would he maintain his fatherly dignity after that?
Jiang Chengzhou was responsible for covering Su Li’s mouth, so he didn’t know how to explain either. He was left speechless.
“Dad?” Linlin pouted. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Why do you need to deal with me accordingly?”
