Chapter 51 On the Eve of the Shop's Opening, Lin Yanfeng and A Bao looked up and saw...
Lin Yanfeng and Abao looked up and saw their family members whom they hadn't seen for several days.
"Brother, brother-in-law, what brings you here?" Lin Yanfeng had barely opened his mouth to greet them when A Bao had already run towards Lin Qing'an.
He buried his face in Lin Qing'an's arms and asked, "Brother, why are you here?"
"We've come to see you." Lin Qing'an ruffled A Bao's hair a few times before asking, "Why didn't you have class?"
Ah Bao said happily, "We'll have a three-day holiday."
Lin Qing'an and the others were delighted to hear this, saying, "We can go home now."
"Yes, Abao and I were just about to tell Uncle Lizheng and then go home."
Lin Yanfeng replied to these words, and he stood in front of the group, bowing and greeting each of them.
"Auntie, brother, brother-in-law, Sister Jing, what brings you all here?"
"Oh, child, I was worried you wouldn't be used to it here," Chen Yuetao said excitedly, her voice a little hoarse. She pulled Lin Yanfeng and Abao over and looked them up and down.
"You haven't lost weight, you haven't lost weight." She pinched Abao's cheek and laughed, "You've even gained a little weight, that's great! That's great!"
Chen Yuetao treated them very well, and they missed them a lot during the time they were apart, especially Lin Yanfeng, who had a strong longing for family affection and couldn't help but tear up.
He quickly turned his head and changed the subject, asking, "Brother-in-law, is there something you need this time?"
Since Chen Yuetao, who rarely goes out, came today, Lin Yanfeng felt that something must have happened.
Seeing his worry, Chen Gengnian quickly said, "We came to sell wild game and stopped by to check on the two of you."
Lin Jing also noticed Lin Yanfeng's red eyes and spoke up to ease the atmosphere.
"Abao and Ayan have both gotten much fairer. And Ayan seems to have grown taller too." As she spoke, Lin Jing raised her hand and patted Lin Yanfeng's shoulder twice. Lin Yanfeng didn't even flinch. Lin Jing praised, "You've got a good physique. I'll find you a wife in two years."
Lin Yanfeng immediately retorted with a smile: "Hehe, Sister Jing isn't busy, so why should I panic?"
Without a second thought, Lin Jing replied, "I'm not getting married."
"I'm not getting married either."
Lin Yanfeng subconsciously chimed in, and everyone's attention immediately turned to him.
Lin Yanfeng felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at, and quickly explained with a smile, "I'm not getting married for now."
"It's alright, there's no rush to get married. We'll talk about it when we meet the right person," Chen Yuetao comforted the two of them in a very open-minded way. "Fate is predetermined, so you don't need to rush."
Upon hearing Chen Yuetao's words, Chen Gengnian turned his gaze to his elderly mother, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.
It's as if they're asking, "But you weren't exactly open-minded before!"
However, Chen Yuetao didn't give him a chance to ask questions. She rolled her eyes at Chen Gengnian and quickly looked away.
Everyone burst into laughter upon seeing this, and Chen Gengnian laughed along with them. He thought it was great to have a wife; look at his husband, how wonderful he was!
After the two of them calmed things down, Lin Yanfeng quickly regained his composure.
Lin Qingan suggested, "Then... shall we go buy some delicious food and then go home?"
"good!"
It passed unanimously.
Because they would be coming up in a few days, they didn't buy much this time. The group, who were saying they were going home, went straight to the village head's house.
I was planning to give him some gifts, tell him that Lin Yanfeng and Abao were going home, and then leave. But Wang Tingting and Aunt Wang insisted on keeping a group of people here for lunch before going back.
Unable to refuse, everyone had no choice but to respectfully comply.
The village head's household has two servants who only help with cooking and such, but today there are many people, so they have to lend a hand.
Aunt Wang asked Wang Tingting to entertain Chen Yuetao and Lin Jing, but Chen Yuetao couldn't stay still, so she went with Aunt Wang to help. Lin Jing and Wang Tingting also couldn't sit still, so they went to the main hall to have tea with Lin Qing'an and the others.
