Chapter 188 – Troublesome Relatives
Lin You Xi and Mei Fang had a moment alone. They walked on the street toward Lin You Xi’s house, maintaining a slight distance between them, one following the other.
“This road, we haven’t been here for half a year, but now there are so many shops…”
“Because it’s close to primary school, business is better.”
As Lin You Xi spoke, she suddenly slowed down, waiting for Mei Fang.
“In elementary school, I would always walk this way to find you and Yuan Yuan to play. Speaking of which, back then, because Yuan Yuan’s family was strict, I mostly came to play with you.”
Lin You Xi raised her head, imagining, “We would go on all kinds of adventures together, to the arcade, skating rink, or to the ponds outside the city…”
“Yes, those were truly carefree times.”
In the unrecorded stories, Mei Fang, as a child, had thoroughly enjoyed an无忧无虑 (carefree) childhood.
The six years of daily companionship in elementary school laid the strongest foundation for Mei Fang’s relationship with Lin You Xi and Xia Yuan. This long-lasting friendship made their bond almost indestructible; no outsider could possibly break through.
Just as Mei Fang was reminiscing about the past, Lin You Xi suddenly grabbed his hand.
Taken by surprise, Mei Fang instinctively turned his head to look at her. Lin You Xi looked back at him, seemingly not feeling guilty:
“What? Are you embarrassed?”
“Not really…”
Mei Fang gently squeezed her little hand, “It’s already cold here, and you still don’t wear gloves to keep warm. Your hands must be freezing.”
“Hmm… Just warm them up for me.”
Lin You Xi smiled at Mei Fang. Since they no longer lived permanently in Baimei County, even holding hands didn’t bother them anymore.
Mei Fang held Lin You Xi’s hand until they reached her house. As she prepared to open the door with her key, voices from inside the courtyard interrupted them.
As the door opened, Lin You Xi’s gentle expression gradually turned cold.
“My uncle has come over.”
“Oh, that person… Is he still pestering your family?”
Lin You Xi nodded, “You should go back. It’s none of your business.”
“What do you mean?”
Mei Fang patted Lin You Xi’s shoulder, “I’ll stay with you.”
Mei Fang remembered the situation with Lin You Xi’s uncle.
He was the only brother of Lin You Xi’s biological mother.
Her maternal grandparents had passed away early, and her mother had raised her brother to bring him up.
After Lin You Xi’s mother died in a car accident, Lin Guochuan had always taken good care of her late wife’s brother.
However, he was also the root cause of the Lin family’s stagnant financial improvement.
When Lin You Xi pushed open the door, she saw her uncle pulling on Lin Guochuan’s sleeve, arguing vehemently:
“Brother-in-law, you don’t need to talk about these trivial matters. Now that my younger brother has finally decided to get married after being single for so long, you’re not even happy for me, and you won’t help me gather 100,000 yuan as dowry. Are you saying you’ve found someone new and completely forgotten your promise to my sister?”
“I never said I wouldn’t help with the dowry. I just said that You Xi is studying in Jiangcheng, and we need to save for her college tuition. Suddenly asking us to help with 100,000 yuan, how can we manage that right away?”
“Even if you don’t have cash, you can mortgage the house, right? The house was renovated from our ancestors’ house. You yourself promised me in front of my sister’s grave that you’d help me start a family. I remember the land certificate is still under my father’s name. Just mortgage 100,000 yuan first and pay it back slowly. Don’t make everyone lose face.”
Liang Meijuan, who had accompanied Lin Guochuan, rarely showed anger, “Xiao You, speak reasonably. When your sister died in a car accident, you received several thousand yuan. Your own business failure can’t be blamed on others. For so many years, it’s been Old Lin taking care of you and helping you clean up your mess. You don’t know gratitude and come back demanding money. That’s too much!”
“This is a private matter between our two families. What business does this woman have meddling in? Get out of the way!”
Seeing her uncle speaking disrespectfully to Liang Meijuan, Lin Guochuan, who was usually mild-mannered, lost his temper. He pushed away You Zhibing’s hand:
“Zhibing, watch your words!”
“Fine… If you don’t want to help, then don’t. I knew you were a heartless person. We treated you so well in the past…”
“Who’s the heartless one? If you had any humanity left, you wouldn’t say such things.”
