“Talk? Why so suddenly?”
“I only heard about it by chance from someone in my dad’s office. I managed to find out who was on the list, and I was just worrying about how to tell you when you came looking for me.”
Cui Shu’s words struck Lin Shu like a bomb, shattering the last bit of confidence she had left.
Her face turned pale. She grabbed the railing behind her, barely managing to steady herself.
“Who else is on the list? Besides my dad, is my brother on it?”
After receiving a negative answer from Cui Shu, Lin Shu forced herself to calm down.
She took a deep breath and shoved the pastries in her hand into his.
After saying that, she did not even have time to say goodbye before turning around and rushing toward the bus stop.
She had thought that three or four months was still plenty of time. She never expected that the executioner’s blade had already been placed against the necks of every member of the Lin family.
At the entrance of the government compound, a car had just driven out not long ago.
Meng Fan’s sharp eyes caught sight of someone.
“Brother, isn’t that Sister-in-law?”
Shen Huai, who was sitting in the back seat, took one look and immediately recognized the man. He let out a sigh of relief.
“She went to see her childhood friend about something.”
Meng Fan rolled his eyes. Why did some men suddenly become blind and stupid whenever women were involved?
Was it really appropriate to see his wife pulling and tugging around with another man in broad daylight?
“Hmph. Whatever you say.”
Meng Fan stopped talking and stepped on the accelerator.
Shen Huai showed no mercy and said, “Meng Fan, if you ever make another baseless comment about your sister-in-law, don’t blame me for disregarding our brotherhood.”
Meng Fan saw his serious expression in the rearview mirror and helplessly nodded.
Meanwhile, Cui Shu was still in a daze.
He and Lin Shu had been best friends since their school days, close enough to know what the other was thinking.
However, after she turned sixteen or seventeen, she gradually began avoiding him. After she became an adult, her personality changed even more drastically.
Seeing her board the bus with the crowd, Cui Shu returned home.
Once he got home, he casually placed the pastries on the table.
The two of Cui Shu’s mother’s favorite students immediately turned their eyes toward the table.
Chen Mulan glanced over. Wasn’t it just a box of pastries? Did they really have to look so eager?
“Are you two hungry? If you are, just take some and eat.”
After longing for them for so long, the two finally got their wish and opened the package.
The moment it was opened, the fragrance became even stronger. Soon, the entire house was filled with the aroma of flower cakes, with a faint scent of roses drifting through the air.
Even Chen Mulan, who normally did not like sweets, could not resist eating two pieces. She discovered that they were noticeably different from traditional pastries.
Even after eating three or four pieces, they were not cloying. The fragrant taste lingered in the mouth, and they were especially delicious when paired with a cup of light tea.
The three of them ate while praising the pastries.
Cui Shu came out to get some water and saw his mother and his senior female classmates sharing the pastries he had brought home.
He could smell the aroma from a distance. He walked over, picked up a piece, and took a bite.
Cui Shu had eaten flower cakes made by Lin Shu before. They had been delicious, but this batch was clearly much better than what she had made in the past.
“Delicious.”
“You even say they’re delicious. By the way, who gave them to you?”
Chen Mulan knew her son would never buy sweets like these himself.
The two female students exchanged glances and smiled.
“Could it be your girlfriend, Junior Brother? Why don’t you bring her up so Teacher can meet her?”
Chen Mulan’s eyes widened.
“You’re dating someone? You were embarrassed to tell me?”
Cui Shu quickly explained, “It’s Lin Shu.”
“What did she come to see you about? I remember that ever since I warned her, she hasn’t come looking for you again. When something unusual happens, there’s usually a reason. I’m telling you now, you’re not allowed to have anything to do with her. If a girl from that kind of family latches onto you, you’ll be in trouble.”
Faced with his mother’s words, Cui Shu was stunned.
No wonder Lin Shu had suddenly stopped being close to him and had deliberately avoided him. So it turned out his own mother had been interfering behind the scenes.
