Chapter 28 Spring Breeze in Guangzhou 05 You're not the male lead in a novel, one...
Compared to the excitement of seeing her son, Yunqing was restrained and felt guilty when facing her husband whom she hadn't seen for many years.
Yu Muchuan never thought he would see his wife again. After ten years of hardship, his appearance made him look several years older than her, and he even dared not look her in the eye.
Seeing the familiar silence between the two, Lin Tingyue cleared her throat and asked, "Why don't you two catch up here and wait? I'll go to the kitchen to order, and I'll call you when it's ready?"
"I'll go with you; your mom has some dietary restrictions."
Yu Muchuan's words made Yun Qing even more upset, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
Yu Muchuan had already turned and left with Lin Tingyue, and had not seen her shed tears. Yu Xingzhou sighed silently in his heart, took out his handkerchief and handed it to her.
Yunqing covered her eyes with a handkerchief and it took her a long time to calm down and stop crying.
At this moment, Lin Tingyue also returned and leaned close to Yu Xingzhou and whispered, "Aunt, you should go and invite her. I'm afraid I'll upset her if I go."
"I'll go with you." Without waiting for a reply, the man took her hand and went to knock on the door next door.
Yu Xingzhou knocked only once, and the door opened. Yun Fei was already waiting at the door, eager to let people see her glamorous attire for the day.
But Yu Xingzhou's gaze never lingered on her. Even at the not-so-spacious doorway, he kept his distance and walked past her sideways.
Lin Tingyue looked at Yunfei, whose gaze was constantly following the man, put her arm around Yunfei's shoulder, and said in a seemingly intimate manner, "Let's go, let's go downstairs and sit down first."
Yunfei remained calm and composed, pulling her hand away and then wrapping her arms around hers. "I heard we're in a private room today?"
"Yes, I made sure they left it empty."
Yuanyue Hotel only has one private room. Although the space is not very large, it is quiet and occasionally guests need to discuss important matters here.
The round table could easily seat six people. Several cold dishes were already on the table, and after everyone had sat down for a while, hot dishes were served one after another.
Along with it came a bottle of red wine, but it wasn't the one Lin Tingyue and Yu Muchuan had arranged earlier.
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Yunfei, who was sitting next to her, took the initiative to explain, "The wine was specially prepared by my mother. We sometimes have a drink at home. If you can't hold your liquor, sister-in-law, you should let your cousin drink it for you."
Lin Tingyue raised an eyebrow and smiled, "His alcohol tolerance isn't even as good as mine."
Before she had even taken a few bites of the food, Meng Rulan raised the first glass of wine, saying, "This first glass is to congratulate your family of three on your reunion..."
The family of three wasn't wrong, but it's a bit inappropriate now. Lin Tingyue was deliberately excluded, and everyone present could tell.
Yu Xingzhou immediately interrupted, "It's not three, it's four."
Meng Rulan said with displeasure, "She is an outsider."
Lin Tingyue reacted quickly, feigning sudden realization, "So, according to you, you're an outsider in the Yun family now?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Yu habitually looked at each other, and both could see bright smiles in each other's eyes.
"What do you mean by outsiders or insiders? We're all family." Yu Muchuan smoothed things over and took the first sip.
The others raised their glasses as well, but Yunfei kept her eyes on Yu Xingzhou, who was sitting one seat away, and only looked away after she saw him drink.
"What are you thinking about so intently? Why aren't you drinking?" Lin Tingyue asked her with a smile.
Yunfei blurted out, "...I was thinking that it would be great if Dad and my sister were here too, then the whole family would be reunited."
Lin Tingyue casually echoed her, "There will be opportunities in the future."
After several rounds of drinks, the bottle of red wine was empty, and the color of the wine seemed to have been diluted and spread onto Yu Xingzhou's body, giving his originally handsome face a touch of alluring and seductive charm.