The two were talking about the imperial examinations when they went in.
Li Zheng said with a solemn expression, "Judging from the current situation, this year's scientific expedition will likely be difficult."
Lin Yanfeng nodded and said, "Yes, Uncle Village Head, the Dean and the Master have inquired about it. It's suspended in the spring, and they haven't said whether it will be open in the autumn."
It turned out that when they met Lin Yanfeng today, they were discussing the children's examination. The examination, which was supposed to be held these past few days, was suddenly canceled. The students who had been preparing for a long time were getting anxious. They wanted to take advantage of the chaos to climb up the ranks, but they didn't expect to be unable to find a loophole.
"Hey!" Lin Qing'an waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "If they don't want to take the exam, they don't want to take it. Anyway, Ayan and Abao are still young. If they can't take it this year, we can take it next year. We can have more time to prepare, right?"
Chen Gengnian also agreed, analyzing, "Your brother is right. Abao has only been in school for a short time. Although he is intelligent, some things are not as simple as just what is written on paper. He would probably be better off if he could settle down for another year."
Despite saying that, Lin Yanfeng's tightly furrowed brows showed no sign of relaxing.
You can only truly understand something if you figure it out yourself. No matter how much others try to persuade you, it can only have a superficial effect. So we stopped talking about that and started talking about the shop instead.
After much back and forth, the village head finally took on the important task of choosing an auspicious date. It wasn't until they finished talking that Lin Qing'an realized the need to buy an oxcart.
But we'll have to put that aside for now, since there's nothing much to do at home right now.
After the meal, the group said goodbye to the village head and his family. They returned to the village just after 3 PM and encountered many villagers still working in the fields along the way.
Everyone hadn't seen Lin Yanfeng for a long time, and they all called out to him. Lin Yanfeng's brows, which had been furrowed, finally relaxed, and a smile appeared on his worried face.
After returning home, Lin Qing'an moved a small stool and sat down next to Lin Yanfeng, asking him, "Yanfeng, tell me what's on your mind. What's the root of your worries?"
Lin Yanfeng forced a smile and didn't hide anything, saying, "I just felt that studying for another year would add to your burden, brother. My and Abao's tuition and expenses for a year aren't small..."
Do you really consider me your brother?
Lin Qing'an interrupted him before he could finish speaking, turning his head to look at Lin Yanfeng with a stern warning in his eyes that brooked no lying.
Lin Yanfeng narrowed his eyes, but did not answer immediately.
Lin Qing'an saw the smiling gesture clearly. To be honest, if it were him, he probably wouldn't have been able to accept it so quickly. So he just felt a little surprised and didn't blame Lin Yanfeng for dodging.
She said softly, "I haven't hidden anything from you about my situation. Our family is well-off. We opened the shop just to avoid arousing suspicion. I really don't know how to comfort you if you're still so fixated on this."
"Just one sentence: all you need to remember is that this body belongs to your brother. Nothing else matters."
Lin Qing'an looked away and towards the courtyard. A Bao, A Meng, and A Meng were chasing each other, panting heavily. When they saw Lin Qing'an looking over, they smiled and called out, "Brother, come and play with us."
Lin Qingan waved his hand and said with a smile, "I'm tired, I need to rest."
Baifu bit Abao's trouser leg, forcing him to run. Ameng flew around them for a while, and then squatted on the courtyard wall to watch them play.
"Kids are so wonderful!" Lin Qingan exclaimed.
Chen Gengnian went out to cut pig feed shortly after arriving home, while Chen Yuetao tidied up the house.
Lin Yanfeng remained silent for a long, long time. Neither he nor Lin Qing'an spoke, and the two sat there quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yanfeng finally opened his dry lips and said, "Brother, consider this a loan from me."
Lin Qing'an felt uneasy after hearing this, but he didn't dwell on it. He had discussed this identity and this matter with Lin Yanfeng before, and more than once. He knew that Lin Yanfeng couldn't get over it.
If he can't get through it, he can't get through it, as long as he doesn't give up on himself.
Lin Qingan stood up, clapped his hands, and replied in a lighthearted tone.
"OK."
