Chapter 442 - 442: Can ‘t Speak Ill Of People Behind Their Back
At the park near the Li family house, Lin Wan sat on a swing with Li Zexin’s English test certificate in her hand.
“Oh… I thought you found my cooking terrible and were intentionally finding an excuse to get rid of me. I didn’t know there was really something you wanted to show me,” she said.
“I’m giving it to you,” Li Zexin said. “It’s the result of your hard work.” Lin Wan was speechless.
“I was a complete failure in English, and now I have improved so much. Isn’t it all thanks to your tutoring?” Li Zexin drew a little red flower on the certificate.
Li Zexuan smirked. “You’re a bootlicker.”
“That’s right.” Li Zekai stuck out a tongue at Li Zexin.
Li Zexin glared at his two brothers. “Both of you don’t know how to repay kindness. Look, Ms. Lin, I’m the most devoted to my family. When I get married, you’ll come live with me.”
‘Is he proposing to me to be his mother-in-law?’
Lin Wan shook her head. “I’ll stick with Mr. Li. He’s getting older and needs someone to take care of him. When you get older, you’re more prone to strokes. He shouldn’t be alone.”
Li Yanchen heard that.
“I’m only in my thirties,” said a resentful voice from the door.
Lin Wan took a deep breath. ‘I really shouldn’t be speaking ill of people behind their backs.’
“I’ll still be agile at seventy.” Li Yanchen walked over to them. “What are you all discussing? Why are you talking about me behind my back? You make it seem like I’m the most useless person in the family.”
“Li Zexin wants to separate from us, and he wants to take Ms. Lin with him,” said Li Zexuan.
“Separate? Who said anything about separating from you? I was just saying that we’ll all get married in the future. We can’t live together after getting married. Since I’m the most devoted son, she can come live with me,” said Li
Zexin.
Li Yanchen put his arm around Lin Wan’s shoulders. “In the future, you should all worry about your own wives. I’ll take care of my wife.”
“Dad, if I don’t get married, can I keep living with you?” Li Zekai asked.
The two older brothers were stunned. Their little brother was actually the most clever.
“I won’t get married either. Wait, I’m the oldest son… So, I’m going to be in charge of the family in the future,” said Li Zexuan.
“Then, me too! I won’t get married either! ” said Li Zexin.
Lin Wan didn’t know what to say. She thought that the whole family sticking together would be a nightmare.
Li Yanchen frowned. “You can all stay at home. In a few years, I might retire. I’ll be traveling the world with Wanwan.”
Lin Wan couldn’t help but smile at Li Yanchen. His answer was truly unexpected.
“I’d like that,” Lin Wan said.
The three kids stared at their father.
“Dad, in a few years, won’t I just be starting middle school? You don’t want to take care of me anymore?” asked Li Zekai.
“Exactly! Jiejie is only in second grade now. In ten years, he’ll only be in high school. It’s when we need our parents’ support the most. How can you travel the world and leave him?” Li Zexin had a brilliant idea. The three brothers surprisingly reached a consensus.
“I meant “a few years” in a general sense. It might be a decade or more before I truly retire. Regardless of that, I’ll take care of Wanwan. You three can go hassle your mother-in-law.”
The three brothers pouted. “Mr. Li, we can’t talk to you anymore. You can leave.”
Li Yanchen picked up a basketball and threw it at Li Zexin. “Leave where? This is my house. I’ll stay here, thank you very much.”
Lin Wan pulled Li Yanchen aside. “Mr. Li, didn’t you want to drink wine tonight? We’re out of stock at home, I can accompany you to buy some more.”
There was a members-only supermarket outside the Royal Water Bay residential complex.
Lin Wan intentionally led Li Yanchen away. As they left, Li Yanchen held her hand.
“Wanwan, we’ll always be together, right?”
“Yeah, back in my village, children who got married would settle in the city, and the elderly were separated. I don’t want that for us. I wouldn’t agree to it.” “That’s good.”
“In fact, you don’t need to vie for their attention. No one is more important to me than you. Jiejie and the other kids are still young. When they find the people they love, they won’t want to stay with us anymore.”
“I know. I… also feel that I’m so immature sometimes. But… when they say things like that, I can’t help but compete. Wanwan, if only we had met when we were both in our twenties…”
Li Yanchen sounded regretful. He had only known her for a few months. She was still in her twenties, while he was already in his thirties.
“Who knows, maybe twenty-something me will really meet twenty-something you in another world. After all, if things like transmigration can happen, what else is possible? Next time we meet, I hope I’m older than you, or we’re the same age. Then I’ll be the one chasing after you.”
“Sounds good. Let me experience what it’s like to be chased after…”
In the evening, the villa was filled with life as the family gathered around the big round table to have dinner.
After finishing her spa treatment, Fang Ru returned home to find the Li family villa brightly lit. She went around to the door and rang the doorbell.
Auntie Huang saw that it was Mrs. Han on the screen. “It’s Mrs. Han. Should I open the door?”
“Go ahead,” said Lin Wan.
Auntie Huang pressed a button to open the door.
Fang Ru walked in and saw a table full of people. “I’m sorry for disturbing your dinner. It’s quite lively here,” she said in embarrassment.
“Have you had dinner? If not, join us.” Lin Wan invited her. After all, she had already eaten some of their local specialty before.
“I don’t eat dinner at night. I’m on a diet. I saw your lights on when I got home, so I just came to say hi. You guys go ahead and eat. I’ll head back now.”
With so many people around, Fang Ru didn’t feel it was convenient to discuss private things with Lin Wan.
“Wanwan, if you’re free after dinner, come to my place for a while. I’m alone at home today,” Fang Ru said as she left.
“Sure.” Lin Wan nodded.
Lin Wan thought that if she stayed home, the three stepsons would probably want her to play some board games with them again. It might be more relaxing to go to Mrs. Han’s house to chat.
In the evening, Li Yanchen was the only one left without company.
He turned on his computer and decided to research travel destinations.
Li Zexuan and the others went to a nearby arcade.
At Mrs. Han’s house, there was only her housekeeper and Mrs. Han. Since Fang Ru started dieting, the housekeeper only needed to prepare her own dinner. Most of the time, she just had a simple bowl of noodles.
The housekeeper smiled when she saw Lin Wan at the door. “Mrs. Li, hello.”
“Hello, Auntie.”
“Wanwan, I was waiting for you! Come, help me choose an outfit for the party tomorrow.” Fang Ru pulled Lin Wan along and headed straight for the closet.
This was the first time Lin Wan had climbed up to the second floor of Han’s house. The layout and decoration of Han’s villa were completely different from the Li family’s.
“Is my house much smaller than yours?” Fang Ru asked.
“It’s about the same. The decoration in your house is very sophisticated.”
“Really? The decoration is the part of this house I’m most satisfied with. I took full responsibility for it before getting married. It’s everything I like.”
“It’s really impressive.”
Fang Ruts walk-in closet was much smaller than her own, and it was filled with all sorts of clothes in a mess. Lin Wan stood at the door. She was unsure where to step..