TL: Etude
"Chen Jianghai, that bastard, I don't know what kind of love potion he gave to Wanqiu, that girl is so biased towards him!"
Xue Chunli stomped her foot and spoke through clenched teeth.
"Who's she to say no!" Lin Jianguo immediately echoed in agreement.
Xue Chunli turned her head and glared fiercely at her husband, "What are you dazing out for? Go follow them, lest that kid speaks ill of us in front of Wanqing."
"Alright, I'll go now, right now." Lin Jianguo was only too eager and hurriedly scuttled after them.
As Chen Jianghai and Lin Wanqiu reached the doorway, they just happened to see a woman stepping down from a tricycle.
The woman was dressed in a black polka-dot padded white suit with a black figure-hugging pencil skirt, sporting a modish flapper-style bob wig, deep smoky makeup, and seductive mysterious red lips — a true fashionista of the era.
Her appearance immediately drew the attention of many onlookers.
Lin Wanqiu could barely believe her eyes and called out in a low voice, "Sister?"
"Wanqiu?" The woman smiled, called out, and reached out to take the suitcase from the tricycle.
At that moment, Chen Jianghai quickly went over to help take down the suitcase.
Lin Wanqing glanced at Chen Jianghai, her gaze carrying a hint of barely noticeable disdain and a touch of surprise.
This man, who was considered good for nothing according to her parents and full of himself, was actually offering to carry her suitcase...
And the smile on his face didn't seem fake; it appeared somewhat different from what her parents had described.
"Thank you."
Lin Wanqing smiled and nodded, her tone carrying a bit of chill.
Chen Jianghai, having seen all walks of life in his past life, naturally noticed Lin Wanqing's disdain, but she was still polite.
"We're all family, no need for formalities." Chen Jianghai responded with a smile.
As for Lin Wanqiu's sister, Chen Jianghai didn't know much about her, but there was one thing he was clear about.
That was Lin Wanqing had gotten married last year, to someone from a big city, apparently someone quite capable, involved in some gray-area industries.
These were all things he had heard from Lin Wanqiu at the time, but the exact details were not clear to Chen Jianghai.
Because he hardly had any interaction with Lin Wanqing in his previous life.
In his past life, he was always daydreaming about getting rich, even neglecting his wife beside him, so he had no time to understand her family.
"Sister, you've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you just now." Lin Wanqiu clutched her sister's hand, saying excitedly.
"Girl, is that you?"
At this moment, Lin Jianguo hastened over.
Seeing the woman before him, Lin Jianguo couldn't quite believe his eyes.
Lin Wanqing's arrival had already drawn the attention of everyone in the village, and in just a short while, everyone had gathered at the Lin family's doorstep.
Surrounded by layers of onlookers, the scene was lively.
It had to be said, Lin Wanqing's attire was incredibly eye-catching.
"Is this Lin family's eldest daughter Wanqing?"
"I've always said, the Lin's daughter is bound to make something of herself!"
"Look at that attire, just like a big star on TV!"
"Isn't that the truth! The Lin couple are in for good fortune now!"
"What a pity for the second daughter, married to a lazy bum, bound to suffer!"
"This Lin family village, indeed, has produced a phoenix, actually two at once, Lin Jianguo and Lin Jihua really have their ancestors to thank."
"I heard that this eldest daughter of the Lin family, when she came back two years ago, was very poor, right? Otherwise, would they have let the younger daughter marry off for medical expenses?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Hehe, who knows what indecent business she's been up to outside, how else could she have transformed like this?"
"That's right! I heard that there are these popular cabarets outside, those places are chaotic, but it's easy for a pretty woman to make money."
...
Everyone was envious of the Lin family's daughter, and voices discussing Chen Jianghai were not little. Some even speculated about Lin Wanqing's rights and wrongs.
At first, Lin Wanqiu was quite happy listening to them, but later, when she heard them speaking ill of Chen Jianghai and her sister, she immediately became displeased.
"Let's go inside, Sister," she said, biting her lip, wishing to shut out the voices of gossip from the courtyard.
Lin Wanqing, however, showed no emotion and nodded indifferently, "Hmm."
Chen Jianghai said nothing, dragging the suitcase and following behind the two women.
Witnessing this scene, people's impression of Chen Jianghai added another label: a good-for-nothing without ambition.
Lin Jihua, their neighbor, felt a rush of discontent upon seeing this.
His own daughter had also married into a good family. Why was all the attention stolen by Lin Jianguo's family?
"Tsk!" Lin Jihua spat bitterly, "What's there to be so proud of? Not only do I have a good daughter, but also a good son-in-law!"
"Wait until my daughter and son-in-law return, I must definitely suppress their arrogance!"
Chen Jianghai, carrying things behind them, Lin Jianguo led the way into the house, and in the middle, the two sisters who hadn't seen each other in a long time chatted incessantly.
"Don't take those people's words to heart, Sister," Lin Wanqiu whispered.
Lin Wanqing laughed it off, "It's nothing. There are always those who gossip, and I don't have the time to bother with them. I just need to be true to myself!"
"That's good then."
Lin Wanqiu nodded in relief, then hesitated before saying, "Sister, I want to ask you for a favor, is that okay?"
Lin Wanqing smiled, "I guess it has something to do with your husband, doesn't it?"
"Sister, how did you know?" Lin Wanqiu asked, full of curiosity.
Lin Wanqing glanced back at Chen Jianghai, "Is he really worth all this for you?"
In previous calls home, their mother had not spared complaints about Chen Jianghai.
Lin Wanqing had always looked down on this brother-in-law.
Yet for some unknown reason, her sister was unwilling to leave such a man.
"Sister! Jianghai is now repairing electronics, and it's quite profitable! In a week, he gave me over seven hundred, which I've been saving!" Lin Wanqiu quickly said.
A ripple crossed Lin Wanqing's calm face, somewhat surprised, "Really?"
"Of course, it's true!" Lin Wanqiu nodded earnestly, "If you don't believe me, I'll show you the passbook later!"
Lin Wanqing tapped Lin Wanqiu's forehead, saying with slight irritation, "You're my sister, could I not believe you?"
"Sister, I knew you're the best to me!" Lin Wanqiu said with a smile.
Lin Wanqing shook her head, "I know what you want to say, but you also know what our mom's like. She wanted me to come back to persuade you."
"Sister, I've told you, Jianghai can make money now, I won't suffer anymore," Lin Wanqiu quickly said.
Hearing Lin Wanqiu speak this way, Lin Wanqing's eyes suddenly softened, "Little sister, if it weren't for you back then, who knows what would've happened with Dad's illness. I won't let you be wronged anymore."
"Sister!" Lin Wanqiu stamped her foot, "That's a different matter, you have to believe..."
"Alright! I have my own plans, so don't talk about it anymore."
Lin Wanqing cut off her sister's words directly.