As night fell, three generations of the Lin family gathered together for this belated reunion dinner.
Sitting at the top of the table were Mr. and Mrs. Lin. The old man was looking at his children and grandchildren at the table with a smile on his face, listening to the children's funny conversation.
Lin Aiguo, the eldest of the Lin family, is known for his perpetual smile and straightforward demeanor. He deeply cares for his only younger brother, Lin Aidan, and despite not having seen him for over a decade, his brotherly love for him has not diminished. On his return, his wife, Chen Jingru, repeatedly mentioned how the old lady had misappropriated Zhou family funds to support Lin Aidan. Besides feeling guilty towards his brother-in-law, Zhou Xiaozheng, and his daughter, he also harbors deep concern for his younger brother, who faces a difficult life and has gray hair at such a young age.
At this time, he was whispering to Lin Aidang, "I am your brother. If you have any difficulties, remember to discuss it with me. If things don't go well for you over there, I will find a way to transfer you back."
His words made Chen Jingru beside him lower his head and frown.
Ever since her husband's salary was embezzled by the old lady, Chen Jingru felt uncomfortable. She was even more furious when she unexpectedly learned that her brother-in-law and his wife had bought a house a few years ago.
Her husband wanted to help this time, but wouldn't he have to rely on her savings? She had already planned to arrange a yard for her son after her daughter got married. How could she afford to solve the difficulties of the second son's family?
"Brother, I'm not having any problems right now. I'll definitely tell you if anything comes up," Lin Aidang said, shaking his head. He owed his eldest brother a lot, and if he really needed a job transfer, his eldest brother wouldn't be able to help. This time, his father had already told him about his brother-in-law Zhou Xiaozheng and the old lady, so it would be best for him not to return to Beijing for the time being.
The old lady glanced at her two daughters-in-law sitting below. She turned to her eldest grandson, Lin Dingsheng, and said, "You've come back to see your relatives and friends this time, but you still want to go back? Listen to grandma, you three brothers, stay home and don't go out."
Lin Dingsheng smiled but said nothing. He understood the old lady's meaning, but he had his own plans. Especially after meeting some people and learning some things in Beijing, he planned to stay in the city for a few years before returning.
"Then settle your marriage first before you go back." Seeing that she couldn't convince him, the old lady could only make the next move. Just find someone from the capital and see what he would do.
"Grandma, when it comes to finding a wife, just help me find one that's not too bad. I'd rather die than be treated like a piece of pork and have others pick and choose me. As long as you like anyone, it's fine."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiangyu immediately interjected, "Mom, I think my sister-in-law's niece is pretty good. How about inviting her to our house?"
Old Master Lin asked with great interest, "How old is the girl? Is she worthy of my eldest grandson? What do your parents do at home? Why didn't you hear your father mention it in advance?"
Old Mrs. Lin glanced at him, lowered her head and said nothing.
"The girl just graduated from high school and is now looking for a job. She is pretty and sweet-spoken. Her parents are workers. She is the only one among several sons in the family, and she is quite spoiled at home." Jiang Jiangyu said.
Old Man Lin looked at his wife and saw her looking down and silent. He smiled and said, "Forget about it, girl. We're looking for a wife for our grandson who can endure hardships and, most importantly, is intelligent."
After he finished speaking, he saw his little granddaughter Lin Xuezhen rolling her eyes and scolded her with a smile: "Girl, if you have something to say, just say it. Why are you being so weird?"
"Grandpa, my mom said she's pretty. I don't agree! And she's sweet-talking? She's just a flatterer. I just don't like that girl. Whenever she sees us, she wants to go to the compound to play. You want to introduce such a person to my eldest brother? Is my aunt stupid or sick? How can she be worthy of it?"
Old Madam Lin chuckled, "You're too shortsighted. You need to find someone you know well enough to be your sister-in-law."
Lin Xuezhen ignored her mother's grumbling. She frowned, thought for a moment, clapped her hands, and said, "Grandma, I don't think anyone is worthy of my eldest brother."
Lin Aiguo looked at his nephew, then at his own son, and said with a smile, "Our children won't have to worry about not finding a good wife. Marriage is not something that can be rushed, but our girls need to find a husband first."
Old Master Lin nodded. He looked at his eldest granddaughter and second granddaughter. These two really needed to find someone to marry.
After dinner, Mr. Lin took his two sons and Lin Dingsheng into the study.
In the study, after Mr. Lin sat down, he got down to business.
He said, "You all understand what I told you last time, right? A few days ago, your brother-in-law took Jiaojiao and her husband to meet with the higher-ups. He didn't tell you two about this, did he?"
Lin Aidang frowned and looked at his elder brother.
Lin Dingsheng looked at Old Man Lin thoughtfully. He didn't know what his grandfather and the others had discussed privately last time, but he had gotten a lot of information from Fang Fei and Xiao Zhou in the past few days. It was nothing more than the feud between his uncle Zhou Xiaozheng and the old lady.
Lin Aiguo sighed and said, "My brother-in-law has indeed become alienated from us. It's not his fault; anyone would be the same. He and I have been together for the longest time, and his only concern is the children. Now, with the Gu family's affairs, he and Mom are tied together, and no one can untie the knot."
Old Master Lin nodded, looked at Lin Aiguo, and said, "Boss, tell me, besides the matter with her mother's family, has your mother done anything else that offended your brother-in-law? I think even your sister doesn't want to pay attention to your mother now. Something is wrong! Now tell me what happened?"
