480. Two Cousins from Uncle’s House?
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Lin Nan stood silently on the path, staring at what clearly looked like a guy and a girl who had snuck out. No matter how she looked at them, they felt strangely unfamiliar, so she finally turned to Lin Qi beside her.
“They’re cousins from Uncle’s house…” Lin Qi paused. “Didn’t we just say they were coming back this afternoon?”
She stared blankly at the couple in front of her, her gaze lingering on the girl who exuded a bit of an older sister vibe. “Cousin?”
What kind of cousin is this? Is he a cross-dresser?
For some reason, just looking at that girl made Lin Nan feel like she had found her kindred spirit.
Lin Qi leaned in a bit closer and whispered, “I think he had gender reassignment surgery a few years ago. You two probably have a lot in common.”
“???”
Wait, for real?
Lin Nan’s face clearly showed her shock.
Seeing her dazed expression, Lin Qi felt equally stunned. If she hadn’t prepared Lin Nan for this revelation ahead of time, hearing it now would have knocked her flat.
At that moment, the girl beamed a warm smile at Lin Nan and said, “I’m Lin Jin.”
“Lin Chen,” the muscular guy next to her pushed up his glasses.
Lin Nan managed to smile back. Though she found the two strangers unfamiliar now, she vaguely remembered playing with them a long time ago: “I’m Lin Nan.”
But wait, didn’t she just invent a cousin named Lin Jin? Who would’ve thought there really was a relative called Lin Jin, and she was going through a similar situation!
Though the other had willingly undergone surgery to become female, Lin Nan had been turned into a girl by magic.
But wow, Lin Jin is pretty… Even after transitioning, her looks are somehow more refined than Lin Nan’s magic-enhanced features.
“Lin Nan? Isn’t there also a cousin named Lin Nan from Third Uncle’s side?” Lin Jin stepped forward, examining Lin Nan’s face closely.
“I had surgery too…” With an ace up her sleeve now, Lin Nan was no longer inclined to hide her identity.
“Eh?” Lin Jin widened her eyes.
Lin Nan hurried to explain, “It’s because of a certain intersex condition.”
“How sad.” Lin Jin’s eyes instantly softened with sympathy for Lin Nan as she cheerfully invited, “Want to grab some night snacks together?”
“Yeah, that’s what we were planning on.”
The four of them grouped together and walked towards the little town outside the village.
Lin Nan was still trying to cope with her shock as she sneakily sized up Lin Jin in front of her, finally understanding the mixed feelings someone might have when they realize their relative has transitioned into a woman.
When Lin Qi discovered he was female, he must have shared her tangled emotions.
But Lin Jin really was gorgeous.
She was taller, bustier and, with her mature vibe from working in society, she radiated that classic “older sister” aura.
Lin Nan’s looks had been enhanced by magic, yet Lin Jin looked nothing like someone who had undergone surgery—just pure, natural beauty. Being a guy must have been a waste.
As for Lin Chen beside her, if one only focused on his face, those glasses would easily mark him as a refined academic, but his physique was definitely more muscular, suggesting he’d hit the gym quite a lot.
Lin Qi, despite his show-off demeanor, was sort of charming in his own way, but standing among these three, he suddenly faded into the background.
The town wasn’t far from the village, just a fifteen-minute walk or so.
The village had grown eerily quiet, while the town was still full of lights and life.
Despite the somewhat messy sanitation, the street stalls added to the vibrant night market feel.
The four of them casually chose a big food stall to sit down, with Lin Qi and Lin Chen heading off to order, while Lin Nan and Lin Jin sat across from each other, quietly sizing each other up.
Ugh, I’m backed by magic and still can’t keep up with her in the looks department.
Clearly, people do make you feel inferior!
“So, do your parents support your situation?” Lin Nan asked curiously, trying to probe, “What about the uncles?”
If the uncles could accept Lin Jin, then Lin Nan could stop hiding behind the excuse of being someone’s girlfriend.
“My mom is really supportive, and most of the relatives from my grandfather’s side are on board too,” Lin Jin replied with a smile. “The uncles on this side don’t know yet. I only told Lin Qi about my situation, and surprisingly, he accepted it pretty quickly.”
Well, I kind of prepped him, didn’t I?
“Most of the relatives here are old-fashioned,” Lin Nan grumbled. “I doubt they’ll accept people like us.”
“Not the same. You were born with a condition; that’s a bit different than me,” Lin Jin said, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes crescent-shaped with a smile.
Just then, the muscular Lin Chen plopped down beside her, looking a bit awkward and curious about Lin Nan.
“Hey, are we going to the internet café later? You two into LOL?” Lin Qi asked as he sat down with a box of beer. “Do you guys drink?”
The others all shook their heads in refusal.
“Eating barbeque without drinking… how boring…” Lin Qi casually popped open a bottle for himself.
Although they were all cousins, they hadn’t seen each other in over a decade. Even though Lin Nan and Lin Jin resonated over their similar identities, it felt distinctly awkward.
Feeling the awkwardness at the table, Lin Qi quickly pulled out his secret weapon: nostalgia.
“Remember the girl Lin Nan used to really like?”
Lin Nan immediately kicked Lin Qi under the table.
Seriously? Bringing that up again?
Lin Qi turned pale and changed the subject. “Your cousin was pretty cute back then, right? Didn’t Aunt often dress you up in girl clothes?”
Neither Lin Jin nor Lin Qi felt uncomfortable switching from cousin to cousin as they had long adapted to Lin Nan being addressed differently.
“Yeah, my mom always wanted to raise another daughter.”
When Lin Jin’s family moved away, Lin Nan was still small and only vaguely remembered it, so she couldn’t join in.
“Speaking of which, is Uncle really not gambling anymore?” Lin Qi took a swig of his beer and asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“He stopped a few years ago and even remarried,” Lin Chen said, shaking his head.
Even though he was tall, Lin Chen was clearly more introverted and didn’t enjoy talking much.
Among the four, only Lin Qi was outgoing, continually striving to find topics. The other three just replied with brief comments, and when the food finally arrived, Lin Qi thankfully gave up the struggle.
After all, it’s been over a decade since they last saw each other—no need to pretend to be overly familiar!
