No. 18 Courtyard
Around 8 p.m., many people, after finishing their dinner and taking a shower, sat in the courtyard to cool off.
The children all ran to Liu Jian's house to watch TV, which was a TV ticket issued by Liu Jian's factory when he was employed. Because TV dramas were in short supply in the first half of the year, they were only able to buy it this month.
Lin Yong sat on the stool by the door, swatting mosquitoes off his legs, thinking about the women he would meet at the factory gate after get off work today.
That woman looked quite honest, with fair and clean skin, and didn't look particularly old. She didn't have a son, nor even a daughter.
The only bad thing is that she's been married twice, and not only does she have no children, but both men have also died.
Although Lin Yong felt that his life was pretty tough, after thinking about it, he still felt it wouldn't work.
This woman has no children and has caused the deaths of two husbands. Her fate is truly tragic. When she left, she told the matchmaker she would think about it, and she will go back to the matchmaker tomorrow to say it's not going to work out.
"Everyone come quick! Everyone come quick!" A sudden exclamation rang out from the Liu family.
Upon hearing this, the people in the courtyard assumed something had happened to the Liu family and quickly squeezed into their house.
Lin Yong and Lin Guodong couldn't squeeze in; Dong and a few neighbors stood at the door.
"What happened?" the neighbor asked.
Liu Jian pointed at the TV excitedly and said, "Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu is on TV! And it's Qin Ye, Aunt Li's godson!"
When Lin Yong and Lin Guodong heard that Xiaoyu was on TV, they quickly stood on tiptoe to look inside, but there were too many people blocking the TV, and they couldn't see anything.
"What? Xiaoyu is on TV! Let me see."
"let me see……"
The Liu family was in complete chaos.
"Quiet, quiet, Xiaoyu is about to speak!" Liu Jian's father shouted.
The adults and children in the room all quieted down.
Lin Yong and Lin Guodong both pricked up their ears, and then they heard a familiar voice coming from the television.
"I would first like to thank my mother for my achievement of second place in the college entrance examination. She persuaded my father to let me continue my studies when I was admitted to high school but my father did not agree to let me continue my education."
Hearing Xiaoyu say that on TV, the neighbors all looked at Lin Yong.
Everyone knows this. When Xiaoyu was admitted to high school, I really didn't want her to study. I even wanted her to get married when she reached marriageable age.
Lin Yong: "..."
"And my mother, when I was being slandered and bullied by my classmates, she steadfastly chose to believe in me and stood behind me, which gave me the courage to continue going to school."
"My mother, with her selfless maternal love, provided me with the best living and learning conditions, and also gave me wings so that I could fly higher and farther."
"Without my mother, I wouldn't be who I am today. Here I want to say to my mother, Mom, I love you. Come here, I want to be your daughter for all eternity."
"Clap clap clap..." The aunties in courtyard number 18 clapped their hands with red eyes.
"Xiaoyu is absolutely right."
“Oh, my son has never said anything about loving his mother or liking her.”
“My son is useless, what good is a son? I can only have a daughter.”
“Ah.”
"Quiet, quiet, Xiaoyu is about to talk again." Someone said, and the aunties quieted down again.
"The second person I want to thank is my brother."
elder brother?
Everyone looked at Lin Guodong, who was Xiaoyu's brother.
Although Lin Guodong was also taken aback, he felt that the brother Xiaoyu mentioned was probably not true.
Thinking back, it seems that this older brother has never done anything for his younger sister, Xiaoyu; on the contrary, he has often made her do things for him.
“My brother is Qin Ye, the top scorer in the college entrance examination who is sitting next to me.”
“Before we were siblings, my brother helped me a lot. He often studied with me and would patiently explain the problems to me when I encountered difficulties, until I could understand them.”
"It is because of my older brother, who is so great that I cannot surpass him, that I study harder and learn more knowledge in order to catch up with and surpass him."
"Although I ultimately couldn't catch up with my brother, I'm still very satisfied with achieving second place. I also want to congratulate my brother on becoming the top scorer in the college entrance examination. As his sister, I feel very proud."
"I'm also proud of you, my little sister. You're like a little sun, illuminating your brother's life." A clear male voice rang out from the television.
Although he knew that the brother Xiaoyu was talking about didn't mean him, Lin Guodong still lowered his head bitterly.
The scene changed the next second, and Li Yunshu appeared on the TV.
"Shuping! Shuping is on TV too!"
"Grandma Li!"
"Sister Li!"
The Liu family was making a huge fuss, and they couldn't even hear what Li Yunshu was saying on TV. It took a while for them to quiet down.
Then everyone heard the reporter on TV ask, "What kind of people do you hope your two children will grow up to be?"
Li Yunshu thought for a moment and said, "I hope you can fly higher and farther, see a wider world, do what you want to do, and become the people you want to be. As for me, I just want you to be safe and happy."
The simple phrase, "I just want the child to be safe and happy," deeply touched everyone. A long silence followed, and the conversation gradually quieted down when the news began airing on television.