Meng Rulan turned her head and suggested to Yun Qing, "Xingzhou really can't hold his liquor. Why don't we let him go back to your room to rest first?"
Yun Qing did not agree directly, but looked at her son and asked with her eyes.
"Okay, I'll go back to my room to wash my face and clear my head..." Yu Xingzhou said as he got up, his body even swaying slightly. Lin Tingyue next to him immediately tried to help him up, but he stopped her, "You stay here with Mom and Dad, I can go by myself."
Afterwards, Lin Tingyue didn't participate in the elders' conversation, instead devouring the leftovers on the table. Yunfei, on the other hand, barely ate anything that evening, seemingly waiting for something.
As darkness fell, Lin Tingyue had just finished the last sip of soup.
"What...what's going on?" Yun Qing's voice was filled with fear; even at her age, she was still afraid of the dark.
"It's just a power outage, don't be afraid." The warmth of the hand covering her made her feel at ease for the time being, and she couldn't help but hold her husband's hand back. After calming down, she could feel that Yu Muchuan's palm was very different from before, with many calluses on it.
Just as Yun Qing was about to ask about those ten years, a candlelight was lit.
"I'll go out and take a look; maybe the power went out," Lin Tingyue said as she lit another candle.
Yunfei also got up, picked up a candle and lit it, "I also need to go out, I need to use the restroom."
"Then watch your step, don't fall." Lin Tingyue said and walked away from her. Only then did Yunfei feel relieved and go upstairs.
The sudden power outage caused many guests to head down to the lobby. Yunfei went against the flow of people back to her room, but the lock she inserted the key into belonged to the room next door.
As soon as the door opened, she heard Yu Xingzhou's heavy breathing. "Why did you suddenly come up here?"
Yunfei did not answer. Her voice was too different from Lin Tingyue's, which would easily give her away, so she extinguished the candle before entering the room.
At this moment, she took off her coat and unbuttoned it, followed the sound to the bedside, and when she touched that burning hot skin, she couldn't help but hug it.
While still in the private room, Meng Rulan calculated that it was almost time, and suddenly said in an anxious tone, "Why hasn't the child come back yet?"
"Why don't we go upstairs and see if there are any candles left?" Yun Qing said, picking up a candle from the table. Yu Muchuan, who was next to her, took it from her, and the two stood up hand in hand.
When the three of them arrived at the door, the lights came on.
Meng Rulan first pretended to open her bedroom door. She knew her daughter wasn't in her room, but she paused for a few seconds before turning back in a flustered manner, saying, "Feifei isn't in the room!"
Yu Muchuan: "Could it be that she went back to the private room just now, and we missed her?"
Yun Qing: "Why don't you go down and take a look? We'll wait here."
Just as Yu Muchuan was about to leave, he looked up and saw his son and daughter-in-law coming towards them.
"You... why aren't you in your room?" Meng Rulan was shocked. She looked at Yu Xingzhou and then at Yun Qing's door, and her heart began to panic.
Yu Xingzhou remained calm. "I went to the power distribution room after the power outage."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a scream suddenly came from Yun Qing's room; the voice was clearly Yun Fei's.
The crowd rushed in and found Yunfei lying on the bed with a strange man, her clothes disheveled.
Among these people, Meng Rulan was the most shocked. She had never really agreed with her daughter's move, and now that she had misjudged the person, she fainted from the stress.
The strange man on the bed also woke up at this moment, blinking in confusion as he looked at the people in the room.
"What exactly happened?" Yun Qing asked Yu Xingzhou while pinching Meng Rulan's philtrum to wake her up.
“Xiao Qi works in the kitchen here. I ran into him on my way back to my room. He suddenly had a fever, and I wanted to see if my mother had any fever reducers, so I took him upstairs. Then the power suddenly went out, and I told him to sit in the room and wait for me. You can see from his condition that he's so feverish that he can't do anything to anyone.” Yu Xingzhou looked at Yun Fei, who was still in shock. “As for why my cousin was in this room, she'll probably have to explain it herself.”
