Chapter 11 Chapter 11

After their playful tussle, Wang Qichen took Lin Yilan to tour the courtyard.

After the 1978 college entrance exam ended and they received the notice, Lin Yilan’s parents took her second sister and three brothers back to the capital city. If Lin Yilan remembered correctly, this courtyard was reclaimed by them from the local street office after they returned to the capital with the property deed.

However, this house was actually a gift from her second sister’s biological father to that sister, so once recovered, it was handed directly to her.

Yet why did this house look different from what she had seen before?

Pondering this, Lin Yilan finally voiced her question.

Wang Qichen leaned against a pillar in the main room and stared at Lin Yilan for a long moment.

Only when she saw Lin Yilan looking uncharacteristically uneasy did she finally speak, “Xiao Wu, I’ll tell you a secret.”

“This house isn’t the one our mother’s ex-husband gave me. After I recovered that house, I sold it and used the money to buy this one.”

“Do you know why I switched houses?”

Lin Yilan shook her head, unsure, but seeing her sister’s expression, she suddenly didn’t want to know.

Her second sister’s face had never shown such a complex expression, perhaps even more angry and hurt than when she once heard others call her a “bastard.”

Even after many years, Lin Yilan could never forget that expression on her sister’s face. She had always thought her sister’s eyes were especially beautiful, like a pool of stars on a clear night.

But suddenly, the stars had lost their light.

“Sis, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.” She wrapped her arms around her sister’s waist and rested her head on her shoulder.

Wang Qichen ran a hand through Lin Yilan’s hair and chuckled softly, “You’re just like when you were little.”

Lin Yilan hugged her sister tightly, “Maybe it’s because I have an older sister that I can always be the little one.”

Wang Qichen gently patted Lin Yilan’s back, “Alright, alright, you’re such a spoiled brat.”

“But I’m actually pretty happy to talk to you. Ever since I found out I could reclaim the house, I made up my mind. Holding this in for so long, it feels good to finally say it.”

Lin Yilan quietly leaned against her sister, listening as she confided.

“Thinking about childhood feels like it was in another life. I remember back then, our mother’s ex hadn’t fled to Port City yet and was still doing business in the capital. I hadn’t seen him for a long time, so I missed him a bit and secretly went to that house.”

“I went because he said there was a gift inside, so I wanted to find it.”

“But who knew, I saw him being affectionate with a woman who often visited our home.”

“Looking back now, it’s really disgusting.”

The heavy atmosphere was instantly broken when Lin Yilan couldn’t help but laugh at her sister’s curse.

“Sis, so you secretly learned to curse.”

Wang Qichen glanced at Lin Yilan, “Hey, as if you don’t curse too.”

Lin Yilan straightened up, chest out, looking at her sister, “Don’t slander me, I’m the good kid who listens to Mom.”

Wang Qichen pushed Lin Yilan away instantly, “Ugh, I don’t want to talk to you. You’re just like your fourth brother.”

“Shameless, I can’t communicate with you anymore.”

Lin Yilan shouted after her sister’s retreating back, “You say that like you have any shame.”

After her sister left the main room, Lin Yilan wandered around the room and then leaned against the pillar her sister had rested on.

Before coming, she had been thinking about how to persuade her sister to sell the previous house, but her sister had already taken care of it.

So everything was changing. The original story’s plot wasn’t unchangeable, right...?

---

When Lin Yilan came out of the room, the courtyard had become lively again.

Her three brothers had returned after buying groceries.

The four of them had already started preparing the noon feast. Seeing this, Lin Yilan quickly joined them.

Fourth brother Wang Xing immediately reached out, “Xiao Wu, remember to pay me back for today’s meal during the New Year. I covered your share.”

The five siblings had been clear about money matters since childhood, a result of their parents’ upbringing. Given the complicated family relationships, even siblings had to keep clear accounts for the sake of stability and harmony. So they were taught this from early on.

Thus, when the five siblings contributed money for gatherings, it was usually split evenly.

Lin Yilan was naturally familiar with this routine. She patted her chest, “Don’t worry, Fourth Brother, I’ll pay you back as soon as school starts.”

Wang Xing exaggeratedly pulled Third Brother Lin Li, wearing a look of disbelief and even tugged his ear, “Did you hear that? Someone just told a big lie.”

Lin Li nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up, “Amazing, amazing. The new generation surpasses the old, while the old dies on the shore.”

“Our Xiao Wu has potential—so young, so confident.”

“Xiao Wu, if you gain wealth, don’t forget us.”

Third brother deliberately winked at Lin Yilan in a greasy way.

Lin Yilan was disgusted and made a few chopping motions at her own neck.

She really couldn’t stand those two.

