“It’s fine, Lanlan. Your parents were probably held up by something. Let’s just wait a bit longer.”
It had to be said that Shan Hanyu was indeed a qualified mother-in-law.
She would never give her daughter-in-law a bad look to her face under any circumstances.
“Thank you, Mom. I understand.”
“By the way, Mom, why has Linfeng been gone for so long?”
Though he claimed he was going to make a phone call to Father Shen, Lin Lanlan failed to notice that Shen Linfeng was walking in the opposite direction of the post office.
Shan Hanyu was also quite puzzled. Just as she was about to find someone to run an errand, a young boy called out to her.
“Auntie~”
Shan Hanyu was about to respond out of instinct, but Lin Lanlan beside her screamed and stepped back.
“You—you smelly beggar! You’re so filthy, get lost right now!”
Busy comforting her prospective daughter-in-law, Shan Hanyu ignored the young boy.
The young boy felt a little hurt and wanted to shrink back, but the big sister had promised to give him ten yuan.
That was a lot of money. With it, he could buy delicious, fragrant meat buns for his younger sister.
“Lanlan, it’s fine. I’ll just have him step further away.”
Shan Hanyu felt uncomfortable in her heart, wanting to say that if given a choice, who would willingly be a beggar?
However, today was a great day for her son and daughter-in-law, and since her daughter-in-law was in a bad mood, she could only placate her first.
“Lanlan, I see you’re tired from standing. Go inside, sit down, and rest for a bit. I’ll handle things here.”
Lin Lanlan did not refuse either. She turned around and left without even saying goodbye.
Shan Hanyu thought to herself that her son was blind to mistake fish eyes for pearls.
At any rate, she had made up her mind: after the marriage, they would live in separate households out of sight, out of mind.
Without the mean woman around, the little beggar grew bolder and stepped forward again.
This time, he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “Auntie, someone gave this to you and told you to read it right now.”
Although Shan Hanyu found it strange, her nature led her to feel there was no harm in taking a look.
The little beggar was responsible; seeing that the aunt didn’t throw the letter away and actually opened it to read, he finally dashed off to collect his reward.
Hopefully, that big sister wasn’t lying.
The little beggar sprinted forward with all his might, terrified that the sister waiting at the alley entrance would break her word and run away.
Yet just as he reached the corner, he bumped right into someone. He was just about to apologize.
“Tsk, why are you running so fast? Aren’t you afraid of falling?”
The little beggar looked up in pleasant surprise. It was that big sister; she hadn’t lied to him.
Just as promised, Lin Shuang pulled out ten yuan, then took out boiled eggs and dried small fish she had retrieved from her space, packing them into two lunch boxes to give to him.
“You completed the task very well. This is the payment you deserve.”
Looking at her departing figure, the young boy’s tears fell like golden beans.
Big sister is so nice!
“Second Restaurant. An old acquaintance waits.”
Those words kept circling in Shan Hanyu’s mind. Had she not bumped into someone, Shan Hanyu wouldn’t have even realized she had already walked to the entrance of the restaurant.
“I’m sorry.”
Seeing that the other person was holding a child, Shan Hanyu hurriedly pulled out all the candies in her pocket and stuffed them into the child’s arms.
The child’s mother was originally going to pick a fault, but seeing how generous the woman was, she shut her mouth.
“Watch where you’re going next time. It’s only because I’m easygoing that I’m not making a fuss with you.”
Shan Hanyu repeatedly said “Yes, yes, yes” to put an end to this accident.
The commotion at the entrance still caught Shen Hongrun’s attention.
He thought he had just heard Shan Hanyu’s voice.
Shen Hongrun felt inexplicably nervous; he had a unique constitution where he would break into a sweat non-stop whenever he grew anxious.
He didn’t even hear the white moonlight beside him calling his name.
“Hongrun, Hongrun…” Ye Minmin called twice before Shen Hongrun snapped back to reality.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Why are you sweating so much?” As she spoke, her handkerchief was already gently wiping Shen Hongrun’s forehead.
Shen Hongrun instantly felt at ease.
It must have been his imagination just now.
Besides, even if Shan Hanyu saw, so what?
His Minmin shouldn’t have to be a hidden mistress living in the shadows any longer.
She should have returned the position of lawful wife to Minmin long ago.
Back then, if Shan Hanyu hadn’t urged her father to arrange an engagement between the two families, he wouldn’t have been separated from the woman he loved.