Lin Tingyue then asked, "Yes, didn't Feifei take candles upstairs? How could she have gone to the wrong room?"
Her words reminded everyone that Xiao Qi looked very weak and didn't seem capable of opening the door on her own. Yun Qing belatedly checked her handbag and, sure enough, the key wasn't in it. But whether Yun Fei had taken the key or not was no longer important; what mattered was how to resolve this embarrassing situation.
The room door had already been closed to avoid being laughed at by other guests. Yun Qing went over and helped her niece up, buttoning up her cheongsam one by one, while asking her, "What do you want to do to resolve this now?"
"I'm sorry... Aunt, I didn't realize it wasn't my cousin in the room..."
"What if I were in this room? Are you planning to force me to marry you?" Yu Xingzhou, who was usually as gentle as a spring breeze, was now so cold that he seemed capable of cutting through a person's skin.
"Alright, she didn't succeed either, did she?" Meng Rulan finally caught her breath and looked at Yu Xingzhou while clutching her chest. "Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Once we're out of here, let's pretend nothing happened."
Yu Xingzhou absolutely refused to let this matter pass so easily. "This is not Hong Kong, nor is it the Yun family's place. No one here will listen to your orders."
Meng Rulan's eyes widened. "Then what do you want?"
“I’m not talking to you. I want to talk to the current head of the Yun family.” Yu Xingzhou turned his gaze to Yun Qing. “Mom, let’s talk about this tomorrow.”
"I understand, don't worry."
Meng Rulan was shocked and immediately rushed to Yun Qing, demanding, "What are you worried about? Yun Qing, are you going to help this brat bully my daughter and me?!"
"You were the ones who started this scheme. I told you long ago that it wasn't allowed, so don't blame me for being ruthless now." Yun Qing was also somewhat disappointed in her sister-in-law, and pulled Yu Muchuan's arm, saying, "Let's go."
Yun Qing's room was definitely uninhabitable, so Lin Tingyue called a few waiters to help with the luggage and booked a new guest room for her parents-in-law.
As for the unlucky Xiao Qi, she asked Zhou Qichen to call an ambulance. She had just touched her forehead with the back of her hand and found it was frighteningly hot, so it was best to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.
Meng Rulan and her daughter slunk back to their room and didn't come out again. Lin Tingyue didn't bother with them and found Yu Xingzhou sitting in the lobby, intending to go home after get off work.
However, Yu Xingzhou grabbed her arm and said, "I'm afraid we won't be able to leave tonight."
"What do you mean?" Lin Tingyue then took a closer look at the man and noticed that his cheeks and neck were still slightly flushed. "You didn't induce vomiting?"
Yu Xingzhou shook his head. The alcohol made him look more docile than usual, but the effects of the drug made his eyes more ruthless than ever.
Lin Tingyue felt somewhat helpless, so she went to the front hall to get the key and booked a room for herself.
Actually, this drug was just to enhance the mood and wouldn't make someone lose their mind, which is why Yu Xingzhou was able to hold out for so long. But once the tense atmosphere ended, he relaxed, and those romantic thoughts started to creep out uncontrollably.
The moment the door closed, the man eagerly picked her up, and Lin Tingyue obligingly wrapped her legs around his waist, lowered her head, and kissed him while cupping his chin in her hands.
Yu Xingzhou reached out and removed the hairpin from the back of her head, letting her long, slender black hair fall down in one go, obscuring the ambiguous scene of their lips and teeth mingling.
"Did you do this on purpose?" When Lin Tingyue was laid down on the bed, she stepped on him with her foot, and the hardness was exactly as she had imagined.
The man simply hummed in response and began unbuttoning his shirt, but stopped abruptly after unbuttoning the last button.
Lin Tingyue asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"...Um, I didn't bring it."
"It's okay if I didn't bring it," Lin Tingyue waved her hand, not caring much.
