Lin Jiaojiao lifted the meat buns in her hand and smiled.
“Auntie, no wonder we’re family—we even think alike.
On my way here, I passed by the state-run restaurant and thought you might not have had breakfast yet, so I bought a few meat buns.
They’re still warm. Hurry and call my cousin and younger cousin over to eat.”
Seeing the buns in Lin Jiaojiao’s hands and smelling the faint aroma of meat, Li Ruyi’s eyes inexplicably grew moist.
Although her husband worked at a state-owned factory and their income was better than rural households, supporting the entire family alone meant their life was never truly comfortable.
They could not afford meat buns on a regular basis; even plain white steamed buns were only eaten on holidays.
Just a few days ago, her younger son had said he wanted meat buns, and she had gently persuaded him otherwise.
She told him they weren’t well-off and would buy them when they had money in the future.
Fortunately, the child was sensible and did not insist.
She had never expected that her newly reunited niece would bring such a rare treat for them.
“Auntie, what’s wrong?” Lin Jiaojiao asked when she noticed Li Ruyi just staring at the buns without speaking.
Li Ruyi quickly wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eyes and smiled.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that you really don’t know how to manage money, child.
These buns aren’t cheap, and you bought so many.
From now on, if you want to eat them, just buy them for yourself. Don’t worry about us.”
Lin Jiaojiao agreed on the surface, but inwardly she thought that once she had the ability, she would definitely help her uncle’s family live a better life.
Her cousin, Lü Qiang, was a shy sixteen-year-old boy in junior high school, a top student with excellent grades. If nothing went wrong, he would surely become a talented individual in the future.
He was shy when he saw Lin Jiaojiao, but his eyes lit up at the mention of meat buns.
Still, he would not move before the adults did.
Fond of him as she was, Lin Jiaojiao naturally liked this well-behaved younger cousin.
She took out a military-green crossbody schoolbag she had bought earlier at the supply store and handed it to him.
“Xiao Qiang, your cousin saw this at the supply store yesterday. I thought it looked nice, so I bought it for you.”
In truth, she had not “happened to see it” at all. She had noticed his old patched-up schoolbag days ago and remembered it.
Now that she had seen the supply store today, she deliberately went in to buy it.
She was not short of money now. If she could help her uncle’s family, she would do so without hesitation.
Thinking of the two bundles of large-denomination banknotes she had found under her scummy father and stepmother’s bed, she couldn’t help but smile faintly.
After counting them in her space, she had found a total of five thousand yuan.
In this era of scarce resources in the 1970s, that was a huge fortune.
She, Lin Jiaojiao, was now a proper little rich woman.
Some people believed in not leaving money unspent when they died.
But she believed money could always be earned again—there was no need to wrong herself by being overly frugal.
“This… Cousin, I… I already have a schoolbag. I don’t need another one,” Lü Qiang said, though he clearly liked it a lot.
He had seen a classmate with this style of bag, and that student had shown it off for a long time. It was not cheap.
He had heard it cost a full yuan.
His cousin was not living well; he knew that.
Buying this bag must have cost her a great deal of sacrifice. He could not become a parasite draining her resources.
At that moment, Li Ruyi returned from the kitchen with bowls and chopsticks.
Seeing the schoolbag in Lin Jiaojiao’s hand, she immediately understood.
Although she was moved, she knew they could not accept such an expensive gift.
She quickly stepped forward and placed the bowls down.
“You child, why are you spending money like this? This costs quite a bit.
If you really have extra money, save it for yourself for the future.
And you’re not even married to Comrade Gu yet—spending money so freely already isn’t good.”
Then she pushed the bag back toward her.
“Take it back and use it yourself, or save it for your future child with Comrade Gu.”
Lin Jiaojiao: “……”
That escalated quickly.
But then she thought, if she and Gu Tingzhou really had a child…
With his looks, the child would probably be stunning.
Her face flushed slightly at the thought.
“Auntie, what are you saying? We haven’t even—”
“Haha, my mistake. But isn’t that going to happen sooner or later?” Li Ruyi teased.
Then she grew serious again.
“Speaking of which, Jiaojiao, if you have children in the future, don’t be shy with Auntie.
Just have Comrade Gu call, and I’ll come take care of your postpartum period.”
In their northern city, it was customary for the mother’s family to help during confinement.
If there was no mother, the mother-in-law would usually take over.
But Li Ruyi still wanted to personally take care of her niece.
“Yes, your aunt has nothing much to do anyway. Just cooking. If you need anything, she can go,” Lü Bing added.
Even though nothing was settled between her and Gu Tingzhou yet, Lin Jiaojiao still felt deeply moved.
Especially since it was her aunt who offered first.
That was not something common.
She stepped forward and hugged Li Ruyi.
“Auntie, thank you. Thank you for treating me so well.”
Li Ruyi patted her shoulder.
“You silly child, why are you being polite?
Your mother passed away early, and your father is that kind of person. If your aunt and uncle don’t treat you well, who will?”
A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Lin Jiaojiao’s face as she let go.
“Then since you all treat me so well, what’s wrong with me buying a schoolbag for my little cousin?
Are you trying to stop me from loving my own younger brother?”
“You child,” Li Ruyi sighed helplessly, finally relenting and letting Lü Qiang accept the gift.
“Thank you, cousin! If anyone dares bully you in the future, I’ll beat them until they’re looking for their teeth all over the ground!” Lü Qiang said seriously, puffing out his chest.
It wasn’t just because of the gift; his parents had always told him that Lin Jiaojiao and Lü Li were his sisters and that he should protect them when he grew up.
Lin Jiaojiao ruffled his hair and said,
“It’s good to stand up for me, but use your brain first. Don’t just rely on fighting.
Of course, if you’re absolutely sure you can win, then go ahead.”
“Mm, I remember.”
Watching his serious little nod, Lin Jiaojiao couldn’t help but laugh.
Ah…
She, Lin Jiaojiao, was finally someone worth protecting too.