On the early morning of the next day, Xu Lin was abruptly awakened from a deep sleep by a lovely voice.
"Jiangli, come here, don't disturb your brother's sleep, it's only a little past 6."
Ye Fanleng's voice chimed in, and Xu Lin sat up abruptly, then glanced at his phone—it was indeed 6:30.
Fortunately, there was a school competition this morning, so they could arrive at 8:30, or else they would have started morning self-study in ten minutes.
"Brother, I fell asleep last night... I wanted to play chess with you. I brought a Gobang set."
Shaoyao stood by the coffee table, holding a chess box, looking pitiful, and Xu Lin steadied himself from the rush.
"Can I play with you now?"
"Really?"
"Really, but we can only play 3 games, then we'll go have breakfast, and I have to go to school. Your mom will take you back to shower, then watch me compete, okay?"
"Okay!"
Ye Fanleng looked at the two of them, involuntarily reminded of her own mother. If her mother hadn't passed away, maybe she wouldn't be like this...
"Mom, come over, sit beside me."
"Okay."
Ye Fanleng was interrupted by her daughter's cheerful voice, looking at Shaoyao's smiling face, she suddenly felt there was no need to dwell on the past.
She had to look forward, her grandfather had passed away, her father as well, but she still had her daughter. Though she was 31 years old, she was still young.
Her future was still long, there was no need to dwell on the past, especially since she had found herself a young man. That's not bad either.
Thinking about it, she walked over, picked up her daughter, and put her on her lap.
Feeling her mom suddenly becoming happy, even though she didn't understand, she smiled even more happily.
It must be because of her brother. Why couldn't her brother be a father? Mom would definitely be happier!
The Gobang game began. Xu Lin thought he would just go easy and let Shaoyao win two games, but 2 minutes later, he was dumbfounded.
He lost, even though he deliberately let her win, but the loss came without warning. He didn't notice the opponent's side piece at all.
"Shaoyao, you're so good!"
"I've been practicing on my tablet recently, so I must be even better."
"You've been secretly playing games again?" Ye Fanqing's tone suddenly turned cold.
"I'm just tired of studying, so I play for a bit."
"Jiangli, your tongue is getting slicker and slicker lately. I'll talk to Auntie Li to supervise you better."
"Hey, Ms. Ye, sometimes kids don't need to be supervised so strictly. It's okay to learn something from the internet sometimes."
"The internet is messy, playing games is fine, but I'm afraid she might see something inappropriate."
"That's true, but you can watch over her and let her learn how to use the internet. It's much better than her encountering it directly later on."
"Yeah, I'll talk to Auntie Li about it."
"Does Auntie Li usually take care of her?"
Xu Lin felt uncomfortable seeing Shaoyao, although she was the child of a wealthy family, she couldn't see her parents for a long time. She could only face strangers, which made him feel uneasy.
"Yeah, Auntie Li has been taking care of her since she was a child, she's very good to Shaoyao, but she spoils her too much."
"But recently, Auntie Li's health hasn't been good, and she's getting old. Last year, she also had her own granddaughter, so I think it's time for her to retire."
"No, if Auntie Li leaves, who will take care of me? I don't want anyone else!"
"Don't you feel sorry for Auntie Li?"
"But... other people, I... Mom~" Shaoyao's eyes turned red as she threw herself into Ye Fanleng's arms!
"Don't cry, Auntie will definitely find someone good to take care of you..."
"But Auntie Li is Auntie Li, they're just ordinary aunties."
Shaoyao's words struck Ye Fanleng's heart. When her father wanted to remarry, she said the same thing, "My mom is my mom, what are they!"
After thinking, she hugged her daughter tightly, then rubbed her head.
Kissing her on the cheek firmly, "Alright, let Auntie Li stay a little longer, I'll figure something out."
"Okay."
Feeling her mom's emotions, although she didn't understand, she also gently kissed her mom's cheek.
"If there's nowhere to go, just live with big brother!"
Xu Lin joked, but Shaoyao's eyes lit up, grabbing his clothes, "Big brother, really?!"
