Chapter 234 Delayed

From the small living room on the second floor, Ye Lin could hear Zhao Zhaodi shouting in the restaurant on the first floor, lamenting to Aunt Liu that studying in Hong Kong was expensive and not as cost-effective as going to her hometown.

"Sister, why do children wear so many clothes? They need to pay tuition and buy clothes. The tuition of several thousand yuan a year is enough to feed the entire village of Xiahe for a year, and the school doesn't even provide meals?! Capitalist schools are such a rip-off!"

Aunt Liu was also a poor person who had no food to eat before she came to the Ye family. She understood Zhao Zhaodi's complaints very well. She stopped picking vegetables and said to Zhao Zhaodi,

"That's right. Besides, the school has picnics, parties, and study tours every few days. It's very expensive. But it's okay for Master Wen to go. He has money, so you don't have to worry about it, Madam."

Zhao Zhaodi covered her heart and sighed heavily.

"Hey, even if you have money, it's still expensive. In our village, who wears a school uniform? A set of school uniforms in Xiangjiang costs hundreds of dollars. It's a steal."

Zhao Zhaodi glanced at the three suits and school uniforms and two sportswear placed on the sofa next to her, then quickly looked away. If she continued looking, her heart would ache even more.

The seat next to me was pulled away.

Zhao Zhaodi and Aunt Liu subconsciously looked up to see who was coming.

"Aunt Liu, she's busy."

Ye Lin sat down and poured himself a glass of water, and refilled Zhao Zhaodi and Aunt Liu's tea cups.

"No, no, we're just chatting. What do you want?"

Zhao Zhaodi didn't learn anything else from her trip to Hong Kong. She spent all day hanging out with servants, but she did learn how to read people's expressions. Her intuition told her that Ye Lin was going to say something soon.

"It's nothing. The University of Hong Kong is about to start school, and I'm thinking of going back to the mainland before school starts."

"So I want to ask you, Auntie, are you going back with me, or will you stay in Hong Kong?"

"Oh, you're going back so soon? I haven't been able to last more than a few days even if I try. Let me think about it."

Zhao Zhaodi was worried about whether to stay or go.

Her time in Hong Kong was like a dream every day. Someone cooked for her and washed the dishes, the only thing missing was that there was no one to feed her. Her life was so comfortable.

She had just finished building the chicken coop in the yard a few days ago, and she hadn't even bought any chicks yet.

Besides, her fortune-telling business had just begun. She had tried out a job yesterday and successfully earned fifty cents from one order. How could she just give up? This was the first step to reclaiming her old Zhao family!

Having made up her mind, Zhao Zhaodi slammed the table with a righteous look, her eyes determined as if she wanted to join the party.

"I've made up my mind. My parents are staying in Hong Kong. As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Ye family, how can I go back alone? I have to stay and take care of my parents and fulfill my filial duty on behalf of your uncle!"

"Wherever my parents are, I'll be there! This is what I should do."

The old couple of the Ye family originally wanted to go back, as people cannot leave their roots when they are old. However, Ye Lin saw that his grandfather's cough had eased a lot in Hong Kong, and he thought it was because of the air conditioning in the house. After persuading them for a long time, they finally agreed to stay temporarily and return to the mainland when the weather got warmer.

After speaking passionately about moral principles, Zhao Zhaodi changed into a weak and pitiful look. She probably learned this acting style from Jin Fenglian, and her acting was so fake that it couldn't be more fake.

Zhao Zhaodi took Ye Lin's hand and said,

"Lin, please explain to your Third Aunt for me. I'm not here for pleasure. I'm here to fulfill my filial duty to her! I'm doing my part in fulfilling her filial duty."

"I'm doing this for the good of the Ye family. My parents are old, so how can they not have someone to take care of them? Lin, don't you think I'm right?"

Zhao Zhaodi was not worried about anyone else except the evil woman Jin Fenglian. Jin was full of evil intentions and knew that she was staying in Hong Kong, so she would definitely say bad things about her.

"That's right, drink some tea to moisten your throat."

Ye Lin waited for Zhao Zhaodi to finish her performance and pushed the teacup in front of her.