Seeing her gesture, the two brothers went wild, yelling one after another.

“Fourth brother, did you see that? Xiao Wu is threatening us, right?”

“Exactly, Third Brother, I’m scared. You have to protect your Fourth Brother. He doesn’t want to fall into Xiao Wu’s clutches.”

“Fourth Brother, don’t be afraid. Your Third Brother will never surrender.”

Watching them act like a play, Lin Yilan rolled her eyes and moved her chair a little further away.

Oldest brother Lin Ming was delighted, picking vegetables while pushing up his glasses, “Don’t underestimate Xiao Wu.”

“By the way, Xiao Wu, I heard you recently made quite a scene in the courtyard?”

“Now everyone in the courtyard says you’re more filial than our father and that you deserve to be a university student. Your reputation there is booming.”

Lin Yilan sighed, “Big Brother, please stop.”

Wang Qichen was clearly interested in Lin Yilan’s affairs and immediately crouched next to Lin Ming, encouraging, “Big Brother, tell us! What good deeds has our Xiao Wu done?”

Seeing the support, Lin Ming enthusiastically recounted all Lin Yilan’s deeds in the courtyard.

First, Xiao Wu verbally outmatched all the elderly ladies in the courtyard. Then, to reassure the elders, she strongly encouraged Grandma’s old leader to get a medical checkup, sparking a health checkup craze in the neighborhood.

Next, Xiao Wu designed various elderly-friendly modifications for Grandpa and Grandma’s home, drawing many people to visit their house. After visiting, others had their children and grandchildren modify their own houses too. To save trouble, they came directly to Xiao Wu, who was now managing design projects in the courtyard.

Some even started calling her “Lin Engineer” and other nicknames, triggering a chain of events.

After Big Brother finished, the other three looked at Lin Yilan in astonishment.

“Incredible.”

“Unimaginable that the person Big Brother describes is the same fifteen-year-old Xiao Wu who used to squat on the ground watching ants.”

“Cough, cough, you two watch your tone when talking to Xiao Wu.”

“Pfft, Sis, you’re biased.”

“Exactly...”

Lin Yilan looked at the two brothers who were each bonked on the head by their sister and proudly puffed out her chest.

Wang Qichen couldn’t stand these three immature kids. They were perfectly normal outside, but when together, their intelligence seemed halved.

---

Seeing the three siblings about to brawl again, Wang Qichen cleared her throat several times and stood up. The others quieted down.

“Alright, I have something to say!” Wang Qichen said, pulling a set of keys from her pocket. “We’re all family, and you all know how I came by this house.”

“Thanks to the fact that our father ‘died’ along with Fourth Brother, I have this house. But as the saying goes, a family shares both fortune and hardship. Our parents don’t want to live here, and I understand their reasons.”

“So I’ve decided to share the keys to this house with all of you.”

She took four identical keys from the keyring and handed them to the three brothers and the youngest sister in turn.

“If any of you need to use the house, you don’t need to ask—just use it.”

“Of course, a word of warning: please clean up and restore it afterwards, or I’ll be reporting to Mom and Dad.”

Wang Qichen bared her teeth in a fierce expression at the four, then immediately returned to her usual quiet and aloof demeanor.

It seemed the previous fierce face was just an illusion.

Fearless Wang Xing applauded, “My second sister, I’m always amazed at how fast you can change your face.”

The other three quickly turned away, covering their faces, unwilling to witness the sibling beatdown.

“Ahh—”

“I was wrong...”

“Sis, please forgive me.”

“I… know… I was wrong.”

Lin Yilan heard Fourth Brother’s almost breathless voice and silently mourned for three seconds.

Being verbally reckless is a disease; he should seek treatment soon.

Then, looking at the keys in her hand, an idea suddenly struck her.

“Sis, can I borrow this house to store some things?”

Wang Qichen, busy beating someone up, only replied simply, “Sure!”

“Today I’m definitely going to give you a good thrashing, you brat.”

Nearby, Big Brother and Third Brother tried hard to calm her down, while Fourth Brother mumbled, “Sis, aren’t you aspiring to be a diplomat? Watch your image, your image!”

Hearing this, Lin Yilan gave up on Fourth Brother.

Sure enough, in less than a second, she heard her sister yell angrily.

“Wang Xing, you still care about your image?”

“Hmph—”

“Just wait, if I don’t give you a good beating, you don’t know your place in this family.”

Lin Yilan watched as her sister grabbed a broom and quickly dodged to the side.

Big Brother also wisely moved aside.

Only Third Brother still tried to protect Fourth Brother.

Of course, such an ending probably meant they’d all get beaten together.

“Ahh—”

“Third Brother, run!”