Chapter 6

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Yucheng."

The electronic announcement in the carriage sounded, and Lin Li suddenly opened his eyes; he had actually fallen asleep.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Tong Yao beside him.

The girl remained in the same posture she had when she got on the bus, mechanically flipping through the flashcards covered in English words. As if sensing Lin Li's gaze, Tong Yao abruptly stopped flipping through the flashcards, her dark eyes slightly lifting to briefly meet his gaze.

"Mom, we've arrived." Her voice was very soft; Tong Yao always spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

Turning my head to the other side, I saw that Tong's mother was leaning back in her chair, breathing evenly, and had also fallen asleep.

"Oh, have we arrived?" Tong's mother suddenly woke up and quickly picked up the luggage at her feet. "Then let's go quickly."

Lin Li followed behind the mother and daughter, exiting the train carriage with the flow of people. Watching Tong Yao and her mother step onto the escalator and their figures gradually move upwards, he opened his mouth, the word "goodbye" rolling around in his throat before finally floating out softly.

Tong Yao seemed to have heard it, and paused slightly, but did not turn around.

Lin Li only looked away after the slender figure disappeared at the end of the escalator. Just then, a familiar voice called from behind, "Son, over here!"

As soon as Lin's mother got off the bus, she saw her son standing there. She quickly walked over and took his arm, saying, "Let's go. Your brother-in-law is waiting at the station entrance. Qianqian has been urging him to come home several times."

As soon as they exited the station, they spotted their brother-in-law, Chen Xiao, standing next to the black sedan. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt. Upon seeing them, he immediately came over, took the luggage from Lin's mother, put it in the trunk, and joked with a smile, "Lin Li, you've grown so tall! Last year during Chinese New Year, you were still under my chin, but now you're taller than me."

Lin Li recalled her memories of this life.

He was only 160 cm tall last year, but he has grown almost 20 cm in just one year.

No wonder I saw so many stretch marks on my knees and legs when I took a shower.

He initially thought it was just mud that hadn't been washed off properly, so he even used a steel wool pad to scrub it.

“Yes, he’s grown a lot this year,” Lin’s mother chimed in, her tone slightly reproachful. “I was worried he wouldn’t grow to 1.7 meters tall, but it seems I was just worrying for nothing.”

It took nearly an hour to drive from Yucheng North Station to my sister Lin Qian's house.

This isn't the city center of the provincial capital; strictly speaking, it's in the suburbs because it's so far from the city center that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the countryside.

As soon as the car stopped, Lin's mother eagerly pushed open the car door and rushed to Lin Qian's room on the second floor: "My dear grandson, Grandma has come to see you!"

Lin Li wanted to go in too, but his mother stopped him at the door: "What are you doing here, a grown man? Your sister is in confinement after childbirth, it's not convenient for her."

Oh, right, I'm a boy this time. My sister is in confinement and her clothes are disheveled, so it would definitely be inappropriate for a boy like me to go in.

Lin Li sighed and walked out.

"Hey bro, bored? I'll take you to a nice place." Chen Xiao noticed his embarrassment, patted him on the shoulder, and led him to another room.

The moment the door opened, Lin Li froze. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, and the only light in the room was the RGB lighting of the computer towers—a mix of deep blue, bright purple, and warm yellow hues illuminating the entire row of assembled computers. The lingering sound of keyboard clicks seemed to still echo in the air; this was clearly a professional gaming room.

"Look at this one, the CPU is the latest model, and I waited half a month to snag the graphics card. This whole set cost me almost half a year's salary..." Chen Xiao pointed to the computer case in the middle, his eyes shining with excitement, and began to talk endlessly about the details of the assembly and the importance of the materials.

Lin Li wasn't very familiar with computers, and seeing her brother-in-law talking so enthusiastically, she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

It was almost noon when I arrived at my sister's house.

After Mom finished looking at my sister, she also went out.

Everyone gathered in the living room to prepare for dinner.

Lin Li sat down with her mother on an empty seat on the sofa. Just as she picked up her water glass, she saw her older sister, Lin Qian, come out of the room carrying a small swaddled baby.

She was wearing loose loungewear, her hair casually pulled back, her face showing the gentle weariness of someone who had just given birth, and she walked very lightly, as if afraid of disturbing the baby in her arms.

"Slow down, slow down, don't tire yourself out." Lin's mother immediately stood up to help, but Lin Qian smiled and waved her hand to stop her: "Mom, I'm fine, it's only a few steps." As she spoke, she carefully placed the swaddled baby into the crib next to the living room.

After settling the baby in, Lin Qian sat down on the sofa, picked up an apple from the table, took a bite, and looked at Lin Li with a smile in her eyes: "Oh my, it's been a year, Li'er has grown so tall."

Looking at my younger brother, who has matured quite a bit, I never expected him to change so much in just one year.

Lin Li's gaze, however, had already been drawn to the little life inside the crib.

At this time in his previous life, he was preoccupied with playing video games. After dinner, he would stay in the living room playing games and didn't even bother to look at his newborn nephew. But now, he couldn't help but stand up, quietly walk to the crib, and bend down to examine him closely.

The baby's eyes were closed, his long eyelashes like two small fans, quietly covering his eyelids. His little fists were half-clenched, his knuckles were thin and small, his skin was as white as a freshly peeled egg, and even his breathing had a soft, milky sound.

Lin Li's lips unconsciously curved into a smile, and a tenderness he himself didn't even realize filled his eyes. He thought of his nephew a few years later, who was jumping around and even afraid to cross the street, clinging to his leg and calling "Auntie, hug me!" Looking at the little one lying quietly in front of him, he found it hard to connect the two.