Thinking of the hardships the woman before him had endured for his sake, Shen Hongrun suddenly felt overwhelmingly heartbroken, openly embracing her in his arms with true affection.
“Minmin, you and the children have suffered all these years.”
“With these words from you, Hongrun, no matter how much hardship the children and I suffer, it’s all worth it.”
The pair of son and daughter were clearly very filial, nodding one after another in agreement.
“Dad, you are the best father in the world. I’ve always admired you and am determined to become a magnificent person like you.”
The daughter, Shen Jiangnan, wasn’t to be left behind either. “Dad, my brother, mom, and I all know your difficulties. We’ve never blamed you, because we know that Dad is the person who loves us the most.”
The family was entirely absorbed in their emotional moment, and no one noticed the person standing at the entrance.
Had she not seen it with her own eyes, Shan Hanyu would never have believed her eyes.
The upbringing of an aristocratic family kept Shan Hanyu from rushing up to make a scene in the end.
Wiping away her cheap tears, Shan Hanyu turned and left decisively.
She still had a son. Tonight was still her son’s engagement banquet, and they needed her as a mother.
Because she was walking in a hurry, Shan Hanyu stumbled and was about to fall.
A delicate hand caught her just in time.
Shan Hanyu looked at the other person, only to realize that at some point, her vision had become a total blur.
Lin Shuang helplessly helped wipe away her tears.
She really wanted to ask if this Aunt Shan was a ninja turtle.
If it were her, she would have gone up and flipped the table long ago. How could she let that family’s harmonious display stay there, ruining everyone’s eyes?
After a long while, Shan Hanyu finally composed her emotions.
She was back to being that smiling Aunt Shan once more.
“You’re Lin Shuang, right? Auntie almost couldn’t recognize you.”
“Thank you just now!” Shan Hanyu didn’t realize it herself, but the gaze she used to look at Lin Shuang was always the gentlest.
It was probably because of this that Lin Shuang couldn’t bear to leave her alone just now.
“It was no trouble at all. You’re too polite, Auntie!”
Shan Hanyu could sense Lin Shuang’s detachment.
Sighing in her heart, what a good girl; her son ultimately lacked the good fortune.
They walked in silence the entire way.
By the time they reached the First State-Run Restaurant, Shan Hanyu had long gathered her emotions.
Spotting the young man and woman standing at the entrance greeting guests, Lin Shuang quietly put some distance between herself and Shan Hanyu.
She came to watch the show, not to be disgusted so early on.
However, things clearly didn’t go as wished.
“Lin Shuang, why didn’t you inform the family when you came here by yourself?”
A roar from behind shook Lin Shuang so much that she hurriedly covered her ears and turned sideways.
“Lin Hao, are you sick? Wasn’t it you who told me to come on my own and forbade me from coming with you brothers, fearing I’d embarrass you?”
“I actually wanted to ask you: the leaders say the working people are the most glorious. How does a hardworking member of the working people like me embarrass you?”
These words clearly contained a trap. As long as Lin Hao dared to follow along with that line of thought, the surrounding spit would drown him, and endless troubles would follow one after another.
Lin Hao didn’t realize it, though. Just as he was about to speak, his mouth was covered.
“Mmh~ Third Brother, what are you doing?”
“Shut up!”
With a warning glance from Lin Chang, Lin Hao instantly didn’t dare to make a sound, standing quietly to the side while the gaze he threw at Lin Shuang looked as if it were steeped in poison.
Lin Shuang immediately returned a provocative smile.
With Lin Chang around, Lin Shuang set aside her thoughts of continuing to stir up trouble.
Apart from sharing a similar face, the twins had polar opposite personalities.
The eldest, Lin Hao, was hot-tempered and easily enraged, acting ruthlessly without leaving any leeway.
The second, Lin Chang, was accustomed to playing the fool to catch the tiger. He looked well-behaved and harmless on the surface, but in truth, he was the most sinister and venomous person in the Lin family.
She would naturally seek her revenge, but Lin Shuang wanted to deal with that dog couple, Lin Lanlan and Shen Linfeng, first.
Thus, when Lin Chang apologized to her:
“Eldest Sister, I’m sorry! I apologize to you on Third Brother’s behalf!”
Lin Shuang immediately waved her hand, displaying a generous gesture of unconcern.
“It’s fine. Second Brother is only a child two months older than me. I am magnanimous, so I won’t hold it against him.”
Lin Shuang genuinely felt that she was very generous!