"No, what if she's pregnant?"
Lin Tingyue couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, "It's not that easy. You're not the male lead in a novel who can get it right on the first try."
Perhaps it was these words that ignited the man's fighting spirit, for Yu Xingzhou, unusually, felt a rebellious streak. "You said it yourself."
"I said, let's see if you can do it or not."
This sentence was like a fuse; once it started, it was unstoppable and required many more to ignite.
Yu Xingzhou was still hesitant when he hugged her. At this moment, the man whispered in her ear and asked her if she wanted it or not.
"If you come here, it's fate. Don't overthink it, just let nature take its course."
The two discussed the child several times later. Besides Yu Xingzhou feeling sorry for her during her pregnancy and the unavoidable damage that might occur after childbirth, they also discussed whether they could be qualified parents.
But everyone is a first-time parent, and no one can guarantee that they will not make any mistakes. All they can do is try their best to give their children the best.
After one battlefield ended, she was moved to another, and this indulgence continued until dawn.
Hong Kong, Deep Water Bay.
Before dawn, the woman with delicate features woke up.
The man with deep-set features next to her was still asleep. Yunxiao snuggled closer to him, then got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.
After quickly tidying up, she changed into some loose and comfortable clothes and stepped out of the room.
The servants in the house were already up, the cleaners had polished the floors until they shone, and the cooks were busy in the dining room.
As usual, Yunxiao went to the courtyard to stretch her body first. After she had warmed up, a servant brought her her usual bow and arrows, and she began her daily training.
Archery is one of her few hobbies, and she practices for half an hour every morning without fail. Her other hobby is shooting, but that's too noisy to practice at home.
When she finished training, her husband got up and brought their three-year-old daughter to the dining table.
Yunxiao sipped her tea with elegant poise, then suddenly asked, "Have you gotten all the necessary documents to go to the mainland?"
"It's all done, the boat tickets are bought, we're leaving tomorrow." Su Mu said, then looked at his daughter, "Menghua is going to stay with her maternal grandfather for a while, and Mom and Dad are going on a long trip."
Three-year-old Yun Menghua sat up straight like a little adult, carefully eating her breakfast with chopsticks. "I know, I will listen to Grandpa and take good care of him."
After her daughter finished breakfast, the housekeeper took the child away, and Yunxiao finally sighed.
"If you don't want to go, you can still cancel your ticket."
Yunxiao glanced at him. "Is it that I don't want to go now? I'm ashamed."
“But what’s done is done, and besides, it hasn’t been publicized yet,” Su Mu advised. “She’s too naive. She thinks she can just throw money at someone’s subordinates. But I really didn’t expect that someone with her limited intelligence could come up with the idea of putting medicine on a cup.”
"You even praised her?"
"No, that's not true. I'm just praising you."
"Glib-tongued."
Although she said she didn't want to go, Yunfei was still a member of the Yun family after all, and Yunxiao couldn't just ignore it; he had to give his cousin's family an explanation.
Before meeting her cousin's family, Yunxiao had planned to just pay them some money and call it a day. She knew the Yu family had had a hard time all these years, and they were probably after the money.
But when she actually met the person, she found that things were not as she had imagined.
Yunxiao's impression of mainlanders was still that they wore homespun clothes and had braided pigtails, but the woman in front of him was dressed no less elegantly than the young women in Hong Kong. Her demeanor and speech were not like those of a country girl. She even arranged a taxi to pick them up and take them to the hotel.
As for the handsome man beside her, there's no need to say more. Yunxiao and this cousin have the same peach blossom eyes, and their eyebrows and eyes are indeed somewhat similar, making them easy to recognize.
"Is this Cousin Yunxiao?" Lin Tingyue had already put on her fake professional smile and stepped forward to help carry the luggage, but was politely refused by the tall and strong man behind Yunxiao.