“Mom, you… that’s too much! No wonder I couldn’t figure out why Lin Shu suddenly stopped talking to me.”
Chen Mulan called after her son.
“I’m doing this for your own good. She’s the daughter of a capitalist family. What are you going to do if it affects your career in the future?”
Not wanting to argue in front of outsiders, Cui Shu closed the door, shutting out the voices from outside.
Seeing that the situation was becoming awkward, the two female students made an excuse to leave.
Chen Mulan looked at the flower cakes on the table and told the two of them to take them with them. Just looking at them made her angry. If she had known they were sent by Lin Shu, she definitely would not have eaten them.
The two women were overjoyed and decided to take them back to share with their coworkers at the dormitory.
……
At the Lin residence.
Lin Shu’s mood was extremely low throughout the journey.
Everyone in the family had returned home that evening and was waiting for her so they could start dinner.
“Little Sister, dinner’s ready! Why did you take so long?”
“Oh, I went to see Cui Shu. I had to wait forever before I finally got to see him.”
Lin Shu’s expression grew heavier when she mentioned Cui Shu.
Seeing that her father’s face looked grim, she got straight to the point and asked him about it.
Lin Tianlun was surprised that his daughter knew about the matter.
Then he remembered what his daughter-in-law had just said that Lin Shu had gone to see Cui Shu.
At dinner, the atmosphere in the Lin household was heavy.
Lin Tianlun wearily rubbed his brow.
“It’s just a routine talk. Don’t worry.”
“Dad! At a time like this, you’re still hiding it from us?”
Lin Shu was both anxious and angry.
The entire family was stunned by the terrible news.
The Lin family had already been classified as one of the “Black Five Categories.” Living in such times meant constantly being on edge, as though every little thing could bring disaster.
Now that Lin Tianlun had been summoned for questioning, it was undoubtedly another heavy blow to the family.
Shen Huai, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke.
“Dad, Big Brother. I’ve heard some rumors at the military academy too. This time… the crackdown is going to be serious.”
He looked at Lin Shu with a firm expression and lowered his voice.
“Anything in this household that shouldn’t be kept must be completely and immediately cleared out. If there are things you can’t take care of yourselves, tell me. I’ll handle them.”
Lin Tianlun gave a bitter smile and nodded, tears welling up in his eyes.
Lin Hui poured his father a full glass of liquor without saying a word.
After dinner, they moved on from the heavy topic, and Lin Hui brought up his little sister’s outing.
“Cui Shu? Haven’t you not hung out with him for years?”
“So what if I want to now?”
“You’re not secretly planning something bad, are you?”
“It’s a secret. Anyway, I can’t tell you yet.”
She knew that whoever she told would oppose her, so she decided to keep them in suspense for now.
The siblings’ conversation was interrupted when Jiang Jie brought out the flower cakes.
“The flower cakes Little Sis made today are delicious. Try some.”
“No wonder I smelled roses when I came home today. I thought Dad’s flowers had mutated overnight.”
“Delicious! Delicious!”
Lin Hui praised them twice in a row.
Seeing that everyone liked them, Lin Shu’s mood improved a little. She could almost already picture the banknotes filling her pockets.
“You eat some too.”
“Thank you.”
As she handed a flower cake to Shen Huai, she happened to notice her sister-in-law walking into the kitchen. She immediately got up and followed her.
“Big Sister-in-law, you worked hard cooking tonight. I’ll wash the dishes. You go rest.”
Lin Shu knew how tiring it was to cook, so she volunteered to wash the dishes.
Jiang Jie did not stand on ceremony.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Little Sis.”
“Why are you being so polite, Big Sister-in-law? Go take a shower and get some rest.”
Lin Shu found an apron, tied it around herself, rolled up her sleeves, and began clearing the dishes from the table.
Just as she reached out her hand, a large hand intercepted her.
“I’ll do it.”
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Shen Huai seemed to have something to say tonight. Yet he appeared to be holding it back and never actually said anything.
Lin Shu felt a little irritated.
She didn’t think she had done anything to upset him, had she?