Lin Qian's voice came from behind, tinged with laughter, "This little guy just fell asleep after eating. He's not usually this well-behaved; when he's awake, he can be a real headache."

Lin Li straightened up, turned around and smiled at her sister: "I didn't expect my nephew to be so cute at this time."

Just then, Chen Xiao came out of the kitchen carrying the last dish, wiped his hands and said, "Dinner's ready! I made chicken soup today, for Qianqian to nourish herself, and Lin Li should drink more too, it's good for her growth."

Girls usually grow taller during elementary and middle school. In her previous life, Lin Li experienced a growth spurt after graduating from elementary school, reaching 165 cm. She stopped growing for the next few years, and at the time, she thought she would grow to over 170 cm. However, she stopped growing taller after starting middle school.

The growth spurt in this life occurred during the summer vacation after the second year of junior high school. He grew 10 centimeters in just two months, and continued to grow taller for the next few months.

I've already reached 178cm, so I think reaching 180cm shouldn't be a problem in the future.

When I asked my classmates about Tong Yao, I heard that she had grown taller after graduating from junior high school and was probably 170cm. At that time, they would have the cutest height difference.

As Lin Li thought about it, she squinted her eyes with amusement.

Lin Qian looked at her brother, who was grinning foolishly, and sensed that something was wrong.

Lin Li has a baby face and a high nose bridge, but the roundness of the tip of his nose makes him look a few years younger than his actual age. He has delicate features and a pair of sword-like eyebrows that make him look very heroic. If the maximum score is 10, he would score at least 7.

In his previous life, Lin Li actually had some masculine features because his eyebrows and eyes were very deep-set, giving him a rather androgynous appearance.

Lin Qian looks like her mother, with big, round eyes and fair skin. When she was in school, many people pursued her, and she received boxes and boxes of love letters. Back then, she was naive and started dating, and in the end, she didn't get into university, which was her lifelong regret. It's not that she forbids Lin Li from dating early, but she's afraid that Lin Li will follow in her footsteps.

After dinner, Lin's mother and brother-in-law insisted on washing the dishes, leaving only her and Lin Li in the living room. Watching Lin Li still playing with the child, she couldn't help but ask:

"Does Li'er have someone she likes at school?"

Lin Li was still fiddling with her fingers around her baby nephew in the crib when Lin Qian asked her such a direct question. Lin Li froze, her face tightening, and she uttered a soft "Mmm."

Lin Li knew that most people wouldn't allow puppy love, but she hadn't fallen in love yet, had she?

Feeling somewhat disappointed, she still muttered in a low voice:

"She's so outstanding, gentle, and beautiful, I think anyone would like her!"

The image of Tong Yao's cool and beautiful face appeared in Lin Li's mind, and a light pink blush rose on her cheeks as well.

Looking at her younger brother's appearance, Lin Qian sighed helplessly and gently patted the back of his head.

"When my sister was in school, she also met someone like that." Her voice softened, carrying a hint of wistful regret from someone who had been through it all.

"At the time, I thought we could be together forever, but later she got into a top university while I didn't even get into college. At first, we would still send each other messages, but then we talked less and less, and slowly we became strangers in each other's contacts."

She paused, then gently tapped Lin Li's shoulder with her fingertips: "I'm not against you dating, liking someone outstanding is a good thing. But you have to understand, just liking someone isn't enough, you have to work hard to catch up with her. Right now you just play games all day, and when she gets into a good school, you'll be far behind. Then, even if you want to talk to her, you won't be able to find anything to talk about, and then it will be too late to regret it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Li suddenly raised her head, her eyes shining like stars, completely missing the point her sister was making: "Sister, you don't object to me dating?"

After all she'd said, he only heard the last two sentences? Lin Qian angrily grabbed Lin Li's head and ruffled it, then said irritably, "I don't object, but your top priority right now is to get into the same school as him!"

Seeing Lin Qian's disgusted expression, Lin Li couldn't help but laugh.

In their previous life, the two of them never discussed these things. Who doesn't understand the道理 (principles/reasons)? But back then, they truly didn't understand. People always realize the value of something only after they've lost it.

"What's her name? Which class is she in? How far have things progressed between you two?"

Lin Qian began to curiously check the household registration records.

Lin Li felt that things between him and Tong Yao were still far from settled, and refused to reveal any information about her.

Just then, my nephew started crying, which sent my sister away from asking him questions.

Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief, never expecting that her nephew would come to her rescue.

He understood what Lin Qian had just said. There was less than a year left until the high school entrance exam. He could manage the science subjects, but he really couldn't remember the humanities subjects.

I have no recollection of the questions that were on the high school entrance exam.

The provincial joint examination has ended. Tong Yao didn't get to go to Yucheng Experimental Middle School in her previous life, but she won't in this one. Lin Li believes he will change everything!

All he knew was that Tong Yao's father would pass away next semester, but he had absolutely no idea why.

…………

Meanwhile, inside a hotel in the provincial capital.

"Thank you all for coming to my son and daughter-in-law's wedding. We'll be back here at 5:30 tonight for dinner."

An older man stood on the stage, holding a microphone, and spoke to his relatives and friends around him.

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

"Tong's mother was chatting animatedly with a distant aunt when she heard this. She turned around, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly: 'Where are you going? What are you going to do?'"

“…the library,” Tong Yao paused and then added, “to study.”

She can only go out if she studies; this is the only reason why her mother won't object.

Sure enough, Tong's mother looked her over and, seeing her obedient appearance, relented: "The Yucheng City Library isn't far from here. Since you're going to study, then go ahead." She paused, then added worriedly, "Don't go too far, and come back early."