After he finished speaking, he slowly walked into the house to help Chen Yuetao with her housework.
Lin Yanfeng watched his retreating figure, his eyes still stinging with tears. He knew that was his brother, yet he wasn't. He could tell the difference, but he just couldn't get over it.
He hated his own stubbornness, and he hated his damned fate even more.
Chen Yuetao cooked a lot of delicious food these past two days, and the whole family did nothing but eat and play.
Lin Qing'an took Lin Jing to find the prickly buds. Because no one picked them, they grew very tall. Lin Qing'an took a sickle and cut off half of the branches.
Lin Jing asked him, "Why did A-Qing cut down the tree branches?"
Lin Qingan laughed and said, "You can do the same thing for the toon leaves so that they can be harvested better next year."
Lin Jing was convinced and agreed without a second thought.
After picking the prickly ash buds, Lin Qing'an taught Lin Jing how to make the dish, and Lin Jing learned it after watching it once.
Lin Qing'an instructed Lin Jing, "Sister Jing, teach them this way when you go to Jinyun Hotel tomorrow."
Lin Jing nodded, "Okay!"
Lin Qingan added, "If he gives you money, you keep it yourself."
"That won't do..."
Before Lin Jing could finish her delay, Lin Qing'an quickly added, "This isn't a gift for you. It's because when we go to town, you'll have to help take care of my mother. I'm worried about her being home alone."
Lin Jing knew that Lin Qing'an wanted to subsidize her, so she didn't refuse anymore. She just thought to herself, "Keep it, and we can take it over when they need it in the future."
Speaking of Chen Yuetao, Lin Qingan was still complaining to Chen Gengnian that night.
"Do you think Mom will really want to go to town? Or is she just lying to us?"
Chen Gengnian held her tightly in his arms and comforted her, "It shouldn't be a problem. Mother just feels uneasy about not having anyone at home these days. We'll bring her back after we open the shop."
Since Chen Gengnian had already said that, Lin Qingan didn't want to dwell on it anymore. They would deal with the future later.
The three-day holiday ended quickly. Since Lin Qing'an and Chen Gengnian were going to purchase goods and set up the shop, they left for town very early on the third morning.
For safety reasons, A-Meng went with Lin Qing-An and the others to work as a security guard in Zan.
Chen Gengnian still rented the village chief's oxcart. He drove it there, but Lin Jing drove it back on her own.
The shop was already set up, so the group went to buy bedding and household items first. After buying two beds, they went to the pastry shop they had previously visited to place an order.
They weren't fully prepared until evening. Just as they sat down to rest, the village head sent someone to invite them to his home for dinner. Lin Qing'an and the others didn't want to disappoint the village head, so they went.
The date for opening the shop was just two days later.
Lin Yanfeng and Abao both went to school, so time was a bit tight. Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian divided the work: Chen Gengnian went to other shops to order goods, while Lin Qingan stayed at home and took the items to be sold out of his magic bag.
It was already mid-April, and the weather was starting to get warmer. In addition to spiced melon seeds, Lin Qing'an also brought out fruit juice for the first day of new products.
Lin Qing'an pulled out a freezer from his magic bag. Although it couldn't be plugged in, it could be used as a sealed box. He decided to put some ice in it on the opening day so that the juice could stay cold for a long time.
These past two days have been busy with sourcing and stocking goods. Aunt Wang and Wang Tingting have been helping out, and Lin Yanfeng and Abao have also come to help after school. Everyone is working hard to prepare for the opening.
Meanwhile, far away in Linjia Village, Liu Yiyi was busy making pastries.
Lin Qing'an had everything prepared and was just waiting for Liu Yiyi's pastries to fill the display case.
On the morning of the opening, before dawn, someone knocked on the shop door.
Chen Gengnian opened the door, and Lin Jing and Chen Yuetao arrived, looking travel-worn.
When Chen Yuetao handed the still-warm steamed bun to Chen Gengnian, even the tough guy's eyes welled up with tears.
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Author's Note: Wow! Finally finished writing this! Lin Qing'an's Baiweifang restaurant opens tomorrow, everyone remember to come and have some melon seeds and drinks! [heart emoji]
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