After listening to his aunt say so much, Ye Lin felt thirsty for her.

"Brother Lin, are we going back?"

Ye Xiulan came back from playing in the back garden. As soon as she came in, she heard her aunt talking about going home, so she hurried over to listen.

"Well, we'll probably leave the day after tomorrow. Do you have anything else you want to play?"

"But there's no rush. I think we can come back during summer vacation. If you don't want to leave, you can stay and go to school with Xiao Hai."

Ye Lin thought that St. Anlun also had a high school department, and Ye Xiulan could stay and keep Wen Hai company.

Ye Xiulan thought about it briefly, shook her head and refused.

"No, Brother Lin, I've been out for quite a while now. I miss my mom a little bit. I'm going back to the mainland."

No matter how good the golden nest in Repulse Bay is, compared with the doghouse in Xiahe Village, Ye Xiulan still prefers the big kang where she sleeps with her sister and mother. She misses home.

After hearing what Ye Xiulan said, Ye Lin stopped trying to persuade her. Home is where your mother is. No matter how good Repulse Bay is, without family it is just a gorgeous building.

"Okay, pack up for the next two days and go out for a few rounds. I'll take you back to see Aunt San the day after tomorrow."

On the day of departure,

The old couple of the Ye family held Ye Lin's hands tightly and would not let go. They had lived in Xiahe Village for most of their lives and missed too many people and things. They didn't know what to say first.

Old man Ye patted Ye Lin's hand. Besides his children and grandchildren, what he cared about most was the food at home. He instructed,

"Lin, go back and check if the grain in the east room has been eaten by mice. Remember to close the lid and let your third aunt eat it as soon as possible to prevent it from getting infested with insects when it gets hot."

"And Xiaoling, remember to give her the snacks I packed. Ask your brother Yang to take good care of the child and stop her from hanging around outside with Xiaobai all the time."

Helping Old Man Ye to sit back on the sofa, Ye Lin assured him,

"Master, don't worry. I will remember the food in the east room, Xiaoling's gift, the firewood in the woodshed, and the incense for my father. I will never forget them all."

"Yes, especially pulling the weeds from your father's grave. This is the most important thing. Don't forget it."

Old man Ye had just finished instructing Ye Lin when Zhao Zhaodi, who was helping Ye Xiulan check her luggage, rolled her eyes and shouted down from the second floor while holding onto the handrail.

"Dad, that lousy guy Ye Yang is definitely not fit to look after the child. Before coming to Hong Kong, I told Xiuhong to take care of Xiaoling. You, don't count on him."

Old Mrs. Ye was a little unhappy when she heard Zhao Zhaodi say this about her eldest grandson, but when she thought about her eldest grandson's love-sick brain, she wondered if he really would hang out in the fields with Xiaobai every day, so she had to bear it and sat on the sofa with a grim expression.

Seeing that no one refuted what she said, Zhao Zhaodi became more excited and turned to Ye Lin and shouted,

"And Lin, go back and ask Xiaoling if she wants to come to Hong Kong. She's a child who knows nothing. What can she achieve by following her parents? Ye Yang and his wife can only live on love and affection, and they don't even think about the future of their child."

"Bai Wei has been teaching Xiao Ling foreign languages since she was little, but I don't think Xiao Ling has learned anything. Xiao Hai has only been in Hong Kong for a few days, but he can already speak a few words without any instruction. I think Xiao Ling will be delayed sooner or later in the hands of that couple."

Zhao Zhaodi had previously thought about her grandson coming to Hong Kong to go to school, so her granddaughter couldn’t fall behind, right?

She asked Ye Ling if she wanted to go with her, but the little girl burst into tears and refused to leave her mother. Zhao Zhaodi had no choice but to give up.

A few days ago, Zhao Zhaodi went to see Wen Hai's school in Hong Kong. It was completely different from his hometown. Not only was the school like a big hotel, but even the teachers were of different colors.

Although Zhao Zhaodi was uneducated and complained that the school was expensive, she felt in her heart that it was indeed different, so she thought about taking her granddaughter home again.