Seventies Sweetheart: From Breakup to Billionaire

Chapter 341: Cheng Jinyun Returns Home

Uncle Lin left in a huff.Not even caring about his wife.

His wife had intended to follow in his footsteps but stopped abruptly after taking a few steps. She turned back to look at Lin Xiang with a pleading smile, "Girl, you really misunderstood your uncle just now. He didn’t mean for you to give the kids red envelopes; he sincerely wanted to invite you and your mom to our home for a New Year’s reunion dinner."

"Tomorrow, you should come early, and you don’t have to bring anything. Just come and have a good meal. I’ll be off now."

As she left, Uncle Lin’s wife did not forget to close the Lin Family’s front door.

Mrs. Lin glanced at Lin Xiang, unable to suppress a sigh, "I still overestimated your uncle. After all these years, how has he not changed a bit?"

"His personality has been like this for decades. How could he change in such a short time? Even if he did change, it would only be a show for us."

"Girl, I’m sorry. I upset you again."

"This is Uncle’s problem. What does it have to do with you? Why are you apologizing to me?"

Lin Xiang reassured Mrs. Lin, "As for Uncle, you shouldn’t worry about that. As long as our lives keep getting better and he still has use for us, he definitely won’t break off this tie willingly. So, you hold the initiative now. If you want to associate with him, do so. If not, we can pretend this tie doesn’t exist."

The reason Lin Xiang hadn’t completely severed Mrs. Lin’s contact with Uncle Lin was, firstly, because she knew that Mrs. Lin, who had been unappreciated at home since childhood, was actually very eager for familial affection.

Secondly, she knew that Mrs. Lin wouldn’t stay in Beijing forever and would eventually return to the Li Hua Team.

At that time, she wouldn’t be able to stay by her side. If there were no relatives, Mrs. Lin’s old age would be quite solitary.

Even though Uncle Lin wasn’t entirely a good relative, as long as he could provide emotional support to Mrs. Lin, Lin Xiang wouldn’t sever ties with him.

"So, tomorrow, are we still going to your uncle’s for the New Year reunion dinner?"

Lin Xiang shrugged nonchalantly, "It’s up to you, I’m fine either way."

Mrs. Lin thought for a moment, "Forget it, going to his place costs money and I feel uncomfortable there. Let’s go to your Fifth Uncle’s place, I get along well with your Fifth Aunt."

That night, Lin Xiang had just finished getting ready for bed and was hesitating whether to fill a hot water bottle in the chilly weather, when suddenly she heard someone knocking on the courtyard door.

There wasn’t a speck of light coming from Mrs. Lin’s bedroom, so she must have already fallen asleep.

Lin Xiang had no choice but to throw on a coat, grab a flashlight, and go to open the door.

"Who is it?"

"Girl, it’s me."

Through the door, it sounded like the voice of Cheng Jinyun to Lin Xiang.

Afraid she was hearing things, she asked again, "Brother?"

"It’s me."

Lin Xiang then opened the door a crack, the flashlight’s beam hit Cheng Jinyun’s face, confirming it wasn’t someone in disguise, and then she opened the door wider.

"Why are you back so late?" Lin Xiang tried to reach for Cheng Jinyun’s big bag, but he dodged, "It’s heavy, I’ll carry it myself."

Lin Xiang’s hand accidentally brushed against Cheng Jinyun’s, finding it ice-cold.

She stopped hesitating, returned to the bedroom to get a hot water bottle, then grabbed a thermos from the kitchen, filled the hot water bottle, and handed it to Cheng Jinyun, "Warm your hands first. In this bitter cold, make sure you don’t catch a cold."

"Alright."

Cheng Jinyun held the hot water bottle, looking at Lin Xiang.

Lin Xiang looked at Cheng Jinyun, who was holding the hot water bottle.

The two remained silent, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Under normal circumstances, Lin Xiang would have been eager to ask him why he came home so late, whether the mission was completed successfully, and if he was injured during the task.

But ever since she realized her feelings and confirmed that she had begun to like Cheng Jinyun, Lin Xiang suddenly didn’t know how to face him.

It was the first time she experienced this timid mindset, feeling both powerless and helpless.

Not saying anything, Cheng Jinyun took the initiative to speak.

"The mission ended the day before yesterday, and I returned to the unit. According to regulations, after each mission, I get a few days off. I didn’t delay, packed my things lightly, and took the train back to Ji Province. But it was late by the time I got off the train, and there were no ox carts to the town, so I walked all the way back."

That’s why he got back so late.

"Oh, okay." Lin Xiang replied, "You must not have eaten yet, right? I’ll go cook something for you."

She had already hurried into the kitchen, but soon came out again, holding another thermos, "This is all hot water. I just boiled it when I cooked rice in the afternoon. You can find a basin in your room to soak your hands and feet to ward off the chill."

"I don’t need that much hot water, leave this bottle for you and mom to use for washing up in the morning."

"It’s fine, I can heat the water quickly when I’m cooking."

With that, Lin Xiang darted back into the kitchen.

In the afternoon, she had cooked braised chicken, made from a rooster given by the aunts. She had chosen the fattest one. She and Mrs. Lin couldn’t finish it, so they had taken a pot to Fifth Aunt’s, still leaving some for later. Now it was the perfect time to heat it up.

But there wasn’t any rice left, and it was too late to steam some now. Lin Xiang simply boiled some noodles and added them to the braised chicken; it tasted good, too.

Cheng Jinyun hadn’t eaten well on the train. To be precise, he hadn’t had a decent meal since the mission started. Coupling that with walking all that way, he was already starving.

He had been holding it together earlier to avoid showing any weakness to Lin Xiang. But now, with the aroma of food filling the air, he couldn’t resist any longer and dived in, eating heartily.

Even though Cheng Jinyun ate quickly, his eating manners weren’t unpleasant.

While he ate, Lin Xiang filled the thermos with hot water again, leaving some in the kettle for washing dishes later.

After eating a satisfying meal, seeing Lin Xiang busy tidying up the kitchen, Cheng Jinyun immediately volunteered to take over the chores, "It’s late already. You go to bed, I’ll clean up the kitchen."

"No need, I’ll finish up quickly."

"Be good, go to sleep. Now that I’m home, leave these chores to me."

Instinctively, Lin Xiang glanced at Cheng Jinyun, only to find him looking back at her. Their eyes met, and Lin Xiang felt her heart racing a bit.

This feeling was strange and unfamiliar to her, and she muttered a vague "Alright" before retreating to her bedroom.

Lin Xiang’s bedroom was close to the kitchen, so she could hear Cheng Jinyun’s movements inside as he worked.

Before long, the kitchen fell silent.

After a while, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Girl, I refilled the hot water bottle and left it at your door, remember to take it later."

"Okay."

After waiting a while and hearing Cheng Jinyun’s footsteps returning to his room, Lin Xiang quietly got up to retrieve the hot water bottle.