She couldn't help but take a closer look. The man seemed to be of mixed race. Although he had black hair and black eyes, his bone structure clearly indicated that he was not East Asian.
“Your brother-in-law can carry it himself, don’t worry about him.” Yunxiao put his arm around Lin Tingyue, but his eyes turned to Yu Xingzhou. “Xingzhou, it’s been so many years.”
The man whose name was called simply nodded without saying anything more.
"He's so quiet now? He used to be very talkative when he was little," Yunxiao said casually to Lin Tingyue as they walked.
"Really? I wish I could travel back to your childhood and see for myself."
On the way, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the scandal, not even the names of the mother and daughter. It wasn't until the taxi took them to the hotel that Yunxiao asked, "Which room are they in? Take me there first."
Lin Tingyue said "okay", and then called Zhou Qichen, who was helping at the front desk, to watch over Su Mu's registration.
Zhou Qichen was also a shrewd man. Just by looking at Yunxiao's aura, he had a feeling that she was no ordinary person. He immediately waved to the nearby waiters to come and move the luggage.
Meanwhile, Su Mu had already filled in the names of the guests on the registration form. Zhou Qichen glanced at the neat traditional Chinese characters and couldn't help but click his tongue. Although the person looked like a foreigner, their handwriting was much better than his...
Yunxiao and his wife's room was arranged opposite Meng Rulan and her daughter's. As soon as Su Mu went up, he heard the familiar scolding voice. He had to admit that he missed it quite a bit.
"...You still have the nerve to cry?" Yunxiao had one leg crossed over the other knee and was leaning back on the soft cushion. If she hadn't been wearing a light-colored suit, she wouldn't have been able to make such a wide and sweeping movement.
Meng Rulan, who was standing to the side, wanted to say a few words in support of her daughter, but Bi Yunxiao stopped her with a cold look, "Aunt Lan, I told you long ago not to spoil her too much."
"Yes... so what do we do now?"
"I'll negotiate the compensation with my cousin, but Yunfei must be punished." Yunxiao suddenly stood up and began pacing around the room. The rhythm of his leather shoes hitting the floor gradually matched his heartbeat, and both Meng Rulan and Yunfei were so nervous that they dared not breathe.
“I told you before that I would send her abroad to study, but you couldn’t bear to part with her, Aunt Lan. Why don’t you two go together this time? I’ll find someone to manage your businesses, so don’t worry…”
Yunxiao's words chilled the two of them to the bone. They had a winning hand, but Yu Xingzhou had ruined it all. Now she was being sent abroad. Given her husband's health condition, by the time she returned, he would probably be gone!
Meng Rulan frantically grabbed the arms of the person in front of her, "Ah Xiao, no, your father can't live without me!"
Yunxiao chuckled as if he had heard a joke, saying, "How could that be? Didn't you leave him for business now?"
"..."
Meng Rulan never expected that she would actually shoot herself in the foot this time, and she couldn't say a word in rebuttal.
"Mom, stop talking, I'll go then." Yunfei wiped away her tears and stood up. "But let me tell you, don't even think about taking all the family fortune for yourself!"
"Come say that to me when you're powerful enough," Yunxiao patted her shoulder and then left.
Yunxiao didn't have much free time during her stay in Guangzhou. With someone to accompany her, she wandered around, especially with Lin Tingyue, with whom she could discuss business matters. After a few days, she felt as if they had known each other for a long time.
The Yun family started their business in the silk trade, and later expanded into various textiles, clothing, shoes, hats, and bags. They continued this business even after moving to the port city.
Yun Qing and her daughter Meng Rulan came here earlier to see if there was an opportunity to sell their goods on the mainland.
"...Looking at it this way, it might be a good idea to invest in and open a clothing store here. I see that your hotel has a high occupancy rate, so how about I invest some money and help you upgrade it to a grand hotel?" Yunxiao said.
"Sure, but speaking of investing in opening a store, I have another idea."
Yunxiao became interested. "Tell me in detail."