"Old Lin, your daughter Xiaoyu is so successful, do you regret letting her go with Shuping?" a neighbor asked Lin Yong.
Lin Yong didn't say anything, lowered his head and silently turned and left.
Lin Guodong also turned and left, and in the eyes of the neighbors, they were now a joke.
As for whether he regretted it later, Lin Yong knows for sure.
Two days later, Lin Jianshe also saw the newspaper article about the interview. After reading what Xiaoyu, Li Yunshu, and Qin Ye had said, he sat at home smoking in silence for a long time.
Because the dumpling shop produced a champion and a runner-up, the shop's business improved even more, and many people came from far away to eat there.
The locals spread the word in a particularly mystical way, saying that the top two scorers in the imperial examinations both ate these dumplings before the exams, so eating dumplings from Li Ji Dumpling Shop would guarantee good results.
Many parents bring their children to eat here, and they even call Li Ji Dumpling Shop's dumplings "Scholar Dumplings".
People no longer say they want to eat dumplings at Li Ji Dumpling Shop; they say they want to eat at Zhuangyuan Dumpling Shop instead.
After careful consideration, Qin Ye and Xiao Yu both applied to Peking University. One chose the Department of Physics, and the other chose the Department of Chemistry. Both were admitted to the university.
On August 29th, the Li family held a grand banquet at the Jingdong Hotel for Qin Ye and Li Xiaoyu to celebrate their college admission.
But all those who had dealings with the Li family attended the graduation banquet.
Many people brought gifts, but Grandpa Li didn't accept any of them. He said that when he sent out the invitations, he had already agreed that he would only celebrate his grandson and granddaughter getting into university and wouldn't accept any gifts.
Before the graduation banquet began, Grandpa Li and Li Yunshu, along with both children, went on stage to give speeches.
After stepping off the stage, many mothers surrounded Li Yunshu, asking her for advice on how to raise children.
She raised both of her children to be so outstanding.
Li Yunshu was so overwhelmed by the questions that she made an excuse to pee.
When she came out of the restroom after using the toilet, she saw Gu Zhenyuan standing against the railing outside the restroom.
Today, she wore a gray suit, looking both neat and composed.
"Zhenyuan, what are you doing standing here?" Li Yunshu walked over and asked.
Gu Zhen smiled and said, "I'll be waiting for you."
"Wait for me? Afraid I'll get lost if I go to the bathroom?" Li Yunshu asked jokingly.
Gu Zhenyuan stood in front of her, looked down into her eyes and said, "I'm afraid someone will steal you away."
Feng Anguo also came today and kept staring at her.
Not only was Feng Anguo staring at her, but two bachelors in their forties were also staring at her, their gazes revealing their true feelings.
Li Yunshu chuckled, rubbing her forehead. "You're really good at joking now."
Gu Zhenyuan took her hand and said, "I'm not joking, Yun Shu. You're so outstanding and dazzling, it's normal that people other than me would like you."
Gu Zhenyuan felt that she had never understood her own charm.
"So, I'm really worried that you'll be taken away from me, and I feel very insecure. Can you give me an identity so I won't have to worry about you being taken away from me anymore?" Gu Zhenyuan said, looking at Li Yunshu nervously, waiting for her answer.
How could Li Yunshu not see that Gu Zhenyuan was asking her for a formal title?
She pursed her lips and said, "Do you really have to say things like that outside the restroom?"
Gu Zhenyuan was taken aback for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Then, then let's talk somewhere else?"
Li Yunshu smiled and nodded.
Gu Zhenyuan took her hand and walked back to the banquet hall.
Many people looked surprised when they saw the girls walking in hand in hand.
Gu Zhenyuan led Li Yunshu to the center of the banquet hall, took out a ring he had prepared beforehand, and knelt down on one knee with the ring sparkling with diamonds.
"Yun Shu, I love you. I want to stay by your side, take care of you, cherish you, and watch the flowers bloom and fade, and the moon rise and fall with you."
"Will...will you marry me?"
Everyone stared in shock at the scene before them, covering their mouths and daring not to utter a sound.
Li Yunshu smiled, looked at Gu Zhenyuan, nodded, and said, "I'm willing."
Gu Zhen's fingers trembled slightly as he took her hand, placed the diamond ring on her ring finger, and then excitedly stood up and hugged her.
Li Yunshu hugged her back, resting her chin on Gu Zhenyuan's shoulder. Seeing her parents, brothers, and children clapping with genuine blessings on their faces, her smile shone brighter than the diamond ring on her finger.
Having spent so much time with Gu Zhenyuan, they understand each other better and have developed a stronger rapport.
She was certain that she liked this man, and that he was someone she could live with, and she wanted to try a different way of life.
Many people say that it's impossible for a girl to be with just anyone, so she wants to try and see if things will really be different with someone else.
Even if she makes a mistake, Li Yunshu never lacks the confidence and courage to start over.
(End of text)
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