"But you have to ask your mom."
Xu Lin looked at Ye Fanleng, thinking she would definitely refuse, but at this moment, she seemed to be thinking while holding her forehead.
"Xu Lin, I think Shaoyao does need to get away from them and have a healthier environment to grow up in."
"Huh?" Xu Lin really didn't expect Ye Fanleng to suddenly say this, what does that mean?
"Where does your mom work?"
"My mom?"
"Yeah."
"In a factory, the local textile enterprise."
"A monthly salary of 4,000?"
"No, it's only 3,000, it could reach 4,000 with shifts."
To be honest, this salary had been consistent until he crossed over, and hadn't increased. But the prices had multiplied many times from 2013 to 2020.
"Then let Auntie take care of Jiangli? I can provide living expenses and salary every month."
"Wait a minute, Ms. Ye, are you really going to let Shaoyao come to Linshui? I just mentioned it casually, Shaoyao is about to start elementary school, right?"
"Although having a good brain is the same for achieving good results, it's definitely better for a big city to have stronger teaching resources."
"Xu Lin, rather than grades, I hope Jiangli has a healthy, stable environment to grow up in."
"You suddenly want this, I don't know what my mom thinks, I'll ask her and give you an answer, okay?"
"Yeah, if Jiangli stays with you, if Uncle's mom takes care of you, are you willing?"
"I'm willing!" Shaoyao raised both arms.
"But it's not decided yet, but your mom promises you, she will definitely find someone suitable to take care of you."
"Okay, Mom, let's continue playing chess."
"Okay!"
"This time I won't lose."
Xu Lin also rolled up his sleeves, really getting serious. If he lost again this time, it would mean it's not that his brain isn't working, but that this little girl is too smart.
Then a few minutes later, Xu Lin exerted all his strength and finally won the game, proving that he was still smarter than a 5-year-old kid.
"Brother is so amazing!"
"Shaoyao is also amazing, do you like Gobang very much?"
"I really like chess and Go, but no one plays with me. Adults say I don't understand, but I've played before."
"Yeah, Ms. Ye, I think Shaoyao might really have talent in this area."
"She just loves to play, she also likes Plants vs. Zombies and Angry Birds."
Ye Fanleng teased, although she hadn't been with her daughter for a long time, she often learned about her daughter's daily life through Auntie Li.
"I've already passed Plants vs. Zombies!"
"Look at you, it's better to study English and Math."
"Hmph... I already know those."
"Then why did you still get the house number wrong last time?"
"…Brother, Mom is bullying me!"
After speaking, she crawled over from Ye Fanleng body to Xu Lin's side, and Xu Lin smiled and caught her.
"In fact, your mom is doing it for your own good. Looking at phones and computers too much can hurt your eyes."
"Yeah."
Ye Fanleng looked at Shaoyao, then at Xu Lin, and suddenly felt that this kind of family interaction was really in line with her ideal family model.
"Oh, Ms. Ye, I have something for you." Xu Lin suddenly remembered the eternal youth pill he bought with his 2000 points.
Originally intended for his mother, but Ye Fanleng, who was at the critical age of downhill, needed this more.
"What is it?"
Ye Fanleng looked at the small box handed over by Xu Lin, similar to a ring box, and her whole person was a bit unsure how to react.
But looking at Xu Lin's calm appearance, she understood that this timid little boy should not be giving her a ring.
She opened the box, and a strange fragrance rushed into her nose. Looking at this unremarkable gray-black pill, she felt the urge to swallow it in one gulp.
"This is our Xu family's ancestral pill, made from a mixture of various herbs, it regulates blood, detoxifies, nourishes the face, and even keeps your appearance youthful."
Hearing Xu Lin's promotion like a fake medicine peddler, Ye Fanleng was almost amused.
As she grew older, she actually began to pay attention to skincare, but one pill to keep her appearance youthful, that's like a TV drama.
Originally, she would never eat something of unknown origin, but what Xu Lin gave her made her subconsciously trust him, besides, just by smelling it, it seemed to be true.
Without much thought, she put it in her mouth and bit down!