As Lin Tingyue spoke, she looked at Yu Xingzhou and said, "If you want to start a film company, we have ready-made screenwriters here, and we can also take on actors."
"Then it will probably have to be opened in Hong Kong. It's probably not feasible here yet." Yunxiao always supports someone's ideas, but unfortunately, one or two of his family members are not good at business and always want to interfere in the Yun family's business. If he happens to meet someone he likes, Yunxiao would like to help them out. Besides, they are related by marriage, so it doesn't matter who he helps. "Xingzhou wants to go into the entertainment industry?"
Yu Xingzhou glanced at his wife, whose face was beaming with excitement, and said softly, "It's because she likes it."
Yunxiao's brow twitched; it seemed this cousin of hers was quite the romantic...
Lin Tingyue explained, "The main reason is that he has talent, and we don't want it to be wasted."
"After all, it involves developing in the port city, so the two of you need to think about it carefully and discuss it thoroughly. Once you've finalized your plan, we can talk about it in detail."
"That's natural."
With her cousin Yun's approval, Lin Tingyue felt much more at ease. After all, filming is very expensive, and although they had some money now, it would be difficult to use it all to start a film company and make movies. In her opinion, resources should be utilized, and getting in touch with the Yun family could save them a lot of trouble; she didn't want to waste them.
Compared to when she first arrived in this world, she has become much more proactive. Back then, she mostly wanted to wait to be carried by others, but now she wants to seize opportunities herself.
Yu Xingzhou became her best assistant, always ready to help her achieve her goals. Whatever she wanted to do, Yu Xingzhou would work hard alongside her.
However, the couple had not discussed the matter of developing their careers in Hong Kong beforehand, and since Cantonese is the language spoken there, they would need to make preparations in advance if they decided to go.
Yunxiao told them not to worry, as the Yun family members all speak Cantonese now, and any one of them could teach them. "If you want to learn, I can teach you in the next few days."
"Sure, I'd love to."
Apart from the two people involved, the other two thought they were just joking. Unexpectedly, the next day Yunxiao actually prepared paper and pens for her younger siblings to come over and learn Cantonese.
Yu Xingzhou was originally going to do housework at home, but his wife dragged him out of the house.
Lin Tingyue: "Household chores can be done anytime. Now that there are free teachers, the most important thing is to take advantage of them and attend their classes."
"Then we should eat breakfast first." Yu Xingzhou pressed the person down at the dining table, while he leisurely went to the kitchen to make breakfast.
After sitting for a while, Lin Tingyue couldn't stay still and went to the kitchen to check on things and chat about their future plans.
Yu Xingzhou: "Didn't you plan everything out for me?"
Lin Tingyue tiptoed closer to him, "Wow, you've learned to be sarcastic now."
"How could I dare?" Yu Xingzhou turned around and nudged her with his forehead. "I just feel that with you here, it's okay to go anywhere."
With her worries gone, Lin Tingyue felt confident enough to start planning. Before breakfast was ready, she went to her study to draft a brief plan, which she would discuss with Yunxiao at the hotel.
Yunxiao had booked ferry tickets for his family to return to Hong Kong a few days later, but he was a little undecided when it came to Yunqing.
Yu Muchuan is currently a teacher at a school in Beicheng. He will be leaving Yangcheng as soon as the holiday ends, and the young couple will also be going to school. Yunqing is worried that she will be lonely if she stays in Yangcheng alone.
"If you'd like, you can come with me to the north of the city and stay in the old courtyard house, or we can live together in the staff dormitory, though it's a bit small," Yu Muchuan suggested.
The houses in the north of the city are probably not as comfortable as the hotels here. Lin Tingyue was too embarrassed to argue, so she could only let her mother-in-law make the decision herself.
After thinking it over, Yun Qing decided to go to Beicheng to take a look, and also to see many old friends.