"Dad, what's done is done. We just need to treat them well from now on. Should we go out for a walk tonight?" Lin Aiguo groaned inwardly. The moment he told the truth, his younger brother felt even more guilty.
Seeing that he had changed the subject, Old Master Lin sighed deeply and said quietly, "Is it about money? I know it even if you don't say it. I wanted to turn a blind eye, but something happened to the Gu family. There are some things you don't understand. If I'm not mistaken, your mother already knew Zhou Xiaozheng's true background. If you were Zhou Xiaozheng, what would you think?"
Lin Dingsheng narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this, glanced at his uncle, and lowered his head in silence. It seemed that he still didn't understand the truth about many things.
"Tell me! Otherwise I'll really ask your brother-in-law, and I might end up being the one embarrassed," said Mr. Lin. His wife might not tell him about it, but she would definitely tell her son.
Lin Aiguo frowned and asked in a low voice, "Is the incident at my uncle's house really as you said?"
"Hmph, you still don't believe it?" After Grandpa Lin said this, he saw that his grandson, whom he had been carefully raising, had a puzzled look on his face. He thought for a moment and then told him about the grudges of the Gu family.
After listening to this, Lin Dingsheng was silent for a moment, then said to Lin Aiguo, "Uncle, regardless of whether my uncle and the others intervened this time, the Gu family is finished. We need to carefully analyze the rift between Grandma and my uncle, and we must have a clear idea of how to act in the future."
Lin Aiguo looked at the three people in the study with a sullen face. After a moment, he stood up and said, "I don't know the specific situation. I'd better ask Mom to come in and let her tell me herself."
Lin Dingsheng quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Don't let Grandma speak! She's already embarrassed by the things happening at my uncle's house, how can you let her talk about these things to us?"
Lin Aiguo paused and sat down again. Unsure where to begin, he smiled wryly and said, "My brother-in-law's family's savings are all with Mom, and she embezzled them..."
After hearing what happened, Mr. Lin murmured, "No wonder? No wonder? No wonder?"
Lin Dingsheng was the first to calm down. He asked, "So, my eldest aunt's family thinks that grandma has taken away their family property and failed to take care of Jiaojiao? They think the Gu family is after their money?"
Seeing Lin Aidang about to speak, he immediately stopped his father, knowing he'd be asking where the money went. He was more or less aware that the old lady had been giving all of it to their family over the years. It just never occurred to him that it wasn't her own personal savings. The main issue now wasn't where the money went, but how to solve it.
"Uncle, did your uncle mention this money to you? How is your relationship now compared to before?"
Lin Aiguo smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Your uncle is not an ordinary person. How could he embarrass me by mentioning money in front of me? Not to mention him, even Jiaojiao wouldn't let your aunt mention it. Apart from not visiting your house, do you see anything unusual between the two of them? But the relationship between the two families is different after all, becoming more polite and distant."
Lin Dingsheng looked puzzled. "Where does he get so much money? Is he keeping quiet about it because it's illicit income?"
Mr. Lin shook his head when he heard this.
Lin Dingsheng looked at the old man and Lin Aiguo in confusion. He didn't understand why his question was so wrong that it would disappoint the two elders.
"grandfather……"
Facing his eldest grandson, Mr. Lin was secretly thinking about how to arrange his future. Seeing his puzzled face, he gestured to calm him down and asked him to sit down.
After a while, he said, "Grandpa once told you not to make conclusions about someone before you get to know them. It seems you've been in the Northwest for too long and have forgotten. You must have run into Zhou Xiaozheng when you came back, right? Do you think he'd leave anything behind?"
Lin Aiguo continued, "Shortly after he turned 15, he took ginseng and other things and ran away from home to S City. In half a year, he made a lot of money doing business. I guess he originally wanted to find Liu Xizhi and had no intention of joining the army. Later, for some unknown reason, he ran away to join the army after turning 16. He also donated a lot of personal property to the organization in the past. What's the big deal for him?"
Seeing his eldest grandson's sudden realization, Grandpa Lin said, "In everything, you must first understand the other party before drawing conclusions. You've become stupid after living in a small place for the past two years. Second son, when you go back this time, first ask if there are any places for studying in Beijing. I will then try to find a way to allow your child to spend some time in a military academy."
Lin Dingsheng knew that he could not refuse what the old man had decided, so he nodded and sat aside to listen to their arrangements.
Grandpa Lin and his two sons discussed the future prospects for each of his three grandsons. Seeing his eldest grandson looking a little dejected, he paused and said soothingly, "Grandpa doesn't think you're bad, but everyone else is making progress, while you're really standing still. You understand what Grandpa means, right? You're the eldest, so I have to be strict with you."
"Grandpa, I was lax. Don't worry, I will try my best!" Lin Dingsheng said in a firm tone.
Old Master Lin nodded. He put aside these matters and went on to discuss how to ease the relationship between Zhou Xiaozheng and his family, asking his two sons to express their opinions.
He would never let this son-in-law alienate him. With Zhou Xiao still around, his Lin family had a better chance of winning. If Zhou Jiao and her husband assisted his family, he would rest easy.
He knew the key lay with Zhou Jiao. Zhou Jiao and her husband still had some feelings for him, but they were worried that after he was gone, even that last bit of respect would be gone.
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