Lin You Xi, accompanied by Mei Fang, stepped forward to rebuke her uncle:
“You’re over thirty now. Stop treating yourself like a child. Legally and morally, my father has no obligation to take care of you. If you want to get married, work hard yourself. If the dowry is too high, find a solution yourself. Don’t keep sucking our blood. My father doesn’t owe you anything.”
“Fine, Lin You Xi. With wings so strong, how dare you talk to your uncle like that? So uncultured. In Baimei County, the world is big, but Uncle’s word is law, right? No one taught you manners?”
“No one did, because there’s no point teaching someone uncouth manners.”
Lin You Xi faced her uncle without flinching. You Zhibing, enraged, wanted to step forward, but Mei Fang stood in front of Lin You Xi at that moment, preventing him from getting closer. He had no choice but to stop.
“Fine, since your whole family is so heartless, I’ll figure it out myself… It’s just a pity my sister left too soon. She should see how you people behave now.”
“Zhibing, don’t say such hurtful things. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. I meant—”
Lin Guochuan insisted on continuing the discussion about the dowry with You Zhibing, and Lin You Xi couldn’t stop him, watching as they walked away.
Mei Fang rarely saw Lin You Xi so angry that she stamped her foot.
After a deep breath, she complained to Mei Fang:
“My father is great in every way, except he’s too honest. I don’t understand why he always defends that leech.”
Madam Liang said, “You Xi, don’t blame your father… Our house’s land certificate is indeed from your grandfather, and it hasn’t been transferred since he passed away.”
“The land certificate doesn’t matter, Auntie Liang.”
Mei Fang reminded her, “Property rights outweigh land use rights. As long as the house is under Uncle Lin’s name, it’s fine.”
The combination of property certificates and land certificates didn’t begin until 2015. Before that, the process of obtaining various documents in small counties was very complicated, often bypassing the proper procedures, leading to many unresolved issues.
But most of the problems involved family members, so they were usually resolved internally without causing major disputes.
“It’s not about the certificate issue. The main problem lies with my father.”
Lin You Xi explained, “You heard what he said. He swore in front of my mother. He’s stubborn and hard to change. He will eventually help him settle down.”
Mei Fang whispered to Lin You Xi, “If you need help with money, I can—”
Lin You Xi shook her head, “This has nothing to do with you. Don’t get involved. Besides, it’s not just about money. Unless we clearly cut ties with him, he will keep bothering us—cough, cough…”
Lin You Xi started coughing due to her excitement. Mei Fang patted her back to comfort her.
“Alright, alright, don’t be upset… It’s not worth getting angry over such a person. Auntie Liang, you too.”
Liang Meijuan waved her hand, “I’m fine, I just feel sorry for your father. Sigh…”
Mei Fang found the family disputes quite troubling. The Xia and Mei families were steadily improving their living standards, while the Lin family remained stagnant, largely due to Lin Guochuan’s honesty and timidity.
You could call him a nice person, but he hadn’t brought happiness to You Xi.
In essence, these problems stemmed from money. If this issue could be resolved and Lin Guochuan’s promise fulfilled, it would be ideal.
But Lin You Xi’s concerns were valid. Having such a troublesome relative might lead to endless纠缠 (entanglements), especially when You Xi achieved success in the future.
However, Mei Fang had seen plenty of people like Lin Guochuan before. He wasn’t someone who would endlessly drain others.
Honest people had limits to their patience. They couldn’t tolerate others indefinitely, especially with responsibilities towards their own family. His reluctance stemmed from his promise to his deceased wife. Once he reached his limit, he would eventually let go of his obsession.
Mei Fang spent some time talking with Lin You Xi before parting ways.
“After I finish eating, I’ll come over in the afternoon with Yuan Yuan. We’ll go to the bank and withdraw some money.”
“Withdraw money? Why?” Lin You Xi tilted her head, puzzled.
“It’s the end of the year, so we’ll hold a small New Year party for the Ximilu Studio and give out bonuses.”
“So it’s to gather everyone for a celebration.”
“Yeah… something like that.” Mei Fang nodded with a smile.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Four chapters guaranteed today.
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