Yunxiao went abroad to study at a young age. After that, the Yun family moved away. When she returned to China, she stayed in Hong Kong and never came back to the mainland. She probably can't even remember the names of her classmates and friends from when she was young.
She hadn't originally planned to stay for too long on this trip, but after looking around these past few days, she felt there was a huge market potential and wanted to seize the opportunity.
After learning of her idea, Lin Tingyue suggested, "Why don't we wait until the import and export commodity fair in April to come and take a look?"
"Alright, then let's wait until April to come back. We can go back and make some preparations." Of course, she didn't say the second half of her sentence: she wanted to take Meng Rulan and her daughter back as soon as possible, and then contact schools abroad to send them away as soon as possible.
Lin Tingyue left half a sentence unsaid: perhaps they would find out about the planned special economic zone in Shenzhen earlier, around April or May, at the trade fair. While it wasn't a secret, the fact that an ordinary university student like her could know so much about it aroused speculation; it was better to let someone find out for themselves.
A few days later, the group boarded the ship to return to port, and the Yu family saw them off.
Yunxiao stood on the deck and waved to Lin Tingyue on the shore, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
"It's not like we'll never see each other again, is it really that big of a deal?" Su Mu said speechlessly.
To his surprise, Yunxiao didn't even glance at him. "You don't understand the feeling of finding a kindred spirit."
Not only did Su Mu roll his eyes, but Meng Rulan and her daughter couldn't stand it either and turned to go back to their room.
Yunxiao: “Keep your mouth shut when you get back, and don’t say anything you shouldn’t. Especially Yunfei, stay home quietly until you go abroad. You can teach Aunt Lan some English when you have time.”
Even if the mother and daughter turned a deep purplish-red, they couldn't say "no" and could only leave in a huff.
February 15th is Lunar New Year's Eve. Since the hotel is open as usual during holidays, Lin Tingyue's idea was to have a New Year's Eve dinner with the staff at the hotel.
Migrant workers like Zhou Qichen needed to take time off to go back to their hometowns, otherwise the letter of introduction wouldn't have enough time and they'd have to go back and get it renewed. Most of the employees who stayed were locals. So, following local custom, the kitchen prepared twelve Cantonese dishes, while the few northerners who stayed behind sat at a separate table and made dumplings.
Lin Tingyue thought her mother-in-law was the kind who never lifted a finger, but she was surprised to find that she was very skilled at everything from kneading dough and preparing fillings to rolling out wrappers and making dumplings.
Yu Muchuan was the one who did the work, and was even disliked by Yun Qing for being clumsy.
Lin Tingyue was only good at wrapping dumplings; she couldn't even roll out the dough properly. In the end, the father and daughter were sent to plate the dumplings and take them to the kitchen to be cooked.
Once the dumplings were cooked, everyone gathered around the round table, raised their glasses, and wished each other a Happy New Year.
At this moment, the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks outside gradually intensified, welcoming the arrival of the new year.
After dinner, the two couples went for a walk separately. Lin Tingyue then brought up Yunqing's cooking again, saying, "I thought it was a tradition for the men in your family to cook."
Yu Xingzhou smiled helplessly, "I didn't know how to do it before either. My grandparents forced me to learn because they were afraid I would starve to death after they passed away."
"But I see that you also have a great talent for cooking."
"I'm perfect in your eyes, aren't I?"
Lin Tingyue shook her head. "That's not it. When I first met you, you weren't talkative either, and you were cold. You're much better now."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xingzhou couldn't help but recall the scene when they first met.
He was working in the fields when he saw a group of people approaching him from afar. When they got closer, he realized they were a new batch of educated youth sent to the countryside.
Lin Tingyue was at the very back of the line, but she still stood out. In an era when most people wore black, blue, and gray, she wore a ginger-yellow coat and walked along the country dirt road with uneven steps, making her seem out of place.
Her personality was also very different from when they were married, making people wonder if she had been replaced.
"You've changed a lot too."
Lin Tingyue paused, "Have you become more likable now?"
"yes."
Seeing that he didn't continue the conversation about her drastic personality change, Lin Tingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
However, this sudden lapse in attention alerted Yu Xingzhou, further confirming some of his suspicions. Since his wife didn't want him to discover the secret, he had no choice but to pretend he knew nothing.
After the Spring Festival, Yu Muchuan was going back to Beicheng, and Yun Qing accompanied him, and the young couple's life returned to peace and quiet.
However, their careers continued to flourish, especially Yu Xingzhou's novel, which was already in the stage of being discussed for publication, making them both quite excited.
It wasn't until the sample copy was sent to Yu Xingzhou that he began to have a real sense of the publication process.
Lin Tingyue: "Should we strike while the iron is hot and revise the script so that we can start filming as soon as the film company sets up the production?"
"Is my cousin really going to help us start a movie company?"
"Of course it's true! And believe me, a career in acting will definitely be very lucrative in the future." Lin Tingyue was already fantasizing about the movie's box office success as she said this.
So she was filled with anticipation before the spring trade fair.
As the temperature gradually rose and people began to wear lighter clothing, Lin Tingyue suddenly noticed something was amiss.
With the Spring Trade Fair approaching, more guests were checking in, and with the start of the new semester and many things to do, she didn't even realize that she hadn't had her period for two months.
She stood in front of the mirror, looking at her pants that were now difficult to zip up, lost in thought.
Could it be that her words have really come true...?
The two were not together at the time. Because the Yuanyue Hotel was some distance from their rented house, they needed to take a bus. Every weekend, she would stay in the hotel's staff dormitory and only go home on Sunday night.
Although she already knew the answer in her heart, she still decided to go to the hospital first, just in case she was disappointed.
Lin Tingyue instructed Zhou Qichen to keep an eye on everything at the hotel over the next few days before preparing to leave. Zhou Qichen sensed something was off about her words and asked, "What happened?"
"It's nothing, I'm just going to the hospital for a check-up."
"Why didn't you ask Yu Xingzhou to go with you? Do you need me to go with you?"
"No need, you've already done me a huge favor by choosing a good hotel."
Lin Tingyue left in a hurry, and Zhou Qichen was still a little worried. After thinking for a moment, he decided to go out and make a phone call to the school.
Lin Tingyue boarded a bus to a major hospital and began to reflect on her condition over the past few months on the way.
She didn't experience any particularly noticeable pregnancy symptoms, except for feeling more tired than before and experiencing changes in her taste.
When Lin Tingyue arrived at the obstetrics and gynecology department, she found that there weren't many people, and it wasn't long before it was her turn to be seen. After listening to her description, the doctor first palpated her abdomen and then listened to the fetal heartbeat.
"...No wonder, you have more than one in your belly." The female doctor felt something was wrong when she touched it; the timing didn't quite match up with what Lin Tingyue had said.
"Can you arrange an ultrasound?" At this point, she wasn't sure if the hospital had the equipment, so she could only ask.
"Sure, you can take a look without worry."
The result was shocking; Lin Tingyue even regretted her outrageous remarks.
Sitting on the bus home, she tried hard to calm herself down and compose herself.
Yu Xingzhou was already anxiously waiting at home. Upon seeing his wife, he immediately rushed out of the house.
"I heard from Zhou Qichen that you went to the hospital for a checkup. Is something wrong?" Yu Xingzhou asked as he scanned her body up and down, trying to find any lesions with his naked eye.
"This area might feel a little uncomfortable later." Lin Tingyue took his hand and placed it on her slightly protruding belly, and immediately felt the muscles in his arm tighten.
"You...you mean..."
“That’s right.” Lin Tingyue nodded and took out the examination report. “And there are three of them. Surprised?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Xingzhou's eyes rolled back and he fainted.
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Author's Note: Traveling now, trying to maintain my word count on the charts this week.
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